The New Shadow Rises (FT, CLOSED)

[StellarGate]

Tempus Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis couldn't believe it.

An entire House... gone, just like that.

The two tiny destroyers picked their way through the wreckage of the battle, seeing the corpses of once great ships now dead, lifeless hulks, not a single life sign among them, no pods, the moon which millions of people called their home now dead and lifeless. It was terrible. It was literally indescribable how bad this was. His mind was blank, he didn't know what could do this, so quickly, so efficiently to destroy everything and leave with no trace. To murder an entire world with civilians on it.

Could the Polians have done it? Perhaps, he didn't know enough about them to guess if they would be this brutal in war, he hoped not if the Terrans had been trading partners at one point. It was just... too good. They had gotten in, out and done in the time for the distress call to reach them and for them to arrive, that hadn't been long at all.

"See about getting good scans of the wreckage," He ordered eventually, barely able to make his mouth form words, "We might find a survivor or two trapped in the rubble, or something that can lead us to the attackers, anything we can find can help." He looked around as everyone numbly got to work. Too much shock was on those faces he could see, too much horror in the emotions.

"Sir, w...we have com call from Ranger." Namar said, his voice tripping up slightly, he looked pale and unwell again, but somehow hung onto his stomach this time.

"Put it in the briefing room." Francis said as she walked away without even confirming it or handing over the bridge to another. They would be fine. Sort of.

He sat down in the chair and activated the terminal, which came to life with Kara's face.

"Of all the things..." His voice was a tad bit more frustrated and worried then he would ever let any of his crew hear. He ran his hands through his hair and kept them on the back of his neck, where the telepathic nerves were. "How many people were here Kara!? Millions???" He removed his hands and looked at them, of course nothing was on them, "I might not be a very strong telepath yet but given how close we were I should of felt all those deaths! You can't kill that many people and it just goes unnoticed!" His voice was frayed a bit around the edges. It was basic knowledge that Cresians could sense death through there telepathy, even across space given the right circumstances, like bonds, or a very powerful telepath. It had even been theorized that a big enough amount of death at the same time could be felt farther away due to the sheer 'noise' it generated.

StarNight herself had demonstrated, at least a couple times, an unerring abaility to sense strange things well across the galaxy, including Jessica Harrington's death for crying out loud, so the fact that there wasn't already a fleet of living ships knock down the star systems door was very frightening, as it meant it had been dampened somehow or perhaps there were just too many variables for the SUpreme Commander to feel this set of death among a lively galaxy of active life, but for Francis and his crew to not feel it at all at such a small distance was extremely unsettling to Francis, as only someone who was telepathically blind would of missed it.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Ranger DD-908
New Cornwall Star System, Charybdis Sector
Saturday 21st April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“Two-hundred-and-eighteen million,” Kara stated numbly. “Mostly civilians.”

Kara did not speak for a moment as she considered what Francis had said. She was no expert on telepathy, and would have to defer to his experience in the matter, but she could not help but wonder on the explanation. She knew that the Skyella Nebula put out a myriad of various radiation types and electromagnetic signals, given how Cresian telepathy worked she wondered if it was something to do with that. Alternatively the only real explanation was that there had been something specifically blocking telepathic senses from ‘hearing’ what had happened in the system. The Terran Empire had possessed telepathic blockers for many decades now, but they were small devices designed to block a room or, at most, a sensitive building; the sheer power demand to do so for an entire system boggled the mind, and considering the energy-generation technology the Empire possessed that was no mean feat. It was disturbing to say the least, but it was far from Kara’s biggest concern at the moment. Now more than ever she felt dangerously exposed out here; there was literally nothing to stop whoever, or whatever, had attacked Tempus to come back to finish the job, wiping out the two allied destroyers would be child's play compared to what they had already accomplished.

Worse, they were no closer to understanding what was going on now than they had been when they had left New Cornwall, and had no idea whether the incident there had anything to do with this catastrophe. Moreover, there was also literally nothing they could do to prevent the same thing from happening to New Cornwall if whoever was behind this turned their sights upon the next nearest Imperial colony. Of course, the destruction of Tempus and House Kardiac had effectively neutered the entire reason for the New Cornwall Colony to exist, and only time would tell whether the beautiful world would be retained, especially if there was some new (or old) threat out here. Not to mention that they were not exactly that far away from the borders of the Empire itself, maybe twelve hours cruising time away, it had been many years since a threat had been so physically close to the Empire, indeed Kara rather suspected that, since throwing off the Amsus this was the closest the Empire had come to a threat, and that was disconcerting in the extreme.

“We’re not going to find any survivors,” Kara commented prophetically. “And I don’t intend to stay here longer than necessary, so as soon as we do a few more sweeps we’ll return to New Cornwall to regroup and contact the Admiralty.”

Kara glanced down at her hands in her lap.

“We should have got here faster,” She said quietly. “We could have done something.”

[StellarGate]

Tempus Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis stared down at the face of his old friend, he was still confused and shocked and so was she. It was all happening so fast, so much death and destruction all happening just outside their reach, stuff happening beyond their control. It was frightening.

"Perhaps." Francis said after a moment. "Perhaps not. If we had managed to get here faster then we would of known who attacked and then probably died in the process as the enemy ate us for dinner." He paused. "Whoever this is, the Polians, some other nation we don't know of yet got the upper hand on a defense fleet that while aged is not exactly out of commission, it hurts to see this but at this point there is nothing we can do."

He paused.

"At least now, perhaps we can focus on protecting New Cornwall and your Admiralty can investigate the rest of what is going on. I don't like saying it this way, but af least now your Admiralty can't ignore what's going on out here." He sighed. "Given the circumstances I don't think the RCE will mind me staying with you to protect 'your' colony until either nation tells me to get lost."

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Ranger DD-908
New Cornwall Star System, Charybdis Sector
Saturday 21st April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“We were the only Emperor’s ship in the area,” Kara said flatly. “Our duty was to be here.”

