Two days after his death, General Colton D'Goon was buried with full Mandelovian military honors. Present at his funeral were Baron Zero, Paulo, Nikto, and General Barada, among others. Notable among the absent were General Nemo (now missing for several months), the late Klaatu, and D'Goon's son, Adelberto Mandel D'Goon, the leader of the Heritage terrorist cell.
The next day, Baron Zero was unanimously elected the new President-Prime Minister of Mandelovia. He celebrated with a full parade down the main street of New Mandelovia, the capitol city. During this parade, the new flag of Mandelovia was revealed. It contained the image of the old Mandelovian sigil, but now with one glaring difference. That sigil now bore the image of a Left Hand directly in the middle of it.
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Across the country, Maria buried her father in a pauper's grave. She cried to herself, wondering what the future would bring now. Her brother was absent, consumed with being a part of Baron Zero's new military force. Off in the distance, a stranger watched. After a time, he walked down to the girl to offer her some words of comfort.
"There is an old legend," He began, startling the girl, his Mandelovian fluent and perfect. "that Mandelovia was once saved in her darkest time by a group of rogues and rapscallions."
He lifted the girl's head by the chin with his hand. "The legend says that another dark time will befall Mandelovia, and that in that time, the rogues will return and save her once more."
"I have never heard this. . ." Maria stopped and sniffed in mid sentence. "This legend of the rogues." She dabbed at her eyes.
"It is very old, and largely forgotten now. But your father heard it when he was young." He embraced the girl. She sensed that their was something familiar about this man, yet she could not put her finger on it.
"How do you know that? Who are you?" She pulled back from the man, attempting to see his face more clearly, as it was obscured by his low pulled hat.
He stepped back and pulled the hat lower over his face. "An old family friend. A stranger now, really."
"Sir, it is time to go to the plane. They will be closing the borders soon." Another, older looking man appeared behind the first.
"Very well. I must go now, but perhaps I will one day see you again." The two men turned and walked away.
"You took much longer than I expected, sir."
"It's very hard to watch your child being buried." The man frowned and remained silent until well after they left Mandelovian airspace.
Not the end. . .
