DIVIDED - A Short Story - TITAN Contractors
14 Dec 2021Aurora Adair (Radiumio)
D I V I D E DA Short Story
Author Note
Firstly, huge thanks to everyone who has been reading Aurora's story so far and leaving Shiny's on them! It's certainly been a rollercoaster ride and it's hard to believe we're already 89 logbooks in, almost 10 months of writing! Lots of her story ties into a complex and interactive narrative built for my squadron, TITAN Contractors, though Aurora's logbooks can be read completely separate without reading our news articles or lore repositories to understand what's happening. Alongside that, it's been a lot of fun to develop her story and personality, seeing how she might react to various story events and her interactions with characters belonging to other Commanders - and trying to tie in what I do in-game into her personal adventures.
With that aside, I wanted to try something a bit different for this fairly large story event. It's something that I wanted to go into more detail - this arc of Aurora meeting yet another mysterious individual, so I decided to quickly step away from the logbook style, and write a short story for it instead, as all the information within is marking the culmination of an almost year-long narrative arc within our story. This doesn't mean there won't be any more logbooks - there will definitely be a log #90 talking about the very events in this short story - but it's more likely that this short story idea will be a rare occurrence. I largely prefer the logbook style, and I hope you do too!
Also, a massive thank you to everyone who has interacted with the story and left their mark. Commanders Alexis Bright, Isabella Levine, Novus, SpectreKryik, Solix, and Thallia Thorn - thank you for further enriching the story and getting involved with your characters. I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far.
Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy this short story! Thanks so much.
o7,
- CMDR Radiumio
With that aside, I wanted to try something a bit different for this fairly large story event. It's something that I wanted to go into more detail - this arc of Aurora meeting yet another mysterious individual, so I decided to quickly step away from the logbook style, and write a short story for it instead, as all the information within is marking the culmination of an almost year-long narrative arc within our story. This doesn't mean there won't be any more logbooks - there will definitely be a log #90 talking about the very events in this short story - but it's more likely that this short story idea will be a rare occurrence. I largely prefer the logbook style, and I hope you do too!
Also, a massive thank you to everyone who has interacted with the story and left their mark. Commanders Alexis Bright, Isabella Levine, Novus, SpectreKryik, Solix, and Thallia Thorn - thank you for further enriching the story and getting involved with your characters. I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far.
Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy this short story! Thanks so much.
o7,
- CMDR Radiumio
========================================================
Aurora stared blankly at her wrist-mounted PDA, legs dangling off the rear airlock step of her Krait Phantom. The soft wind of this ammonia world was barely audible through her helmet, but offered a serenely peaceful ambience. She'd spent the last two days here, isolating herself from the rest of the squadron, trying to piece herself back together. The peaceful atmosphere of this planet didn't help detract from the pain she felt inside, the heartbreak of losing her father, the shame of failing everyone once again by running away when she was needed the most. Her mind cycled through the thoughts repetitively, making it hard to hold back tears that were already starting to wet her cheeks. She was doing the same thing she'd been doing for the last few hours, tapping the PDA screen idly, scrolling through the same message she received yesterday from an unknown sender, reading it again and again. Debating her choice.
FROM: Unknown Contact
TO: CMDR Aurora Adair
Aurora,
You don't know who I am yet, but I must meet and speak with you. I am aware of your father's death and the information he withheld, and I need to urgently discuss things with you. Please reply to this message when you can, so we can arrange a meet up spot - but not at the Solaris. This is very important, and I need you to trust me.
MESSAGE END . . .She didn't even know who this person was. Why they explicitly wanted to avoid the Solaris. What they wanted. How they knew her father, and how he died. So many questions, none of them that she could answer. The desperate need for closure quickly overwhelmed the thought of ignoring the message, and for quite a while, she had been sitting here, staring at her PDA screen aimlessly. Trying to get the courage to go, to find out what happened, no matter what the result was. With a sigh, she looked up at the horizon, away from her PDA. It was beautiful, the red light of the atmosphere highlighting expansive mountains and sprawling plains in the distance. Maybe it'd be nice to stay here for a little bit longer... hell, forever would be nice.