Doubtless much would be said in the Imperial Senate with regards to how exposed the Admiralty had allowed House Kardiac to be; alone save for its House Defence Fleet, the nearest major concentration of naval strength was some distance away. The Imperial Navy had adopted a nodular doctrine for the deployment of its Fleet: maintaining concentrations of capital ships at key naval stations and dispersing pickets of cruisers or lighter to the surrounding systems to provide sufficient early warning for each fleet’s line of battle to deploy in force. The problem with that within the Terran Empire’s main concentration of territory was the sheer size; as such the only way such a large amount of territory could be adequately protected was by leveraging the jump gates to allow Second Fleet to respond quickly and effectively. So far the Second Fleet had been able to picket key systems, and worked with the Imperial Star Patrol to patrol the Imperial frontier. And yet places like the Tempus Sector lacked a jump gate, and that made it very difficult for the the Imperial Navy to properly picket and protect the sector, instead leaving the matter to the House Defence Fleet and tiny naval pickets of tin cans.

Doubtless the Imperial Navy was about to be raked over the coals in the Senate for its ‘failing’ here, despite the fact it was those very Senators that had hamstrung the Admiralty when it had requested new ships and more of them. Indeed, there would probably be questions asked ‘of the conduct of His Imperial Majesty’s senior naval officer in the sector’ and why the only Imperial Warship within range had not fallen in defence of an Imperial world; daughter of a Highlord or no, Kara was about to get beaten up in the press herself. The simple fact of the matter was that, for good or ill, Ranger ought to have fallen alongside the House Defence Fleet, or at least that was the way that some people would seek to paint the picture to hide their own failings, despite the fact that it was physically impossible for Ranger to have made it to Tempus in time, given the distance she had been at when she received the distress call. Indeed, and Ranger still been at its assigned post at New Cornwall they would have been even later.

“Well, we cannot do anything more here,” Kara sighed heavily. “Set a course for New Cornwall, Francis, and god help us if death follows us there.”

[StellarGate]

Tempus Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis opened his mouth to argue then shut it and stayed silent. He knew how much trouble, no matter how undeserved, Kara was going to be in. He might catch a bit of flak himself, though because he was just here as Kara's support he might not get as much and sadly he knew mom and StarNIght would never allow the press to hammer him over something that wasn't really their fault.

"Yes Ma'am, we'll see you there." He said quietly at last and cut the communication with a respectful nod. He tapped a finger on the table before he stood and walked back out onto the bridge. Judging by the grim look on Hera's face, they hadn't found anything and he made a cutting gesture and the XO went around to quietly tell people to stop while Francis relayed the order to jump back to New Cornwall. The tiny ship turned and jumped once they had confirmed that Ranger was going. He sat down in the command chair but his eyes were distant. There was just too much going on here. It hurt too much.

Suddenly he longed for the days where Edward, Kara and himself would run about the Harrington Estate, or play near his home on Sunai, tricking guards, sneaking off, (or trying to at least), playing games, chasing Pike and the wolves around (or vice versa.) He had only one wish over the years and thats for a good, quiet naval career before he inherited the Sub-Commander position from him mom. Maybe a pirate chase off or two, catch some smugglers, have a variety of commands.

But it looked as though his dreams of a quiet career were to be crushed. The universe it seems, had more in store for his Empire and its ally and he had no say in it.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Ranger DD-908
New Cornwall Star System, Charybdis Sector
Saturday 21st April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“Coming up on the New Cornwall system now, Ma’am,” Lieutenant Duquesne reported.

“Alright Lieutenant,” Kara said heavily. “Take us in.”

With a flash of light the Ranger returned to the New Cornwall System, a little over twenty-four hours after she had departed on her fateful flight which had resulted in their horrifying discovery at Tempus. Kara had not been able to get back to sleep after being woken up; every time she tried she had been haunted by the visage of the shattered House Defence Fleet she had been too late to save. As if her single, old, destroyer could truly have done anything, not that her guilty mind was letting her think that way.

“Sensor contacts!” Lieutenant Kirk reported urgently. “Reading twenty-plus contacts, including eight…”

“Receiving Imperial IFF,” Lieutenant Duquesne cut in sharply. “Confirmed… contacts are Imperial Warships.”

Kara felt her eye’s widening as she looked down at her tactical repeater and watched as the cluster of contacts in orbit over New Cornwall were suddenly identified as belonging to Imperial Warships. So the Admiralty had sent ships out to the Polian Frontier, or damn close to it, after all. It stood to reason; New Cornwall might be small but after the Disaster at Tempus the Navy was doubtless eager to avoid a repeater and as such had decided that the best thing to do was start moving reinforcements out. This was helped by the fact that New Cornwall was a few dozen lightyears removed from Polian space so the presence of Imperial warships here would, hopefully, be slightly less aggressive. As they cruised closer to the planet the CIC staff worked to identify the ships and the eight largest contacts were positively identified as Dreadnaught, and that was comforting. The House Kardiac Defence Fleet only possessed a single Dreadnaught; for any foe to take out a full battle squadron was an entirely different proposition; doubtless why the Admiralty had chosen them to deploy out here as it concentrated the most firepower in as few ships as possible.

As they entered visual range Kara felt some of the guilt and horror she was still feeling slip away and be replaced by a sense of awe and professional pleasure. For the eight Dreadnaught were not ‘just’ ships of the venerable, if ageing, Bastion-Class, but they had an entirely different profile. The bulk of the old Bastions had been replaced with a longer, sleeker looking hull form in the form of the Legacy-Class Dreadnaught; the first of the Next Generation Fleet. The Legacy had been designed to replace the ageing Bastion-Class Dreadnaughts, and due to political pressures the Trafalgar-Class Battleships. The Legacy-Class represents the culmination of nearly a decade of political manoeuvring and subsequent design and development. The final was a conservative design that, whilst certainly more powerful and packing more armour (the essential specifications for a Dreadnaught) than its predecessor, was not exactly ground-breaking in its application. The Legacy is never the less seen as a solid design, and considering the generally non-nuanced role of engaging and destroying enemy capital ships, the lack of cutting edge technology is less noticeable on a ship of the line than might otherwise be the case.

Approval had been granted by the Imperial Senate for a prototype for the Legacy-Class in 2740, with an option for a further seven if the prototype proved satisfactory. The Legacy herself was laid down within four months of the approval, and construction and fitting out was completed within twenty-four months, the ship being commissioned by October 2742. The ship proved highly satisfactory in its acceptance trails, and the Admiralty immediately took up the Senate-authorised option for the remaining eight to fill out the rest of the Battle Squadron. The follow-up ships were commissioned in February 2745, and throughout their construction both the Primary Fleet Yards over Mars, and the famous Tairian Yards, began to expand or establish their own production line for the new class of Dreadnaught, with the hope that a major order would be authorised sooner rather than later. This proved to be fortunate as the Senate, finally, authorised an open-ended production run for the Legacy-Class, filling all eighty slips at the Mars and Tair Yards.

