Author's Notes: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and encouragement during this life transition! So glad you're still enjoying the story, and please keep the feedback coming!
Cameo Alert: By the way, this chapter and last chapter had a cameo from another fandom. Anybody spot it?
Chapter Thirty: Esperanza
Panama City Shatterdome, May 21, 2018…
Post-Grindylow recovery beat the hell out of post-Yamarashi. In some respects, it wound up being exactly the same: infirmary beds shoved together and the beep of instruments, the smell of antiseptic, and being poked and prodded by medics. But Raleigh wasn't in crippling pain or half-crazed with Yancy's vicarious terror this time, and that made everything easier.
They were incredibly tired and sore, but grinned at each other and at Kennedy and Steph through the whole process. It was a little odd, getting de-suited and checked out by strange crews instead of their own, but they both felt giddy to realize they were here with their classmates. They'd run together, and brought a kaiju down: Kennedy, Stephanie, Raleigh, and Yancy of Class 2016-B in their Jaegers. Solar Prophet's pilots, Alex and Sunya, were in their thirties, and fell right into the role of shepherding the youngsters around.
Nobody had any injuries deemed severe, so they all got to luxuriate in the actual showers and scrub grime and blood and sweat off unassisted before the full medical assessment. That was fantastic.
Body modesty was pretty well gone for Rangers before they ever launched, and they all sat in open hospital scrubs, comparing new and old battle scars as the medics moved around them.
Kennedy and Steph had matching, perfect circles the size of a guy's hand on their chests from the discharge of the pressure cannon. "It's really a last resort kind of thing, but in directed force, it's the most powerful non-incendiary that Munitions Engineering has managed to green-light. We scar and bruise every time we fire it, but it's worth it."
"That really was the money shot of that fight," said a nurse, gently cleaning and dabbing ointment on the raw burns. "All you could see was this ripple in the air, then the bastard just back-flipped mid-jump."
"We get questions every time we wear low-cut tops, but what the hell," Steffie winked at Raleigh and Yancy. "Still worth it."
Raleigh and Yancy had faint, traced webbing of burns old and new on both of their wrists and lower arms from the plasma cannons, like a faded half-sleeve tattoo. Yamarashi had left a deep set of streaks on their right knees, and lighter ones on their torsos from when they'd grappled with him.
Grindylow had put matching sets on both pairs of Rangers: lighter circuitry burns where his sharp-edged leg-teeth had swiped across their Jaegers' bodies, but deeper areas where he'd gouged and slashed. Some were faint enough that they'd fade completely. Others would last forever.
Despite being the longest-experienced veteran fighters of the group, Alex and Sunya had the fewest suit burns out of them all, ironically. Vaulimi had barely managed to strike any blows at them, but they didn't talk about it, and none of their fellow Rangers could bring themselves to ask.
They had a few individual injuries too. Yancy had some non-drivesuit burns from where his cannon controls had shorted out, and Steffie was bruised down to the shoulder blade where Grindylow had taken out Hydra's right-hand jets. Raleigh had pulled abdominal muscles from getting dragged, and Kennedy had straining to her diaphragm.
Panama Shatterdome's medics had the post-combat Ranger care protocol a little more refined than LA had after Yamarashi; there were already three sets of beds pulled together. Nobody was majorly injured or traumatized this time, but none of the pairs were going to take kindly to being separated.
Raleigh and Yancy leaned on each other without shame whenever they didn't have to sit or stand up for examination, arms around each other's shoulders. Kennedy and Stephanie were even closer, indulging in kisses and caresses that made Raleigh and Yancy grin at each other. The girls hadn't been much for PDA at the Academy, but scuttlebutt had it that all the romantic pilots started it up after combat. Alex and Sunya were also an item, and they certainly weren't hiding it either.
Even with a mostly-clean bill of health, they had to spend the night in the infirmary, but none of them complained. They had beds to sleep in and could stay together, and they were all so tired that that was all any of them could ask for.
Raleigh dropped off as fast as the others did, but woke some time that night to the sounds of people arriving. Yancy was draped over him again, his head on Raleigh's chest, so Raleigh couldn't move much. It didn't matter; he was too comfortable to want to.
