A/N it's been a long time since I updated. I hope there is still a few people still around that will enjoy my final chapter. I like it. I'm please with the whole story actually. There are bits that could have been better and I might review them but for right now here is the last chapter.

The crew on the condor settled into a comfortable routine, each enjoying the new atmosphere on board. Aerrow still occasionally had nightmares that would send him to the balcony to stare at the stars but they were becoming rarer.

During the day the once bright and cheery, energetic commander was more withdrawn and reserved. He wasn't miserable, but he didn't seem to be able to show the innocent enthusiasm he used to, his experiences had made him grow up quickly; realize that everything wasn't a game. He still played keep away with the crew, got into fights about who did the dishes but his heart wasn't in it.

If left to his own devices he would be quietly reflective, inside wondering when Cyclonis was going to make a move, he knew the witch had to have something up her sleeve. Every time he looked in the mirror he saw the scar on his jaw, and the white line that marred Keys's beautiful face angered him. It was all done for no reason. For the enjoyment of an insane girl.

Little did Aerrow know that Cyclonis was already making a move on Atmosia. She herself was leading the attack, wanting to meet her former prisoner again, this time prepared for his new abilities.

Aerrow was pulled from his thoughts one morning by Ace running into the sparring room where Aerrow was exercising.

"It's Cyclonis, she's hit Atmosia, the Red Eagles are destroyed."

Aerrow's face kept its calm visage. Finally it was time to take the ultimate stand against the enemy. He marched past Ace, heading for the bridge still in his exercise gear, a pair of loose black trousers and nothing else.

The appearance of the commander in their midst stopped all the Storm Hawks. Piper's eyes traced the thick rope of scar trailing his chest as he gazed at his crew.

"This is it guys. We make for Atmosia. This is where we make a final stand against Cyclonis. Ace, I want you to stay as far from the witch as possible. She will try something I know it." Ace nodded and felt Piper slip her fingers into his hand. He squeezed them gently.

"Junko I was you to stay on the Condor and use the blasters to defend it. Stork, keep yourself alive. Piper, you keep us coordinated. Ace and Finn, you're on skimmers, keep the Talon's busy and be careful. No doubt Ravess and Snipe will be around; they'll be gunning for you Ace." Ace snorted.

"What about me Aerrow?" Kes stood at the outskirts of the group.

"Help Piper, keep yourself safe." She nodded and blinked back a tear, she hated feeling useless.

"What are you going to do Aerrow? Where are you going to be?" Piper didn't want to ask the question but she knew she had to.

"I'm going after Cyclonis. I'm the best in the sky; I'm the only one who's got a chance." Ace went to interrupt. "No Ace, she'll just blast you out of the sky. She wants me, I can feel it, she'll try to take me alive. It'll give me an advantage."

Aerrow looked round at his crew. Finn gave him a half hearted smile, Junko standing behind him looking slightly worried. Piper was discreetly holding Ace's hand and Kes was on the brink of tears. My family, he thought. He'd fight for them; he'd die for them.

He marched out of the room to go and get ready. He felt Kes following. He arrived at his room and pulled a clean uniform out of the drawer. Kes watched him pull the top over his head. He shed his trousers and pulled uniform ones on, all without turning round. Kes lifted his shoulder plates from the dresser next to her and walked to him. Aerrow turned as she approached. She attached the plates and trailed her fingers across his chest. The abdomen plates were next, then the leg defense. Last was the plate over his heart. Kes laid her hand over his heart, pausing for a second.

"Promise you'll come back to me?" Kes gazed into his eyes.

"I don't make promises I might not keep. I promise I'll stop Cyclonis, by any means possible." He put his hand on top of hers.

Kes finally lost the battle with her tears and they tumbled down her face. Aerrow lifted her chin. "I promise I'll love you till the second I die." Kes crumpled into his arms and he held her.

--

In the hanger the storm hawks were assembled. Expecting a long, though probably quite crap motivational speech even Stork had come down to see them off. The skimmers were going out early to try and clear a path for the carrier to get through.

Aerrow mounted his skimmer and revved the engine. "Storm Hawks, lets fly." And he zoomed out of the hanger bay. The rest were shocked at the abrupt departure but Finn and Ace quickly took off after him. Piper blinked back her own tears. She felt a tentative hand reaching into hers; Kes squeezed her fingers lightly. Piper put her arm round the girl and they walked after the merb and wallop towards the bridge.

--

Aerrow couldn't bring himself to speak to the whole crew. He needed to concentrate. He flew towards the approaching terra, Ace and Finn on his wings.

It didn't take long for the air around them to become full of Talons. Aerrow dispatched a few and watched the other two peel off to battle others. Ace had repainted his switch blade to match his new uniform. Blue and gold, similar colours to Piper's.