But that wasn't realistic. She needed to do something. Working up the enthusiasm to climb to her feet, she gripped the airlock handrail and opened the exterior bulkhead, stepping into the ship. Exhausted, she stumbled into her Phantom and ripped off her helmet, her curly hair springing out from beneath as usual as she walked through the hallways. She couldn't even be bothered to fix her appearance before typing away on her PDA as she approached the flight seat, beginning a search for suitable starports to host the meeting - somewhere neutral on her own terms. A repeat of Drake wasn't necessary right now.
FROM: CMDR Aurora Adair
TO: Unknown Contact
Fine. LHS 2094, Patterson Vision. Today at 1800 UGT. Don't [#$@!] me over, whoever you are.
MESSAGE END . . .============================
Sat atop a striped maintenance cargo crate, Aurora stared at the lifts ahead, waiting somewhat patiently. It didn't take her long to get to Patterson Vision and set everything up, around ten or so minutes in her exploration Krait. She had dressed in her typical Maverick suit - the same one she was issued as standard in CSF, though now heavily modified by her. She'd slipped on a teal jacket and camouflaged pants, tucked into her magboots, all to cover the suit - as well as the hidden, suppressed Tormentor she was carrying. Now, she just had to wait for this anonymous individual to show their face - if they even would...
Chances couldn't be taken, though. Not like Drake. Deep down inside, the wounds of that incident stung, leaving immense hurt. Something she tried to shy away from sharing openly. No one cared or needed to know about how she truly felt - one of the things she thought would just bog down everyone else. But, she made the effort to look presentable for whoever she was about to encounter. Confident. Undeterred. Even if she really was shaking inside.
She put an extra request in for a specific hangar. There was lots of back and forth with starport maintenance, but eventually she got her way, and her ship was moved into a slightly more shabby hangar that was isolated from the rest for repairs. The path towards the hangar lifts was littered with extra crates, probably carrying industrial maintenance equipment - she didn't care. Either way, the crates offered a bit more cover, in case things went bad. At least there was no need to smuggle weapons past starport security, since she was left to her own devices in this unmonitored hangar. Hopefully, at least.
Things never seemed to go right lately. Isabella being falsely arrested by the Empire. The whole group of people she cared about almost getting killed at Navarro's Hold. Kicking Alexis out of her quarters, and burning that bridge. Everything seemed way too hard to come back from. She tried to hold back her emotions as she looked at her feet, gripping the crate's edge tightly.
"Keep it together, Aurora...", she whispered, closing her eyes as she tried to lock out her negative thoughts.
Serving as the perfect interruption, a ding on the opposite side of the hangar echoed throughout the interior of the bay. The arrival of a lift. Looking up from the floor, she spotted a man emerge from one of the elevators, beginning their walk over. This must be them. Studying him quickly as she hopped off the crate, no recognisable traits seemed to jump out at her. Their suit, likely a Maverick, was covered in a black outfit, orange highlights along their jacket arms, an opaque visor covering his face. Not exactly a common appearance or one that inspired confidence within her, but she approached regardless, partially tucking her right arm into the rear of her jacket.
She felt the shape of her Tormentor plasma pistol holstered into her waistband as she slipped her fingers around its grip, cautious of the figure approaching her. As an active target of the Crimson Venators, one couldn't be too careful, even though she couldn't spot any weapons on this individual regardless. She remained quiet and expressionless, stopping just a few metres from him.
Whoever this was seemed to study her quietly, with a slight nod as they traded looks.
"Well, Aurora... you look stunning. Could've picked a station closer to the arrival point, though."
"Okay, [#$@!] off." She seethed, squeezing the grip of her pistol tightly. With a clench of her left fist, she made it clear that she was unimpressed by this stranger's comment. Who the [#$@!] did they think they were? She had no clue, and with the visor modulating their voice, it was hard to distinguish them.
"Right. Sorry. Already getting off on the wrong foo-..."
"Who are you? Just answer me that already, for [#$@!]s sake."
The individual paused, rubbing their hands together slowly. Even they emanated a feeling of nervousness. Uncertainty. Something that she felt gave her leverage right now.
