2 hours later.
A time for celebration at hand.
Sometime after the grand battle above the deep blue skies in the Pacific, the personnel at the base knew that something like isn't just a matter of a common event, it was a grand slam of epic proportions due to the number of pilots involved, as well as the number of fighters shot down by the Crusaders and the Warriors, a feat not replicated for a long while, and partially due to their one-in-a-kind type of plane, both Human and celestial.
Thus, a neat celebration is thrown in an unusually quicker way than most expected in times like this. For their victory over the Zlocu and their Human lapdogs. A test of strength that many have passed with flying colors, and with a mix of every drink the staff could find as well, at least as far the ingredients allow it.
The main venue is a mess hall where most of the raving takes place, with trap music playing at high volume, and the soldiers shouting and cheering like no tomorrow while the colorful lights illuminate every corner of the hall. Some are passed out on the floor while others do their best to keep themselves on their feet while still drinking as many bottles as they can find on every table available inside, even if it may risk a shortage for the base.
When there's something aside from the drinks, there's obviously the food to be found, or at least the closest to it, whether it's a slice of pizza, some corn dogs made with homemade meat, or even some a frosty cream made out of yogurt, they still find the best methods to get the best experience as they can.
On occasions like this, most would even think yet still not admit that the food is the best part of a party more than the booze itself, since unless they were tampered with peculiar ingredients or even chemicals, they're less likely to make someone miss out the fun and can keep most of the consciousness alive and kicking to spend the best of times with the people around them. Of course, some with the highest of bladders would beg to differ on those opinions if they are openly said, but one could keep their thoughts in check to prevent the worst of messes anyway.
For the soldiers, there are the common sights of shirtless brick houses as well as leaner bricks too, with the occassional women who are tight in their own corner for certain reasons to avoid the men, in spite of the presence of guards nearby. But still, most are mostly concerned about how good the atmosphere is, and surely enough, most of the attention would focus on the winners of the battle of today, after all, they deserve the cheers for giving support in the best way possible to the core of the UEF.
In the right corner, Jackson is holding a green can with his right hand as he observes the party that's going around him. He carries a purple sleeveless purple shirt reserved for a man like him. Years of training would do that to his big arms. As he relaxes, Su Hyon approaches him from behind with a tap, which makes him turn around to face him. From the looks of it, it seems that he's getting all the recovery he needs in a moment like this.
"So, you enjoying this already, big partner?" Hyon asks, which makes Jackson chuckle for a bit as he leans to his right side like to allow some soldiers to pass through in whatever they can pick.
"Me? Are you seriously asking me that?" Jackson then walks away from the table behind as he walks near the door on his left, with Hyon following him close behind. "Better ask that to the pilots over there, the ones who obliterated the Zlocans out of the sky. They would surely be more receptive to the chit-chat." He points in the direction of the Crusaders, all taking photos with onlookers and even potential fans of them, as unlikely as that may be.
"Hey, it's not about that, partner. It's just I want to know more about you Warriors guys yourselves. You too contributed to the victory, right?" Hyon asks with a grin on his face, while Jackson only answers with a brief shrug.
"You heard Logan, the Crusaders deserve all the attention they need today, they were just there to help, that's all. Talk about a lack of respect," Jackson replies, to which Hyon answers with a quick nod as well. But yet, he seems that he won't let up on this, so he sticks with him if there's something he can get out of him.
"But something has been grinding my gears ever since I heard the news, where the hell did the Manta go? Was it taking a break of all times?"
"Hard to believe, but you got it right. The gathered intel suggests that Manta needs to recharge every eight hours in order to fly at full capacity, and the calculations estimated that we flew back right when the eight hour was clocking." This makes Hyon laugh for a bit, given that on top of the Crusaders' skills, it appears most made it out alive thanks to a big ship in storage.
"Of course, damn machines need their recharge as usual. Lady Luck must have favored us today and gifted us with a big-ass party!"
"Yeah, but up next, Manta is the next priority, and we wouldn't want to waste our time on when to strike her next."
"Oh, of course not, man. But even so, I'm pretty damn sure you fellow Warriors including yourself and maybe the Guts guys, it seems like you're making people more encouraged to kick ass in the future battles that most of us will partake in. Logan can say all he likes, but you guys are worth being cherished in my eyes and others." As Hyon speaks, he gets a text message from his phone which vibrated in his pocket. As he pulls it out and touches the button to show the opening screen, it's enough to make Jack walk near the exit of the hall. Must be something important at hand, maybe.
