FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ron groaned as he opened his eyes. The battle with evil Bane had been weeks ago but he still hadn't been released from critical care. Sleep didn't come easy for the fox, and waking up was even worse. His soul was divided, part of him was tired and wanted to give up. Yet there was the part that fought tooth and nail to stay for the sake of the only friend he had left. Seamus and Talon visited him every day but the fox was itching to get back to work, instead of laying around. Laying up and healing gave him too much time to think... Think of all they had lost. To realize that everyone was looking to Seamus and himself to carry on with Bane's plans for peace and prosperity for all. It also gave him time to realize that he had no idea how to move forward.

Talon had stayed within the city to show his support for Seamus and the new government. The outpouring of support had been massive but there had also been threats and rumbling. Groups on the fringes of the empire had been making threats against the empire, testing for weakness and looking for opportunities. The video of Seamus and Ron taking out Dark Bane had been convincing. The video of wounded Ron being taken care of had been equally so, coming from their own security cameras. Despite their recent victory, the threats were real and had to be taken seriously. The war had left a large number of weapons and ammunition sitting in bunkers all over the empire. The majority of them were being guarded but there were many more unaccounted for from the civil war.

Ron looked over the daily report that had been forwarded to him at his hospital bed. Seamus had placed him as second in command, but the two had decided that Ron should remain the empire's chief scientist. Anything less would be a waste of his time and talents. Another diplomat would have to be found to replace Dasher but there was yet time for that. Seamus had pointed out that the fox was a hell of a scientist but wasn't worth a damn as a politician. Ron had, of course, agreed with this. It was decided that he could remain in the position Bane had given him and hold the number two position in the empire. Ron had already exercised a tremendous amount of freedom with empire resources.

Ron's mind then drifted back to Bane. Oh how he had spent so much time secretly loving the wolf. Bane was a brother to him but so much more at the same time. His death left a deep hole in his heart that could never be filled. Bane's sacrifice had saved so many lives, at the expense of his own and Dasher's. Ron then began to think of how best to honor his fallen family. As he began to consider this a thought edged its way into his mind. He decided the best way was to get caught up and on track with the plans for modernizing the member planets of the Empire. He would not and could not let Bane's dream die. On a slightly more selfish note, work would help him hide from the pain of his losses.

He looked over the repair reports and sighed. The blast that had sent Dark Bane back to his universe had done massive amounts of damage to the city. Many of the lower levels had been flooded. Thanks to preparations put in place before the scavengers arrived, the majority of the citizens remained unharmed. The shields protecting the populated area's of the city, had done their job. Shields that had been reinforced with zero point crystals, that were separate from the main power systems. It would ensure the populated safe area's remained protected, even when the main power grids had suffered from the surge that sent Dark Bane back where he had come from.

Ron smiled and looked up from the reports as he heard the door open in his suite. Thanks to the enhancements he had received, he really didn't have to look up. The damage to his body had been much worse than Seamus had initially told him. His arm and leg had been severed and crushed beyond repair, along with many of his internal organs being damaged. His eyes had suffered as well. Prior to the war, these injuries would have been a death sentence. Thanks to the progress of Seamus and Ron in the area of medical technology, there was hope for himself and so many others. Throughout the empire there were many men and women who had been made whole again through the efforts of the two. Ron saw it fitting that he too had suffered and been made whole once more.

Seamus smiled as he walked into the room. He eyed his friend, where he lay in bed shirtless. It was obvious where the skin stopped and the metal started. Seamus had made great effort to make the transition seamless but there was no real way to hide it yet. There was replacement skin but getting the fur to regrow properly hadn't been reached yet. It just was not realistic enough to suit Ron or Seamus. It was only used in rare cases where too much skin had been lost and nothing else would save a life. This had not been one of those cases, so they had decided to leave it as it was and show the citizens that their leaders had suffered too. It would help those injured, to better deal with their losses.

