After The End

Jenny sighed happily as she and Snooper filed through the front door of their apartment/office. The wedding of Luke and Victoria was a blast, a perfect ending to what was considered one of the toughest and dangerous adventures of a lifetime. Now that it was all over, she can now add Loki's name to her roster of the galaxy's villains she and the others had defeated; she considered even throwing in Prime Minister Cortero and Princess Sirena, for their involvement in attempting to eliminate the Goldenhearts, an intergalactic crime she deemed extremely unforgivable.

With Madrisia being left without a ruler and under Guardian protection, the couple discussed its fate with the Galactic Senate. For now they were the temporary rulers of the planet; following this Colin and Angel would volunteer to take the throne. And, to prevent further disaster, Jenny ordered for all droid projects to be permanently cancelled. After all that was said and done, what was left for Snooper and Jenny to do? That led to the hardest decision they had to make--retiring from the Galactic Guardians, for good.

The couple flew the Always Faithful to New Americana and made their way towards the cemetery. In the Heroes' Mausoleum, Jenny located her father's urn; she had promised to repay him for all that he did to raise her to be a good citizen, as well as inform his spirit that her job as a veteran Guardian was done. Giving up her most prized possession, her white lightsaber, proved to be an emotional task for the cat as she began to speak.

"Daddy," she said in Irelandisian. "The legacy of the Silverfurs has been firmly established. The prophecy of the Chosen One fulfilled, our enemies eliminated, the galaxy can once again dwell in peace. Your grandchildren have become the new rulers of two planets--Galleth and Lilla of Thylaia, Colin and Angel of Madrisia. Both plan to guide their people with love and wisdom of the ages, with hopes that their future descendants shall do the same for many centuries afterwards. And now...after years of serving the team well...the time has come to put down my lightsaber. It's been a fun ride...I'm just saddened that it has to come to an end..."

This was too much for her to bear. After pausing for a while, she broke down and cried, while her husband came over to comfort her. She murmured, "I...I can't do this, Snoop. I love the job too much to have to abandon it. I-I promised myself I'll always be a Galactic Guardian, until the day I die."

"Things change, hon," replied Snooper. "We've already passed the torch down to our kids; right now they are the new defenders of the Galactic Empire. We'll still be there, not as active fighters, but as their guides and teachers. Just because we're giving up our lightsabers doesn't mean we have to give up our usefulness as veteran Guardians. Simply put, we're far from ever retiring."

Jenny gazed up at her husband. "You're right. We are part of the Galactic Senate today, in charge of the whole empire. But it just isn't the same without kicking some tail..."

"We will get through this. Just you and me. Remember, we also still have a job to do back on Hanna-Barbera, solving mysteries and fighting crime. As always, never forget who you are...a true Galactic Guardian from the inside out."

Both cats embraced each other. The solemn silence was then broken when Jenny's GG pendant began beeping. Answering it, she said, "Yes?"

The holographic figures of Galleth and Lilla appeared. Galleth said, "Hey, Mom, it's us again. Did you have fun at the wedding?"

"We most certainly did!" answered Jenny, smiling. "I'm really happy for Victoria. Seeing her and Luke back together brought a tear to my eye. Here's hoping their future will be just as bright as ours."

"And it gets even better with what we're about to tell you right now."

Jenny could tell from the looks on her son and daughter-in-law's faces that something wonderful has happened. "You do look excited. Is there anything I'd like to know?"

"Well..."

He was interrupted by the beeping that came from Snooper's GG pendant; this time, it was from Angel and Colin. Angel said, "Are we too late? We just got back from the Sickbay."

"No, honey, you're not," replied Snooper. "Your brother was just about to tell us the great news."

"That's funny. Colin and I were about to do the same thing."

Snooper and Jenny looked at each other, wondering what in stars their children were talking about. Jenny said sternly, "Alllll right, you two. I know both of you are up to something; you look like you're trying to hide a secret and I want to know what it is, right now."

Angel chuckled. "Mom, it's no secret that I found out I'm pregnant. I--" Suddenly realizing what she had blurted out, the young cat blushed in embarrassment. "Oops."

"Angel!" Galleth scolded his twin sister. "What did we tell you? It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Sorry, Galleth. It...just came to me. I didn't know what I was thinking, and...well? Mom? Dad? What do you think?"

The couple looked towards Galleth and Lilla, who smiled and nodded. Lilla said, "It's true. I, in turn, have found out I was expecting as well. In the months to come Thylaia will soon be blessed with future new heirs to the throne...your grandchildren."

Jenny didn't know what to make of the news. Her only response was, besides her bigger smile, the tears of joy she started to shed. Galleth asked, "Mom? Mom, are you all right? You're crying."

"I'm okay," answered Jenny, trying her best to choke back her tears. "I'm just...so happy. I mean, is it true? Am I really about to...become a grandmother? Gosh, I feel so old...and I'm not even in my 50s yet!"

"You'll get used to it in time. We found out after Baron Mapleberry's funeral last week; while I'm sad he'll never live long enough to see his grandkids, I'm glad knowing he left behind a legacy his people can cherish for many years. He's up there in the Kingdom now, having a heck of a good time even as we speak."

"Anyway, t-that's...fantastic. Galleth, I'm very proud of you. I always knew the legacy of the Galactic Guardians will live on, through you and through your kids." Turning to her daughter, Jenny continued, "And Angel? Remember to hold on to the crystal amulet. Someday you will be able to pass it down to your son or daughter, when the time comes, and teach him or her how to use it. It's a family heirloom too precious to lose; as long as the new Silverfur-Snooper-Le Furr bloodline stands steady through the years, the crystal amulet will forever remain a weapon of choice."

