saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

Aegis was hardly one to forget those acts as well.

While she hadn’t been one of the ships deployed as part of the retaliatory force, she’d been there when Red and the rest of the Admiralty had unanimously voted to enact Juno Protocol upon the opposing Jarellians.

And more than anything, she recalled how Admiral Yellow was one of the last to place her vote, only doing so when convinced that there was no alternative.

It didn’t make up for all those killed, Aegis wasn’t foolish enough to think otherwise. If she and the rest of GDI were to be branded arch-heretics by other higher entities for the rest of their lives because of these actions, it was a cross she was willing to bear.

“It’s strange, you know.” Aegis remarked, her voice now soft. “Red told me something once, a while ago. He knew the stuff he did was sometimes terrible. What’s practical or what’s popular, can’t always have both. If someone high Up There were to condemn him to death for all he did, he wouldn’t even hesitate to take the sentence.”

“Is it…weird that I don’t feel that way, Astrid? That…in his position, I wouldn’t want to just give my life up like that?”

Aegis’s voice wavered, but just a little. She seldom spoke of such things so openly, and this particular point Red had made was one that had stuck with her.

“Everyone has a desire to live,” Astrid mentioned.  “I’m sure Red does too, deep down.  He’s just not always willing to see that his idea of a ‘practical solution’ is just the expedient option.  There were plenty of alternatives available to him that would’ve been practical, but instead the Admiralty chose the fastest option to solve the problem.

“I can’t say I approve of what they’ve done, but I know that they mean well in the end.  I just fear that they forget that public approval is extremely important to hold onto, even if it’s not the practical solution.”

“Expedient option, huh…” Aegis echoed as she thought over what Astrid had said.

While the enaction of Juno Protocol years ago had achieved the goal of neutralizing the Jarellians and their ‘’deity’, it had drawn criticism from certain military officials and ethics groups.

But that was a long-quelled argument. By now knowledge of them was strictly academic and historical. Expedient? Certainly with the benefits of hindsight it had been an excessive decision.

“Thinking on this too long is going to get us nowhere,” Aegis sighed as she rubbed her temples.

“All that aside…there’s talk among the Admiralty right now as we speak for a consideration to change who will be Commanding Fleet Admiral. Father has held that position for decades, and with everything we’ve done so far it’s likely a shift will do us better.”

The Titan listened in on the discussion, a separated dimension and thousands of light years away.

“So far…the general consensus is that…if or when she returns, it’s going to be Admiral Yellow.”

A Shining Star (Closed)

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

“GDS Tempest Eternal, Thanatos-class carrier.” She corrected, a little too boastfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, doctor.” She added. “What kind of laboratory is this?”

“We all will.” Aegis affirmed with a nod.

After a moment more of simply sitting by the seats, Aegis made a motion to get up. Despite the CIC’s strategic value, there honestly wasn’t much to see aside from what had already been shown.

“Come on, shuttle bays next. That’s one of the options to take if you want to go anywhere within and beyond our space.”

A few shipgirls even made regular usage of the shuttles and transports on the Starbase, Lumi being one of them. Aegis knew that cruiser had a particular corvette she liked to use.

Looking back at Tempest, Aegis patiently waited. “Ready to go if you are.”

Tempest was instantly by her side once more. “Of course.” She agreed. “Whatever you want.”

She was a little excited to get to the shuttle bay. Perhaps she could sneak out the doors and spend some more time outside too, but that was just a dream.

Seeing that Tempest really seemed eager to see the shuttle bay, Aegis obliged.

This time, the trip there back out the defensive corridors involved a ride on one of the Starbase’s maglev trams. A speedy journey, if one discounted the various transient security measures.

The shuttle bay, as it turned out, was one of six such docking areas used for both passengers and logistical goods, and was easily one of the largest areas imaginable.

Transports and other small craft steadily made their way in and out of the shuttle bay’s energy-shielded entrances.

And nearby…well, this was interesting. Aegis squinted at one of the incoming ships, a corvette. She knew that one.

And at the landing area just a few meters away…someone else she knew rather well.

At first glance, one may have mistaken the young woman waiting at the landing area for an English maid. But clearly Aegis knew her to be more than what she appeared.

As Tempest trailed behind her, Aegis went over to the young lady and called out to her.

“Hope! Waiting for a certain someone?”

A Shining Star (Closed)

secondshipgirlsquadron:

“GDS Tempest Eternal, Thanatos-class carrier.” She corrected, a little too boastfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, doctor.” She added. “What kind of laboratory is this?”

“We all will.” Aegis affirmed with a nod.

After a moment more of simply sitting by the seats, Aegis made a motion to get up. Despite the CIC’s strategic value, there honestly wasn’t much to see aside from what had already been shown.

“Come on, shuttle bays next. That’s one of the options to take if you want to go anywhere within and beyond our space.”

A few shipgirls even made regular usage of the shuttles and transports on the Starbase, Lumi being one of them. Aegis knew that cruiser had a particular corvette she liked to use.

Looking back at Tempest, Aegis patiently waited. “Ready to go if you are.”