Aerrow forced his mind back on to task. It didn't take him long to spot the commander of the Talons in the ranks of switchblades. Cyclonis was standing on the wings of a switch blade that seemed to be flying it's self. He decided to get her attention in style. He pulled his daggers out and released a lightening claw that smashed into the side of her switchblade and rocked it hard. The master of the Talons nearly lost her stance but she quickly balanced her self and turned towards her attacker.

Aerrow and Cyclonis traded a few slashes with their energy weapons before coming to a standstill.

"Boy don't you realize what we could be together? We could rule Atmosia. My crystal knowledge and your power would make us unstoppable."

"Only one problem with that Cyclonis, you a raving loony, and I don't work with them."

"Madness and brilliance are often confused. You cannot beat me boy, you are throwing your life away!"

Aerrow centered himself. He was trying hard not to get into a verbal fight with Cyclonis, trying to save his wits for what he must do. He took a few deep breaths and opened his sensed. He could feel the fuel crystals under him flaring to life and the striker crystals on the daggers in his hands start to throb. Radarr chirped a question at his master. "It's alright buddy, I know what I'm doing."

Radarr had been given the choice of staying with Piper and Kes but he had just chirped a rude sound and sat in his cockpit waiting for his master to get his butt on the skimmer.

Aerrow turned his attention to the girl in front of him and he could see she glowed with power. Radarr had to swing the skimmer round to avoid a blast from her staff when his master zoned out. Aerrow could see the veins in the girl running through her body. There is crystal in her blood, Aerrow realized. She must have absorbed crystal powder from using so many. Aerrow prepared himself for the worst as he started to draw on her crystal energy.

Cyclonis could feel something was wrong. Her body was weakening by the second. She took a lucky shot at his engines.

--

Piper turned the under carrier peepers towards Aerrow just in time to see his skimmer explode and Cyclonis fall from hers. She screamed and fell to her knees. Scrambling up she grabbed the communicator.

"Ace, Finn Aerrow's in trouble, I think he's defeated Cyclonis but his skimmer is down. The Talon's are pulling out, find him!"

Ace and Finn immediately turned towards the last known position of the young sky knight and saw the smoke from the collapsed skimmer and the falling empty switch blade. A body was falling with that bike but it was too small for Aerrow's.

Finn lifted his energy bow and used the sights so try and spot Aerrow somewhere in the wreckage. He could make out a small parachute away in the distance and knew is as Radarr's. Finn dispatched Ace towards the small creature and continued to look for his captain.

Ace screamed across the sky and plucked Radarr from the air, sitting him behind him. "You alright?"

Radarr wasn't paying him any attention; he was too busy looking up with a slight smile on his face. Ace was thrown off balance as the blue creature scrambled up onto his shoulder. Ace only had a few seconds to wonder before a body dropped onto the back of the bike. He turned round to see Aerrow smirking at him as he balanced on the rear seat. Aerrow's glider folded itself back and he gripped the older man's belt to keep him on.

"Can I catch a lift?"

--

Back on the Condor the celebrations were nonstop as they mad their way to Atmosia to report that Cyclonis was dead. Aerrow had stopped her heart by pulling on the crystal dust in her veins. He had felt her die while still inside her. Aerrow's participation in the celebrations was brief before heading back out on to the balcony to think.

He took a deep breath in and held it for a moment as he considered his life. He could register as an official sky knight in one week, on his eighteenth birthday. He had defeated Cyclonia, freed captive slaves, fallen in love and made a new friend all in the last three months. What was left for them to do?

Kes wandered out onto the balcony and sat down beside him. She threaded her fingers through his and just sat close to him. Minutes later Ace and Piper joined them. The new couple sat down next to them, Ace sitting next to Aerrow.

"You alright mate?" Ace was worried that Aerrow might slip back into the depression that had plagued him after his release from prison.

"Yeah, I was just wondering what we are going to do now we're all peaceful."

Ace chuckled. "I doubt it'll stay quiet for long." As if hearing Ace's ill fated statement, Finn ran onto the balcony.

"Rogue Talons' have attacked the outpost near Amazonia, we're the closest ship in the air, the council is asking us to help."

"But the council doesn't recognize us as a squadron, why would they call on us?"

The rest of the Storm Hawks stared at Aerrow as if he's lost his mind.

"Do you really think that after all you've done, all you went through, you weren't going to be officially registered, no matter what age you are?" Piper asked incredulously.

Aerrow stared at them all, still a bit confused. Ace dragged him up by the arm. "Come on Sky Knight. Told you things weren't going to be quiet."

A/N

So what did you think? Apart from the three month hiatus that is. School has been a nightmare. Any hoo I've got a couple of other stories in mind, none of which follow on from this but I did have an idea of doing a story of Aerrow becoming a sky knight.

See ya l8r!

Xxx

Please review!