My Reason

The Black Knight

Yeah yeah, I know, I shouldn't be working on any more stories, but this one wouldn't leave me alone so I wrote it. Basically it's my view and take on Dark Ace, and my attempt at not only figuring out why he did what he did, but to make him seem more real to me. I guess you could say I'm trying to make him more human, and show how easy it is for someone to make a mistake.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own this story.

"Speech"

Sound

Static

"Demon, monster, murderer. I'm used to hearing such titles on the battlefield, and I guess to a degree, I am those things. That is why I pay no mind to those that call me by such names."

Leaning back in his chair, the man sighed.

"Traitor."

"That too is one I hear often. But unlike the others, I do pay that one mind. I pay it mind because I resent it. I am, and have been many things in my life. A squadron wingman, an apprentice, a General, a hero….and a villain. But I have never once committed treason, and would die long before ever doing so."

Running a hand through his messy black hair, the man shook his head.

"My name? I haven't been called by it for so long that sometimes even I forget it. General is what those who are under me call me, but to those I fight, I am known only as the Dark Ace. A title of my own creation, that will be hated, will be feared, and will be recorded in the books of time for many things,"

"But it also serves a purpose."

Chuckle

"People don't even think about it, when they refer to me by it. They think it normal, as though it were my real name since birth; even those who know what my real name is call me by it, rather than by….that name. And it is to those that do so, I thank."

"Why? That is a bit more difficult to explain, but…I shall try."

Sigh

"Dark Ace, lead pilot for the Imperial Cyclonian Air Force, and personal body guard of its Grand Ruler. That is what the history book will say. Every act, every deed, and every little thing that I do will be recorded under that name."

"My….true name, my birth name, is listed among those who were the Storm Hawks, the true Storm Hawks. It has attached to it the names of those who had fallen in battle, by the hand of one of their own. To call me by my birth name, is to connect them to me, and thus tarnish their own names. That is why I created the title."

"Dark Ace, the one who was no longer of their ranks, but was an enemy, and who struck them down. It is not much, I know, but it is all I can do for my fallen comrades, to separate myself from them."

Deep breath

"I know it seems that I am avoiding the main question at hand, but I felt it was important that I explain that before I continued. My reason for turning against them, is the same reason that I resent being called a traitor."

"A traitor is one who shares a belief with others, but turns on both them, and the belief. Never once have I done such a thing, never."

"Just as they who fell by my sword, I took an oath to protect the people, to safeguard their lives, and insure that no matter what, no matter the costs, they lived. That is why I attacked, and destroyed my squadron."

"The war was….not going in our favor. Master Cyclonis had proved to be more than a match for the Councils greatest strategist, and in only a few short months managed to expand his empire from a single terra, to over two thirds of Atmos. The writing was on the wall so to speak, and it seemed that loss was inevitable."

The man looked up, and his dark red iris's seemed to focus on some nonexistent point far away.

"But then…then he took over. Flight lead, and Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks."

"Under his command, the remaining squadrons gathered together, and united under one banner. A year passed, and nothing changed. Many would think that to be a bad sign, but those people know nothing of war. For a ragtag group of fighters to hold their ground for an entire year against a clearly superior force speaks volumes."

"But…. it is also the reason for my actions. I knew, just by looking at him, that he could, and would turn the war around. I could see the battles that would be fought; I could see the victories that would be won."

"And I could see the lives that would be lost doing so."

"I knew that the war would be won, but it would take many, many years. Lives would be lost on both sides, and many wouldn't even be fighters."

"He was the corner stone, the driving force behind it all. Without him, without the King of the Skies to lead them, the remaining squadrons would quickly be crushed, and the war would be brought to a quick end. Yes, Cyclonia would once again control all of Atmos, but better so than countless lives be lost to stop it."

"So with this in mind, and my oath at heart, I did what I did."

Swallowing, the dark haired man shook his head.