There were familiar faces in Panama City's Shatterdome now; about a dozen of Gipsy's strike troopers among the other personnel getting checked over by the medics. Raleigh spotted Antwan near the infirmary door, talking into his headset. The Jamaican grinned when he saw Raleigh awake and ambled over. "How you feeling, man?"
"Pretty good. A lot better than last time," he chuckled, careful not to jostle Yancy. "How about the rest of our people? Everyone okay?"
Antwan nodded. "A few bumps and bruises, some stitches. Hien Nguyen got a concussion when her chopper had to make a rapid ascent, but she's fine." He nodded to one of the beds, where Raleigh could see Whiskey Alpha's personnel coordinator talking to one of Hydra's crew. She waved cheerfully and gave him a thumbs-up. "I just put the word out to LA that I had eyes on the four of you so Tendo can start up the text tree."
"Thanks. What's the word on Gipsy? I think she's going to need some serious TLC from Engineering."
"Yeah, she will. They were still assessing her and Hydra when it got dark. Matador got off the ground just in time for them to make it back to LA; Daniel and Andrés are up there." Antwan smirked. "The brass are having a big debate over whether protocol allows decoration for valor to a Jaeger who didn't actually engage the kaiju."
"They damn well better!" Raleigh hissed, making Antwan chuckle and Yancy shift and grunt in his sleep. He quieted down and rubbed his brother's shoulders until Yance relaxed, then finished, "They carried that ship to safety! Grindylow was going right for them! No chance they'd have made it!"
"We're with you, man, and so is the public. Mexico's big shots can't figure out how to spin this, but Matador's getting no less love than you, Hydra, and Prophet. And Yankee and Diablo's crews now have South Pacific vacation resorts at their disposal for life."
"Now that's awesome. Did you - "
In the murmur of voices of the still-busy infirmary, someone suddenly cried out. Yancy jolted awake, and Raleigh realized it was the next pair of beds. Steffie lurched upright and began shaking Kennedy, who was starting to thrash in her sleep. "Kenna, hey! Wake up!"
"What - " Kennedy woke with a death grip on her bedmate's arms and looked around with wild eyes.
"You okay?" Raleigh exclaimed.
"Yeah..." She shivered in Steph's arms and looked embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry."
"Driftmare, sweet?" Antwan asked, going towards her.
"Something like that," murmured Steffie, stroking Kennedy's hair until she lay back down. He took the hint to leave off and went to check on the other crew members. Steph shot Yancy and Raleigh a wry look once Kennedy was asleep again. "Saw that comin'."
Yancy grimaced. "Did combat stress her out?" Out of all of their class of Rangers, Kennedy had always had the hardest time detaching from battle stress. It was one of the main reasons the girls had feared they wouldn't be deemed Ranger Ready.
Steph considered it, still running her fingers through Kennedy's hair, and decided she was okay talking about it to her fellow pilots and classmates. Alex and Sunya were still asleep. "Not exactly combat," she explained. "It's never exactly been combat. It's...water."
Raleigh blinked at his brother in confusion. Water? Oh... OH! It hit them both at the same time: Kennedy LaRue was born in New Orleans. She'd been seven when Hurricane Katrina hit, then her family had moved to Seattle where she'd met Steffie. She'd mentioned that they were evacuated after the storm and the flooding, hinting that they'd been rescued, but never really went into it, and nobody had wanted to pry.
"We didn't realize," Yance said, apologetic. "Weren't..." he frowned to himself. "Weren't you guys on the swim team too, though?"
Stephanie nodded, now proud. "Her idea, not mine. She wanted to get over it, and in a lot of ways, she has. Water skiing, surfing, scuba diving? No fear. By K-Day, she'd almost stopped having nightmares about drowning." She sighed, looking down at Kennedy. "But kaiju attacks aren't exactly water sports. Ships go down, we have to fight at sea... that stirs it up."
Raleigh stared, and felt a surge of renewed admiration for Kennedy LaRue. Plenty of recruits had come into the Academy with some level of PTSD - but most of it was kaiju or military combat. Raleigh remembered how scary the images out of Louisiana had been in 2005; Mom and Dad hadn't let him or his siblings see much of it. Hundreds of people had drowned... to have gone through that as a little kid and still have the strength to fight sea monsters...
