So, getting back into this story as I'm waiting for inspiration to hit me for my other ones. Nothing yet. Anyway, I thought you would like it to see more of the rogues that you kept hearing about. So this is more informative than anything, but I hope you like it!
Chapter 10: Rogues
The wind wiped through the hollow air that surrounded the Sky Side Shanty. The once popular hot spot for travelers and information had been abandoned by the general population ever since the rogue infestation. Instead of Sky Knights and other decent folk stopping by for a drink and some entertainment, the small bar had been overrun by the rogues, making it almost impossible to even get there,… or get out. The workers were practically forced to keep the Shanty open for almost nothing. It was taking a toll on them. Nevertheless, they continued to serve the rogues, hoping that something might change.
The Shanty was filled with plenty of rogues: there were the Snipers, the Rippers, the Birds of Prey, the Steel Beaks, and many more. However, the was one group of rogues that were set apart from the rest and the others shot quick glances of fear and awe at them. They were the Red Talons, who had a number of very familiar faces. Their "Sky Knight" and leader was none other than the ex-Red Eagle himself, Carver. To his left were the cast out ex-Cyclonian siblings, Ravess and Snipe. Next to the brother and sister were much younger and less known faces. They were the Cyclonian wannabe, Jay, and the former Talon Academy cadet, Top Dog. This group of famous rejects was now one of the strongest squadrons out there and was one of the Elite Rogues, feared throughout the Atmos.
The team was formed two years ago when Ravess, with the help of the recovered Snipe, broke Carver out of prison during a raid by the newly formed Sky Kings, another Elite Rogue squadron, attacked Terra Atmosia. Ravess had the idea to form a rogue squadron of her own and knew that she needed a powerful Sky Knight to be at the head, at least figuratively. She had decided that Carver would do, knowing that he had only been beaten by Aerrow, who was stuck in the Far Side, in the past and was more the likely wanting revenge for his treatment. Shortly, after freeing Carver, he immediately took charge to a point where even Ravess followed his orders, though there seemed to a bit of a romantic trace in her following. They found the two young ones, who still held great potential and allowed them to join their ranks. They were the smallest Elite Rogue in the Atmos, but all the more powerful. In fact, only the rogue squadron ahead of them was the Predators.
The members were talking amongst themselves, wondering what to do next. They could attack the Timekeepers or go after a Sky Knight squadron. There were so many options and so many targets that they couldn't decide. As they debated, a man came into the bar and scanned the room. Once spotted them, the man came over and introduced himself.
"My name is Byrdon. I am a member of the Predators. My boss wishes to see you at our base on Terra Drago."
"Predators, huh? We don't talk with any stinkin' Predators," Snipe spat. The two younger ones agreed; they always liked Snipe.
"Why does he want to talk now?" Carver asked suspicious.
"He is gathering all of the Elite Rogues together. He says that there is something important to discuss."
"What is it?" Ravess asked.
"I don't know myself, but I heard that it has something to do with an old war coming back."
Carver and Ravess looked at one another for a moment, contemplating what it was, while Snipe and the other two were discussing their next target. When the man didn't leave, Snipe turned and yelled, "Didn't you hear? We told you we ain't –"
"We'll come," Carver interrupted.
Snip looked at Carver shocked, "But Carver, these guys-"
"There's something going on in Atmos," Carver said, "I want to know what it is." He and Ravess got up and followed the man out. After a moment or two, the other three followed suit, muted.
-00000-
Terra Drago was a lonely terra located in the northwest quadrant of the Atmos. Years of seasonal winds and storms had shaped the terra into the eerie form of a dragon. A storm raged through the night as five squadrons met in the fortress inside the mouth of the dragon. And I say fortress for a good reason. The Predators were, in a sense, a small empire themselves. Nothing on the scale of Cyclonia, but still very powerful. They had taken in many rogues to form an army of 60,000 men. Thus, the grand fortifications and organization in the army were a force to reckon with.
In the center of the fortress was a large building with many skimmers waiting outside. Inside, there was a grand hall with a long counsel table of marble and at the head was what looked like a gold throne. It's nice to see that the leader of the Predators is so humble, many thought. Despite their bitterness and contempt at being summoned, all of them were curious to meet the Predator leader. No one has ever seen and lived to tell the tale, except in his own ranks. Thus, the leader was a complete mystery. They were all anxious for his revelation.
A number of moments passed yet the leader did not show. Duke, the leader of the Sky Kings, had reached his limits of patience and banged his fist on the table as he stood up.
"Where is the bastard? He's kept us waiting here like his little soldiers. I only came here because I have nothing better to do and hoped to learn something interesting. If that coward won't show himself, than my men and I will leave this pathetic rock." Many nodded in agreement, frustrated that they were forced to wait so long.
Not a moment after Duke's speech, a nonchalant drawl said, "Well, Duke, if you wish to go out and lose that one hundred and thirteen winning streak of yours, be my guest." They all turned towards the voice to see a young man, most likely in his early twenties, enter the room. He was tall with short shaggy, carefree hair of sapphire blue and amber eyes like a hawk. There was a deceptive air to him, as if you could quite be certain of his next move, which was for the most part exactly that. He strode over to the gold throne and casually sat in, resting his face on one hand.
As the entire group gaped at him, he spoke in the same drawl, "Well. I'm terribly sorry that I kept all of you waiting. But when you have an entire army to run, what can you do?"
Finally, getting over the initial shock from his appearance, Rex, leader of the Devil Birds, asked, "Who are you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" the man sneered, "I'm the leader of the Predators. 'Hawkeye' Drake."