"Before I struck him down, when he looked me in the eye, I didn't see surprise, I didn't see anger. I only saw pity and disappointment. He knew my reasons, but did nothing to stop me."

"After….after the battle, I found out why."

"A secret weapon he had called it, our ace in the hole. I guess….I should have had more faith in him."

"Less than a week after the battle ended, and Master Cyclonis took me under his wing…."

"He died."

"For many years he had battled not only for the throne and control of Atmos, but he had been fighting a sickness which had plagued him since his youth. With no leader, and no ruler, Cyclonia would have fallen apart and collapsed in on itself, allowing the Sky Knights to sweep up the board if you will."

"The daughter? Yes, there was an heir to the throne, but she was only three at the time, and the youngest any ruler had taken the throne was fourteen. Ten years and two months out of her grasp."

"Now, with both sides in disarray and falling to shambles, I again made my decision, to protect the lives of as many I could. Forging the late Master Cyclonis's will, I took control of Cyclonia, as his 'most trusted of advisors' I was to hold the throne until his daughter was of age."

Dry laugh

"Even with most of Atmos under my control, I had nothing to work with. Setback after setback and problem after problem prevented me from making the one final push, prevented me from unifying Atmos under one flag. Master Cyclonis it seemed….was not a title for me to ever hold. I knew that, but I had hoped to hold it long enough to complete my mission, to insure that my oath was carried out."

"It….surprised me to no end….that day. To see her, the young girl whom I had looked after, and trained as if she were my own daughter, enter into the throne room in her grandmothers regalia, hold out her hand and take her fathers scepter from its hold."

Blinking, the man looked upwards with a small, content smile.

"It…was probably…the saddest day of my life. It only hit me just then what I had done. Only then had I realized the consequences of my actions. In my quest to bring the war to a quick end, I had prolonged it. Ten years, and two months. I was no longer eighteen, she was no longer three, and the Council…had reclaimed nearly a fourth of their former territory. The tides, while still against them, but they were no longer unconquerable."

"In the time that I spent trying to hold together a crumbling empire, they had seized a foothold, and begun to push back."

Closing his eyes, the man clinched his fist.

"So in the same breath that I swore my loyalty to her, I requested that command of her forces be given to me. I had hoped...that I could snuff out these embers of resistance out before they could grow."

Dark Ace shakes his head.

"But in the end, it seems that the only thing I had done was fan them into a wildfire, a wildfire that would grow and spread throughout Atmos."

"I guess that….I was never meant to be the one who brought the war to an end….I was never meant to be the one who unified Atmos."

"If only…if only I had waited…for just a little while longer…things would have been so different…the war would have ended so much sooner."

"If….if you are listening to this…whoever you are….I ask that you not speak of this to anyone. I only ask that you learn form my mistake, and that you not repeat it yourself."

Chuckle

"I know it sounds strange….but if you wish to know my reasons for making this, I will tell you…."

"I…..desire for….I desire that at least one person know the truth. I want for there to be someone to remember me as the person I really was, and not as the person that history will paint me as."

Static

With a sigh, Dark Ace sets the messenger crystal onto his desk and allows his face to fall into his hands.

"Sir! Enemy forces are approaching! What are your orders?"

Dark Ace ran his fingers down his face as he turns to the Talon with a scowl.

"My orders? An enemy force is approaching and you await my orders? What do you think my orders are?! I want every available Talon in the sky now!"

Rising, the man grabs his sword and slings it into his back harness, and picks up his helmet. Casting one last look at the crystal, he walks out of the door with a stone like countenance.

End Chapter.

AN: I thought about adding another line after that, but I decided it was too cliché and left it out. I know I have a lot of other stories that I'm working on right now, but this one has been running around in my head for a while. Besides, if I'm going to write Storm Hawks stories, I need to practice with Dark Ace. This way, I'm not the only one who benefits eh?

Please leave a review, I might come back to this story and add more chapters, but if I do it wont be any more Dark Ace, it will be someone else.

Till next time, Ja Ne!