A/n: If this chapter seems a bit slow to anyone, I apologize, but urge you all to read the whole thing. There are some things introduced in this chapter that will be important latter on.

Chapter 21: Setting Course

Piper's P.o.V.

When we first tried to register as the new Storm Hawks squadron, we were turned away due to our "inexperience." The Atmosian Council believed that our young age translated to an inability to perform to Skyknight standards.

Oh, how wrong they were.

The instant his shock broke, Aerrow leapt forward, sword drawn. Stork pulled out a Crystal Rifle (where he was hiding that, I do not want to know), and leveled at Cy's head. Junko leapt up, knocking over the kitchen table, his Knuckle Busters activated.

Finn, however, just stared forlornly at the overturned food boxes that now littered the floor, specifically, the one he'd been eating from. "I wasn't done with that…" He mumbled to no one. Nevertheless, he stood up from his seat and crossed his arms, making no move towards the crossbow slung on his back. Radarr simply stood on the bench and stared at Cy, more confused than ever.

Me? I was trying very hard not to slam my head onto the table in front of me.

Cy, apparently expecting such a reaction, remained in her relaxed pose against the wall, her only movement being to tilt her head up as Aerrow pressed his blade against the milky skin of her neck.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Commander Aerrow," Cy said, her tone still friendly, though now with a notable chill.

Aerrow just glared at her, his eyes boring into hers.

After almost half a minute, Cy rolled her eyes. "So, am I supposed to say something, or…?"

She was silenced when Aerrow pressed his blade harder against her neck, his finger tensing on the trigger to ignite it. It took all I had not to run over, to yell, to do… something! But I fought it down, trusting Aerrow not to do anything rash, and praying that Cy wouldn't egg him on.

"How did you get here?" It took me a moment to realize that the cold, restrained voice I heard had come from Aerrow. It was so… not him.

Again, Cyclonis rolled her eyes, surprisingly at ease, considering she had a sword to her neck. "Piper invited me aboard." Her voice was cool, but held no malice.

Aerrow narrowed his eyes. He sent me a quick glance. Before I could say anything, however, he rounded back at Cy. "Why, in the name of all that is good and pure in the Atmos, would she invite you back on the Condor?" Again, it surprises me just how much… well, not hate, but what his voice held was not too far from it.

Cy took a moment before answering. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she leveled a determined stare at Aerrow.

"While I could answer your question, Commander, I sincerely doubt you would believe a word I say, as my past actions have given you no reason to do so. If you wish to know why Piper would want me on board your ship, you will have to ask her yourself."

Aerrow seemed taken aback by her honest, if unhelpful, words. Slowly, reluctantly, he tore his gaze from the girl in his grasp and looked towards me, as if just remembering that I was in the room. "Piper?" He asked, disbelieving.

I nod to him. Despite Cyclonis having thrown me under an airbus to do so, Having Aerrow focus on me was a good thing… I think. "Aerrow, she's right. I'll tell you everything… but only if you put away the sword."

His mouth fell open. "Piper, are you crazy? Why…?"

"Please?" I beg pathetically, willing him to see the desperation in my eyes."

For the longest time, he just stared at me. Several emotions flashed in his eyes: confusion, desperation, fear… but the one that worried me the most, the one that hurt the most the see… was anger. Whether he was conscious of it or not, Aerrow was very, very angry.

Just when I was about to give up, when thoughts that I might have to do something stupid and drastic began to form, he let out a frustrated growl. "Fine!" He barked out, pulling his blade away in a swift motion that made Cy flinch slightly, putting a hand to where the cold steel had touched her skin. "Fine…" He mumbled quietly, seemingly reining in his temper. He took a few steps back, his eyes never leaving Cyclonis. Then, still clenching his blade, he slammed his fist on a nearby control panel.

A sudden shudder went through the floor, making me step back. With a sharp screech of metal on metal, a square of floor slid back from where I had just been standing. A similar occurrence happened all around the table. With another groan of protest, something began to rise from the darkness. Up from below rose ten identical steel chairs, simple in design, save for the Storm Hawk emblem embossed proudly on the back.

With his sword, Aerrow pointed towards one of the chairs. "Sit." He ordered.

