Still, the penetration of the star’s outer layer passed without event and the courier ship dipped deeper into the plasma, both heat and pressure climbing rapidly on the hull as even the most impressive shields were slowly overpowered. Before they could fail, however, they were cleared through the planetary shields of the Forge.

The planet had been the second one in orbit of a rather unremarkable class G main sequence stellar object, not unlike Sol, actually. According to the Priminae, their sun had begun showing signs of instability roughly ten thousand years earlier, and had begun to surge. It was an event that was as unpredictable as anything in nature could be, but they’d correctly predicted that the star was about to expand massively.

A sane people would have evacuated or, failing that, made peace with whatever creator they believed in. The Priminae instead elected to buckle down and preserve the entire planet, their homeworld, within a permanent shield that fed on the plasma and heat of the star itself.

It was a bold plan, an epic construct, and something so completely insane that Gracen honestly still couldn’t believe it even as her ship docked at the massive construction facility located deep within the Forge bubble.

It was the sort of insanity that made her really like the Priminae.

For all their passive and pacifist tendencies, they didn’t know the meaning of giving up and letting the universe win.

She really liked that in a group of people.

“Admiral on deck!”

Gracen nodded as she stepped onto the bridge of the Odysseus, waving casually. “As you were, everyone.”

The command center of the Odysseus was interesting compared to her own Liberty Station or even that of the Odyssey, from which the new ship took her name. In many ways it was a step back for Terran officers, with less light and a more somber feeling. It fit her mood and the mood of her people well.

“Status,” she asked as she slipped into the command station.

“All systems are go, ma’am. We’re running last-minute diagnostics across every board, but so far no red lights.”

“Good,” Gracen said. “The other ships?”

“All ships report go for launch, on your command.”

“Thank you, Susan,” Gracen said. “We’ll launch shortly. We’re still waiting for clearance from the Forge.”

“Aye ma’am.”

She couldn’t quite hide the smile she felt struggling to burst out, contrary to everything she should be feeling considering what was going on at Earth. She hadn’t commanded a ship in a long time and, under normal circumstances, she never would have again. The best she could have hoped for would have been a mobile fleet command, but that had always been an extreme long shot given how long it was taking to build ships back home.