Epilogue

  The inside of the Deck Hall was lively with Liberation’s latest victory. The destruction of the Litvyak along with finally smiting the legendary General Kawaguchi would deal a massive blow to the efforts of the G.E.I. and the Weapons Administration.

  However, this enthusiasm was not mutual. Rei knew her revenge was now complete, but she still felt just as empty as ever. She did not say a word to Megumi are the others after her display. Vic would never be able to harm anyone ever again, but the people she held dear were long gone. Every person she encountered following the fight seemed distant, even more so with Megumi. She was beyond devastated.

  At this point Rei was trying to make peace with herself and the many terrible things behind her. Killing Vic opened all her worst memories while also tainting the ones she held dear. Shugo tried to free her mind and help her make her own decisions—ones that brought her right back to the start.

  As night started to fall, she sat alone on one of the several balconies on the Deck Hall to try and clear her thoughts. The clouds over the city had completely blocked out the night sky, leaving her to stare towards the ancient city. Behind her, the door began to open once more. The sounds of footsteps drawing near caught her attention, but it was not enough to pull her away from the haunting images in her head.

  “I’m glad you made it back safe.” Tetsu said to her while he calmly sat next to her.

  She remained distant, consumed by her own guilt. Tetsu was silent while trying to find a way to reciprocate his feelings. He felt some nervousness, and then turned back to her again to see her still staring off towards the sky.

  “Talk to me.” Tetsu spoke again, this time receiving Rei’s deadened gaze.

  “I’m sorry,” Rei sluggishly returned. Her eyes were heavy, dark rings under the emerald-colored orbs in her head. “I did what I set out to do.”

  Tetsu gave a silent nod, quickly putting the pieces together. He came in from the bridge, seeing the bittersweet reaction from the crew. There were several casualties inside of the ship by now, many of which were from the auxiliary forces battling on the ground. Megumi was most devastated after watching her father get cut down in front of her. Tetsu was indifferent. He had seen his father and many from his hometown die in the global conflict.

  “You did what you had to do,” he began, cautiously choosing his words. “I don’t know if I would have done the same thing. I’m not sure if I have it in me.”

  Seemingly bewildered, Rei asked, “Why come with us?”

  The question seemed to cause some tension, this time pulling her away from her despair while she pressed in. Tetsu instead turned his attention towards the skies ahead, focusing on the moon as its light pierced through the clouds.

  “You had everything back in Nojiri. I came along because I wanted to learn more about my past,” Rei choked on the words for a second.

  She again thought of her recent conversation with Mizumi and Paxton—their apathy for the life that built her up felt like a soft betrayal. With their rhetoric, she found herself conflicted with the thought of continuing under their wing and wanting to return.

  “You have everything, a family, a home,” she stopped short again. As her voice slowly began to crack, Tetsu turned back to meet her gaze as she asked, “You could have gone back, why leave that?”

  Tetsu felt a release in his chest, the words cutting the tension. After finally staring into her eyes, he swallowed once more and said, “Because of you, Rei. For you.”

  The mask of indifference on her face cracked, and in that small fracture he caught a glimpse of her weariness, the weight of her choices she had made. The silence stretched, then softened as the world around them began to breathe again.

  “I know I wronged you, and I owe you for helping me save Nojiri,” he continued, remaining stern while he began to open his feelings. “I wanted to make things right.”

  “I did it because it was the right thing to do,” she replied, almost harshly as she started to feel bashful. There was a familiarity to Tetsu. The clouds above them slowly began to pass over, revealing the starry canvas above. “I didn’t want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you.”

  “I know that,” he said, his voice steady. “I wanted to make things right, to try and help. But there was something else too.”

  He went silent while the weight of his confession started to press down on him again. Rei looked back towards him again, her guard up while her curiosity flickered.

  “What was it?” she asked.

  His words came out slowly, as if each one was a step on uncertain ground, “I was afraid that if I didn’t go with you… that if I let you go without me, I’d never see you again.” His voice softened, almost trembling while he continued, “I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you. I wanted to make sure you came back safe, back to Nojiri with me.”

  She did not give an immediate response, but in her eyes, Tetsu could see something crack—a brief, unguarded moment where her own fear and loneliness surfaced. The two sat quiet, carrying the weight of their choices, loss, and regrets. Tetsu’s hand found hers, his fingers warm and steady against her cold skin.