It was damn good to see new ships in the Imperial Navy.

“Signal from Legacy, Ma’am,” Lieutenant Duquesne reported crisply. “Orders for you and Commander Larson to report aboard.”

[StellarGate]

New Cornwall Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

The transit time had not put Francis's mind at ease at all. He'd slept, a little, here and there, too restless and worried to really put his head down for anything more than a half an hour before his mind woke again, worried that they were going to find New Cornwall burned and dead when they returned.

Francis was more than a bit relieved to see the ships that greeted them and to see that New Cornwall was still alive and well. A small part of his mind reminded him that that could change but he ignored it. The ships that greeted them were reading as Legacy- class dreadnoughts, something he'd only heard about and seen pictures of, seeing eight of them in the same place was damn near awe inspiring and it settled his nerves a bit to see them here protecting the colony.

"Sir," Namar still didn't sound very good, probably had the same problem he had, especially for the nervous sort he was, but at least he was doing his job, and his voice was steady this time. "Its an order for you and Harrington to report aboard the Legacy."

They even had the lead ship of the class out here too? That's interesting, not that it made much a difference, it was the same as all the others of her class. But still, he liked the idea of seeing the lead ship of a class up close, even under his current circumstances.

"Alright, tell them I'll be coming over shortly, call down to the boat bay to get a cutter ready, Midshipman Namar, you have the bridge." Francis probably should not of put the nervous young kid in charge, but with 8 dreadnoughts in orbit he was sure the midshipman would be fine sitting in the command chair for a bit.

He turned and walked out of the bridge and stepping into the lift and punching in the code for the boat bay, he studied his reflection in the polished wall of the lift and sighed. He was wearing his skinsuit, with its Commander insignia slashes and his white beret which he'd just kinda thrown on before he'd returned to the bridge. He didn't look bad, but then again... He slapped a quick code into the skinsuit panel and it switched out the smart nanite skinsuit for a uniform, not exactly the best one, but a basic one with his rank on it, and he reached up to straighten the white beret on his head. Better. He still looked tired but now he looked liked a tired, presentable officer as the lift slowed and opened to the boat bay.

---

Francis had to admit he was a bit jealous. He'd seen ships in his time, being the son of the Famous Kara Larson had granted him many a trip to various ships to check them over with mom when he was younger, but most of them had been RCN ships. Terran ships were held to different design standards and he loved the way the Legacy looked up close as his cutter began its final approach to the boat bay and landed with little fuss. He did not know who was in command of the ship, but he wondered what it was like, getting orders to go support Commander Harrington and Commander Larson and it not be some practical joke played by Jess & Mom. The thought brought a bitter smile to his face, as much like he was sure Kara and Edward were aware, their names carried a lot of weight and legacy to live up to. The fact that this had so damned quickly gotten this way with a Harrington and Larson around was just weird.

He took one more second to brush invisible dust from his uniform before stepping out of his craft onto the Dreadnought.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Legacy DN-285
New Cornwall Star System, Charybdis Sector
Saturday 21st April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

Despite herself, and despite everything that had happened, Kara had watched the majestic Dreadnaughts getting bigger and bigger in the canopy of the utility shuttle that had transported her across from Ranger to Legacy. The ships were the largest ever designed for the Imperial Navy, even if they were somewhat less ‘bulky’ than their predecessors, as a result of improvements in armour design that allowed superior protection with significantly less physical space required, but they were a few hundred meters longer and they easily dominated the starscape above New Cornwall. She had seen images of the ship before of course; the first new Imperial Warship in decades had been gawked over by pretty much every man and woman in the service, but was not only the first time she had seen one in person but the first time she had seen a full battle squadron of them. With the exception of the Legacy herself the rest of the squadron had only been commissioned a couple of months previously, and the squadron had not been seen outside of the Sol System until now. It made sense that if the Admiralty could only deploy one battle squadron that they had chosen to send this one.

The utility shuttle had taken something of a scenic route, the pilot clearly deciding that his Captain needed some eye candy to cheer her up after such a terrible day (and likely wanting some of his own) and had curved them past one of the sixteen Biter-Class Destroyers from the Destroyer Flotilla that made up the screening element for Battle Squadron 1. It had been with some regret that the pilot had turned them into the flight deck of the massive Dreadnaught. Kara was met on the deck by an officer wearing the rank insignia of a Commander who identified himself as the Executive Officer of the Legacy, whilst a Lieutenant Commander, the Chief Tactical Officer, greeted Francis, both with side parties. Once they were formally received aboard the group of four officers began to make their way through the ships passageways and it was obvious that, aside from being the most powerful ship in the Fleet, the Legacy was also intended to be something of an ambassador for the Imperial Navy; both at home and abroad. Her passageways and her ship’s company were immaculate.

Kara and Francis were guided into the flag bridge and found a small group of officers clustered around a tactical display whilst various ratings around the perimeter of the room analysed and assessed the data being provided by the ship’s sensors. Kara swept her eyes over the flag staff to identify the Squadron Commander, having not kept up to date on who was commanding which squadron in Home Fleet.

“Ah, Commander Harrington,” Rear Admiral Elizabeth Munro said as she rounded the situation table, stepping away from her staff to speak quietly. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Auntie Elizabeth,” Kara replied with a smile.

Elizabeth Munro, once upon a time Elizabeth Langley, along with her husband Alexander, had been two key protégées of Jessica Harrington during the Hegemony War and they had spent a lot of time at Harrington House on Pike’s Redoubt. As such they had ended up becoming unofficial parts of the family.

“And you, Commander Larson,” Rear Admiral Munro nodded to Francis, before turning back to Kara. “How are you holding up.”

“It’s hard,” Kara admitted, knowing she would not have let her doubt show before any other flag officer. “All those people.”

“I know… trust me I know,” Munro sighed heavily. “I’m afraid I don’t have good news for you… I have your orders…”

“Orders?” Kara frowned. “Am I not staying here?”

