A/N: I always enjoyed Storm Hawks but never came up a fan fiction until a few days ago. This takes place where the Storm Hawks are in their early 20's as well as Master Cyclonis. This story introduces the two grandsons of Gunrun and two other descendants of Achilles. Please note I'm going to reference LoL here.

Sky Blades

Chapter 1: Entering the Far Side

(Richard POV)

Commander's log: my company and I entered a dark and bleak world where everything is mostly mountain peaks. Morale is low since our encounter with the residents of the Shadow Isles. Although morale is low the company' spirits and determination is still steady but for how long.

As I finish my daily log I feel some heavy turbulence around the ship. I walk over to the bridge to see what is going on. The ship is relatively small. It's half a size of a football field and three stories high. The ship is a modified dreadnought class to act as a carrier and mobile home. There are only four crew men on this ship including myself and they're all my cousins. I walk over to my arms master's room of our little group. The walls are dull from the coal/steam/crystal engine we have on board. The halls are narrow by a few feet giving very little room for two people to pass each other. I come upon the door labels 'Gareth's Forge.'

As I enter steam exit with haste from the room. The rooms are the same. They are nine feet high and eight wide. Each room decorated according to their role in the ship and to crew members. My room for instance: it's dark and dim lights lit the room only showing the bed and desk. Gareth's room however is lit by the fires from his forge. He specializes in fire based magic so he needs a room heated by coal and wood. I see a worn anvil from continuous use, a forge to melt metals and other minerals, a pile of weapon molds and finally a small sleeping bag draped on the floor. This is truly a blacksmith's room.

"Day to you sergeant, anything new?"

"Just a few weapons to amplify our abilities."

"How soon can we get those done?"

"Around next week commander."

With that I move on to my second in command's room. Razor have always been the one who seem to be the one still holding on to some happiness but soon became sadder than a mime in a clown convention. Razor uses ice magic so he pretty much can form additional armor on top of the steel armor he always wears. His room was turned into a giant freezer complete with a desk and bed made of ice. I could never tell what was wall and what furniture was. I wanted to talk to him but given to his current mood. I guess he needs time to cope.

Lastly I go to pay Michael a visit. Mike is always communing with nature to harvest its magic so everything in his room or in fact his entire room is like a section of a forest. His bed is a hammock and I see his sniper rifle leaning against a tree shape shelf along with his munitions. He specializes in healing magic so he is the team's scout/sniper/medic. During the week I gave Michael the task to come in contact with any Terra or city or even a small unnoticeable town.

"Hey Mike."

"Day to you commander."

"Anything?"

"No."

"Report anything to me; I'll be at the helm."

"Yes sir."

The helm is a combination of two rooms to house the navigation equipment and the steering wheel. Since I hardly trust the instruments I go for good old fashion 'see shit with your eyes using a window.' The ship is meant for hit and run missions so that is how the squad operates. The only armament equip to the ship is the standard issue revolving cannon. The cannon never worked anyhow so as far I'm concerned it's just a piece of decoration.

I too begin to lose hope until I see a gleaming light. It's almost as bright as a star. That can only mean one thing: a city. I sound the alarms that we are near a city.

I feel every shred of hope repairing piece by piece. I drove the ship at full speed until we are a couple miles out. I read a large floating sign and it says 'Welcome to New Cyclonia.'

The city is large when we dock the ship. I got the entire squad together in the exit bay so we can obtain some stuff to replenish our diminishing fuel supply. I don't need to see my squad to know that they are glad that we are in a new city.

When the ramp descends from the bay we meet someone who is waiting at the bottom of the ramp. The person is obviously female from her posture. She wears a dark purple cloak and in her hand is a staff meant for a crystal mage. She looks like she is twenty one in age and so close to Mike's age. I could see under her hood that she have fair white skin with pitch black hair.

We approach slowly to her with caution because we are in a city so unusual to us. As soon we are a few feet apart from the woman in front of us I am the first one to greet her.

"Hello there."

"Welcome to my city."

"My name is Commander Richard Blade and this is my squad Danger Zone."

"My name is Lark Cyclonis; what do I owe the pleasure of a squadron being in my city?"

"Just refuel, resupply and looking for a job."