"Gotta go, but thanks anyway, Hyon."
"I think we're gonna need you more than ever in those times, remember that pal."
"We'll try our best." But just as Jack opens the handle of the door to head out, Hyon raises his hand one more time, as if there's one more thing he would like to know.
"Oh, and one last thing... Would you try to find possible detention centers to see if there's a way to find my daughter? She's been missing for a while." Jack can only sigh in response, unsure if there's something that can satiate him over something like that.
"Maybe." With that, Jack steps out of the room, leaving Hyon on his own while sighing as well, walking to another corner of the room as he tries to find more people to interact with, and probably to distract him from the things that heavily linger on his mind for far too long. But hopefully, he'll get the answer he may look for sooner or later.
On the other side of the hall, there are the Crusaders themselves, surrounded by other people cheering on them as they take some shots of a large bottle that make a lot of the people stumble from side to side, some even having collapsed on the ground, and yet the Crusaders are still standing, laughing and smiling alongside their handler, Luana, all for a very good time to have together in a ways they never expected to have. Luana, in particular, seems to take delight in the drink as she laughs heavily while holding onto Rosa.
"This feels great... Really great! But why does this shit have to cost $700?! Was the maker's head inside a freezer when he made it?" Luana asks while still trying to keep her laughter in check.
"I mean, a high price usually means it's good quality you know. At least that's what they say, what else can you expect from it?" Rosa says while trying to suppress her smile as she carries Luana around with her arm if it means preventing her from doing something stupid.
"Oh, but at least I can have high expectations from you, sweetheart..." Luana says in a drowsy tone, which makes Kamis chuckle a lot, Mariama raises her eyebrow and Andreas simply stares at this unexpected sight from their commanding officer in a state like this, when Rosa can only cover her face with her hand yet faint laugh can be heard escaping from her.
"We have it with you too, chama." This prompts Luana to laugh even more at her, in which not even Mariam can help but let out a small smirk as she observes the embarassing display at hand.
"Can we get some glass of water for her? I don't want this to get messier..." Andreas says as he looks around to find some potential bottle of water to give to Luana.
"Nah, screw that, you don't really have the head you need to keep the strongest of flavors!" Luana says as she alternates between trying to speak and laughing a lot like a hyena, probably more than she needed to be. This makes Andreas shake his head in response.
"C'mon, Luana!" Luana doesn't glance around at Andreas as he stands over this sort of behavior while Mariama only lightly taps his shoulder while drinking from a red soda can in her left hand. Perhaps she too shares that sentiment.
"Hey, there's the other kind of big heads that may be the reverse of what you expect," Kamis says as she whispers near Luana, which is enough for her ear to catch it up while still hanging onto Rosa next to her.
"Oh, what could it be? Reality tv presenters?" This prompts Kamis and Rosa to laugh in response to this question.
"Nah, the Zlocs we shot down in the sky! They thought their heads being so big meant they had the brains and balls to fight and beat us!" The team continues to laugh heartily over Kamis' statement, perhaps to further compound the misfortune that befell those that were shot down by the Crusaders. It all seemed that the jokes and conversations may go smoothly like most would like them to in things like this.
"Too bad their heads were as empty and barren as a South Eastern wasteland!" This joke from Luana makes Rosa chuckle for a bit, but for Kamis, this makes him frown in a matter of seconds, even dropping the glass of beer he had in his left hand, before storming off to the right side of the room where a door is located, enough to shove away some unfortunate pilots standing in his way.
"Oh shit, uh, hey Kam, I meant in the sense that at least the wasteland looks prettier, right?" Luana says, still unaware of how much her comment affected Kamis. This prompts Mariama and Andreas to head to where Kamis walked while Rosa still holds on to Rosa, looking as her eyebrows draw together and pacing for a bit, even carrying Luana away from the table near the big bottle of beer.
"Uh, where are they're goin'? Rosita, what the hell did I do?" Luana asks, still in a drowsy tone as her head paces back and forth and tries to get steady in observing where she's going. Rosa only looks forward while carrying Luana away with a frown while trying to move the partygoers out of the way, presumably being lost in the heat of the moment in the party itself.
"He needs some time off, that's all," Rosa replies in a curt tone without glancing in Luana's direction. This is probably something that she could need a bit more consideration for next time.