“Unfortunately not; I have orders to take over as Senior Officer and protect this colony against any attacks, the Admiralty believes that my battle squadron ought to be enough,” Rear Admiral Munro replied with a grim expression. “Your orders are to report to Earth; the Senate Defence Committee has sent a ‘request’ to the Admiralty to question you ASAP… I’m sorry Kara… I don’t like it.”

Kara sighed heavily and looked down, defeated. The Senate Select Committee on Defence was part of what controlled the Navy’s budget, and had a significant say in procurement, so if the Admiralty was to get the new fleet it wanted (and after this mess, clearly needed) then they had to play nice with the Committee; and if that meant letting them rake one of their officers over the coals then that, clearly, was the price they were willing to pay. Truth be told Kara could not blame them, if she had been in the same position as the Admiralty she likely would have made the same call, but it sure felt a lot differently when it was here that was being offered up on the sacrificial alter. She knew that there was unlikely to be too severe a long-term impact on her career, after all it was the Admiralty that controlled careers not politicians (as the Imperial Navy did not require political confirmation for promotions) and her family name would have neutered any attempts to to so anyway, but she knew that the next few weeks were unlikely to be pleasant.

Not exactly what she needed after everything that had happened, all things considered.

“I understand, Ma’am,” Kara said stiffly.

“I expect you’ll receive similar orders, Commander Larson,” Munro added. “Although I doubt that the Senate will try to request calling you to speak to them.”

[StellarGate]

New Cornwall Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis looked a little worried about his friend as he listened to what Admiral Munro had to say about her orders. His nation had nothing like it, no matter how much the Houses of the RCE might worry and badger over the huge military budget, in the end their opinions were considered only when the Supreme Commander wished to. Now StarNight was not unreasonable and always sought differing opinions on the budgets, but the Houses knew if they pushed too far they would be ignored. Perhaps not the most free system in the universe, but at the end of the day, the RCE had a military based government, it would get what it needed in some way or another.

He was about to respond when a hologram, projected from his skinsuit panel, popped up in front of him. He looked down at it, reading it and nodded.

“You were not wrong Ma’am.” He said as he dismissed the hologram. “Those were my new orders, word travels fast in a crisis, to continue to support Ranger and her CO and to ‘aide’ in any investigations the government of our ally may have on your actions under that COs orders.” He gave a small smile, he knew exactly what the RCE was doing, while technically half throwing him under the bus with Kara, it might deflect some of the coal raking onto him and showed support for the hapless officer who got stuck in this situation in the first place.

At least he could be there for Kara, she didn’t deserve what she had gotten, stayr knew she’d done everything as right as she could without being clairvoyant.

“I hope that won’t be a problem Admiral, me tagging along with Commander Harrington?” He asked, glancing over at Kara with a small smile. He had no intention of just abandoning Kara to her fate, he would of tried to request going with her anyways, as much trouble as The Harrington Twins and he had gotten into, there had been only a few times in which punishment had only been applied to one of them when all three of them were getting in trouble. Troublemaker sure, but Francis had always tried his best to deflect blame for some of the stupid shit they did, mostly in a bid to make the punishments less severe by laying blame across everyone involved.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Legacy DN-285
New Cornwall Star System, Charybdis Sector
Saturday 21st April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“By all means, Commander Larson,” Munro nodded, clearly pleased that Kara would have some friendly company.

Munro turned to Kara again.

“Just remember, every officer in uniform, or at least every officer worth his salt anyway, knows that you were put in an impossible situation and that there was no way an aged destroyer could have averted this catastrophe,” Munro said firmly, squeezing Kara’s shoulder with a comforting smile. “Those that are going to be asking you questions… doubting you… saying you could have done better do not know what it’s like out there on the frontier; you do, you know, deep down, that there was nothing else you could have done, right?”

“Yes Ma’am,’ Kara said with a nod, believing it herself for the first time.

Kara glanced around at the other officers on the staff of Battle Squadron 1; in their expressions she could see support and understanding. They all knew what she had been asked to do, what she had been faced with, and what resources she had on hand to do it. Moreover, they knew that they themselves were hardly in an ideal situation. They might have significantly more assets, resources and firepower, but the simple fact of the matter was that they didn’t have any idea what was going on themselves, nor did they know what was right around the corner. They might have infinitely more strength behind them, such was the sheer power differential between eight Dreadnaughts and a lone destroyer, but they were just as exposed as the Ranger had been. They did not envy Kara having to head back to Earth to testify before a damned committee, even if that was part of the semi-democracy that they had all sworn to protect, especially when they knew that after everything she had seen Kara would want to be out here to get her payback on those that had killed her people and the entirety of House Kardiac.

“Is there anything else, Ma’am?”

“No; get yourself to Earth, satisfy the politicians and then get yourself back out here as soon as possible,” Munro replied with a heavy sigh. “If this is all going to kick off I want to have you and your ship with me, I’m more than happy to trade on a few lucky names.”

Kara nodded with a slight smile and the two Commanders departed the flag bridge. It had been a flying visit but Kara appreciated Munro taking the time to inform her personally; after all it was probably the single most unpleasant order she had received in her years in the Imperial Navy. Of course, the past two days had been unpleasant in the extreme and this order was the least of that. If her duty meant that she had to open herself up to questioning by self-serving Senators then she would do that, if it meant that she could help encourage smart decisions in relation to upping the defence budget. One ship, one destroyer, could do very little out here; but maybe she could do something in the Senate.

[StellarGate]

New Cornwall Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis was quiet as they returned to their craft, he seemed to be brooding a bit over his thoughts. His hair streaks were colored but dull, eyes distant. It wasn't directed at Kara though, he was just brooding over everything that brought them here. He wondered if it hadn't been him, if someone else had been sent, would it have gone better? Probably not. As much as the whole 'butterfly effect' made a good story, timelines weren't that fragile. It just annoyed him. One of his childhood friends, a person he still considered a very close friend despite the lack of communication, suddenly reappears in his life, he was so happy to see her again, to catch up, trade stories, perhaps over a good dinner before their respective navies tore them back in different directions when the Terrans inevitably sent someone with some actual teeth out here to access the situation.

But no. Instead they get their marine compliments half slaughtered, be the first ships to arrive to complete and utter destruction at House Kardiac and here they were, going to go to Earth to stand in front of some senators who hadn't just had their people killed and got the 'honor' of being the first to pick and scan the dead corpses of ships, wishing they could of made it a few seconds sooner and perhaps caught someone leaving or something.

