I do not own Storm Hawks!
On with the story!
Dove blinked up at Librarians and the assembled Storm Hawks. One of the Librarians shrugged. "Well, at least sneaking her back out will be easier. I think there's a tome on Crystal induced transformations in one of the underground vaults. This way."
Stork scooped up the transformed Rebel Duck and followed the Librarian out. He grabbed a basket meant for carrying books and deposited Dove inside, giving her a safer place to be.
She still mew'd in slight distress and wanted out of her cage.
They went underground, and finally emerged hours later with the tomes needed to start the actual research. By now, a month had passed since they had lost Aerrow, Piper, and Finn to finding out what the Crystal did.
But they were a step closer to knowing what happened, even if the chances of them surviving as kittens drastically reduced the chances of finding them again.
"Oh, I do believe that I do not have to tell you to keep why we are researching this to ourselves, right?" Stork sent the Librarians a hard glare.
If the Cyclonians got a hold of the Storm Hawks when they were kittens, who knew what doom would befall them. The Librarians nodded. The Cyclonians had remarked that while they wouldn't torch the Library, that they would put the bookkeepers to death and appoint new ones.
Stork allotted for five days to read through all of the books. He opened the book.
It was in cipher. Okay, five days to translate. Then they would start reading.
(Back before the Condor reached the Library)
Dark Ace stretched and rolled over. Or, he began to roll over. A deep noise from his feet stopped him, and so did a weight. Apparently, the kittens hadn't started their day yet. With a low moan, Dark Ace opened his eyes.
He wouldn't be able to think until he was upright, and he couldn't just pull out of the covers without upsetting one of the kittens. The golden one was still on his chest.
After a moment, Dark Ace was able to twist his upper body until the golden one stalked off his chest and went to breakfast. Dark Ace then pulled his leg up and off the bed with a half roll. The ember and black kittens glared at him as their warm nest was broken up.
"I have work to do, stop glaring at me." Dark Ace grumbled, and headed off to wash up. After shaving off the beard stubble, he dressed in his uniform and kept the armor off until he finished his breakfast of sliced fruit and milk. Munching on a whole bagel, he left for the study, reviewed the damage that the Storm Hawks had caused, and sent it back, signed an approved. He did recalculate the expense, and was convinced that no one was trying to slip some into their pocket.
Then he greeted the elderly servant and made sure that the kittens were well put up with toys, and left for the day.
There was some Wasteland reconnaissance to do, such as where the Condor could have hidden.
It was noon, and he had found several places to set silent alarms. If a ship landed below the Terra, they would know. Marking in the added defense, Dark Ace left to regulate the shipping lines. The Time Pulse may be able to reach the entire Atmos, but he still had to finalize the schedule for supplies, and see to it that patrols were assigned and randomized, while not over working the Talons.
Dark Ace stepped into the kitchen. The cooks rushed about, and after smelling and seeing what was served, he left. He assigned a surprise inspection to make sure that the food served was edible and not poisoned. He would not have Talons performing poorly because they had stomach cramps.
Then it was more paperwork, corresponding with other Captains under his command in other reaches of the Quadrant, and listening to them boast. There was a rare Captain who reported actual findings and progress, and also the ones that were failing. They were warned, demoted, or killed.
So far Dark Ace only had to use the first two. It was a running bet between him and Ravess who would have to kill a subordinate first instead of banishing them.
Once that was over, Dark Ace had a rare evening to himself. He went back and played with the kittens. They never tired of the laser Crystal, and were quite happy to stalk and pounce on it. Later, he supervised the men's hour off after dinner, and listened to the radio with them, just as he always had.
Then Master Cyclonis announced something. "It has come to my attention that we have been making progress, and with the Councils expressed wishes, I will be visiting my top Commanders and their current bases. I hope my surprise visit will be fine with all of them."
The purr in her voice disguised the underlying threats. Everything had better be ship shape…or else.
Master Cyclonis hung up on the radio after bidding the Talons good night. She waited until she was in her room before sliding out a heating Crystal. She laid it down on some cloth, and whispered a few words, bending the Crystal to her will. Then she put it out to recharge and undressed. She then applied to heated cloth to her back. The painful kinks in her muscles from the day's stress were eased out by the heat.
She wouldn't be able to sleep until the pain abated, but she refused to show the pain. She was to be the Empress, and she would do away with the pesky Council that thought they could order her around. She was the one in control. She did more than research Crystals. She had fought to be inside this war and to know what went on. She would lead her people and the Council could go jump into the Wastelands!
