EPILOGUE

John Carter moved into the palace to keep order, apply justice, and organize the interim government, assisted by Carthan who attended to security, the disposition of Ob Kor's militia, and the payment and release of the panthans.

Ban Tar had no heirs, and so far Jack had no one in mind to take over the administration of Kobol.

Carthan and I remained in Ban Tar's house where the children were comfortable and the servants were willing to stay on. Jack visited every evening, as much for the company of someone other than his military leaders, as to visit his adored – and adoring – great grandchildren.

A few nights after the fatal Games, we were discussing the succession when I suddenly recalled the document Ban Tar had asked me to witness. Carthan searched through the desk until he found the folded parchment. Breaking the seal and reading the title, he muttered, "Decree . . ." He glanced through it, his eyes widening with disbelief. Exchanging one of those mysterious male looks with Jack, he silently handed it over.

After reading it through with a similar reaction, Jack grinned in approval, murmuring, "Oh, well done, Ban Tar!"

"Will you two tell me what's going on?" I demanded, incensed at being left out.

His eyes twinkling, Jack stood at attention, cleared his throat, and read in solemn tones:

"DECREE.

"I, Ban Tar, rightful Jed of Kobol, having been appointed Administrator of Kobol by John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and having since that time been acclaimed Jed by the citizens of Kobol, and having no surviving heirs, hereby declare that Tarin – son of Carthan son of Carthoris son of John Carter – shall, upon the signing and witnessing of this Decree, be my legal son and heir and upon my death shall assume the title of Jed of Kobol. If the said Tarin shall be a minor upon my death then I decree that his parents Carthan and Lara, Prince and Princess of Helium, shall assume the responsibilities of Regents until the said Tarin achieves his majority.

"Signed in the presence of witnesses, Ban Tar, Jed of Kobol.

"Witnesses: Minall, Gennar, Cara (Jack grinned in delight), and – Lara?" he glanced at me, unable to decifer my scrawl.

Dumbfounded, I nodded

. . . . .

John Carter returned to Helium some days later having completed his administrative details. On the day he left, he resigned his temporary role, formally turned the governance of Kobol over to Carthan and me in Tarin's name, and gave us, in effect, the keys to the kingdom.

Comfortable in Ban Tar's snug little refuge, Carthan and I tried to postpone our move until we adjusted to the idea of new and overwhelming responsibilities. But when the desk overflowed, the common room proved too small, and we at last conceded that no amount of delay could stop the inevitable, we moved into the palace.

Everything had been readied for us. The building had been thoroughly scrubbed and stripped of everything that could remind us of Ob Kor, including his concubines who had been sent (or flown) home, wherever that happened to be. Nearly all of Ban Tar's former staff had been tracked down and re-hired.

Jack returned a week later with Dejah, Carthoris and Thuvia – all of whom were anxious to meet their unique grandchildren. Thuvia, as always, was a treasure house of ideas for decoration, and we three ladies spent hours deciding on colours and selecting furniture. (And, yes gentlemen, I realize such trivia is unnecessary to this narrative, but after all I had an entire palace to decorate!)

The skies above Kobol returned to normal as the disabled flyers were repaired. Commerce resumed with other cities on Barsoom, who were eager to deal with a new and respected administration.

One evening while the entire family was gathered in our new atrium, Carthan and I recounted the tale of our three-week (and seven-year-long) honeymoon. I know it was difficult for them to believe, but the evidence sat at their feet in the form of six-year old twins – who were as fascinated as their forebears.

Before the family departed for Helium, Carthan made a short flight to the Rift dome, returning the same day with Rab Taven. Waiting until the excited children retired, we then asked "Raven" to describe the properties of the domes and the benefits they could bring to Barsoomian cities if (or when) my people arrived from Earth.

John Carter was the first to endorse the project, having first-hand knowledge that some of the atmosphere plants were beginning to fail. That information was, of course, confidential, but I would rather not have known it at all. The thought of the Barsoomian peoples imprisoned in domes on an airless planet devastated me.

Rab Taven, however, offered to inspect the plants with several of his colleagues. Considering how their longevity research had already benefitted the planet, I began to be more optimistic about our future.

As one who had to keep my personal life private for decades, it has been difficult for me to embellish events and reveal my innermost feelings. Thuvia, my editor and mentor throughout the telling of my story, has helped mitigate what would otherwise be a narrative of cold hard fact. I can still hear her say, "More passion, Lara!"

Tola, Thuvia!

Lara O'Dae, Kobol, 1973