When the rescue unit opened what was left of the magnus doom they found an half shocked Samuel who refused to go to the hospital.
"Captain Terrence, is a miracle you are conscious, you should be in a coma by now, we have to take you to the hospital immediately"
"Just give me a dose of stimulants and enough painkillers to hold out for a few minutes more; I need to see him doc, I need to see my grandpa"
Although his situation was bad as it could be, Samuel refused to listen to the doctors. In the end the doctors accepted his pledge. The recovery teams were working fast to rescue all surviving pilots, a few of them were still trapped inside the cockpits of the exoskeletons that were caught in the hydrogen bombs explosions, everything happened so fast they didn't even had time to eject and that saved them. Partially melted metal pieces had to be removed to access the cockpits; as the life support systems lost power, it became a race against time.
"Are you sure you wanna see this?" asked one of the technicians from the rescue team.
"I am"
Samuel could not move most of his body, even talking was hard and painful, the medication was barely keeping him conscious and pushing off the side effects of the stimulants used during the battle. He was carried over with a special motorized life support unit. As the technicians manually opened the hatch of the Executioner's cockpit the naked body of captain Magnus Terrence Carlsen fell out; he was so skinny that the details of his bones could be seen through his skin, his mouth, eyes, ears, nose, even his anus was bleeding. The interior of the cockpit was died red with a small pool of his blood.
Samuel eyes filled with tears as he looked to the sky; he passed out.
[Welcome back captain Terrence]
It was the already known annoying basic AI voice. Samuel opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling common to all military related hospitals.
[The doctor will come in a moment]
The room's door opened a few minutes later.
"Captain Terrence good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" the doctor was a bald, short man with a fresh shaved face, blue eyes and a prominent belly.
"I feel like shit, the usual" answered Samuel with coarse voice.
"I see"
"How did things ended? Did the other countries and bases managed to stop the enemy?"
"Some of them did, some didn't. We lost two mayor cities, North Angeles and New Cuba were destroyed. The French lost Paris, Isreal lost Jerusalem and Na-jib, Costa Rica and New Zealand were razed to the ground, a few cities were lost in Africa, Rio grande do sul is gone, we lost millions"
"How many pilots died?"
"About sixty percent of all pilots, world wide"
There was a moment of silence.
"I am sorry about your grandfather, he was a great man"
"Yes, he was. How long have I been unconscious?"
"Three days"
"So, did I missed the funeral" commented Samuel with some sadness.
"Not really, the army has retained captain Magnus corpse... some things are under investigation"
"Investigation? Why?"
"It seems that the machines your grandfather and his colleagues were using were modified and kept in working conditions with stolen goods from the army"
"So what?" Samuel seemed annoyed.
"Well, there are rules and protocols in the army captain. I don't really know the details, but a trial is being held. The former technicians of the Dead Man Hand are going under investigation and are detained right now"
Saying Samuel was angry was an understatement, the doctor tried to stop him as he tried to get up.
"Captain Terrence, you are in no condition to move"
"Now listen to me, I am getting out of here with your help or without it, those fucking generals messed up and are trying to pin the blame on my grandfather and his men. Will be a cold day in hell if I let that happen"
The eyes looking at the doctor were the eyes of a man ready to go to the extremes.
"Okey, Okey, I will help you; we can use one of the wheelchairs for reduced mobility patients. Where you wanna go?"
"I want to visit my grandfather colleagues"
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, I am not"
As he wished, Samuel was moved out of the hospital.
"Sir, I cant allow you to pass"
"Now listen here; you are sergeant, I am fucking captain; obey your fucking orders and get out of my way"
After making a bit of a ruckus Samuel was allowed to see the prisoners.
"Hey there Gio!" Samuel still recognized the old technician, he had aged a lot since the last time he saw him.
"Sami, how are you doing, kid?" greeted Giovanni getting up from his cell bed.
"Here I am, a great pilot" answered Samuel in a sarcastic voice, opening his arms as he sat in the whellchair.
They both laughed.
"What is all this circus Gio?"
