Okhada Capitol Building
Asean Republic, Pacific Ocean
April 12th, 437 AC
12:30 PM Local Time
"I can't believe they're making us do this," Jay muttered in a hushed but annoyed voice. "I really hate all this pomp and circumstance shit sometimes," he said as he adjusted his tie.
"Don't worry about it, Samurai," Cyborg assured him as he finished buttoning up his suit. "It's just a short speech. It shouldn't take that long- not for us, anyway."
"Are you two ready?" Alex asked as he walked up to them with the newly promoted Supreme Commander Alston at his heels. Whenever Jay had seen Alex, he had only ever seen him in casual clothes, so it felt strange seeing him in a suit and tie.
Cyborg nodded. "Yep, we're ready to go," he answered.
Alex smiled. "Good, let's go." Without another word, he turned toward the door and walked out into the sunlight.
Jay, Cyborg, and Alston all followed him out onto the steps of the capitol building, where thousands of people stood at the base of the steps. In all his years, even as a Peacekeeper, Jay never had to stand in front of such a large crowd. Luckily, he didn't have to actually say anything. Otherwise, he would've been a whole lot more nervous.
"Citizens of the Asean Republic," Alex began, speaking into the microphone that sat on the podium in front of him. "As your new Prime Minister, I'll start by saying one thing. I know we're all sick of fighting. This tragic war has cost the lives of many, too many. What makes it worse is that they were our countrymen. They were friends and family, and now they're gone. This war has divided us in more ways than one, but now it's time to finally begin the process of restoring our great nation, of healing.
A roar of applause rose up from the audience, and Alex waited for it to die down before speaking again. As Jay looked over the crowd, he spotted the rest of the Paladin Mercenary Corps at the front of the group. They seemed to notice him looking at them, too, since they started pointing and waving as soon as he saw them. Jay smiled and gave them a curt nod before turning his attention back to Alex.
"With that said, though, let me be the first to promise you that this is going to be a good thing for the Asean Republic," Alex continued. "No longer will you have to fight a system that seeks to push you down at every opportunity, and you can mark my words on this, but the Federation will never have a place here ever again. However, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this if it weren't for all the brave men and women who fought and died for a better world. We especially wouldn't have been able to make it this far if it weren't for the Paladin Mercenary Corps." He gestured to Jay and Cyborg. "These two stand here beside me today, representing about fifty men and women who didn't give up, no matter how hard things got. For that, they have my eternal gratitude." Alex turned around and cut his microphone. "Again, thank you both, as well as everyone else, for everything you've done for us. Your payment has been sent, with a bonus as agreed upon. If there's anything else we can do for you, don't hesitate to ask."
Jay looked at Cyborg, who nodded back to him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Well, now that you mention it," Jay said. "There is one thing that you could do for us."
Okhada Air Base
Asean Republic, Pacific Ocean
April 12th, 437 AC
5:42 PM Local Time
"I can't believe Knight didn't wanna jump on this chance for new planes," Nyx said as she followed Jay, Eagle, Mustang, and Jolt into the hangar that Alston directed them to.
"Yeah, well, they're not the ones that have been stuck flying sluggish old tin cans for months on end," Jolt remarked.
"God, I just can't wait to finally be out of that damn F/E-4," Jay remarked. "I swear, if I never see that bucket of bolts again, it'll be too soon."
"I guess that's your guys' problem for letting your old planes get damaged beyond repair," Eagle said with a shrug. "I don't plan on parting with my MG-29 any time soon."
"Then why did you come along?" Mustang asked, chuckling. "You just gonna stand around while we get new planes?"
"I mean, I might as well," Eagle answered. "After all, we've still got a couple hours until we have to get ready for the big dinner tonight, and it's not like I've got anything better to do until then."
"Ah, he's just lost without us," Nyx teased him, nudging his shoulder with her elbow. "Nah, scratch that. His whole world revolves around us."
Eagle scoffed. "I think you might be giving yourself a bit too much credit there, Nyx," he responded.
"Alright, you two," Jay stepped in. "Let's just focus on picking out new planes," he said as he opened the door to the hangar.
A man quickly saw them come in and speed-walked over to them. "You from the Paladin Mercenary Corps?" he asked.
Jay nodded. "That we are," he answered. "Supreme Commander Alston sent us here so we could buy new planes."
"Well, lemme tell ya, we've got plenty of planes for you to choose from," the man said, gesturing to all of the different planes parked in the hangar.
"What do you have for two-seaters?" Nyx asked.
"If you'll follow me," the man said, turning around and walking over to the rows of planes. "You'll see we've got quite a few. I suppose you're looking for something more than an F/E-4. In that case, if you're looking for interceptors, we've got a CR.105, an MG-31, or an F/D-14. If you're looking for a ground-pounder, then your best bet is an SK.25U. If you're in the market for a multirole, then there's an F/F-18 for ya. Although I suppose you'd be more interested in a fighter, in that case, we've got an SK.30 for you."
Jay looked over the SK.30 from top to bottom. "It's tempting- very tempting," he finally said. "But I think it'd be a bit outside of our price range." He and Nyx both gravitated to the F/F-18. "What do you think, Nyx?"
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess," Nyx said with a shrug. "I say let's go for it."
"Splendid!" the man helping them out said. "Now, as for you three, I suppose you're all looking for single-seaters?" he presumed.
"Just the two of us buying planes, actually," Mustang corrected him, gesturing to himself and Jolt. "This guy's just our plus one," he teased Eagle as he pointed to him. Eagle responded by jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow.
"Well, everything else here is a single-seater, so feel free to let me know what you're looking at," the man said.
Mustang meandered around the hangar for a while before eventually stopping in front of an F/C-15. "I'll go for this one," he decided.
