04 OLD NEWS

The box landed on the table with a soft "thunk!" before proceeding to quietly grate against the marble surface as it was slid over. What followed next were some folders.

She raised a violet eyebrow, although her face was a perfect mask of void. "And this is all of it?" She inquired while she studied the person who passed it to her. Through her veteran eyes, he looked visibly shaken, but years of private reconnaissance training would make anyone miss it.

He nodded in affirmation. "All of it." He confirmed. "Based on these reports and observance, that would explain certain questions… or raise more of it."

She opened one of the folders. "Looks more like the latter." She responded. She continued to read through another page before looking up at him. He had been patiently waiting for her orders, but his attention had been on the small box with obvious disturbance. He looked up the moment she put down the folder.

"Very well, then." She sat back into her chair.

89

She watched another drop of sweat staining the floor in front of her.

90

More wet dots.

91

She observed how the wet edges suddenly morph into a bigger pattern.

92

She stopped doing her push-ups. The puddle was beginning to look red to her.

Piper pushed herself up, flipped onto her back and rested her arms. She looked up at the ceiling and listened to the soft humming pulsing through the ship. Day after day, she had always been here, hoping to distract herself. And yet, there has to be something that would bother her. After peeling herself off the cold floor, she made her way to the kitchen instinctively.

"Hey." She greeted the tall and slim figure by the hall.

Stork cocked his head to her direction, a fresh towel still on this head. He nodded to her. "Up early again?"

The captain casually shrugged and continued to walk past him, but he followed her to the kitchen. While she washed her hands and face, he pulled out a glass of milk for her. Piper accepted it. "Thanks, Stork."

"Well, can't have the captain dying of dehydration and malnutrition on us." He said before he poured another glass for himself. "And I think we need a sane one too."

Piper put down her glass slowly. "Are you instigating something?" She challenged.

Stork stared at her blankly. "Depends on how you see it. We don't want one who always pumps herself for a fight and might kill us when she thought she saw something she didn't." He shrugged. Stork nervously watched his companion fiddle with her glass, in case she might hurl it at him.

Instead, she watched him with a strange expression. "I don't need therapy, Stork. Period." She finished with a gulp and made to wash the glass. "Why is it when it comes to conversations with you, everything is always about death anyway?" she murmured.

He held up a finger. "I accepted it." He pointed at her. "You apparently, haven't."

"You're a nutcase." She flicked some water at him.

"I fly the ship too." He returned while fretfully wiping the water droplets in case of transferred disease. "For how many years now?" He eerily grinned a while later.

Piper stared at him a little more before she rolled her eyes. Her need for a hot shower was cut short when she noticed the light flashing on the radio.

"Are you sure about this, little buddy?" Junko asked incredulously.

Creep looked up from his list. "A hundred percent. Besides, that's what I confirmed with the captain this morning." He handed over a small pouch of coins to the Nimbarian shopkeeper, a humanoid race resembling a praying mantis with four arms. While the it was busy summing up their pay, Creep tug at Junko's mechanical arm and scrutinized the empty slots. "And from what I can understand, this thing needs a bit more fine tuning to the crystals. These crystals are pure energy, and this arm depends on electrical message from brain synapses," he noticed Junko's confused face. "Energy clash." He summarized.

Junko nodded, despite not fully understanding the young raptor. "Well, you're the crystal expert."

Creep smiled at that and puffed out his chest. "Can we have some kebabs now?" He grinned toothily.

Junko smiled. After adding the package to their backpack, the duo found their way to the market, making strangers smile when they saw a young raptor happily riding on Junko's shoulders.

"There!" Creep pointed excitedly at some figures busy haggling with vendors over rare plants. "Hey guys! Over here!" The young Storm Hawks waved his arms enthusiastically at the other members in the distance.

Limpet turned her head at them. "Well, lookie here." She left Zhayne to bargain alone and walked over to the two. "Got what ya need?" She asked.

"Seems like it." Junko scratched his head. He jabbed a thumb at Creep. "But according to the whiz kid, there is still a bit of work that needs to be done, though."

The younger mechanic nodded her head understandingly. "Captain and creep filled me in on it this morn, chief-o. Bet we can whip up with somethin' real quick once we get back to the Condor."