Many slammed their fists into the table, "You can't be the leader of the Predators!"
Drake raised his eyebrow, "Oh? Why not?"
A very scary woman with wild hair, Mavis the leader of the Knight Sirens, shrieked, "You are too young!"
At this, Drake went into a fit of hysterical laughter. Everyone, but Carver and Ravess were furious at this. Carver and Ravess only looked at each and nodded. They knew age meant nothing.
"What is so funny," they all roared.
Still wiping the tears from his eyes, Drake struggled to say, "I would have thought that you of all people wouldn't be surprised at this."
When everyone had confusion on their faces, Drake sighed and turned towards Carver and Ravess, "Perhaps, you two can enlighten them."
Everyone turned to the duo even Snipe and the other two. Ravess sighed and cleared her throat. "I believe that Drake here is implying the squadron where you all got your inspiration for being unofficial." Again there were more blank stares and Carver couldn't take it any longer, "He means the Storm Hawks!"
There was a silence in the room for a moment. The others finally caught up to what Drake was implying. The Storm Hawks were the youngest team that ever existed. They were mere children when they stopped the powerful empire of Cyclonia, which was run by a child as well. They were all powerful even at a ridiculous young age. If they were that young, a twenty year old leading a rogue army shouldn't be all that surprising.
"Funny you mentioned them Carver, because that is exactly who I want to discuss," Drake said, getting their attention back.
Carver looked at the young leader, confused, "What do you mean?"
Looking at the ceiling in a bored way, Drake started, "It seems that the Storm Hawks that have been fighting us this last year and a half were not the real ones. They were imposters."
A stunned silence filled the room. They had run into the Storm Hawks a couple times, and though usually something got in the way of fighting them, they seemed to be the real thing. Just what was Drake saying?
"How do you know?" Mavis asked.
"One of my captains, Gunner of the Firebirds, recently got his ass kicked by Aerrow who had nearly destroyed a town square in Terra Atmosia in a fight with the Dark Ace."
Several of the rogues' hearts seem to stop. The Dark Ace was supposed to be dead. He was killed by his own master. He was not alive.
Seeing the looks on their faces, Drake smirked, "Oh he's alive alright. I saw the damage myself. It had Dark Ace written all over it."
"So if the Dark Ace is back," Duke started slowly, "than is she back as well?"
"You bet. She already has her army up and running. They've already taken several small terras by Cyclonia."
This was bad news; very, very bad news. The Sky Knights were hard to fight, but they had numbers on their side. If a power hungry empire was thrown into the mix, than they weren't sure if they could make it.
"But what does this have to do with the Storm Hawks?" Rex asked in his thick accent, "I thought you said that they were imposters?"
"The ones we've been dealing with the last year or so have been. But the originals have finally made it back. And it looks like they got a hell of a lot better."
Several of the rogues looked at one another, scared. They hadn't known the Storm Hawks before so they assumed, like everyone else, that the ones that were here for the last year and a half were the real ones. If they were and the real ones were even more powerful than before, just what could happen to them?
"How do you know that?" Duke asked, suspicious.
"First of all, the fight between the Dark Ace and Aerrow that Gunner described suggests that it couldn't anyone else. They were perfectly matched and very powerful. There's one person that was ever Dark Ace's equal and that was Aerrow."
As the others murmured to each other, Carver, despite himself, nodded. He remembered fighting Aerrow and as much as he hated to admit it, he was better than him, better than many others. Only Aerrow could fight on par with the Dark Ace, and that was a feat that no one else could do.
Drake continued, "Afterwards, it seems that Aerrow got on the wrong foot with Gunner, so Gunner tried to fight him. Gunner was brought down with a single punch."
Again, more stunned silence. Gunner, for all his terrible habits and attitude problems, was not a slouch. He was a very skilled fighter and he was the leader of the second under squadron of the Predators; there were a total of thirty.
"Gunner called for a dispatch of a thousand troops to fight the Storm Hawks. They met just outside of the terra. The Storm Hawks defeated them in a manner of minutes. They did this without Aerrow."
At this they all gaped stupidly, even Carver and Ravess. The Storm Hawks were good, but not that good. To defeat so many, without their best fighter, was not something they should be able to do. Then again, it has been three years. Three years of who knows what in the Far Side. They easily could have gotten better.
As they all soaked in the information, Drake smirked, "I think I shall go and fight them."
"Are you crazy!?" they all screamed. He had just made the point that they were ridiculously strong. Why would he go and fight them?
"I've been looking for a decent challenge. Aerrow and the Dark Ace are practically legends now. I wonder what it be like to fight them."
Carver stood up and pointed at Drake, "If anyone is going to defeat that pain in the neck, it's going to be me." The rage from his defeat still to this day boiled in him.
Drake regarded him for a moment, and then shrugged, "Third's time the charm. I'm in no hurry to fight them yet, so go ahead."
Ticked at his flippant speech, Carver left the room, with his team in tow. The other squadrons followed suit. Drake lazily watched them go. Once the Storm Hawks dispatched them all, he'd have free reign over the rogues in the Atmos. Then he could overwhelm the Storm Hawks and the Cyclonias, and be the undisputed ruler in the Atmos. Plus, what he said was true. He looked forward to a fight with the Dark Ace and Aerrow, especially Aerrow. He wanted to see just how skilled the youngest Sky Knight in history was.
Unknown to all of the rogues, even Drake, a shadow lurked in the corner, watching the entire conversation.
So, like I said more informative than anything, but it does set the stage for the next chapter so whatever.
Hope you enjoyed and please review and give suggestions!
Disclaimer – I don't own the Storm Hawks