The only light that he could see was that the wealth of the Croft family allowed for young August to receive an S-Grade Enhancer as soon as possible. The intelligence boost provided by such an Enhancer, while not enough to allow for complete conversation, would enable Wayne to hear his child's first words, as well as allow for August to be able to recognize the face of Wayne as his father.
In the end, Wayne would only be a distant memory for the growing August.
Jane was better off in this aspect. As a new mother, she was granted by the Croft family a 3 year period to spend time with her son before she would once again have to go back to balancing work and family.
It wasn't all benefits for the family of 3, however. Wayne, as a direct descendent of the family was granted the name of Croft as soon as he was born. Jane, having long forgotten her last name that was taken from her upon being enslaved by the Jurian Empire, was given the Croft last name when she was admitted as an honorary member of the Croft family. When she married Wayne, the Croft name firmly cemented itself with her.
August wasn't so lucky. As close as Wayne was with the Croft family Patriarch, Alexander, not everyone was as receptive towards a direct descendent marrying an outsider, especially an outsider with no considerable backing. Because of this, and because of some higher ranking members of the Croft family supporting another descendent as the next Patriarch, August was not granted the Croft family last name.
Wayne and Jane fought this, of course, but with the level of push back that they received, they could only grant him the branch family surname of Field.
The individuals who were against the naming of August as a direct descendent with the Croft last name were the very same few who forcefully volunteered Wayne to leave his family and go fight for the Eden Federation for the period of 100 years.
These instances only spurred the motivations of Wayne and Jane. Even if it were to be centuries or millennia after the birth of August, as long as Wayne was promoted to the Patriarch position after Alexander, then August would have the chance to take the Croft name as his own.
***************
The year leading up to Wayne's departure was a year full of development for the young August.
With the help of an S-Grade Enhancer, most newborn children would be able to learn to speak and hold conversation within 6 months of being administered the Enhancer. That was simply the level of intelligence that one could reach after taking the S-Grade booster.
August was able to quickly show his own intelligence when he began speaking in just half of that time. Without the help of the best type of Enhancer money could buy, August would have been able to reach the level of the best B-Grade Enhancer, at least, in terms of intelligence.
The enhancement to his physical ability allowed for him to start walking just a few months after he could talk.
By the time that Wayne had to leave for the front lines, he was able to see in a year what most parents would only be able to see in 5. In terms of education, Wayne was able to see August reach the level that someone attending the top Universities of Old Earth. Of course, he could only assume this much from the stories his wife had told him of those times.
After Wayne left, it was only August and his mother who remained.
The two years that the pair spent together before Jane's return to work went by swiftly.
As a toddler, even with the effects of the S-Grade Enhancer, the physical abilities that August held were somewhat limited. Still he looked to be around 5 or 6.
***************
2790 AD. Croft Family Shipyard.
Though it was called a shipyard, the location that the 3 year old August found himself took up nearly a fourth of the surface of the large Croft family main planet.
In reality, the space that was needed for the shipyard was probably much closer to the entirety of the planet, but the constraints caused by the necessity of the family's businesses being on this planet kept such a thing from happening. For the ships needing to land, they could only wait outside of the planet's atmosphere.
August and his mother were currently watching one of the Croft ships land just a few miles from them. This specific ship was different from the Fleet Ships used to crush the Jurian Empire hundreds of years ago. Instead, Jane recognized this ship to be that of a Freight Ship; a ship used to haul the resources that subsidiary companies excavate from their specific fields of business rather than a ship used for war or for commercial, civilian transportation.
Having been appointed the position of Director for the mining company she had once labored for, Jane was given the ability to stay on the Croft main planet for a majority of the year. It was only every quarter that she was required by the family to visit the different regions and provinces that the company worked in for an inspection of their workings.
"Mother," August spoke in the soft voice acquired by his young age, "do you really have to go now?"
He had spent the only three years of his life with the person he called mother. Though his high intelligence stopped him from calling her something along the lines of mommy, his limited world experience and young age innately developed a dependence on Jane within him.
Saying goodbye to Wayne was leagues easier than saying a farewell to his mother. As much as Wayne had hoped for a connection to be formed between the two, the limited time they shared together simply did not allow it.
There was also another part of August, a part that knew if his mother left, he would be left alone on this wide planet-- surrounded by predators of the Croft family and vultures of those who wanted to exploit the Crofts.
"My baby!" A pair of arms wrapped August snuggly in Jane's embrace. As sad as she was for being separated from her child for the first time since he was born, her instinct as a mother knew just how hard it would be for him. Just another reason why she needed to be strong and show August how to be brave.
Still, the hug stirred her emotions. Anyone looking closely enough would be able to see the tears threatening to spill from her bright eyes. A single moment of weakness would push the tears over the edge.
"You don't have to worry about anything! Your mother will only be gone for a little while, and when she gets back you will be able to spend all the time you want with her! I am only leaving now so that you don't get sick of me too quickly."
"B-but I would never get sick of you..." With that, the tears that August himself was trying to hold in began to spill. No matter how advanced his intelligence was, the separation of the mother and son pair was just too much for him to handle.
"Come now, come now. Put those tears away," she said quietly, "your Aunty Rue will be here any moment to bring you back to the home. You don't want her to see your handsome face covered in snot, now, would you?"