Once they reached the bay where their craft were waiting he gave a small smile and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I will see you at Earth Kara, we'll get everything sorted out together, kinda like old times." He ruffled his feathers, he wouldn't let his friend face this punishment alone, he never had when younger, and he wouldn't now.

With a last goodbye Francis walked back into his cutter and then made his way back to his ship.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Ranger DD-908
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

The Sol System was bustling with activity as the Ranger emerged from hyperspace and slowed rapidly as it returned to normal space, pulling carefully into one of the numerous safe zones to ensure that she did not plow into a lumbering freighter by accident. For all the negatives of the funnelling of significant funds away from the Military into the reconstruction there were plenty of positives as well, not the least of which was the fact that as the former occupied zone had received more and more funds the economy had boomed and trade was flourishing all over the Empire, and beyond, and as a result the Sol System, the single largest market in the Empire, was the nerve centre of many trade routes. Even though the resources of the Sol System itself were dwindling in some respects, save for strategic reserves, the systems’ appetite was voracious and the rest of the Empire was more than happy to feed that appetite and reap the rewards of doing so. Of course, in addition to the thousands of civilian ships that picked their way through the carefully managed space lanes, there were also hundreds of Imperial Warships; the single largest concentration anywhere in the Empire due to the presence of the Home Fleet over Earth and the Third Fleet over Mars.

The Senate, Kara noted grumpily, was more than happy to amply arrange for its own protection, even as the economic boom continued meaning that there was, realistically, plenty of funding to go around. Indeed even a small (comparatively) increase to the Navy’s budget would do wonders and hardly be a drop in the ocean compared to the reconstruction budget which, even sixty years after the end of the war, was still needed in many systems. Of course, there were more than a few cases of pork barrel politics going on, much to the annoyance of everyone else, which mean that some programmes which could be discontinued, or have the burden placed upon the Houses, remained in place. The Imperial Security Force, at the direct command of the Emperor, watched carefully for out-right corruption, and pounced without hesitation when it saw it, but the majority of it was purely politics rather than anything more and that was frustrating, but unavoidable.

Once upon a time the First Terran Empire had been born out of the very failure of democracy, and had in no way been a democracy prior to the fall. When rebuilding his Empire Edward had decided to add some democratic elements back into the mix in the form of elected Senators. The Emperor still retained ultimate authority over the Empire, as did the Highlords in their own holdings, but the Senate had become an important element of the Terran political system; albeit at the Emperor’s sufferance. Kara understood why Edward had done that, indeed she even understood why he still tolerated it rather than using his own personal authority to push through a budget, but by god as a naval officer faced with a new threat with an ageing fleet, she wished he hadn’t. Of course, she knew that part of her willingness to accept absolute rule by the Emperor and the Highlords was because she was part of that ruling class; her interests would always be protected by her mother’s status of Highlord, and that of her brother when he inherited that position after their mother’s eventual death, but it was frustrating to say the least.

“Sol Traffic Control is clearing us into Earth orbit, Ma’am,” Lieutenant Duquesne reported from her station as a red course marker appeared on the visual overlay over the forward viewport. “You have orders to report to the Imperial Capitol.”

“No rest for the wicked,” Kara sighed, but nodded. “Very well, I’ll be needing my shuttle.”

Duquesne nodded and made the arrangements, even as Kara good from her chair and made her way towards the turbo lift. Instead of heading directly for the hanger deck, knowing that her shuttle would need feeling before she could take it out, she headed down to her cabin first and changed into her service dress whites, after all she was about to appear before the Imperial Senate before making her way down to the hanger deck. By the time she reached the hanger deck, after readjusting her uniform for the tenth time, the shuttle was ready to take her down to Earth.

The shuttle came in for a landing in the grounds of the Imperial Capitol in Washington D.C., the building that had once served as the Capitol of the now-defunct United States of America. The Capitol was home to the Imperial Legislative and held chambers of the Imperial Senate, the Highlord Council and the Grand Conclave Chamber, and was the nerve centre of power not specifically held by the Emperor; which was part of the reason why it was in Washington rather than London. The Capitol, as a symbol of Terran history and power, had been badly damaged during the Amsus Occupation but had, along with all historic Terran buildings, been rebuilt and restored over the past six decades.

Waiting for Kara was another individual, who unlike normal circumstances, was in the uniform of a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Navy; as she stepped closer she identified her mother easily enough. Jessica Harrington had every right to wear the uniform, after all Fleet Admirals never officially retired, but she usually did not wear uniform outside of specific events (such as Walker Von Karin’s funeral) so as to not give the appearance of a military dictatorship, she was an Imperial Highlord after all.

“Fleet Admiral,” Kara said formally, rendering a crisp salute to her mother. “What are you doing here.”

“I’m not about to let my daughter go before the Imperial Senate for a sham hearing to let politicians try to cover their own back on her own,” Jessica replied returning the salute, hugging her daughter once the military courtesy was done. “I tried to fight this Kara, hell Edward tried to fight this, but if we want to have a budget increase anytime soon, we had to throw them a bone.”

“I understand, Ma’am,” Kara sighed heavily. “I know I’ve got to take one for the team, my family name ensured that.”

“Indeed, I suspect it did,” Jessica agreed. “I can’t imagine most officers would be dragged before the Senate like this.”

“Yippie for me,” Kara shook her head. “Say, did you hear who the Cresians sent out to help me?”

“Of course, I might not have a formal place in the Admiralty chain of command anymore, but I still have my NAVINT contacts, so I knew before you did, but left it a surprise,” Jessica replied with a grin, before her expression faded and she sighed herself. “I’m sorry for what happened to you out there, Kara, its not fair that you or any naval officer should be put in that position on your own out there… but that’s why this Senate Hearing is so important, we need this budget increase.”

“I know, but I was surprised they called me down so soon.”

“This is just an initial session; its opening statements from the Committee Chair and yourself; gives you an idea where the Committee is coming from and the Committee gets an idea what your own approach will be,” Jessica explained as they made their way towards the Capitol. “The hearings will begin in earnest tomorrow, so we’ll have overnight to get a handle on the situation and get an idea of what they want… do you know if Francis is coming down?”