"Excellent choice," the man assured Mustang. "And you?" he asked, turning his attention to Jolt.
"I think this SK.27 is calling my name," Jolt finally said.
"Good to hear. I'll make sure these all get sent over to your crew chiefs," the man said. "Before you go, though, I'd like to personally thank you all for everything you've done for us. I've been with you since Thunder Island, so I know exactly what you're all capable of."
"We were just doing what you paid us to," Jay said with a shrug. "But I hope you all see success with this whole 'new government' thing."
"You think we should head back, Samurai?" Eagle asked.
Jay nodded. "Yeah, we might as well," he replied. "We should probably start getting ready anyway."
Without another word, all five pilots turned around and left the hangar.
Firebrand Bar
Asean Republic, Pacific Ocean
April 12th, 437 AC
6:45 PM Local Time
The mood at dinner was the same as it always was whenever Paladin finished a contract: energetic and happy. People were laughing, drinking, telling stories, and joking with each other all over. It was something that Jay never got tired of. Being surrounded by the people that he considered to be his family in a situation where he didn't have to worry about being shot at any moment was always enjoyable to him. For a while, he spent a lot of time talking with Gray at the bar, discussing how different missions went for them until Cyborg stood up on a chair and gathered everyone's attention.
"Attention, everyone!" Cyborg called out. "I just want your attention for a quick second. I know we've all been through a lot, and it's nice to take this time to finally unwind, but I want to take this time and truly thank each and every one of you for all of this. For a long time, my dream has been to command a group like this as we leave our mark on the world, and thanks to all of you, we've made my dream a reality. The Paladin Mercenary Corps is quickly growing in name thanks to our work here, and because of that, it means you're all finally getting the recognition that you deserve. I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. You're all damn good at what you do, and I couldn't ask for a better group of mercenaries to call my family."
"Hey, let's not forget about Star either," Tux spoke up. "We might not even have taken this job if it weren't for him. And since this job is probably the best thing that's ever happened to us, I think we should toast to him." Tux raised her glass in the air. "To Star."
"To Star!" everyone cheered as they raised their glasses and bottles.
"Whatever skies he's flying now, I hope they're peaceful," Cyborg said. "One thing's for sure, though, I know we're finally going to get a bit of peace and quiet for the next few weeks. We're probably going to stay here for a week or two, resupplying and whatnot. After that, we'll pack up and head back to the periphery where, hopefully, we'll have loads of new opportunities waiting for us."
Jay smiled as he looked around the room. At the same time, though, he couldn't help but feel something nagging at the back of his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite think of what it was. It left a sort of heavy feeling in his stomach, weighing him down that he couldn't get rid of.
'Maybe I just need some air,' Jay thought to himself, stepping away from the bar and moving toward the door.
As soon as he stepped outside, he felt a refreshing blast of spring air hit him as he leaned against the railing of the patio. Once he got some time alone, it didn't take long for him to figure out what he was feeling: guilt. The feeling that he was lying to everyone he called his family, the ones that took him in when he needed help the most, was eating him alive. They knew so little about him that they didn't even know his real name. After Jay fled to North America to get away from Yakutia, he changed his last name from Cross to Crux. He wanted so desperately to tell them all the truth of where he came from and what his past was like, but he could never find the right moment or the right words, not to mention the fact that the thought of them getting angry at him scared Jay to death.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Nyx's voice behind him. "You out here for some air too?" She walked over to stand next to Jay and leaned onto the railing.
"Yeah," Jay lied. "It just gets a little crowded with them sometimes, y'know?" He laughed a bit.
"Yeah," Nyx agreed as her voice trailed off, making it clear that she had something on her mind.
"You uh… you alright?" Jay asked with a more concerned look.
Nyx took a deep breath. "Do you ever think about calling it quits?" she asked suddenly. "Like, we've got enough money to retire and live comfortably into our eighties probably, yet we continue to put ourselves in life or death situations."
"No, I don't think about it," Jay answered without a moment's hesitation. "When I'm on contracts, especially bigger ones like this, I feel like I'm making a difference in the world," he explained. "And that makes me feel… good." His lips curled into a faint smile as he thought about standing up on the steps to the capitol building with Alex, Cyborg, and Alston. "I think a lot about the heavier shit like what we're doing here. Why all of this-" He gestured vaguely to everything in front of them. "Really matters. In truth, it makes me feel like shit sometimes," Jay admitted. "In the end, I just wanna let the world know I was here- that I mattered, and if that means I have to die fighting for someone who can't or someone who needs me, then so be it."
Jay was about to keep talking, but he found himself caught utterly off-guard as Nyx suddenly wrapped her arms around him. It was a gesture that he didn't expect at all, much less from Nyx, but he appreciated it all the same. "You don't need to die to prove that you mattered," she told him. "Because you matter to me and everyone else in there," she said, pointing to the bar. "If I learned one thing before I met you guys, it's that if you try to leave your mark on the world, the world will just cover it back up over time."
Jay sighed, not out of exasperation but more out of content. "Thanks, Nyx," he finally said. "I appreciate it."
Nyx broke off from the hug and smirked at him. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"
Jay chuckled. "Yeah…" His voice trailed off as he looked out at the city.
"Excuse me!" A man's voice quickly grabbed his attention. "Are you that mercenary from the ceremony yesterday?" The voice belonged to a man in a suit and tie, who was quickly walking toward Jay and Nyx.
"Uh… yeah, I suppose I am," Jay answered hesitantly. "Who might you be?"
"My name is Oliver Grimwall. I'm the Republic of Albion's ambassador to the Asean Republic," Oliver introduced himself. "I'm here to offer you a job on behalf of the European Coalition."