Hell's Hoplites - Book 1 - Thebes - 17 - Epilogue

Epilogue -

Sol System - Thebes - Theban Archive

January 17th 2545 AD - 12:14 GMT

Jack walked up to the podium that had been built at the front of the Theban Archive building and stood there for a second looking down at the sheets that sat there butterflies churning in his stomach as he did so.

After a few more seconds of silence he finally looked up at the crowd of several hundred people sitting in folding chairs in front of the podium on the lush green lawn.

“I had a speech written and prepared by someone who is good at that,” he paused again for a heartbeat. “But while I paid good money for the speech I think I’ll try articulating from my own heart here,” he told the waiting crowd.

“First off I’d like to thank everyone who was able to make it here to this ceremony that has a three fold purpose,” he told the seated audience.

“Foremost among these purposes is to dedicate this monument and this day to those who fell to the machinations of an evil and psychotic man both knowingly and unknowingly by getting in his way.”

“Among those people both innocent and guilty of helping to perpetuate the crimes that took so many lives including Erskine Sikorsky and his dig crew, my mother Angela Di’Eriqua y Sikorsky, my aunt Aireal Di’Eriqua…,” the list went on for nearly an hour as Jack named off the members of his squad and allies that had fallen to the madman Edgar Rice as well as innocent and not so innocent including Kawamura Industries board of directors and the original crew of the New Edo and the mercenaries that had died aboard the pirate base.

After the speech Jack, Samuel, Patricia, and Suzanne stood in a line in front of the podium shaking hands with friends and family members of the people they had known and lost.

In the background not wanting to get in the way Marie, David, and Fox stood with Taki and Rochelle as the line passed on finally after what seemed hours the receiving line finally vanished and vehicles took the guests back to the small temporary spaceport that had been built to accommodate small amounts of ships and shuttles beyond it the skeletal structure of a more permanent facility could be seen with the first sprawling tendrils of a city snaking out from it. Over the last ten years even while the UEF had fought the crew members for ownership of the planet tens of thousands of people had settled on the newly discovered wonder.

Sol System - Thebes - Cliff Over Looking Dry Lake Beds Bay

January 17th 2545 AD - 17:22 GMT

Jack stood looking over the sparkling blue/green water that now filled the once dried up bay and marveled at what had occurred over the last ten or so years.

Behind him he could hear fast movement and spun just in time to catch the small bundle of energy that jumped at him.

“Hey kiddo how’s it going?” He asked his five year old son.

“Mom’s being mean,” Erskine Paul Sikorsky said his lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“And how is your mother being mean?”

“She won’t let me go to the shipyard to see what they are building,” he said crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well that’s not too nice of her is it,” Jack said with an indulgent smile.

“No its not,” he pouted some more.

Jack turned in the direction of the bay and pointed. “Well we’ll just have to fix that won’t we,” he told the little boy teasingly.

“Jack it’s not nice to tease your son,” Suzanne said walking slowly up behind the two holding the hand of Erskine’s twin sister Angela Aireal Sikorsky.

“No it’s not Daddy,” little Angela said solemnly.

Jack chuckled quietly and turned his attention back to his son. “If you look really close you can see the Dry Lakes Shipyard from here kiddo and just at this edge you can see the framework for the most advanced vessel being built to date,” Jack told him.

“The Thepopylae,” Erskine said.

“Close kiddo really close,” Jack told him tousling his hair. “The Thermopylae or gates of fire where three hundred men sacrificed their lives to save something they loved,” Jack explained quietly.

Suzanne walked up next to him still holding Angela’s small hand and slid her muscular arm through his and Jack wrapped his arm around her waist pressing his hand flat against her pregnancy distended belly.

“What did the doctor have to say this morning?” He asked her quietly as she laid her head against his shoulder.

“It is twins again,” she told him.

“At this rate it won’t take us long to repopulate the planet,” Jack told her.

“Well true, but it is also great recreational activity as well.”

“That and it burns up quite a few excess calories,” he joked.