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

“I see…”

Aegis considered the history of the Admiralty that she knew. Certainly, only Red (and his female counterpart) had ever visited Astrid’s world with any degree of regularity.

If Yellow really did come here (and Aegis hoped she did), it would make for a better impression and a chance for the Admiralty to redeem their image in Astrid’s eyes.

“I know we haven’t made the best of ourselves, Astrid.” Aegis said with some remorse. “But if I can try to speak for any of us, we’ll do our best to be better.”

“I’m sure you will,” Astrid replied.  “I know you guys are good people, deep down.”  As long as one ignored all of their horrific deeds committed to keeping their peace, their acts of genocide, planet destruction, and all sorts of things that would get them marked sinners for life by other gods.

Aegis was hardly one to forget those acts as well.

While she hadn’t been one of the ships deployed as part of the retaliatory force, she’d been there when Red and the rest of the Admiralty had unanimously voted to enact Juno Protocol upon the opposing Jarellians.

And more than anything, she recalled how Admiral Yellow was one of the last to place her vote, only doing so when convinced that there was no alternative.

It didn’t make up for all those killed, Aegis wasn’t foolish enough to think otherwise. If she and the rest of GDI were to be branded arch-heretics by other higher entities for the rest of their lives because of these actions, it was a cross she was willing to bear.

“It’s strange, you know.” Aegis remarked, her voice now soft. “Red told me something once, a while ago. He knew the stuff he did was sometimes terrible. What’s practical or what’s popular, can’t always have both. If someone high Up There were to condemn him to death for all he did, he wouldn’t even hesitate to take the sentence.”

“Is it…weird that I don’t feel that way, Astrid? That…in his position, I wouldn’t want to just give my life up like that?”

Aegis’s voice wavered, but just a little. She seldom spoke of such things so openly, and this particular point Red had made was one that had stuck with her.

A Shining Star (Closed)

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

“GDS Tempest Eternal, Thanatos-class carrier.” She corrected, a little too boastfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, doctor.” She added. “What kind of laboratory is this?”

“CIC it is, then.” Aegis announced.

Journeying there wasn’t hard, but it was slowed by the layers of security they had to pass through on the way there.

The CIC of the Starbase sat behind a separate hull and independent layers of shielding and armor. As such, the pair had to pass through specific corridors layered with defenses and other anti-infiltration measures, both magical and technological.

Finally, they entered to find a expansive chamber surrounding a holographic display of the Starbase and the gas giant it orbited, lit in a serene icy blue.

A few officers were manning their consoles, but it was a calm, focused ambience.

She gasped in surprise, awestruck. She found the room beautiful, especially the central holodisplay.

“This is incredible…” She whispered softly. “You could control a fleet from here!” She was almost dancing around, careful not to disturb anyone, but she was giddy like a schoolgirl.

Aegis nodded, smiling at how excited Tempest seemed to be.

“It does. Zephyr has three divisions of the outer system’s defense fleets specifically assigned to it. They’re usually out on patrol near the planet.”

Looking up at the central holo-display, the Titan was relieved to find nothing out of the ordinary. The network of defensive emplacements and drone stations was growing larger by the week, and in time anyone assaulting Zephyr would find it a nightmare to break through.

“This place has quite a bit of redundancy to it. Every command area, really, not just here.” Aegis couldn’t help but remark. “So if an enemy somehow gets lucky with a shot and somehow penetrates this CIC, overall command won’t be impacted as much as you’d think.”

Tempest seemed captivated by the the little holographic ships around the planet, looking at them longingly.

“Say, why can’t we do that?” She questioned. “If we’re just as powerful as our old forms, why aren’t we the ones on patrol?”

“That’s…quite a thing to explain.” Aegis answered with some hesitance.

“As a matter of fact, we are even more capable than our old forms. But that’s one reason why none of us were doing regular patrols.”

Finding an empty pair of seats, Aegis sat down and gestured for Tempest to do the same beside her. “Simply put, we were the naval equivalent of elite forces. Too valuable to simply be doing normal duties that the Navy could handle themselves. Before…the Event, there were only less than 200 of us. We were outnumbered by the rest of the Navy’s normal ships by orders of magnitude.”

Lacing her hands on her lap, Aegis continued. “But with you and the rest of the Third Wave here now and the mass recall still in effect, that’s going to change. It’s time we finally got to do our jobs in full.”

The Titan’s tone contained a hint of eagerness, despite herself. It didn’t help that Aegis had only been deployed a scant few times, all of them being special missions.

“When the anti-pirate operations begin, I’ll be fighting alongside the rest of you. That’s a promise.”

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

“I hope so…” Aegis agreed.

With Yellow having gone to stars-knew-where, morale would surely plummet. Being the gentlest of the Fleet Admirals, Yellow was a living symbol, a beacon of hope to many in troubled times like these.

More information came in from the Admiralty across the void. Yellow had delegated command of Fourth Fleet to her direct subordinate, Vice Admiral Lumeri, before vanishing. Not even Yellow’s personal AI knew where. And speaking of the Admirals…

“You haven’t met any of the other Fleet Admirals in person before, have you Astrid?” Aegis asked. “Aside from Admiral Red, I mean.”