  For a heartbeat, Rei felt a strange flicker of something she’d long buried—a quiet and hopeful thrill that made her feel weightless. She glanced down while their hands entwined, and her mind wandered to the past, to another memory she could never forget. Shugo’s face came unbidden to her mind.

  His touch, his laugh, and the fierce, unyielding way he believed in her when she didn’t. The memories twisted through her chest, only mingling with the guilt that continued to weigh her down—of the blood spilled and lives she had taken without hesitation. Tetsu’s fingers gave her a gentle squeeze, grounding her back to the present. However, it was not enough to chase away the shadows that clung to her.

  Rei pulled her hand free before slowly standing up and stepping away from him. There was a wall between them, almost physical.

  “Tetsu,” she said, forcing her voice to steady. “I can’t do this, not now. I need time, space.”

  Tetsu stared back up to her with a quiet sadness in his eyes, but did not argue. He simply nodded, his expression understanding but tinged with pain. She turned towards the door behind them, clinging to the armor she built around herself before walking away.

  Rowan barely registered the metallic clang of her jet’s canopy closing behind her. Her heart was still racing from the last maneuver, fingers still trembling while she started to climb down from the cockpit. Around her, the hangar was alive with energy—technicians and other crew members rushing over. The other surviving pilot gathered around, each one enthralled by her feat.

  She was overwhelmed, thinking to herself, I did it, I took down the Litvyak. While they gathered around, she could hear the praises among them. Each of their voices were thick with awe, and slowly, they began to applaud her and the other pilot. The low rumble grew, soon consuming the hangar while the roaring from cheers and claps echoed off the walls.

  She froze again, acknowledging the praises. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt such admiration. That feeling of being a replaceable cog in the machine was gone. Instead, she did not know how to look or stand under the weight of it all. As she began to take it in, she spotted another familiar face—one that she dreaded seeing before.

  LtCol Ginger approached her, face hiding a smile while he looked down towards her. Out of nervousness, she popped to attention, crashing her heels together before raising her arm to salute him.

  “Good evening, sir, mission complete.” She said proudly, not stuttering.

  Ginger’s face began to crack into a smile. He then replied, “We don’t salute indoors.”

  Rowan’s eyes slowly began to bead with a few tears as he jokingly returned her salute. Before she could speak, Ginger reached out to her, giving a soft nudge with his fist.

  “That was one hell of a maneuver,” he boasted, his demeanor much softer than his usual self. “I didn’t think anybody could pull off something so drastic at such a low altitude. Hell, didn’t even expect you to bring the plane back in one piece, but here we are.”

  “We didn’t all make it back,” she bemoaned. In her head, she continued to see the image of one of her co-pilots burning up after clashing with an interceptor. Her eyes flickered with panic as she asked, “What about the major?”

  “He touched down safely and is in the med bay,” Ginger said after giving her another pat on the shoulder. He sang his praises to the other pilot before finally turning to the rest of the crew. “Let’s go eat.”

  Rowan’s mouth opened, but now words came out. It felt as if she had stepped into a new world. She managed a shaky smile; her voice was a thin hum against the applause. The troops began to move ahead, practically dragging her and the other pilot along as they made their move towards the chow hall.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The energy from the hangar did not subside and the praises only continued. Mizumi and Paxton were not present for the festivities as both were being treated. Rowan did not think to heavily of the two. She knew Paxton believed in her and was the driving force behind her getting in a cockpit in the first place. LtCol Ginger’s demeanor had taken a massive shift by now. He was already relaxed as he sat by her, staring down at his tray.

  The food on board was not much of an improvement over what she was used to in Kashmir. Just like Ginger, she found herself prodding the food on her plate with a fork just like him. She was hardly able to get any food down. While her spirits were high, the rest of her body still felt like it was catching up. While the troops around her continued to carry on, she continued to hear Ginger’s last words repeating in her head.

  “So, Colonel,” she finally got the words out, drawing his attention back towards her. “Did I prove you wrong?”

  Ginger’s eyebrows furrowed in response, but he remained composed. Instead of snapping back, he only shined his teeth before nodding, “Appears so.”

  The setting around her began to quiet for a moment, giving her time to continue, “So, what’s next for us?”

  “Seeing as we just took down a key figure in the G.E.I.’s offensive,” he started to speak before stopping short again. He too found himself at a loss of words, instead continuing to fidget around with his food. “I’m not sure. We’re going to continue salvaging the Litvyak and the other equipment.”

