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Legendary Aces 2: Hero of Emmeria

Chapter 29: Angels Scatter

-A Time for Family-


-Mare-

King's Castle, Gracemeria
1420hrs 9 April 2016

"It's really a wonder," I thought aloud to myself. "There are so many beautiful paintings here."

I was in King's Castle, helping to restore it. Between the war and the children that hid with Kye in the catacombs, very little was left in place. I had just hung a painting back in its proper place when somebody caught my eye. I could tell he was somewhat clumsy by how he moved. He was trying so hard to be careful, only narrowing succeeding.

"Whew," he said as he took a step back after placing a large vase where the director lady, whatever her proper title was, instructed.

I grinned and continued my own work. Paintings, vases, candle stands, and lanterns were among the various items we were working with. I was carrying an old vase when I passed by him too close. He was placing a painting and jumped down from the foot stool directly into me. The vase flew out of my hands and we tumbled down.

I managed to catch the vase as my back hit the ground. He landed on top of me, distracted by the vase that miraculously survived the fall. When he realized I was underneath him, he jumped up and offered to help me up.

I took his hand and said, "Is this how you meet all your women?" I was joking of course, but he was too nervous to realize it.

"I-I apologize, Miss. I was careless!"

I smiled. "No problem. I'm okay, this vase is okay... are you okay? You didn't smack your head or anything?"

"N-no, Ma'am, I'm fine!"

"Ma'am?" I chuckled. "Even out of my uniform?"

"Huh?"

"Give me a second." I went to place the vase and quickly returned. "Hey, don't take this offensively. Are you sure you should be handling antiques? You seem nervous and clumsy. The first is probably due to the second. I've noticed that you're struggling to stay steady."

"I want to help, but the thought of possibly breaking the antiques is making me nervous. I guess I'm trying too hard to be careful. I am kind of clumsy."

"So, Mister Grimm, do you have an interest in antiques or are you helping for the sake of helping?"

"I don't have a strong interest, but I'm not used to being around them. I thought I might learn something if I helped." Then it struck him. "Wait, you know my name?"

"It's kind of hard not to, Razgriz 4. Kye is famous. You and your other squad mates are famous by association."

Then it struck him. He looked me straight in the eyes. "Come to think of it, you're familiar..." He gave it a minute of long, hard though before he blurted it out. "You're Mobius 2!"

"Ding ding. We flew together recently in the final days of the war."

"Yeah," Grimm said. He smiled as he put everything together. "What about you? Do you have an interest in antiques?"

"Antiques not so much, but the paintings interest me."

"Do you paint yourself?"

"I draw. I started relatively recently. It's mostly of space crafts I think up."

"Relatively? That could be over ten years."

"I drew a little in my free time in high school, but I only got more serious and detailed in my drawings after Operation Katina, roughly ten years ago in fact. It was seeing the X-02 Wyvern for the first time that really sparked my drawing."

"Oh yeah, you and Mobius 1 were the first to see the X-02, and you even fought and won against a squadron of them!"

"The plane is incredible but the pilots were nothing to mention."

"What was it about the X-02 that inspired you?"

"Hmm..." I thought about it for a moment. "The wing design in particular caught my interest the most. You would think with how it works and the materials it used that it would be extremely heavy, not to mention unreliable with all the moving parts, but it works. Heh, now it seems that every nation has its own resident super plane, damn the costs and everything."

"You think every nation has a super plane?"

"The Erusians designed the X-02. There's the Morgan and the Falken from Belka. Now Estovakia has the Nosferatu. What's next... Leasath?"

"I don't think they have the resources to..."

"That was rhetorical. They're not advanced enough to entertain the thought."

"Yeah..."

When I looked up, Grimm was in deep thought again. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but I had an idea. "So how about proper introductions? I'm Evelyn Mare Knight."

"Hans Grimm." We shook hands. "Evelyn, do you think-"

"Mare," I said. "I go by my middle name."

"Mare. Most people I know call me by my last name."

"Grimm then."

"Do you think I could see some of your drawings?"

Even Allison doesn't bother looking at my drawings, I thought. Is he for real?

"I'd like to see your space craft ideas."