"A job" Lark asks with some interest in my squad's profession.

"Yes, you see my entire squad are mercenaries" I reply with pride.

"Well I could use some new generals since I got rid of two generals who didn't live up to my expectations and my last one blew up in an inferno of energy; how much are your services?"

"Give us free supplies and power crystals to fuel our ship and we will do anything you ask."

"Then consider yourselves hired; I'll be in my tower in the center of the city."

As soon she said that, she begins to levitate into the sky and starts flying to the giant tower.

I turn around to see hopes, confidence and pride revived into their faces. I turn to see a supply truck drive to my direction to unload the needed supplies the squad needs. I send the squad to explore the city while I sort out the supplies.

(Razor's POV)

I walk around the city to see most of its inhabitants depressed. I now question that being here is a good idea. The only people here that are in spirits is the city militants' personnel. I watch in horror as they bully the weak. I'm unable to do anything since I am a guest in this city. I grow furious as the soldiers in crimson uniform press on a helpless old man for money. When they push him down, a single thought pop into my mind.

Screw decency and order.

I charge towards the soldiers in full might. I pick up the closest soldier and throw him at a light post. I strike again before they could react in time. I jab one of the remaining two in the throat and give him a roundhouse kick to the chest. When I turn around the last soldier points his spear at me. He smiles as he shoot me square in the chest with the spear. I smile knowing his effort was futile. After a brief second I punch the soldier in the jaw thus sending him a few feet.

When the soldiers got back up, they ran. This little example sent fear running down the other soldiers nearby also causing them to flee. This act of justice brought hope to the people around the area. I smile knowing this is the result.

As the people cheer, I went on my merry way. As I walk I am greeted by civilians who is passing by. I am soon greeted by some of the local children. Seeing their innocence so lively bring a warm smile in my heart. I hoist a couple of the children and walk with the rest to a small playground.

The playground is much worn. The slide is rusty, the swings in shambles and the jungle gym is nothing but a few pipes left on the ground. This place or in fact the entire city is a sad place to live in. I scan the small area to get an idea how to fix up the place until I have to most excellent idea.

I tell the children to go home and come back with coats and gloves. As the children leave I quickly get to work. I raise my hands up until the palms are facing the barren wasteland of a park and transform it into a winter wonder land. The slide becomes a sled ramp, the swings become a snow fort and the remains of the jungle gym become markers for anyone who brings some skis.

I turn around to the children in complete astonishment of the park's transformation. I welcome them to have some fun. I race with them up and down the slopes of the newly made snow hills. As I play I quickly take notice of the time. I wave good bye to the children and run back to the ship. As I run I pass by some more red soldiers, but they backed away from me as soon they saw me.

When I got back to the ship I see that Gareth got some ore and crystals for his forge, Mike got a few crates of herbs and medicine and Commander Richard redecorated the ship using the extra supplies we got for payment in our new job. The dreadnought have transformed from an outdated bucket of rust into a brand new dreadnought that just came out of assembly. The walls shine the color of clean chrome. As I look around the ship's new upgrade, I turn my attention back to my commander.

"Alright you grunts at 1700 hour we fly to the citadel tower in our personal uniforms; we arrived here at 1400; it's currently 1550 hour so start getting dressed; dismissed!"

I turn on my heel to start my short walk to my room. When I reach there, I begin to take off my trench coat and trousers. I leave the under garments on so I can slip into my heavy armor. I equip the steel boots on first and lock them into place. I next I wrap my equally steel greaves around my shins and with an audible click; they're connected to my boots. I next I equip the pelvic and thigh armored plates. They too lock in with a click. My legs are now covered in steel armor.

I pick up my breast plate and stare into it. The plate is two inches thick and weigh almost as heavy as my cousin's anvil. I trace my fingers on the large snowflake design on the center of the plate. I look at the shoulder plate that's built into the armor and begin to brush my hand against the gears that is attached to the shoulders. Connecting to the gears is my oval shield. The shield is meant to help protect my backside but with some modifications, it now swings forward to give additional protection to my front side. I sometimes question why did I choose this line of work but I quickly push that thought out when I notice the time. I quickly equip the rest of my armor onto my body and walk over to my closet to retrieve the most important part of my equipment. My spear, a spear of true ice.

