Aegis of Hope

howlofthewolf:

fleet-admiral-red:

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.”

“About the Gate…you’ll need some of our engineers to fully repair it. Certain vital components are constructed in such a way that only the Initiative knows how to properly build or repair them.” Aegis explained.

And if the demon that Wolf said was on the remnants of the Bouzaculan-side Gate turned out to be too hard to neutralize, they could simply build another Gate elsewhere.

Perhaps in the neighboring galaxy? GDI had established a few outposts (and secretly, Enclaves) there.

“Don’t worry too much about us, we’re recovering, we just need some time to ourselves.

Hearing what Wolf wanted her to do, Aegis gave a single nod. “Okay…I’ll pass that on. But…couldn’t you just have me tell him directly what you need, instead of relying on cryptic words like these?”

“Aegis, we’re much more advanced then we seem now.” Wolf said to her, “Plus, dealing with that ArchDemon is easy enough given that we have the support of a Heathen Goddess. Remember, we’re part of Astrid’s empire now.” 

Wolf seemed a lot more confident then the last time Aegis had seen him. However, at the same time, he looked a lot more grizzled, and even though his eyes reflected a kind, soft exterior, it wasn’t hard to see the hardened iron behind it.

“Nonsense, I have debts that need to be repaid in full.” Wolf said, “You guys helped me out of very tight spots in the past, and I have yet to properly pay you guys back.” 

Wolf looked to her.

“Aegis, the bond I have with your father was forged in the fires of war. No matter what has happened to drive us apart… we’re both veterans.” Wolf said, “And I am committed to burying the hatchet with him through a gift. Those cryptic words are to tell him of my imminent arrival with a certain traitor you guys want dead. I promised your father the head of Drake Czar. I’m willing to hand him over if he’ll allow back on Altia.” 

Aegis pondered Wolf’s proposed arrangement. In the chaos after the Event and the Trans-Dimensional Gate to his universe self-destructing, they’d forgotten to chase down Drake Czar and bring him to justice.

If Wolf was willing to let the traitor be given over to the Initiative, surely letting him back into GDI space was worthwhile.

“I’ll let the Fleet Admiral and the others know of your intended…gift.” the Titan replied at last.

Privately, Aegis wasn’t sure how the other Fleet Admirals would take this news. By now a substantial amount of people knew about Admiral Green’s animosity, however concealed in strict formality it was, towards Wolf.

“We’ll need to find a way to get engineers from your universe here.” Wolf said, “Even with our tech level increase, I can’t deny we need help.”

He observed her mannerisms, he could tell she was thinking about something.

“Are you worried about Green?” He asked, “Don’t worry about him. If things come to blows, I won’t be the one throwing the first punch.”

“If I do manage to bring engineers over here, they’ll have to come along in a carrier or a similar support vessel.” Aegis agreed. “They have lots of industrial capacity.”

“As for Admiral Green…yes, it’s best that neither of you meet again.”

Aegis hadn’t been there when Green had met Wolf in person that time, but his grumblings upon return to his sector of GDI space had been heard by a few.

“About that demon on the ruins of the Gate here…are you absolutely sure it can be taken down? In the worst-case scenario, you could just call me for fire support.”

Lots of discussion and strategic wargaming on the Initiative’s end had resulted in the agreement that if it really came down to it, focused orbital fire from dreadnoughts or other big-gun starships was probably the safest way to eliminate these nearly-unkillable beasts. Either that, or generating a brief singularity right where the beast was.

Though to be fair, few of these scenarios had accounted for such creatures being on a vital installation like a Gate.

And with the Event having slowed down research into active magical weaponry, it was unlikely a safer option would be found anytime soon.

A Shining Star (Closed)

secondshipgirlsquadron:

fleet-admiral-red:

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?”

Dr Finnegan glanced around at the surroundings, thinking quickly to try and condense an explanation into something digestible.

“Well, for starters…this lab deals with the bleeding edge of nanotechnology, tuned specifically for applications amongst you girls. So much so that we deal with the Technology Council on a regular basis.”

The good doctor held up a few fingers and began ticking them off. “ECM and ECCM nanoswarms, the repair baths, high-efficiency resource conversion modules…all of these and more, originated right here in this lab.”

