Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 290
She chuckled and shook her head. “I’m not sure I wanted an apology, but that was a terrible one nonetheless.”
“God, you’re picky,” he retorted. The dropship began to activate and he motioned her inside. “By the way, now that you’ve had a few days, did you think of anything that could have been done besides using the failsafe?”
Chiyo was quiet as they boarded and Kaiden laughed. “I tell you what. If you can give me a good idea before we land, I’ll try to come up with a better apology.”
“Hmm, what do you want in exchange?” she asked.
“That the next time I do something idiotic you simply smile and nod.”
She sat on one of the benches and folded her arms. “How long do we have?”
He sat opposite her and placed his case beside him. “About twenty minutes.”
With a small frown, she leaned her head back. “Let me think.”
“We’re heading out!” Haldt called and the dropship elevated a few feet before it accelerated out of the doors of the hangar and returned to Nexus.
“No, that doesn’t count,” Kaiden insisted as he and Chiyo stepped out of the ship.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because your ideas have to be reasonable,” he explained and turned to her with a frown.
“Using a droid would have been reasonable. There were enough of them available,” she said defensively.
“Most of them were in pieces,” he pointed out. “Besides, how would you have made it work even if there was one available? Hack it and send it down to activate the siphon? Even if it got there in time, one of the discharges would have simply destroyed it.”
“Yeah? Well, it’s only a matter of…” Her words faltered and she folded her arms and looked up.
“Yes?” he asked teasingly. “I’ll give you one last attempt.”
“Fine, you win,” she conceded. “But please try to make the next idiotic stunt less…idiotic.”
The ace smiled, leaned forward, and kissed her, catching her by surprise. The kiss lingered for a while before he pulled away gently. “All is forgiven?”
She smiled. “We could have started with that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like that would have been fun.”
“They’ve made great progress, huh?” Haldt commented as he moved from the other side of the ship. Chiyo and Kaiden paused to study Nexus Academy. Many buildings were still under repair, but the rubble had been cleared and all the pathways were restored. The buildings that were in decent shape had already been fixed and were currently undergoing cleaning and repainting. He even identified a few new buildings that hadn’t been there during his tenure over the last few years.
“You came to see if any of your stuff is still here, right?” Haldt asked. “They are holding everything they’ve recovered in the armory.”
Chiyo nodded. “Thank you, Haldt, we’ll head there now and—”
“I’ll check that later,” Kaiden interrupted and moved to the stairs off the landing pad. “I need to do something else first.”
“What’s that?” the security officer asked and looked at Chiyo, who shrugged.
“Pay my respects,” the ace responded calmly. Her eyes widened and she rushed down the stairs to follow him.
Kaiden opened the door to the dojo. It had been cleaned but not organized and a large hole in the ceiling still needed to be repaired. Chiyo entered with him and surveyed what had once been Kaiden’s training ground and what might as well have been Wolfson’s abode.
“Are you okay?” she asked and rested a hand on his back as he took it all in.
“I’ll be better soon. I haven’t had a chance to do this since he…” The words trailed off and he glanced at where Wolfson’s desk had been as a small smile formed. “Look at that.”
She complied and saw numerous small items—guns, flowers, bottles of liquor, medals, eyepatches, and a small glowing orb in the middle that illuminated a memorial to the fallen sergeant.
“This bauble is probably from Laurie,” Kaiden said, knelt to poke the orb, and glanced at a bottle. “Firewater. Sasha and Wolfson used to drink this together.” He caught a glint in the evening light and stretched tentatively to pick up an ornate Sauren spear. “Even Raza dropped by.”
Chiyo knelt beside him and took his hand. He nodded gratefully as he replaced the spear. He brought his case forward, opened it, and removed his helmet from the battle. The visor was partially cracked and pieces had been lost in the fight with Merrick. “I put in a few good shots for you, Wolfson,” he said quietly and studied the helmet one last time. “Thank you for everything.”
Chief appeared above them and illuminated the memorial to give it an ethereal light. “I honestly thought he would kill you the first time he dragged you away to this place.” The EI chuckled. “It probably turned out to be one of the best things to happen to ya.”
“No kidding.” The ace laughed and wiped his sleeve over his damp eyes. “God, I got angry at times but never felt like quitting, though. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.”
“Do you think he would have been satisfied if you had left?” Chiyo asked.
He shook his head. “Hell no, he would probably have dragged me back. It took a while, but I eventually realized he was looking out for me, in his way. And I never questioned his abilities as a soldier.” He placed his helmet in front of the orb and bowed his head for a moment before he released it and stood. “In fact, he drilled something into my head even in the early days, something I’ve heard for a long time but that took even longer to click.”
“What was that?” she asked. Chief continued to hover as they faced each other.
Kaiden smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “I told it to you during the first year, remember?”
Her eyes fluttered for a moment as she thought hard before she leaned back and looked at him. “Never settle?”
The ace nodded and held her close. “Yeah, and I will never settle.”
Epilogue
“Way to go, dumbass. They’re wrapping up!” Chief growled quietly in Kaiden’s head.
“Why are you whispering?” he asked as he snuck through the upper levels of the recently rebuilt auditorium and tried to find a seat. “It’s not like anyone can hear you.”
