The space elevator quickly moved upwards towards a distant space station. The glare of the systems of two stars glinted off the metal hull as it rushed past satellites and small ships breaking and entering orbit of Azov. Inside, Commodore Forest stood silently as he listened to the hum of the magnetic lifters. Just six months ago he presented what he thought would be a carrier ending plan of re-activating the Spirit of Endurance. The pitch that the Defense Ministry brought to the general assembly was that it would save the Navy precious time, as they awaited the Challenger and El Salvador to be delivered.

In order to fully realize the plan and to gain public support of reactivating a derelict vessel, Admiral Hoshino came up with an unorthodox propaganda campaign which would involve everything from press releases and a celebration of the ships 290th birthday and marking it as the oldest ship in the fleet and in turn, given the nickname Old Ironsides – after the USS Constitution. It also serves to cover the fact that the Navy was losing. The Expanse Sovereign Union had made significant gains since the Battle of the Binary Stars, and their spies have indicated that they were planning on launching an offensive using technology that no one has ever seen before. They don't know if it's electronic, biological, geological or astrological. For all they know they have found a way to create a blackhole using exotic energy or even create a cold fusion bomb. The fact that O.N.I was worried made Forest naturally apprehensive. When they worry, everyone should worry.

Commodore Forest felt the space elevator slow slightly, grabbing onto the handlebar, he braced himself as the gravity began to lower, his spine slightly elongating. Widening his stance, he felt the elevator come to a stop. As he stood there, he could hear hisses and pops as the pressure within the elevator equalized to that of the station – one standard atmosphere. As the door swooshed open, he stepped out on the observation os the William Francis Gibbs.

Walking out into the deck, the entire area was littered with supplies and equipment. He even noticed a few old antiques, a few of the old computers from Excalibur, Galahad and Voyager. They had been pulled from museums dotted across Alliance space. Including from the Early Military History installation at the Smithsonian. He also noticed phones with cords and old manual valves, products that were antiquated even in their day.

In the corner of the room was a group of Naval Engineers and Architects who were huddled together looking over the ship schematics, Forest heard a few words that peaked his interest.

"We should use a few of these engineering quirks to enhance the durability of the Columbia Class. They'd probably increase the strength of the hull by 20%." Said an engineer. Forest watched as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Plus, this could be more useful in the development of the NX Program."

"NX Program?" Forest thought. It then hit him like a brick. They were talking about the successor to the Columbia Class. After the Columbia was lost, the Navy realized that Heavy Battlecruisers still had a place in the Navy, they had to make the trade off between speed and maneuverability. The Spirit of Endurance and its class made the trade off between speed and durability. They were dreadnoughts of their time and were damn near invulnerable. They could withstand a beating no modern ship could.

As Forest stood there listening into the conversation, the Engineer looked straight up at him, the light reflecting off his glasses.

"Are you supposed to be here?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay." Said the engineer before the group huddled together, more tightly than before, and they spoke in a soft whisper.

Forest walked out of the observation deck and took a left towards the port side of the station. Walking towards the security checkpoint, he stopped as he was passing the windows overlooking the ship. He saw giant letters that were illuminated by spotlights. As he walked up to the window, he could see the name in full SPIRIT OF ENDURANCE – N7242C. The Navy had decided at the last minute to let the ship retain her original registry number rather than re-classify her. However, the more noticeable feature was her throw-back painting job. Rather than featuring the more silver color that modern ships have, they allowed her to retain her old composite titanium carbon-ceramic hull. As a result, it had a dark hue, and it made it more difficult to detect on D.R.A.D.I.S. Her unique color because of her original hull armor was why she earned the nickname The Black Dragon.

Looking closer he could see engineers crawling over the ship as they attached the hull armor that they pulled from the Buran as well as some of the old plates that the Navy had kept in storage from the Endurance's modernization. Standing back, Forest looked at her in awe, all he knew was that she was a girl in waiting – ready for her deployment and for the right person to man the con and guide her into battle.

Smiling, he walked towards the docking bay to board the old warhorse. Walking through the highly guarded and sterilized area, he waved his identification badge and walked onto the old vessel. Taking a deep breath, he could slightly stale air.

They must not have gotten the issue with her environmental systems fully fixed.

Strolling down the hall, he immediately made his way down to Deck 4 Section 23 – the CIC. He still remembered the layout of these old ships. His time onboard the Excalibur had made him familiar with the maze-like interior of old Endurance class ships. Climbing up a series of ladders he made his way up onto Deck 4. Slowing down his pace, he quickly passed through members of the press who were touring the ship.

"... the ship the first of its kind and now the last of it's kind, and it continues to be a testament to the era in which it was built. You might notice a few objects that seem out of place, and only belong in a museum: phones with cords, a non-networked binary computer system, and even old manual valves." Said the Press officer.

Forest couldn't help but chuckle at the comments. While the Endurance was certainly outdated and old, it wasn't an antique. Even the newest ships still share much in common with the ship.

