Log 8: Distance
27 Oct 2020Tala Wren
I'm so far away from the Bubble, and yet.....part of me wishes I weren't.I received the latest news, that the NMLA had made an assassination attempt on Hadrian Duval (or at least, someone did, and they're claiming it was them...). If the Empire wasn't already out for blood against Marlinists, they will certainly be, now. Certainly Senator Patreus will use this attack to further his campaign against any and all Marlinists. I worry this will lead to a civil war within the Empire, if this continues.
And even more than that, I worry that I will be once again forced to choose a side in this conflict. I could never side with what I consider to be the Empire proper; that is, with the stance of Emperor Lavigny-Duval, and most of the Senators. I left my Imperial citizenship behind for a reason, after all.
But at the same time, I'm not sure I like the approach the NMLA are taking; of course, it has always been clear to me that simply talking and voting will never change the system, not when there is an stratum of elite who sit above the law, practically untouchable by all but the Emperor herself. Maybe they're right; maybe the only way to change the Empire is to force it to change.
Of course, the tragedy is that no matter what, people will suffer and die during whatever happens next. That's the thing I hate the most.
And here I am, some tens of thousands of lightyears away, on an expedition out into the black....I almost feel guilty for being out here, now, when maybe I could be back in inhabited space, trying to protect people who simply want a better existence from the forces of oppression.
But I can't change the fact that I'm out here, and I wouldn't dare give up on this journey; I need this adventure.
And when I get back, I'll worry about who I'll side with, although if I'm being honest, there really is only one choice.
The Marlinists deserve their freedoms to hold their political opinions the same as everyone else.