I spoke to the guards that were standing around them. "The fight is over; go find your families."
As I turned around, Ashley was standing behind me. "Interesting. I gave a nearly identical speech to the two Kurtz Marines we had in our custody, just before I transferred them back to their Grid."
I grabbed Ashley and pulled her close for a long embrace. It was a kiss that was ever warm, and soft, and for a brief moment I hoped it would never end. As our lips separated, a slight dust blew up at us as the
Swift
blinked in and settled next to us on the ground. The rear hatch opened, and Frig stepped out onto the plains of Megiddo. Before he could speak, I stepped over and pulled him in for a bear hug. His feet dangled above the ground as I smiled and laughed.
Frig spoke as I set him down. "Really, Sir. You can have your half of the
Swift
back if you never again put on such a public display!"
I laughed. "Well, I can’t guarantee that, so, it looks like you are stuck with keeping your half!"
York and Frost walked up behind us.
Frost spoke. "A group hug! Why wasn’t I told!"
Frost removed her helmet and tossed it into a pile of helmets that was forming beside us.
I looked over at York. "Well? You joining us?"
York nodded as she removed her helmet and dropped it to the ground as well. A group hug ensued, lasting for several minutes as we all congratulated ourselves, smiled, and laughed. Our future was uncertain, but it would be as free citizens!
As we talked and laughed, I took note of a small commotion going on within the ranks of the Durians to my left.
The small crowd dispersed, leaving me looking at a sight that I was not expecting. A bolt from an ion blaster melted and scattered our helmets from their pile. A second ion bolt damaged the open rear hatch of the
Swift
.
The Duke grinned as he spoke. "Mr. Grange, I could not leave without offering you a parting gift of gratitude! I hope you enjoy this group of angry Durians!"
As the Duke was swept away onto his waiting ship, several hundred Durians turned and charged our position. Without our helmets, we lacked the protection of our active skins. The Durians only had their fists, but two hundred against five was not a fair fight. A crowd of angry Durians soon had us surrounded. Fists flew, legs kicked, and claws raked as our peaceful coexistence came to a quick end.
The thousands of other Durians then began to go on a rampage of their own. Their god had returned and ordered them to continue their fight. Two Durians clawed at my face as I punched and kicked with my prosthetics. York was quickly amassing a pile of dead and injured in front of her position, while Frost and Ashley protected each other’s backs. Frig leaped in the air, kicking at heads with his powerful legs.
Our fistfight raged for several minutes until blaster fire returned. A dozen Durian Helgrons turned and dashed towards the oncoming fire, only to be thrown back hard against the group that surrounded us. As the ion bolts grew in number and in strength, a pathway was opened for our escape. The hole in the Durian encirclement widened as we raced out towards our troops. Several minutes later, the riot was put down and the Durian fighters were returned to a state of subdued captivity.
I stood looking at the others as I took a deep breath. "Is this what it is going to be like? That maniacal machine popping in and creating chaos at will?"
The Colonel blinked in beside me with a big slap on my back. "Just can’t catch a break there, can you, Grange! Hahaha! Glad to see that no one was hurt in that melee. That would have been a sad ending after such a hard fight!"
I shook my head. "I don’t know who was more entertained by that, Colonel, you or the Duke."
The Colonel held up his hand as a comm came in. "OK. Got it, thanks!"
The Colonel grabbed my shoulder and shook me. "A pod of our Earth friends caught the Duke’s ship as he was jumping through another portal on his way out. They can’t confirm a kill, but they did send a full combined particle beam through there before the portal closed. The ships got a scan of his endpoint, and we sent another ship after him."
The Colonel held up his hand. "Just a second. Our ship just came back through. They found debris that was definitely from the Duke’s ship, only not enough to confirm a kill. It’s possible that the particle beam disintegrated the rest of that ship. It’s also possible that he managed another jump before we got there. We will keep a number of ships scanning this solar system until we have had a chance to leave. I don’t think he will be bothering us again."
The Colonel stepped back and shook his head in anger.
I spoke. "What is it, Colonel?"
The Colonel grinned his evil grin. "Finally had a decent fistfight going, and I missed out on it!"
I pointed to four dead and eight severely injured Durians. "York got in enough punches for all of us, Colonel. You can gab with her about it. I’m sure she would enjoy giving you the blow-by-blow details."