Zhayne shuffled noiselessly to them with his newly acquired possession. "It doesn't look like soon, though."

Junko greeted him with a nod. "Well, since they haven't buzzed us, what say we head over to the all-you-can-eat buffet at Mac's? I heard they are serving pickled gorn-tongues today." He licked his lips. "Bet you would like that, don't you little buddy?" He smiled at Creep.

The hatchling smiled wider. "That sounds great!"

Zhayne groaned. "This will take hours, won't it?"

Limpet ceased her grimace. "Uhm… ya know, my Aunt Mayda just set up a branch here. Would ya like to check that out, chief-o? It's got the same menu as the sky shanty." She offered. "The same vinegar too." She added.

Junko considered it for a while and then smiled. "Let's go then! Lead the way, Limpet."

Limpet exhaled in relief and turned around. "Follow me, then."

Zhayne fell into step next to her. "That was a good save."

She shrugged. "I'd rather not watch them go crazy at the buffet table again." She whispered back. "Besides, I need to see my aunt anyway."

Zhayne scratched his chin. "It's been over three hours now. I wonder what the council meeting is about?"

Limpet sighed. "Can be bad or good. Then again, the captain is never cheerful after one." She pointed out.

"She's never happy." Zhayne corrected her.

"Looks who's talking." Limpet threw back.

Junko leaned over and put his arms around the duo. "Enough, guys. And Zhayne, that's not how you should talk about your captain."

Zhayne turned his head towards Junko. "But it's true, Big-J. When you see her smile, it always looks forced. I know I have problems, but she looks as if she has a huge chip on her shoulder that she refuses to fix."

Junko sighed and shook his head. When Limpet and Creep suddenly grew quiet, Zhayne took the cue to end the conversation and concentrated on their trip.

Dreadful, boring, paranoid old people. Arrogant, selfish, power-hungry young commanders. A majority of them are so superficial, and too few leaders the world can trust under one roof. Here, they would always bicker about nonsensical or minuscule matters. As always, Piper played the spectator, sometimes wondering when someone would start throwing their seats at each other.

'What a way to celebrate the 11-year peace in Atmos,' She thought glumly. She tilted to the side of her seat, because there was enough space for her to.

Another reason the captain of the Condor detested about attending these gatherings is their blatant discrimination. There are always empty seats next to where she and her companion would sit, except the occasional few familiar faces once in a while. And yet, The biggest reason she hated being here is the stink of politics - their pockets should come first; the benefit of the people would come later. She sometimes wonder where the corruption began. Piper glanced over to her side. Her right-hand man was beginning to twitch involuntarily. She returned her gaze towards the person at the podium.

"But how will we ever know?" Someone to her right hollered at the officer who was giving his presentation.

Gideon, the veteran informer of Atmos looked away from his slide. 'Here it comes,' Piper thought.

"As you can see, new problems have aroused in the eastern side of Terra Lutharia." The informer started. "We thought it may be Murk Raiders expanding their territory, but it looks a little too out of character for them to be away from their usual haunting place." He clicked on the controller to the next slide. "This is the pattern since two months ago." He clicked again. "And this is just last week. It seems that the origin of the problem starts on this-" he took out his laser pointer and circles an area on the map. "-small area. We don't know what caused the sudden shift of air current and how it is linked to the Murk Raiders yet, but it's hard to tell especially when the air currents are deterring our scouts from investigating the area and natural disasters preventing the other way in."

Piper felt a soft nudge in her side and found Stork watching her from the corner of his eyes. She dipped her head slightly to indicate her affirmation. She turned her head again, and found the person she looking for behind Officer Gideon. Starling greeted Piper with a mutual glance.

Thankfully, the council ended three hours after that, shorter than its usual eight hours or three days record. Piper leaned against the cool wall in the corner of the ballroom with Stork, a glass of drink in hand. A movement in her peripheral vision caught her eye, and she turned to see the ex-Interceptor striding her way across the room towards Piper.

"I swear, Captain… every time I see you, your hair gets even shorter." Starling said the moment she walked up to the leader of the Storm Hawks.

"Officer Starling." Piper greeted the newcomer politely, and then tugged at her dark blue pixie cut. "I find it easy to maintain, actually. So how are Finch and Robyn?"