Cy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she walked to the table…and went right past the one he'd been pointing at. Before Aerrow could protest, she moved around the table and sat in the chair closest to me. She placed her elbows on the table, resting her head on her interlaced fingers, smirking.

Aerrow glared at her for a few seconds, before glancing at the guys and motioning towards the table.

A tense silence settled as everyone took a seat. Stork lowered his rifle, but kept it at the ready as he moved to take a seat. Junko did the same, powering down his Knuckle Busters, his eyes shifting between Cyclonis and Aerrow, well aware of the tension in the room.

Aerrow took the seat directly across from Cyclonis. Junko and Stork sat down on either side of Aerrow, Junko on the left, Stork to his right. Radarr ran across the deck and took his usual perch on Aerrow's shoulder. Aerrow's eyes hardened slightly as I sat at Cy's side, putting me across from Stork. Aerrow opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Finn sat down…

…right next to Cyclonis.

Had I not been so stressed, I would have burst out laughing at the looks Finn was getting from across the table. Junko and Stork's eyes just about bulged out of their skulls, and Aerrow simply cocked his head to the side, his mouth open slightly.

After a few seconds, Aerrow finally found his voice. "Finn… what are you doing?" He asked in a tone that made it clear he was questioning our brother's sanity.

Finn squirmed a bit under his gaze, before turning towards Cy and I. Cy flashed him a smile, a genuine smile of thanks. I gave him a questioning gaze, myself trying to understand what he was doing. Then he turned back to Aerrow, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. "Probably something stupid." He replied with a slight chuckle.

Aerrow's eyes remained on Finn for a moment. Then he shook his head, trying to clear it. "One thing at a time…" I heard him mumble. His eyes then snapped to me, making me jump slightly at the sudden attention. "Well, Piper," he started, his voice holding little warmth. "You said you could explain… this." He gestured vaguely to Cyclonis, who just kept smiling. "So… explanation, please?"

I swallowed nervously. I must have mulled over what I would say to them a hundred times in the past few hours (had it really only been that long?), but now that I had them right in front of me… I had nothing."

"W-well…" I stammer out. "Y-you see… oh, Atmos, how do I put this… Aerrow, I know for a fact that Cyclonis holds no ill will towards any of us. In fact…" I turned towards Cy, meeting her eyes. "Would I be right in saying you bear no grudge towards Atmosia as a whole."

Cy stared down at the table, ignoring the incredulous stares aimed towards us. With a hesitant sigh, she stated, "I would be lying if I said I held no negativity towards parts of the Atmosian government. But," she continued, just before my heart could sink. "… if I am to be honest with myself, the grounds to which I have held these issues are trivial and dubious at best."

Aerrow's frustration was briefly pushed aside for barely hidden confusion. "And… that means… what, exactly?"

"Um…" I begin. "Basically, she's saying that while she still has problems with Atmosia, she admits that they are minor issues with little point to them." I looked to Cy for confirmation.

She gave a quick nod towards Aerrow. "Essentially, yes. And as to Piper's previous statement, she is correct; I hold nothing against the Storm Hawks specifically."

Aerrow gave her a slight scowl, which lessened as he focused on me. "Piper… why would you trust anything she says? What possible reason could you have to believe anything she says?"

I gulped slightly as the conversation neared the topic I'd been dreading. "Well, actually, I have two reasons; One, I've seen her honesty personally."

"E-Excuse me?"

"You remember that mind reading crystal I mentioned earlier?" They all nodded. "Well, she let me use it on her… Aerrow, she wants to end the war."

Aerrow scoffed. "Piper, of course she wants to end the war. She-"

"-in our favor."

Aerrow stopped mid-word, his eyes bugging out. "I… um… uh… wait, WHAT!?"

Cy rolled her eyes and gave a sad chuckle. "Commander… I am many things…"

"None of them good…" Stork mumbled under his breath.

"… but I am not a fool. Cyclonia is losing this war. In fact, given the events of a week ago, I'd argue we've already lost. Now, if I really wanted to, I could drag this war out for months, years even. But whether the fighting stops today or ten years from now, its clear to me that the results would be the same: with Cyclonia flying Atmosian colors. I'd rather that happen sooner rather than later." She then folded her arms, before leaning against the back of the chair with a disheartened sigh. "Before more people die needlessly." She finished quietly.