  He winced as he sank his teeth into a piece of the processed cutlet on his tray. Rowan followed along, trying not to gag while she began to dig in. The rest of the crew seemed mixed with the quality of the meal. Judai sat nearby, unphased as he started to clean the bottom of his tray. His features were composed, almost joyful as he continued to chow down.

  “You didn’t eat much today, I take it.” Rowan asked Judai, smiling towards him.

  “Naw, it’s great,” Judai spoke up. “I was like you, I saw what Kashmir was like.”

  “We never did get acquainted, did we?”

  “Corporal Watkins,” he was quick to respond. While he unconsciously wiped his face, he turned his eyes back towards her, sharpening his stare. “That processed crap in Kashmir and this slop might suck but try being stuck in a shelter with twelve other kids.”

  He was tense, still feeling off put by the entire situation. While the auxiliary forces continued to make their sweeps of the area, he seemed anxious to head back out into the city and join the rest.

  “I don’t think I had that problem,” Rowan felt a chill run down her spine as she responded. She lifted her right arm towards him, revealing the grid-like pattern running through her flesh. The enhancements looked almost like scales, causing Ginger and some of the other troops to shudder. “I don’t know if it’s as bad as this. To get this thing to work they have to put all kinds of circuits and wires in your head, your body.”

  “I’m not here to one up you,” Judai was dismissive. “A lot of those kids I grew up with aren’t here today. They would’ve killed to eat this processed junk.”

  “At ease, Corporal,” Ginger slowly began to raise his voice. “We’ve all been in the sticks, lost loved ones. We continue to make sacrifices every day, whether it be not eating, being away from loved ones.”

  He started to trail off for a moment. The utterance of being away from family caused Rowan’s eyes to flicker.

  “Do you have a family?” she asked.

  Ginger’s lips began to curl. He lit up for a moment, lightly chuckling while his attention turned back towards his tray. After a few bites, reached into his left breast pocket and retrieved a small photo inside.

  “I do,” Ginger replied before taking a moment to look at the small picture between his fingers. “I’ve got a pretty small family, but they mean the world to me.”

  He took a deep breath, face lingering with the some anguish while he presented the picture to Rowan. She gently reached out with her left arm and retrieved the photo. Inside, she could see Ginger with a middle-aged woman—one just a few years younger than him. Between the two were seven kids. Each of them looked similar to him, all with blonde hair and blue eyes.

  “It’s a different world out west, that’s for sure,” Rowan started to chuckle as she marveled at his family. “At least what we call big and small is different.”

  “What do you mean?” Ginger replied.

  “Seven kids isn’t a small family.”

  “Where I come from, it is.”

  There were a few snickers from the other troops around them. As Rowan handed the photo back to him, she started to wonder about what life would be like in the west. What little she knew about the One World Order compared with her experiences onboard the Deck Hall began to paint a different picture. The life out west was much different.

  The thought of having just a republic that still respected its people and preserved their heritage sat comfortably with her. As cold as life was back in Kashmir, she still felt herself trying not to accept the fact she was no more than a cog. Judai and the others lived rather strict lives compared to hers, but they were ready to throw down everything to protect freedom—even if it eventually led to chaos.

  She finally mustered up some energy to down the rations on her plate. Even with the battle at its end, she prepped herself to assist with the debriefing that would follow.

  What remained of Vic and Yuri were taken aboard the Deck Hall following several troops being dispatched to salvage what was left of the Litvyak. LtCol Ginger was more than ecstatic with the outcome of the operation. The loss of a few troops and two fighters was a hefty toll with their decreased numbers, but the small losses traded were more than fair. The odds of coming back with so few casualties with such terrible odds left him feeling warm. He stared over Yuri’s mangled, yet uncanny body as it lay on a small table in front of him.

  The unsettling feeling of the machine staring back at him only forced him to finally pull the tarp over Yuri once more. Thinking again of the G.E.I.’s ability to make something artificial exude such a life like appearance made him shudder. He turned away from Yuri and across the room, where another table sat with the lifeless body of Vic. By his side, Megumi sat mourning with Nomad standing over her. The whole room seemed to hum with tension, the air thick with loss. Ginger could not help but feel the weight of the moment pressing down on her.

  “This loss of yours is heavy,” he finally spoke, watching his words bounce off her. “This conflict has brought a lot of pain to a lot of people.”

  “You can say that again.” Nomad muttered.

