The fall and rise.

Liam Stone was a man of discipline, precision, and altitude. For nearly two decades, he wore the deep blue uniform of the  Air Force with pride. A master pilot, husband to Lily, and father to a bright-eyed boy named Leo, he was the kind of man who believed in duty, in right and wrong, in systems that worked—until those same systems turned against him.

It began with a seemingly harmless procurement request. A hangar upgrade had been delayed for years. Tired of the red tape, Liam authorized the rerouting of funds for urgent maintenance work. Nothing extravagant. Nothing illegal, he thought. But politics in the military were like quicksand—one misstep and you’d be swallowed whole.

When the audit came, it found “unauthorized allocation of defense funds.” A court-martial followed swiftly. And though the judge acknowledged there was no personal gain, the law was the law. Liam was convicted of misappropriation of funds—a minor crime in the eyes of the public, but a death sentence for a soldier's career.

He lost his rank. His pension. His flight license. His dignity.

Lily didn’t stay. She left with Leo to live with her parents in Onio, offering only a cold farewell: “I can’t raise our son in disgrace.”

What followed was a darkness Liam had never known. He rented a tiny room near an abandoned airstrip in Machakos, barely eating, barely sleeping. He sold his medals for rent and his watch for food. Days passed without meaning, each one blurring into the next.

He tried to end it once.

A bottle of whisky and a jar of sleeping pills. But fate, in its cruel way, spared him. A neighbor found him foaming at the mouth, and he woke up in a sterile hospital ward surrounded by strangers.

“You’re lucky,” said the doctor. “Most don’t make it.”

Liam didn’t feel lucky. He felt hollow. Until a young nurse named Esther walked in one morning and saw the flight patch still stitched on his tattered duffel bag.

“You were a pilot?” she asked.

“I was,” he replied.

“Then fly again.”

He stared at her like she was insane. But the words stuck.

It started small. He took odd jobs near Wilyne Airport—mechanic work, hangar cleaning. Slowly, his name began to circulate again. Some still believed in him. A wealthy Mimali businessman gave him a chance: “Fly my packages to Arbu. You don’t ask what’s in them.”

Liam didn’t.

He used the money to buy a secondhand Cessna 208 Caravan. Registered a company—Stones Aviation. Rehired a few old friends. Painted his logo on the tail: a phoenix rising through clouds.

Word spread. Tourists wanted scenic flights over the Oceans and Deserts. NGOs needed remote medical drops. He flew them all. And as he rebuilt his company, he rebuilt himself.

Three years later, Stones Aviation had four aircraft, seven employees, and a pristine safety record. Lily returned—not with apologies, but with respect. “Leo wants to spend more time with you,” she said.

Leo was seventeen now. Taller, voice deeper, eyes wide with curiosity. Liam gave him the grand tour of the hangar. Taught him to inspect wings, check fuel lines, calibrate instruments. They laughed again. They talked. For a brief time, Liam felt like a father again.

Leo wanted to be a pilot.

“Let me fly co-pilot next time,” he begged.

Liam promised he would.

But that flight never came.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***