Seamus smiled as he hopped onto the bed beside his foxy friend. Ron smiled and rolled over, onto his metal arm and leg. He wrapped his real arm around Seamus and laid his head on the fox's chest. Ron chuckled and remarked, "You do realize we are the two most powerful people in this galaxy now, right?" Seamus nodded and mumbled, "Yes and right now this powerful fox wants to be held! I... I don't think I could live, if I had lost you too." He sniffled and held onto Ron tighter as Ron chuckled and thought of Bane. The wolf would have loved this. So much had been taken, so much had been lost... There were many dead, yet there still was so much left.

Ron began to snore softly and Seamus chuckled softly. Ron had been braver, following Bane's death, than he had ever expected the fox capable of being. He saw a side of Ron he hadn't before, capabilities that surpassed expectations. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to see it, but it was on full display now. For that matter, that he himself had not broken had surprised him. Only thru adversity, does one learn what one is capable of, Seamus mused.

Seamus considered next, how to best pay tribute to those lost in this war. Though less had been lost than might have, it did not mean that those lost should not be honored for their sacrifices. He considered the dead husk a planet that was once Earth. Bane had promised to restore it. The omega bomb had wiped it clean, leaving nothing but rock and ash. Seamus was already considering how to best terraform it and bring it back to life. The best tribute to all those lost, would be a garden world. Something living, rising from the ash and death. Not only was it fitting, it would be beneficial in smoothing over relations with the other Empires or at least what was left. He then turned his thoughts to the Humans, not all that many had survived. Many of those left blamed Bane for not saving Earth. The sad reality was that most had been killed when the planet was attacked by the Scavengers. Only a small handful had been killed by Bane's hand. This had made little difference in the long run, to many of the human survivors. There were still a number of humans out there that resented everything the empire held dear. They saw it as the enemy and that was something Seamus never saw changing. While they were not many in number, it still made for a more difficult recovery process. About the best they could do was attack cargo ships and take supplies, for now at least.

Many of the worlds in the empire had been set up with gates, so much of the commerce now went through that instead of spaceship. It was faster and more efficient than using ships to move supplies around. However, that did not mean that ships were not still used. Much of the more dangerous cargo had to be transported by ship. Ron had explained that it was something about the dematerialization process, but Seamus just accepted it and moved on. Seamus let his mind wonder for a moment as he held Ron. He thought of the past and all the difficulties they had overcome. With a sigh, he considered how much easier it had seemed, when Bane was directing them. Now it was up to him and Ron to carry on and the job was harder than Bane had made it look.

Talon sat alone in his office. Seamus had been kind enough to give him quarters and an office in the city, for the times he was on the capital planet. It was far more luxurious than he was accustomed to. He had begun spending more of his time there, but still needed to run his own empire. This action had brought out many who were saying he was giving the keys of the kingdom away. A few groups had even threatened a coup. Some well-placed military aid by Seamus, had quickly quieted those. While the groups felt sure they could bolster enough support to take Talon down, they couldn't take down the Accendo Empire. Talon sighed deeply as he considered the military force currently being lent to him by Seamus. Under ordinary circumstances, he would never allow a foreign force to occupy his land, regardless of the circumstances. He now he found himself in a very difficult spot. He felt it important to stand with the empire and while he was not a subordinate to it, he and his people did benefit a lot from it. Another issue was the stability of the galaxy. Further civil war was not out of the question and right now, the Accendo empire was the strongest ally to stand with. In short, he could now allow himself the luxury of standing behind outdated principles when the larger picture demanded action that could dictate the future of his people.

He sighed again, looking down at his desk without really seeing it. His friend was dead and while the empire was safe, so much had been lost. He and Bane had not always seen eye to eye. Truthfully they had disagreed more often than not. He even questioned if his hesitation had cost his friend his life. But Bane was not the only loss. In fact, nobody had had the time to sit down and really grasp the magnitude of the loss until now. Frankly, there wasn't enough time to do so. Every time somebody died, it seemed more death followed without end. The time between attacks had to be spent trying to prepare for the next battle. People had become numbers, not names. It had to be that way or the loss would crush everybody under it's weight. Husbands, son's, daughters, wives, brothers, sisters, would never be seen again. Even those healed of injury, would never forget what had happened.