“I don’t know, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” Kara replied. “He came back with me from New Cornwall after all.”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

“As beautiful as the view is from orbit Commander, I have to admit I’d rather be down here to help you.” Francis said as he walked up to join her. He gave Jessica a salute to make his academy instructors proud. “Fleet Admiral. It is nice to see you.” His voice respectful and formal.

Commander, the Honorable, Francis Jared Larson was dressed in his best uniform, black and gold fabric with his white beret, feathers well groomed and long blonde hair pulled back. Given the news from Kara and the single star on the Cresian tunic, the ship he had now was his first command, and while it didn’t completely lack decorations, it was obvious that Francis was young without the thousands of years of experience or the hard fast pace of a war to decorate it. The only decoration that may be unfamiliar was a silver pin of a sun with golden rays, the new symbol of the heir to the Sub-Commandership of Sunai, Kara Larson now wore a full gold sun with her best uniform.

“Are you going to be joining us Ma’am?” He asked Jessica, having missed that part of the conversation. He could guess that’s why she came here in her uniform, but he wanted to make sure.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
HMS Ranger DD-908
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“It’s good to see you too, Francis,” Jessica replied with a smile as she returned the salute. “Of course, can’t let the Senate have it all their own way.”

With that Kara, Jessica and Francis made their way into the Imperial Capitol. They were met by a Senate Aide in the Rotunda and were directed towards one of the Senate Committee Rooms where the hearing would take place.They arrived to discover that the Committee was already in place and was already hearing testimony from the Chief of Fleet Operations, Admiral Wright, on the broader background to the situation ahead of tomorrow’s more in-depth questioning around ‘the Conduct of His Imperial Majesty’s Starships in the Vicinity of the Tempus Disaster’. The small group waited until Sir Nathan had completed his briefing and had been allowed to step down before entering the room, and this was careful political theatre. For despite being on their home turf the Senate Select Committee on Defence were compelled to rise respectfully as Jessica Harrington made her way forwards, the presence of an Imperial Highlord commanding respect even here in the heart of the Imperial Capitol. If Jessica was aware that this was something of a breach of protocol she didn’t let it show as she took her seat at the front of the gathered spectators whilst Kara continued towards the lone table before the semi-circle of raised Senators.

“Will you sate your name, for the record,” The Chairman, Senator Frank Heywood, said formally. “And your posting.”

“Commander Kara Harrington, Imperial Navy,” Kara replied crisply. “Commanding Officer, HMS Ranger.”

“Commander Harrington, you have been called before this committee because you were the ranking Emperor’s Officer in the Charybdis Sector during the Tempus Disaster, and as such the responsibility falls at your feet,” Senator Heywood said, ignoring the angry murmurs from the audience. “This Committee is interested in discovering the course of events that resulted in your Marine Detachment being slaughtered, and your ship arriving too late to save House Kardiac, the questioning will begin tomorrow, do you have any initial comments?”

“I do,” Kara said, her voice cold as ice.

She paused for a moment before continuing once Senator Heywood had gestured for her to continue.

“The Ranger was the only Emperor’s Ship in the Sector… one ship, and a destroyer at that, to protect a half dozen colonies and to support the House Kardiac Defence Fleet, you lay the responsibility at my door, I lay it at yours, Senator, you and every other Senator who has refused to give the Imperial Navy the tools it needs to protect the Empire,” Kara said icily. “You may consider these contemptuous words, Senator, but if you think that I am going to lie down and allow this committee to run roughshod over my reputation, my ship’s reputation and the reputation of the Imperial Navy you are sorely mistaken, and quite frankly, sir, if you think that one destroyer could have saved Tempus, then you are an idiot.”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis was not pleased with the way the Senator had worded his statement. It was not his first time among politics. Even though his mother wasn't as involved in the House of Lords where her title allowed her to sit, he often tried his best to keep tabs on the various politics that were thrown around he capital. On his ship he could focus on naval matters, when he was home in his Empire he did attempt to make sure he knew what was going on, as one day he would be involved with it. Ass covering statements like the one this worm had just given were common as air in atmosphere. It was so easy to turn words into cutting statements that lay blame on another while protecting the speaker.

His feathers puffed up, his hair streaks bright, but he made sure to stay silent. He didn't want to ruin this for the Terran Navy, even if his words could be dismissed as 'mere outsider' or Jessica would pull him up short if he stepped out of line.

It didn't make his any less angry however to sit here knowing this was needed. Kara's reply was all he could hope for from her, just the sort of snap back needed, but this was only the beginning and he was sure much more painful and pointed questions would come from this whole debacle.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
Imperial Capitol
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

Senator Heywood spluttered in the face of Kara’s response; clearly he had not been expecting such a belligerent response from a professional naval officer on the floor of the Imperial Senate. Perhaps he should have remembered that he was dealing with a Harrington, and moreover that he was dealing with a woman who was mere hours detached from her first combat losses and witnessing the deaths of millions. She was, perhaps, the one officer in the service who had the family connections to avoid any negative fallout from her belligerency before the Imperial Senate; whilst not prepared to cash in on her family name to advance her career she would happily use it to avoid negative influence from an unhappy politician. Moreover, after spending the entire trip stewing over the situation she had been putting in Kara was more than happy to use her family name, and her anger, to fight the good fight for the Imperial Navy and do everything she could to shame the Senate, on Empire-wide television, for the lack of naval funding.

“Commander Harrington, your attitude is totally inappropriate and disrespectful,” Senator Heywood managed after he managed to regain his composure. “I could have you court-martialled for conduct unbecoming an officer.”

“You are welcome to try, Senator,” Kara replied dryly. “But I rather doubt you could find a jury of my peers that would convict me.”

Heywood spluttered again before another Senator leant forward.

“You are excused for the day, Commander,” Senator Raul Santiago said evenly. “I advise you consider your approach before tomorrow.”

“I’ll do my best, Senator,” Kara said wryly.

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis settled a tiny bit as he listened to Kara speak. Now that was the person he remembered from younger. The whole situation was still less than ideal, and he was sure that tomorrow was going to be worse. Still he was happy to see Kara snapping back at these leeches. He would rather snap their heads off, but he knew murder was still frowned upon in both his own nation and the Terran Empire so he could not.

He ruffled his feathers and they settled back down to a less puffball like state, though his hair streaks were still bright and vivid.