"Getting right to it, I see. Look, I don't know if it's a good idea right no-..."
She was already having enough, tugging on her Tormentor slightly to release it from her holster, though still keeping it concealed. She was upset as is, and didn't need this frustration - and the red flush of her cheeks gave that away clearly as she glared at them.
"You're just wasting my time. [#$@!] you. I don't have to deal with this."
"Okay, no! Wait. Aurora!"
She'd partially turned away, hand in her jacket, when the individual yelled out. There was a strong sense of desperation in his voice, even overpowering the modulator slightly - just what she needed. Now, the upper hand in this meeting was hers, and at the very least, they might be more willing to talk. Deep inside, she couldn't abandon this only lead, and she knew that. Whoever this was, if they had information that might help her find who killed her father, then she needed to take that chance. No matter the cost.
"How do you know me? Why did you want to meet?", she queried, turning to face him again. The hangar fell silent as they both stared at each other, neither side making a move. She rolled her eyes, cursing under her breath as she turned to leave. Once more, he stopped her again.
"Okay, wait. Fine. I'll remove my helmet. Then it should make sense to you. I warned you, Aurora. I wanted to ease into this."
She locked her gaze on his visor, not sure whether to interpret it as a threat or not. Trying to maintain a stoic appearance, her heart started to race. Who was this person actually? What was she about to see? The thought scared her slightly, and so many theories ran in her head. As the individual reached up to disengage their visor, she inhaled nervously. That maybe there was actually something serious about this whole endeavour. This wasn't just some random person. They knew her.
And maybe she knew them.
The man disengaged the opaque visor, the rest of the helmet folding back to reveal his face. A neatly kept beard with smoothed back, black hair, shades still covering his eyes. But the facial structure, the hair, mannerism, the voice as he spoke. She recognised it all, all from that one meeting. Here he was, standing in front of her once again.
Quinton Marshall.
"There. Happy?"
She let out a soft groan, covering her mouth as her stern expression crumbled and tears began to form. How was he alive? Why was he standing here? A terrorist attack was supposed to have killed him aboard the Solaris - an explosive ripped the bridge of his Krait Phantom apart. The same Phantom she was standing near, the one she flew so often - just refitted numerous times. His death left behind a will that promoted her to Squadron Commander. He gave away everything to her - to the point where she might as well have been him. But here he was, still alive. Staring at her.
"No... No. You were... n-... how...? How?"
"If you believed it, then that means it worked. It was necessary," he said, with a shrug and a sigh. "Like I said, I wanted to ease into this. To talk about your father, why I - we - decided to make you Squadron Commander. Everything about that information on that datapad, and why he died for it. He was doing the right thing, Aurora, to help make a change."
She wasn't sure what to say. Tears rolled down her cheeks. What did this mean? That everything was just a lie? Was she was promoted to Squadron Commander, just to cover for him? To suffer all this, for what? A lie that killed her father. Overwhelming thoughts forced her to hide her face as she wiped away the tears, deep-rooted anger finding its place at the forefront of her emotions.
"... How could you do this? Lie to everyone... to me. I d-... don't even know who the [#$@!] you are, Quinton."
"That's true. We met once... and yes, most of that was coincidence. But I wanted to try understand who might be taking my place. Your father knew someone would come after the information eventually, and we needed a contingency plan. I read every detail of that CSF training report. How your team turned the tides in that non-lethal exercise. That you took the initiativ-..."
"Don't act like you know me,", her voice cracking with emotion. She slowly drew her Tormentor, bringing it down by her side into view, steadying her shaking hand from the anger within. "I've come so [#$@!]ing close to losing everything because of this. Because of you. You just lied to cover your ass... and I was just trying to do the right thing. To pick up the pieces you left. Now I k-... know... it was all for some... [#$@!]ing game."
Quinton locked eyes with the Tormentor. Easily, this move increased the tension within the hangar tenfold - especially as he didn't seem to be armed. Raising a cautious hand and trying to take a step towards her, an expression of concern and worry covered his face.