The dragon empire had gotten off fairly light. They were still rebuilding from internal conflicts, when everything had broken loose with the scavengers. They hadn't been hit that bad as they weren't an immediate threat. Had it not been for Bane and his empire, Talon was certain that the story would have been much different. He shook his head. It frustrated him that so many back home did not see the larger picture. When he had taken office, he wanted to isolate the Dragon Empire. He wanted his people to be safe and secure. He quickly found that it wasn't that simple and it never had been. The age of tribes and tribal wars was over. Getting his people to see that was beyond difficult. Then his thoughts turned to the fox empire.

The fox empire had been decimated! So many worlds were just gone. The capital and all its inhabitants had been destroyed, because they had refused to swallow their pride and accept that they needed help. There was no real power structure left in the Fox Empire. Many of the worlds had simply fallen back onto their own form's of government. Others had been brought together under an unknown character, known only known as Beep. Seamus had said Bane had dealings with him in the past but the dragon only trusted those he had met and knew. Even then, his trust had to be earned. To make matters worse, this individual seemed to be a pirate! How could one who stole for a living, possibly bring a rule of law and order? He supposed the situation could be worse. Seamus had no way of tempting them into the fold as the Wolf Empire had already stretched things to the limit.

While the scavengers were gone, almost daily reports of terrorist activities were being sent in. As yet, they were an annoyance only but if not dealt with soon, they would become a real danger. Then there was the task of rebuilding the planets that had been attacked. Most needed complete terraforming which required massive power plant and seeding of the oceans with algae, to get an initial atmosphere established. This took time, manpower, and resources that were in greater need on the planets that had survived. More of everything, simply didn't exist right now.

The main issue was manpower. So many had died during the wars and so many more had been wounded, who took time to heal, it was beyond normal comprehension. Not all wounds were physical but were emotional and mental. This was something new to the dragon, yet it was still a very real threat to the stability of the empire and the worlds within it. In the weeks following the victory against the evil Bane, suicide rates had more than doubled. It was something that every world had launched an assault against but in the end was a battle that the individuals would ultimately have to fight.

Talon jumped as the door to his office hissed open and in walked Seamus, looking dead tired. The dragon put a welcoming smile on his muzzle and asked, "Long day?" The fox nodded as he answered, "I just came from hours upon hours of meetings, followed by an evening with Ron. Now Ron I don't mind, it's the damned meetings I loath entirely. The problem is that I'm missing a Minister of State, who will no longer be second in command. Under the new structure he will be third under Ron, assuming the doctors ever allow him to leave the hospital. But I completely understand now when Bane said he wanted to throw all politicians into a black hole!"

The dragon nodded as the fox talked and asked, "And what of Ron?" Talon had attempted to keep up with his condition however he had been so busy with his own battles that it was almost impossible to keep track of everything. Seamus told him, "Well, his condition was very bad as you know. His left arm and leg were completely lost. The issue is not the replacements, it's getting the signals from his brain to control them. The software in the arm and leg is more than capable of doing this but it has to be calibrated. The only way to do that is with physical therapy. Ron is quickly becoming tired of the endless repetition. I don't want him working just yet but he has insisted, so I've brought him some odds and ends to work on. I know it would be useless to order him to rest. He's the one person in this government I can't really control." Besides, It helps him not have to just think of..."

Talon nodded as he listened. "And what of the memorial service for Bane, Dasher and everyone else who were lost?" Seamus sighed deeply, his ears laying flat and his tail drooping. To be honest, he really hadn't had time to deal with the reality of his mate and friend being gone. It was still an open wound, one he was certain would never heal." Talon, I know we need one... hell the empire needs one. But is Bane really more important than the tens of thousands who also are dead? How can I weigh my loss any higher a priority than theirs? Would that be right? Personally, I say it shouldn't. Truthfully, I've thought about just having a memorial/day of mourning for the entire empire."