“I’m trying to be civil, at least. Sasha is speaking.” The ace finally found a seat next to Cameron and removed his tablet.
“I’ve waited for you all ceremony, man,” he whispered. “Where you been?”
“I lost track of time talking to Haldt about the ship,” he explained in a hushed tone. “I’d say sorry, but I’m already buying the drinks later so what more can I do?”
Before the bounty hunter could respond, Izzy leaned closer. “Quiet, guys. Sasha is looking this way.”
Kaiden and Cameron focused on the front of the auditorium. While the man didn’t make it obvious, the chancellor’s eyes lingered in his direction. He hadn’t lost his marksman’s eye at all.
“And as we end today’s celebration, the beginning of your graduation, I want everyone here to remember what you have not only gained over your years of training but also what we unfortunately lost over this last year,” Sasha said, his voice solemn. “Let us take a moment of silence for those who cannot be with us now. These are our friends and fellow soldiers whom we lost during the war.”
The entire auditorium stood and holoscreens appeared to display the images of the fallen. Some bowed their heads while others watched the images and names scroll, Kaiden among them. When the list reached those with last names beginning with ‘W,’ he bowed his head and closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath.
“Remember the fallen, but live for their sacrifice,” the chancellor stated, and everyone remained standing as they once again looked at the stage. “And should any of you find yourself among them, know that we will always hold you dear.” The man stood tall and his gaze drifted across the graduating class. “Your final year should never have been like this. But you survived, you all fought back, and you never gave in. You are the most prepared class in the Academy’s history and know that everything you have trained for has paid off. You have the proof.”
“Damn straight,” Kaiden whispered and nodded.
“Today marks the end of your time here at Nexus, but you are always welcome back. We wish to see you, and know that we will also continue to train your future comrades and the defenders of our planet and galaxy.” Sasha held one hand behind his back and saluted with the other. “We will strive to move forward. Thank you for your service and congratulations on your victory!”
Some saluted in return but most lost themselves in the moment, held their arms up, and yelled in happiness and celebration. Friends shook hands, embraced, and laughed with one another. Warm, triumphant music began to play over the speakers. It was hard to find a large orchestra even a couple of months after the war, but the holograms displayed bright flashes to mimic fireworks, and videos of moments and scenes throughout the years of the graduating class still provided a sense of joy and closure to the event.
Kaiden turned to his friends. Cameron, although he was ever the cynic, still offered his hand and a smile. He shook it and responded with a grin. The group gathered and Chiyo hugged him, Genos and Jaxon gave him a Tsuna salute that he returned, and Luke and Marlo threw massive arms around his shoulders. The heavies held tears back as the others laughed and congratulated each other.
Their new lives would begin soon, but first, they had a moment of a brief celebration.
“Another round everyone?” Julio asked and placed four large glasses of beer on the counter. Two each were eagerly snatched by Luke and Marlo.
“What the hell, guys? Hand one over,” Cameron demanded.
Luke proceeded to down one while Marlo chuckled. “I’m sure there’s more on tap. Ask them, Cam.”
The bounty hunter grumbled and held his hand up to beckon to one of the bartenders as Julio was busy fixing more drinks.
“Thanks for hosting this, Julio,” Kaiden said and sipped his whiskey. “I’m glad you were able to get this place up and running so quickly.”
“It wasn’t an issue.” The barkeep chuckled. “I made a good number of creds during the war and had enough to spare to get extra hands after I finished running supplies.”
“Sasha wished to pass on his thanks for your work,” Chiyo told him.
The man nodded. “It was better than sitting around with a thumb up my ass. And it was nice to get back into the field and know I could still do it.”
“What’s my tab up to so far?” Kaiden asked and checked his tablet.
Julio waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, my friend. I got it.”
He frowned at the barkeep. “For everyone?”
“I still got the creds. Besides, everyone deserves a chance to unwind after everything that happened. I can provide that moment, at least.”
“Well, it’s appreciated.” The ace chuckled and raised his glass.
“Think of it as a going-away present,” Julio quipped with a shrug. “So, do you know what you’ll do now that you’ve graduated?”
“Yeah. I’ll start my own merc company,” he revealed. “I’m still ironing out all the details, but I’ve sent the forms in to have it recognized.”
“Ah, you ain’t running an outlaw company?” his friend asked and slid a few glasses down the bar.
Kaiden frowned and shook his head. “Are you kidding me? Even if I ran like that, after everything the Horde pulled, the galaxy is hunting all the other outlaw mercs. I’m very sure that if there was even a whiff of the idea, Sasha himself would put a stop to it.”
Julio chuckled. “Where is the new chancellor? We keep mentioning him but I haven’t seen him since all the chaos died down.”
“He spent some time in recovery before he began his official tenure as chancellor of Nexus,” Chiyo replied. “He’s worked almost constantly since he recuperated.”
“He said he wanted to see me when we got back,” the ace added and tapped his finger on the bar.
“Really? Did he tell you what for?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I guess I’ll find out when I get there, but I told him it would probably be a while.”