(Gareth's POV, a couple hours ago)

I walk around the southern district to find some components for my new weapon designs. The vendors in the black market area have what I need. As I venture forth to the black market street, I am stopped by two soldiers in red uniform. They thought I am one of civilians in the district.

"Hey don't you know this is a toll road" one of the soldiers yells at me.

"I don't see a sign or price" I retort with a smile.

As I muse about my taunt at them, they try to attack me. Before one of the soldiers swing his fist at me, I take the initiative and throw the first punch. I hear the crack of his jaw as I fracture it with my right fist. Then a quick jab with my lift and finish him off by tossing him to a wall. The second is scared beyond his mind. When I take one step forward, he takes off screaming like a little girl.

I leave the scene so I can proceed to the market. When I arrive to the black market, I got some mean stare from a lot of people. This however didn't affect me. I faced a lot of foes before, heck I even went toe to toe with a champion of the Shadow Isles. I walk on through until I find myself the products I need. Rare metals. As I approach a crate of the metals, the shop keep comes up to me.

"Do you wish to purchase these metals?"

"What else am I here for?"

"Good but the price may be a bit steep."

"Does a crate of freshly mined crystals sound good?"

"Deal."

I throw a small square electronic chip on the ground. As soon it lands I take a few steps back. I press a button on my wrist commlink to activate the chip. That tiny little microchip burst into a large number of more microchips. Soon the chips begin to take form. The form turn into a truck.

I begin loading the truck with the rare metals and some miscellaneous stuff. When the loading is done, I take notice of some rare crystals in the shop keeper's display case. I knew they will do the squad good in the long run. When the vendor's back is turn I filled it with some blaster shots. I stab him in the head for extra measures. When the deed is done, I ransack what's left of his little stand for money, crystals and whatever a dead man doesn't need. As soon the truck is filled with everything, I drive off to the ship. So far there is still some space in the truck for some more cargo but I have all I need.

When I got to the end of the street I notice Michael coming out of an herb shop and he noticed me quickly.

"Cousin Gareth!"

"Cousin Michael, good to see you."

"Mind if I load my newly purchased items into your truck?"

"Not at all; I got a lot of space left in the truck."

I got out of my truck to start loading the herbs and meds into it. As I load it up I see Mike paying a lot of money to the clerk. I hang my head and wonder to myself why do we buy so much meds and antibiotics. Then it hit like a blaster shot through a sky shark's abdomen. We get hurt everyday even if it's a vacation day. I sigh at that fact but it's a good solid fact. As soon the cargo is loaded in, Michael and I load the truck and drive through the town.

The detours I had to take is very tedious. I feel like I drove through the entire perimeter of the city until I reach the ship. I take the time until I see Razor walking into the hanger. He quickly takes notice of the new supplies we just got but more interested into the ship. The ship is pristine and clean of rust. In a few short seconds we snap to attention by our commanding officer and cousin Richard.

"Alright you grunts at 1700 hour we fly to the citadel tower in our personal uniforms; we arrived here at 1400; it's currently 1550 hour so start getting dressed; dismissed!"

I carry the raw material to my room so I could finish our new weapons early. It is a lot of trouble getting the crates through the door. I take my time bringing each box in one by one. As soon I get the last box in, I have about an hour left to get ready to meet the squad's new boss.

I walk over to my closet to bring out my armor. The armor is a mixture of steel plating and steel chain mail. I equip the steel boots first and then the chain mail layer. The chain mail wraps snugly across my large mass. I then lock the steel plating on my thighs, abdomen, shoulders, forearms and shins. I stare indefinitely at the final piece of plating. The plating covers the upper half of my torso and my entire back.

I trace my fingers on the two symbols of my armor plate. The first symbol is my family's insignia. The helmet and cross swords. The second is the red and black flame insignia that covers most of the plate. I trace my fingers on the red border as it clash against the black like yin and yang. The flame symbol reinforce what I am. A firebrand. I think back about my poorest decisions during my service in the military. As I contemplate, I feel the ship starting to move. I quickly bring my thoughts back to the here and now. I sling the plates on me and begin to tie the leather straps. I walk over to my closet and holster my sword on my back. A sword made of magma and rock.