The Colonel once again slapped me hard on the back as he turned to go question York. I rubbed the back of my neck from the slight whiplash that I received. I then laughed it off as one of many such jolts I had received from the Colonel.
I put my arm around my wife and walked back over to the
Swift
. Frig had one of the bots up and running at repairing the damage.
I spoke. "What’s the prognosis?"
Frig looked over the damage on one edge of the door as the bot began repairs on the other. "I believe we will be here for another hour. The damage is not severe, but substantial enough that it may warrant a full replacement. If so, I will have the bot build a new door."
I turned back to a tap on my shoulder. "Michael Felix! Glad to see you made it through!"
Felix smiled. "This is quite the accomplishment, Don. And to think how much I despised you only a few short years ago."
I laughed. "Yeah, I was kind of a punk. But you were an egotistical ass. Maybe we should thank the Duke for helping us both to grow up."
Felix again smiled. "What are your plans now that this is all over? I would assume the Council will be meeting?"
I held up my hand. "The Council can meet all they want to. As far as what we are doing next, well, that has to be discussed with the wife. And with my business partner and friend, Bartel. I tell you what, Felix, why don’t you tell the rest of the Council that I have given up my seat to you. This is where you take over and shape the future of Man. How does that sound?"
Felix replied, "That is a task I would eagerly take on, Don. Given my knowledge of how dirty politics and business can be, I think it would give me a unique perspective for updating our laws to close out a few of the glaring loopholes that are commonly exploited."
I nodded. "Wish you nothing but good luck with that, Felix. I’m sure you will try to steer things in the right direction."
I shook the hand of Michael Felix, and he continued on his way, now in search of support for his political career. I stepped up into the hold of the
Swift
with Ashley and sat down at the table next to Quan.
I turned to Frig. "So, what do we do with Quan here?"
Frig stopped and looked intently at the small computer core. "I think we take him with us. I have had thoughts of integrating him into the
Swift
’s systems."
Ashley spoke. "Do you think that is a good idea? I realize the inhibitor circuits are in force, but I don’t know that I am comfortable with giving him full control of his surroundings."
Frig nodded. "Perhaps it does indeed require further thought. I would need to wrap his abilities in several layers of secure control."
I pointed towards the freezer that remained in the
Swift
’s hold. "Or, we just pack him on ice and just pull him out if we want to play."
Frig blinked. "I believe that to be the best immediate option."
The near absolute zero freezer was powered on. As it started to cool, Frig removed the speaker, mic, and power leads from Quan’s core. The android computer was gently lifted and placed in the bottom of the cryo unit. After the door was sealed, a green light and a chime told us that it had reached its minimum temperature. Quan had been stored until there was a further need.
Each of the Admirals came by for a chat and then moved on about their business. As our door repair came to an end, we began to discuss what our next moves would be.
I spoke. "I say we go back to Earth and tool around for a few months, learn about our history, and then make a jump back to Jarhead to establish a colony. I kind of like the Mensa sector and the other species that lived there. They were mostly good folk."
Ashley smiled. "I think that is an excellent idea."
Frig nodded. "I would like to check in on my Gambit family to make sure they are getting off to a good start as well."
I slapped together my hands and then leaned in to kiss Ashley on the cheek. "Sounds like we have a plan! When can we get started?"
Frig knelt to checked the rear hatch for seal and then stood to go to the copilot’s chair. A knock was heard on the hatch. Frig gave the command for the door to open.
As the door lowered to the ground, the Colonel was standing there with a grin. "And just where do you think you are going?"
I laughed. "We have plans for a peace-filled future, Colonel. We are heading to Earth, then possibly Gambrel, and then finally to Jarhead. We will be starting a colony there, if you are interested."
The Colonel smiled. "If you are starting a colony, you are going to need some protection. I’m guessing I could muster up about eighty thousand recruits for that mission, if you would have them. I think they might be fond of the name of that planet."
Ashley stood and shook her head. "You and the Ghouls are more than welcome to come; in fact, I would encourage you to. But the name of the planet is going to change. I was a jarhead myself for long enough, I don’t want to live on a planet by that name. We will be changing it when the colony is established."
The Colonel laughed. "I don’t think any of the Ghouls would mind that change, Ashley. You set up the colony, and the Ghouls will work on its defense, regardless of the name."
After several minutes of conversation, the Colonel was called away to solve a problem with his men. York and Frost stepped up to the door before Frig pressed the button to close it.
I spoke. "What’s up, ladies?"
