Chapter 31:
The End of an Era

	Tobias was given a hero's welcome as soon as he reached the base. He 
had to give everyone he knew a hand shake, or a hug, or a high five, or 
whatever they felt was right. He even gave the lowly grunts he never got to 
know handshakes. When all was said and done, he climbed onto the transport 
that had brought him back. That caused every one to give him their full, 
undivided attention. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. He held up the 
titanium gauntlet. "Isthus has fallen. The Raiders are no more. The War is 
over!" A huge cheer that could be heard all the way in Tak Norath erupted. 
"We shall celebrate for two weeks!"
	"Here here!" Larcris cried out. "One two week planetary party is in 
order."
	Tobias smiled. "Only one thing bothers me."
	"What's that?" Crash asked.
	"I haven't seen my bride-to-be since we got home. Has anyone seen 
Samantha?"
	"I'm right here," she said, running towards the transport. Tobias 
jumped off and met her half way. They caught each other in a passionate 
kiss. "Welcome home," she said as their lips parted. "Welcome home."
	He smiled and found the promise ring. "I kept my promise. I came back 
safely." He kissed her again. "Isthus is gone, Samantha. I've avenged what 
he did to you. We can live in peace now."
	She gave him a hug. "It's over. It's finally over." She started to 
cry.
	Larcris approached him. "Your awards ceremony and wedding are set up, 
waiting for us all on the spot where we first met you. We just need you to 
tell us when."
	Tobias smile and held Samantha close to him. "Tomorrow. We'll do it 
all tomorrow."

	It was spooky to be back at the ruins of the same base he first came 
to. The hill was no longer there, leveled with the blockbuster bomb he had 
detonated to save themselves. A memorial had been erected in it's place. And 
with that, so had enough materials to go from an awards ceremony to a 
wedding. A huge tent had been set up close by for the reception. They set up 
camp and rested until the next day. The first matter of business to deal 
with was the awards that were to be handed out. 