"Excuse me," Forest said as he gently pushed a member of the press out of the way, he continued down the winding halls of the ship. He began to notice how the hallways began to run on a diagonal, he was approaching the CIC. Walking up to a Marine, Forest pulled his badge out and handed it to him. The marine looked down at it before handing it back to Forest. Stepping forward, the Marine opened the thick metal door.

Stepping into the CIC, Forest heard the chirps and beeps of computers and people talking. Standing in the middle by the command computer

"This is Nebula-Seven-Two-Four-Two-Constellation, requesting ERT at 14:52 on sub-wave channel gamma-four." Said a communications officer into her headset.

Forest looked down at his watch and noted the time 14:49.

Admiral Hoshino looked over at Forest and smiled gently. "I was wondering when you'd arrive." Forest walked over to the Admiral who was looking up at the D.R.A.D.I.S system which was pinging all of the local ships in the area. It was highlighting all friendly contacts in blue, civilians in green, and non-registered vessels in red. "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Looking down at the table, he saw the ships schematics all laid out with various notes adorning the laminate. "I haven't seen a single Block I out of a museum in a long time."

"I know, you served on Excalibur during the Cordina Campaign if I recall?"

"No. I served onboard the Celeste. The Excalibur I was transferred to only for a short moment, during her last refit..."

"...Before she was lost." Admiral Hoshino said. The old man was one of the few people who opposed the mission the Excalibur was sent on.

As Commodore Forest looked around, he couldn't help but notice that the ship was nowhere near squeaky clean. When the Naval Engineers had arrived to take her back into their possession, the ship's interior was covered with mold. The life-support had been left at a minimum, and the water main system ruptured on Deck 2, it created the perfect breeding ground for mold spores. The cleaning crew had done an exemplary job of remediating the ship, but the mold had left stains on the walls that had permeated the metal and composite pillars.

"I suppose you have overseen most of the brunt of her repairs?" Forest asked.

"Yes." Responded Hoshino. "My ship, my standing orders. I got to keep her as she is. While outdated, I don't trust the newer computer systems, but more specifically networked computers."

"You truly are a dinosaur my friend." Forest said to his friend, sarcastically.

"And proud of it. You aren't far off from being a dinosaur yourself."

"At least I stay with the times." Forest emphasized.

"Yet sometimes pushing the envelop gets good men and women killed..." Hosino said. "You know that more than anyone." The two looked at each other for a second in silence.

"Why are you bringing up Excalibur?" Forest questioned.

"You know why. You want Barne's son to command the ship."

"He's the most qualified officer we have." Forest explained. "He's dedicated, loyal, and experienced."

"Yet you don't think his grandfather will be opposed to the posting?"

"Admiral Barnes? You seriously think he will have issues with the posting?"

"His son died on Excalibur. You think you should send his own grandson on a ship knowing there's always a possibility he won't come back?" Hoshino emphasized.

"Who else do you think we can nominate for the command? Me? You know full well they won't let me on a loose leash like that."

Hoshino looked at Forest with a slight rage in his eyes.

"Walk with me." Admiral Hoshino ordered. Nodding, Forest watched as Hoshino grabs arm crutches, before walking towards the communication officer.

"Kellen, take over ." The young officer nodded and moved into position, While there was no chance of a surprise attack in a core world, it was simply tradition to have a person at the comm.

Following the Admiral out of the CIC they walked towards forward observation in silence. Commodore Forest would practically feel the tension between the two. As they continued walking down the hall, Forest couldn't help but notice a distinct zero-G loop that Hoshino had to his gait; picking his feel up higher than normal, while also having an almost shuffle at the same time. He had been spending an extensive time in a low-gravity environment.

Arriving in Forward Observation, they walked into the silent room that had a single window peering out at New Cairo. As Forest closed the hatch into the room, the Admiral spun around on his feet and looked at Forest.

"Do you seriously think I don't know what the fuck you are doing?" The Admiral asked.

"What?"

"No offense, but there are other's who are just as qualified as Johnathan for the position. There's Castillo, Chen, heck you have Petrov. But for some reason you are dead set on Mercer."

"After what he did on the Columbia he has proven he is more the capable of the position."

"That's not the reason. You are hiding behind that."

"Then what is the reason?" Forest asked.

"You damn well know it. You sent Barnes and 1800 crewmen to their death."

"I was doing my job."

"That's not the point." Hoshino chastised. "Your best friend died on that ship. I have a strong feeling that there is more to him just being qualified. You want to see someone come home, and I don't want to see you bury another good officer before I'm dead."

"What?"

"You heard me." Hoshino said, with a pain in his voice. Commodore Forest watched as his friend hobbled over to a chair, before sitting down. Admiral Hoshino was breathing heavily. Commodore Forest watched as the Admiral reached into his pocket and downed a handful of pills.