"Bah, this is bullshit! Omaley wants someone to blame for his fuck ups; or at least create some distraction. They are accusing us of stealing military equipment. Technically, we didn't steal it; we just, hum, increased the museums supply"
"When is the trial?"
"In two days... what are you gonna do kid?"
"The best I can. By the way Gio, Grandpa told me to go to you when things don't make sense, what does he meant by that?"
"Oh! that... If you have to ask that, you are not ready yet"
Gio didn't say anything else and went back to lay down on his cell bed. Samuel knew better than trying to force information out of an old grunt, he looked at the doctor and was carried out. Back in the hospital as soon as Samuel got near an available terminal he contacted the AI.
"MARTA, I need you to show a full reconstruction of my conversation with General Omaley during the battle of Dahoe"
[I remind you that AI systems have no sway over military internal decision]
"You are just an intermediary. This will be a military internal affair, I just want things to be clear. I also need you to put me in contact with all the remaining pilots that are conscious and capable of taking part on this. Let's start with captain Virna"
[Understood]
The terminal Samuel was using connected to captain Virna location a minute later.
"What do you want captain Terrence?"
"First, thanks for saving my life."
"No problem"
"Second, I need your help Captain Virna, the generals are trying to fuck over my grandfather team to clean their fuck up. Can you help me?"
Captain Virna smiled.
"Your grandfather helped save a lot of pilots that day, we all used to play with a toy model of the Executioner when we were kids; the pilots that survived are pissed Dahoe are really pissed. I am sure you will get all the help you need, for starters, you can count me in"
Captain Virna and Samuel spend hours talking to all other pilots available. When the day of the trial came, Samuel, captain Virna, and a few other pilots able to attend; presented themselves at the administrative main building of the military justice system were the trial was being hold. Some of the soldiers at the entrance tried to stop them.
"Soldier, do you know who I am?" A woman with a left blue eye, a patch over her right eye, thin as all pilots were and a fully red color uniform with the emblem of a crow on the back came forward. Her left arm was still on a removable cast.
"I know who you are captain Broflosky" answered the soldier with clear doubt on his voice.
"Then step aside!"
"Ma'am I got orders from my superiors to not let anyone inside" refuted the soldier.
"And I am ordering you, to step aside right now, soldier. I am hereby releasing you from all responsibility and taking all agency over the matter. That is of course if you step aside." The voice of captain Broflosky carried a clear threat.
"Let me ask my superiors Ma'am" the other soldier tried to chime in.
"That wont be necessary, just step aside; don't even try to block my way" The woman just started walking without paying more attention to the soldiers.
The soldiers look at each other, stood at attention and saluted as captain Broflosky, Samuel, Virna and other pilots walked inside the building.
They walked inside the court room without a care in the world, this obviously pissed off a lot of high rank military members, including general Omaley.
"What is this insubordination?!" asked one of the military judges.
"Shut the fuck up!" Yelled captain Broflosky, stunning everyone.
"How dare you?!" Omaley got up.
"How dare I? Did I listen well? Did you, a useless fat coward piece of shit just ask me, Captain Broflosky, how I dare?"
There was silence in the room.
"It seems you fat asses don't remember who we pilots really are. Let me give you a lesson; right now, there is only twenty three percent of pilots left. Half of them wont be able to fight for a while. If the enemy were to attack this place at this moment, all you have left is me and the pilots standing in this room right now."
"Captain Broflosky; I understand your frustration, but this is the army and there are rules and ranks to be respected" the judge remarked.
"And I Remind you, that under section eight, paragraph two of the pilot code of the army, under exceptional conditions, I can outrank you!"
"This is not that kind of situation captain"
"Allow me to disagree, MARTA play the recordings" Samuel interfered.
A recording with a holographic reconstruction of Samuel conversation with general Omaley during Dahoe battle; was showed to the tribunal. It was obvious that the general ignores Samuel warning and dismissed the AI support for his proposal.
"The AI is not allowed to interfere in a military tribunal"
"MARTA is not interfering, I am, she is just a recording device"
[That is very offensive]
"You will live, thanks MARTA; disconnect from the terminal, this will be a private matter now" Captain Broflosky ordered.