Once he joined Kara again he said, "Wonderful opening statement Kara." He kept his voice low, so it was less likely others would overhear, still he sounded at least pleased that she had put the man in his place where he belonged. "Heyword looked like he was a going to explode like and over-shaken soda can."

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
Imperial Capitol
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“It could have been a tad less aggressive, little Wolf,” Jessica Harrington commented with a wry smile as she glanced down at her daughter. “But then I suppose it is time we get this mess sorted, and you’re in the best position to do so.”

The three of them made their way from the Committee Chamber and were immediately set upon by news crews from all the major networks, shouting requests for comments after the exchange that had just been broadcast all over the Empire. Fortunately, Jessica’s status as a Highlord ensured that they were able to ignore the news crews and push their way through the crowd, Guardsmen of the Harrington Guard closing in around their charges to ensure that they were able to exist the Imperial Capitol without any incidents, despite the displeased sounds the news crews were making at their refusal to comment. However, if the Admiralty was prepared to allow Kara to fight the good fight before the Committee they had been very firm on their instructions not to engage with the press in any manner that might be misrepresented. They were very eager for all of Kara’s comments in relation to the Tempus Incident to be on the official Senate record, where it could be viewed by all in full, rather than piecemeal across the networks based on their political leanings.

“He pissed me off,” Kara said simply once they were clear of the Imperial Capitol.

“You don’t say,” Jessica laughed. “I’d never have guessed that.”

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t be the same if this had happened to you,” Kara replied accusatorially as she glared at her mother with fiery eyes. “Or at least when you were my age or younger, say back during the Hegemony War perhaps?”

“You may have a point,” Jessica conceded with a smile. “And it's not a moment too soon.”

“Indeed,” Kara said simply. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

“Darien has invited us to stay at the Warlord’s Retreat at Camp David,” Jessica explained as they made their way towards a naval aircar. “He’ll host us for dinner tonight then he’ll join us in Washington tomorrow… we’re bringing all the big guns in on this.”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

"Its really that bad Jess?" Francis asked, so absorbed in the problem and coming day he used his childhood nickname for her without thinking. "I know the Terran Empire has been having some issues with rebuilding still and all, but given the sheer amount of freighters in this star system alone along with what I've seen at home..."

He trailed off for a moment to think."Is it really this hard to get funding for your navy? I know the RCE has never had as many worlds as yours that needed such help, but all this after the Terran Empire lost a House?!" He sounded a tad frustrated, most of it stemming from the difference in culture that would allow any politician to even suggest the military needed to 'fight' for funding, and concern for Kara.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
Imperial Capitol
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“Unfortunately so; the economy might be booming but after the Hegemony War the Empire had to rebuild dozens of shattered worlds, all of whom had suffered under more than three hundred years, the fact that the work is still not done, nearly six decades on, is a testament to the scale,” Jessica replied with a heavy sigh. “So I get it… believe me I do, and the changes that have swept the Empire in terms of quality of life have been truly remarkable, and heart-warming to see, but its also easy for everyone to get self-centred and focus only on themselves and then, of course, it becomes politics.”

Jessica shook her head.

“Some people go into politics for all the right reasons… to serve their constituents, to do their bit, to make a difference, but there are also those that go in for self-interest, or who don’t see the bigger picture,” Jessica continued as the aircar turned north. “And then, of course, there is the need to get re-elected; and that means putting their own people first, which is partially good but also means that things, like the Navy, tend to get ignored in the favour of more ‘real’ concerns.”

Jessica chuckled wryly.

“It’s funny really… the Empire was born out of the utter failure of democracy that resulted in the Third World War; populists and nationalists played on the prejudices and self-interest of the ill-informed in order to gain power for themselves and to their own ends, in short democracy allowed too many people to make stupid decisions,” Jessica explained. “That said, the absence of democracy before the Fall of the Empire was just as bad; the Old Empire relied upon the power and authority of the Emperor; when that was no longer the case it meant that the Highlords, unchecked by democratic representatives, could pretty much do what they wanted… so I get why Edward formed the Senate.”

“And yet?” Kara frowned.

“And yet, I don’t know,” Jessica sighed. “Something needs to change, the Senate alone is clearly insufficient…”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
RCNS Abreta
Commander Francis Larson

Francis made an noise that sounded unhappy with the entire idea of the way thew Terran Empire's government seemed to need to constantly change. It wasn't their fault, it takes time to find a government that works for certain cultures, and obviously finding a perfect balance is all but impossible as it involved emotions and people.

The RCE had had literally millions of years to their government's ability to work. It had also been born out of a failure of democracy in a way, given the state of the RCE!Earth had been found in. It had its faults, but fore the most part it worked just as intended even after being modified and expanded to contain the Karyxian human worlds and newer colonies. The two tiered House arrangement seemed to balance each other out, with the House of the People keeping the House of the Lords in check, with the Supreme Commander being the final arbiter in most cases of national law. The biggest fault is that it relied on the Supreme Commander to at least be somewhat reasonable, and there had been times in the past when the SC had turned out to be a bit... worthless or stubborn. StarNight had access to unlimited power for the most part, but rarely did she use it in any abusive fashion, StarNight had a firm base of support, almost worship(least from the Namerians and Cresians) in the general population, though it had eroded a bit to a more reasonable power base when the humans came into counterbalance and outnumber the Cresians.

So StarNight had the support if she DID ever need to actually 'abuse' her powers for the good of the nation. The House of the People spoke for the people, the Lords were just governing body with more clout closer to the top and the Supreme Commander was the final step. Of course there were other bits like courts if someone wanted to challenge the validity of a law or regulation, so in the end the well worn government of the RCE worked. Perhaps only because Cresians lived for such long times, or because society of the Cresian race had evolved in lockstep with the government rather than being changed because the native Cresians had been at most tribal level tech suddenly raised to post-modern/sci-fi technology.

The long involved history behind the RCE made his head hurt at times, it was a lot to remember and learn from. He doubted that the Terrans could ever pull off a government like the RCE. It was too large, too spread out without the right culture to make such a strange set up really work.