“Are you saying I’m getting fat?” Suzanne asked him threateningly.

“Beautifully rounded would be the closer wording I would use,” Jack said receiving an open handed blow to the shoulder for his efforts.

Even with her distended belly Suzanne was still more physically fit than most people and would probably still be able to kick his butt.

“Do you think we’ll finally be able to reach the stars,” she said leaning her head against his shoulder again.

“Someday soon,” Jack told her turning his head and kissing her temple.

“I hope,” she said quietly.

Sol System - Thebes - Archive National Forest

January 17th 2545 AD - 17:37 GMT

Soft laughter drifted on the breeze that wafted through the stands of thick trees that now surrounded the outer walls of the Theban Archive.

“Rochelle can I go play now?” three year old Sionead Zion asked her older sister.

“Have to ask mom, kiddo,” the teenaged girl told her younger sister.

“Okay,” she said skipping over to where Patricia and Samuel where standing in front of the largest of all the Corona trees in the grove.

“Mommy, mommy can I go play?” Sionead asked her mother.

“Certainly sweetie,” Patricia said bending down and hugging her daughter.

“Yay,” Sionead yelled and skipped away to the interior of the grove and was met by small brown shapes that receded into the trees.

“Do you think she can hear and see everything that is going on around her?” Patricia asked looking back at the tree.

“Yes I think she can and I think she’s happy to be able to do something important especially after what her father did to her and from talking to her the little bit I did I got the feeling she felt responsible for some of the things her father did,” Samuel told his wife.

“That’s so sad,” Patricia said and looked at the slender tree with a beautiful woman’s face the arms were outstretched above it and branches with vibrant green leaves and small brown pods stretched into the sky from her fingers and head.

The small brown pods contained the next generation of her Dryad daughters, she’d already had ten cycles of podlings and currently Sionead was playing with the youngest of these.

All around the tree that had once been Corona Masloff the first five generations of her off-spring had taken root and created an entire forest of trees with beautifully endowed women imbedded in them.

“Some times these things can be sad but happy at the same time,” Samuel told her and kissed her on the cheek.

“We should be happy that she’s finally happy, and believe me you don’t want to read the files her father left behind and some of the things and experiments he performed on her,” Samuel to his wife.

“You’re right as long as she is happy,” Patricia breathed out.

January 17th 2545 AD - 17:52 GMT

Thebes Temporary Space Port

“You sure you’re going to be alright by yourself Fox?” David asked as the Viking of a man stood at the foot of the shuttle’s entrance ramp.

“I’ll be fine, you just take care of Taki and Marie,” Fox said grabbing the slight man in a bear hug.

“Okay, gukk, Fox you’re choking me to death,” David managed to gasp out.

“You need to work out more often David,” Fox said.

“Don’t worry I’m sure he’ll do what ever it takes to impress Taki,” Marie said jerking a thumb over her shoulder at the young girl.

Marie was dressed in the uniform of the Theban Police of black and gold with Captain’s bars glowing on her collars.

“I’ll miss you guys very much but I have to find my sister,” Fox said and shook hands with Marie and David and turned to walk back up the ramp.

“Take care Fox,” Taki called out.

“You too, and don’t let David get you into too much trouble,” Fox called over his shoulder as he entered the shuttle.

The three of them watched as the shuttle retracted its ramp and then closed the hatch lifting from the space port on powerful liquid fueled thrusters until it could reach orbit and engage the main drive systems that would take it to a tramp freighter that was heading for Earth.

The three of them watched as the shuttle disappeared and then headed for the Lincoln Navigator in the parking lot that had Theban Police Force insignia on it.

“So when is the wedding date set for?” Marie asked as she opened the driver door.

“Father says we can get married in three months,” Taki told her.

“Yeah and I’m stressing out trying to get everything done,” David grumped.

“I’m sure everything will go just fine,” Marie assured him and then drove the vehicle back to the Archive to pick up the others.

Bright gold and orange light played over the rediscovered planet and the future seemed bright as like minded people flooded to the planet to start new lives.