“We invited him to join us, as well as Professor Laurie, but both declined,” Amber added.
“It seems like both simply want things to get back in order as soon as possible,” Cyra noted.
“Shouldn’t you help the professor?” Indre asked. “Getting the lab in working order again will be a hell of a project.”
Cyra shrugged. “I offered to stick around but he said I should enjoy myself as I probably wouldn’t have another chance before the new year started. When I pressed the issue, he said he wanted time to himself.”
“It probably means he is doing what we are, only in private,” Kaiden commented and drained his glass.
“I don’t think so,” she responded. “Since we’ve returned to the Academy, he’s been less…eccentric? Let’s go with that.”
“Haven’t you checked in with him, Kaiden?” Chiyo asked.
He thought about it for a moment. “I saw him in person on the first day he came back and spoke to him a couple of times over comms and video after that. I guess he has been more chilled than normal, come to think of it. I thought it was because he was too swamped with repairs and organization to let his mind wander.”
“Does anyone need a refill?” Julio asked and slid more drinks down the bar.
“Fill her up!” Mack shouted and held his large stein up.
“I will imbibe more, elder Julio!” Genos called from a few seats down.
“He still hasn’t dropped that elder business, eh?” Julio muttered and poured a pink liquid into a glass. Kaiden looked at it and glanced at the Tsuna’s almost empty glass, which also held remnants of the bright drink.
“Are you still drinking poison, Genos?” he asked. He pushed his empty glass forward for another bartender to take.
“No, I was careful this time and elder Julio was kind enough to show me Tsuna-appropriate drinks on the menu.”
The ace looked at the glass on the bar, opened a holoscreen in it to look at the menu, and noticed a small section of about a dozen drinks listed as Tsuna specialties. “Are you branching out, Julio?”
The barkeep shrugged. “I didn’t have many non-human customers. After your buddy’s mishap the last time, I decided it was smart to add a few drinks that didn’t have the potential to poison any new clients. They might sue.”
Kaiden looked at a table of Tsuna and humans who talked and laughed together. Each of the Tsuna held their unique concoctions. “That was probably smart.”
A noticeably loud bang from behind him overwhelmed the chatter in the air and he turned his attention to about twenty people who walked in together. They were all dressed in designer versions of streetwear with punk and slummer cuts and looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.
Julio looked up wryly. “Well, ain’t this appropriate,” he muttered and his gaze darted from them to the ace before he leaned closer and gestured to the new arrivals. “I can tell you at least think you know them but have a little trouble recalling from where.”
Kaiden nodded and leaned against the bar. “I do, but how do you—” He stared at Julio’s amused smile for a moment before he focused on the group again and his eyes widened. “No way!”
“What is it, mate?” Flynn asked. Amber, Izzy, Silas, and his other friends turned their attention to either him or the newcomers. He laughed and slapped a hand against Julio’s shoulder. “I thought you threw them out and barred them from coming back.”
“I did,” he stated and straightened as he folded his arms. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded and drew the attention of the slummers and their posse.
“Do you still hold a grudge, old man?” the one with blue spikes snapped. Kaiden wracked his brains. They all had idiotic names, but he’d run into a number of those over the years. Which one was it?
He pointed at the leader. “Caesar?”
“Czar, idiot!” he retorted but when he caught sight of the ace, his eyes widened. “Wait…no fucking way!”
“That was my response, kinda.” A bartender returned with a new glass of whiskey. Kaiden took a sip, stood, and studied Czar and his now larger group. “I see you’ve made new friends since the last time.”
The man was a little hesitant now, but with the eyes of his lackeys on him, he straightened and took a couple of steps toward him. “I have a real gang going now.”
“Do ya? What’s the name?” he asked and an amused smirk crossed his face.
“Rain City Royals,” the man replied and a trace confidence bolstered his tone.
“Good God,” the ace muttered and ran a hand down his face. “I thought you said gang, not Esports team.”
“Oh, shut the hell up!” Czar demanded. A larger man—Moxy if he remembered correctly—stepped to his leader’s side. “Where the hell have you been since that fight? I looked for you for months to tear your ass up for your insults.”
“Only the insults? I would’ve been more pissed off about the concussions myself.” Kaiden chuckled and Flynn, Cameron, and a few others behind him echoed his amusement.
A few more in Czar’s gang stepped forward and some drew weapons such as knives and hammers. “Do you wanna repeat that? Me and all my boys will happily respond in kind,” Czar threatened and brandished a blade as well. “Do you think you can take us all on?”
Kaiden drained his drink quickly and placed the glass on the counter. “Probably, but I don’t think I’ll have to.” His friends nodded as they stood from their chairs and moved to his side. Czar and the group backed away a little, but a loud pop behind them gave them pause. They turned to see the doors to the Emerald Lounge had locked themselves and their gazes drifted to Julio, who put a tablet down as his smile grew wider.
“As for where I’ve been, that would be Nexus academy,” Kaiden said calmly. More and more people from the tables and booths all around the two floors of the lounge stood. Some leaned over the railings above, others descended the stairs, and a few approached the now wide-eyed slummers. “In fact, everyone here has been there and you’re interrupting our graduation ceremony.”
