Remembrance

“The enhanced community has a very close relationship with veterans. While, due to international treaty, there are limitations on how highly enhanced someone can be and still serve in the military, it is very common for Enhanced to work together with the military for specific missions and goals, particularly regarding Counter-Terrorism and rescue operations.”

“This relationship dates back to the originals, who were all loyal soldiers to their nations, rather those nations deserved it or not. Something too many veterans can relate to, from far too many wars.”

General Patrica Garanti, ‘Warfare Most Asymmetrical”

Solaris took a deep breath as Marcus drove her towards her first veterans day picnic. She had accepted invitations to appear at several picnics and VA events. She was dressed in a recreation of her original costume, wanting to give old and young both a treat. “So, we are at this picnic for two hours then on to the next right?” She asked Penny.

"Yes. But why did you accept? I can tell you're upset."

“Because…” she looked up. “I must stand for the men I lost, I represent something… more. Even if it is unpleasant, and I spend the evening on the Serenity with whisky and ice cream, I can’t forget the promise I made when I accepted being a hero, or a leader. I must be better, to inspire the best in others. So, I will smile, hug the children I will never have, and stand the field.”

"Honey, this is beginning to reach the point of a legitimate psychological problem. I didn't know you were this troubled by it. We can find you a therapist, it’s normal now." Penny admitted.

Solaris smoothed her skirt. “I may be in the future, but I still am a woman of my time. I wanted children badly. I told you I tried dating after the war. Not one man was willing to stand by a woman who was both stronger than him and barren. Remembrance Day… Veterans Day, is about remembering the sacrifices of war. That was mine.”

"Have you thought about speaking to a fertility expert? I mean, you mentioned your time. We do all sorts of weird shit these days to make sure people have kids. That's how Octomom happened." Marcus said.

Penny, seeing the problem, spoke up. "Octomom is a nickname given to a woman who literally had eight kids at one time, at least I think that's how it happened. Because of fertility treatments. She isn't a mother with eight arms.

Solaris laughed. “Penny, I haven’t had a period since 1942. I’m the ‘unchanging maiden.”

"So, you may or may not have your eggs still. And no, Marcus, you may not dive out of the car because she said period. Freaking Toddler."

"I wasn't going to. But I did remember that one of the ladies in the building carried a child for her aunt, who couldn't carry to term for some reason. I mean, I have no idea how they got to them, but they did do that."

“It doesn’t really matter right now.” She rolled her shoulders and checked her makeup. “There is the park. Time for the show. Marcus, do you mind getting the candy from the trunk? Solaris closed her eyes summoning a soft golden glow around her. Ready Penny?”

"I'm ready." Penny nodded, making a note to make a few calls later.

Solaris stepped out of the car smiling brilliantly for photos, making her way to the meet and greet area, commanding the area around her with her light and charisma.

Marcus looked at Penny, “That got heavy. I guess I’ll go get the weird old times candy she bought.”

"Yeah, you do that." She nodded. "I'll follow her, keep her spirits up." she agreed, following after the small blonde. It was easy to forget that the indestructible woman was still, at the end of the day, just a person like anyone else.

For the next six hours, between three separate events, Solaris took photos, saluted vets, and handed candy to children with a serene smile. Leaving the third, she made her way back to the car, sliding in. “One more to go then a break and then the party on the Intrepid. Let’s swing through McDonald’s on our way to the next stop. I need a cola and fries.”

"Heck yeah, just the thing after a long hot day, get that salt and liquid back in the body." Marcus nodded, pulling out and away from the picnic. He was privately impressed with how many they managed to shove into one day.

"Indeed, she chuckled, “This reminds me a bit of being on the war bond tours, the team and I hitting so many places a day showing the flag and shaking hands. We always seemed to be busy with something."

"Yeah, they kept you busy, I'm sure. Hasn't been a total war kind of deal since then, knock on wood." Penny said.

"There's been lots of wars though." Marcus said, confused.

"Wars, or 'conflicts', yeah. But total war is different. The US, and NATO as a whole hasn't engaged in anything approaching the World Wars, and the dedicating of the entire industrial capacity of nations to war. Hell, Iraq and Afghanistan were financial accounting errors in comparison."

"Thank god for that. " Solaris said, her tone holding no sarcasm. "I don’t want to watch another generation get sent into a meat grinder like that again. How are you two holding up and how is the candy supply?”

"We've got one big bag left, so enough." Marcus replied, as he pulled into the fast food drive through. "The number of girls wearing a variation of your costume amazes me."

“There were plenty of mom's making variants of my costumes for their daughters back in the day, and boys wearing box costumes before the boxes were recycled.” Solaris said as she ate her snack careful to keep the grease off her outfit.They headed to the last event before they headed to the hotel for a break.

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They pulled into the last park, and stepped out of the car, to watch two tiny planes fly overhead, in a small aerobatic display. "Those are some tiny planes, man. I didn't know they made planes in go-cart sizes."

"Oh!” Solaris's stage smile warmed into a real one. "I know those! Those are the Japanese mini-planes! they used them to attack San Francisco, or tried to at least. The Guardians and I captured them. It's where my Kamikaze girls came from, those where all flown by young girls, most of whom had Diabetes, cancer, or some other illness.”

“You're kidding. They used those to attack America?"

"To be fair, smaller drones are doing a lot of heavy lifting in Ukraine. For morale purposes, they'd be potentially devastating." The two planes came down for a landing in a marked stretch of the park, both coming to a stop. Two women, one middle aged, and the other an older teen or twenty climbing out were both small and ethnically Japanese and were waving at people applauding them.

"Looks like someone kept up the tradition." Penny commented.

