Luke stood with his back to the roof's stairwell, his ocular implants tracking the Cherubim as they approached. The A.I.s sang as they flew, broadcasting on all open channels, and Nirvana relayed the soundstream to Luke as he leaned against the railing. 'See? And you were worried they'd be crazy or something. They're just being playful!' Luke grinned. 'Ana's holojection slumped her shoulders and shook her head anxiously. 'Luke, we really need to sit down and have a long talk about your childhood someday-'<br/><br/>Nirvana was interrupted by the sound of bodies struggling up a stairway. She and Luke turned as Gabriel and Gwin exited onto the rooftop, the girl dragging her hero along almost every foot of the way. A sizable jet plane hovered harrier-style just over the railing, and the intrepid duo were clearly headed it's way. Luke's smile grew, and he called out to them as they staggered away. "Hey there, you two!"<br/><br/>And stood perplexed, his hands on his hips, as they blatantly ignored him.<br/><br/>Luke glanced over at 'Ana, one eyebrow cocked in a 'get-a-load-of-this' expression, and shouted once again.<br/><br/>"Hey! Princess! Ureha!...HEY!"<br/><br/>And they kept on a-walkin'.<br/><br/>Luke threw his hands up in exasperation and shouted once more.<br/><br/>"Well, fine, then! Be that way! See if I care! Ya big jerks!" He turned to 'Ana, who watched the unfolding scene with a mixed expression of pity and mild disinterest. 'You know, I'm starting to really not like this town. The people here are so rude! They don't die when they're supposed to, they just ignore you when you talk to them; it-it-it's just bad manners, that's what it is!' 'Aren't you going to chase them? They're right there. Ureha is clearly injured. This would appear to be an excellent opportunity to collect the girl and be on our way, yes?' 'Ah, let them go. They're practically in the plane already, and have you seen that thing? If it's anything like the rest of this asshole's toys, it probably reaches supersonic speeds and serves you tea and dumplings in mid-flight. Better to let the kids take a crack at it; at least they won't have trouble keeping up.' 'Speaking of which...'<br/><br/>Luke felt a sharp prodding sensation at the base of his spine, and turned to find the Cherubims hovering silently in a perfect column. The drones each performed a barrel roll in greeting, each in the opposite direction of the one above it. At once, all four voices erupted in Luke's head as the Cherubim began to circle him like affectionate puppies armed with death rays.<br/><br/>'Hi, Uncle Luke!' 'Hello, Uncle!' 'Hey, Uncle Luke!' He grinned and allowed them to circle him, holding out his arms and letting them do hover tricks as he waited for them to calm down. 'Hey, guys! Are you excited to be back at work again?' 'YEAH! Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!' They cried, spinning in circles. Luke snapped to attention, a mock-serious expression on his face.<br/><br/>'Alright, then. First order! See that plane?' As one, the four drones turned their sensor-packed nose cones toward the jet. 'Yes, Sir!' They shouted. 'Do not let that plane out of your sight, under any circumstances! Second order! If anyone tries to hurt that plane, you have permission to kill them. Kill them hard.' 'Can we use our particle cannons, Uncle Luke?' asked Etriun, for all the world sounding like an anxious child on Christmas day. 'Cherubim squadron, you have full permission to use any means necessary to escort and protect that ship!' '<em>YAAYY</em>!!!' The drones each pulled a quick loop high above Luke's head and returned to formation. 'There is one little condition on your orders, guys, and it's an important one: No Noncombatant Casualties. Understand? Zero.' 'Awww...' 'I mean it, guys. This isn't going to be like that job in Baruga. Your attack pattern is to be Provoked Response only.' 'Yes, Sir...' Luke turned to look at Ureha's plane as it gained altitude, and watched a pair of incoming aircraft sighted their weapons on his ship. He grinned as he spoke the Cherubims' authorization phrase that would send the drones on their mission of protection and destruction.<br/><br/>"World...meet the kids."