To Mourn and Move On - Entry 001
06 Feb 2019Nodoka Hanamura
"Commander, Catastrophic reactor failure! I can't keep her..."The voice of the now dead Marisa Bryant, one of Nodoka's close friends and coworkers, echoes through her office on Medupe City, before a cut to static as the ship's reactor was sent alight, destroying the MCV Kyrielight. Approaching at the door, a familiar man to many in Medupe, Robby Allison, in his usual attire, with the sigil of Aisling Duval and the Prismatic Imperium on each shoulder, the dark-skinned man seeming quite off with the unnaturally green hair he wears atop his head. Being the Station Administrator and the designated Liaison for MIRAI Group in the Prismatic Imperium, he had a vested interest in both the station and one of the organization's biggest contractors.
Opening the door, he finds Nodoka looking out into the starry sky visible from the habitation area of the station, seeing Cubeo's bright star off to the east, in the void beyond.
"Commander Hanamura. My secretary just recieved word that you had gotten back.. Usually you come to see me after your long journeys. I assume something went awry?" He asks, stepping in front of the door and closing it behind him.
The woman doesn't answer, silently drowning in her grief, after having spent a half hour in a stranded Gu-97 mourning her friend.
Robby looks through his tablet computer, looking through the logs the station had kept on her activity. Although she had reportedly left in the Kyrielight that morning, the ship she had returned in was a transport shuttle operated by Cerulean Royalty Cruises, one of MIRAI's allies, which had partial control over HIP 1752, the system where it all took place. The man's demeanor turns from neutral to sympathetic.
"Nodoka. Did you lose someone on that ship? The Kyrielight?" he asks, wanting to know what happened.
"Marisa. One of our top pilots and a long time friend of mine. Because I was dumb enough to not pull out of the AO when I should have." She answers, monotone.
"She died because I didn't realize that having her at a distance from the fight would still put her at risk while I would take a fighter to aid Aspen."
"She died because of me. I'm surprised her family didn't have me arrested for manslaughter. I wouldn't blame them."
As Robby listened, he approached her chair. "I've known you for several years now. I remember when you first came to Cubeo. I thought like all of the other hotshot pilots that you would end up dead. You proved me wrong and earned my admiration, and.. unbecoming of a man of my station, my friendship. When you were revealed to be a clone, I didn't think different of you. If anything, You've made that identity of that old hag from earth your own."
"But... Like all humans, we all make mistakes. Sadly, Nodoka, This is one you'll have to accept. But.. I can tell you this. If the rumors of Raxxla are true, then I assure you that Marisa is zooming around somewhere in our reality, at peace." He continued, trying to comfort her.
"You're responsible for her death, yes, but this world can be hell. Thargoids, the ongoing strife.. that insufferable cunt Zemina Torval.. all of these things make it difficult to live. And at times I wonder what keeps me going."
"Then I realize. I fight for a cause greater than myself. I fight the same fight Aisling does. We all do - Even a PMC like MIRAI does its' part, even if it must partake in making strife in the Empire to keep the lights on. It is, in the grander scheme of things, a insiginificant minutiae, compared to groups like Nova Imperium." He says, looking to the depressed woman with a slight smile.
"Marisa would want you to keep going. If she was a real friend, she would forgive your mistakes. I would forgive yours if it were me, to be honest. Mistakes, fatal or no, should be nothing to fret over as long as we learn from them. Sure, there are legal risks to such mistakes, but she sacrificed herself for Aspen, right? Did Aspen escape after she died?"
Nodoka tries to respond.
"Yes. They did."
He moves to place his hand on her shoulder.
"Then her death was not in vain. I'm certain of it."
"It will take a while to move on, but what she would want you to do is to keep living in her name. Live life to your fullest. It's what she would want."
Nodoka comes to the realization, feeling as if Marisa herself was lifting the burdens upon her shoulders.
"Yeah. I think you're right, Robby." She says, slowly getting out of her chair.
"That's the Nodoka I know. Now. I think a good way to start would to be to help us out with something." Robby answers, hugging the woman briefly before passing her a document.
"Some ships in Lambda-2 Tucanae are harassing our transports in the region. Can you see to it that they learn a lesson?" He continues, as Nodoka looks over the mission documents, examining its' details.
Nodoka looks to him and nods at the man.
"I'll have it done by tommorow. I'll need to summon one of my fighters whilst the Kyrielight's replacement is being shipped here."
The man makes his way to the door. "Very well. If you need anything, my office is always open." He says as he steps out of the office. Nodoka looks back to the stars above.
"Raxxla. One day, I'm going to go there. One day, I'm going to see her again. I'll see to it, come hell or high water."