	Larcris and Sven stood at the alter where the two lovers were to be 
hitched. Millions of spectators had arrived from all parts of the world, 
most being forced to stand due to the lack of space and watch in nearby 
fields on closed circuit television. They waited for everyone to calm before 
beginning. "We welcome everyone who has come to witness this," Larcris 
began. "We apologize for the inconveniences some of you have to endure. We 
did not anticipate this many people to come."
	Sven chuckled. "Today, we are here to honor the single greatest hero 
of our time. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, the champion of the 
United Pack Domain, Lone Wolf." Immediately, everyone who was sitting stood 
up and started to cheer. Tobias made his way down the aisle, dressed in 
military dress blues, displaying the bronze 5-star for bravery he received 
early in his life on this planet, and right up to the alter. He stood at 
attention, as he waited for the crowd to calm down. It took a good ten 
minutes for everything to die down.
	"Lone Wolf, Tobias, our friend," Larcris said. "You have done a 
service to our people infinite to our well being. We are forever in your 
debt. We can only show our admiration for you by offering you petty awards."
	Tobias smiled. "Old friend, I am willing to accept these awards you 
offer."
	Larcris smiled. "Well then, let's go through the list. For bravery up 
and beyond the call of duty, we grant you the highest award for such - the 
gold 10-star for bravery." Sven bowed to him and pinned it next to the 
5-star. "For countless acts of heroism for the good of the UPD, we bestow 
upon you the Gold Cross of Valor." He bowed and pinned it onto his jacket. 
"For taking down Isthus single-handedly, we give you the Sapphire Eye, the 
single highest military award. For your reunion of our people in harmony, we 
grant you the Silver Sun."
	By this time, the crowd was at it's feet, cheering wildly, drowning 
out what Larcris was saying. "And finally," Sven said. "For causing the end 
of our 21 years of strife, we present to you the Lone Wolf Award of 
Excellence." He pinned a single, platinum star with "LW" etched into it with 
the other awards. "You, Lone Wolf, Tobias, are our champion and our friend. 
We thank you." He bowed his head. Larcris followed shortly after. Pretty 
soon, every head that was near this whole thing was bowed.
	Tobias smiled and bowed. "It has been an honor serving you people. I 
will continue my services should the need arise." Everyone raised their 
heads. "But I did not do this alone. I had the help of many. Some of these 
people there are no awards to give, seeing as none exist. Some of them 
deserve all the awards they will receive today." He looked to Sven, who 
nodded. "UPD Elite Guard, will you please stand." The entire front row, 
consisting of Crash, Psycho, Bomber, Hack, and Wrench, stood up.
	"Present arms!" Crash said. They stood at attention. Larcris and Sven 
went down and started pinning medals on them.
	"You guys have held my back since I got here. For your bravery, you 
all are awarded the gold 5-star for bravery, the gold 5-star for honor, and 
the Lone Wolf Award of Excellence. You are the elite." He saluted them. "Be 
proud of yourselves." The crowd roared again. Five minutes later, he was 
ready to continue. "Viper Sting commanders Dane Ulrich and Mink, will you 
please approach the alter."
	"Attention!" Myst called out. The entire legion of Vipers, which sat 
in their own section on the right, stood up at attention. Mink and D 
approached the alter. Tobias looked at them and smiled.
	"Without the help of the Viper Sting, we would not be here doing this. 
Will you two accept the gold 5-star for bravery, the gold 5-star for valor, 
and the Lone Wolf Award of Excellence on behalf of your entire unit?"
	D and Mink smiled and stood at attention. "We will graciously accept." 
Tobias pinned the awards onto their jackets and saluted them. They saluted 
back. 
	"Viper Sting, be proud of yourselves. You have made your people 
proud." There was another round of applause. Tobias turned to the crowd 
again. "There are countless rebel units that have helped us fight this war. 
Every single one of them will receive silver 5-stars for bravery." The crowd 
erupted once more, giving a standing ovation. D and Mink went back to their 
unit. Everyone sat down as soon as Larcris approached the alter and held his 
hands up.
	"With all this said and done, may the marriage of Tobias "Lone Wolf" 
Zakhary and Samantha Talbot begin!"

	A fanfare of trumpets sounded. A few moments later, a second fanfare 
sounded. At the end of the aisle, Samantha appeared. She started walking in 
tune with the violins that started to play. Her simple, silk wedding dress 
hugged her figure, showing off her voluptuous curves. A soft, lace veil 
covered her face. The bouquet of white roses she carried gave off a sweet 
scent, charming everyone to silence. She slowly made her way to the alter, 
escorted by Vu, with Shivana, Swift, Kaitlyn, and Xuon following right 
behind. She stood opposite from Tobias, looking into his eyes. He caught her 
gaze and smiled. "With your permission," Larcris said. "We may begin the 
ceremony." They looked at him and nodded.

