Epilogue

An Imperial year has passed since the aliens were finally defeated in a war of extinction. Granted it ended almost in a whimper, but that’s probably for the best, as Vreekoos’ lower level is definitely not the best place to have an all-out war.

After being given a full bill of health I returned to my studies as a Healer with the 467^th Regiment on Trennec, though, as was usual in Ground Force for Healers, found myself being passed around on a regular basis to wherever a Healer was needed. All the time, I gained more experience and finally had the ‘in training’ colours removed from my badge. This took slightly longer than most of my peers, though that was mainly because, as a Commander, my ‘other’ expertise was occasionally needed in various brushfire war incidents that the Empire ran into along its borders, mostly involving evacuating Imperial subjects from planets with internal troubles that lay just outside the Empire. Whilst we prioritised Imperial subjects, we would also lift citizens from associated allies (and vice versa if their Fleets were involved).

Ground Force’s expansion had been scaled back in the wake of our victory. Most of the rejuved Monitors had been released back to civilian life with their partners or, in a good few cases of the single ones, re-marrying and re-settling the harvested worlds. This included Gramps Tivey and his bride. Allia, who were on Garsoss and already had a second baby on the way.

The way we fought had also changed. The adaptation of beam-proof armour being available to various Realms now, a few of them belligerent or downright hostile. We now carried a variety of weapons, from polearms adapted to be able to pierce armour, to pellet firers capable of doing the same. We also kept a variety of the heavier weapons to deal with more extreme circumstances, including the use of beam-proof shields in order to approach and place explosives.

Fleet was mostly rebuilt, all ships now having dual beam technology as well as energy shields. This was the same for our closest Allies, Gershon, Melanoqi and the Hegemony. It was suspected the Emirate Fleet Command were doing the same, though they, as ever, always kept their cards close to their chests and generally ignored us or avoided us, even if, on a civilian level, things were cordial enough.

Further out, the Technocracy and the Kingdom were benefitting from the various trade arrangements between them and the Allies. The Technocracy mostly allied to the Imperial/Gershon/Melanoqi/Hegemony side with the Kingdom preferring to do business with the Emirate as their internal laws and customs were similar. Both sides were, however, speedily improving their technology, though still had a way to go before reaching the levels of the Empire and our Allies. Both Kingdom and Technocracy were now equally trading with each other and the centuries old hostility between them had ended. They would often present a united front to other Realms in the sector who were trying to expand belligerently. Both had now also managed to purchase a terraformer and were renting a crew for it who were also training up Technocracy and Kingdom members to operate them as they were now terraforming the first of many planets in both Realms. Tourism had also become a factor in the economies of both Realms despite the huge distance between them and the Empire’s sector. Several starliner routes had been established with the starliners retrofitting stasis units for their passengers to spend the majority of the trip in stasis and not be forced to endure the trip awake.