Aegis spoke up then, wanting to satisfy part of her curiosity. “About the baths, Dr Finnegan…I’ve heard rumors about some kind of…rapid repair fluid? Are they…true?”

An inscrutable expression came over Dr Finnegan. “So rumors did get out…well, it’s better that I show you what the fuss has been all about.”

Aegis looked at the doctor with some surprise, then to Tempest, and back again. It wasn’t often that she got to see what was up in the labs. This would certainly be new…for the both of them.

Tempest, having only learned of the normal ‘magic bathwater’ a few moments ago, was less impressed, but still slightly intrigued. If it was worthy of a Titan’s attention, it must be important, after all.

“So whatever you were talking about, it’s real?” She questioned to her shipgirl comrade.

“Apparently. I only thought those were rumors, but to actually hear that it’s real…best we follow the doctor and see.” Aegis replied.

And follow they did. Dr Finnegan had led them through a few layers of automated security, passing rooms filled with other scientists and experiments, until they came to another room.

The door’s security let them through, and what the pair saw was fascinating. The room contained many barrels and vials, surrounded by monitoring equipment and their contents manipulated by drones and other machinery. But even amongst all those, the central tank of liquid drew the most attention.

“We’ve been working on this for years, ever since the repair baths were first created. The Admiralty foresaw the potential need for extremely quick, nigh-instant repairs. Preparation for wartime conditions or something, you can ask any of them for more details.” Dr Finnegan explained as he stood before a console and began using it to present a haptic screen containing information on the mystery liquid.

“I can say we’re close, but I must also say that it almost feels like we’re not quite there. We’ve tried almost everything we know and some we didn’t when we first started. Closest we’ve ever been is this formula right now, a biomimetic version that mimics krogan regeneration.”

Dr Finnegan frowned as he looked at the readouts. “We’re missing something. But so far, we have no clue what.”

Naturally, most of the science went straight over her head, but she still nodded with a feigned interest.

“Maybe you just need to find another set of eyes to tell you what’s missing.” She said unhelpfully. “It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to work I suppose. As long as it does that, that’s all that matters.”

Dr Finnegan grunted. “Well, I suppose that’s right. It’s just that even getting it to work as we need it to is being a slow process.”

“It can work very fast if it absorbs the necessary amount of energy, which is itself huge, but only dedicated reactors can provide that much through wireless transmission at short range.”

Aegis thought for a moment on Tempest’s comment. Another pair of eyes…hm.

“Adrianna…what do you think about this conundrum?” The Titan asked Tempest’s AI companion.

{I can’t say for certain, but from my observations so far, I might actually have done suggestions.} Adrianna noted.

{The formula itself looks sound, but I believe there could be some improvements made to its deployment. If you were to increase its density slightly and store it in a heated container, would that not decrease the amount of energy you need to provide?}

“Hm…I have to admit, this was something we didn’t really try.” Dr Finnegan remarked thoughtfully as he glanced at the display, then Tempest.

“Keeping the fluid heated and making it denser…well, that would help to quite an extent.”

He noted that down in another haptic screen. Beside Tempest, Aegis gave a look of encouragement to the scientist. “With how close you seem to be, Doctor, I’m sure you and the rest of the scientists will be able to find what you need soon.”

“And thank you, Adrianna.” Both Finnegan and Aegis said simultaneously, before both smiled in mild surprise.

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

Hearing that made Aegis a little sadder. The apparent downgrade meant that the Coalition couldn’t count Astrid’s empire as back just yet. “Rebels, huh…? Are they being as troublesome as the Insurrection?”

She was, of course, referring to the rebel faction that had plagued, and continued to plague, the UNSC and the higher UEG.

Though by the sound of things, the rebels Astrid had to deal with weren’t as formidable as the Insurrection had been, even before the UNSC’s long war with the now-gone Covenant.

“Oh they’re certainly a pain to deal with,” Astrid admitted.  “They’re causing a lot of trouble for me, and I’ve had to employ the Imperial Army to fight them to keep the civilians safe, which only makes things harder for me.”

“Mmh…ha…I see.” Aegis sighed.

In more normal times, GDI would not have hesitated to aid an ally in need directly. But after Bellatrix’s stunt, they were too busy rebuilding and refocusing to send ships out for any serious long-term missions or campaigns.