"Aurora. Put that away... Look, just let me talk."
She raised the Tormentor slightly, finger on the trigger, tears clouding her vision. He halted in his steps, locking eyes with her carefully.
"I'm done... I'm d-... done talking... You have no idea what I've been through... what the s-... squadron has... has been through... and you... you left it all... for what...? [#$@!]... [#$@!] this."
"Come on, be reasonable, Aurora."
His words suddenly caused her to snap. After all the effort done to keep the squadron afloat after his 'supposed death' - only to find out he was alive all this time, all for him to tell her to 'be reasonable'. She raised the Tormentor at him without a second thought, and squeezed the trigger. Time seemed to slow down as the suppressed pistol discharged a bolt of plasma, the round flying true. She saw a flicker of terror on his face, but her pulling the trigger must have been easily anticipated.
He quickly stepped aside, bringing an arm up as the weapon fired. The silenced bolt sped past him, slamming into the hangar wall behind, leaving a purple scorch mark. Swiftly, he crossed the last few metres to her without hesitation, batting her right arm aside with the back of his hand, forcing her to lose her grip on her Tormentor. She quickly tried to bring a fist up to put in a strike, but found herself quickly subdued as he grabbed both her arms, pushing her back into the nearest crate. Stumbling in the relatively low-gravity of the hangar, she slammed into the industrial crate she was previously sitting on. The large crate remained undisturbed, but her back, however, disagreed.
She yelped out softly in pain, pressed up against the crate. He stepped closer, staring her down, but made no further moves. She was disarmed now, and despite all her training and techniques she learnt in CSF, she truly doubted her ability to fight back against Quinton - not in her current state.
So, she yielded, sobbing quietly.
"[#$@!]... [#$@!], I'm... I'm so sorry... I didn't... mean..."
"Sit. Down," he practically barked, carefully walking back to where her Tormentor had landed, keeping an eye on her. She complied, slowly sliding down the crate with her back until she was seated on the floor, resting her head back against the crate as she looked up at the bay ceiling. She just tried to kill the original Squadron Commander of TITAN Contractors. What was she thinking?
After picking up the Tormentor carefully and unloading it, pocketing the plasma cartridge, he walked over to her, chucking the pistol into her lap. She could hardly bring herself to look at him as she holstered the pistol, but he made sure she could by kneeling down in front of her.
"Alright, Aurora... Sorry if I hurt you, by the way. Just listen... I know it's been hard... but let me explain. You deserve the closure for everything. Now's the time for it. Okay?"
She nodded, running a hand through her hair as she tried to stifle her sobbing. After giving her a moment to compose herself, Quinton slowly sat back on the floor in front of her, interlacing his fingers.
"You know my backstory, I'm sure. How my father died. That he served in the Federal Navy before he was dishonourably discharged. If you don't know, well... now you do. My father, Adrien... well, it's a small world. They both knew each other, your father and mine. He even served under Isaiah's command at some point. I was only two when my father was discharged, and he never spoke about his service much, so I only met your father much later."
"When my father died, I was 19. Got to watch a pirate SRV just... take him out. I still recall it vividly. The pain. The exact memory, how it happened... everything. Always thought the security around Kafka Observatory was pretty lax but... could never prove it. His death took a... huge toll... honestly. My father was our only source of income... and my mother was dying to a disease. So when we lost him... well, that put a spanner into the works. Tried to become a Commander as quick as I could, to continue paying for the medicine my mother would need, but..."
He sighed, looking off into the hangar.
"She didn't make it. Just a year before I got my license, she died. If it wasn't for those pirates... we could've kept scraping by, just barely affording those meds. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. After I became a Commander, I - naturally - wanted revenge. Worked my way up to a Cobra, outfitted it for combat... might've made myself a little name as a bounty hunter in Holo. It never got easier - my parent's death, but... it got bearable. And over the years, I'd done enough in Holo to make those pirates think twice of rearing their heads again."
