"…to ensure a final and lasting peace between the Centauri Republic and the other races in this Galaxy. Towards that end I will…"
Michael Keepgan was standing in his room back on Earth and was in his white suite jacket. Having long since recovered from his war wounds suffered on Centarui Prime a month ago.
Stacia was there as well getting ready for the evening that they were about to spend with one another.
She was currently in the bathroom, and Michael could just barely hear the sink running in the background as she was finishing up. It turned off suddenly and Michael turned to look at the door like a curious and startled bear.
And she came out into the room and his feelings melted when he saw her again.
"Ready?" She asked, giving him a nice wide smile that set his nerve endings tingling.
"Yeah." He said, taking her arm in his and marching out the door.
Scott Patterson was sitting in a Captains office on Earth Dome, where he had been working for the last month as his ship was going through a complete refit.
He was reading a flexi pad and making notes on it as he went, the 'Earth Force Command/Senate Report to the President of the Cost of the War.' That is what the title read, and it was a grim and sobering report.
The ten month war had claimed:
Two Million plus allied forces dead.
Another Five million wounded.
Four Trillion Combined Standard Credits spent.
Sixty billion Credits of Material destroyed.
Three hundred and forty five ships lost.
Nine Hundred fighters lost.
Two Planetary defense grids eliminated.
Earth home grid reduced to Ninety Percent capacity.
Patterson felt tired and old in reading these reports. But part of that was because he was still pushing off the final report of his own ship. It was waiting there somewhere in the pile, just the casualty and consumption report. The financial report was somewhere else in the pile, what it had cost for him to fight his war.
He could care less.
He sighed internally as he moved onto the report and picked it up by the side and held it up. Fearing it might bite, and trying to determine the length of the actual report.
He finally started to read.
One hundred and forty five men and women dead, full list to follow.
Three hundred and forty three wounded, full list to follow.
Twenty eight fighters destroyed or disabled.
Five fusion missiles and casings launched.
Fifty million plus ion pulses used by main ion batteries.
Fifty four rail cannon rounds.
GOD cannon usage twenty three times.
And the list continued, Patterson was feeling the losses of his crew acutely, their full weight crashing down on him for the first time.
Letters had already been sent to their families by himself, the section commanders, division commanders, and anyone else who had any interest. Providing some small comfort for the dead.
And for their efforts the EAS Gandalf had earned four battle stars, eighteen commendations for its living crew, and had ended a war.
He should have been celebrating, to join the crew that was still off because of the refit. But he felt broken and empty as the cost of that war hit him full blast. Never before had he felt this necessary to leave Earth Force. He had served too much and seen too much of war. He could go back home and just live out the rest of his life with his family.
But that did not feel right either.
His life was one of service to his military and to his people. And he knew that he could still do good, knew that this was just temporary, and being in command of one of the most dreaded and complete warships in the Galaxies inventory.
He left his office after making his decision.
He would stay.
Michael Keegan and Stacia Clarke clinked their glasses toasting their good luck. Her eyes were sparkling and her skin was pale and gorgeous, smiling as she sipped at the rich deep red whine.
They were sitting down to enjoy a nice quiet dinner at the end of the war. Though luck seemed to be against them just this once.
They were by far and away not the only ones in the restaurant, and he found the noise partially distracting, Keegan did his best to drown it out and focus on the woman in front of him.
The place was packed full of Earth Alliance naval and Ground Pounding personnel. Who were rowdily celebrating the end of the war even after all of this time.
Drinking, laughing, talking loudly, and a few of them were practicing loud drink games and singing.
And towards one end of the bar a clearly drunk GROPO corporal was chasing around a pretty waitress. But she was clearly enjoying the chase. May have even been drunk herself. As she giggled back at him and shook her assets to edge him on.
His Captain obviously did not know what to make of the spectacle.
On ISN the panel were discussing Vintari's beamed speech that they had just watched and listened to, after the delay of a few days as they waited to get a copy of the re played speech.
The panel discussed the facts of the matter in deep somber tones, reflecting on the events that were unfolding. But, they could hardly contain their own joy at having the war end so suddenly.
But Michael and Stacia, they were here for another matter entirely. Having celebrated the end of their personal war against the Centauri over the four days that it took them to travel back to Earth. Wasting the entire supply of luxury consumables that the crew and officers had either bought, or snuck aboard.