Cyclonis sighed and began to stretch. Ravess was becoming ruthless. To her, if she pushed hard enough, pleased enough, she could secure a willing populace for Master Cyclonis. It was twisted, but she was loyal to Master Cyclonis. Only to Master Cyclonis.
Snipe was another story. He went for the Council or Master Cyclonis. He didn't change alliances; he just couldn't understand that there was a difference. He thought that the Council was equal to her. No. She was everyone's Master, and no Council would de-throne her after the hundreds of years of her family line.
She was barely twenty. In two years. Cyclonis finished stretching. Perhaps Dark Ace would have something for her. Something from him to remind her that it was an underhanded move from the Council, pushing with his recent failures to try to downplay his usefulness.
She would never put her right hand away from her own protection. The Council were slowly over stepping themselves, seeing a way to secure five families the ruling throne of Cyclonia and from there Atmosia. Just because they thought she was a child.
Well, she would murder them without drawing attention to herself before that happened.
Ravess and Snipe had been picture perfect when she visited them for a week each. They hadn't gone to extravagant means to entice her, but had made her stay comfortable without going overboard.
She was headed for Dark Ace last, as he was the farthest from Cyclonia, the ever expanding border encroaching on the Atmos Terras. The Screaming Queens were giving him trouble but word reached her that he had finally killed one of them in a stunning move that had flipped his Skimmer over and nearly destroyed the engine. But the Sky Knight Squadron hadn't known that. All they knew was to retreat with their killed sister.
Now an actual border was forming. If Dark Ace held it for the next six months, they would begin pushing again. As it was, all of Atmos was entering a slump period, where travel was sparse thanks to the winter winds that encompassed the whole known region. It only happened once a decade, and other thank being on alert for attacks, there was not much either side could do.
The summer flipside was solved with controlled climates, but the winter winds were harsh and could push through anything. Many ships had fallen to the Wasteland because their overheating engines had frozen when the cold wind hit the steam and exploded. The flying ice would also corrode the metal that formed the ship's plating. A very dangerous time for ships.
The ship landed at a rustic landing strip, but it was sufficient and impressive for someone who had been put behind on supplies. Dark Ace was there to greet her himself.
She surveyed the entire Terra on her opening tour. It wasn't a very huge Terra, but it did have some sprawl to it. There was a settlement for the slaves, strong, sturdy, and clean. No places to hide, but there was some privacy in the huts, although there was a gap at the top and bottom to watch were feet went.
One of her ideas to help track were meetings were held and who carried messages.
The factory had forty percent of the original populace, and slaves from other factories who were broken and helping the other slaves transition to the work. The broken slaves were not responsible for turning in troublesome slaves, and it helped create a community of trust.
After all, the Council couldn't have slaves dying before their time when they realized they would never leave the factories.
Master Cyclonis had wheeled and dealed to get them a half-hour lunch break and dinner. She even got them the fourteenth of each month to be a half-day, under the disguise of factory inspection.
The Council had agreed, as her terms were not too lenient.
Cyclonis had sneered and somehow lost their proposal for a night shift, and when it was brought up again, she naively asked which soldiers would be kept awake to watch the slaves. The idea had been scrapped.
Now she dined in the presence of the Talons, and Dark Ace kept putting choice bits at the edge of his plate. She didn't call him on it, as the other Talons seemed used to the odd behavior. Then she gave them a speech and retired. Instead of going to her quarters and staying there, a quarter after ten she snuck out to visit Dark Ace. The servants say her leave, and kept it to themselves.
Dark Ace heard the light rap as the door opened. He looked up from his book and smiled at her.
"Are you still reading that thing? Geez, Dark Ace, you are slow." She sat in the chair and drew her legs up, pulling the skirt over them. She rested her chin on her knee. "Do you like it?"
"It is very entertaining, but it doesn't distract me. I've finally made it to the fifth chapter."
"Aren't there about twenty in there?" She teased him. A soft purring noise distracted her. "What's that?"
"Ah, I've taken in three kittens. They tend to hog the bed, and they're hiding under the covers. Apparently they've forgiven me since I brought them treats from dinner."
Cyclonis lifted the blanket up. There were three partially grown kittens. They were sleek and had healthy fur, and the ember one was curled up with the black one and a golden furred one was licking Dark Ace's hand when he set it down.
He must have forgotten to wash after dinner.
Cyclonis smiled. "They are lovely, Dark Ace. May I have one?"