The other woman smiled. "Finch is starting to look like his father everyday. I still can't believe that he will be nine in a couple of months." Starling beamed proudly. "Robyn just turned five two weeks ago."

Piper smiled back. "Wow. Time really flies. I still remember babysitting Finch when he was her age. I still have his drawing on the fridge."

Starling agreed with Piper, and then she put down her drink. "So how do you find the topic today, Captain Piper?"

Piper frowned. "It was definitely intriguing and highly disturbing."

Starling smiled out of courtesy. "Is it now?" She subtly changed her expression to a tone of seriousness. "I think I would want to retire to my office. Care to catch up with some old news?"

Piper returned a matching smile. "I don't see why not." Together, they walked through the halls of the great Atmos Council Halls, once in a while ignoring suspicious gazes and accusations along their way. Stork wasn't too far behind them by the time they reached Starling's office.

By the time the thick doors closed, Piper began to speak. "So what exactly is this about?"

Starling went straight to her desk and sat down. "I thought it may be something you could tell me."

"Meaning?" The other woman inquired.

Starling let her emerald eyes meet Piper's amber ones. "I know you're smarter than that, Captain Piper. Please," She motioned at the empty seats opposite her. "Make yourselves comfortable." As soon as her companions are seated, Starling continued. "I believe I do have some explaining to do first."

"Indeed." Stork mumbled. "Not only did you drag us into a room full of people who not only make us feel unwelcome, but into a case that in a way you seem to relate to us?"

"Very good, Stork." Starling nodded appraisingly. "But I must first apologize about the council members. I know you understand that after the stunt you pulled five years ago, they have reasons to detest you and your fleet."

Piper snorted. "And I have rights to pull that 'stunt'."

Starling held back a sigh. "We've been through this, captain. Besides, a council is not like a club house. You don't just resign or quit. In their eyes, you are a traitor, even though you carry the badge of the Storm Hawks." She said with another level of seriousness. "Did you know what I had to go through to convince my supervisors into dropping the charges against you?"

Piper did not move her gaze. "I am very aware of that, Starling. I regret that I cannot, and will not apologize for my actions, and nor will I change my mind; but I can say that you don't have to bend the rules for us even though you have had a history with us."

Starling shook her head. "I'm not doing this because of our friendship, Piper." She leaned into her seat and propped her elbows on the table. "I just believe in what you do. Of course, I do not deny that I dislike the new rules the authority put up daily, but that's how they want to keep order in this new era of peace."

Piper nodded. "I understand that too, but it takes more than a squadron to work." She bitterly remembered when she first heard the law that was passed a couple of years after Atmos was cleared of Cyclonias. One in particular still made her grit her teeth - the authorization to transfer any members of squadrons 'whenever the council deems fit'.

Piper put her hands on the armrest. "We were a family. They can't just keep rotating members whom we have known for years." She ran over the names of previous Storm Hawks members. "Lynne, Derra, Hayez, Ortiz, Mammo, Weta, Piot'n, Deza, Kite, Kel-Gan, Guko, Raven, Wes, Coheed, Tennera, Ulik, and you…" She frowned. "You all came and went, like a foreign exchange student programme. This is not like some club house either. Besides, three of them would still be standing here today if they weren't transferred for that stupid mission in the Deep and Terra Bogaton." Piper drummed her fingers on the desk. "Plus, it's not like I'm running a vigilante squad - what we do is legal, so they can't hate us for still being around."

"And you started the trend of providing escort services to passing merchant ships." Starling nodded in satisfaction. "That was a smart move."

"And it pays for our meals and bills." Stork added in. "Now, for the other reason you dragged us into the lecture?"

Starling pulled out some folders and handed them to Piper and Stork. "Fourteen years ago, you and Junko posed as Ravess and Snipe and intercepted a delivery for Cyclonis in Terra Saharr." She caught Piper and Stork raising an eyebrow. "I was an Interceptor, remember? I am very resourceful, and being in my current position helps." She then focused entirely on Piper. "Care to fill in the details?"