"You can't fight an act of God, like a hurricane," Dr. Lightcap liked to say. "All you can do is get out of the way, but when you're in a Jaeger, you can fight a hurricane. You can kill it."
Now that he thought about it, Kennedy always smiled when somebody trotted that line out. It was that same, semi-vengeful smile that so many of them had when they talked about killing kaiju. Tendo, Antwan, Cady, even Little Lea, letting themselves imagine, just for a minute, making the monsters pay.
Maybe kaiju weren't the only monster Kennedy LaRue was looking to get even with.
We respected all our classmates, all our fellow Rangers before now, he mused. And all of them deserve some admiration for what they've done. Kennedy had just added a few dozen stars in Raleigh Becket's mental book, for reasons that had nothing to do with the combat itself.
"She doesn't want it to be a thing in the media," Steph explained.
"We figured," he said, not even needing to glance at his brother before promising on both their behalf. "You know we won't. We're Rangers."
"Why do you think I told you? She won't mind." With that, Steffie yawned heavily, kissed Kennedy on the cheek, and curled up around her again.
Yancy sprawled back on their bed, looking thoughtful, and Raleigh seized the opportunity to use him as a pillow for a change. "Antwan told me the crews are all okay, no casualties," he murmured.
Yancy kissed the top of his head like he had after Yamarashi. "You did good, kiddo."
"We did good. All of us. Brass is talking bravery citation for Matador even without touching the kaiju. I'm all for it."
"Definitely. That was a big ship." Yance sighed, fingers running through Raleigh's hair. "I didn't know any of that about Kennedy. She should've gotten a bravery citation just for enlisting."
"No kidding. I can't imagine."
"Yeah. Every time I turn around, someone's putting our lives in perspective."
Don't, Yance. Raleigh didn't want him to get like that tonight, not after they'd bagged a second kill. It still boggled his mind after a year and a half of drifting that Yancy of all people had insecurities.
He felt his brother let it go without needing words. They were definitely still ghosting. Don't worry about me, Rals. Not that tonight either. We're good. Everything's good. Raleigh smiled and relished that awareness. People had still died. Maybe they always would when there was movement in the Breach, but today, the monster hadn't ever set foot on land. The Jaegers of five different countries had worked together and taken the bastard down, and none of them or their crews had been hurt. That was something to bask in.
So he did, feeling warm and safe up against his big brother's chest, listening to Yancy's calm breathing and heartbeat until he too drifted off.
Los Angeles Shatterdome, May 22, 2018…
Tendo and the rest of Team Gipsy were drafted into assisting Carolina Olivares with press inquiries for the glorious aftermath of Grindylow. (Tendo stubbornly referred to him/her/it as Octopussy whenever possible.)
This engagement had certainly been a winner for the tacticians who'd been pushing for expanding the team deployment, but on the other hand, it only multiplied the logistical nightmares that came afterwards. Up until now, a grand total of two Jaegers had ever been in actual contact with a kaiju in a single encounter. Multiple deployments, sure, but still, only two sets of Rangers in post-combat recovery, two strike forces scattered around the target region (sometimes a few other crews mustered if back-up had been needed for rescue/recovery/clean-up), two Jaegers who might have to go in for repairs and be replaced at their Domes while they were off duty.
This time? Six Jaegers and support crews from three different Shatterdomes had been involved. That was a lot of manpower that now had to get reorganized, a lot of Jaegers needing at least some repair, and a lot of coverage that had to be shuffled around the Shatterdomes - and a hell of a lot of press demands.
But Grindylow's attack had now officially been declared the lowest death toll since K-Day: less than three hundred. That was still a lot of mourning, a lot of property damage, a lot of disrupted shipping and shattered lives... But god damn it, we're really starting to win! It was behind every pair of eyes, every smile, every springing step of every man and woman in the Shatterdome that Tendo passed, and it sang in his own head: We're enduring this.
The PPDC personnel weren't the only ones tasting the victory; the media and the public were going absolutely nuts. It was Christmas in May. It was V-E Day in 2018 (as Raleigh Becket would be the first to say.)