And since Astrid’s people were now pushed down to a non-spacefaring, non-unified people, that meant intervention was a strict no-go.

“I wish we could help you deal with those rebels more effectively somehow.”

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.”

“About the Gate…you’ll need some of our engineers to fully repair it. Certain vital components are constructed in such a way that only the Initiative knows how to properly build or repair them.” Aegis explained.

And if the demon that Wolf said was on the remnants of the Bouzaculan-side Gate turned out to be too hard to neutralize, they could simply build another Gate elsewhere.

Perhaps in the neighboring galaxy? GDI had established a few outposts (and secretly, Enclaves) there.

“Don’t worry too much about us, we’re recovering, we just need some time to ourselves.

Hearing what Wolf wanted her to do, Aegis gave a single nod. “Okay…I’ll pass that on. But…couldn’t you just have me tell him directly what you need, instead of relying on cryptic words like these?”

“Aegis, we’re much more advanced then we seem now.” Wolf said to her, “Plus, dealing with that ArchDemon is easy enough given that we have the support of a Heathen Goddess. Remember, we’re part of Astrid’s empire now.” 

Wolf seemed a lot more confident then the last time Aegis had seen him. However, at the same time, he looked a lot more grizzled, and even though his eyes reflected a kind, soft exterior, it wasn’t hard to see the hardened iron behind it.

“Nonsense, I have debts that need to be repaid in full.” Wolf said, “You guys helped me out of very tight spots in the past, and I have yet to properly pay you guys back.” 

Wolf looked to her.

“Aegis, the bond I have with your father was forged in the fires of war. No matter what has happened to drive us apart… we’re both veterans.” Wolf said, “And I am committed to burying the hatchet with him through a gift. Those cryptic words are to tell him of my imminent arrival with a certain traitor you guys want dead. I promised your father the head of Drake Czar. I’m willing to hand him over if he’ll allow back on Altia.” 

Aegis pondered Wolf’s proposed arrangement. In the chaos after the Event and the Trans-Dimensional Gate to his universe self-destructing, they’d forgotten to chase down Drake Czar and bring him to justice.

If Wolf was willing to let the traitor be given over to the Initiative, surely letting him back into GDI space was worthwhile.

“I’ll let the Fleet Admiral and the others know of your intended…gift.” the Titan replied at last.

Privately, Aegis wasn’t sure how the other Fleet Admirals would take this news. By now a substantial amount of people knew about Admiral Green’s animosity, however concealed in strict formality it was, towards Wolf.

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

“Backstory…powerset?”

It made her head hurt a little just thinking about those parts specifically, so Aegis elected not to pursue that train of thought.

“Enjoy my time…um, I’ll try. So…if a lot has changed, then what about your empire? I didn’t manage to do an orbital scan on my way in.”

Feeling much better now that her head wasn’t pounding, Aegis stood back up, approaching a little closer to Astrid.

“Well, the Astridian Empire does still exist, but we’ve only got control of about half the world, and I’ve kinda got a bit of a rebel problem to deal with due to me sparing Rebecca,” Astrid answered.  “We’re certainly no interstellar empire like we were last time though.”

Hearing that made Aegis a little sadder. The apparent downgrade meant that the Coalition couldn’t count Astrid’s empire as back just yet. “Rebels, huh…? Are they being as troublesome as the Insurrection?”

She was, of course, referring to the rebel faction that had plagued, and continued to plague, the UNSC and the higher UEG.

Though by the sound of things, the rebels Astrid had to deal with weren’t as formidable as the Insurrection had been, even before the UNSC’s long war with the now-gone Covenant.

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

Seeing the goddess walk through the suddenly-appearing doors was a surprise, but to see that she apparently recognized the Titan from a previous time was what truly surprised Aegis.

Upon hearing the goddess’s name, Aegis’s eyes widened. “Astrid–“

And then without warning, Aegis felt her head began to swim from an unexpected headache as she collapsed on her knees, holding her head. “Agh…what…”

Serina’s voice ran through her mind, sounding astounded. “These memories, these records…they’re coming back to me…how did the entire Initiative and the Coalition forget these?!”

Aegis breathed heavily as she sat down on the ground and looked at Astrid. “I…I remember now. A re…boot? What are you taking about, Astrid? Is that why our records were corrupted?”