	"Friends, family, these two young people have chosen to express their 
love for each other in the strongest of bonds. We are gathered here to 
witness the forging of that bond." He reached to the alter and took a 
candle. "The bond of marriage is perhaps the strongest of all. It is a flame 
that can never die. Please hold this candle." They took it, holding it 
between them. "We light this candle as a sign for your devotion and love for 
each other. It shall burn for the remainder of the ceremony." He lit the 
candle. "May your love for each other burn as warmly and as brightly as this 
flame." They held the candle for a little bit, the wax starting to drip down 
onto their hands. As soon as that happened, Larcris took the candle and put 
it back on the alter. "I remember Sven telling me that Tobias gave Samantha 
a promise ring as a sign of his devotion to her. Rings are not a traditional 
part of the wedding ceremony. However, this idea has sparked a curiosity." 
He brought forth two rings. "Let it be know that they will show each other's 
total devotion to each other with these rings." He looked to Tobias. "Please 
take the ring." Tobias did so. "Now look into your brides eyes and tell her 
whatever your heart wishes." Everyone fell silent.
	He smiled. "Hey."
	Samantha smiled. "Hey."
	"You're not nervous now, are you?"
	She giggled. "No."
	He chuckled. "There's that wonderful giggle of yours. It's one of the 
so many nice things about you that I fell in love with. When I first met you, 
you were a carefree spirit, loving life and all it's simple things. I was 
shocked, bewildered at first. But then I realized that the heart that loved 
simple things could give so much care." He shut his eyes for a second, 
trying to catch his thoughts. "When you were caring for me after my first 
transformation, I felt lucky to be honored like that. I've been honored that 
you've shared your life, your love, with me. And you do me the biggest honor 
of all by becoming my wife." He sighed. "Thank you, Samantha."
	Larcris smiled. "Is that all you wish to say?"
	"Yes."
	"Slip the ring onto your bride's finger." He did so. "Do you, Tobias 
"Lone Wolf" Zakhary, take Samantha Talbot to be your wife, to have and to 
love unconditionally, though the toughest of times and the nicest of times, 
for so ever long that you live?"
	He looked into Samantha's eyes. "I do."
	"Samantha, please take the ring." She reached over and took the second 
ring. "Please look into your grooms eyes and tell him whatever your heart 
wishes."
	She smiled sheepishly. "I kinda wish I had been the first one to say 
this. Your speech has made me completely forget what I was going to say." He 
smiled. "But there is one thing I know for sure: I love you deeply. You've 
shown me a side of life that is as enjoyable as it is comfortable. You've 
given me a new outlook on life and have inspired me to live every moment of 
it. I could think of no man that I would rather marry than you. It is you 
who does me the honor of being my husband. Thank you, Tobias."
	"Is that all you wish to say?" Larcris asked.
	She hesitated a little bit. "I...I...yes. Yes it is."
	"Please slip the ring onto his hand." She did so. "Do you, Samantha 
Talbot, take Tobias "Lone Wolf" Zakhary to be your husband, to have and to 
love unconditionally, though the toughest of times and the nicest of times, 
for so ever long that you live?"
	She caught his gaze. "I do."
	Larcris smiled. "Please join your hands and raise them into the air." 
They did so, their hands reaching for the sky. "May the gods smile upon you. 
Many blessed years and happy times for you. I hearby declare that you two 
are now man and wife."

	Time suddenly froze for the two. Everything stopped. "What's this?" 
Tobias asked.
	"It's an old fable I heard when I was a kid," Samantha said. "When a 
couple that are destined to be get married, they receive a few private words 
from the goddess of love."
	"You are absolutely right," a disembodied female voice responded. 
"Very good Samantha."
	Tobias smiled. "Thank you for blessing this marriage. You have made us 
the happiest people alive."
	"Tobias, you deserve it. You were treated to hell for a number of 
years on your home planet, only to be thrust into this one, right into the 
middle of a war. A healthy marriage and a loving wife are long overdue for 
you. Samantha, you have earned Tobias through your caring for others and 
your love for life." They smiled and looked at each other. "I know that this 
is an odd pairing, but there is no doubt about it, this is the single 
greatest bond of love ever. Be proud, you two. You are the bridge between 
your people."
	"Thank you," Tobias said.
	"Thank you," Samantha added.

	"I hearby declare that you two are man and wife." He lowered their 
hands. "You may now kiss your bride." Tobias smiled and lifted the veil off 
of her face. He touched her cheek for a second, their gazes meeting, before 
he leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. She wrapped her arms around his 
neck and drew him closer. There was silence. They broke their kiss and held 
hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Tobias 
"Lone Wolf" Zakhary." Crash and his boys were the first ones to stand. They 
started to clap. D and Mink slowly rose, adding to the applause. Slowly, 
everybody added in. The couple started to move down the aisle to the 
applause of millions of people. Tobias looked into his wife's eyes and 
smiled. "Forever," he told her.
	She smiled. "And ever," she said back. She leaned on his arm as he 
escorted her the rest of the way down the aisle.

