Author's note: OK, firstly, this isn't an 'Atlantis' fic; sorry. I was actually on my way home from a Stargate convention when I caught an episode of this cartoon on the airplane, and just got obsessed. Until the obsession plays itself out, I find myself fascinated by these characters. "Storm Hawks" reminds me of the cartoon "Battle of the Planets" I used to love when I was a kid. I particularly like the character "Stork", a sort of emo teen-aged Kerr Avon who is only with the group until "something better comes along". Wikipedia can summarize the series for you if you want, although I don't know if it is necessary for this fic or not.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "Storm Hawks", nor am I making any type of profit from this story. It is a work of fan fiction, for enjoyment only.

Chapter 1 - Birthdays and Beyond

"Surprise!!" cried the group of assembled teens as the lights clicked on in the previously pitch-black kitchen. The Merb stood blinking in the doorway, rooted to the spot.

"What?" he asked. "What?….What?" Stork curled into himself defensively as he glanced anxiously from face to face, trying to get a clue as to what was happening.

Piper spoke up as the group parted to reveal a huge cake with 19 lit candles. "It was a lot of work, but we finally discovered the date! Happy birthday, Stork!"

If anything, the pilot was more confused than before. "What?" he repeated. "It's…my birthday?"

Aerrow grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room, as he was making no effort to enter on his own accord. "You mean it isn't?" he asked, shooting their tactician a nervous glance. Piper would never forgive herself if she'd gotten it wrong.

"No…yes…I mean, I don't know. We don't celebrate birthdays on Terra Merb, so I never really thought about it." Stork looked like he wanted to hide under the table.

'That explains why the Merb Central Records Department was so confused by my request, not to mention why it was so hard to get the information!' realized Piper. Recovering, she continued aloud,"Well, birthdays mean a lot to us, and we like to celebrate them. Don't you remember Finn's last month?"

Stork stammered, blushing, "I…I…I just thought it was an excuse for a party…"

"And so it is, my man!" replied Finn, clapping a hand behind Stork's shoulders and pushing him towards the table. "And this time, the party's for you!"

"Go ahead, blow out the candles," added Junko eagerly. "Just don't forget to make a wish first!"

"A wish?" the helmsman asked aloud, while thinking, 'I know what I wish - I wish I'd paid more attention to what happened at those other 'birthday parties'!'

"Sure, a wish. Something you want, or hope will happen," Aerrow supplied helpfully.

"But you can't tell anybody, or it won't come true!" cautioned Piper.

Stork blinked, his mind a complete blank. After a moment he nodded, closed his eyes, and thought, 'I wish…we all survive safe and sound to gather here again next year…' Opening his eyes, he inhaled deeply then blew with all his might. The candles didn't stand a chance.

"Yeah!" congratulated Finn. "Nice job! Now, cut the first piece so we can get eating!"

Radarr nodded eagerly and made an anxious whine, causing Stork to smile slightly. He quickly did as told, handing the first slice to the small, blue creature, who scurried away to a corner to eat it. Within moments everyone was devouring their own cake and ice cream.

Once seconds had been handed out to those who wanted them, conversation resumed in small spurts; after all, Piper's curiosity rarely waited long.

"So…you really didn't know it was your birthday?" she asked.

The Merb looked up from where he was still nibbling his first slice. Somehow Piper had managed to make an entire cake out of her 'sandcake' recipe, and he was determined to enjoy every heavenly bite. "No. Like I said, we don't usually celebrate them."

"Huh. I would have thought that living another year would have great significance in your culture, given how anxious Merbs seem to be about dying…" postulated Aerrow.

"Oh, but we do. At the turn of the new year, the whole terra celebrates 'Survivor's Day' to mark another year of being alive."

"Wow. Must be some party," commented Finn through a mouthful of Rocky Road.

Stork managed not to wince at the vaguely nauseating sight, concentrating instead on the question. "Not…really," he replied. "Actually, we mostly go off by ourselves, fast, and remember those we love who didn't…make it."

Silence fell for a moment, to be broken by Piper's reverent, "That's…beautiful, Stork. What a wonderful tradition."

"Yeah, but not much fun," complained Finn. "I think I like birthday parties better."

"I think I can live with both," commented Stork, gracing them with one of his rare smiles. "More cake?" he asked, holding out his plate.