Tendo, Cady, Brady, and Carolina - hey, that sounded like a song! - took part in the video conference with the other Dome commanders working out where the various repairs would take place and who would get transferred to what post until further notice.
"Tacit Ronin is still under repair in Anchorage," Dr. Schoenfeld warned. "We don't have that many nuclear specialists to take on all of these at once, and we've got two more Mark-4's under construction here."
"I don't think anyone's suggesting we dump five damaged mechs on your doorstep, Doctor," said Marshall Pentecost dryly. "Sao Paulo built Diablo and Prophet, although most of Prophet's damage is superficial. He and Yankee can be deployment ready in a matter of weeks."
"God forbid we need them that soon," someone muttered.
"Amen. Matador needs a little work on his hands from carrying that ferry, but we can take care of that here in Los Angeles," said Marshall Ramirez. "I think it would make political sense to keep Matador and Yankee Star stationed here."
"What about our American scrapper?" asked Admiral Yamamoto from Tokyo. "Gipsy Danger is certainly in rising demand after yesterday!"
"She's going to need some major work due to her scrappy tendencies," chuckled Schoenfeld. "You'll have to send her to one of the Assembly sites; I don't think any of the Dome crews alone can handle that much refitting."
"Sao Paulo built Diablo, but a large crew of our electrical engineers are currently in Anchorage," pointed out the South American Chief Engineer.
Schoenfeld nodded. "Yeah, we've been borrowing Brazil's entire R&D crew for the refit of Tacit and digitize the Mark-4's. You know, your devil's lash is a favorite for our electricians too. We can probably handle that and Prophet's repairs if you Brazilians want to take a stab at resurfacing Gipsy."
"We need senior Jaeger coverage in Lima until Gipsy or Diablo is cleared," Pentecost mused.
"Well, Romeo Blue hasn't departed yet, has he?" asked Marshall Gagnon with a wicked smile. "Why not have him stay there? The poor Gages have certainly earned some time in a warm climate, and I can keep Solar Prophet as senior in Anchorage for a while. They don't mind the cold so much."
Tendo just barely managed to keep from snickering, and Cady did snicker, but luckily Pentecost was too busy shooting death glares at the Australian and Schoenfeld to notice. "That will be acceptable."
Now Ramirez gave a suspiciously-timed sneeze, and Admiral Yamamoto was flat-out grinning. "You're a brave man for putting the Gages and the Beckets in the same Dome again," he said, blithely ignoring the Brit's glower. "Take Diablo back once the repairs are completed. Gonzalez and Jara are a little more disciplined, and that trio should be more than enough for South America."
"I'll do that. Until Gipsy or Diablo is cleared for action, I need one more." Pentecost raised his eyebrows at Panama's Marshall Quijano. "Amazon Delta?" She pursed her lips; Tendo knew that Amazon's status as a four-country-funded ship meant that a lot of attention (and money) was always turned towards the base where she was housed.
But Ecuador had been one of those four countries, as had Brazil, and they fell within Lima's zone of protection. The Chief Engineer from Sao Paulo was nodding too. "Then we keep Hydra once she is cleared for combat again," Quijano said.
"Done."
Tendo had a little trouble keeping his attention on the conference after that, already running his mind through all the work they now had to do. Moving Day again, here we go!
"We need the Rangers to put in an appearance or two in Guatemala and El Salvador," said Quijano. "Those people want to meet their saviors, and I'm certain LaRue and Lanphier will be all for it."
"So will the Beckets," Ramirez agreed. "I'm a little cautious about Alcazar and Moreno. They'll certainly be happy to do it, but protecting them is my concern."
"Surround them with support crew and keep them close to their fellow Rangers," said Pentecost with a grim smile. That startled Tendo, but not in a bad way. It was nice to see even Marshall Hardass looking for a fight when it came to protecting the pilots. "With that media presence, especially for the rescuers of the Esperanza, I doubt anyone would dare threaten them."
"Do we have a final count of how many people were on that bloody ship?" asked Marshall Ketteridge.
