Forged in Fire, Chapter 18

PPDC Memorial Cemetery

Oahu, Hawaii

May 22, 2025

0800

Herc and Max had both flown out to Hawaii for the pre-arranged meeting about the Ranger Memorial. Now, there was a funeral to attend as well. Second, more proper funeral, not some rushed wartime empty-casket job. Herc looked out over the tombstones. Chuck wasn't so lucky… I had to put some scrap pieces of Striker into the casket as a substitute.

No father should outlive their son.

Raleigh walked over to Herc. "Sir, we're ready when you are."

"I'll be there in a moment."

Raleigh looked at what Herc stood in front of. Ah. "I'll give you some space, sir." He walked back to the main group.

Herc knelt down. "Chuck, I know you're not here. But this is all I have left of you. A tombstone marking an empty coffin…" He paused to wipe away a tear. "It should have been me and Pentecost in Striker. Last stand of the old guard, and all that." Another tear, another pause. "You should be the one here alongside Raleigh and Mako, planning the Memorial. I know you hated Raleigh, but I also know you had a thing for Mako. You never showed it, probably didn't even realize it yourself, but the signs were there. Yeah, you two really struck sparks. But I suspect that you two would have been one hell of a team. You both had a big chip on your shoulders. You both had issues with your father. You both were perfectionists. And I saw that one time you two sparred in the Kwoon. My god, the moves you had. Not quite like that last round with Mako and Raleigh, but close. You two would have been compatible, I'm sure." Herc looked out towards the sea, and sighed. "I know you never forgave me for rescuing you instead of your mother, but she would have felt the same. I thought that by saving you, you'd eventually have kids of your own and understand why I did what I did that day. Guess it didn't matter in the long run." Herc looked back at the group. "Of course, without any Kaiju to fight, you'd probably have gone crazy by now. Mako and Raleigh… well, they're trying to figure out what they're going to do, now that the war is over. At least I know what I'm going to do: Find a nice house on the outskirts of Melbourne, retire… maybe write a memoir."

Whine…

"Max says hello. He's really missing you. He still can't quite get used to the Shatterdome being so quiet. On that note, we're turning it into a museum. Gipsy's left arm from Anchorage, Crimson Typhoon's body… Maybe some other stuff, if we can decontaminate it and retrieve it from Oblivion Bay. Anyways, enough of my rambling. I need to go to the meeting about the Ranger Memorial. You'd hate it. 'Hope, Sacrifice, Love.' You're 'Sacrifice,' by the way. You and Pentecost. You can probably guess who 'Love' is." Herc smiled. "Mako and Raleigh are inseparable these days."

"Marshall Hansen, are you okay?"

"Anyways, duty calls." Herc stood up, turning to face the assembled group. "Yeah, I'm fine." He stepped aside, allowing the VIPs to see whose grave he'd been at.

"Oh, sorry to have disturbed you."

"No worries, mate. Let's get this over with."

-.-.-

Mako and Raleigh's hotel room

1100

Mako and Raleigh had found a relatively secluded beach on the eastern side of the island of Oahu to unwind for a while, and had been preparing to go spend the afternoon doing just that. However, a snag had arisen over wardrobe. Raleigh had packed some shorts and swim trunks. Mako, on the other hand, didn't have anything other than her usual cargo pants.

"Mako… It's Hawaii. Tropical island paradise in real life. Why didn't you bring anything for the beach?"

Mako looked at the floor, embarrassed. "I… I thought we'd be going back home first."

"Mako, it's okay. We can swing by a mall or something…"

Mako's head snapped up at the mention of a mall, eyes dark with determination. "No. We're not going to the mall, and that's final."

"Then let me go in and buy it."

"How will you know if it fits me?"

Raleigh smiled and produced a small tape measure.

Mako's eyes bugged. "On second thought, I'll be fine in the cargo pants." She grabbed the cooler of food. "Let's go, Raleigh."

Raleigh roared with laughter. "Okay, Mako. You win. But I bet my sister drags you kicking and screaming to a mall. Or worse, gives you a makeover."

