BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 56
 

Naming the ship that all of them had grown so close on had been difficult, and Elias was pleased to have come up with a new name for the Okami H model freighter that not only seemed to fit, but also honored their three friends that had perished onboard. The fox had paid a few of the port’s ground crew to fix a sheet over the name with a long cord, though the rest of the color scheme was easily visible.

  Gone was the metallic emerald green and silver wings. Though Elias and the rest had taken pride in the colors, the fox had wanted something a little different. He maintained the sparkling metallic paint, but this time in dark blue and copper colored trim that shimmered in the bright Dennieran sunlight.

  The members of Elias’ crew, his in-laws, and friends Merlin and Samantha stood together. The fox accepted a quick kiss from his wife before turning to face the others.

  “When I first stepped onto the ship behind me, it was to captain a warship with the sole purpose of making the Alignment a safer place. It was the first of a whole series of vessels that would follow with the same task as ours; find pirates, criminals and others that threatened the worlds and people of the PA and put them out of business.

  “We did that.

  “We stopped those that would prey on others, stopped slavers, prevented smugglers from spreading not just illegal technology, but drugs and other materials that were specifically targeted to youngsters for nothing more than making criminals rich. We didn’t get all of them, not by a long shot, but I think we did a lot of good. The longer we followed what we were tasked with, the closer we grew. Each one of the individuals on board became friends, and from that they became family.

  “I lost three of my crew on this very ship through a cowardly attack. I lost two brothers and a sister, and there’s a hole in my heart and soul that will never be filled where they used to be. I still hurt, but they will always be with me. We found the ones responsible, though, and we stopped them from ever harming another citizen ever again.

  “When I made my intentions known of leaving the SPF and following a life on my own terms with my wife, the lady that brought me back to life as much as the doctors that tended wounds I received, and those of you that have come to mean so much to me, I was told that this very ship was available for the life I wanted that would keep us flying together. At first I was reluctant, intimidated by the memories that resided within her. Then I thought about it and realized those same memories were the best way to keep our loved ones with us and alive in our hearts.

  “It is because of the sacrifice of Melise, Stram and Rutger that I chose a name that would honor their memories and the place they have within each of us. May they watch over us as we begin adventures of our own in our new lives. To each of you, who have come to mean so much to me, I introduce you to the Ascendant Angel.”

  Elias tugged on the cord attached to the sheet and revealed the name and the ship’s symbol of three silver stars in orbit around each other with sweeping copper trim spilling away from the emblem, forming stylized wings further back on the hull that were similar to the original ship’s symbol, but at the same time very different.

  The original crew of the Guiding Angel nodded, most of them with moist eyes, though it was Randy that was shedding the most tears. “It’s fitting. You’ve brought our home back to life, Elias.”

  “I hope you have enough Champaign for the rest of us, Toddy-boy!” a voice called out across the tarmac.

  Elias and the others turned to look at the speaker, a few like Sonja, Randy and Cerise reaching for concealed pistols until they saw who had spoken.

  In a knot stood Alistair, Chuck, Galina, and a couple of the other Q-ship captains along with Sandy, who was dressed in civilian clothing, his wife Meri, and Jenna. The lion shrugged as the group was regarded with wide eyed astonishment.

  “We couldn’t pass up the chance to celebrate the resurrection of this particular ship,” Sandy said with a smile.

  Alistair gave the fox a warm embrace before moving to Cerise and planted a kiss on her cheek as he gave her a squeeze. “I thought you’d wind up keeping his feet on the ground.”

  The vixen laughed. “Are you joking? I think I’m more excited about taking off than Elias is, you scoundrel!”

  “Always flirting with my wife,” the white fox commented with a shake of his head.

  “More like flirting with anything female,” Galina said with a rich laugh and stepped forward to say hello. “He’s made a dozen passes at me on the walk over from the southern landing area and jabbered with nonstop innuendo.”

  The greetings and introductions took a while before things settled down. Randal went into the ship to get the bottles of wine including the one that would be used to christen the vessel and even brought out a folding chair for Samantha and a bottle of fruit juice as she declined a glass of Champaign due to her condition.

  Sandy was prompted to actually do the christening with the argument that much of what had transpired, a little of it bad, most of it good, and all of it profound and life altering, had been because of the events he’d set in motion. Afterwards Meri gave a blessing to the ship that all who ever stepped onto her decks would be kept safe, their lives prosperous and filled with joy. From there it quickly turned into a rather raucous party that starport security showed up to investigate until most of the individuals in attendance flashed Spatial Police Force identification and the most notable personality turned out to be Elias himself, his exploits still fresh in the memories of many individuals that resided in Grandstorm.

  It seemed that everyone came up to wish the fox good fortune, which continued long after Merlin had to take Samantha home to rest. They all promised to stay in touch and get together whenever they were on Dennier and Cerise and Elias bid their good friends a fond farewell.

  The fox found Galina’s former First Officer Aiden Haskell, now a Captain of his own hunter, walking around the ship holding his wife’s hand and looking the vessel over. “Apart from the new paint job it looks just like she did when we first met up,” the human said with awe.

  “The Okami crews really did a good job,” the skunkette, Cleo, agreed.

