Disclaimer: Aside from the basic premise of GFL 2, the events detailed in this chapter are pure fanon as of this writing. I have no knowledge of the actual events that transpired from GFL 1 to GFL 2, and nothing in this chapter should be taken as anything more than baseless conjecture.
tl;dr: My source is that I made it the fuck up.
"Well done, Commander. I'm glad to see that my faith in you was well placed. Now, hand it over."
"Did you know about this?...What am I saying, of course you did...This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"
"Of course it was, this is what it takes to bring about our brave new world, Commander."
"You lied to me...Just like I knew you would."
"You weren't ready for the truth, Commander, I was hoping by now you would be...Unfortunately, it would seem that Miss Tsoi's short-sightedness has rubbed off on you."
"You're damned right, I won't stand for this. I never have, and I never will."
"Don't be naïve, Commander. You said that you wanted to make the world a better place - this is how it has to happen. What was that saying you Americans are so fond of? Ah, right: 'You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs'."
"A better place? Between you and WIlliam, I can't even tell who's worse anymore. I'm not letting you do this!"
"You're making a mistake, Commander. If we don't show all who would oppose us absolute terror, the world will never change for the better - Stand down and step aside."
"I won't be the person responsible for letting this happen!"
"Step aside, Commander. I won't ask again."
"Over my dead body."
"Have it your way, Commander."
*BANG*
The scar lining the Commander's temple flared in pain as the Commander jerked awake, reflexively recoiling his head backwards into the pillow before he remembered where he was.
That dream again...every time he had it, it felt just as real as it did on that day, his scar ached sharply, the flash of the muzzle burned into his vision as if he had really stared right into it just a moment ago.
The Commander re-adjusted himself, he wasn't back at that day - that day was over 10 years ago now, he was in his quarters on the Amos. Natural light dimly radiated through the window, it was daybreak, time to get up.
The Commander took a deep breath, sat up from the bed, and ran his finger along the scar on his head; the scar that marked where the bullet had not only miraculously bounced off his forehead and grazed down his temple, but knocked him unconscious and drew enough blood to fool his would-be executioner as well. Between finding out he was a partial-immunosome, surviving a shot to the head, and the myriad of all the other close calls he has had over the years, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive. At this point, he couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse, was it a blessing that he was still here? That he still had a chance of making a difference? Or was he cursed to live long enough to watch the world burn around him? That he wouldn't be able to delude himself that all that he had been through, all he had lost, all he had sacrificed for, was going to mean something when it was his turn to go?...
He couldn't give in to believing in predetermination, no matter how much it felt like he was out of control, no matter how much it felt like some invisible force came down to smite him whenever he started gaining some semblance of ground. As long as he was still alive, he wouldn't let them win, he'd spite them any way he could. He couldn't think about giving up, he needed to remember what he'd given up to get this far...
The Commander turned his eyes to the pink-haired doll, still sleeping peacefully beside him, and lightly caressed her leg.
STAR had kept her promise. No matter how bad things got, no matter how hopeless things seemed, no matter what they had lost, STAR stuck by him. So much had changed since they had first met, G&K was no more, friends and foes alike had come and gone. Even Kalina, the adjutant that greeted him on his first day at Griffin and stuck by him through thick and thin, had parted ways with him on less than amicable terms, but STAR had stayed by his side, through hell and back.
They always had each other's back - whenever their resolve wavered, whenever they risked falling into despair, they were always there to pick each other back up. The things they had seen, the things they had gone through together, what they've endured alongside each other had made the bond they shared unbreakable.
She was still as beautiful as the day they had met, she hadn't aged a single day over the last 12 years. The Commander, well, he looked his age, which was as good as one could ask for in his line of work. He wouldn't have been surprised if he crumbled to dust the moment he hit 30 with everything that had happened, but it seems he had lucked out once again. Perhaps it was God's apology to him for everything else he had put him through.
Just as the Commander was about to get up from the edge of the bed, the doll began to grumble groggily as she slowly rolled over and sat up, sleepily rubbing her eye, the ring on her finger softly glinting in the dim light.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" The Commander asked softly.
STAR shook her head and shuffled next to the Commander, resting her head on his shoulder. "You don't usually wake up this early on your own, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just have some things on my mind."
"Commander..."
"I mean it, I'm fine."
STAR sighed and moved her hand over the Commander's. "That dream again?"
The Commander nodded affirmatively.
"I was there, Commander, you did everything you could. Nobody else would've done any better." STAR tried to reassure.
"'Everything I could' wasn't enough...we're still in this mess."
"And we'll get out of it. They haven't won yet, and they never will - not while we're still here." STAR squeezed his hand as she moved her head off his shoulder.
"Right...we're still alive. We've lasted 10 years like this, that's 10 years more than they were expecting."
"I'll never give up on you, Commander. Nobody else here is going to either, I'm with you until the end."
"Just like you promised."
"Yeah...Just like I promised...I still remember that night...that fight we got in, us getting up to no good in Griffin's office, that goofy smile of yours..." STAR reminisced.
The Commander couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered. "I was smiling, huh?...That must've been ages ago..."
"You're doing it right now..." STAR softly gripped the Commander underneath the chin, and gently turned his face towards her. "There, that's the face I want to see..."
"Star..."
STAR caressed the Commander's cheek, before she softly pulled their heads together.
They silently gazed into each other's eyes, before slowly moving their lips towards each other. They were just about to plant their lips together when-
"COMMANDER, REPORT TO THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY, I REPEAT, COMMANDER TO THE BRIDGE. URGENT MATTER REQUIRES ATTENTION." The PA system screeched, causing the two to nearly jump off the bed.
The two sighed somberly and slowly pulled apart. Duty had called. Their hands reluctantly released one another's as they stood up from the bed, their fingers stubbornly clinging on as their hands parted.
After quickly throwing their gear back on, the Commander slid his door open and quickly strode in the direction of the bridge, STAR at his side, just like she always was.
It was time to go back to work.
