Hey guys! Long time, no post! I've been thinking about this story for quite some time, and decided to let it free. It has been some years since my last story. I hope you guys enjoy!-bp

It had been ten years. Ten years since the terror of Cyclonia had been vanquished. Ten years since the young Storm Hawks team had vanished into the portal to the Other Side, never to be seen again. Starling walked the streets of Terra Atmosia, toward the Council building. She had been on the council for three years as the representative for active sky knights, being one of the older sky knights still active. She smiled to herself. Forty-four and still able to outpace most of the younger generation of knights. Her eyes glanced up to the flag that waved over the Council building: a sky blue hawk in flight, against a white background. Atmos owed everything to the Strom Hawks. The absence of the great team left a large gap in Atmos' defenses. Lately, some of the members of the Council had pushed for the reformation of the legendary team, but Starling would hear none of it. She was convinced that they were still alive, and no length of absence would convince her otherwise.

Despite the long absence of the legendary team, Atmos was expiring a golden age of relative peace. There was still plenty to do for the sky knights, between pirates, night crawlers, and groups of delusional talons convinced that Cyclonia would rise again, but attacks were few and far between. Since the war to end all wars, the ranks of the sky knights had changed as well. Harrier had retired finally retired last year, being the oldest sky knight in the force at fifty-two. Starling yet to meet the Rex Guardians' newest sky knight, but she had heard good things about her. Crane. That was her name. There had also been some loss. The entire Third Degree Burners squadron had disappeared into the wastelands, never to be seen again, for any apparent reason. Suzy Lu had been killed defending Blizzaris from Murk Raiders three years ago. That one still hurt to think about. For Starling though, the absence of the team who took practically her in was still palpable. She grinned to herself, thinking of some of the foolish antics those kids would get up to during the time that they had spent together. They wouldn't be kids anymore. They would have grown into young adults. Was it possible that they had become an even better squadron, with age and experience to guide the natural talents that they exhibited in the war against Cyclonia? If so, even the boldest of Murk Raider attacks would seem like a cakewalk for them.

Caught up in these thoughts, Starling found herself walking past the Council building and toward her skimmer. She no longer felt that she could sit in a dusty room with equally dusty elders, who would be waffling on about air space policies. The day was perfect for a ride. Perhaps she would visit the final resting place of her old team. Stopping off at a flower stall, she purchased some purple orchids and mounted her skimmer. She hadn't visited her old team in a few months, and she felt the need to be by herself, and get lost in memories.

Dove had worked hard to accomplish her goal. She had become the weapons specialist for the Rebel Ducks of Terra Gale. She had grown since the Battle of Atmos. For one, she no longer used kitchen gear for protection, but had fashioned herself some real armor, including a helm that protected both her head and the sides of her face as opposed to a cooking pot. She kept her hair short, and her body had become lean and elegant. She was told by admiring male fans that she was beautiful, but she didn't pay them any mind. She simply focused on arming her team with the latest weapons and crystal combinations. At the moment though, she was grumbling with frustration and throwing a blade across her worktable. It had rejected the wind stone that she was trying to synergize with it by spitting it out of the holder and across her workshop. Dove was at her limit.

She had tried to work the wind stone into all sorts of weapons to no avail. She was forcing herself to conclude that the stone had to simply stand alone when the ground beneath her feet started to shake violently. The tremor threw her off her feet and onto the floor. It felt like the entire terra was collapsing. It was a full minute before Dove could regain her footing. She raced outside, where she met her grandfather, Wren, who was leaning on his walking stick for support. He was staring at the sky behind her, eyes wide. Dove turned. Above her home, the air had begun to shimmer with waves of green light. Dove reached for her crossbow, which was slung across her back. The light looked poisonous. Suddenly, shapes began to form behind it. The shadows were indistinguishable, but growing larger. Then, a vehicle of sorts emerged. It was almost like a chariot, but was being pulled by four, winged beasts. They were coal black, scaly creatures with leathern wings and red eyes, with fangs that protruded from beneath their lips and claws growing from two toes at the end of each foot. The occupants of the chariot were two men, both with black hair and red eyes. Dove shivered. They both bore an uncanny resemblance to the Dark Ace.

Dove gave a start when another flying chariot emerged, followed by another, and another. It was a stream of them flowing from the light portal. A stream that did not cease. Dove gripped her crossbow firmly, while calculating the shortest way to the lever that sounded the alarm, should these strangers prove violent. If so, she did not like the odds that she was facing. Without warning, fie of the chariots, and the beasts that pulled them, broke away from the main group. Flying in V formation, they flew directly for Dove and Wren. She pushed her aging grandfather behind her, and stood her ground. Dove did not run from a fight, if that's what was coming. Sure enough, a red energy bolt struck the ground inches from Dove's feet. She fired her crossbow in return, the bolt hitting one of the beasts square between the eyes. They reminded her of sky sharks, but with legs. The beast she struck screeched and reeled, dragging the rest of the chariot down with it. They disappeared beneath the cloud line. Hopefully they crashed in the wastelands.

The other four chariots veered and turned back towards Dove. One of the riders pointed his fist toward her. What she thought was armor started to glow, and a blast of red energy left his arm, and, forming into a point, started speeding towards her. Dove leapt out of the way, knocking Wren down with her. The bolt just missed, exploding where their feet had just been. Dove regained her footing, calculating. She was outnumbered one hundred to one, seriously out-gunned, didn't even know whom she was fighting, and with her squadron on patrol at least five leagues away. Dove never ran from a fight, but in this case…

Dove ducked a few more energy bolts, and fired a few arrows back. She dragged her grandfather back with her toward the garage, thinking if she could make it to her skimmer that they would have a chance. Suddenly, the garage exploded, knocking Dove and Wren back. Their chances of survival just went up in flames, quite literally. They both took refuge behind a small hill. Dove maintained a tight grip on her crossbow. She would go down fighting.

Another shadow started to form behind the light wall. It grew larger and larger, much bigger than the chariots. Something big was coming: maybe a support ship. Dove tried to hunker down even more, bracing herself for a large attack. Suddenly, bright blue energy bolts blasted out of the portal, and into the crowed of beasts and chariots. The riders screeched and urged their charges further from the light, away from the terra, and into the clouds. The shadow grew bigger still until it burst from the green light. Dove gaped at the familiar sight. A grey carrier ship, with a blue hawk in flight emblazoned on its side, was soaring over Terra Gale, blasting at the flying chariots. It was a vision from the past. Three skimmers took off from the hanger bay. Dove could have screamed with joy. Instead, she fired bolt after bolt at the strange attackers with new confidence. The strangers ran from the reinforcements, vanishing towards the wastelands.

A yellow glow flowed from the bridge of the ship and towards the portal. It washed over the poison green, constricting it down until it disappeared and there was nothing left but clear sky. Dove raced towards the house as the three skimmers turned to land on the terra. She grabbed the speaker of the radio and turned the dial to a specific channel.

"Dove to Starling. Dove to Starling. Storms 'ave returned. I repeat, storms 'ave returned."

So let me know what you guys think! I'll continue with the story, if I receive motivation (hint reviews motivate me). Like I said, it's been quite some time since I've published anything, so I'm interested in what you guys think. No flames please. Much love-bp