Talon nodded and said, "Seamus, the important thing is that his loss is a more personal thing to you. You can't just shove it all to the side and justify it, that everyone else has lost someone so its alright. You are the leader of an empire! Yes, that's true. But you're also a person with feelings. That matters too!" Seamus sat stiffly and listened to what the dragon was saying. Honestly, he was right and the fox knew it. So long as he pushed it aside, justified it by weighing it against everyone the pain of else then it didn't seem as bad. The fox's eyes began to tear up as inside he cried out, "But it is MY pain!". With an uneven breath, Seamus asked, "Talon, what do I do now? How do I go on? Ron will never be the same and honestly, neither will I! Somehow I have to lead the empire and tell them that everything will be okay. How can I say that when I don't even believe it?" The dragon smiled reassuringly and said, "Then say just that... Share your loss with everyone else. They are aware of things but you will be more personal to them if you share your pain. You may not have heard it but Bane is being mourned by his subjects too. He lifted them up and helped them begin to dream again. Now he is gone and they look to you to see what their future will be. Back to wars and Societal decay or can they hope that the promise will be fulfilled?" The fox nodded and considered what to do.

Ron sat in his wheelchair and studied himself in the mirror. He was still startled, every time he caught sight of his eyes. Nanites had been used to repair his eyes but if you looked close, you could still see a difference. Looks had never concerned the fox much but this was different somehow. It had been the day after Seamus' last visit, that he had sent word that there would be a memorial today. He had asked Ron if he would consider being on stage beside him. Ron had seriously considered asking to be excused. The thought of people gawking at him, made him want to run and hide. Seamus had been so supportive of him, that he felt it would be wrong to leave his friend to go thru this alone now.

Seamus walked in and smiled at his foxy friend. He was the last thing he had left of their lives from before this universe. Ron had managed to wiggle his way into his best dress uniform. Seamus chuckled at the effort he had obviously spent, going over his appearance. He knew the reason but the red fox was still adorable. Seamus walked up to Ron, knelt down and hugged his friend as he said, "Ron, I know you're in a lot of pain right now. I know these last weeks have been difficult for you, both physically and mentally. It means the world to me, that you're gonna be there with me."

Ron nodded and embraced his friend. This would be hard for him but he knew they all needed it. Bane and Dasher had been too important to them, for him not to honor their memories.

The elevator ride seemed to take years, to the two friends. Talon was already waiting them on stage. The Dragon empire would be the only outside force recognized at this event. This was not a shunning of outside entities but a recognition of the importance of the Dragons to the Accendo Empire. It was a gesture but one that Talon knew was important. Seamus pushed his friend's wheelchair down the center isle of temporary seats, set up in the city's largest public park. He pushed Ron up the ramp, bringing the chair to the right of the podium. Talon was seated on the left. Seamus took his place at the podium and looked out at the people and cameras. This was being broadcast to every television in the empire and every television that cared to tune in outside of the empire.

Seamus took a deep breath and slowly released it, looking out at the crowd. Respectfully silent, apart from an occasional sob, they waited to hear what their new Emperor would say. Seamus began, "Ladies and Gentlemen, those here with me today, watching at home and elsewhere. I would like to give you my most sincere thanks for joining together today." Seamus paused as he looked down at the notes he prepared and then thought of what Talon had said. He then closed his notebook and relaxed before continuing, "I had a long speech prepared that somebody in the public relations office wrote but it just doesn't seem right to read it. Instead I'm going to speak from my heart... I put this ceremony off for a long time because honestly, I didn't know how to have it. As most of you know, I'm not new to public life. I've helped Bane through the building of this empire, as have the two men on stage with me and countless others that aren't here with us today. I delayed this, not to avoid their tragedy but because I couldn't decide how to honor their sacrifices. There are so many that have been lost, so much pain and sorrow. How do you overcome that? How do you speak to others about that? I didn't want to have a simple public ceremony for Bane because how can I really stand here and tell any of you that my loss is greater than yours when it's not. Every loss is personal yet equal, every pain... just as deep.