"So I struck it rich. Cashed in the money I'd earned on a mining vessel, hit the asteroid belts while the market was still fluctuating for valuable minerals, and hey-ho... TITAN came along very quickly. You know how that started... and I know why you joined. Just like most of us... trying to do right. To do something that mattered. But, apparently, people don't like us. Those who try to do good. Makes them look bad when we're so good at it. Anyway, by that time, after TITAN was fully set up, life finally felt right again. The loss always sticks with me, but I finally felt like my parents would be proud."
"Then, your dad contacted me. Said he knew my father, and that he needed my help with something. So, I did the odd job for Isaiah before he eventually approached me one day, and said he needed help with something big. Something my father would want me to have done. Turns out? My father's dishonourable discharge got caused by numerous things, but it ultimately happened because of a... 'laundering scheme' in the Federation. He knew about it, and was going to expose it... but they picked up on it. Nobody believed his story, and he got kicked out."
"But... those same 'pirates' that ended up killing him? Well... I guess my father kept talking about it on the side... because I don't think those so-called pirates were really pirates. It just seems oddly coincidental that system security arrived 'too late' to save him and some of the others, hm? Isaiah knew about this same scheme... and it digs deep. The amount of information he'd collected on it over the years... it was insane. But he needed more. Something to really bring the whole thing crashing down. He wanted my father to help him out, to collect more information, but they killed him before Isaiah could hand over the data."
"So, after I formed TITAN, and got established, he got in contact with me. Wanted me to pick up the mantle... but the wind blew the wrong way, and someone figured out that information about this scheme was spreading, somehow. They didn't know who it originated from, but they knew it was out there, and it just so happened that they eventually, by some luck, figured out I was the one in possession of that information. He wanted me to keep it safe, and the second he suspected that the ring knew, he told me. Round about that time... attacks on the squadron started to happen. He said he suspected some unknown Federal element was supplying Hivemind with orders and equipment, with the promise of... something, I dunno."
"But their ultimate goal was to bring me down. Get that information, decrypt it, and figure out who was leaking that whole thing. So, your father had a - honestly - quite brilliant idea. You."
"You were our contingency plan. A strike team was slowly getting closer to taking me out - Ember, if you remember. I'm sure you do... They were just a proxy, most of them had no clue they were being duped. So... I had to get out of it somehow. Isaiah was very instrumental in keeping me updated on that strike team's progress, and on the day they were going to bomb my Phantom to take me out, I - long story short - faked my presence onboard, and took another ship instead. A body wouldn't have been recovered either way with an explosion like that, but it made for the perfect cover story. Something I could use to blend into the shadows and work with your father to expose this corruption scheme."
"But TITAN needed to continue to thrive. It needed a new leader. And when I met you after that training day - when the danger for us was increasing and we needed a plan - and I shook your hand, I knew your father was right, that you were the one. You might not have had the experience, Aurora, but you were one to step up to the challenge - even if you weren't sure you could do it yourself. You put everything aside for this, and I cannot thank you enough for that. Your father was always proud of you. When I faked my death, we followed your progress. He knew it all, from the will, up to... well... now. How much you sacrificed for the squadr-..."
"... Stop. P-... please."
Quinton looked back at her, with a sigh as she interrupted him. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fought to compose herself, trying to speak coherently despite everything falling to pieces inside.
"... S-... so you just... you... you used me... and got... got him kil-... killed..."
"No. He wanted to do this. He was the only one who could pull it off, and he needed help for it. Honestly... he knew the risks, but he also put all his faith into you. I did too. And... you know what? You have done way more than I could've ever imagined, Aurora. You've put the squadron back together during all this, even when you couldn't do that for yourself. You placed the needs of others in front of yours. You cared. You are the leader of TITAN Contractors. This is all your success, now. You're incredibly strong to have endured everything you have... and I'm surprised that the cracks are only starting to show now."
"You're the only one I'd trust in the position, now."
She suddenly burst into tears, bawling as she covered her face with shaking hands, unable to maintain her composure anymore. For once, it made sense. Why she was promoted to Squadron Commander... why her father was killed. All because of a corruption plot within the Federation. Everything that had ever happened, the war with Hivemind and Paladin, it was all their fault. All her suffering - everyone's suffering - had been caused by the people behind the corruption and greed in the deepest, darkest heart of one of the galaxy's biggest superpowers. How was she supposed to react to this?
