Post Bellum
12 May 2021Seth Bradwell
Tonight I turned in enough combat bonds to take me over the 100 million credit mark for this war. News has already started coming through that the Federal forces are about to retreat, and I am due some well earned time away from the conflict zones, satisfied with a job well done. You may ask why I am not in a more joyous mood. This victory will still have come at a great cost, with many pilots seeing their last star whilst fighting for the Empire. Many more will have become prisoners of war, who are hopefully going to be liberated soon once the Federation formally withdraws from Paresa. And quite frankly I am tired. Combat takes both its physical and mental toll on a pilot, and since my unfortunate accident last month I am trying to rely far more on proper rest and far less on performance enhancers (barring tea and coffee) in order to stay in fighting condition. So when the fighting ceases, I am up for some R&R and a brief sojourn away from the pilot's chair, maybe go and take in the sights in Ienpalang whilst I take stock of future events and what this means now.Whilst there are some good people in Nova Imperium, and their Imperator does seem fairly decent in spite of his old-fashioned isolationist ways, I have found Dyson City to be quite stuffy on occasion. The pilots who have come to join the fight have been brilliant, there are some sound people that anyone would be grateful to have on their wing, many concerned of what would happen if Hadrian was taken by the Federation. Yet I still feel I stick out like a sore thumb here. Ultimately their vision of the Empire is not mine, and once I have claimed my symbolic reward for my contribution to the war effort I intend to quietly slip away, my work done. Hopefully the Federation will think twice before waltzing in where they are not wanted, so I can think about more personal issues whilst there is a lull in the sabre-rattling. I could do with catching up with Morgan, and Anastasia assuming she wants to make herself seen. I am also tempted to go help give the Kumo Crew and their Sirius Corp collaborators a bloody nose, I am heartened that the good people of Colonia have not taken either of their presence lying down and are at present trying to drive them out of the region. Colonia is too far away for me to do anything and it seems they have things under control, but there are other stations they have expanded to as well - and I have an Anaconda I have been meaning to get combat ready...