Ace Combat: Stricken Soul

Back To Work

Following his discharge from the infirmary, Luca returned to action almost immediately much to Princess Cossette's chagrin. The Princess tried expressing her disapproval of this decision to the commander and Doctor Schroeder but they shot down her requests without even a hint of hesitation.

"I can't believe this!" Rosa shouted, slamming the door to Luca's room.

"Well good morning to you too. Slam that door any harder and I would've jumped outta my skin. By the way, you should knock first too." He said as he continued to surf the internet on his Laptop.

"Humph! I'm just so angry I can't even think straight right now." She said as she sat down on his bed.

Luca lowered the screen on his laptop allowing the music to still play and rolled his chair over to the distressed Princess. He placed his hand on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry so much...I'll be okay." Luca reassured her.

"I just don't want something to happen to you again..." Rosa said.

"I feel fine and it looks like I might be the mad scientist's plan B if something happens to Mihaly. But at least with Mihaly...he just wants to fly and this is a perfect excuse for him."

Rosa didn't want to think about the fact that Luca would be the backup plan if Mihaly fell in battle in order to further Schroeder's drone research. It was bad enough that his Granddaughters were having to watch their grandfather torture himself just so he could be used and thrown away and now Luca would be the next pawn in the Doctor's twisted game. As the first song on his computer's music playlist ended the next one that came on was Save the Robots by Institute. Rosa immediately walked over to the desk and slammed the laptop shut, putting it into sleep mode and ending the song.

"Aren't you overreacting just a teeny tiny bit? That's actually a pretty good song." He laughed, "The way I see it. This song is about the loss of our souls, the loss of our spiritual sense. there is a difference between religion and spirituality, right now, we have lost the latter in favor of the former. In losing our spirituality, religion is nothing more than a system of "do this or else," and we have lost our connection to each other, and all living things. Without a soul, without this spiritual connection, a future doesn't really matter much anymore. All we have to look forward to is the results of the soulless masses. When I found out that I lost my family...you could say that my soul had been taken from me or that it was even shattered or stricken." He sighed deeply before continuing, "But then destiny has a funny way of helping one pick up the pieces and I guess you coming along to help me was destiny's way of showing me that maybe I did deserve a second to be happy."

"I love you, Luca...maybe we are meant to be together. Isn't that what fate is about?" Rosa confessed, catching him off guard.

"I love you too...I really do. But...you're a Princess and I'm a commoner and I serve under you. I'd just lower your status."

"Who cares about something as trivial as my status!? Weren't you even listening to me when I came to visit you in the infirmary!? Like you I too was a commoner, Luca! Why should you let something this trivial stand in the way of your feelings?"

"You have a good point, Rosa. All I ask is that we take things slowly...we shouldn't rush into things. Hey, I know! When this is all over...how's about you and me go on a proper date? There's this Sapinish restaurant that my dad used to go to before the war fifteen years ago. When he was just a young rookie pilot like me. Funnily enough that's where he actually met my mom too...she was a waitress. It's called La Pasarela...it's on Calle Nueve in Farbanti which is Sapinish for Ninth Street and yes the food is really REALLY authentic especially the coffee." He chuckled, "My mom still works there to this day and I'm sure she would love to meet you."