(Michael POV, at the citadel)

I stand at attention with my rifle slung on my right shoulder and my bow in my left hand. The bow is made of the strongest wood I found in the Shadow Isles but the effects it inflicts on a normal user is devastating. I am in tune with all of nature and that includes those of very unnatural abilities. I don in my leather armor. It's very similar to the armor Gareth have but instead of steel plating, I choose to have patches of leaves stitched together to create camouflage.

As I wonder to myself about that Lark woman we met earlier, Gareth and Razor joins next to me. I look to my left and right to see them next to me and with so much confidence. This new development for them do me good as a doctor.

While deep in my thoughts, I feel the turbulence of the winds move the ship. The winds rock the ship back and forth like the sea. Within a few short minutes a thud is heard. I guess the ship just landed at its destination.

The door opens slowly as the light from outside the ship bathe every inch of the hanger.

As the door opens, Richard arrives from the helm of the ship. He dons in his purple and black armor. It's near identical to Razor's except without the shield.

I fidget in anxiety for every inch that door opens. To lull my anxiety, I trace the leaf insignia on my right shoulder patch with my left hand.

When the doors fully open wide, I snap to attention.

The citadel of New Cyclonia is beyond anything I have ever seen. Giant pillars with red drapes decorated on them. A long velvet carpet in the center. The citadel is more like a palace than a tower.

The ramp rapidly goes down and we begin to march in ranks towards the entrance of the tower. As we march we get a lot of attention from the soldiers around the entrance. Some even gave the whole squad nasty looks.

Waiting for us at the entrance is Lark Cyclonis. She seems more than happy to have new military commanders. The look on her face tells a completely different tale than what she needs.

"Danger Zone reporting for duty" Richard hollers with a salute. In turn the whole squad including me salute to Lark.

"Be at ease commander; now follow me."

We begin to follow Lark but deep down I have a bad feeling about all of this. I take quick glances at each room we pass. I could hardly make out each room but one thing is for sure: Lark is a Crystal Mage. I don't like what I might find out about this job.

My eyes follow the obvious signs in the hallway. Elegant paintings, silk fabrics on the walls and less doors at the side. I know where we are walking towards. When we stop at a large set of double doors, Lark's staff begins to glow a bright blue color. When it began to glow so did the doors. I am taken back by how a small crystal can move two doors that would require twenty men to open it. When it is open allowing a few people to walk in as a group, we enter the room. I can already tell it's a throne room with the big chair on top of a set of stairs begin a giveaway.

When the squad stop in front of the throne while Lark went to sit in it, she begins to give us a lecture.

"Do you know why I hired you four for?"

"To command the idiot soldiers under your control" Razor answers.

"Correct and now go train them except you." She points at me.

I stay in my spot while the rest leaves the room. I feel beads of sweat run down my forehead. I have no idea why she want me and alone.

"I see by your patch that you are a medical professional."

I look at my patch to look at the Red Cross insignia in the center the leaf. I look back at her and reply. "Yes I am."

She gets up from her throne and begins to walk towards me. "The only reason I asked is because I need a personal doctor." She removes her cloak showing me her bare back. "You see after so many years of experimenting with crystals, I somehow contracted a skin disease." I stare at the patches of darkened skin clashing against her fair vanilla skin. Before I dare go any further than her back, she re-wraps the cloak around her. "So, do you accept my request?"

"Yes I do."

"What would be your rate?"

"For this I do not ask for money."

"Oh?"

"But rather something more heartfelt." I got closer to her until our faces nearly touch.

"What do you have in mind" she whispers.

"Just this." I close the distance between our lips and I close my eyes.

I wrap my arms around her hips pulling her closer. I probe her lips for entrance into her mouth. I feel her arms crawl from my chest to my shoulders. Her lips taste like honey. Every time I probe her lips for me to enter her mouth, she teases me by nipping my tongue with her lips. I try several times until she finally allow me to enter. Her mouth taste sweeter than her lips. In a few short seconds, I feel her tongue mingle with mine. We stay the kiss until we have to give each other time to breathe.

"So, I'll take that as a yes?" She nods her head and for some time we never let go of each other.

A/N: So what do you think of this first chapter? I won't continue until I get at least one review.