"Well, I don't mind, but my drawings are back at the ISAF Paragon base. You'd have to come visit or wait until Allison and I visit the Osean Paragon base."

"That sounds great. I'll look forward to it."

"Do you have your phone with you?" I asked.

He pulled it out. I snatched it, put in my number, sent a text message to myself with only his name, and then gave it back.

"Did you just..." He looked at his phone to figure out what had happened.

I took out my phone and saved his number. I also noticed that Allison had sent me a message.

"Get back to the carrier. We're heading back to North Point. I need to make sure my boys haven't destroyed the place."

I replied, "OMW. Be there ASAP."

She replied, "Don't use that internet jargon with me."

I sighed and replied, "Okay. I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as possible."

She replied, "You can shorten ASAP. What's your 20?"

I replied, "King's Castle. I'm about to head to Gracemeria AFB and take a chopper to the Halcyon."

She replied, "I'll see you soon."

I looked up at Grimm. "Sorry, I have to go. Allison wants to return to North Point, and she's ready to go. Ugh, I have a long flight ahead of me."

"I know the feeling."

"I'll try to text you when I land. I can't promise it'll be right away. I have no idea what shape the base will be in when we get there."

"Was it attacked?!"

"Oh no, nothing like that. Allison's sons are a handful... a couple tornadoes really. I'm not sure I even want to go back to North Point now that I think of what they could have done to the place... Anyway, I'll see you as soon as I can."

My phone dinged before I took off. Allison sent another message, "Layla wants us to meet up at the Osean Base next Monday. I'm not sure why yet, so don't make plans beyond Sunday."

"Well then..." I said. "You may get a chance to see my drawings sooner than I thought. Apparently I'll be at the Osean base Monday."

"Oh, okay. I look forward to it."

"Yeah... well I better run. Bye, Grimm!" I ran off, hearing a return "Bye!" before getting too far.


-Retah-

Sand Island
0430hrs 11 April 2016 (Gracemeria Time)
0730hrs 11 April 2016 (Sand Island Time)

"You've lead quite the life these past six years," I said to Kye. She shrugged as she, Kari, Alaira, and I took a seat on a bench in front of one of the hangars.

"I don't know what to say. I never imagined the Razgriz debacle would get so much attention."

"You singlehanded changed the outcome of that war," Alaira said. "I'm hardly surprised."

"People have said that many times." Kye sighed. "It's not true. I had help from many people. My mother, my sister, my aunt, my uncle, my grandpa... and Chopper."

"You really threw a curveball marrying that boy," Kari said. "I always thought you and the Maya boy would end up married."

"He's still the biological father of all my children. Is that good enough?"

"I suppose."

"I'm jealous, Kye," Alaira said. "You have four daughters and a son."

"I thought you had a son," Kye replied.

"I do. I just wish it was on my own terms."

"You didn't want him?"

"It's not that cut and dry. I was seventeen. My father, damn the man, picked a guy to knock me up. The guy was the son of some genius. Genius by normal standards, his IQ is like 145. The guy's IQ was supposedly similar. Exceptional for normal humans, at least. The only problem is the guy was an asshole. I didn't like him at all. I threw him through a window when he tried to force a kiss on me."

"But he still somehow knocked you up?" Kye asked.

"My father threatened me. He said, "Fuck him until you're pregnant or you'll spend the next five years at KyoMax." KyoMax is an underwater prison. There is no way to escape."

"He would have sent you to prison? I know Thomas Marshall is a warmonger, but that's just..."

"Believe it. He did send me there. I stayed for a few weeks. They started giving me less and less food."

"They were trying to break you. Did it work?"

"Alexandra Romanov found out. She got me out of the prison and confronted my father. She roundhouse kicked him in the head so hard that I swear I heard his neck break. He survived of course. A few weeks later, he kidnapped me. He had enough help that I couldn't defend myself or run away. He took me to some safe house and strapped me to an iron table. I couldn't move an inch. He brought the guy there, and I was raped."

"Uh..." Kye stopped short.

"Yeah. It was pretty awful. Only happened one time, though that was enough to knock me up. My father intended to just leave me there for a few days to punish me, but fortunately for me Alexandra Romanov, Ginchiyo Tachibana, Grandpa James, and Grandpa Rick all showed up shortly after. Lady Ginchiyo killed the guy. She cut his head off from his mouth up with her katana."