What's more, there are so many people out there right now, that will never be the same. I know that I won't and I know that I can safely say that Ron won't be either. Not every wound is physical and not every wound heals. The question is, what now? There are worlds that are nothing but ash now. There has been so much destruction and I would be lying if I said, things would ever go back to normal. In all regards, many peoples' entire worlds have ended. But every end is a new beginning. What we do is this; we make their sacrifices mean something! We build a future that was better than what it arose from. We make it so that our children, never know this pain. That they inherit a peaceful and prosperous future, for them and their children!

To that end, I am announcing the first ever project of its kind. Earth will become reborn as a memorial to those lost. I am ordering that it be terraformed and turned into a lush green garden. Once it is restored to a verdant paradise, I will offer assistance to relocate and rebuild cities for the Humans to call home. I will help those who wish to reclaim their home, to take back what they have lost. This is just the first of many such projects but I feel it to be an important first step. To the humans who have survived, understand we are not your enemies but stand ready to help you. You lost the war begun by your leaders and despite what you were told, the Accendo Empire will not exact vengeance on those who will live in peace and friendship with us. This will not be easy. It will take a great deal of time, resources and manpower but I am committed to doing this. I am also announcing the creation of the Department of the Future. This department will be in charge of this and all future terraforming and relocation projects. We will have space and resources for all.

Finally I would like to close by making something perfectly clear. Bane is gone, that's true but his empire is not. What he stood for will live in the actions of myself and my government. What he gave his life to see live on, will not die. His friend and lover, Dasher Cheetah the Demon Cat, chose to die at his side, as he had fought many times before. Ron and I are honored to have been his friend and unashamedly, his lover also. Peace and friendship were important to this cat and he only fought to preserve them and his friends. Ideals I would see live on in us, who survived thru his and Bane's sacrifice. Anybody that I find taking advantage of this will suffer the harshest punishment I can dream up. Furthermore, any factions out there who feel they can take advantage of the situation to attack us or anybody we protect. I would encourage you to look at the steps we took to defeat the scavangers, what we did to end the civil war and what Bane did to protect the capital. Our resolve and strength have brought the Empire through heel and back. Can you think we will do no less, if you choose to turn against us? I will hunt you down and punish you with my last breath before I allow any of my citizens or any citizens under our protection to be harmed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I now close with this. Go home and hold your loved ones. Tell them you love them. Make them know you care.", said Seamus as he began to tear up, "Because you never know when the last chance you have to tell them might be." With this Ron stood up unsteadily and hugged his friend. Seamus and Talon were both surprised at this, neither knowing he had progressed that far yet. The truth is that he had not, however there are times in one's life when willpower overcomes limitations and this was one of those times.

Talon motioned for permission to take the podium and Seamus nodded, still hugging his friend. Talon stepped up to the podium and the crowd fell quiet, only the occasional sob was heard. While they were supporters of the Dragon Empire, the citizens of the Accendo Empire had not ever really heard from the Dragons. "Ladies and Gentlemen, both here and at home. I bid you greetings from my people. I stand here today in support of both the Accendo empire and Ron and Seamus. Bane became a dear friend of mine over the years. There were times we fought more than we didn't, but he always respected me and I always held a great deal of respect for him. The fact that I am here right now is a testament to my respect for him as many in my own government do not agree with the close relationship I have with this empire and its people.

Over the past few years I have been uniquely privileged to witness the amazing capacity you have for love with one another and with others. However, it needs to be said that many of you have suffered a loss. Not every loss is a death and not every wound will heal. The coming days will not be easy. With no wars or battles to fight each of you will begin to have to deal with your own private battles. The important thing is that your not alone. You have each other to lean on, and I encourage you to do so. The final thing I have to say is that I pledge my full support to this government and its people, as you have already pledged your support to me and my people. This will not be easy but we will build a future together. We will leave our children and their children something to be proud of!"