Panic started to settle in as she struggled to temper her emotions, her hyperventilation and sobbing making it difficult to breathe regularly - let alone try talk.
"... Aurora, listen. Look at me. Just breathe. It'll be okay..."
Quinton quickly got to his feet and stepped forward, picking Aurora up gently under her arms as he pulled her into a hug, lifting her off her feet. For what seemed like minutes, she continued to sob uncontrollably, burying her face into his shoulder as he softly swayed back and forth with her, trying to console her. Eventually, as she started to calm down slightly, exhausted from the crying, he broke the silence.
"So... Not how I expected this meeting to go, to be honest," he said, as he slowly placed her back down onto her feet with a gentle smile. Quickly, embarrassment overcame her for losing control in front of someone who used to be her boss - but she cracked a timid laugh, wiping her face as she fought back tears again.
"I'm... s-... sorry for almost... y'know... sh-... shooting you..."
He shrugged, chuckling. "Well... I guess it comes with the territory of trying to reveal all of this. You okay? Some other stuff needs to be said... as I'm sure you have questions."
She took a deep breath, her eyes red and irritated from all the crying as she leant back against the crate behind her. Still unsteady on her feet, her body quivering, she eventually found herself sat down on the floor again, back against the crate. With a nod from her, Quinton sat down and continued to talk.
"So... when I found out a strike team was trying to kill me, I left behind that datapad. The same one that had my will on it. I wanted you to keep it safe unknowingly, by becoming the Squadron Commander... and no, they had no idea about the datapad at the time, just that I picked up the mantle from my father. The information of everything left behind on that datapad was locked away on a hidden partition, heavily encrypted. Enough to make it look like it was just corrupted, I hope, so it would be ignored or go unnoticed, at least somewhat."
"You did a lot of good, Aurora. The squadron owes its survival to you, and you defending it - going after Hivemind and Paladin - bought us extra time to collect more information... though unfortunately I don't know where your father put the rest of it. Unfortunately, eventually... someone figured it out. Some rogue agent in the Federation realised we had that datapad... and so they stole it. We couldn't act in time to stop them decrypting it, and... they figured out your father was the whistleblower. I'm sorry."
"But it doesn't have to end here. If we get that datapad, we can finish this for good, I hope... and if we can find the extra data your father hid, that would help even more. So... I know it's a lot to ask, but... I need your help, Aurora. Please."
She nodded quickly, clearing her throat as she brushed her hair back, looking up at Quinton.
"Yeah, but... you're the Squadron Commande-..."
"Nope. Shush. Aurora... Listen... I know you might feel divided, but... You. You are the Squadron Commander of TITAN Contractors. I - honestly - want you to keep everything. It's yours. You might have only been a Commander for a short time, but everything you have done has proved you are worthy of having this all. You've gone above and beyond for everyone, for your home. Just... y'know... don't let it get to your head now."
"... I won't... Thank you... S-... so much..."
Wiping away tears, she continued. "Okay... S-... Sorry... uhm... So... how do the... Crimson Venators fit in...? W-... why do they want the datapad?"
He stood up with a sigh, extending a hand to her. Helping her to her feet, he gestured to her Phantom, approaching the front lift slowly. Aurora followed, trying to stay steady on her feet.
"I'm not sure exactly... but likely all that information they have could be used as leverage for... intel, supplies... stuff like that. Which would be bad, obviously. Seems interesting, though... if we consider that Paladin - and by association, the Crimson Venators - was being secretly funded and supplied by anonymous Imperial and Federal suppliers... probably the same ones behind the corruption plot, it's almost slightly ironic that they'd now turn against the very hand that feeds them. Or, maybe even they don't know..."
"So... w-... what do we do?"
They stopped at the front lift of the Phantom's gear, Quinton slowly turning to face her.
"Well, Aurora... I need you to lead the squadron again. As far as I know, the Peacekeepers have a potential lead obtained from the same Federal Agent that stole the datapad. I know he's dead now, killed by the Venators themselves nonetheless, so... that's one person out of the picture."
