Epilog - Republic No More

Republic No More

Heroes: Jag, Atobe Keigo, Kabuto, Pacci, Dust and Lord Flash
Enemies: Neville Chamberlain and the unstoppable tides of history
At long, long last, the Res Publica campaign had come to an end. Three days after the defeat of Rodric Omega and his band of would-be usurpers, our heavily bandaged cast of heroes sat in a small conference room in the Denchuli capital of Dennton. Open hostilities had ceased, and both sides were looking to bring a resolution to the conflict. Senator Gracchus of Electra entered the room then to do just that. Ever the supporter of liberty and democracy, the Senator cannot approve of what has gone on, but warns the PCs they will be the unsung, uncelebrated heroes of history. He is joined by Deksiilan Axen Dredd, who agrees that peace has come at last to the region, regardless of the cause. And to negotiate the terms of that peace, he has brought with him none other than the President of Deksiil; who Dust discovers to his horror is none other than Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain immediately states his intent to appease the Electrans and sidles off with Grachus, asking how much of the planet they want in the settlement.
And so, Chamberlain cedes Denchul's autonomy to Electra in exchange for military protection, heralding a monumental change to the political landscape of the galaxy: the creation of the INTERPLANETARY EMPIRE of Electra.

Character Endings
Supporting Cast

Varin, eventually released from jail for opposing the Special Forces, is disillusioned with military life. Rumors of his connections with a big movie producer earn him a career as an international martial arts and action movie star.

Q, head scientist for the Robles corporation, also goes into show business, starring as a scientist in high-profile action movies before frequent arguments with director Van Gogh's artistic vision get him kicked from the set.

The Red Baron, traumatized by his encounters with Lord Flash, retires from flying, but is later forced to emergency-land a passenger jet in spite of post-war flashbacks. Dr. Rumak, who is onboard the stricken plane, blames the fish for the crisis.

The Egg manages to land a contract marketing his amazing electronic pipe with Mr. Robles, who of course can be nothing but thrilled with the technology.

Anton and Suki are reported missing in action and secretly join a Phantom Army funded by all free nations that fights tyranny and evil in every corner of the galaxy.

Kal Meecham disappears from the public eye for several years. Upon his return, tabloids are rife with reports that he was kidnapped by aliens. The Ghostbusters are called to investigate, but in the end, they can conclude only that Kal was slimed.

Meecham's co-pilot, Roger Murdoch, finally gives up pretending not to be Kareem Abdul Jibbar and stars against Varin in a kung-fu action movie.

Acquisitions Officer Mahmood retires to academia, and joins forces with Darth Vector to write a textbook on vector calculus. Sadly, Mahmood later passes away with the book only partially completed.

Hapless Phil is sued by the Colonel for copyright infringement for the Kentucky Fried Parrot restaurants that his Fredo Foundation funds.

Captain Highliner returns from his exile to Sphere, where in the power vacuum the House of Flounder rises to well-deserved dominance.

And Judge Axen Dredd is elected President of Deksiil with a heavily action-oriented election campaign. During his short-lived but influential term, he introduces the key international measures that makes Deksiil into the galactic peace-keeping watchdog that it will later come to be.

The Villains

Ex-Grand Marshall Vonderveck is executed for high treason, much to the joy of marine biologists and the chagrin of jerk-store owners.

Major-General Edward Byrne-White is sent to prison where he constantly remarks upon his superior treatment during the Yemen desert campaign. Nevertheless, he still has shag-rug and air-conditioning installed in his cell - an absolute necessity, given the amount of time he spends there.

El Ninja Mexicano gains a lucrative deal as the Spanish spokesman for new El Vanilla Coke, ninja-kicking into submission all those drawn by the alluring taste of the new beverage.

The Evil Baron Waldorf escapes from custody and stars in several television documentaries on the life of Exavur. Rumor says the ghost of the infamous Special Forces leader can still be heard where the Captain went down with his ship.

Glenn Beck also retires to academia, where he collaborates with Phil Ken Sebben to produce an electronic student monitoring device, which can be used to monitor students' progress during class and invade their personal privacy.

Dr. Wily "reforms" his ways and is released to work on a top secret military project with Dr. Light, before inevitably stealing it and creating eight new robots to unleash on the world...

Kronos and Karsh, survivors of the Spheran Coalition, are exiled from Sphere by the Flounders and form a successful cereal cartel, which may remain so as long as they manage to avoid betraying their new master - the Great and Powerful Clovey the Clover.

And the great Genghis Khan is placed in a silver coffin by his loyal followers and entombed at a secret site undiscovered for ages, waiting for someone to finish the conquest that he had started...

Subordinates and Sidekicks

McMason leaves the military to return to police work on Electra, alongside Officer Jenny and Dutch Detective Klogg, who is hired via his country's police exchange program.