Angel nodded, taking her mother's words into consideration. "I will never forget."

After congratulating their children and in-laws, Snooper and Jenny hung up and prepared to go home. As they left the mausoleum, Jenny looked back at her lightsaber near the urn. "Perhaps another time," she thought with a smile. "When a new threat comes to the empire, sometime in the future, I'll know where to find it."

"So Madrisia's got some new rulers," said Snooper. "This got me thinking...we almost forgot about Rylaia. There's still no word on who will take charge of the planet."

Jenny replied, "The Galactic Senate is working at the moment to find new rulers for Rylaia; until then the planet is under Guardian protection. I can't say exactly when the Rylaians will get a decent leader to take the place of the long-dead royal family, especially Minerva...I miss her. She was a true friend."

"Don't forget Admiral Jetson. Even he was a better representative of Hanna-Barbera than I was. And speaking of which..."

He got out his pendant, pressed a button, and showed his wife a holographic version of the Daily Snitch. The front page announced:

NEW ADMIRAL FOR GUARDIAN FLEET ELECTED!

"No one really expected it," he continued. "But this was the first time a native of another planet had been chosen to help commandeer the Guardian fleet. This was a big moment for Johan and Marie; after we've rescued them from Darrien's clutches and defeated Bowser and his Koopalings, they were proud to call Hanna-Barbera their new home."

Jenny smiled. "Admiral Johan Von Koopa...I like the sound of that."

"Also, check this out. You remember my twin brother? Levi's now the president of New Americana. And at a good time, too, considering the FGC has been successfully reconstructed."

Jenny gazed at a photo of Levi and noticed a female cat standing next to him. She asked, "So, your brother finally came to his senses and married another Pfeffa?"

"No, that's Mary," Snooper pointed out. "He told me her soul was reincarnated into the form of a former producer of Desiree DazzleDitz's talk show. To be honest, she did not like the show's host, and neither did he."

The cats laughed. Jenny said, "Well, one thing's for sure, I haven't seen him this happy since the day he was reunited with his son."

They got on the Always Faithful and flew off. After a short period of silence, Jenny spoke up again. "We've got a whole life ahead of us. I'm still excited knowing we're about to become grandparents soon; our family is growing bigger and stronger every day...and I like it."

Snooper nodded. "It's good to know this war is over. Now we can go home, relax, and..."

"Care for our baby daughter?"

The private-eye looked over at a small photo of a kitten on the dashboard; the kitten had grey fur and a tuft of brown hair, and wore a light-blue onesie with a matching bow. Their quest for having a third child had been rough from the start, but it was totally worth it. He smiled.

"...yes, Jen. Our baby daughter...our third and last child...our Lucky..."

The spaceship flew on into space. As it passed Arendelle, Jenny could've sworn she heard the ethereal voice of a man shouting, "OHHHHH, YEEEAH!" It reminded her of their good old friend Maximus McGorklesmirk, the ultimate fanboy, the most loyal and dedicated member of the team. His soul now resided in the Kingdom, perhaps partying with some of the past Guardians who had died in the course of the team's history.

"It's been nice knowing you while you were with us, Maximus," she thought. "We're gonna miss you most of all..."

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NINE MONTHS LATER...

"One more push, Your Highness!"

In the castle bedroom in Madrisia, Angel meowed in pain as she bore down hard, with Colin standing by her side to comfort and assist her. This was the day she had waited for since that fateful trip to the Sickbay; when she and her husband assumed leadership of the planet, the first thing she did was promise the Madrisians that a new heir to the throne would be born the following spring.

A sharp wail filled the air, and the cat sat back against the pillows in complete exhaustion. She then glanced up just in time to see the midwife bring a squirming bundle over to her.

"It's a boy," she announced, smiling. The couple gazed down in pride at their newborn son, a small kitten with light tan fur. He resembled, in every way, his great-grandmother Helen, but his purple eyes were more like his paternal grandmother's.

Angel commented, "He's beautiful..."

"Of course, he is," replied Colin. He reached over and gently stroked the baby's brown hair. "I never knew we'd make it this far, Angel."

She nodded in agreement. Besides the birth of her son, there also arose the birth of new beginnings for the Galactic Guardians; the Thunder Squad had already grown from a small team of eight to a large team of twenty-two. With a team that big, future enemies won't stand a chance.

Even things have been changing for some of its members. Two weeks before, Galleth and Lilla had become the proud parents of triplets, all girls. One of the newborn princesses had white fur, a trait that can only be identified as a hint of Pfeffa heritage carried over to the next generation.

Rocket and Emelie, once frenemies to each other, were now a couple. There wasn't a single hint of romance between the two at first, but now that it was confirmed that they're boyfriend and girlfriend, other team members immediately began placing bets on their fate. Will there be wedding bells in the near future? That remains to be seen.

Angel supported her parents' decision to retire after many years of serving the Gold Squad. Although they have since joined the Galactic Senate, they would still be around to guide and help their children protect the galaxy. But something told her they haven't completely retired yet; there will come a time when they will once again be needed to keep potential evil-doers at bay.

Suddenly, without thinking, she gave her son a name. She said, "Pax. Pax Lucius Le Furr."

"Are you sure that's what you're gonna name our new prince?" asked Colin.

Angel nodded and replied, "Well, what else do you think I'm going to name him? This is the second Age of Peace, and I felt he deserves a name to reflect such an era. Besides, I think it sounds nice."

Colin agreed. "Very well, then. I have a feeling he's going to have a destiny much bigger than yours was."

And it was true. Whatever the future has in store for the young prince, it was going to be bigger. And better. And totally awesome.