"Captain Broflosky, you are offending the military and over stepping your boundaries" The judge said.
"This will be the last time I tell you to shut up! You are not a judge, you are just a corrupt piece of crap trying to protect his buddy; this is not a trial, this is a joke"
"This group of men stole military property for years, the pilots they supported..." Omaley was interrupted.
"Came to our aid in our times of need. They died with honor on the battlefield; they saved countless life's! Including yours Omaley" Captain Broflosky yelled.
"Those men disobeyed my orders, they put the city at risk" Omaley retorted.
"What is wrong with ignoring the orders of a coward. None of us forgot how you dropped those bombs on us when you got afraid Omaley. Don't try your luck, all remaining pilots want your head, there is no way you get out of this one scotch free"
Broflosky walked towards the judges.
"We want this piece of shit to pay for what he did, there is no way to save hi; now, do you want to risk it all for him?"
The judges looked among themselves and then looked towards General Omaley.
"Sorry, you are on your own general"
The charade was over.
Omaley face turned white as the judges tried to act with dignity and gave a ruling.
"In lieu of new evidence, the case against the technicians of the former AA88J unit, also known as the Dead mans hand, on the charges of illicit appropriation of army material, subversion and conspiration to arm a private exoskeleton unit, is dismissed"
Captain Broflosky looked at the judges with piercing eyes.
"An investigation will be launch in order to make clear what happened during Dahoe defense campaign. From this moment on; general Omaley, you are hereby removed from your position and rank and placed under military arrest until the situation is clarified and the tribunal emits its final ruling"
"That wont be necessary" another men entered the court room, followed by a few armed soldiers.
Everyone turned around to look at the new arrivals. General Omaley smiled, then looked at captain Broflosky and became confused at the wicked smile on her face.
"What do you mean general Cromwell?" asked one of the judges.
"The committee of Pilots Affairs and the newly established Exo pilots crimes tribunal will take care of this kind of situations from now on"
"What? Under who's authority?" complained one of the judges.
"Oh come on Francis, is enough. You all know that this project already existed; the senate and the president just approved it in a extraordinary meeting one hour ago. Is over, the pilots will have more autonomy now and rule themselves as an independent organization. Officers, take former general Omaley away"
Two of the soldiers that entered the court room behind Cromwell moved ahead; cuffed Omaley and took him away, while the judges stood there like statues. Meanwhile Samuel, Gio and the rest of the old technicians came together in celebration, Cromwell and Broflosky shook hands.
"I am sorry about your nephew general"
"Thanks captain, he was a problem kid; but he had his pride and at least, he had a warriors death"
Samuel made a weird face, but said nothing.
Cromwell and Broflosky turned around and came near the reunion Samuel and Gio had going on.
"Gentlemen's, it is an honor to meet such a dedicated team" Cromwell saluted.
The technicians stood at attention and saluted back.
"Captain Terrence, an honor as well. Your grandfather was a hero until his last breath, we will make sure that his body is not disrespected any further. We will also make sure Omaley pays for his wrongdoings"
Cromwell and Samuel saluted one another, captain Broflosky and Cromwell left the building first. Few moments later the rest followed.
"Now, that was fun. I loved the face on those judges, from now on pilots stuff will be handled by pilots; is not perfect, but it is a start" said captain Virna as they left the building.
"Thanks for your help captain"
"Don't mention it Samuel, it was also a good opportunity for all pilots to move some plans ahead. Take care kid" the woman walked away.
Much of her former cold and harsh character was gone.
Samuel went back to the hospital, next day the funeral of his grandfather took place; his father and grandmother cried: Even stuffed into his basic life support wheelchair; Samuel held himself in a stoic way. His grandfather was buried with all honors in the cemetery for fallen pilots; along with all the members of his unit. Posthumous medals and condecorations were given to all family member of the AA88J unit. The images of their exoskeletons were engraved in their tombstones.
"Come see me when you get out of the hospital, you need to know the truth" Gio whispered in Samuel ear as the burial service came to an end.
Samuel didn't have time to ask anything. Gio and the rest of technicians just walked away.