February 7, 2112
Kalvin Keefe
Kalvin was back at his center of operations, back within the safety of Station 51. With the war at a standstill, military operations would assuredly decrease in pace. Nevertheless, efforts at the Order of Aegis could not afford to make such adjustments. This peace would not last. There was no doubt in Kalvin's mind about that. Even so, this time of harmony would prove valuable. It would allot him more time to conjure up ways to win the war the ARW was losing.
There was a knock at his office door.
"Enter." Kalvin looked up from his chair. He had just finished taking his daily brown pills.
A lady in her late sixties entered. She was a tall, curvaceous woman with sky blue eyes, which tilted downwards in the center and were framed by a set of rather long eyelashes. She also had a small mole under her left eye, as well as red painted nails. Her hair was coal-black and plunged over her dress shirt. She wore a scarf, shaded with black and red roses - a pattern significant to the Darcrose family. It had been a while since Kalvin had seen Elizabeth Darcrose, chief admiral representing the humans.
"Kalvin. It's a pleasure," she started.
"Always nice to see the head of the Darcrose family. After all, where would the Order of Aegis be if your family had not helped create it all those years ago?" Kalvin paused. "And I give you my sincerest condolences over your loss. Beverly died far too young."
"As we speak, she is being brought home. Having to bear the loss of two of my children is agonizing. But I need to be strong for our alliance and my family. At least with her, we will be able to have an open casket funeral at our estate. And I can rest easy knowing that she's at peace."
"Truly, I am sorry to hear such a tragedy," Kalvin reemphasized.
Elizabeth took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "I've heard you have a new apprentice. Jay Bridges, I believe his name is. I would like to meet him."
"With things as frenetic as they were over the last few months, I had not gotten around to it. Rest assured, though, I still consider it a priority which shall happen in the near future. However, I cannot say as to when he will be fully inaugurated. That remains to be seen."
"I'm glad to hear that you haven't pushed us out."
Kalvin leaned forward. "That would never happen. The Darcrose family is much too vital to the survival of the Order of Aegis."
Elizabeth nodded in acknowledgement. After a pause, she said, "I was in a meeting recently where Day-Bringer brought all the chief admirals up to speed. Her plan to buy our alliance time worked better than we hoped. But this only means that you have to work extra hard if we are to win in the long term. And with so few aces, we cannot afford to have another incident like we did with Geariic and Alabon."
"Those traitors got what they deserved. Only, since they were the ones who reported that they eliminated the warlord Cralo, I fear that he may not actually be deceased. Sunfire did us a favor by eliminating three warlords. But we still have a ways to go."
Elizabeth gleamed. "She sounds quite incredible. Prophesized to end the war. If it hadn't been for her, James would've died, and the enemy would have all four keys."
"Indeed. Because of her efforts, we have two keys and three, maybe four warlords left. I only wish I knew what these Devisor keys open."
Elizabeth adjusted herself. "Even so, I hope you are keeping tabs on our other aces. Like I said, we must make sure they are truly on our side."
"The aces led by Drayvan are still on a mission to handle that threat Day-Bringer reported on. I estimate they should return in March. Frost, for the near future, will work more closely with me. James and Makayla will be on Earth."
Elizabeth leaned back in the chair and chuckled. "After recent affairs, it seems James's legionnaires have gained quite a reputation. Their squad has almost become a legend among other ground units. Yet, I hear that Valiic is retiring for good and the rest are taking an absence from duty. Not that it matters at the moment, since we are at peace, but it would be a shame if they never come back." She put her legs forward.
Kalvin pulled out some papers from a drawer and put them on the desk. "James spoke with them after his return, and they all decided to follow his lead and take a leave."
"I believe James will be key for our victory, and the best way to bring him back may be through his unit." She gave a subtle raise of her eyebrow.
"I agree, which is why I am keeping tabs on them to the best of my ability. Valiic is least likely to return. As we speak, he is on his way to his partner, Narrisa on Jaba-Qwayk. Shadow-Walker is going to rekindle his relationship with his mother on Dorrath. As far as I am aware, he was cast out twenty years ago when he brought shame to his community. After spending as many years as he has working with the ARW, he hopes to be accepted back. James has left for Earth, and I am not sure where he plans to go at the moment. Brad, being the man he is, managed to slip past our tails and is currently unaccounted for. Unfortunate, too. I am captivated by the new sword he brought back with him."
Elizabeth stood up, with apparent satisfaction from her meeting with Kalvin. "I'm glad to see you have things running ever so smoothly here."
"I always do, do I not?"
"Indeed." Elizabeth took a look at the door. "The galaxy is going to be very different than everyone is accustomed to. We'll see if that will be a good or bad thing." Elizabeth made her way to the door. "A pleasure, as always." She left.
Kalvin was alone with his own thoughts. She had one thing right: This galaxy is in for a rapid change. Even he could not be sure if it would be for the better or worse. Truly the end of an era.