"It seemed the battle on our doorstep was inevitable after all."
As the Sirius Ship steadily and swiftly broke free of Earth's gravity, it climbed into the defensive ring of orbital fortresses.
The Warden of Wolf Tower shrugged at the friend beside him, twisting his neck with barely contained excitement.
"By the way, aren't you the commander of the 'United Earth Aerospace Force'? Why aren't you over there directing the battle?"
Steve, dressed in a blue-and-green uniform with a round shield on his back, slowly put on his helmet. He gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head.
"I'm just a figurehead. My job is to make sure the fighter pilots from all the nations complete their training properly. They're facing a space battle unlike anything in human history, so it's better to leave command to the professionals."
Clang!
Steve swung the shield into position before him. The red "H" emblem of the Howlett Family was still as good as new. He patted Bucky's metal arm, then asked, "What about you? Warden Barnes actually left Wolf Tower to come 'up here' with us. But honestly, in space combat, your fists and my shield are no match for a soldier operating an energy cannon."
"Ha! I haven't had a proper fight in years. How could I miss a chance like this by hiding underground? I don't know what our teacher has planned for this battle, but we'll only be able to make the most of our advantage if we drag the Kree into ground combat. But if we do that..."
Bucky thought of what would happen if they really brought the battlefield to Earth's continents. Even if they ultimately won the war, the human world would suffer immeasurable destruction and damage.
For every person on Earth, this was their first time