"Look. You can do it. Don't let this stop you, Aurora. You've done so much now. The squadron needs you, not me. You've been there for people, I haven't. I left to try do right by my father. To bring the same people that had him killed to justice. I know you feel the same way, but you can control it. Leverage what you have to do this. And I know you'll have the squadron's support. Trust yourself."
She smiled, her lips quivering as tears threatened to escape her eyes again. Things were finally making sense again... that there truly was a purpose behind it all. It didn't change the loss or the hurt, but there was a meaning behind it all. Something to keep pushing forward.
"What ab-... about you?"
"Me? Well, the cat's out of the bag now, so I don't expect you to keep quiet about it. We'll figure something out remotely. I think I have myself cov-..."
"Can you... come back to the Solaris with me? You'll... you'll be a target now if they find out."
He hesitated a bit, folding his arms.
"No. It's probably better if I don't. People will probably be angry, just like you were before you understood. You have a better chance of controlling it alone. Of taking us forward from this. But, we'll be in touch, okay? Once this all blows over, then yeah, I might return... but you will always be the true Squadron Commander, Aurora, and I immensely respect that. As far as I'm concerned... given the chance, you would've started TITAN as well. I know it's in good hands with you."
With a nod, she wiped her eyes, biting a lip.
"Don't... You're going to make me [#$@!]ing cry again..."
He laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder with an endearing smile, before he adopted a more serious tone.
"That's pretty normal, all things considered. But look... Aurora. There's still a lot to do, and our enemies are numerous. Get yourself some rest... and stay safe. Look after those you care about, and keep them close. The storm is far from over."
Stepping back, he glanced up at Aurora's Phantom, clasping his hands together.
"Well... Is this the Praetor?"
"Yeah... it's... uh... I call it the Templar now. Had some new adjustments made to the internals and exterior... plus a new paint because... yeah."
"Stunning. Love what you did with it."
He looked back towards her, both locking eyes. Eventually, he broke the gaze with a nod, gesturing to the hangar lifts.
"Right. Well, you need time to process all of this, and to get some rest... so that will be my cue. Good luck, Aurora - though... I don't think you'll need it."
He smirked slightly at her with his comment, taking a step towards her for a hug - one which she graciously and quickly accepted. Exchanging a slight squeeze, she sighed in relief, stepping back after a bit.
"Thank you... I... I honestly didn't expect this at all... but... I'm glad it did. I'm glad you're alive..."
He nodded, grinning broadly.
"Yeah, me too. We'll talk soon, I hope... but for now, it's your turn to go after those bastards who did this..."
He quickly saluted, with a smug look on his face.
"... Boss."
She smiled widely, a blush rising to her cheeks as he ceased saluting, nodding towards her as he began to step away.
"Blaze your trail, Aurora."
"You too, Quinton... Thank you... so much."
And with that, the same person she had originally thought to have been dead, killed in a terrorist attack, departed the hangar swiftly without another word. Only the distant ambience of maintenance crews and the bustling activity of the starport outside her bay accompanied her and her tumultuous thoughts, as she tried to process what just happened. Unsure what to tell the squadron, she stepped atop her Phantom's front lift, her body prepared to give up from exhaustion at any moment as tears ran down her cheeks again.
Quinton was right about what he said, though the wounds of her mistakes cut deep. Navarro's Hold, the attack on the Solaris, Isabella's false imprisonment - all things she thought that she could've mitigated or resolved if she just tried harder. She couldn't change most of that now, but Quinton's words encouraged her and revitalized her confidence - that she had to keep trying her best. For Isabella, Alexis, Thallia, Novus, Sharales, Solix, everyone. And while it was likely to be yet again another bumpy road ahead, at least one thing was certain.
That she no longer felt divided.
========================================================
Credit:
This story is only possible thanks to our squadron and community. Join TITAN Contractors, a diverse and talented squadron, and experience our custom lore and events. This logbook/short story as well as other associated images and story is property of TITAN Contractors, CMDR Radiumio. Thank you so much for reading!
INARA page here.