Aerrow opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, looking confused. He did this twice more, before resting a hand against his forehead, a look of utter loss on his face.

Silence once again filled the room as her words sank in. I was vaguely aware of Finn and Junko exchange questioning looks, before shrugging at each other across the table. My focus turned from Aerrow to Cyclonis, taking note of the downcast look in her bright eyes. I had just raised my hand to put it on her shoulder, when Stork spoke to Cy.

"You said it was clear to you that Cyclonia has lost," he said cautiously. Despite not being able to see his hands, I knew him well enough to know he gipping the rifle nervously beneath the table. "Why is that?"

Cyclonis, her attention now completely on the Merb, straightened up in her chair as she addressed him. "Well, there are several reasons, Lieutenant." She stared counting them of on one hand. "We control less territory. We have fewer resources at our disposal. Most of our industrial plants have either been forced to shut down or have been destroyed. Most our warships and Switchblades are in disrepair with no way restore or replace them. But, those are all minor issues, relatively speaking."

A wistful smile spread on her lips as her head dipped down. "Because, when you get down to brass tacks, the entire war can be broken down to this: your Skyknights vs. my Talons; roughly one-hundred specially trained warriors, broken into twenty-or-so tight-knit squadrons, against an army of identically trained soldiers almost two-thousand strong. One paper, the odds are almost laughable. And yet, each time, not only in my own reign, but in my predecessors' as well, Cyclonia's forces are almost always pushed back. The reason, I've come to realize, is because, rather than a war between Atmosia and Cyclonia, this has become a war of quality vs. quantity. And quality won."

Stork nodded, his fearful expression long gone, replaced with one of deep thought. Aerrow, by this point, had conceded to staring directly at Cyclonis, desperately trying to make the words she had said line up with reality. Surprisingly, the next question came from an unexpected source."

"But… wait," Junko worded out, his brow creased in confusion. "If you knew weren't going to win, why'd you come up with all those plans? Stopping the Timepulse, the Aggrospores?"

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way." Finn interjected in annoyance. "I was itching for a week after that one."

Cy cringed slightly, looking at him. "Sorry," she apologized in that honest, almost timid voice I'd gotten so use too the last week. Her lips turned upwards, however, as she said, "Although, to be fair, you all should have known it was me. My only disguise was that robe."

As one, we all called up the memory from just a few months ago. As one, we let out a groan as the pieces went together.

"How in the Wastelands did we miss that?" Aerrow grumbled.

Cyclonis shrugged, trying (and failing) to hide an amused grin. "Maybe you were all having an off day?" She offered helpfully. She turned back to Finn in remorse, however.
For what it's worth, I am sorry, Finn."

Finn stared back at her, contemplating. Then he chuckled and waved her off. "Forget it. I've had worse stuff happen to me… though, that is up there."

Cy smiled back at him, before returning her attention to the other side of the table, ignoring the baffled look the three were leveling at Finn's nonchalantness. "To answer your question, Lieutenant… this is going to be difficult to explain."

"How so?" Aerrow asked, his voice less cold and more curious.

"Because… there is a very likely chance that you will not believe me; that you will believe I am making this up to wave away my actions."

"Why…?" Aerrow asked, his tone now wary.

Cyclonis sighed. "Because, it is a farfetched theory and, at the moment, I have little proof."

"Not really instilling us with a lot of confidence here, chica," mumbled Finn.

Cyclonis let out a huff. "Fine, I'll just say it. Just, let me start with a question for you, Junko: what color are my eyes?"

Junko, along with the other guys, blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Right now, what color are my eyes?"

Junko, still perplexed, just shrugged his massive shoulders. "I don't know, uh, kinda really light purplish…?"

"Almost… pink?"

Junko nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Cyclonis nodded back, gulping slightly for a reason I could only guess. "Now, let me ask another question, for all of you. I want you all to think back to the last time we encountered one another. Were my eyes the same color as they are now?"