  “To be honest I’m just glad to have her back,” Elias said looking up at the hull that gleamed in the lights from the port. “I don’t know why I was so worried to come back to her.”

  “I think it’s like you said in your speech,” Aiden told the fur. “There’s a lot of memories tied up in her. Good and bad. You’ve finally discovered that no matter what, she’s Home.”

  “Do you always have to make so much sense?” Elias asked with a wry grin.

  “Isn’t he insufferable?” Cleo asked before giving her human husband a kiss on the cheek. “And right almost all of the time. I think that’s what makes him so smug sometimes.”

  “I’ll try to be more humble,” the man said with a straight face.

  “Not likely,” the skunk said with a laugh.

  Eventually they drifted back to the others and the small group of friends and family. As the hour grew late, well wishes were made again with promises to keep an eye out for the fox and his crew and the others drifted off to return to their own ships. Jenna stood apart from the others looking up at the name on the bow, her dark eyes glittering in the lights on the tarmac that chased away the gloom of night. Cerise slipped up quietly and put an arm around the younger female’s shoulders.

  “Looks like you’re having some pretty deep thoughts for what’s supposed to be a party,” the vixen said with a little squeeze.

  “I guess I am,” Jenna replied with a slightly embarrassed smile. “This is the ship all of you were on when you rescued me. It’s where my life completely changed and started me down the path to a real family and learning that being a slave or piece of meat for someone else’s pleasure isn’t the only thing out there.” She wiped at her eyes again. “I hope this ship flies forever.” She looked sideways at the vixen and tentatively leaned her head against the other female, enjoying something akin to having a real big sister. “The same with her crew.”

  “Well, you never know what we’re going to encounter out there,” Cerise said with a chuckle. “We might wind up showing others there are possibilities besides what you went through. We know you’ll certainly be doing the same.”

  “You bet I will,” the ferret agreed with a firm nod.

  “C’mon. Let’s go see what Sandy’s talking to the others about,” Cerise suggested.

  They walked arm in arm and Jenna leaned over to the other female. “By the way, the dye job is stunning!” she exclaimed quietly. “That’s the only problem with having to follow regs. I can’t do that!”

  Cerise grinned. “Actually it’s just a permanent bleach job. I have spray dyes to go with whatever I’m going to wear.”

  “I am so jealous!”

  Sander Brees was looking at Lena and Randal as he gestured with his wine glass. “…seeing the equipment is still functioning, a few of us chipped in and found a little present to give you…well, to all of you really, considering what your business will be centered around,” the lion was saying. He cocked his head and slowly smiled as the deep chopping sound of a large helicopter’s rotors grew closer. “In fact, that should be it now.”

  A Cloud Master heavy lift chopper came into view, lit up with the powerful lights from the starport, the triple rotors beating a deep staccato ThumpThumpThumpThump! as it slowed to hover in front of the sapphire and copper vessel before lowering the burden it carried.

  Lena’s eyes grew wide and a smile crept over her face.

  “We figured that there wasn’t any reason not to provide protective services in full to your clients,” Sandy said loudly in an offhand manner, “so we found this in a pile of mothballs and figured it had collected enough dust.”

  The fighter was an older ThunderBolt, its layout looking more like a squashed, tapered cone, the engine pods and weapons encapsulated within sponsons mounted low on the fuselage. It wasn’t as fast as either the Raptor or Kestrel fighters that the doe had been flying, but it was durable and still in service with a number of worlds and defense forces.

  “Of course we can’t let you have missiles, though the internal bays are still…functional,” Sandy said in a low voice covered by a cough followed by a wink. “If we don’t know about them we can’t say anything. She is equipped with four pulse cannon and two thirty millimeter gauss cannon.” The lion scratched his chin thoughtfully. “She’s kind of an elegant lady.”

  Lena squealed and jumped at her former superior and hugged him tightly before giving the startled lion a loud kiss to the side of his face.

  “Don’t think this excuses you from acting as navigator and relief pilot,” Elias said sternly. “I can’t have my First Officer off gallivanting in her new toy every time I turn around.”

  “What?” the doe asked with a surprised look in her eyes. “First Officer? Me?”

  “Well…yeah,” Elias said with a grin.

***

  Everyone was quite happy and fairly tired by the time they left the Grandstorm Starport, though Lena was noticeably excited still, and Elias and Cerise went to bed while listening to the rabbit talking excitedly with her wolf in the room across the hall with the occasional yip of joy.

  “I think you made Lena’s year,” the vixen said with a chuckle as Elias slid between the sheets to hold his mate to him.

  “Just a little,” the fox said with a kiss to the back of his wife’s ear. “Maybe I’ll take her with me when I meet the applicant’s for the cook’s position. Feel like going or did you have other plans?”

  Cerise snuggled deeper into the hollow of her mate’s body. “Keena and I were going out for supplies tomorrow. The standard stuff; books, movies, games. Lem’s going to finish putting together the infirmary and Odette and Sonja are spending the next couple of days in the city.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine,” the vixen said softly. “They’re both just, um, wanting a little company.” She sighed and pulled the fox’s arms tighter around her. “Not everyone can be as lucky as me,” Cerise said with a content smile.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.