"At least twenty-eight hundred. She was officially carrying twenty-one hundred, but the manifest was not exactly up to standard. When she was stranded? Her operator and most of the senior crew were long gone on the functioning lifeboats even before the Jaegers saw her," Pentecost informed them. "Passengers were laborers, immigrants, standing room only, and some ran or swam for it as soon as they could. Estimates are around three thousand."
"God almighty," Ketteridge muttered. "Speaking of ways to circle the wagons around Matador, what about that public citation for bravery? All in favor of interpreting the regs as not requiring engagement with a kaiju?"
The motion passed unanimously. Tendo wanted to applaud.
As the crews began preparing for relocation, Marshall Ramirez expressed dismay when she saw Team Gipsy packing up the table map from the rec room. "That's not Shatterdome property?"
Tendo was pretty sure she was joking, but Andrés Alcazar announced, "No, alas, it goes where Raleigh Becket goes, along with all the rest of the World War II paraphernalia."
"Except the Optimus Primes; they're Caleb Mitchell's," Cady warned, carefully setting the Transformers in a row on a shelf.
Tendo rearranged them to the Hear/See/Speak No Evil pose, and added a note:
We'll Miss You!
Love, Team Gipsy.
"Awww!" Penny Jefferson bear-hugged him. "You Gipsy Hipsters are so sentimental!"
"You know you'll miss us, Yank. Give your jockeys a big smooch for me when they come back from their cruise," Tendo ordered. Yankee hadn't taken too many hits, but enough that her drop gear was suspect. As a result, she was getting a leisurely ride back to the US on an aircraft carrier, and her pilots were doing a victory tour with Diablo's Rangers in the South Pacific.
"Will do, and give your blond boys a kick in the ass for us when they're done partying in Guatemala." Penny shot a mournful look at the now-empty map table. "Where was that magazine? I gotta order one of those for us to keep here."
"Already in progress, Miss Jefferson," said Marshall Ramirez, to everyone's glee.
Guatemala City, Guatemala, May 24, 2018…
"This is Trinity Wells, reporting live from Guatemala City, as the 'Victory Tour' of four pairs of triumphant Jaeger pilots is getting under way with hemisphere-wide celebrations! This is certainly one of the greatest events ever to take place in this historic city. The streets surrounding Mateo Flores Stadium are packed with revelers, and people have been lining up for thirty-six hours for the chance to see their heroes in the flesh!"
"This is kind of terrifying," Kennedy muttered as the teams walked down the stadium tunnel, hearing the roar outside.
"Tell me about it. We didn't do anything this big in LA," Yancy agreed. "How many people are out there?"
"Thirty thousand in the stadium," said Carolina, then tsked at the look on their faces. "Oh, what happened to my cool boys? Relax! This is a party - and I still say those jackets make you look like bikers."
Stephanie and Kennedy burst into giggles, and Raleigh heaved a loud sigh. "They're bomber jackets, for pilots!" They'd gone round and round on that argument; Carolina never quit harassing them about it, and Raleigh never quit taking the bait. Yancy winked at her.
"And they have a shiny new kill stamp! You two have joined the ranks of the elite," Tendo informed them.
But Yancy winced inwardly. Hydra, Prophet, and Matador's jackets were all stampless in the wake of Grindylow, and he wasn't sure if he was okay with that. Can we at least put three thousand stick figures on Matador's, or maybe a really big ship?
Then there was the matter of their two fellow Jaegers who had engaged the kaiju. Kennedy, Steph, Alex, and Sunya had brushed off the official decision to credit only Gipsy with the kill, but Yancy still wondered if they felt it was right either. Both Jaegers, especially Hydra, had dealt some powerful wounds to Grindylow, without which Gipsy might not have managed to take the bastard down.
Daniel and Andrés seemed to catch on to what he was thinking, and had pointed out gently, "But you were the ones who killed him. It's not an insult to the rest of us, and we know that. We did our jobs, but the one who strikes the final blows is the one who takes the credit for statistics' sake. Matador still is recorded as having no combat. Hydra and Prophet are now tested Jaegers, and the public knows the role everyone played."
Raleigh was too busy being giddy over this elite status as a multi-kill team, and Yancy was trying his hardest not to voice or show his reservations. No need to rain on his brother's parade - but I better get the hell over it before our next drift. Luckily, they were on leave while Gipsy was getting her refit in Sao Paulo's Assembly Facility, and it would probably be a few weeks before they were back in the simulator. Plenty of time for Yancy to come to terms with official point awards.
They processed out in pairs to stand on a stage, above which hung the flags of their respective countries and the emblems and images of their Jaegers. It made Yancy think of the Olympics. We go last, does that mean we got the gold medal?
"Del Republico de Peru, los pilotos del Jaeger Profeta Solor: Alejandro Quispe y Sunya Flores!" Alex and Sunya marched out of the tunnel to a collective roar of welcome.
"De los Estados Unidos de America, las pilotas del Jaeger Hydra Corinthian: Stephanie Lanphier y Kennedy LaRue!" Steph and Kennedy grinned over their shoulders at Yancy and Raleigh before parading into the eyes of their adoring fans.
The roar for Hydra had a distinctly higher pitch. "They are the dream of little girls everywhere," murmured Andrés with a fond smile.
Raleigh frowned thoughtfully. "They're not the only all-female team, though."
"No, but why should there be only one? That would be quite a burden." Yancy detected some melancholy in his voice, and wondered who Andrés was thinking about.
Raleigh noticed too, and said quickly, "Well, you guys are the closest to your home turf! Definitely the local favorite!"
"De los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, los pilotos del Jaeger Matador Furio: Andrés Alcazar y Daniel Moreno!" The older men gave less reserved smiles and went out to receive the crowd's praise. The roar was definitely the loudest yet, and Yancy and Raleigh were both very gratified by that.
"All right, Becket boys, you're up!" Tendo and Carolina made a big show of dusting their jackets off and looking them up and down.
"Smile, Yancy," Carolina murmured in his ear. He grinned sheepishly. "You deserve all this and more."
He kissed her quickly on the cheek and whispered, "Gracias, Abuela."
And then... "De los Estados Unidos de America, los pilotos del Jaeger Gipsy Danger: Yancy y Raleigh Becket!"
And Yancy and Raleigh went through the tunnel into a solid wall of light and sound and color. It was like a driftspace made up entirely of fireworks and flower petals and faces, faces everywhere, all different colors and ages, all with the same expression of pure joy, delight to see them, voices blending and mingling into a collective roar of jubilation. And hands, hands clapping, fists pumping, arms outstretched, waving.
His hand found Raleigh's, and they raised their joined fist in greeting to the throngs, but he knew that it had a double-purpose of serving as an anchor in this chaos.
Gradually, they reoriented themselves, managing at least to get their bearings in the chaos, and went to stand under their flag and the projected image of Gipsy next to Andrés and Daniel. Yancy ran his eyes over some of the signs being waved around in the packed stadium.
Gracias!
Viva la Programma de Jaegers!
God bless the Rangers!
A massive group of young kids, probably a school group, was down low in the stands with a long banner that Yancy decided was his favorite:
Jaeger Cazador Hunter Chasseur Lieren Okhotnik Sikari Sanyangkkun Hanta Kirehe Mangangaso
"Psst." He nudged Raleigh, and at first wasn't going to point, but then decided the kids would appreciate it. They did, and went wild, jumping up and down and shrieking when they realized the Beckets were looking at them.
"Aw, that's awesome," Raleigh shouted in his ear over the noise, and waved directly at the children.
Yancy and Raleigh had already received their citation for bravery, but when the brass had proposed using this venue as the forum for the other one they'd chosen to award, all of the other pilots had been very much on board. Secretary General Krieger had come to make the presentation, and ordered the Beckets to be the ones to give the medals. (Not that it was necessary to order them - all he would've had to do was drop a hint, and Yancy and Raleigh would have jumped on it.)
The infield of the stadium was left clear so that, at the eight pilots' insistence, their support crews could join them in getting the public's recognition.
"As you know, ladies and gentlemen, it takes more than pilots to bring a Jaeger against a kaiju! Please welcome the brave men and women of the Jaeger support crews!" The crowds gladly rose and roared again. Rather than be stuffed into dress uniforms and jackets, the support staff had engaged in a minor mutiny (with their Rangers' endorsement) and the brass had caved to allow them to wear their various "team shirts" and home country paraphernalia. Now their entry onto the field made Yancy again think of the Olympics, like the Parade of Nations with everyone having their individual touch.
The strike troop teams had the most variation, since they were the ones who separated most often from the Jaegers. The media had already worked out the theme in their call signs, which had originated as a private joke among the Mark-1's and was now a rigid tradition:
Solar Prophet's crew was Pisco Uno through Quatro. Matador Fury's R&R teams were called Tequila; Hydra's were Cider Alpha through Delta. And, of course, Gipsy's were Whiskey Alpha, Whiskey Beta, Whiskey Gamma, and Whiskey Delta (and collectively nicknamed Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, to the irritation of the stuffier superiors).
The support staff of all four Jaegers came from all over the world, but the ones with family or origin in Central America got to show some special pride today - and got special love from the masses. At one point, a group of teenagers pointed wildly at the Whiskey Gamma crew and began waving at a familiar head of dark hair streaked with black and gold highlights: "NIK-KI! NIK-KI! NIK-KI!"
Nicola Harris gaped, and her teammates cheered and gleefully began encouraging her admirers, shoving her forward. "Far cry from what happened back home," Raleigh remarked, but he grinned and gave two thumbs up to crew and kids. "Her mom was Guatemalan. The press is jumping on that." Nikki actually looked a little shy and hid behind Antwan and Brandon as the announcements and introductions went on.
Then Secretary General Krieger took over the proceedings again, and informed the crowd and Rangers that a final company of guests had to be introduced. The four support crews were moved to the side to make way for another entry, and in came a steady stream of people. Clearly not VIPs, nor PPDC personnel... most were younger men and women, but some were families and elderly. Dark skin and hard hands. Yancy was never sure who made the connection first, but amid the murmurs from crowd and crews and media, he heard the word, floating in awestruck whispers:
"Esperanza."
"It's the people from the ship."
"Los pasajeros de la Esperanza!"
Oh my god. There were a couple hundred of them by the time they filled the remaining space on the infield, and Yancy knew that this was still only a fraction of those who had been on that ship. Even if its name wasn't being whispered from multiple mouths in the crowd, he would probably have figured it out based on the way they were looking up at the stage. None of these people noticed the crew of Gipsy Danger, Hydra Corinthian, or Solar Prophet. They had eyes only for Matador Fury. And they weren't wrong.
The stadium fell into reverent silence as Secretary General Krieger ordered Andrés and Daniel to step forward, and Raleigh and Yancy to join him. "Courage alone does not merit special praise in the Jaeger Program. Bravery is not an accolade, but an essential part of your role. However, even those who have already distinguished themselves above all others may still rise to new heights of valor. In recognition of your heroism, Andrés Alcazar and Daniel Moreno, in your rescue of the vessel Esperanza and over three thousand souls, the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps is pleased to make this special citation for bravery."
In the year since Gipsy's launch, Yancy had shaken hands with the Presidents of the United States, Canada, Guatemala, and El Salvador. He'd met the Queen of England and a whole slew of celebrities, been on television with international media personalities.
Pinning these medals on his fellow pilots would definitely rank as one of the highest honors he'd ever had, and he knew without needing a drift that his brother felt the same.
Once the various presentations and announcements were made, the crews were all getting ready to depart, and the Rangers were supposed to go back out through the tunnel. But Raleigh shot a smirk at Yancy and caught Andrés and Daniel's eyes, then the other four pilots grinned too. And before anybody could stop them, they were all heading for the stage steps as if this had been the plan all along. It wasn't as if Krieger or any of the PR reps could claim otherwise!
On the grass of the infield, they weren't really conscious of the roars or the people in the stands anymore. They just moved together among that group of wide-eyed strangers who had actually been in Matador's hands. Andrés and Daniel were first in their admiration, but most had plenty to say to the other pilots too.
"Thank you."
"Pensabamos que ibamos a morir."
"God bless you, Rangers."
"Gracias por toda, señores."
"Did the kaiju bite you?" a little girl asked Yancy and Raleigh.
They laughed. "He tried, so we hit him."
"You hit him many times!" laughed one of the adults.