Everyone thought back, barring myself. Finn was the first to speak. "Actually, weren't they a lot darker before?"

Cy gave him a slight smile. "Correct Finn, they were. Now, Piper," I jumped slightly at my name, the room's attention being drawn back to me for the first time in a while. I looked into Cy's eyes as she gave me a reassuring smile. "Can you think of anything that could cause a person's eyes to change color like this?"

Before I could say anything, Aerrow piped up. "Couldn't you just be using that Cloaking Crystal around your…"

With a small snap!, Cy broke the thread that hung said crystal around her neck, and chucked it at the table, where it landed right in front of Aerrow.

He looked up from the crystal to meet her annoyed, unchanged eyes.

"… never mind."

With him done, I answered Cy's question. "Overexposure to certain crystals can leave a lasting physical change to a person."

"Such as?" Before I answered, I caught the familiar gleam in her eye, that thirst for knowledge. She wanted see how much I knew.

I wasn't about to disappoint.

"Well, overexposure to Solaris crystals can result the darkening of a person's skin. Velocity crystals can lead to hyperactivity, and Rainbow Smoke crystals can cause people's hair to grow in random colors, just to name a few. "

Cy nodded in approval, before her expression turned slightly grim. "What about eye color?"

The look in her eyes almost stopped me cold. Though she was hiding it well, for a brief second, I could see a break in the facade. It broke my heart.

Taking a deep breath, I answered. "Darkening of the eyes is a side effect of extreme prolonged use of… of Hypnosis Crystals."

Silence. For what felt like the hundredth time, the entire bridge was silent as the grave. For each of my friends, comprehension came at a different pace, Stork first, the Aerrow, Finn, and finally Junko. All had the same reaction: stunned disbelief.

"Are…" Aerrow began slowly. "Piper… are you saying that she… that Master Cyclonis has been… hypnotized into warring with us?" His tone was as incredulous he looked.

I shook my head. "Not exactly. Normally, a Hypnosis crystal only works for a short time, and can only plant small ideas into a person, and then, only something that someone would want to do in the first place. However, if a Hypnosis crystal were to be overcharged, it's effect would change from simple suggestion into being able to bend one's will; essentially, mind-control."

Aerrow just stared at me, before giving a disbelieving scoff. "So… what, her eyes change color and that automatically equals mind-control? That's a bit of a stretch, Piper."

"Not in and of itself, no," I agreed. "But there's one other thing that helps make it more believable: For a person's eyes to have changed as drastically as Cyclonis' they would have to be under the crystal's influence for years. In that time, their body would become use to the crystal's energy, to the point that it's expecting the energy acts if it needs it to function."

Aerrow raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like it's some sort of drug."

"Well, essentially, it is, in that sense. And, just like a drug, if you take it away from the person, or, in this case, take the person away from it, say, for a week…"

"Withdrawal," Stork stated matter-o-factly.

Cy nodded. "Precisely. For the last few months, I've been getting these minor headaches at random times. I assume this is when my subconscious was trying to fight the crystal's influence, likely when I had been away from the crystal for some time. But, in the last week, ever since I was stranded with Piper away from my forces, the headaches have come harder, faster, stronger, to the point that it causes me physical pain."

"I can vouch for that." Finn suddenly stated, to the surprise of those across the table. He looked across at Junko. "Remember that scream you heard earlier? Miss Majesty here doubled over when she tried to remember something."

Cy nodded stiffly, ignoring the lighthearted jab at her royal status. "That's correct. More than likely it was because I almost remembered something the Hypnosis crystal altered, or even made me forget."

Aerrow looked between Finn and Cyclonis, before massaging his forehead due to his own headache, most likely. He turned to his right. "Stork?"

Stork was silent, deep in thought. With a deep sigh, he responded, "It's sounds like an insane story… but it is possible."

Aerrow raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

After a moment's hesitation, Stork nodded. "Yeah. I'd take it with a grain of salt, of course, but… I think we should believe her."

Aerrow stared at him for a moment, before turning to his left. "Junko."

The big guy, bless his heart, simply shrugged his shoulders again. "She didn't sound like she was lying. And both Piper and Finn back her up."