"Fifty bucks says she fails to get me there."

"Double or nothing on the makeover."

"You're on, Raleigh."

The two Rangers shook hands, then headed for their rental car.

-.-.-

Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii

1600

Beedlebeedle.

Beedlebeedle.

Raleigh looked at the number for the incoming call and groaned.

Mako looked at him in dismay. "I thought you turned that off?"

"Herc said to leave it on in case of an emergency."

"Is it an emergency?"

"What does my sister qualify as?"

"Take the call."

"Hey, sis. What's up?"

"Calling to double check that you're picking me up at the airport, right?"

"Yes, we are."

"In person?"

"Yes. Both of us will be there."

"Great! I- wait, is that the ocean I hear in the background? Are you on the beach?"

"We are. We were enjoying some much earned peace and quiet."

"What's Mako wearing? I've heard she's a bit of a tomboy…"

Mako's gonna kill me for this but… "Tank top, cargo pants, and combat boots."

Mako could clearly hear the laughs from where she lay, almost a meter from the phone.

"Oh, my dear brother. I'm going to take her shopping someday… You'll barely recognize her when I'm done!"

"I'd pay good money to watch you try. She avoids malls like they're infested with zombies."

"Even better. Too bad I can't take her in Hawaii."

"You don't want to. It's really expensive here."

"True… but you guys got a really nice reward for saving the planet, right?"

"Not as much as you're thinking… but yeah, there's a healthy income waiting for us once we're mustered out."

"I know you, Raleigh. You're not going to just sit back and enjoy a very early retirement."

"Yeah, I just don't know what I want to do."

"You'll find something. Mako too. I know it."

"Thanks, Jaz."

"Okay, I'll let you get back to your beach date. Oh, and tell Mako that when I have my mind set on going to the mall, even Slattern doesn't stand a chance of stopping me."

Raleigh roared with laughter. "Yeah, that's about right." He held the phone away from him for a moment. "Mako, you'd better have a Jaeger or two behind you if you don't want to go to the mall with Jazmine. She says, and I do quote, 'When I have my mind set on going to the mall, even Slattern doesn't stand a chance of stopping me.'"

Mako got a smug look on her face. "Give me the phone quickly."

"Okay." Raleigh grinned as he handed his phone over.

"Jazmine, remember who killed Slattern? Me and your brother."

"Oh, right."

Raleigh began to laugh even harder.

"Mako, punch him for me, please?"

"With pleasure."

"No! NonononoAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Raleigh tore down the beach, Mako in hot pursuit.

"Get back here, you baby!"

-.-.-

Honolulu International Airport

Terminal Z

May 23, 2025

1115 Hawaiian Daylight Time

Mako and Raleigh were wearing their dress uniforms, waiting for Jazmine to arrive. Raleigh paced nervously, which was irritating Mako.

"Raleigh, knock it off."

"Huh? Oh, the pacing. Sorry."

Suddenly, a large influx of passengers came towards Mako and Raleigh's location. Raleigh relaxed. "About time…"

Jazmine wound her way through the crowds towards her big brother and his copilot. "RALS!" She wrapped her brother in a bear hug.

"Jaz! How was the flight?"

"Movie was okay, but those Pau Hana macadamia shortbread cookies were awesome!" Jazmine let go of Raleigh and turned to Mako. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Mako."

"Same here."

Raleigh looked over at the mass of bags on the carousel. "I hope you don't have any checked luggage…"

"No, just a carryon. Oh, did you know they don't hand load your bags on the big jets? They stick'em into these big metal boxes and then put those into the plane. I guess it's faster than stacking them by hand…"

Raleigh sighed. "Jaz, remember why we're here?"

"Oh. Right." Jazmine's face fell. "Killjoy."

"Come on, we need to get back to the cemetery for some last minute stuff. And you need to get changed."

"True. Lead on, Raleigh."