Frost spoke. "We were just wondering where you were headed next, Mr. Grange. We thought you might be looking to hire some personal security, and the two of us could use a job."
I laughed. "We will be heading to Jarhead in a few months to establish a colony there. We talked with the Colonel, and he offered up the Gray Ghouls as a defense force. We told him they are welcome to join us, and you two are always welcome there in any capacity."
York smiled. "I think we would like that, Sir. At least until we get a firm footing as to what it is we are going to do with ourselves. Two old warhorses like us are not likely to want to just sit around."
I nodded. "I wouldn’t expect you would, Miss York. You know, there are a lot of hostiles still out there. If we are going to bring peace to the Triangulum, there is a lot of work yet to be done. I suspect that we might just need some enforcement of whatever the rules are that we come up with."
York shook her head. "I don’t think we would be interested in doing police work, Mr. Grange. We are going to need something a little more substantial."
Ashley spoke. "I don’t think there will be any shortage of heavy lifting during our lifetimes, Diane. The Triangulum is a big place, as is this galaxy, and the Milky Way, and a billion, billion others. And with the weapons, ships, and armor we have, I’m sure you and Miss Frost will be butting heads with danger for many years to come. Just know that you always have a home with us."
The two Marines smiled as they turned and waved. Frig closed the door on Megiddo for the last time. After lifting up through the atmosphere our trip back to Earth was over in only a few minutes.
Our first stop was to the city of Columbia in the former South Carolina. Ashley’s ancestors had originated from the area. We had traced her roots back to the Earth year 1790. The trail went cold, as the census of the time had no further information than the family name.
We then moved on to London for a quick tour after tracing my family history to the area. The first sighting of the family name was of William de la Graunge, recorded in the "Hundred Rolls of Essex," during the reign of King Edward I, dated 1275. I suddenly had nearly two thousand years of family history standing behind me.
The following weeks were spent taking in the natural wonders of Earth. The sight of another Human was rare, as most were still trying to figure out exactly what they wanted to do. There had been talk of recovering our original Grid and moving it to an orbit around Earth. While such a move would be a big undertaking, it was no longer out of reason.
Our trip to Gambrel lasted for three weeks. The Gambits had reclaimed their home planet, and the initial designs for reconstruction had been laid out. A population explosion was expected for the next few centuries, and the Gambits planned to return to and surpass their former cultural achievements and glory. Frig was given a lifetime diplomatic standing. He graciously accepted the courtesy.
Upon our return to Jarhead, I was surprised to see the growth that had taken place after the terraforming machines had stopped. Much of the landscape was thick with trees, as natural selection took control of what would grow when and where. We set the
Swift
down in an overgrown compound near one of our prior bunkers. The billions of tons of precious stones within would fund our colony establishment for years to come, if not centuries.
After a lengthy discussion, the planet received a new name. It would be called Gratis and would become a beacon of Human freedom and fairness in that spiral arm of the Triangulum galaxy.
Gratis was to be the second member of the Alliance of Major Planets behind Earth. Within a decade, the membership would grow to more than fifteen hundred planets strong. To become a member of AMP meant that a species power and transportation needs would be taken care of once the government had adopted the rules of the Council of Governance as their own.
Each planet received a cesium fusion reactor, capable of powering the entire planet, and a portal generator that allowed transport from any city on the planet to a central portal, which was in turn connected to a similar portal on all of the member planets. In under a minute, a citizen of a member planet could travel from their local portal to a place of business in another galaxy. Freedom reigned supreme, and the common citizen had few wants, and fewer needs.
The BGS suit we had relied so heavily upon for our victories turned out to be a barrier for Human procreation. After numerous attempts to prevent the sterilization of our species' reproductive organs, the BGS suit was removed from service and retired. The sterilizing effects were reversed, but not without extensive chemical and biological treatment. Dr. Touchstone had speculated, that had the suits been worn for only a few more years, the effects would have doomed the Human race to being nothing more than clones. A process that was not yet fully successful as evidenced by our cloned Earth citizens who were never fully there. Their emotions were muted to a point that would preclude Humans from remaining a viable species in the future.
After a BGS suit recovery period on Gratis, Ashley and I had gone on to parent seven children over the decade after the Duke’s defeat. Our home was a grand compound that sat high on a ridge. The view looked down across rolling forested hills that settled onto a plateau which then dropped off into the sea beyond. Gratis was a paradise that I had no desire to ever leave.