"Brutal," Kari said. "He deserved worse, though."

"Grandpa James put my father in KyoMax under an alias. He couldn't allow the public to know that a Void officer was in prison. Nine months later, my son was born. I'm grateful for him, but I really wish his conception had gone differently."

"I don't blame you," Kye said. "I hope I get to meet your son."

"I hope so, too. I don't know where he is right now. I'm hoping Grandpa James took him when he went into hiding. Now that my father is the President of Void, he could take my son and I could do nothing about it."

"How did he become President?" I asked.

"I suspect that Yuriy Romanov was manipulating things behind the scenes to get ready for when my father was scheduled to get out of KyoMax. He got out in January, and now the two are President and Supreme Commander. It can't be a coincidence."

"I doubt it is," Kye said. "Anyway, different topic. Retah, did you make any progress with your unique problem?"

I shook my head. "I'm stuck the way I was born." I reached into my hood and pulled a purple furred cat ear out just enough for the three of them to see. "I stopped experimenting with it in 2014."

"You are doomed to heavy clothing in public forever."

"Not necessarily," Kari said. "You have the Atlantis Serum in your DNA now. I'm over five thousand years old, and I expect that you lot will live at least half that long, probably longer. The world has a lot of time to change."

"I would like to go outside someday and just stroll down a street in a big city with my cat ears and tail in plain view, free from their bonds," I said.

"The world needs to know of the Atlantis Serum first. Then the experiment Doctor Sosshaa ran wouldn't be as extreme of a shock."

I nodded.

"By the way, Kari," Kye said as she stood up and untied her hair, letting it fall free to her knees. "What do you think?"

"I think you tried to mirror my image," Kari stated plainly. "You always were an impressionable little girl."

"I was not."

"Sure, go ahead and lie to yourself."

"Okay, maybe I was when I was a kid. I thought you were so awesome when I was little."

"And you don't think so now?"

Kye raised an eyebrow at Kari.

"I'm just teasing. You, Yami, and Zen Junior were such a handful when you were little."

"And you handled us like a champ."

"Hey. I was a great Nanny. Good enough to leave enough of an impression on two little girls that they grew their hair to be as long as mine."

Kye shrugged. Alaira and I exchanged amused glances. Kari just smiled.

"Anyway, you guys ready to run again?" Kye asked. Before any of us could answer, Kye's wingman, Kei Nagase, finally caught up to us.

"Come on, you four, I know you're superhuman, but give me a chance to keep up at least!"

"Sorry, Nagase." Kye gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll match your pace."

"Just let me catch my breath."


-Voychek-

Gracemeria Prison Camp
1730hrs 11 May 2016

"For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..."

There was a wedding that took place in the field of the prison camp.

"I do."

And I was honored to be the best man. Toscha and Ludmilla are truly a match made in heaven.

I watched proudly as Toscha took the first ring from the box and began to place it on Ludmilla's finger.

Toscha flew as wingman for Lieutenant Commander Pasternak. In battle, Pasternak took the brunt of the battle alone and left Toscha to live another day. We are not cowards for doing this. Surviving is nothing to be ashamed of. I stand here as the grass sways peacefully in the wind. I'm all the more convinced we made the right choice.

A coup d'état led to the overthrow of "The Generals," and the military regime was brought to an end. A cease-fire agreement is to be arranged between our two nations next week. We can finally return to our homeland.


-Talisman-

Andrews Air Force Base
1300hrs 24 June 2016 (Oured Time)
0400hrs 25 June 2016 (Gracemeria Time)

The cease-fire between Emmerian and Estovakia was concreted five weeks ago. It feels so good to finally be at peace. That war lasted too long. That being said, I miss flying. Immediately after the Chandelier battle, I was grounded. My little secret was plastered all over the radio. I should be happy that I'm at an airshow watching everyone put on a show for the mass of civilians, but I'm jealous that I'm not up there with them. My little man needs me, and he gets want he needs.