-.-.-

PPDC Cemetery

1400

Mako and Jazmine looked at Raleigh in concern. He'd been silent for a while now as they began the final preparations for the ceremony. Jazmine dragged Mako over to the side.

"What's he thinking right now?"

"Jazmine, the Ghost Drift is different from a regular Drift. It sometimes can reveal coherent thoughts, but more often it simply conveys emotions and feelings."

"Oh. I'd heard rumors about the bond between Rangers being so strong that they were able to finish each other's sentences, grab a bandage when the other cut themselves, that sort of thing."

"We're not like that. At least, not yet. We don't have enough time together in the Drift."

"Wait, you're still Drifting? I thought the Jaegers were the only place you could Drift!"

"No, that's just the most common application of the technology. We have a private-use one. We haven't used it since the day we found Yancy."

"Oh. Well, what do you feel from him?"

Mako closed her eyes. "Pain. Sorrow. Loss. Cold. Fear." Raleigh, listen to me! You need-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Mako's eyes slowly opened. "He's reliving that night."

Jazmine ran to Raleigh and hugged him. "Let it go, Raleigh. You can't change the past."

"Jaz…"

"Raleigh, listen to me! You need to let it go."

Raleigh looked like he'd been hit with an electric shock.

Mako's eyes bugged.

"What did I say?"

Mako walked over to her. "Yancy's last words were eerily similar to your statement."

"What?"

Raleigh quoted Yancy. "Raleigh, listen to me! You need…"

"You need what?"

"I never found out, because that's when Knifehead tore away his half of the Conn Pod." Raleigh smiled. "You just filled in the blank that's kept me guessing for the last five years." He scooped his sister up in a crushing hug. "Thank you."

-.-.-

1900

The Marines stationed National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific had been kind enough to train the PPDC troops who manned the PPDC Cemetery. Their training showed.

A brief nod from Herc set the ceremony in motion. A senior Sergeant from the Shatterdome, a former Marine himself, began the calls.

"READY!"

A rattle as the seven PPDC Strike Troopers cycled the actions on the loaned M-1 rifles.

"AIM!"

The soldiers aimed skyward.

"FIRE!"

CRACK. The rifles fired in perfect unison.

"READY!"

Rattle.

"AIM!"

Swish.

"FIRE!"

CRACK.

"READY!"

Rattle.

"AIM!"

Swish.

"FIRE!"

CRACK.

The bugler began to play "Taps" slowly, and the honor guard folded the American flag draped on Yancy's coffin.

Mako looked at Yancy's coffin. Goodbye, Yancy. I wish I could have met you. A tear crept down her face.

Jazmine wiped away a tear of her own. Goodbye, Yance. I wish I could have said goodbye.

Raleigh stood at attention, tears crawling down his face. Goodbye, brother. It's been hard to let go of you. But it's time. Time to let go; to move on.

The bugler ended "Taps," and Herc accepted the flag from the honor guard. With a precision befitting his prior military service, he walked over to Jazmine, and handed her the folded flag.

"I know you probably already know this, but I wanted to make sure you knew. Your brother died in the line of duty defending a city of two million people from a Kaiju. I'm sorry it took so long to have his remains located and properly interred. But now we have. It's the least we could do for one of our heroes."

Jazmine accepted the flag, weeping. "Thank you."

Herc strode back to his spot. Facing the casket, he put his NCO voice on.

"ATTEN-HUT!"

Raleigh and Mako snapped to attention, as did every current or retired military person on scene.

Herc slowly saluted the coffin. Even Jazmine joined in, placing her hand over her heart.

The coffin slid downward just as the sun dipped beneath the Pacific Ocean.

Raleigh silently wept. This time, it was tears of relief. He's finally at peace.

Goodbye, Yancy. I'll miss you.

-.-.-.-.-

Author's note: Okay, I'll admit it: I cried as I wrote that last section. Playing taps in the background probably didn't help the matter, but it put me in the mindset for the ceremony. And for me, getting that right was one of the most important parts of the whole story up to this point.

Taps: watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI