Thunder Island Air Base
Asean Republic, Pacific Ocean
March 18th, 437 AC
4:15 PM Local Time
"Shit." After a long silence in Paladin's hangar, Jay was the first to speak up. He climbed out of his Phantom's cockpit and jumped onto the hangar floor.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Cyborg agreed, nodding his head slowly.
Tux let out a heavy sigh. "It was all my fault. I- I was right there with him- I should've-"
"Hey, knock that off," Cyborg cut her off. "Shades and I were there too. We're just as responsible. If anything, I should be the one taking all the blame." He leaned up against the wall. "I have to look out for every single one of you." His eyes drifted across the room, making contact with each pilot. "Especially the three of you," he added, nodding to Tux, Shades, and an empty spot where Star likely would've been. "That's my job, not just as your flight lead or even your boss, but as your family. When I lose one of you, I'll always be responsible, and that's why."
"Boss…" Jay began before pausing, unsure of how to phrase the words in his head. He had never really been good with processing loss or helping others with it, despite having so much of it in his past. "Look around," he finally said, gesturing to the whole room. "Look at how many of us there are, and this isn't even all of us. No one person should have that much weight on their shoulders. You said it yourself: we're a family, and families look out for each other- just like how Star was looking out for us when he took on that Arcion. He may not have intended to, but in the end, he gave his life so that we could live. It's up to us to make sure we honor that."
"We're gonna have to hold some kinda funeral for him," Stallion finally spoke up for the first time since landing.
"I can go have a look around our room and see if I can find something to bury in his place," Shades offered, straightening up.
Cyborg nodded. "Good. The rest of you, do whatever you feel you need to to get ready."
Everyone turned their attention to the sudden opening of the door to the hangar as an ALF soldier entered. "Uhh… Paladin?" he asked timidly. "General Alston is requesting that everyone be present for a debriefing ASAP- said it was urgent," he informed the group of mercenaries.
"Alright, we'll be right there," Cyborg assured him before turning his attention back to the other pilots. "Let's go; we can finish planning this out after."
"As I'm sure you're all aware," Alston began. "We suffered heavy losses after today's attack by the Loyalists. However, we likely would have lost a lot more were it not for the Paladin Mercenary Corps, so I'd like to sincerely thank you in that respect." He nodded approvingly at the mercenaries. "Unfortunately, that's about all the good news I can bring. Ever since the attack, we've been working 'round the clock to make contact with our other bases on the front lines," Alston explained.
He turned his attention to the projector sitting next to him and flicked it on, placing a slide showing the Asean Republic on it. After quickly grabbing several whiteboard markers from the table, he took the blue one and marked Thunder Island.
"Despite our efforts, they've all been non-responsive. A communications jam is unlikely because we're able to raise other outposts further north with no issues. With these facts put together, we believe that the Loyalists took over these bases, leaving us cut off and behind enemy lines," Alston said, drawing a line across the Asean Republic in red and putting Thunder Island far below said line. He took a deep breath and leaned against the projector. "Look, I know that this isn't what you all were hoping to hear. However, we can't give up- we won't give up because if we do, then the Asean Liberation Front falls. The entire war hinges on this base, and I don't plan on letting it fall into the hands of those Loyalist dogs." He started pacing around the front of the room. "We'll need to formulate a plan still, but whatever we do, we need to do it quickly. It's only a matter of time before the Loyalists try to take this base again. For now, though, get some rest. You've all earned it. Cyborg, your input in this plan would be a big help."
"I'll join you in a little while, General. For now, Paladin has some business we need to attend to," Cyborg told Alston.
"I can't believe this," Jay muttered, unzipping his flight suit. "I don't think this situation could get any more FUBAR."
"Careful," Eagle warned him. "You say things like that, and it's bound to get worse."
Jay sighed. "I just- I don't get it. How did things go so wrong? This was supposed to be a quick job, and now we might not even make it out alive. I mean, we already lost Star, so who's next? You? Me? Mustang? Jolt? Nyx? Or maybe it'll be all of us together." He undid his ponytail, letting his light brown hair fall to his shoulders.
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Eagle admitted. His expression softened a bit, which was rare for him. His scarred faced often betrayed no emotion. "Makes me think back to all the truly small jobs we'd get, like the time we had to escort that politician's plane, and nothing happened." He smiled a bit at the fond memory while putting on a pair of dress pants.
Jay nodded as the memory came up in his mind as well. "Ah yeah, I remember that. It was the first time you flew as Templar 2, right?" He took off his regular white t-shirt and put a dress shirt on in its place.
"Yep. We've come a long way since then, haven't we? All of us. Jolt joined us a few months later, and things stayed that way for a long damn time." Eagle adjusted his necktie and slid on his suit jacket.
"Until now, that is," Jay added solemnly. As he took out his suit jacket from his bag, he spotted a small pin underneath it. It was violet in color and looked almost like crystals or a flower with four 'petals' branching out. Jay quickly glanced over his shoulder to check if Eagle was looking before burying it further in his bag. As much as he wished he could just throw the damn thing in the ocean, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Eagle stood up and wrapped each of his arms behind his head until they responded with a pop. "Well, you ready? The sooner we get this done, the better," he muttered.
"Just a sec," Jay told him, springing to his feet and hastily buttoning up his jacket. He put some product in his hair and combed it all back before tying it back into a ponytail. "Alright, let's go."
As the two pilots left their room, they almost immediately ran into Nyx and Tux, both wearing suits as well. After exchanging a few brief words, they all went together, making their way through the winding halls of the base before finally coming to the entrance and stepping outside. By then, several hours had passed since the attack, and the sun was starting to set, which cast a stunning orange glow over the ocean. Down on the beach, facing the sunset, the rest of Paladin had already gathered, and Jay, Eagle, Nyx, and Tux went to join them. Mustang sat on the sand, strumming a tune on his acoustic guitar.
Cyborg stepped forward and turned to face the group. "You know why we're all gathered here: we lost a brother today. Now… we come to remember his life and send him off right- as any Paladin deserves." He produced two items from his pockets: a medal and a combat knife. "This is the Asean Medal of Bravery. For those of you who didn't know, Star was in the Asean Air Force for a time before joining us. He got this medal when he covered the retreat of his whole squadron by himself, against impossible odds. When I first got the offer for this job, Star was by far the most vocal about wanting me to accept it. He said he wanted to fight to better his homeland so that he might feel proud to call himself Asean again." Cyborg leaned down and made a small hole in the sand, and gently placed the medal inside before covering it back up. He took the knife in his hands and thrust it into the ground. "Rest easy, Star. May your soul be free to soar through the open skies forever." Cyborg stood up and rejoined the crowd.
Shades was the next person to step forward. "When I think about Star, I often think back to our first time in the air together. We were going into this massive furball, and quite frankly, I wasn't sure we were gonna come out of it in one piece. Star came up behind me and said, "Hey, don't worry about it. As long as we've got each other's backs, we'll be just fine," and boy was he right," Shades chuckled a bit. "Star and I went crazy on 'em. I still haven't bagged as many kills in one sortie as I did during that mission. That was Star in a nutshell, now that I think about it. Loyal to a fault, and he'd follow you to the gates of hell and back. Goodbye, Star, and never stop fighting."
Stallion took Shades' place in front of the group. "I- Well, I've never really been uh… y'know, good with things like these, but I just wanted to say that Star was truly special. He had this sort of like- charm, I guess, that you just don't see often. He would always brighten my day without fail, and that meant a lot to me." He nodded to the knife in the sand and stepped back.
One by one, people went up to either share one of their fondest memories with Star or share how much he meant to them. Then, it was quiet. A warm breeze blew through the air, rustling everyone's hair and clothes, but they didn't mind. Each Paladin mercenary just stood there, looking at that knife and reflecting on what it meant to them. As minutes passed and the sun disappeared behind the horizon, people slowly started to make their way back to the base, but not a single one left without saluting the knife. Jay was among the last to go, but as he started heading back inside, he stopped and turned around. Cyborg was the last one still there, sitting all alone on the beach, illuminated by moonlight.
Jay took a deep breath and walked back over to stand alongside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Y'know, what I said before still stands. You don't have to do this alone. We're in this together- 'till the very end. That's what it means to be part of Paladin." He paused before smiling a bit. "You told me that when I first joined," he added.
Cyborg nodded, looking out at the ocean in front of them. "Whatever happens next, I know that'll hold true." He finally took his eyes off the water and looked at Jay. "Thank you, Samurai."
Jay shrugged. "Hey, that's what families are for, right?" He patted Cyborg's shoulder before turning to head back inside.