“Indeed.” Solaris walked towards the Asian woman, too young to be one of the original women. “I wonder which girl they are descended from?" She smiled at the two women “You look good up there."

"Years of long practice." The older woman said, bowing, then offering a handshake. Her accent was almost purely American, but there was a slight hint of Japan still there. "It is an honor to meet Elizabeth Summers. I believe you knew my grandmother. Ishi Namiko, Granny Namiko. I am Mitsu Kita, Mitsu is my given name. This is my daughter Naomi." The teen girl waved, from where she was folding the wings on one of the planes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I remember Ishi, she was quite the daredevil herself behind the stick." She shook the woman's hand, “Looks like her love of flying was handed down."

"It was, by her and her husband. He was one of the few pilots who survived the war from the Japanese side. They met when she returned during reconstruction, though my father and mother returned to the United States working for Toyota shortly before having me. My mother was her daughter, and a pilot, which is what so thrilled my father, I think." She chuckled.

"Grandmother would have been happy to find out you had returned. She passed in the nineties, complications from her diabetes. A family curse me and my daughter dodged."

"I am glad to hear she lived a full life. I lost track of her after she went back to Japan. Though I think Hummingbird managed to keep more in contact with her.

"She did. Pilot girls hung out together, it seemed." She agreed.

"Are these the planes from back then?" Marcus asked, looking at the closer of the two."

"No. Those were Mitsubishi type 77 'Tanukis’ and the only existing ones are in museums. These are Sorrel Hyper lights, a little bigger, if you can believe it, but with gas engines instead of alcohol and missing the eight-millimeter machine guns and wing tip bomb clamps."

Solaris gave Marcus a wry look. "I'd say I have one somewhere. but it's probably in a museum. “These do look sharp though how do they compare to the Tanukis? Those were some spritely little planes.

"Safer, with gas engines, a little slower but more maneuverable. They're a scale down from a slightly larger aerobatic bi-plane, but like the Tanuki's they're a stagger wing bi-plane, and fit into American Ultralight rules, meaning you don't even need a license for them, though we both have pilots licenses."

"So, wait, these ARE airplane go karts?" Marcus asked.

"More or less. They fall under ultralight rules, meaning not really considered a ‘real plane"

“I remember being just, and I mean just, small enough to fly the Tanuki, Solaris laughed. “Nerid was too tall and none of the boys really fit, though Breakneck did his best. If it had wings, he was going to fly it, even if he had to turn himself into a human pretzel to do it.

"Yeah. We use these instead of trying to build Tanuki's from plans because well fed young ladies don't quite fit." She laughed. "My grandmother never got over four foot eleven."

“It takes small women to drop big balls." Solaris said with a japanese accent and a wicked smile. “One of the other girls, Hikori, used to say that when she was pretending her English was bad in front of senators to make them blush.

"Of course, the balls in this case were ten-pound bombs, incendiary, not testicles." The older Japanese woman laughed.

“Yes, Hikori was a very mischievous girl as I remember she ran around a lot with Ishi, because Ishi was quiet and easy to make blush."

"Yes, I heard many stories that made my grandmother blush. Auntie Hikori moved to San Francisco and married a policeman." She smiled. "But we're keeping you away from the crowd. The stories all said you were one to inspire. Picking up where you left off?"

"Yes, for now at least. I'm still finding my footing, but this I know, she looked over her shoulder at the line. "I guess I should get to work. It has been a delight meeting you. I adore hearing that my girls have done well by themselves.”

"They benefited from someone who didn't see them as a burden on their families, or a weapon to be discharged. Too many of their generation didn't get that chance."

"You are not wrong. I am just glad we were able to give them a real chance. She moved to the meet and greet line, and it was easier knowing some of her girls had done well and lived good lives. She even managed to hold a few babies without a pain of soul deep regret for photos. Laughing at a mom, with her four daughters Sixteen, Twelve, Eight and Six months. all in matching Solaris costumes.

"Oh my, that's a Solar system of Solarises." Penny joked, winking at Marcus.

"Isn't that a constellation?"

Solaris laughed and took pictures with the family and handed out candy. She pulled a spare non-combat grade circlet from her bag and put it on the mom’s head, the woman going pale as her girls screamed in delight.

"There we go. That's a complete outfit." Penny laughed, applauding.

The crowd loved it. And she was swamped to the very minute she had to leave. She had a hard time getting into the car.

"You were popular, boss. Might need to make a more custom car for events if this keeps up." Marcus joked as they finally pulled out, heading for the hotel.

“I actually ordered one, it just didn’t have enough space for everyone. I believe Zoya is dropping her off at the hotel so I can take it to the party tonight. The Healy only has two seats.”

"Not the Austin Healey." Penny chuckled. "He was meaning something more show car like. Not that it's not going to be show worthy. Maybe better to say big and attention grabbing. I'll talk to the kids."

Solaris nodded. “They have done some beautiful work. And the next little while we are going to be all hands, on deck. So, letting the, do something fun and big budget is a nice reward,”

“I'll tell them to build something grand. that could be parade worthy as well. Not a float, but something."

They pulled up to the Waldorf, headed to her suite. She smiled at Zoya who was lounging in the room when they arrived. “Hey there, how was the Healy?”

“Pretty lux. I accidentally pepper balled a wall though. Here’s the manual. “

“Pepper, always a fun option. I’m glad the toymakers got her done in time.” Solaris all but purred. “Marcus you want to order food for everyone, ‘dinner’ on the Intrepid is going to be canapés at best, and I am going to want more than that. We have about an hour and a half before Cassidy and the stylist are to get here to put Penny and I together “

“I will call down to room service. It should be the fastest.”