The Titan took a few deep breaths, recalling what Astrid asked her last of all as the headache began receding. “You asked about Father…the Fleet Admiral…he’s having a lot on his hands. They all do. We…can’t resume our usual duties…for quite a while.”

“Unfortunate,” Astrid commented.  “Ah well.  A lot has changed since your last visit.  We actually have a whole pantheon on this world now, though I’m the only god you’ll speak with while here, most likely.  Lots of stuff is different compared to your last visit.  Still, I’m the same goddess you knew, just have a different backstory and a more fleshed-out powerset.  Hope you’ll enjoy your time here, Aegis.”

“Backstory…powerset?”

It made her head hurt a little just thinking about those parts specifically, so Aegis elected not to pursue that train of thought.

“Enjoy my time…um, I’ll try. So…if a lot has changed, then what about your empire? I didn’t manage to do an orbital scan on my way in.”

Feeling much better now that her head wasn’t pounding, Aegis stood back up, approaching a little closer to Astrid.

saviorgoddessastrid:

fleet-admiral-red:

Ahead of the Great Journey

(Closed starter for @saviorgoddessastrid )

The tiny form sped at FTL towards a star system. If one could see the twists and flows of spacetime, they would have seen the figure following a very faint trail ahead of hers.

The young woman who knew herself to be GDS Aegis, Aegis-class Titan SCV-01, shot towards the location indicated by her internal display.

Tempest said it was here…this system. Why…why does it seem so familiar?

Her musings were cut short by a notification. Arrival was imminent. Aegis barely needed to spare a thought, if that, to decelerate down to sublight.

The shipgirl dropped from FTL, emerging in orbit of the world Tempest had indicated in an earlier conversation with her. Something within Aegis knew she had been here before. Somehow.

Descending into the planetary atmosphere, Aegis couldn’t shake the ever-growing feeling that this place was a very important one to the Initiative. Or, it had been. The official records were fuzzy. The details muddled up somehow.

The Titan put those thoughts aside. Someone very important was here. Someone she should know, yet didn’t.

Landing covertly at what seemed to be an arrival area, Aegis looked around as she dismissed her rigging in a small, cloaking field-concealed shimmer of light.

“Hello? Is anyone there? Can someone tell me where I am?”

Now, Astrid was very good at keeping her eyes on odd developments like these.  So when Aegis arrived at her landing site and asked where she was, Astrid was quick to answer her by opening up Warp Doors and walking through them to her.  “Yo!” she said, smiling at Aegis.  “My name is Astrid, Astrid Cailmel, Goddess of Light! Welcome to Terra Ancora! It’s been a while since we’ve last met, Aegis.  Haven’t seen you since the continuity reboot.  How’s Red doing?”

Seeing the goddess walk through the suddenly-appearing doors was a surprise, but to see that she apparently recognized the Titan from a previous time was what truly surprised Aegis.

Upon hearing the goddess’s name, Aegis’s eyes widened. “Astrid–“

And then without warning, Aegis felt her head began to swim from an unexpected headache as she collapsed on her knees, holding her head. “Agh…what…”

Serina’s voice ran through her mind, sounding astounded. “These memories, these records…they’re coming back to me…how did the entire Initiative and the Coalition forget these?!”

Aegis breathed heavily as she sat down on the ground and looked at Astrid. “I…I remember now. A re…boot? What are you taking about, Astrid? Is that why our records were corrupted?”

The Titan took a few deep breaths, recalling what Astrid asked her last of all as the headache began receding. “You asked about Father…the Fleet Admiral…he’s having a lot on his hands. They all do. We…can’t resume our usual duties…for quite a while.”

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?”

Dr Finnegan glanced around at the surroundings, thinking quickly to try and condense an explanation into something digestible.

“Well, for starters…this lab deals with the bleeding edge of nanotechnology, tuned specifically for applications amongst you girls. So much so that we deal with the Technology Council on a regular basis.”

The good doctor held up a few fingers and began ticking them off. “ECM and ECCM nanoswarms, the repair baths, high-efficiency resource conversion modules…all of these and more, originated right here in this lab.”

Aegis spoke up then, wanting to satisfy part of her curiosity. “About the baths, Dr Finnegan…I’ve heard rumors about some kind of…rapid repair fluid? Are they…true?”

