The Best Is Yet To Come - 1: Persona Grata
03 May 2023CrazyGolm
Persona Grata – March 3309CMDR CrazyGolm was one of the Agency’s legendary Commanders. Younger compared to many of his counterparts, he was nonetheless a brave and courageous fighter. He had risen up through the ranks due to not only his prowess (and sense of humour), but also his loyalty and his selfless attitude. His mirrored-Remlok-helmeted self had even become a mascot, appearing on at least one Agency poster. However, regardless of what prestige he gathered, he had still tried to stay the same person, and stick to what he knew was right.
However, he had gone into secret retirement because of an Agency internal conflict, intertwined with a spider’s web of law enforcer politics. He had stood up for a squadronmate who he had considered unjustly treated, and he had gone against the grain to do so.
Even though it wasn’t his fault, and he hadn’t fired a shot against the Agency, he felt that there was a feeling of persona non grata about it. Combine that with a general anxiousness, and he felt the need to hide away. In fact, few people had seen the face behind his helmet in years.
At the same time, although he tended to disproportionately remember the bad bits, his time as a Commander was the experience of a lifetime. Even in today’s interstellar society, not many people got the chance to own their own spaceships, let alone join the Pilots’ Federation. Soaring freely through space, seeing the stars up close, and getting into adrenaline-fuelled space battles were things from the holos - things most folk could only dream of. Yet this was all in a day’s work for Golm!
He had slowly reopened communications with the Agency. He’d operated in secret and done a few jobs for Logan O’Neal, and occasionally he’d worked alongside Agency Commanders. He’d re-emerged with a transmission back to the Bubble when he went out to find the first Stargoid anomaly (back when there was only one). He’d made a big step in coming back from retirement last year.
However, one thing remained: He needed to put things right with the Council about that conflict.
Aboard his ship, stowed within the Christoph 31 [Shuttle] Fleet Carrier, Commander CrazyGolm removed his helmet and looked at himself in the mirror. A fairly average human face looked back. For as accomplished a space pilot as him, he looked strangely unimposing. He was not old, but with what he’d been through, it was easy to feel old. Sometimes he even Holo-Me’d himself as an old man (admittedly with a cool beard).
What he was about to do would take a weight off his shoulders, though he didn’t know it just yet.
With much deliberation, he recorded a message to the Agency Council in Varam, explaining why he’d gone dark, apologizing for any wrongdoing, and clearing the air.
This sort of message may have been delivered better in person than phoned in, but the carrier Golm was aboard was already heading towards Colonia, so a telepresence communiqué would have to do.
With bated breath, Golm pressed the “send” button.
Perhaps to his surprise, it was well-received. The Council responded amicably, with encouragement and understanding.
CMDR CrazyGolm realized with relief that the Agency wasn’t holding the past against him, and that he didn’t need to hide any more. He could still be himself, choose what he wanted to do (and not do), and blaze his own trail as much as he wanted, but he was welcome in the Agency.
He was back in the game.
But first he had a holiday to attend to.
---------
Following my Epilogue and subsequent Un-Epilogue, I intend to write another roleplay series for my Commander’s story. To be clear, this is not the end of my Commander’s story, or my flying days, but it is the end of a character arc that my CMDR has been through.
It will be left open-ended, for me to keep having adventures.
My Commander is my representation of me in the Elite Dangerous universe. His stories are my stories, and they are based on a combination of in and out of game experiences.
If you’ve read my previous stories, my Commander is a sort of ex-law-enforcer who’s had to navigate through some difficult conflicts and disputes. Eventually he went into retirement to get away from the bad blood, but he ended up re-emerging from retirement after blazing his own trail.
This series resolves that, and comes full circle, as Golm returns to the Agency as a more mature character and clears the air. With that, Golm can have new adventures in peace.