Jean-Paul Jean-Paul and Stenda found a successful personal fitness program, although rumors abound that Jean-Paul has some trouble sticking to it.

Vidal Sassoon finally gets the retirement he's been coveting so he can return to focus on his hair salon.

Bumblebee leaves with Kupp to found an important scientific moon base, although frequent destructive visits from Anton and Suki continue to earn Kupp's ire.

Protoman disappears as mysteriously as he came, only to be summoned again by his whistle to do battle with the evil Dr. Wily.

Lubosh is eventually deported back to Arsa where his legacy will live on for generations, along with Lt. Surge who is unable to determine his own nationality on immigration papers.

The Boyo Malarky goes on to star in a documentary about the events of the war entitled Band of Brothers.

Dijon is eventually accused by the Clue cast of murdering his father Colonel Mustard, and is subsequently sent to jail, all the while proclaiming his innocence and offering to prove it in a duel.

Stone Cold Steve Austin retires from wrestling due to a knee injury, but founds a successful microbrewery with the only man who understands alcohol as well as him: Dolg!

And Mighty Megalodon enjoys incredible popularity at a new marine theme-park until he eats a hapless customer and is deported to the oceans of Tortalus, where he eventually falls asleep in a deep-sea trench, waiting to be discovered once again...

Heroes of the Republic

Jean-Reno moves on to a successful acting career, save for one ill-fated role involvin a dolphin at Megalodon's marine theme-park.

Balarai Snowe's body is discovered centuries later alongside the remains of The Chief, prompting many wild and incorrect conclusions from archaeologists and anthropologists about ancient Electran civilization.

Kabuto eventually returns to Sphere and and settles down to build a family that will last for many generations to come.

Lord Flash survives for only about twenty minutes beyond the end of the campaign, killed while recreating his dramatic crash into Rodric for his fans, but his legend lives on in several popular Aviator movies about his life, and by supposed sightings of his ghost in supermarket parking lots.

Zeke once again fakes his own death to escape from Denchul and flees to Chalchak, where Funky's shady connections set him up to once again make a lot of money.

Pacci briefly retires from active duty but returns when he hears of Dr. Wily's release. His adventures are chronicled in a popular video game, but he is replaced as series hero by Megaman due to the latter's powerful injury lawyers.

Dust refuses to give in to Electra and continues to fight as a revolutionary on Denchul alongside his father. He is eventually caught and executed in a highly controversial trial, where history will remember him as a true misunderstood hero.

Atobe Keigo defeats Anna Kournikova for the Electran Tennis title, but retires when several swimsuit pictures of her are circulated on the internet from an anonymous Chalchakian source. As well as a successful author of anti-Spheran literature, she hosts a fitness program alongside fitness guru Hal Johnson. Rumors of her marriage to fitness assistance Brock are highly exaggerated.

Law Division Captain Jag finally founds his own law firm alongside a rather unlikely partner - none other than Gol "The Hammer" Draam, retired from military service in protest to smash his opponents in the courtroom instead!!

The New Emperor

And back in the Electran capital, Kilant and Xelme stand before the recovered body of Vygrymm, Dragon of Sphere. Kilant remarks that the Dragon came to make an Empire, and that's exactly what he did. He only misjudged who would be leading it. Long live the Emperor, said Xelme with a salute. And thus Kilant was crowned First Emperor of the Electran Empire, the Galaxy's only enduring interplanetary government, and recently voted by the Spherus Historical Society as the most influential historical figure of all time...