As Kamis walks further into the hallway away from the hall with quick pacing and quick breathing, the sound of other footsteps follows close behind him, yet he doesn't turn around to face them. Not in the mood for small talk it seems, especially when coming from a moment of celebration for the team, yet for an unfortunate timing like that, it seems that it hit something close to home for Kamis, someone who always carries a cocky smile on his face up until that point. Yet based on what Amira read about him, he could carry a big weight on him as he steps outside the base to breathe some fresh air.
"Kam?" Andreas asks. Kamis doesn't turn around, still focusing on staring at the empty and deserted horizon around him. Bigger things should be focused on right now for him, it seems. "Look Kam, I know it may be too soon but she-"
"She what? I'm not in the mood to hear it right now. Not any of her excuses or any shit like that." This sudden tone makes Andreas step back for a bit while Mariama stands close to him, wondering what could have gotten into him.
"Kam, you should know that we all had homes and families lost during the war," Andreas says, trying to keep his distance between himself and Kamis. Kamis, however, only scoffs in response while still not glancing at his wingmates.
"Did you at least manage to say goodbye to yours at least?" Andreas gasps at this accusation from Kamis, still wondering about the kind of mood that went on him like that.
"You only need to get yourself firm, Kamis. That's all we ask for of you," Mariama says, her face still unchanging yet still with a tone that tries to reach Kamis to convince him to drop this funk of his. However, Kamis remains undeterred as he still refuses to glance around to see both of them.
"Oh, right, it's easy for you to say when at least you managed to be with them far longer than I had, is that what you mean?" As he continues to let it out, he breathes heavily and clenches his fists near the wooden wall next to him. "You know why I decided to pick flying? To find new ways for my family to support them, find measures to get all the food and water to survive, find ways to make them proud, to show I loved them, to find new friends, no matter how much time I was away from them." His voice breaks for a bit when he speaks at that part, almost like it's something personal for him to remember, in a way it sounds like he's trying to hold himself back from losing it by all means necessary, even as hard it may look. This alone is what makes Andreas deduce something from him.
"Kam... You mean that your family-"
"Was killed off by those alien bloodsuckers when they first showed up, the reason my Singapore is nothing but rubble. A wasteland. A mere crater!" Kamis interrupts as he kicks the wooden wall next to him, which makes Mariama and Andreas flinch in response to this outburst. After kicking it for the sixth time, he stops once more, breathing heavily as he tries to hold himself together over what happened. After a moment of silence, he finally turns around to face the two, with red-looking eyes forming up as he still breathes slowly. "This is why I turned to become a pilot. To feel what I lost back to them, and I won't stop until all of them get to receive what I felt that day."
"But Kam... You still lashed out at the wrong person. You shouldn't have anyway, that's not what Amira wanted," This makes Kamis grab him near the collar before Mariama steps in between the two, namely as a way to hold the distance between the two to ease the tension. However, Kamis remains undeterred over this.
"I shouldn't have? Not even in a moment to celebrate...? If you're telling me jokes should be accepted like what that princess asked then go ahead... Joke all the fuck you want..." Kamis then lets out a huff as he goes back inside the base as he steps aside from the two, kicking the door open as he goes inside once more. Andreas in particular looks with a stooped posture as Mariama stands next to him, looking at the entrance with a wrinkled brow with strained muscles. Despite what it may look like, it seems that she too understands what Andreas has.
"It'll come around Andreas, I'm sure of it. Just let him vent as he wishes," Mariama says as she slightly taps Andreas' shoulder and nods as well, hoping that he may calm himself up from this outburst of his. Andreas still sadly sighs at this as he turns around to see Mariama, his eyes puffy as well.
"Pain shouldn't be measured like that. Every pain is equal..." Andreas says, to which Mariama only replies with a slow nod as well, yet still with a long and empty expression on her face as they head near the door.
"Some feel it closer than others." With those words, Mariama opens the door once more, this time to head inside and wait for a bit for things to cool down, yet this time, it may be unsure if he may come around quickly as they expect, not when there are wounds as deeps as his, or as others as well.
War can make the biggest of holes among many living beings, in which at times, no matter how many new people they want to meet or stay with to recover, some holes may never fill up again no matter how much one can try, for as the special place reserved for others is no longer there, then there may not be a point to keep it anymore.