	Unlike the actual ceremony, it was anticipated that there would be a 
huge amount of people at the reception. Many who were unable to watch the 
ceremony in person were able to get seats in the huge tent that had been 
erected. However, it still wasn't enough for countless millions, who were 
regretfully turned away. They weren't upset, however. To have witnessed the 
greatest wedding in their history was enough.

	But for those who had gotten into the reception, it was even sweeter.

	A huge feast had been prepared for them. Course after course was 
brought forth for everyone to enjoy. Chicken, fish, beef, and all sorts of 
rare dishes were presented to the new couple, who happily dined. The entire 
Viper Sting had their own section, watching everything, totally amused. 
Crash and his boys had a hard time watching Psycho, who was tearing though 
drink after drink, counting off a full 25 glasses of wine. People came up 
one by one to wish Tobias and Samantha their best wishes.

	Finally, after all was said and done, Crash went up to the podium that 
had been set up. "Can I have everyone's attention?" The room quieted down 
and fell silent. "Thank you." He smiled. "I'm glad everyone could make it. I 
don't think I've ever seen this many people try to get into a wedding, let 
alone the reception. But this isn't about that. I wish to make a small 
speech in honor of the newlywed couple." He looked at Tobias and smiled. 
"Well, not really. It's mostly about Tobias and how he's changed all our 
lives. If there are no objections..."
	"And there are none," Tobias said, leaning back in his seat.
	"Then I shall begin." He pulled a folded up piece of paper and opened 
it up. "The day will never be forgotten. In the heat of a battle, a light 
from the sky spewed forth a strange creature. It was nothing like us - no 
fur, no tail, or anything we perceived as normal - and called itself one 
thing that would seal it's fate. He called himself Lone Wolf." He looked to 
Tobias. "When I first met you, I felt a little smug, thinking you were a 
weak creature and that you couldn't possibly be the hero our scripture 
proclaimed would come. But as I got to know you, I found out that you didn't 
need to be strong. Tobias, you showed us what a few calm minutes of thinking 
and a few quick steps could do in battle. You showed us that we should never 
doubt in one's power. I saw that when you killed 'J' in the Skoraran capital 
building. And I could feel it when you finished off Isthus." He smiled. "You 
are a hero on all points. Thank you for showing me your friendship. May you 
and Samantha have many years of happiness." The guests of the reception gave 
a hearty round of applause.
	Tobias smiled and got up. "Thank you Crash. If it pleases everyone, I 
wish to say something."
	"Please," Larcris said. "Speak."
	Tobias stepped up to the podium. "I will never be able to return the 
amount of love and caring that all of you have shown me. Had you not taken 
me in to your arms when I first arrived, I could be making this speech in 
front of Isthus right now. But no, I landed with your people. And, more 
importantly, I landed into the arms of my friends. I've gained so many of 
them. Kaitlyn, Swift, Sven, Crash, and even Mink and D have befriended and 
accepted me. I doubt I would have survived even three days had you guys not 
been there to comfort me. I cannot accept the full title of hero because 
there is more than one to the story. Ladies and gentlemen, I may be a hero 
in your eyes, but there are many heroes in mine. They should not go 
unrecognized." He looked to Samantha. "I have been able to recognize one, 
however. The only way I could think of doing that was to marry her."
	She smiled. "Am I really?"
	"Samantha, you are the biggest hero of all. You stood by me even when 
Isthus was breathing down our necks. I have never seen anyone take as much 
abuse as you did. When I laid the final punch on him, I immediately thought 
about you. It was my love for you that felled the foul beast. Thank you for 
your help."