"You can have two. They amuse themselves and don't have names, and those two glare at me." Cyclonis giggled and held out her hand. They sniffed her hand, and then allowed her to scratch them. She buried her nose in their soft fur.
"I'm going to put a tracing spell on you two. That way I can't lose you." She darted over to Dark Ace's study and was back in a moment with the needed crystals. After she set up the diagram properly, she delved into herself and brought the Crystals to her command. The kittens glowed for a moment, and then it was over. Cyclonis felt a small tug on her mind, linking her to the whereabouts of her new pets.
"I think you should be Piper. And you can be…hmmmm." She frowned at the ember kitten. "Bolt. Because you look like a bolt of red cloth." The kittens purred and licked her face, and then crawled into her lap, forcing her to put her legs down.
"What will you name yours?" Dark Ace looked up from his book, his hand idly scratching the kitten. Cyclonis sat on his right side, where the bed was open to the room, having been pushed to the wall to make more room for the kittens, because while they could crawl under the bed, he couldn't.
The kitten was on his left side, snuggled into his chest.
"Well, he's blond, scrawny, and noisy. I think I'll name him Finn. It's common enough." Master Cyclonis nodded.
Gathering up the kittens, she pecked him on the cheek. "Get to sleep at a decent time, it's already eleven." She cautioned him. "Tomorrow's the day you show off how well the Skimmers can take off at the drop of a hat."
He nodded, and wished her sweet dreams. She retreated back to her room and set up for her new pets. Then she fell asleep upon the bed.
Dark Ace woke up to Finn hissing at something. A Night Crawler was at his window. Dawn was fast approaching. Dark Ace lounged out of his bed and did not stop when he grabbed his sword and raced to where Master Cyclonis was.
When he arrived, Piper and Bolt were hissing and clawing the assassin. Master Cyclonis had her staff and had fended off two of her attackers. The third one was persistent. Dark Ace gave him no warning and killed him, cold inactivated sword sinking past the Shielding Crystal. If the other two survived, Ravess would torture out who had sent them. The assassins were secured by the servants, stabilized, and shipped off.
The attack could have come from anyone wanting Master Cyclonis dead and gone.
The morning continued without interruption. Dark Ace tied with Ravess' time in mobilizing for an attack, and as the time was satisfactory, Master Cyclonis praised him. The servants and slaves who had watched could not deny that the Cyclonians were fine fighters.
Master Cyclonis spent the rest of the week with the Talons, Dark Ace, or with the kittens. They helped her unwind in ways that Crystals couldn't. They were someone she could talk to when she was troubled.
Many times when she was worrying over something, or stressed, Piper would come and sit on her paperwork. She found many more solutions to her problems with Piper's help than she had before.
Bolt was a fiend on the other hand. He had discovered a renewable energy source using actual wind, and had messed up part of her calculations, leading to a revolutionary idea on rejuvenating wind Crystals. Especially the grade that the Rebel Ducks used to be a persistent thorn in their side. None of it was on purpose, and he seemed out to get her. Master Cyclonis had relented and discovered that whenever Bolt harassed her, there was a gossipy Talon walking by.
She couldn't have the Talons thinking she was incapable because they saw her frustrated by a simple formula. Bolt really was devious.
Cyclonis actively pushed the distracting thoughts away. The Talons were happy to hear of her two kittens, and treated the animals with respect. None of them questioned their names. After all, some of the Talons had family named Finn.
Piper and Bolt soon got Master Cyclonis in the habit of sleeping with them in the bed. She grumbled about her training them, not the other way around.
The cats had started mewling for attention. She reached over and gave it to them, even when she had to get up and go to where they were.
"Oh, you clever kittens." They purred their victory under her fingers.
When the week drew to a close, Master Cyclonis sighed and packed her bags. Some of the Crystals were dangerous, and she didn't want them to explode and kill a careless servant. Piper and Bolt hid themselves in her cowl. She had clipped their front claws, but left the back claws for another time. After all, they were her protectors now.
She bade the Terra good-bye, and instructed Dark Ace to keep a sharp eye during the Winter Spell, where it was lunacy for any ship to travel. He acknowledged her, and she left. The good-bye was formal and impersonal. Just what the Council would want to hear.
A/N: Wow. I haven't updated in a while, but look! Things are moving again. If I have to, I might move the fanfic to M rating to feel safer, but I doubt that I'll actually do anything to warrant that, as this will be a dark (non-graphic) fanfic with a happy ending! Prepare yourselves, Storm Hawks, because happy is not exactly the term for what's coming to you.
Now how do I turn off that poll?