More staring, then, with a sigh, Aerrow turned his attention to the ball of fur on his shoulder. "Radarr?"

Radarr, who had watched the entire conversation in silence, stared right back at Aerrow, before leaping off his shoulder and onto the table. He ran across it's metal surface until he was right in front of Cyclonis, who simply eyed him in amusement. For about half-a-minute, he gazed into her bright eyes. Then he whirled around towards Aerrow, a large smile on his furry face, and gave two thumbs up.

Seeing this, Aerrow gave a long look around the entire room. Finally, he put his head in his hands in defeat. "This day had been too damn long." He suddenly looked up, eyes locking onto Cyclonis'. "Okay, you said you want to end this war. How do you plan to do that?"

Now Cy's look turned thoughtful. "Well, my original idea was to head straight to Cyclonia and convene a war council among my generals to discuss how to surrender, but now… I don't think that's a good idea. Not only could the more stubborn of my forces tie up the proceedings for Atmos knows how long, but it would give whoever has influenced me the perfect chance to reclaim their control over me. I think my best course of action would be for me to go over their heads and go straight to the Atmosian Council."

Aerrow's brow raised. "You can do that?"

Cyclonis chuckled lightly. "Commander, while I almost always take my generals suggestions and concerns into account, at the end of the day, I am the Queen of Cyclonia, and I have final say on what my Terra does. If I say Cyclonia surrenders, it will surrender, and I shall deal with the fallout as it comes."

For a long time after she spoke, Aerrow said nothing. Then, with a defeated sigh and a thin smile, he gazed at Cyclonis. "Seeing as my entire squadron seems to trust you, it seems I have no choice but to do so as well. Honestly, though, if what you say is true… it is our duty as Skyknights to help you as much as we can."

Cy gave him a warm smile, a genuine smile. "Thank you, Commander."

Aerrow nodded back at her. Then he turned to his pilot. "Stork, how soon could her get to Atmosia?"

Stork thought for a minute. "Well, if we start right now, and fly auto-pilot all night, we should reach there by… 5 p.m. tomorrow, give or take?"

Aerrow nodded. "Get to it." He said. Then he stood up from the table, addressing the room as a whole. "Okay, guys this has been one of the longest weeks, and by far the longest day we've been through in a while. I say we end this tonight and finish up tomorrow. All agree?"

We all, save Cy, murmured noises of agreement as we rose from the table. Stork went to his console and started pushing buttons and pulling levers. Finn and Junko started picking up the food boxes of the ground, making me glad I had snagged something from one of them when I first came back on board. Me and Cy stood of to the side together as Aerrow gave Finn and Junko a quick order.

"When you two get done with that, go move Piper's new bed to her room. It's late enough now that I think she'll be needing it."

As they grumbled an affirmative I glanced out the front windows. Sure enough, the sun was gone replaced with the dark blue of a clear night sky, the stars twinkling without a care.

As Aerrow walked past us, Radarr back on his shoulder, he gave Cy a hard glance, before rubbing between his eyes to relieve his tiredness. Then he glanced at me. "Since you brought her on board, it's your job to keep an eye on her, got it?"

Slightly put off by his sudden order, I gave him a picturesque salute. "Aye, Aye, Commander."

Aerrow stared at me, before smiling and laughing, which made me feel a little better.

We walked out of the room with him, planning on waiting in my still-trashed room until Junko and Finn brought up the bed.

As my room was the closest, me and Cy stopped and entered it, leaving Aerrow to continue walking up the hallway. Just as we were about to close the door, Aerrow called back down the hall. "Oh, almost forgot. There are some extra cots in the closet at the end the hall."

Cy was the closest to the doorway. Before I could stop her she poked her head into the hall and said, with happy smirk, "That's okay. Piper and I are used to sharing a bed!"

"Cy!"

"Oh, okay." Aerrow said as Cy closed the door. I heard him take a few more steps down the hall, before…

"Wait, WHAT!?"

A/n: Been a while hasn't it? Well, never fear, fore I'm back in gear. I hope this chapter was good, considering I didn't have time to edit it. If you liked it, by all means, send me a review. I'll see you all at the next chapter.

Later!