I shuffled in my chair, trying to get comfortable. Plastic chairs are bad enough without being pregnant. Ever since my belly bump got big enough to show, I've gotten irritable over almost everything. I don't understand it! Kye has had three pregnancies, and each went smoothly. She never got cravings, she never got morning sickness, and she never had mood swings. Apparently, Mom went without those things. Aunt Allison didn't answer me when I asked her.

"Damn it!" I shouted as I stood up and kicked the plastic piece of garbage backwards and lodged it into the drywall. "Oops..."

"Cannot get comfortable?" came the voice of Uncle Jack's girlfriend, Nastasya.

"I'm hungry for ice-cream, and I threw up an hour ago," I said. "The latter triggered a mood swing, and thinking about the former only makes it worse. How was your pregnancy?"

"Similar. I craved chocolate, and every time I ate it, I threw up. When I threw up, I craved it again. Every time Jack caught me looking for chocolate, he would eat it in front of me. I got angry at first, but glad afterward that I did not throw up."

"I suddenly feel much better. My mother and sister both had three flawless pregnancies. It's completely not fair. The one thing that the Evolution of Atlantis trait could really help... and it doesn't have any effect."

"A normal pregnancy is not fun."

"Tell me about it..." I whimpered as I retrieved another chair, and a cushion, hoping the latter would help the former. As I sat down again, I saw the ADF-01 Falken and ADFX-02 Morgan taking off, with an X-02 Wyvern already in the air.

"I have not seen those designs in twenty years," Nastasya said.

"They were byproducts of the Belkan War, right?"

"For lack of better words, yes."

"I asked Pixy about the Morgan he flew against Mom above Avalon Dam. He wouldn't tell me anything about it."

"I am not surprised. I have talked to Larry Foulke on a few occasions. He has strayed away from any topic concerning the Belkan War. I think he holds regret for what he did."

"But he was cleared."

"Not to himself."

"I see."

I looked back to the sky and saw an X-03 Dragon heading toward the runway. The XF-04 Pegasus and X-05 Aesir were to follow it. I wasn't told who would be piloting the six planes, only that they would fall out into two teams of three and having a mock battle. An F-14, F-15, and F-22 took off not long after and joined the fun.

After the battle, I found out that the Falken, Morgan, and X-02 were being piloted by York, Pixy, and Mare, respectively. The X-03, XF-04, and X-05 were being piloted by Chizuru, Uncle Jack, and Danielle Maya. The F-14, F-15, and F-22 were being piloted by Kye, Mom, and Aunt Allison. It was one hell of a battle that ended in a three way tie.

After that battle, Kye went back up with Doran and Michelle to have a three way free for all. Aunt Allison joined them. Kye and Aunt Allison flew XF-04s and Doran and Michelle flew X-05s. The four greatest aces in the world were duking it out in an aerial duel. None of them were able to get even the slightest lock on each other.

Kye had stated that Doran and Michelle were on par with her, but she didn't mention Aunt Allison. I knew Aunt Allison was beyond good, but she was like a whole different person in that four way battle.

If Mom, York, and I are Legendary Aces... those four are beyond Legendary.


-Kye-

Isle Pandora
1100hrs 1 September 2016 (Gracemeria Time)
1400hrs 1 September 2016 (Sand Island Time)

It's been just over a year since my children were all gathered in one place. I smiled as I watched my two oldest blow out their birthday cake. Nearby, Yami's daughter, Yuko, was blowing out her own birthday cake.

"Mom, have the first slice!" Rei said as she held a plate up toward me with a slice of ice-cream cake.

"No, Sweetie, you eat it. It's your and Joey's birthday."

"But I want you to have the first-"

Before Rei could finish the sentence, her twin sister grabbed the slice barehanded and ate it in one bite. The little blonde that could pass as my clone soon shivered from brain freeze.

"Sheesh, Joey, take it easy!" Doran reprimanded as Joey tried to grab a second slice.

"My big sister..." Akira mumbled.

"Akira, don't say that," I told him.

"Yes, Mother."

"Cake," Joey said as she stared her father down.

"Slowly and with a fork."

She nodded, and I placed a second slice on her plate.

Joey was staying with Doran at the time, so when I called him about having the birthday party on Isle Pandora he showed up with his sisters, cousins, and their kids. They came a day early, fortunately, so I was able to move the party to Grandma Hatsumi's courtyard. It's good I did, too, because everyone showed up. Yami brought Yuko, Zen came with his kids, and Mom, Uncle Jack, and Aunt Allison all came, the latter two with their families.

