Vanessa Flores was born on the Capital Planet to Harlen and Darlene Flores, her family has been part of the military for as long as records go back. The Flores were once a great and thriving Family, until one of them had betrayed the Empire, even through it had happened generations go. Vanessa was born to a family who had declined to the point where only her parents and grandparents were left alive.
Vanessa was seen as the last hope of the Flores and got trained from the moment she could walk. She could only adapt to the harsh environments and threw away the hope of living her new life like she wanted. Vanessa was uncomfortable being controlled and monitored day and night.
When she was fifteen, her military life had officially started in school. The Capital Military Academy was the dream school for every kid who wanted to be a soldier, it was a running start and a place where famous generals were made. She woke up before the sun was up and stayed awake long after it went down.
Vanessa wasn't the smartest nor the most ambitious person in her class year. She didn't want to follow orders nor did she want to order people around. Her first life was peaceful in the beginning and when the end of the world came, she was a lone wolf who spoke very little. This new life was all order and never stopping.
She got used to the school very quickly, unlike a few people in her class. The first year had over five hundred people in her classroom alone, by the second semester, it was down to four hundred students. The other people had dropped out and transferred to other schools or departments. Her second year was a classroom of two hundred and seventy-four people, her third year was a hundred people even and by her last and fifth year, there was only ten people.
They were the top of the top school, the model students and hope of the Empire. Vanessa was, of course, the lowest of the bunch. She was only in the group because she was willing to take risks and her ability to fight multiple people at once with ease. (In short terms, she was the dumb one and the tank of the group or as they called it the Heavy Mecha.)
Vanessa was thrown into the battlefield the moment she had put on the uniform, the Zergs were insects aliens who eat planets without leaving anything behind. It was a constant, never ending battle for soldiers. She was immune to the death of her fellow soldiers and allies, to the so called ugliness of Zergs.
When you faced zombies who were mutated and forever changing, Zergs was a relief to deal with. They were a stable enemy who had known habits and little change in behavior. They were even better than Muntant Animals, where you were never sure where their weakness were located. Vanessa was pleased with her life, food was always available, she didn't have to worry about her next shelter and she had a healing pod ready, no need to please an uppity bitch just to heal any large cuts.
Eventually she just stayed on the front line, never going home. No one really tried to control her there, just refilling her supplies when she came back to the base or had the pod ready. Her mecha gradually started to collect dust as she didn't like the limited movement it gave her. She couldn't use the light weight Mecha as it wasn't able to handle the abuse she would put it through. (She grew attached to AI in her Mecha, so her ability to match up with other mechas got smaller.)
Then, Shen Jiang, who was apart of her class and technically her boss, had found the Queen Zerg. Vanessa was pulled from her position and went with him to the hive. She met her grandfather and parents who were also on the team to destroy the hive. Shen Jiang was the second youngest and the leader of the mission. With this mission, everyone will raise up to a new height, Vanessa felt something in her soul sing as she walked onto the space ship.
She could remember the quiet excitement in the crew, the determination of everyone when they looked at the large hive, Zergs fly and crawling everywhere. For the first time in history, every nation and race flew together in hopes finally ending the Zergs.
Vanessa got teamed up with the first wave of soldiers, her family next to her, a death sentence but their name in history, finally they will wash away the dirt from their name. Only her baby brother and grandmother will enjoy this right, she had thought to herself.
For the first time since she woke up in a baby's body, she let go of control and her faithfully vines entered the battlefield. Trapping all the Zergs around while she slaughter them with a swipe of her sword. Her vines started to tear apart the plant sized hive, aiming straight for the eggs, poking them, leaving no chance of hatching.
This brought the attention of the Queen, who grew angry and sent all of her army towards Vanessa. Not noticing that a squad was making their way towards her, bit by bit.
Vanessa doesn't remember how she survived it, how she fought. It was just a blank page in her head. One moment, her vines were growing rapidly and then next, she woke up in a healing pod in the middle of the capital with the news of her whole family's deaths. At age 59, Vanessa Flores was labeled a hero and made her mark in history as the only Major General to retire from the army a day after getting her rank.
Everyone understood as she had lost her whole family and was one of the few survivors from her squad in the Great Hive Battle. Slowly, her past battles were uncovered, it was discovered she was the main force to recover the planets on East from Zergs. It wasn't the first time she had lost her squad in battle.
Soon the citizens of the Empire made a imagine of a great soldier who lost her comrades over and over again, slowly she stopped fighting with others and grew strong enough to fight by herself. Filled with grief, she lived in the battlefield, no longer going home. She continued to get better and better, but still refused anyone to join her as she went on to fight against the Zergs with no fear.
Vanessa was amused, because while that did happen in another world where the dead walked, she didn't have that problem here. She stayed on the battlefield because she was used to it, it was familiar and she didn't have to worry about anyone ordering her around. Now that the fight with the Zerg had ended, the Interstellar is entering a peaceful age where the battle will be between different governments and space pirates. There was no use for a fighter like her, she didn't know how to lead soldiers, didn't know how to control herself not to kill the enemies.
Retirement was the only way she sees things going, she just skipped the difficult steps. Now she only had to raise a baby and- that's it?