	"Yes," Isthus' vile voice sounded. "Thank you for helping him defeat 
me." All eyes turned to the dance floor, which was right in front of the 
podium. Isthus slowly appeared, his hands held behind his back, dressed in a 
long, flowing black trench coat. "Greetings United Pack Domain," he said, 
looking around. He looked at Tobias. "Lone Wolf, Samantha, as much as I hate 
the both of you, I must give you my congratulations on your wedding. I could 
tell that you two were going to hook up."
	"Thank you," Tobias said. "Now get the hell out." He picked up a glass 
and threw it at the lion. It flew clean through him and shattered on the 
dance floor.
	"I'm a hologram you dickhead," Isthus taunted. "I'm actually on a 
small fleet of ships leaving the system."
	"Good. You're gone. Never come back."
	"Wouldn't you like to know where I'm going?"
	"No."
	"Oh yes you do. I'm sure of it." He suddenly shifted into a new image. 
It was a blue planet. It had a healthy number of green and brown land masses, 
with two ice caps and a large number of clouds. "We found this lovely little 
planet some 50 light years away. We think you'll recognize it."
	Vu and Shivana leaped to their feet. "That's Earth!" they shouted in 
unison.
	Tobias slammed the podium. "Isthus, you stay away from Earth!"
	"What's it to you?" His image reappeared. "You never liked Earth. I 
believe you said it yourself, they're all evil." He fell silent. "That's 
right. And don't try to intercept us, either. The spacecraft I have taking 
me there is a lot faster than anything you Pack scum can muster up. By the 
time you reach Earth, I'll already have conquered it and killed every 
inhabitant as revenge for what you've done to me."
	"I will not allow it," Tobias said. "If I have to hunt you to the ends 
of the galaxy, I will kill you."
	"I would like to see you try." He smiled evily. "Enjoy your 
honeymoon." The image disappeared. There was silence for a good five 
minutes. "The reception is over. I'm calling an emergency meeting now."

	They cleared out the reception hall of everyone, save those who needed 
to be there. Tobias had some starmaps brought in so they could plot their 
next move. Finally, he sighed and slumped on the table. "We have to find 
some way to beat Isthus there."
	"It's impossible," Larcris said. "The fastest ships we got would take 
nine months to reach Earth at top speed. Isthus will beat us there no matter 
what."
	"Isn't there something you could do? Maybe amplify it? Terry, couldn't 
you boost the-"
	"No," Terry said. "Even for me, that's too much of a drain."
	He nodded. "Maybe we could create some sort of mass teleportation 
device." He looked at Vu and Shivana. "Maybe you could-"
	"No," Vu said. "That's beyond their current technology."
	"There has to be something we can do!" He slammed the table.
	"I may have an idea," Shivana said, standing up.
	He looked at her. "What would that be?"
	"We got here through a portal that you created, Tobias." She hesitated. 
"Recently, our reports showed that the energies in your body that created it 
were becoming stable. Even though this may have caused some of those 
energies to destabilize again, there may be enough to send someone back."
	He sat down and thought it over. "You know, you may be right. But 
there's a flaw."
	"What's that?"
	"I could probably only send one, maybe two people back. Two people 
aren't enough to convince the world governments to ready for interstellar 
war. If you were going to establish a defense force, you'd have to send 
thousands of troops, or at least some sort of automated, replactable defense 
system. And, of course, you'd have to find somewhere to establish a base 
where Isthus wouldn't be able to find or reach it."
	"We have something that may help," Sven said. "Our boys perfected a 
module base that can be established anywhere - in the mountains, under 
water, even in space if the need is there. It's a small box that can expand 
into a large number of modules in just weeks."
	"What kind of defensive units does it have?"
	"It can manufacture robotic infantry and light tanks," Vu said. "And 
it's also got enough defenses for itself to be considered safe.
	"But what happens if you have to set it up under water?"
	"That was also considered," Shivana said. "Once the first module is 
set up and the entire thing is made safe for living, a transport will arrive 
to pick up it's creator and whoever he wants to bring down."
	He nodded. "It's a good plan. But it's still impossible to do. I don't 
know if I can transport a person and a whole shit load of equipment."
	"I can help," Terry said.
	"How?"
	"I can use my energy to amplify your portal and make it safe to send 
everything out."
	"How much can you send?"
	"I'm guessing four people and the equipment total."
	He nodded and looked to Vu and Shivana. "Well, what do you say? Wanna 
go home?"
	They smiled. "To save the Earth," Vu said.
	"We'll go."
	"I'll go too," Terry said.
	"Why?" D asked.
	"These two are clearly not trained for battle. It would be wise if I 
were to accompany them as a military advisor."
	"Sounds smart," Tobias said.
	D nodded. "Indeed. Terry, I give you permission to go."
	"Then I'm coming too," Mallory butted in. "If Terry goes, I'm going 
to."
	"No," Mink said. "We cannot run that risk."
	"Please," Terry begged. "Let her come. Two coordinating military minds 
wouldn't do any damage."
	"We can't run the risk of her getting discovered," Larcris said. "It's 
a big enough risk sending you."
	Tobias quickly silenced them all. "I know how much he means to you, 
Mallory. It's best that you go with him."
	Sven looked at him. "Are you sure about this?"
	"Very."
	"All right. When do we do this?"
	He shut his eyes. "Tomorrow morning. I'll open the portal, Terry will 
amplify it, and you can all go through. After they're sent off, we will plan 
our fleets for our crusade to Earth." He looked to Samantha. "I'm sorry, 
Samantha. Our honeymoon will have to wait."