--

"We really appreciate your team's help, sky knight," Councilor Trob gushed, pumping the Aerrow's hand. "Those bandits are getting bolder by the day, and there is nothing my security force can do to stop them. They always seem one step ahead of us."

Aerrow extracted his hand and sat at the meeting table, the rest of the Storm Hawks following his example. Green eyes fixed firmly on the older man's face, he asked, "So…what do you know about them, anyway? Where do they come from? What do they specifically like to target?"

Their gray-haired host shook his head sadly. "That's part of the problem; despite over 6 months of increasingly frequent attacks, no one's ever seen any of these thieves up close. They strike at night, quickly, take what they want and disappear, usually within minutes. At first they robbed only small villages or outlying farms, taking livestock and supplies. Gradually they worked their way up to train shipments and airship loading docks, stealing bulk quantities of ore, crystal, and agricultural products." He leaned towards his young guest, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Two nights ago a guard on duty was beaten senseless during one of their raids; he was unconscious for over twelve hours, and can't remember a thing about it. It won't be long before someone is killed; that's why the Council has asked for your assistance."

Aerrow exchanged a glance with Finn, who nodded grimly. "We'll do whatever we can, Councilor."

Trob rose from the table smiling. "Thank you again. I've asked Captain Thrush to coordinate with you in the hunt; he'll be at your ship by now."

The Storm Hawks made their way back to the Condor, where they found a rather impatient Captain Thrush waiting for them. Dark eyebrows furrowed as the security chief of Terra Gnossus caught sight of the youthful team. Crossing his arms defiantly as they drew closer, he demanded, "You're the Storm Hawks? Aren't you a little…young to be doing this sort of thing?"

Aerrow sighed; he was used to this sort of reaction, although it was becoming less and less as their reputation grew. Plastering on a jaunty smile Finn would be proud of, he replied, "Youngest Sky knight ever. Now, tell me how we can help."

Thrush looked Aerrow up and down, then came to a decision. Nodding, he uncrossed his arms and began to speak. "Well, I'm sure Councilor Trob has given you a general overview, but I'd like to go over the specifics. Is there someplace we can talk?"

"Sure. Why don't you come on the Condor?"

"That'd be fine. If you don't mind, I'd like Lieutenant Chukar to join us; he's my right-hand man." The Captain gestured to the thin, dour-looking person lurking just behind him.

"No problem," replied Aerrow, and within minutes the group was gathered around the strategy table in the Condor. Thrush produced a detailed map of Terra Gnossus, and unrolled it on the flat surface. Pointing to several red "X's", he said, "The first attacks were here, in the northern farming regions. Mostly stole stockpiles of grain, fertilizer, and the like. We posted guards, but they always seemed to hit where the coverage was the weakest, or nonexistent. We posted more, and more, but to no avail. When we finally thought we had all our bases covered…"

"They struck a supply train in the south," completed Chukar, pointing to a big red "X" on the bottom of the map. "Hijacked over a ton of weapons-grade crystal being transported from the mines to Central City for sale to other terras. We had almost no coverage there due to the diversion of our forces northward, so they got clean away." The Lieutenant was clearly disgusted with the turn of events.

"Do you think they planned it that way? Got you to concentrate all your efforts in the North so they could make that raid in the south?" Aerrow asked.

"Oh, we're certain of it." Thrush slammed his fist on the table. "What I don't understand is how they always manage to avoid our patrols."

"We can't guard the whole terra simultaneously," reasoned Chukar.

Thrush glanced at him in sudden alarm. "No, but we can guard our guests. I want a 24-hour watch placed on this ship, effective immediately. See to it."

Chukar looked ready to object to the misuse of manpower, but instead sharply saluted. "Yes, sir!" was his only reply, as he turned on his heel and strode from the room.

Aerrow raised an eyebrow quizzically. "We can guard our own ship, you know. We do it all the time."

"Not to mention Stork's alarms," chuckled Finn, grunting as Piper's elbow impacted his stomach.

Thrush shook his head. "You may do as you please, but excuse my paranoia. With the way things are going, I'd feel better if I knew one of my men was on duty as well."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Aerrow. Bending back over the map, he asked, "So what are your plans for tonight, and how can we help?"

TBC...