I do not own Storm Hawks! And only one person has been to the polls, and voted for a happy ending, so I have in reviews, one vote for a mix, one vote for dark and creepy, and in the poll, one vote for happy.
Hence, this chapter is not yet the turning point. The chance for the diverging plot is still a few chapters away.
On with the Story!
Here, kitty, kitty Chapter 2
Dark Ace woke up to find that all three kittens had curled up on him rather than in the hamper.
This could be a problem. It was nearing six in the morning, and by then, Dark Ace wanted to be out and running the laps to stay in shape, before he came back for nutrient enhanced water and started his day.
He was training Talons, doing paper work, or over seeing a new project. His current assignment was to establish the trading routes and schedules for the new Terra they had conquered. He was to scout for weaknesses and see to planning defenses.
He was also to initiate the plans for short and long term domination. Getting the locals used to Cyclonia rule was the short term. Having them expect Cyclonian rule and partially accepting it was the long term goal.
What was his goal in getting the kittens off of him?
Oh, yes. Moving them into a pen so that they couldn't get into any trouble, but still have some paper to wee and poo on until they learned better.
Dark Ace shook his head.
The kittens were so cute, curled up into little balls and-okay, that one had claws. The ember coated one had woken and stretched, his claws becoming hooked through the thin layer of clothe.
As he began to mew in distress and wake the others, Dark Ace coo'd to him and pulled the paw forward, unhooking him.
He made a mental note to trim the claws with his nail trimmers later. He then set to work having the servant fetch a pen while he watched the kittens and stretched.
The elderly man returned and set up the pen where Dark Ace indicated. He also presented small toys and a pan, rather than a saucer, for the milk.
Dark Ace nodded his approval, and scooped the kittens up and set them in. He checked the leg of the golden kitten before setting them down.
They immediately began exploring.
Dark Ace charged the servant with looking after them until he was done with work. Then Dark Ace was out the door.
The run was fairly smooth, and Dark Ace completed it before most of the Terra was awake. He showered briskly, the sweat still running from him as she cooled down.
But there was not time to be perfectly hygienic. He swept into the map maker's tent and set up scouting parties and relayed what he had seen on the run. A more accurate map was drawn, and relayed to the defense squadron.
Dark Ace watched with satisfaction as the men ran around in a cohesive unit, getting the will of Master Cyclonis transformed into a reality.
Dark Ace then left to sort out a training schedule, and to decide which platoons were to go home for their break and which were to replace them.
That was a headache. One of the men noticed, and brought him a steaming cup of tea. Dark Ace thanked him curtly, and set the tea aside. The Talon left.
Planning the ships that the men were to use without disrupting trade lines was always a problem. Dark Ace would think that the men could handle lay-over points and get on the proper ship to go home, but there were also times when the men had a mix-up and were deployed to the front lines instead.
Dark Ace sniffed the tea. He then discreetly waved a crystal over it from his wrist guards. The crystal glowed faintly, but did not change color.
Thankful for the un-poisoned treat, Dark Ace sipped the tea. He was too refined to slurp. That's how the men on break always knew that he was eavesdropping when he passed through the Cafeteria on a routine 'make sure there's no mutiny' check.
They figured they were just surprise inspections.
Dark Ace decided that that sounded better on paper.
After running a few more errands, such as deciding if the Terra could have an uprising with the native materials, and what the Terra produced and how much of it, Dark Ace tasked a lieutenant with getting an accurate census of the population.
He couldn't do all of the work around here.
Dark Ace then made sure that the notices for training were posted, and then headed to the training grounds for some afternoon training sessions. He would catch up on missing lunch later.
Dark Ace stopped, his ears twitching. There was something off about his stance. He straightened his back. There was a ripple of cracks, that made him pause and end the sequence early.
He then went through the lounges and turns that composed of his 'cool down' phase. Then he bent over until his elbows rested on the ground.
His back was definitely out of alignment. What had he been thinking, that one night on the floor wouldn't hurt him?
Shaking his head, Dark Ace left the training grounds and headed towards the medic tent. Leaving the back to sort itself out was not his idea of 'playing it safe'.
The Talon greeted him by name, and prepared a bath of oil and hot water as Dark Ace stripped and lay down on the table.
He folded his shirt neatly, placing it on the shelf and refrained from hissing at the cool surface of the table as it hit his chest.
The medic ran his fingers over his back.
"Geez, what did you do, sir? Spend the night in a chair again?"
"Something like that. I have three new charges to look after."
"Newbies, sir? I haven't had to fill out paperwork concerning a transfer…"
"No. Newborns. I don't suppose you know of any vets in here?"