	The next morning, Terry, Vu, Mallory, Shivana, Sven, D, and Tobias 
walked out into an empty field just outside Tak Norath. Vu carried with him 
the long, metal box that would be deployed into their base. They went over a 
final check of equipment and got ready. "When will you be able to come to 
our aid?" Shivana asked Tobias.
	"Sven programmed all the details we could fumble together into the 
computer on the base," he responded. "It will tell you everything."
	"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Will you be all right?"
	He nodded. "You worry about yourself."
	"Tobias," Terry said. "I'm ready when you are."
	"All right. Everyone stand back." Everyone did. He cracked his 
knuckles and took a deep breath. "I hope this thing Swift taught me works." 
He shut his eyes and held his hands out. At first, nothing happened. Then, 
there was a blue spark from the center of the field. A blue portal started 
to open. It expanded to a five foot diameter before it stopped growing. 
"The portal is open. Terry."
	"On it." He held his hands out. The portal began to spark white, the 
same color as Terry's hands started to glow. "Okay. Vu, Shivana, you go in 
first. Take the equipment with you."
	Vu nodded and picked up the box. He stepped up to Tobias' side. "We'll 
meet again, old friend." He said.
	"See you in a while," Tobias responded. Vu smiled and leaped into the 
portal, box in hand.
	Shivana stepped up to him next. "Anything you want us to do besides 
defend the Earth?"
	"No. Now go." 
	She smiled. "Until we meet again." She ran for and dove into the 
portal.
	"Mallory," Terry called.
	She stepped between the two. "You make it safely, Terry," she said, 
kissing his cheek. She looked at Tobias.
	"Keep those two out of trouble, you hear me?"
	She smiled. "I will."
	"Good luck." She smiled and quickly followed the two humans. He 
smiled and looked at Terry. "It's your turn. Cut the power and go for it."
	Terry smiled. "Thank you, Tobias, for everything you have done for me 
and Mallory."
	"Don't worry about it. Keep those three safe for me. Good luck."
	"You too." He cut his power and dived into the portal. As soon as he 
had gone through fully, the portal started to waiver and collapse. Tobias 
fell to his knees.
	"Tobias!" Samantha said, coming to his side. "Are you okay?"
	"Yeah, just out of breath." He stood up. "Let's head back to 
headquarters. We need to plan the next ten months." He looked to D and Sven. 
"We'll beat this yet." They started back for Tak Norath. He stopped only 
once to look back at the field, before entering the city limits.

	"The chaos has begun," he told himself. "I hope we can stop it this 
time."

END