"Can you do me a favor?" Said the Admiral as he pulled his crutches off. "Turn the gravity down a bit." Nodding, Forest headed the command. Walking over to a small control panel in the room, he manually changed the gravity plating to that of 0.58 G's. Hearing the Admiral groan, he sat up a bit taller. "That's better."

Commodore Forest walked over to him and sat down in the chair next to Hoshino. Looking at the man's aging frame, the Admiral had lost considerable amount of muscle and his skin appeared thin and shiny.

"A few months ago you seemed fine. I thought when you said you were dying, that you meant age." Forest said. "You have it, don't you?" Asked Forest as he looked at him.

"I'm not dying of AIDS Forest." Hoshino snapped. "But I do. I was diagnosed with Fletcher's Syndrome before I was forced to resign by post here, on Endurance."

"Fifty years?" Forest said in astonishment. To live that long was it was unheard of. "How are you even still alive?" As it came out of him, he cursed under his breath, and promptly apologized, "Sorry, George."

"No. It's understandable. I was stable due to gene therapies that were originally developed as part of the Ghost program. They also had me on a pretty intense physical therapy regime. I only began to exhibit more severe symptoms in the past six months. Probably due to my close proximity to the FTL engines. At this point medications aren't working, there's nothing medical science can do to stop it."

"There aren't any new medications or therapies available?"

"No, not in my case. I have lived a good long life. I have been lucky to have made it this long. I mean I am almost 98 years old. My life as been good, and I am happy. I have a wonderful husband, four children, grandkids, and a beautiful great-granddaughter who was born three weeks ago. It's not like taking the new drugs is going to expand my life."

As the two sat in silence, they both looked at shuttles as they buzzed around the ship and of Azov. "The reason why I was angry at you is because you are trying to fix the past. You know that bad Star Wars movie?"

"Which one?" Forest laughed.

"The Last Jedi?"

"Ah that one."

"There's a quote I live by. When you make mistakes, you can try and make it better. But sometimes, it's better to let the past die."

"I know that. You think it's because I was the one who recommended Ed for that mission? He was by best friend, almost a brother to me. I know one thing, his son is the most qualified officer out there. He's a brilliant tactician. He's better than me, and I think he has the potential to be better than you. Something dark is coming, and we are going to need the best we got."

"Are the reports that bad?"

"Unfortunately. Our spies think we could see our frontline compromised within the next 38 months. The Union has developed some new technology, and we don't know what it does. All that we know is that it will make what happened to Cascadia and Cordina look like child's play."

As the two sat together, Forest looked as Hoshino fiddled with his rank insignia on his cuffs.

He was about to drop another bombshell.

"It's why I am resigning. It's not because I think we are going to loose. But I want to spend time with my family." Said Hoshino. "And because I need a favor to ask."

"Anything." Said Forest. He would do anything for his old friend. He would take a bullet for him.

"Considering my health is deteriorating, the Navy will ground me permanently. They probably will revoke my transport pass and send me home to die. If I resign now, I would like it if I can be an observer on the Endurance's shakedown. Just to join the 13th fleet for a few days. Once they arrive, I come home to well... to die." Said the Admiral. "I am not afraid of dying. I've faced death hundreds of times in my career; from space battles to a couple of assassination attempts."

"I'll see what I can do." Answered Forest.

"I know you will." Said Hosino. "One last thing. Today is my last day onboard. You are overseeing the rest of Endurance's overhaul, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Said Forest.

"Stop it with the yes, sir. We are beyond that. You might be a Commodore, but I still see you as an equal. I also know for a fact that the O.N.I goons have been shorting you a promotion." Standing up, the Admiral gestured for Forest to do te same. "Now, I have cleared this up with command, and pulled a few strings with other people." Reaching up to his collar, Forest removed his rank insignia. "Think these belong to you."

Forest looked down at the insignia pins that Hoshino was holding in his hands. He had been up for a promotion to Admiral over six years ago, but it was denied by Admiral Canchata, one of the people on the promotion board, and the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Admiral Hoshino removed Forest's commodore insignia and swapped out the two with the admiral insignia.

"Congratulations, Admiral Forest." Shaking his friends hand,

"Thank you, Admiral."

"Just, George." Said the Admiral. "Now, if you don't mind. I will take my leave. I'll be back for my final duty when this old girl is ready." Hoshino said.

"I know, old friend." Said Admiral Forest. Patting his friend on the back as he escorted him out. Turning up the gravity so the Admiral could adjust, he guided him towards the boarding area. Walking with him down the hall, the crew already had lined up, knowing what was happening – obviously Hoshino had informed them in advanced. Standing there at the cusp of the umbilical to the repair station, Forest hugged his old friend, and grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Good luck, George." Smiling, Hoshino walked towards the umbilical, and stopped for a moment, and took one look at his ship, placing his hand on the bulkhead he spoke to his old metal friend.

"I'll see you soon, old girl."