A/N: This is a sequel to another of my fics, Clouded Skies. I'd advise reading that first and then coming back to this.
Explosions shook Oured to its core. One after another, they echoed through the twilight sky. From a distance, the capital of Osea seemed to be spiraling into complete and utter chaos, and the one sound that was able to cut through the rhythmic booms was the sound coming from droves of people on the streets- screaming, or maybe it was cheering. Another explosion lit up the sky with an orange hue. Then a green one, and a purple one. Finally, there was a barrage of them with too many colors to count, ending with one final boom, with a blue and white glow covering the city. Then, the fireworks stopped.
An announcer's booming voice swept through the crowd, carried by the speakers. "And now, a speech from President Sandra Burns."
The crowd roared, and the woman stepped up onto the stage, waving to citizens that looked up to her as she walked across the stage. Finally, she stopped behind a podium with several microphones on it. An Osean Federation flag was draped behind her as she looked past the flashing of cameras and out into the crowd. "My fellow Oseans," she began after clearing her throat. "Five years ago today, Oseans and Eruseans came together to end the Lighthouse War, bringing peace to the Usean Continent. It was a long and arduous road for both countries, and we might not have made it had it not been for the heroes we had guiding us along the way- heroes that every soldier and civilian alike can follow with pride. Our great nation is built on the trust we put in each other above all else. Because if there's enough of that between us, then Osea will never fall- God bless you, and God bless the Osean Federation."
The crowd cheered once more, and once the noise died down. The announcer spoke again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're honored to present this flyby done by the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization's Kestrel Squadron- led by Colonel Eva Kidd."
"Alright, there's our cue," Eva announced, pulling down the visor on her helmet. "Let's give 'em a show to remember."
"Hey, at this point, I'll just settle for not crashing," Poet spoke up with a smirk. "Been so long since I've been in an F-35 that I hardly remember what I'm doing here."
"C'mon, it's like riding a bicycle," Lucky chimed in with a teasing voice.
Magic snickered. "Yeah, a big, multi-billion dollar flying bicycle," she sneered. "So, no pressure, Poet."
"Yeah, I feel so much better now," he muttered sarcastically.
"Alright, lock it up, you two," Charger interrupted the banter between the two. "We're about to pass waypoint one."
"Very courteous of ATC to mark every part of our route down for us," Zero remarked as he brought up the rear. "It sure made practicing for this thing a hell of a lot easier."
Eva scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause we, of all people, need so much practice."
"Well, apparently Poet did," Magic said, managing to squeeze in one last remark.
Eva laughed, fastening her oxygen mask over her mouth before wrapping her hands around the control stick. "Alright, let's do this," she said before going to full throttle.
Six F-35Cs shot forward through the sky, gradually descending toward the ground and picking up more and more speed. The first waypoint came and went. All they needed to do to pass the second one was a gentle turn to the right. Skyscrapers reached up below them as the metro area of Oured passed underneath. Eva couldn't help but think about how there had to be close to a million people down there, all looking up at them. It was mostly unnerving, but it was also kind of mindblowing for her. Never in a million years would she have thought when first joining the military that she would have come this far.
"That's it, everyone- nice and tight," Lucky said as they passed through the second waypoint. "We're doing great!"
Eva smiled through her mask as she looked back at him on her wing. She felt like such a broken record for even just thinking about it, but she was so blessed to have him with her. Not only was he the best wingman she could've possibly asked for, but he was her other half. He completed her, and as Lucky constantly reminded her, the feeling was very mutual.
"Alright, everyone. We're coming up on Three," Eva announced as the Brighthill area began to come into view beneath them. "You guys ready?"
"Born ready, kid," Charger replied. "Let's wow 'em."
The next three waypoints were all in a straight line, but they were close together. Once they passed waypoint three, Zero and Magic split off from the formation, pitching up at a diagonal angle. Then came waypoint four, where Poet and Charger did the same. Finally, Eva and Lucky sped through waypoint five before yanking back on the control stick and pulling straight up into the sky.
"During the Lighthouse War, Colonel Kidd and the rest of Kestrel Squadron were among the most experienced pilots Osea had," the announcer explained as all six planes continued climbing higher and higher. "Colonel Kidd was known by many as The Blue Kestrel thanks to the livery she created to honor the carrier they had been assigned to at the start of the war, the OFS Kestrel II. Although they didn't participate in the battle at the Space Elevator, they fought alongside Oseans and Eruseans alike to combat the growing Free Erusean threat that had arisen during the satellite blackout. Now they fly for UPEO, keeping the peace in Usea as they help combat the last of the Free Eruseans."
"Now!" Eva signaled.
The six F-35s simultaneously curled back down, looping around in a 180-degree turn. Slowly but surely, they returned to the formation that they held so tightly a few moments prior. First Zero and Magic, then Poet and Charger, and finally, Lucky and Eva settled into the front. The crowd cheered one last time as they circled around the capitol before returning in the same direction they came from.