Everyone had a good time. Rei and Akira sparred for a good fifteen minutes. Joey challenged Grandma Hatsumi to a sparring match. I would have forbidden Rei or Akira from fighting her, but Joey was a different case. She was like Aunt Allison. She rarely spoke, choosing to speak only one word to convey her meaning when she did speak, and she only ever showed any sort of emotion to me, giving everyone else a blank expression.

Akira has trained every day since he could pick up a sword. Unlike Rei, who also played music, Akira solely trained in martial arts. Joey, on the other hand, never trained or practiced a day in her life. She always was able to do anything that she decided to do. She could pick up an object and use it exactly as it was intended to be used, without any sort of instruction. She just seemed to inherently know how. My mother told me I was the same way, and Grandpa Charles told me Aunt Allison was like that, too.

One day, Joey picked up a wooden sword while I was giving Rei a lesson. She challenged Rei and won in under ten seconds. Akira challenged her right after, but lost even faster. Joey couldn't beat me, but I felt as if I were fighting myself when I was her age. If that wasn't incredible enough, Joey watched me play the guitar solo to Bark at the Moon, and proceeded to copy it flawlessly. She never held interest in anything very long, so I started to wonder if she was a more extreme case than myself.

Akira bounced between living on Isle Pandora with Grandma Hatsumi and living with Doran in Nordennavic, whichever place Rei was staying at the time. Joey, on the other hand, went wherever she wanted, and wouldn't take no for an answer. If she didn't get permission, she would go anyway. She stayed in one place for only a month at the most. She bounced between Isle Pandora, Nordennavic, Gracemeria, Sand Island, Oured, the Osean Paragon Base, the Belkan Paragon Base, and the ISAF Paragon Base, each which were respectively home to Grandma Hatsumi, Doran, Yami, myself, Grandpa Charles, Mom, Zen, and Aunt Allison. I didn't have the freedom to do that when I was younger, but Mom told me that if I did, I would have.

"Mom, Uncle Zen is weird," she said to me suddenly, interrupted my chain of thought.

"Yeah, he's just like that. Don't think anything of it."

I glanced over to Zen. He was talking to Doran, Chopper, and Doran's cousin, Michael. Joy. My brother is talking to my Ex and my Husband. A shiver went up my spine. I shrugged it off and glanced around, looking for my remaining four children. Akira was talking to one of Doran's sisters, Elizabeth. Rei was talking to the other sister, Danielle. Kaylie and Layla were talking to their grandmother, whom Layla was named after.

I glanced back toward Zen, Doran, Chopper, and Michael, but Michelle was walking toward me from that direction with her three children in tow.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Quite the party you threw, Kye."

"Yeah. It looks like everyone is happy."

"I was worried at first when I saw those four in one spot," Michelle said as she pointed toward Zen, Chopper, and company, "but they seem to be talking about something other than us, so I left them alone."

"Why would they be talking about us?" I asked.

"Doran was talking to Chopper earlier and let slip that these three," she pointed to her two daughters and son, "are his children, too, in addition to your five. So when Chopper asked about their mother, Doran told him that they are mine. It seems Chopper is as opposed to the cousin thing as Michael."

"You brought that on yourself."

"You should have said no, but I'm glad you didn't."

"Meh. You're royalty anyway. Royalty tends to keep it in the family. I'm surprised you and Doran haven't married yet."

"We've discussed it, but he says it'd feel wrong to him, and I don't need the piece of paper to know who I love."

"Well said, but why would it feel wrong to him?"

"He says he missed his chance to marry you."

"Oh. Well, I did kinda fall hard for Chopper."

"He seems like a good guy. I don't blame you. It's given me five and a half years of having Doran to myself."

"You had to go there."

"Oh I went there."

I sighed. "You are such an ass, Michelle."

"Can't help it."

We shared a short laugh together.

"Mom, I want an Oreo Milkshake," Joey said.

"Okay, I'll make you one."


Edit 26-June-2016: Trimmed Author's Notes, story marked complete.


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