Keegan reflected on how much he had changed over the course of the last year or so. He had gone from being an unassuming and uneasy officer around his superiors In everything but battle truth be told. To an officer that participated boldly with his thoughts and feelings on many a matter.
And his new rank reflected that.
"Congratulations Lieutenant Commander." Stacia said with a mischievous smirk, her tone formal but her intentions anything but.
"Thank you." He said grinning and delivered a humble nod.
His orders had also just come in, he would be returning to the EAS Gandalf as sooon as the ship was ready to depart.
She refilled both their wine glasses and clinked them again in an unspoken toast, sealing the deal as nothing else could.
They both simultaneously looked at the ISN screen. It switched to a domestic story, crime rates were beginning to spike again upwards.
But their dinner arrived and nothing else could distract them as they enjoyed their time. Laughing and carousing about meaningless drivel which felt so good after their long struggle.
They went home and spent the rest of the night there, watching old vids.
Scott Patterson entered the bridge, no one else was there as he had arrived early, just wanting this moment to quietly study the ship.
All the consoles and paint looked brand new, sparkling, smooth, without a dent or blemish. The job that they did over the last month.
He ran one of his hands over a station and felt it, it felt as smooth as it looked, brand new, bought back up to factory specs.
He looked out the front viewer, at the star field, and the gray edge of the ship yard that they were stuck in that was conducting their repairs.
So peaceful
So quiet.
He closed his eyes and took in the distant hum of the ion drive. He was trying to calm his troubled mind for a second, he had spent too much time being busy for his 'celebration'. The responsibilities of those who were in command.
He had fought so long and hard over the past ten months. Having to balance all the annoyances of command to the stress of war and adventure. Relaxing only when he could afford it.
This was one of those moments, as he just stood there at attention, and slowly meditated on his thoughts.
Of course this could not last forever. he heard the back door of the bridge open and he turned curiously to see who it was that could be joining him at this time.
It was the first officer of the Gandalf Colonel James Norman.
"Sir." he said coming up to join Scott.
"Norman." Patterson said happily, enjoying the company.
"Kind of quiet and peaceful here isn't it?" James asked looking out over the same star field.
"That it is." Scott Patterson said looking out over the same view.
They could now make out the first of the shuttles coming into the docking bay, silently creeping up on the warship, to join with it and deposit its cargo and crew.
New and returning men and women would now be under his command, many of them promoted and many of the survivors becoming important enlisted members of the crew now commanding smaller groups of men under Patterson's over all authority.
His time of rest was over, time to get back to work.
Over the next three hours a greater number of crew were busy unloading cargo and putting it on the proper places on the ship.
Loadmasters loaded weapons and probes into the various sealed bunkers to be stored incase they needed it.
Now that they were back at peace and no missions that would require major combat the Gandalf's weapon stores were at two thirds maximum.
Stacia Clarke was running checks and stress tests on the refits and the ship, they were completed quickly, and they found nothing wrong. Stacia signed off of the list making her blessings known.
She transmitted her blessing and then went up to the bridge to join the command staff as the Gandalf was about to go to hyperspace away from Earth.
Three hours later and the crew was aboard the ship, the stations were manned, and the supplies were fully loaded.
Patterson signed off on the list that was in his hand and handed it back to the crewman that gave it to him. They were almost ready.
Michael Keegan and Stacia Clarke were standing at the end of the bridge watching the crew attend to their duties, Captain Patterson smiled at the couple, not minding the taste of freedom on this ship.
He turned away though and addressed the room, "intercom on."
The crewman manning the ops station typed in the necessary commands into his station as a whistle tone sounded getting the attention of everyone on the ship. They stopped their remaining work and looked that the speakers, screens, and each other, attentively.
Patterson inhaled before speaking. "Crew of the Gandalf many of us have served together in war, and the rest of you who are joining us have served on various ships during that war."
He glanced around. "We have just completed our great crusade of our times. Our war is over. The adventure continues. We have the rest of this tour to go and serve together, and untold adventure and untold assignments in the future. So welcome, and lets get to work, release moorings, and prepare maneuvering jets."
The helm turned to attend to those orders as the intercom turned off, Patterson sat down and the guests held on to the railings as the Gandalf jettisoned from the station and sped out of the ship yard. Heading off to deep space, jumping to hyperspace.
Not knowing what adventures or what the future would hold for them.