Krieger, despite being the biggest honcho at the event, seemed to be pleased by the Rangers' decision to expand the meet-and-greet, and didn't insist they stop for a while. They mingled with the Esperanza's passengers for a long time, getting handshakes and embraces and words of thanks that were so profuse, it was sometimes hard to keep their composure. They walked along the edges of the field catching flowers and stuffed animals thrown from the stands and signed some autographs.
So this is what it means to be heroes, too.
To be continued...
Coming next weekend: The Rangers and their crews bask in the rock star life in Guatemala City, and our heroes (especially Raleigh) learn a few things about family, hope, and symbolism in Chapter Thirty-One: Albatross!
PLEASE don't forget to review!
Spanish Translations (The countries' names are the full formal national names, as in the Olympics.)
Del Republico de Peru, los pilotos del Jaeger Profeta Solor: Alejandro Quispe y Sunya Flores! = "From the Republic of Peru, the pilots of Jaeger Solar Prophet: Alejandro Quispe and Sunya Flores!"
De los Estados Unidos de America, las pilotas del Jaeger Hydra Corinthian: Stephanie Lanphier y Kennedy LaRue! = "From the United States of America, the pilots of Jaeger Hydra Corinthian: Stephanie Lanphier and Kennedy LaRue!"
De los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, los pilotos del Jaeger Matador Furio: Andrés Alcazar y Daniel Moreno! = "From the United Mexican States, the pilots of Jaeger Matador Fury: Andres Alcazar and Daniel Moreno!"
De los Estados Unidos de America, los pilotos del Jaeger Gipsy Danger: Yancy y Raleigh Becket! = "From the United States of America, the pilots of Jaeger Gipsy Danger: Yancy and Raleigh Becket!"
Gracias, Abuela = "Thanks, Grandma"
Viva la Programma de Jaegers! = "Long live the Jaeger Program!"
Los pasajeros de la Esperanza! = "The passengers of the Esperanza!"
Pensabamos que ibamos a morir. = "We thought we were going to die."
Gracias por toda, señores = "Thank you for everything, sirs."
Original Character Guide
Andrés Alcazar and Daniel Moreno: Matador Fury's Rangers, Mexican nationals, age 39. Andrés was a historian and Daniel was a lawyer, both writing and working against institutional corruption before imprisoned for an unknown period. They were released along with other non-violent prisoners to attempt the Jaeger Academy, but have not yet been granted a pardon.
Alejandro (Alex) Quispe and Sunya Flores: Solar Prophet's Rangers, early 30s, Peruvians of mixed Quechan/Latino ancestry. A romantic couple who worked in the Peruvian railway industry before K-Day.
Benjamin (Ben) Gonzalez and Felipe Jara: Diablo Intercept's Rangers, mid-30s, Chilean, worked together on a submarine in the Chilean Navy before K-Day.
Antwan Ferrier: Gipsy Danger Personnel Coordinator, directs Whiskey Gamma, a team of Strike Troopers. Age 39, Jamaican national.
Hien Nguyen: Gipsy Danger strike troop personnel coordinator, directs Whiskey Alpha. Mid-20s, Vietnamese-American.
Nicola Harris: Rescue/recovery EMT with Whiskey Gamma, age 21 from San Diego, CA, daughter of Brady Harris's cousin and a Guatemalan immigrant.
Penelope (Penny) Jefferson: Yankee Star's support chief, formerly a superior officer of the Rangers when they were in the Marines.
Carolina Olivares: Gipsy Danger's Public Relations Representative, Mexican-American, mid-60s, crew den mother.
Marshall Ana Ramirez: commanding officer of the Los Angeles Shatterdome, Mexican-American, mid-40s, formerly a US Army Lieutenant Colonel.
Marshall Vincent Gagnon: commanding officer of the Anchorage Shatterdome and Jaeger Academy, formerly Canadian Air Force, late 50s
Marshall Blake Ketteridge: commanding officer of the Sydney Shatterdome, mid-60s, formerly Royal Australian Air Force Vice Marshall
Admiral Daichi Yamamoto: commanding officer of the Tokyo Shatterdome, late 50s, Japanese Navy officer