"Not in the Talon squadrons, sir. There is an animal hospital on the Terra, though. What kind of pets, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Kittens. They're gold, ember, and black. I'm looking after them for the time being."
"Of course, sir." The Talon was grinning, though he did try to mask it. They all knew that Dark Ace would look out for them. There was no way he was going to abandon the kittens or just leave them to someone he didn't deem important enough to look after.
"They would make a fine present for Master Cyclonis when you leave on assignment."
Dark Ace made a non-committal grunt. The Talon shut up and proceeded to fix the alignments.
Dark Ace left the medic tent in another five minutes, having completed the paperwork to have his account billed for the treatment.
Of course, the Talon had initially refused to accept compensation, but Dark Ace pointed out that he did take time for the chiropractic, and needed compensation.
The Talon stated the flat fee and left it at that.
Dark Ace returned to the kittens playing with the toys and the wee and poo being cleaned out by the servant.
Dark Ace thanked him, and then set about making a litter box with a mat to go under it.
Once he set that in the pen, he interrupted the kittens to pick each of them up one at a time, set them in the box, and move on of their front paws to show that they could dig in the box.
The kittens quickly realized that when they needed to wee or poo, that they went to the box.
Glad that the first stage of potty training was over, Dark Ace then set about preparing the bath for the three kittens.
His mental checklist ran through everything he would need.
A shallow basin that they couldn't drown in with him right there, but walls high enough that they couldn't escape.
A second basin for rinsing.
Animal friendly shampoo that wouldn't irritate their eyes.
Towels.
Dark Ace put the ember kitten through the bath first, and wow, could that little fella (Dark Ace checked) yowl.
He was then dried and set down.
The black one, a female, went through it with a minimal of fuss, but she glowered at him with such hate that Dark Ace picked her up and said "I know you don't like the bath, but it's good for you."
She was dried and set in with her playmates.
The golden one gave him a pitiful look. 'You'll spare me, right?'
Dark Ace sighed and picked him up.
"Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew!" This was going to be a long bath. The golden one dug his claws in and wriggled to get away from the water.
"Look, it's not that deep, see?" Dark Ace put his hand in. Seeing that the water was indeed shallow, the kitten retracted his claws and allowed Dark Ace to put him in.
But he wouldn't let Dark Ace leave.
"Ow! You bit me." Now, usually when an animal bits you, the hand is immediately retracted. But the kitten had more nipped him.
Dark Ace studied the animal. "You don't want me to let go, do you?"
The animal mew'ed and purred, rubbing his head against the hand.
Dark Ace sighed and decided to try the bathing one-handed, as the kitten wanted physical contact to reassure him that Dark Ace wouldn't leave him.
There were a few mishaps, but the kitten made it through okay and Dark Ace only had a little bit of water on his uniform.
Now all dry, the kittens romped around in the play pen. Dark Ace sighed.
He wished he could watch them for a bit longer, but it had already been an hour, and he needed to be present for the newscast that kept the far reaches of Cyclonia inter-connected.
He told them to play nice, and left.
The victory of Ravess over the Terra's Sky Knight was in the news, along with Dark Ace expanding the spread of the Cyclonian Empire. Snipe was starting another boot camp, and many of the soldiers groaned, but admitted that the boot camps were part of the reason why they could still fight.
Cyclonis reminded them of what they fought for, and praised them for their victories.
"Soon, we will be the rulers of all that is Atmosia again." Then the broadcast stopped.
Dark Ace nodded to the lieutenants that the men were allowed their free hour for the evening, and turned in.
The kittens were settling into their cleaned bed when the Dark Ace returned. He smiled at them, and then proceeded to take a bath, the long soak easing the ache in his muscles.
He had a Terra to run, a war to fight, and a master to serve. He would just find the energy, time, and schedule space to look after three little charges.
The Talon's suggestion wandered through his head.
Maybe if Cyclonis liked kittens, she could have one. Or two. But she couldn't look after all three while coordinating the entire Cyclonian force.
When he began to nod off, Dark Ace forced himself out of the tub and into the chilly air. He dried off and headed to bed.
He bid the servant good night, and told him to remind Dark Ace when it was time for his afternoon off- Dark Ace thought that after all the trouble servants went to, they should have some time to themselves. The servant nodded, and indicated that Dark Ace would have his answer in the morning.
Dark Ace yawned behind his hand politely, and excused himself.
The old man bid him a good night and pleasant dreams, and retired to his chambers.
Dark Ace smiled at the bundle of fur that was the three kittens sleeping together, and crawled into his bed.
Sleep came easy to him.
A/N: Wow. Over two-thousand words. So any way, please review, or sign in and pick a choice on the poll!