An inscrutable expression came over Dr Finnegan. “So rumors did get out…well, it’s better that I show you what the fuss has been all about.”

Aegis looked at the doctor with some surprise, then to Tempest, and back again. It wasn’t often that she got to see what was up in the labs. This would certainly be new…for the both of them.

Tempest, having only learned of the normal ‘magic bathwater’ a few moments ago, was less impressed, but still slightly intrigued. If it was worthy of a Titan’s attention, it must be important, after all.

“So whatever you were talking about, it’s real?” She questioned to her shipgirl comrade.

“Apparently. I only thought those were rumors, but to actually hear that it’s real…best we follow the doctor and see.” Aegis replied.

And follow they did. Dr Finnegan had led them through a few layers of automated security, passing rooms filled with other scientists and experiments, until they came to another room.

The door’s security let them through, and what the pair saw was fascinating. The room contained many barrels and vials, surrounded by monitoring equipment and their contents manipulated by drones and other machinery. But even amongst all those, the central tank of liquid drew the most attention.

“We’ve been working on this for years, ever since the repair baths were first created. The Admiralty foresaw the potential need for extremely quick, nigh-instant repairs. Preparation for wartime conditions or something, you can ask any of them for more details.” Dr Finnegan explained as he stood before a console and began using it to present a haptic screen containing information on the mystery liquid.

“I can say we’re close, but I must also say that it almost feels like we’re not quite there. We’ve tried almost everything we know and some we didn’t when we first started. Closest we’ve ever been is this formula right now, a biomimetic version that mimics krogan regeneration.”

Dr Finnegan frowned as he looked at the readouts. “We’re missing something. But so far, we have no clue what.”

Naturally, most of the science went straight over her head, but she still nodded with a feigned interest.

“Maybe you just need to find another set of eyes to tell you what’s missing.” She said unhelpfully. “It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to work I suppose. As long as it does that, that’s all that matters.”

Dr Finnegan grunted. “Well, I suppose that’s right. It’s just that even getting it to work as we need it to is being a slow process.”

“It can work very fast if it absorbs the necessary amount of energy, which is itself huge, but only dedicated reactors can provide that much through wireless transmission at short range.”

Aegis thought for a moment on Tempest’s comment. Another pair of eyes…hm.

“Adrianna…what do you think about this conundrum?” The Titan asked Tempest’s AI companion.

Aegis of Hope

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.”

“About the Gate…you’ll need some of our engineers to fully repair it. Certain vital components are constructed in such a way that only the Initiative knows how to properly build or repair them.” Aegis explained.

And if the demon that Wolf said was on the remnants of the Bouzaculan-side Gate turned out to be too hard to neutralize, they could simply build another Gate elsewhere.

Perhaps in the neighboring galaxy? GDI had established a few outposts (and secretly, Enclaves) there.

“Don’t worry too much about us, we’re recovering, we just need some time to ourselves.

Hearing what Wolf wanted her to do, Aegis gave a single nod. “Okay…I’ll pass that on. But…couldn’t you just have me tell him directly what you need, instead of relying on cryptic words like these?”

Ahead of the Great Journey

(Closed starter for @saviorgoddessastrid )

The tiny form sped at FTL towards a star system. If one could see the twists and flows of spacetime, they would have seen the figure following a very faint trail ahead of hers.

The young woman who knew herself to be GDS Aegis, Aegis-class Titan SCV-01, shot towards the location indicated by her internal display.

Tempest said it was here…this system. Why…why does it seem so familiar?

Her musings were cut short by a notification. Arrival was imminent. Aegis barely needed to spare a thought, if that, to decelerate down to sublight.

The shipgirl dropped from FTL, emerging in orbit of the world Tempest had indicated in an earlier conversation with her. Something within Aegis knew she had been here before. Somehow.

Descending into the planetary atmosphere, Aegis couldn’t shake the ever-growing feeling that this place was a very important one to the Initiative. Or, it had been. The official records were fuzzy. The details muddled up somehow.

The Titan put those thoughts aside. Someone very important was here. Someone she should know, yet didn’t.

Landing covertly at what seemed to be an arrival area, Aegis looked around as she dismissed her rigging in a small, cloaking field-concealed shimmer of light.

“Hello? Is anyone there? Can someone tell me where I am?”