It was sunset on Mars. The sun's light made the red earth glow with a unreal and beautiful color.

Up on a hill stood Carbine and looked out over the landscape, sadness in her mind.

So this is it. I hoped we never would face this hour.

Below her, the Plutarkians' endless army was marching closer and closer, and they had the Freedom-Fighters surrounded, with no chance to break out. The small part of the once so great Martian army that still lived had taken cover up on the hill, but now, Carbine thought that maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all.

As far as she could see, she saw nothing but enemies, and in their shapes she could just see her own death.

The war had been going on for several months now. After years and years of small disputes and fights with the Plutarkians, they had secretly collected an immense war-power and without warning had attacked. They had burned and destroyed all the major villages and towns, not leaving one martian there alive.

Carbine twisted her mouth in a foul grimace. They had burned Portsville, where she had grown up, and with that - all her family. Her mother, her father, her two brothers and her sister, all were dead, slaughtered mercyless by those stinking Plutarkians. She had cried as she never had cried before then, and were close to losing her mind in grief. But instead, her mind and heart had turned to ice-cold stone.

As the General of the Martian Army, she had gathered the troops and engaged the enemy. First, it seemed as if they would succeed in taking the Plutarkians by surprise, but then the luck changed and they had to retreat.

For the last couple of weeks, the battle had been going on more or less continously, and Carbine felt the dozyness in her whole body, for eight days, she hadn't slept a minute. But she willed the tiredness down, refusing to let it overwhelm her.

Oh Throttle, I miss you, why aren't you here with me? The thought rushed through her mind. She had sent him and Modo and Vincent on a mission some three months ago, to outspy the location of the Plutarkian base that was the center of this war, from where the enemy had spred all over Mars. They had left, confident and big-mouthed as ever, but they never came back.

For a long time, Carbine never ceased to hope that they was on their way back, but after a month, she had to accept the bitter fact. They had been caught. If they were still alive, or if they were... not so alive... She just couldn't bring herself to say the d-word. There was nothing she could do to help them, nothing but to keep fighting, fighting for Mars with all the power she had, until every drop of life-force was drained out of her.

"General!" Someone called on her, and she snapped out of her thoughts. Her lieutenant, Cray, came up to her and made a hasty salute which she returned.

"The Enemy is sending forth an embassy under white flag, General ma'am. Shall we let them come?"

She thought it over for a second. "Yes lieutenant, let them come. But be prepared for tricks, it wouldn't be the first time Plutarkians have broken truces."

"Yes, General!" Cray turned on his heals and walked down with a few soldiers towards the approaching group of Plutarkians. Caarbine turned to Thorne, her second in charge. "Keep an eye on things. I'll go down and see what the embassy wants."

She followed Cray down, and met with the Plutarkians. There were four of them, all with cruel, cold faces.

They carried something in a blanket, something big, and Carbine got an uneasy feeling in her gut. Something's not right here.

The leader of the enemy-troop took a step forward. "This is the conditions of Plutark. You are to immediately lay down your weapons and surrender, and you will live. Except the terms, or die."

Carbine felt anger rushing through her like a hot stream of fire. "Don't lower yourself to petty threats like that", she sad with a voice of ice. "Everyone dies, it's just a question of when. And you might be the first to die if you doesn't change your tone."

The leader snorted, but seemed a bit taken aback. "You would not sound so sure if you knew what we're here to show you." He snapped his fingers at the others, and they brought forward the large bundle.

They unwrapped it, and revealed the content. It was a black leatherjacket, for most eyes just like any old, worn jacket, but Carbine recognized it immediately. A moan slipped away from here; Throttle, oh no!

The leader looked at her with a smug grin. "So, what do you say now? We have your heroes, the famous 'Biker Mice'! And if you don't surrender this second, they are to meet a horrible and very painful death." His face turned hard. "Make your choice!"

Carbine was torn apart from inside, a multitude of feelings welling up like a spring. She could not let the mice die. But how could she knew that the Plutarkians told the truth. And even if they did, they would never let the bros go free, but would kill them anyway. And she was the General, could she turn all those people down, who now stood waiting for her orders, who would walk into the gap of death for her, for Mars? I'm sorry Throttle, I'm sorry, my dearest friends in the world, but I got to do this. And I'll do it for you.

She took a deep breath, and her ice-blue eyes penetrated the Plutarkian leader's. "We are the rightful inhabitants here, we Martians. You have invaded our planet with violence, killed our kin and ravaged out planet. Go back to Plutarkia and never come here again. Mars will never surrender to your tyranny. Begone from our land!"

During her words her voice grew stronger and the last part was heard by everyone near by, and the troops shouted of cheers and defiance. The Plutarks turned pale and retreated a bit. Carbine took a few steps forward and took the jacket from the leader. "If you want to live, yield to us this minute, otherwise, we will beat you. You can never defeat us!"

The Plutark embassy turned on their heels and fled, and even before they had reached their own lines, Carbine gave out a great cry.

"Mice of Mars! It is time to free our planet of this scum forever. You know in your hearts that we can do it. So follow me now. As true as we are free, we will never be defeated or enslaved. For Mars! Forward!"

And with a battlecry she stormed towards the Plutarkian lines, and right after her came the last Freedom-Fighters and soldiers of Mars, running against the final battle, with fire in their hearts and freedom in their minds.