(The Epilogue is a final, 2 part addition to the Zodiac Living story - following the years after the conclusion of chapter 3. To follow the story from the beginning, click here: : http://www.ecocitycraft.com/forum/threads/the-zodiac-living-story.79704/) The Epilogue This world has known conflict, chaos, and generations of war. It has seen crusades of murder. It has seen us try and fail to live in harmony. It has exposed the unsettling truth of human nature; that deep down, we are all killers. We live to destroy. What began with a single spark, would soon see the end of The Zodiac as we knew it. The end of days had begun. The fallout. The Cerberus Disaster was the nail in the coffin for Caprica. In a blaze that lit up the jungles for days, the reactor’s destruction released immeasurable levels of radiation into the nearby area. Though her towering buildings remained intact, her air was poisoned, and no longer able to sustain life. The colony had fallen, and as it’s streets laid empty, slowly, the jungle took back what was hers. Though Caprica’s seat on the Quorum was initially filled with Priyan Magnus - the woman who had led Caprica through the dark times following @outerlocal ’s death - within a year her own mysterious suicide resulted in yet another blow to an already crumbling civilisation. With no home, and no leader, the majority of Caprica’s population dispersed amongst the other colonies; many becoming prominent actors, poets and musicians. Though as the years went on Caprican heritage gradually faded out of existence, the memory of Caprica remained, with the term ‘Caprican’ becoming a common term to describe a person who was of a particularly creative flair. Caprica was not the only colony to fall. With the tunnels of Leonis sealed in the early days of the virus outbreak, the majority of it’s populous was wiped out within a matter of days. When The Quorum, as advised by newly elected quorum delegate Cyrus Xander, made the decision that reopening the tunnels would risk further contamination, any who were unlucky enough to survive the virus were left to slowly starve to death. Unlike Caprica, Leonis was not remembered so favourably. Though their emblem may be found on the occasional war tank, or behind a glass display in a museum, many scholars would argue that people simply chose to rather forget Leonis’ long, unpleasant history, then face the truth of their horrific end. And so the once 12 colonies became 10. A change in the air. The subsequent years were no less difficult for the other colonies. With public opinion of The Quorum diminishing after their controversial handling of both the Caprican and Leonid disasters, the nation was sent into a period of civil unrest. Change was in the air; and that change came in the form of Cyrus Xander. Already a popular figure, Cyrus managed to escape the brunt of the harsh criticism that many of his fellow quorum delegates faced. The people wanted a revolution, and Cyrus promised them it. His election to president was swift, with him receiving an overwhelming majority of votes from workers and nobility alike; and with a public scandal causing @Joliver1998 to withdraw from the election at last minute, nobody stood in his way. With a new leader promising change, gradually, calm descended on the nation once more. Sadly, this calm was not to last. The Rise of an Empire. With two colonies lost, and increasing conflict within The Quorum, a new ruling system was proposed. Reducing the influence The Quorum had in the running of the nation, this new ‘council of 5’ consisted of five, non-elected individuals, each responsible for an individual aspect of The Zodiac. The 5 dominant aspects - ‘Law’, ‘Labor’, ’Scholar’, ’Military’ and ‘Economics’ - were separated from those deemed ‘lesser aspects’. Aspect representatives were handpicked by The President and the other members of the ruling council, based on their own achievements in their chosen fields. Though this move was defended as necessary in order for them to fulfil their role properly, this process unsurprisingly led to a ruling council comprised almost entirely of individuals regarded as ‘Canceron elite’. With Grace Dominic (The President’s own protege) as well as Clemens Binder (a long time business associate of the two) both quickly elevated to positions within the council, their decisions became increasingly biased, and whilst Canceron always seemed to profit from these, other colonies did not. The Fall of Libran. Long the unofficial seat of power within the Zodiac Nation, the construction of Colonial 1 saw Libran’s usefulness diminish. Whilst it remained a popular location of study, with many of it’s government buildings repurposed as schools and universities, it’s population eventually dwindled, and soon many of these buildings were closed indefinitely. Whilst the people of Libran attempted to cling on to their former role, often reminding others that it was their colony who was responsible for the historic founding of the alliance, gradually the people stopped listening, and Libran became just another forgotten relic. When the people of Libran spoke up about tales of corruption within The Zodiac, few listened. When they accused Canceron of placing their own people in positions of power, many called them jealous. When they accused The President of crimes and collusion with terrorists, it was dismissed as just another attempt to restore their former dominance. Desperate, and sure of their claims, Libran used the only weapon they had; knowledge. Though the people of Leonis were long gone, the remnants of their city remained. An underground system of tunnels, specifically designed for the construction of an army, Leonis had been sealed and forgotten by almost everybody. Everybody apart from Libran. Secretly opening the tunnels once more, Libran was able to secure enough weapons and resources to fuel an army. Sadly, an army they did not yet have. A colony of scholars and lawyers, Libran knew that even with weapons, any attempt to go to war would be suicide. Instead, they needed people who knew how to fight. To get these, they turned to The Tartarus. The nation’s most infamous prison, The Tartarus was home to anybody who dared go against the council. In a move that would bring about the end of the Zodiac Nation for ever, Libran attacked. Destroying several of Picon’s docks, and liberating every prisoners from within The Tartarus’s walls, Libran finally had their army, but with it, they lost any ally they may have had. The 50 year war had begun…