For now they were stuck with one that was going to be a dick to his friend tomorrow, least they have a night to plan and 'relax'.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
Imperial Capitol
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

Kara watched with some amusement as her mother raised an eyebrow at Francis’ noise and fixed him with a look that he, and both Harrington children, would be well familiar with. She didn’t know exactly what the noise meant, but she could get the general gist and she elected not to reargue a common debate. As much as the current political situation was vexing, Jessica was staunchly in favour of an evolving system to ensure that it best suited the people and the Empire; and it wasn’t like they hadn’t argued the benefits and drawbacks of both star-nation’s political systems. Kara could not help but smirk in amusement at the look before turning her attention to the view outside. The aircar had proceeded at quite some speed towards Camp David, although the speed would not have been apparent to the inhabitants, having crossed the hundred kilometre distance in the short time that the group had been discussing the political situation in the Empire and they were intercepted by a group of Royal Aerospace Force fighters as they approached, these powerful air superiority aircraft escorting the aircar forwards towards the landing platform on the southern side of the facility.

They were met on the flight line by Darian Cain, the Imperial Warlord. Given that he was greeting them in uniform he himself had elected to wear his own uniform; that of the Imperial Navy with the special, unique, insignia of Warlord very much in evidence. The group snapped to attention, and for all her years and senior rank Jessica’s movements were just as sharp and crisp as if she had been in the Navy for all of the last five decades, as they rendered crisp salutes to their highest military superior.

“Welcome back to Camp David, Harrington Clan,” Cain commented with a smile as he returned the salute, gesturing for the group to follow him as soon as the formalities were deposed of. “And you, Commander Larson, this is your first visit here I believe?”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
Camp David, Earth
Commander Francis Larson

Francis had the grace to actually blush and he looked down. Jessica had been as prominent a parental figure for Francis and Jessica (Larson) as Kara had probably been for the Harrington Twins. He was an adult, for the most part fully grown, but he couldn’t deny that there were times he still felt like a child next to Jessica with how many years she had on him. He definitely would not relight that debate. Not with that look on Jessica’s face.

For one thing he, personally, was not drunk enough to carry that debate.

As they landed at Camp David, greeted by Warlord Cain, he saluted the man, taking a glance around at unfamiliar scenery.

“Yes Sir. It looks wonderful here. I wish I could come out to see Earth more often.” He said to the Warlord.

[Terra Reborn]

Commander Kara Harrington IN
Camp David
Sol Star System, The Core Sector
Sunday 22nd April 2745 (Imperial Standard Date)

“I’m sure that could be arranged, Commander,” Cain commented wryly.

Cain led the way towards the Main Lodge and they were soon inside the building out of the crisp spring air. A welcoming fire was lit and it certainly felt cosy as they entered. They were not alone however, for say before the there were three individuals; two women and one man. One was Cain’s own wife, Elizabeth, whilst the other was Cain’s sister, the Empress Jennifer. Which of course made the tired looking man between the two women the Emperor, Edward V. The group rose to meet their guests with broad and genuine smiles, welcoming them with hugs and kisses on the cheek; after all aside from being a key political ally Jessica was also a close personal friend of the Emperor, and Kara had grown up around the Emperor for many years and was far more comfortable around her Sovereign than pretty much any other officer in uniform. It was obvious that Edward had not had a great deal of sleep; doubtless the unexpected loss of an entire Imperial House had hit the man hard, and it probably didn’t help that there was precious little he could do to help prepare his Empire for the coming storm, short of invoking his own personal authority.

“Edward, what the devil are you doing here?” Jessica frowned.

“Well, if we’re all here to conspire on how to fuck-over the Imperial Senate then I figured I ought to be here as well to just add to the little constitutional crisis we seem to be embarking on,” Edward commented dryly. “After all we’ve got the Imperial Warlord and an Imperial Highlord conspiring, why not bring in the Emperor as well and then we’ve got most of the bases covered.”

“You do know that there is a nice and simple way we can avoid all this…”

“I know, but it's not my way, Jess, you know that,” Edward shook his head. “I grew up in the old Empire, I know what a lack of democracy can do, even if it does have its own failings from time to time.’

Jessica sighed heavily but nodded as they all settled into their seats.

“Commander Larson,” Edward said after a moment. “Have you heard anything from your Empire regarding these events?”

[StellarGate]

Sol Star System
Camp David, Earth
Commander Francis Larson

Francis looked only a tad uncomfortable in the presence of such a variety of high ranking people. Given who his mom was, this wasn't surprising, but it had been a while since he had been around this many high ranking people. He settled into his own seat, feather's puffed up slightly as relaxed.

Once the Emperor had asked his question, he shook his head. "No Your Imperial Majesty." He probably didn't need to use the formal way of addressing him, but his mom had drilled that respect into him at an early age and it was hard to ignore it. "I just had the orders sent to accompany Kara back to Earth in case they needed statements or anything from me." He paused for a moment thinking. "I can't speak for the Supreme Commander, but I cannot imagine she took the news very well. I don't think anyone will to be honest. If you thought the constant bother to help with the Hegemony War was bad, its going to be much worse this time around, someone hurt 'our' humans and that just isn't allowed." He made air quotes as he said 'our' with his fingers to emphasize it. It was something he'd come to notice from his mom, the Supreme Commanders and many of the very high ranking people he'd met when young.

The Terrans were 'their' humans. The Karyxians were 'Cresians' now and would be protected as one of their own, but despite the massive size difference, and the Terran's constant beatdowns on the RCE's poor military, they were still 'theirs' and no matter what the Terrans did to prove they were more than capable on their own... it never really stuck. They were equals to the RCE, sure, but it seems the higher levels of the RCE couldn't quite shake the notion of 'babying' their ally. Francis, when he stepped back to look at that idea, it sounded silly, but the history of the RCE made it obvious. The RCE would be around for millions of years into the future thanks to Cresian lifespans, how long would the Terran Empire last? Hopefully forever, but what if their came a day when the government had turned to something that the RCE could not support? Or something caused the Empire to fracture into pieces, or remove themselves from their ally? An ally that would last as long as a full lifespan of a Cresian would be a rare, powerful thing, and Francis, for how young he current was and the massive span of his life before him, could see why the RCE clung so desperately their ally, babying them, perhaps a touch grooming to make sure they DID actually last, and the EMpire wouldn't have to know the heartbreak of losing such a wonderful ally.

He found the idea that one day all these people that sat before him would be ancient history by the time he reached old age scary, he couldn't imagine actually watching the Terran Empire disappear, or change so radically it wasn't what he had grown up.