Piper frowned slightly, trying to pull some old memories from the past. "We discovered it was a cloning crystal, powered only by solar means." Piper started. "Finn was the one to figure that one out, only by accident. Before we know it, he had made an army of himself – perfect clones, right down to his mannerisms. In fact, they are too perfect, they share mutual pain when one gets hit."

"Interesting." The other woman considered.

"It gets more interesting than that." Piper agreed. "Snipe managed to retrieve the crystal back from us, and by the time we caught up to him, he had cloned himself by the hundreds – Who knows why. Luckily, we figured how to reverse the effects. We did it by lunar means in opposition to its power source."

"And what happened to the crystal?" Starling inquired.

"It shattered." The other woman stated. "We also discovered that it has a limit after all. For sure, we're glad it did. Who knows what Cyclonis might do with it if she did get a hold on it."

"What indeed." Starling pondered before sliding a picture over. "Would you say this is how the cargo would look like?"

Piper nodded. "Definitely. I can remember the markings and designs quite well. It's very unique."

Starling lifted her eyebrow. "Is it?"

Piper and Stork looked back at Starling in puzzlement.

"Piper…" Starling began. "If the incident was fourteen years ago, this picture was taken twelve years ago."

"Come on, Ravess, you have to eat something." Snipe offered a piece of bread. "It's good. I promise. See?" He took a bite, but his sister still appears to be sulking. "Look, I'm sorry that I messed up real good, but Cyclonis will get us out of here, and you can get to play your violin again, right? So don't look too glum." He smiled. Ravess continued to pout and ignored him. His shoulders drooped, but hunched them back up when the cellar door opened.

After ordering the guards to leave, Piper and Starling stepped into the cell room. "Hello, Snipe." Starling greeted the huge man.

Snipe snarled at them "Go away! Can't you say you're scaring my sister?" He stood between them and Ravess.

"I assure you, we won't do anything to her." The older woman promised.

The man snarled and came charging at the full speed, only to get yanked back by the chain that held him. "Yeah, you'd better!" He yelled. "Or you'll get what's coming to you!"

Starling dared to take a step towards the chained Cyclonian. "If we did, you have every right to."

Piper frowned. "Starling, are you sure-"

"Snipe, fourteen years ago, you were sent to pick up a package for Master Cyclonis. It contained a cloning crystal, remember?" Starling deliberately spoke slowly.

Snipe frowned in confusion. "Cloning… Crystal…?"

Starling nodded. "Yes, a cloning crystal." She pulled out the picture of the object. "This one. Remember?"

Suddenly, something in the huge man's head snapped into place, and he instantly recognized Piper who had been standing quietly behind Starling. "All hail Cyclonis." He grinned. "She's gonna get you for foiling her plans, Storm Hawk. Oh yes, she will."

Piper frowned. "What plan, Snipe? And who was the package from?"

But that momentary glint in his eyes had faded, and he begun to shuffle back towards his corner. "Hey Ravess, are you sure you ain't hungry? It's getting cold."

Piper took a step forward. "Snipe-"

Starling put a hand in front of the other woman. "I doubt that even he knows it, Piper." Both women took one last look at the fallen soldier, and then they left him to his peace.

Snipe brushed his sister's hair. "Cyclonis will definitely destroy the Storm Hawks, Ravess. She will do that, and we'll be out in no time." He then attempted to feed her his share of bread to her.

Stork peeled himself off the door frame the moment Piper and Starling appeared. "Well?" He asked. When Piper shook her head, he stepped aside for a guard to secure the cell door. Stork watched the unkempt man inside mumbling to an empty corner for a while, shook his head sadly, and then he turned to follow the women.

Somehow, somewhere in the deep recess of their minds, Piper and Stork remembered their first mission together. It was starting to make sense now - the sudden change in the air current, the cloning crystal... "So… what are have you been up to, Cyclonis…." Stork asked no one in particular. So many questions from the past...

Sorry it took me forever since my last update, and I'm sorry it hasn't reached a core point yet. I will get to it very soon.

EDIT: There is a sketch of how I think Piper would ideally look like in my fiction (except her clothes). Head over to the link below and check it out if you wish. Thanks for reading again, and I do appreciate some reviews so I know how it is so far :(

Piper:
http :/kusut-masai. / 2008/09/ piper. html
(don't forget to remove the spaces between them)