  “We lost some good men today. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to have to call somebody’s parents and tell them their child got killed.”

  “Sounds rough.”

  “It never gets easier,” he replied sharply, slowly starting to make his towards the door. He stopped short, letting out a quick sigh before finally turning back to Nomad. “Nice job out there. Report tomorrow at noon.”

  He made his exit, casually walking down the hall. Mere moments later, Shirow made his entrance. His face was mournful as well, seeing Megumi leaning against Vic’s cadaver. He was dressed in his old fatigues, covering up his enhancements once more.

  “You did good out there.” Shirow chirped once Nomad turned to him.

  “Not now,” Nomad replied before placing his hand gently on Megumi’s back. “What are you doing here?”

  “Paying some respects,” his response caused Megumi to shift her gaze towards him. Shirow started to look down towards Yuri, feeling uncomfortable staring back at Megumi. He slowly began to adjust his eyepatch, still feeling shameful of his disfigurement. “There’s a lot that’s happened in the last twenty years, stuff that we need to talk about. I don’t know if you’re ready for everything. At one point in Kashmir, I was on a detail with him.”

  He pointed to Vic, the revelation caused Nomad to tilt his head. When he first saw Shirow’s enhancements after the battle, many questions were raised but the reason for such an operation stirred his imagination.

  “What happened to your body?” he asked.

  “I had some bad luck,” Shirow replied. His eyes started to trace the room, causing him to stare blankly into the corner. “It was some explosive, an improvised one. I was stationed at an outpost that came under Liberation’s attack.”

  “I didn’t know you were in Kashmir.”

  Megumi started to pull away from Vic. She slowly wiped her tears from her face while sitting up in her chair.

  “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” she asked

  Shirow nodded, replying, “We did, once. It was the day I realized I didn’t want to be behind the lines anymore. I realized that my dad’s plan to have me infiltrate the G.E.I. within was not worth it.”

  Nomad sight lingered on him, feeling the decades apart beginning to settle. The day they were separated was a moment in time that always stuck with him. He thought of the many nights of thinking that Shirow was on the outside world while he sold his soul for the Eurasians.

  “Liberation blowing you to pieces didn’t change your mind about the G.E.I.,” Nomad said before slowly glancing over to Megumi. “You hear that Megumi? It was your mug.”

  She finally smiled, letting out a soft laugh after feeling something break through. The sudden remark brought a grin to Shirow’s face as he nervously stared back at the two.

  “I couldn’t have said it more eloquently,” Shirow quickly asserted, trying to be mindful of the situation. “I don’t think you’re doing yourself any favors staying here. You two have had a very traumatizing day to say the least. There’s probably going to be a celebration in the mess hall,” he paused for a moment, finally acknowledging, “Rei’s not going to be there. Just go. We can talk later.”

  Megumi nodded before turning to Nomad to push her off. Nomad started to make his way towards the exit with her, stopping short at the door to face Shirow again. There was an unusual amount of tension between the two. Nomad took a moment to think of their encounter after defeating Yuri. There was something off putting about every exchange between them since then, but with the current events, he chose to hold his words.

  He finally reached out to Shirow, wrapping his arms around him before finally acknowledging, “I’m glad you’re still in one piece.”

  “You have no idea.” Shirow replied softly, returning his embrace.

  Nomad and Megumi finally exited the room, leaving Shirow alone with the remains of the fallen commanders. He cautiously approached the entrance, peering down both directions of the hallway for any onlookers. After finally clearing the area, he made his way back over to Vic’s remains.

  Upon pulling the sheet off his corpse, he got a glimpse of Vic’s haunting stare once more as his severed head lay beneath. The sight caused him to pause and calmly take a breath to regain his bearings. He started to search around the area, finally locating a small box of disposable gloves on the counter behind him. Clearing his mind of the next task took just as long to slide the gloves over his hands.

  At last, he started to reach towards the bottom of Vic’s head, inserting his hand into the opening beneath his neck. He could only stare towards the exit, keeping his eyes peeled while he felt around inside. Upon reaching the inside of the skull, he felt a hard, but cubical object deep within. After a few small movements, the object inside was dislodged and pulled free from the opening.

  Shirow held the blood covered metallic chip in front of him, causing his stomach to slowly turn as he stared at it. He was quick to stash it into another glove before finally hiding it in one of the cargo pockets on his trousers. The room was as clean as he left it, vacant while he calmly walked through the halls before going deeper into the ship.