“Okay, point of tension dispelled…” Wolf said, “Sorry about the… bad attitude.
Despite the argument, Wolf felt a bit foolish. Again, he’d let his stubbornness get the better of him. Seating himself heavily, he held his head in pain.
Again, he had failed to control his anger.
“Just take me to Altia so I can get shit done.” He said.
“And what, if I may be so bold as to ask, sir, would be your business there?” The captain asked.
He felt he had the right to know. While the Archive entry on Wolf was rather minimalistic, one thing stood out to the Caldari; he had visited Eden in the Minerva system and the Admiralty with concerning frequency over the years.
Perhaps Wolf did not know it, but he had acquired a fell reputation as a walking bad omen amongst the Initiative’s rank and file personnel.
“I have debts that need to be repaid.” Wolf said, not saying much else. He fixed the Caldari with a look.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” He asked, “Take me to Altia, please.”
The captain gave a nod, returning to his seat as a standard galaxy map popped up in front of him.
“Plot a direct Jump to Minerva, then take us to Eden. Locke, I’ll leave coordination to you. Execute Jump when the Battlegroup reports ready.”
The captain looked across to Wolf. “Repaying debts…let’s hope things do not go sideways while you’re there.”
“The last time things went sideways, I had to negotiate peace, and then free Astrid and Rebecca from the hands of a cultist.” Wolf said with a sigh. The Captain couldn’t see it, but underneath his mask, Wolf’s face was full of regret.
When Battlegroup August arrived at Eden, it was found that most of the Admiralty was currently off duty, with only Red and Green staying to finish up some final duties.
Once Wolf was granted access to Red’s office, the Fleet Admiral was there waiting for him. Red gave him a single nod as he approached.
“It’s been some time, hasn’t it? Heard Czar blew himself up.”
Wolf removed his mask now that he was with Red.
“He did.” Wolf said, “Honestly, I was expecting he would poison himself. Nope, had to be extra and go boom.”
Wolf looked tiredly at Red.
“I know this is going to be a bit of an odd question, but how are you?” He asked.
“A little frazzled, if I may be honest. We’ve all had quite the mess to handle.” Red admitted.
“Just keeps getting better and better every day. Rewriting the Charter according to advice, recalling our forces Coalition-wide, replacing the ships we lost. And then them coming back as shipgirls screaming bloody murder.”
The Fleet Admiral chuckled, but his tone was one filled with no mirth. “And now Yellow’s gone, stars only know where. Not even AWOL, Administration lists her being on leave.”
Wolf sat back and listened, nodding as he stroked his chin.
“Mmm, yeah, that’ll do it.” Wolf said, “As much as it may not matter, I do believe what happened to you guys was a bit overkill… Then again, you guys did go overboard yourselves with a few things yourself…”
He sighed.
“Still, for a goddess to suddenly appear and wipe out that big a chunk of your fleet in retaliation for what you’ve done… well, that just seems like cruel and unnecessary punishment.” Wolf said. Then he looked up at Red on the mention of Yellow.
“I think I heard reports of someone who matched her description on Terra Ancora.” Wolf said, “Though… I wouldn’t start looking for her right now. I think she needs a break from everything that’s happened. She needs her space.”
Seeing how frazzled the guy was, Wolf did something he rarely did – use magic. In this case, it was to summon two glasses, and a large bottle of some very expensive looking Whiskey.
“Red, sit, drink. You look like you need it.” Wolf said, pouring him some of the alcohol, “I know I’m not exactly the face you wanna see right about now, but I’m not here to cause trouble.”
Even with his cybernetics keeping him up, it wasn’t hard to tell that Red(M) was suffering from an extreme case of exhaustion.
“I know you’re going to berate me for saying this, but you need a break.” He said softly, “You look like you’re about to fall over. Let me take you to Dreydis. I’m sure things will run fine without you for a day or two. If I do remember, there was one Drey girl who took a bit of a shine to you the last time we were there.”
Red took the glass of whiskey and eyed it with distaste. “You know I don’t drink, Wolf. Ever.”
With his omni-tool active, he put his hand over the glass, an unknown clear liquid being mixed with the whiskey. “There.”
Red sipped the now neutralized whiskey, thinking back on what Wolf had informed him of. “Terra Ancora. Of course Yellow would go there. Of course.”
But, if his friend needed some time alone, it was best he respect her needs. It seemed she’d taken the Event the hardest, despite her own Fleet being untouched.
“Dreydis? With all due respect Wolf, I don’t recall ever going there. If I wanted to take a break, I’d just head home and spend time with my family. Might as well head home right now, really.”
Initiative Archival Network 