History Speaks
History is written by the victors, and even today the true character of Kilant remains hotly debated. What do Kilant's contemporaries have to say about him? Perhaps they alone can provide the insight to truly judge the galaxy's most importat historical figure...
I know well what they will say. Some are saying it already: the man who now rules Electra is naught but a tyrant. It seems to be the craven nature of these armchair liberals and academics to besmirch the name of men greater than they. They cry for justice and an end to oppression, and yet they would sit locked in their oaken studies, scribbling their latest treatise, while the butchers are kicking down their neighbor's door. Tell me then, what tyrant has bled as he has? What other tyrant has fought alongside of the rest of us, risked death a thousand times, his enemies breaking his body in the field, while his so-called countrymen defame his name at home from the safety of their ivory towers (safe, of course, only because he makes them so)! Well, let words be words. If only the people of the galaxy would be so lucky that all so-called tyrants were as Kilant.
-Supreme Commander Xelme, Leader of the Emperor's Guard
Fear is at the foundation of all tyranny. It is only when reason falls prey to abject hysteria that people will trade their freedom for promises of safety. A good man will calm the people's fears, and help them to realize that they are safe only so long as they keep hold of their own destinies. A tyrant will use that fear, under a false fatherly guise of protection and stewardship. It was under the cold blanket of a winter of fear that Kilant rose to power. They called him a hero; he called himself their guardian and savior. With the devastation, war and famine that saw his rise, and his political rivals at home every bit as dead as his ones abroad, one can only wonder just who he had been busy saving. He would say he saved his people; in so doing, he killed a nation. Brave Electra would be a Republic no more.
-Senator Gracchus dor Electra
It happens all the time. You get a leader who lucked out and had everything play in his favor. Granted, the road to rule for emperor Kilant was not completely straight, but full of corners, traps, and misdirection. However, these obstacles were dealt with mainly by his surprisingly competent subordinates, his own orders only making the road to victory longer. A good leader needs to recognize who his friends are and treat them right. This might involve keeping up morale with plentiful rations, or simply listening to his officers when they have a suggestion. Above all, a leader needs to put his followers above himself and realize that he is solely accountable for everyone following his orders. In the end, despite Kilant’s gross negligence, the fates favored his rule. I have no doubt that Kilant’s rule will be long and bountiful, not due to his own prowess, but to the unsung heroes that exist throughout society, hidden amongst the empire.
-Pacci, former 1st Lieutenant of the Conventionals.
Though perhaps unconventional, in his personnel decisions as in his tactical ones, Kilant did the improbable (though evidently not impossible) in the face of overwhelming odds. He rallied the people of the nation behind him not once, but twice, a feat whose magnitude is unimaginable even to this day, looking back upon it, and something that I will probably never see again. His reach extended to those outcast by society and even as far as allowing foreigners into the elite Special Forces (I will acknowledge that it happened, still doesn't mean I have to like it), which could only have added to the unequivocal support the people of Electra had for him, even in spite of his sometimes questionable practises. Whether Kilant needed Electra, perhaps we will never know. But one thing is certain, whether we want to admit it or not, Electra needed Kilant as it were. He always has been and will always continue to be my commander, my leader, my emperor.
Long live Electra.
-Mjr. Atobe Keigo, Electran Emperor's Guard
In the bitter aftermath of a divisive conflict, it is easy to let recriminations cloud the truth. While it may be difficult for modern thinkers to see past their own personal biases, I have every confidence that future generations will be able to look back on these events with the benefit of hindsight, and in so doing, will be able to fully understand the circumstances surrounding Kilant's rise to power. As they study the history of our great planet at one of the many fine post-secondary institutions, I hope our descendants realise what the invasion of the Spheran Coalition was really all about. It was more than just a war. It was an attack on our sovereignty, our freedom, and our very way of life. The liberty of all Electrans was on trial, with only history to act as a judge of our success. As befits trial by combat, we made our arguments with swords and guns, and used the scenes of victories and defeats as our evidence. In the end, the verdict that came in was resounding, and one that should be remembered before all else: Not even the mightiest Drakkhaan can carry you above the law, nor can the most malicious political machinations hide you beneath it. Law and order are two sides of the same coin, and much as certain foreign activists may wish otherwise, you can never get the former without the latter. By restoring order to our planet, Kilant has made it possible to resume the rule of law. In so doing, he has revived the hopes and dreams of the founding fathers, who understood that laws only exist so long as we are willing to stand and fight for them. James Watt would be proud.
For those who would still stand opposed to our planet's new ruler, I would ask you to put aside all arms save the long ones of the law. Let our remaining battles be fought where they belong: in the courtroom. And if you find yourself with a case involving the law, don't forget 1-800-CALLJAG, the toll-free phone number that will bring HAMMER-TIME down on your legal foes. If I can take on the Spherans, you know I can take on your case.
-Captain (ret.) Jag
I would remind everyone that Jag's words do not represent the views of everyone at this law firm. In fact, I am willing to represent anyone who is filing suit against Kilant. Such a big case requires a big man to prosecute it, and you can trust that I am appropriately sized for the task. Furthermore, I have a proven track record when facing off against Kilant. I would have beaten him on the battlefield, and I will beat him in court! I'll pound every last peso out of him!
-Gol 'The Hammer Head Shark' Draam
Actually, Draam, I was thinking we might defend Kilant. After all, I was sort of serving as his legal representative during much of the war...
-Jag
Jag, I've had enough of your SPECIAL FORCES litigation practices. We're doing this one CONVENTIONAL style. That means by the book; the LAW book!
-Gol 'The Hammer' Draam
Jag! We could supply both Kilant's prosecution and defense. Just think of the billable hours!
-Shelback 'The Pool Shark'
It is a source of great regret to me that I am vilified and hunted in my fight for sovereinty, though scant months ago I fought and bled at Velguara and the Crystal Plains, helping the Electrans reclaim pride and planet. Kilant is little more than an immoral tyrant, seizing the sovereignty of a free planet with the help - nay, encouragement - of that Deksiilan wussy, Chamberlain. I fear for the autonomy of the free peoples of Spherus, as Kilant's lust for power can only grow.
-Dust dor Denchul

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