"Nice work up there, Kestrel Squadron. That was some smooth flying," ATC complimented them.
"Hey, it's been too long since we've flown in peacetime. I enjoyed every second of it," Eva replied. "How are things looking?"
"It's all quiet over here," ATC reported. "You guys are the only ones airborne, and we've got no more flights scheduled for today, so you're all clear to come on down."
Eva lowered her flaps and began circling around to the Oured Air Base. "Roger that, Tower. Kestrel Squadron's coming in."
It wasn't a very short flight back to the base, but it did burn all the daylight they had left. Fortunately, the lights going down the runway were there to guide them in. One by one, the F-35s set their wheels down on the runway and came to a stop before taxying into the hangar. Before the pilots even had their gear off, though, they all stared dumbfounded at each other upon realizing that President Burns was walking up to them, escorted by her security and the Base Commander.
Eva gave the President a rigid salute, and the others did the same. "Madam," she greeted her Commander in Chief.
President Burns returned the salute, signaling to the pilots that they were free to rest their salutes. "It was a pleasure to have you all here with us tonight to celebrate five years since all your hard work paid off."
"The pleasure was all ours," Eva insisted. "It's always a nice change of pace to be flying above friendly faces."
"I can imagine," Burns chuckled. "You six have been fighting for us practically nonstop for the last five years- first with Erusea, and now with Free Erusea. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that they have any fight left in them. Anyway, I wanted to tell all of you that your service to Osea has been invaluable, and we won't ever forget it. Thank you."
"By the way," the Base Commander spoke up. "I got a call from UPEO High Command about an hour ago. They said they wanted you back on a plane to Expo City on Saturday morning, so consider yourselves on leave until the end of the day tomorrow."
"No rest for the weary, eh?" Poet surmised with a heavy breath.
"Hey, a day off is a day off," Lucky pointed out. "I'll take what I can get."
"I wish you the best of luck, Kestrel Squadron. Whatever it is you have to do next, I hope it all goes well for you," Burns told the pilots.
Eva smiled at the President and gave her a respectful nod. "The same goes for you, Madam."
Burns flashed them one last appreciative smile before turning around and leaving the way she came, security surrounding her and the Base Commander on all sides as they disappeared amidst the commotion on the flight line. Now, Kestrel Squadron were the only ones left in the hangar, sitting around the F-35s they'd been given to use for this flight.
"Well, that sure was one hell of a parade," Zero finally said, breaking the silence between them.
Magic leaned against the body of her plane. "Yeah, and we had the best view in the city, too," she pointed out. "All in all, I'd say this has been a fun little trip for us."
Eva chuckled a bit before staring down at the ground blankly. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that's been five years already. I mean it just doesn't feel… right? If that makes sense."
"Psh, tell me about it," Charger replied with a scoff. "More and more it feels like time's passing too damn fast. Before long I'll be getting too old for this."
Lucky waved his hand dismissively. "Bah, you've still got a while yet before that happens, so I'd go as far as to wager that you're stuck with us for the foreseeable future," he quipped.
"Well, what's everyone's plans for tomorrow?" Magic asked, looking around at her wingmen, who all seemed to share the same look of cluelessness.
"I know I'm gonna go see my mom sometime tomorrow, but aside from that, I'm an open book," Eva decided.
Lucky shoved his hands into his pockets. "I've got a few errands to run, but I should be done with this in an hour or two," he decided.
Eva glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Since when do you ever need to go running errands- especially ones that take an hour or two?" she teased him.
In a move that was remarkably uncharacteristic of Lucky, he looked in just about every direction except the one that Eva was in. "Well… this is probably gonna be the last time we're gonna be stateside for a while, so I figured I should take care of a few things while I'm here." Eva knew him well enough to know when he was hiding something, but she decided not to broach the subject.
Zero cut in with a yawn as he stretched his arms out. "I dunno about you guys, but I plan on catching up on some much needed sleep after these last few weeks."
As if on cue, Magic yawned as well. "Agreed," she said sleepily. "With all these long nights we've been spending practicing this flyby, I am in desperate need of a full eight hours sleep."
"I'm gonna be meeting with some friends downtown," Charger said.
"Hey, mind giving me a lift, in that case?" Poet asked. "I'm planning on doing the same and the less time I spend driving the better."
Charger paused before finally shrugging. "Sure. The more the merrier, I suppose."
"Sounds like we've all got a full day tomorrow, then," Eva said, looking around the hangar at her wingmen. "You guys wanna meet at Martin's some time tomorrow night to cap off the day?"
"Heh, you ask that as if it isn't already a tradition of ours," Charger said with a grin.
Eva shrugged. "Fair enough. In that case, I'm gonna go hit the hay. I'll see you all tomorrow." She briefly leaned in next to Lucky, giving him a kiss on the cheek before walking out of the hangar. She looked up at the night sky, stars still appearing as she quickly found herself deep in though. "Five years already," she murmured before going into the barracks.