“Can’t say I have, no,” Astrid admitted.  “It was really just Red and his female self that I’ve met before.”  Granted, Astrid had no interest in meeting Green given his tendency for the sledgehammer.

“I see…”

Aegis considered the history of the Admiralty that she knew. Certainly, only Red (and his female counterpart) had ever visited Astrid’s world with any degree of regularity.

If Yellow really did come here (and Aegis hoped she did), it would make for a better impression and a chance for the Admiralty to redeem their image in Astrid’s eyes.

“I know we haven’t made the best of ourselves, Astrid.” Aegis said with some remorse. “But if I can try to speak for any of us, we’ll do our best to be better.”

Aegis of Hope

howlofthewolf:

fleet-admiral-red:

howlofthewolf:

Wolf’s eyes widened at the sound of the events that had occurred.

“Oh… Okay…. I’m just going to say… While what happened wasn’t undeserved… I believe you’ve suffered too much.” Wolf said, “If this had been told to me five years ago… I would’ve been a lot harsher in my judgement… But by the sounds of it, you guys sound like you’re about to implode.”

Wolf looked to her.

“Aegis… If Red sent you here to check out how things were going… I hope this isn’t overstepping any boundaries by saying this, but it almost sounds like a cry for help.” He said, “Don’t worry about the TD Gate on your end. I got one on mine, or at least, the ruins of it. If what my scientists are saying are correct, it’s still reading the frequency of your dimension, it’s just getting onto the Gate to repair that’s the issue. Seems not all the demons went back, as there’s one at the gate.”

Wolf put a hand on her shoulder.

“I need you to do something for me, Aegis…” He said, “when you get back to Altia, go straight to your father. Tell him that old war dogs never break their bonds. He’ll know what that means. I need to get in touch with Astrid.”

”Alright…”

Aegis drained the last of her flask of water, then had it recycled with her field replicator in a shimmer of light as she rose from her seat.

“I have to get going, start the process up. I will see you soon, Wolf.”

“See you soon.” Wolf said, downing his drink, and leaving. He had other things to do.

——————————————-

After dealing with the demon with Astrid’s help, Wolf had started to begin the recovery of the TD Gate. He knew nothing could be done to reconstruct the Gate until the GDI engineers came. Standing in the bridge of the Wolfsclaw-Class Dreadnaught, he watched as squadrons of fighters and squads of troops in space gear patrolled the ruins.

Gravity and electromagnetic readings on every sensor array went off the charts as space twisted and light flared in an area of space near the Gate.

A wormhole. Not just any wormhole, but the type that a TD Gate formed when connecting between universes. But this one seemed to flicker, clearly unstable.

If one could see past the glare and gravitic distortion, they would have seen a single tiny figure emerge from the blinding breach.

Meanwhile, Aegis gritted her teeth, clearly straining as she flew off to the side of the wormhole and held out a hand. The miniature Gate rig she carried had nowhere near the stabilization capability of a full TD Gate, and each transition with it took every bit of concentration and energy she had for a single crossing.

Soon after, a large, sleek vessel emerged, of Initiative design. An Endurance-class support vessel, GDS Sumeragi.

Once the starship made it through, the wormhole closed. Out in space, Aegis let out a breath, exhausted as she made for the nearest of the Sumeragi’s hanger bays to rest.

Wolf’s dreadnought was hailed as the Sumeragi came to a stop near the ruins of the TD Gate. “Bouzaculan vessel, this is the GDS Sumeragi. We are ready to begin repair procedures.”

A Shining Star (Closed)

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

secondshipgirlsquadron:

“GDS Tempest Eternal, Thanatos-class carrier.” She corrected, a little too boastfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, doctor.” She added. “What kind of laboratory is this?”

“CIC it is, then.” Aegis announced.

Journeying there wasn’t hard, but it was slowed by the layers of security they had to pass through on the way there.

The CIC of the Starbase sat behind a separate hull and independent layers of shielding and armor. As such, the pair had to pass through specific corridors layered with defenses and other anti-infiltration measures, both magical and technological.

Finally, they entered to find a expansive chamber surrounding a holographic display of the Starbase and the gas giant it orbited, lit in a serene icy blue.

A few officers were manning their consoles, but it was a calm, focused ambience.

She gasped in surprise, awestruck. She found the room beautiful, especially the central holodisplay.

“This is incredible…” She whispered softly. “You could control a fleet from here!” She was almost dancing around, careful not to disturb anyone, but she was giddy like a schoolgirl.

Aegis nodded, smiling at how excited Tempest seemed to be.

“It does. Zephyr has three divisions of the outer system’s defense fleets specifically assigned to it. They’re usually out on patrol near the planet.”

Looking up at the central holo-display, the Titan was relieved to find nothing out of the ordinary. The network of defensive emplacements and drone stations was growing larger by the week, and in time anyone assaulting Zephyr would find it a nightmare to break through.

“This place has quite a bit of redundancy to it. Every command area, really, not just here.” Aegis couldn’t help but remark. “So if an enemy somehow gets lucky with a shot and somehow penetrates this CIC, overall command won’t be impacted as much as you’d think.”