Reconquest: Mother Earth

Epilogue

Epilogue - three months later

Mitch opened his eyes after Deborah had knocked on the door. Still groggy from the couple hours of sleep he had since returning from Central Africa, Mitch tried to open his eyes, but they weren't cooperating.  

Deborah sat on his bed. "They've arrived." 

Mitch pulled himself up on his bed. He would kill for a couple of extra hours of sleep, but he would make an exception for his visitors. "Let me put on some pants. I'll be there in a minute." 

After Deborah left the room, he struggled to get himself out of bed. He thought he had been busy while leading the revolution against the alien occupiers of the planet, but that was nothing compared to his new role. He was constantly on the move, traveling from one corner of the globe to another, visiting newly forming governments, or consulting on rebuilding infrastructure or law enforcement. His presence was in high demand, and he was stretching himself thin.  

In the past three months, he had visited every continent except Antarctica. Everywhere he went, people hailed him as a conquering hero. He had been to more parades and receptions than he cared to remember, but if it meant something to the people, then he was willing to do it. He was certain it was more about what he represented rather than him as a person, so he did his best not to let the adulation get to his head.  

Meanwhile, Deborah spent much of her time off-planet. She had been to three different solar systems just in the past month. They tried to coordinate their trips so that they would return home roughly around the same time. Their time together was fleeting and precious.  

After getting dressed, he splashed cold water on his face. The bright morning sunlight assaulted his eyes. It was hard keeping track of the days and weeks. They all blended together. 

He and Deborah drove a couple of miles to the landing pad. He had been so tired that he had not even heard the sleek black aircraft land.  

Deborah glanced at him from the driver's side of the car, her face filled with worry. "You need to slow down. You're running yourself ragged." 

Mitch closed his eyes. "I know. I'd like to, but these infant governments keep requesting my presence." 

"Mitch, nobody elected you as the world's ambassador. It's not your job." 

"I know. It's just that I want things to be different this go around. We have been given an opportunity for a fresh start, and I don't want us as a people to make the same mistakes we did before. I'll be damned if after all we went through that people are going to have the same disputes about religion and money and land and politics. There's no good reason why people should be fighting against each other, so if my presence can mediate disputes or unite people, then that's a good thing." 

Deborah sighed in frustration. This wasn't the first time they were having this conversation. Of course, she hardly had room to speak since she was planet hopping half the time. Somehow, she seemed to manage far better than he did. 

When Deborah stopped the car, Mitch smiled at the sight of the two aliens. He didn't get to see Merelda and Sarm as much as he would like, and he treasured any time he had together with them. 

He paused at the sight of the two aliens in a passionate embrace.  

When Mitch exited the car, they broke the embrace. He gave Sarm a bear hug and lifted the green alien off his feet, then planted a kiss on Merelda's cheek.  

"Look who it is. My two favorite aliens. So how does it feel to be the first non-native Earth dwellers to be permanent residents on the planet?" 

Sarm stood tall and practically radiated. "I feel like one of your Hollywood celebrities of yesteryear, at least as far as I have read on the subject. Whenever I venture out among the people, they all would like to converse with me and capture my likeness in a photograph." 

"Who knew you would be a big star. So how is the lab going?" 

"Very well. I have placed invitations to physicians in the Southern California area. I would like to teach some of your human healers my techniques. I have also invited several physicians from other planets to apply to the sanctuary program to become citizens of Santanovia. As of today, I only have three human pupils, but once the word has spread among the populace, I am sure that number will grow." 

Mitch patted him on the back. "That's a great initiative. I think there's a lot you can teach them." 

Deborah turned to Merelda. "I take it you're keeping busy." 

Mitch had appointed Merelda the official liaison on the planet with all aliens who wished to trade with the people of Earth. Mostly Mitch was interested in raw materials they would need to rebuild. In addition, he had tasked Merelda with obtaining alternate fuel technology that would virtually eliminate their need for fossil fuels.  

"Right now I am sourcing the marconium you had requested for your fuel cells. I am expecting to have several bids in the next few days. In addition I recently met several individuals who would like to start a provisional government for new California, however I have rejected their efforts. Nothing more than gangsters, this group." 

Mitch narrowed his eyes as he regarded the aliens. "Are you two...you know a couple?" 

Sarm's green face blushed, turning a deep shade of blue.  

Merelda put her arm around Sarm's waist. "Indeed we are. It can be awfully lonely being foreigners on this planet." 

Mitch bit back his response. Since when had Merelda ever been lonely? He supposed that many of her lovers were now off-planet, so she could no longer see them. Slowly and gradually, more aliens were becoming residents of Earth. He smiled. "Well, I'm really happy for you. And I'm glad you're giving this female companionship thing a try, Sarm. It will suit you well." 

Merelda gasped as she stared at Deborah. "You are with child." 

Deborah's face turned white. "How could you know? We just found out a couple weeks ago. We still haven't told anyone." 

"I apologize for startling you," Merelda said. "The females of my species have an intuition about this sort of thing. Congratulations. Congratulations to you both." 

Sarm's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "This is such wonderful news. How joyous. I have never delivered a human baby before. You must let me deliver the child. I will read all about it and study the latest techniques." 

Mitch glanced at Deborah, who had a startled look on her face. He put his hand on Sarm's arm. "We'll talk about that later. There's still a long ways to go before that." 

Sarm nodded rapidly. "Ah yes, the forty week gestational period. I understand fully." 

Mitch looked out and found children at play, and people no longer in hiding. The work would be hard, the hours would be long, and there would be heartache along the way, but never again would they be slaves. Mother Earth was their planet, and nobody could take it away from them.