"Hihihi."
"Meow!"
"I miss you so much, Lucky!"
"Miaow miaow!"
"Of course, I miss you as well, Clixie."
Ves and Gloriana smiled as the cats hugged the physical projection of Aurelia.
After a short but rapid journey across the stars, their firstborn daughter safely arrived in the Yernstall Central Star Node without incident.
Although they already predicted that their little girl would not encounter any trouble while traveling aboard one of the fastest and most elusive vessels of the Red Fleet, they still felt relieved that none of their enemies went out of their way to target their lovely girl.
"Hihihi! You are so fluffy, Clixie! No cat is as huggable as you. It will be hard to replace you. I wish you were with me. Ah, you too, Lucky!"
As their girl continued to get mobbed by their pets, Ves turned towards the second girl in the remote call.
"How is her security, Marigold?"
"The fleeters have been accommodating." The living artifact responded in a professional tone. "They have not accepted all of our suggestions, but they acted within the limitations of their authority and discretion. Our ship slightly deviated from our planned route and introduced unexpected delays. We do not know if these minor deviations have foiled potential ambushes, as we have not encountered any suspicious activities in the sun systems that we have passed through."
They talked a bit more. Ves grew relaxed when he heard that no odd or suspicious incidents had taken place. His paranoia already told him that the likelihood of interception was not that great in the first place, but who knew whether his enemies sought to target his daughter just to obtain leverage over a newly ascended tier 2 galactic citizen.
If he had his way, the entire Bluejay Fleet would have left the Rubarthan front and escorted Aurelia all the way back to Yernstall.
However, this was an extravagant gesture that completely contradicted its current mission.
As much as Ves loved his daughter, he could not justify this decision.
This was why he ultimately gambled on the flecters being able to deliver Aurelia to one of the centers of human civilization without any complications.
After Aurelia had her fill with the cats, Gloriana approached and bent down in order to embrace her dark-haired child.
"My baby girl."
"Mama..."
Gloriana planted one kiss on her daughter's forehead after another. It had not been a long time since they physically separated from each other, but the mother already missed her oldest daughter dearly!
A mother's love was one of the most precious commodities in all of reality.
Of course, Gloriana had remained in contact with her girl practically every day since their separation. The concerned mother did not feel relieved unless she sent a message and had her girl respond to it promptly.
They both knew that being able to correspond freely with each other would soon turn into a luxury.
In order for the RF to mold bright young teenagers into disciplined and semi-professional naval cadets in the shortest amount of time, the naval academies heavily restricted their contact outside of their halls.
Outside of designated break periods, it would be difficult for Aurelia to call back to her family, let alone leave the academy and visit other places.
The naval academies were still in the process of reforming their educational programs.
The Age of Dawn had rewritten the rules. Every school had to contend with brats that had become smarter and more capable learners after they engaged in simple auxiliary qi cultivation or obtained companion spirits.
The ongoing wars also pressured the academies to compress their curriculums and graduate their cadets sooner.
The higher the study intensity, the fewer opportunities for the children to contact their families in person or by remote.
This meant that this would probably be the last time that Ves and Gloriana would be able to speak freely to their daughter.
After chatting with their daughter for ten more minutes, Ves and Gloriana finally satisfied their need to get in touch with their girl.
Ves eventually waved his hand. "You can go talk to Andraste and Marvaine. They have missed you dearly."
Aurelia nodded and smiled. She had missed them as well. This was the first time in her life that she was completely separated from her immediate family. The only 'Larkinson' keeping her company these days was her bonded artifact, but that was not the same.
As Aurelia and Marigold went off to play with the other kids, Gloriana leaned against her husband.
"I wish we were still living in the Age of Mechs." She sighed. "It was so much more peaceful back then. The native aliens presented no threat to the Big Two while the Cosmopolitan Movement could do little to change the status quo. We would have been able to raise Aurelia in peace on a peaceful planet such as New Constantinople VIII."
Ves was not so sure about that. "I don't think so. You know how I am. Settling down in one location is not really my thing. We would have continued to travel deeper into the Red Ocean. In order for Aurelia to get the best possible schooling, we would have sent her to an academy sooner or later. Perhaps the only deviation is that we would have sent her to a school in Bridgehead One as opposed to Yernstall."
Bridgehead One's importance was much greater than Yernstall. Although the latter's location was more remote, its development was far greater. It also had much easier access to the old galaxy, making it easier to go on excursions to famous locations.
As Ves and Gloriana continued to chat, Aurelia eventually came back to them and said goodbye.
This time, they both knew that it would take months to regain contact with each other. The naval academies made no secret of their intention to put the brand-new cadets through an introductory training program of sorts.
"Take care, Aurelia."
"I will, papa. I will miss you so much. I will think of you every day!"
After planting a final kiss on his daughter's forehead, Ves watched on until her physical projection finally disappeared.
Both Ves and Gloriana felt melancholic as their daughter truly started to spread her wings from this point onwards.
The transition from a child to a teenager was one of the most significant transitions of a young human's life.
The genetic aptitude test was a turning point that had always influenced the trajectory of a young person's education and career.
Both parents felt a little unaccustomed to the idea that Aurelia had finally grown old enough to reach this junction.
After all, it was not too long ago that Aurelia remained carefree as she lived under their care.
Ves realized that by the time he next met with Aurelia in person, he would meet with a very different girl.
"All children have to grow up sooner or later." He whispered. "In this dangerous dwarf galaxy, it is not necessarily bad for Aurelia to lose her youthful innocence a little sooner rather than later."