Much Ado in Colonia
28 Nov 2021Lily Flemmon
Well, I got the gift delivered, along with the letter, and we'll see what comes of that. I had 3 more days in Colonia, and I had nothing in particular I needed to do. I decided to look around and visit settlements, met some people, kept myself from getting bored. And that's how I got in touch with Eleanor Bresa.She heard about me going around visiting, and sent me an invitation to her workshop in Desy, and I had nothing better to do than visit.
When I stepped into her office, I was surprised that she called me by name and not just "Commander."
"Hey, Lily! Glad you could make it. Come on in." Her voice was soft and soothing, and while I don't know what I expected her to sound like, I didn't expect her to speak so gently.
"You know me?"
"Well, Domino told me about you a while back, and I heard your name in the chatter around Colonia."
"You know… Domino Green?"
"Of course I know her, there aren't many of us in this niche profession of Pilots Federation engineering. Well, we're more friends than associates. We've gotten to know each other pretty well by now. I studied under her for a while, as much as studying under Domino Green is possible."
"Oh, well I haven't talked to her in a while, so it still seems a bit strange. She's not someone I'd ever forget though, after what she did for me."
"She says the same about you, actually. More specifically that she's never seen someone deploy any invention of hers so perfectly and meaningfully, let alone two at the same time. She tells me she's proud of you. But she didn't tell me you were coming to Colonia, and, well… On that note, what brings you out here?"
"The, uhh, Colonia Bridge project. Figuratively, not literally. Zachary Hudson is getting pretty out of control ever since his attempt to capture Yuri Grom. And people back in the Bubble are just… letting him do it. So I'm delivering a gift and a message from my home starport, Chilton Terminal, warning Colonia that the bubble isn't exactly thriving, and that the Colonia Bridge is going to link them more to all the turmoil back in the core systems, and also, asking for Colonia's help in restoring some semblance of peace and comfort by opposing Zachary Hudson's authoritarian corporatist ideals, and just... yeah, it's rough back home."
"Well, that's a lot to carry this far, are you doing okay?"
I sat down, and held my head in my hands. "Well... not really. No. It’s been a hell of a few days. An impromptu part of the gift was 22 occupied escape pods I picked up about 2,000 lightyears out of Colonia, and I wanted to be there when the occupants were revived, and I guess I haven't really had a chance to process that. Plus, I… couldn’t save them all." Why do I trust people so easily as soon as they ask if I'm okay? I need to stop doing that.
"Well, at least you don't have to worry about the war with the Neo-Marlinists that's going on in Mudhrid."
"The war with who in where? I should be fighting in that one. I can't risk the NMLA gaining a victory Why do I wind up out here when-" I cut myself off to hold back tears.
Eleanor sat down next to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "No, you shouldn't be fighting in that war. You're out here for a really good reason, and that aside, it sounds like you need to take care of yourself."
I gave up on holding back tears, realizing just how much I'd bottled up over the last week.
Eleanor gently put my head on her shoulder, although it was a bit awkward. "I'm sorry, I know it’s hard, feeling like you have to do so much for something as big as humanity, as the galaxy. Just… do what you can, and just try not to worry about what you can't do. I don’t know you that well, but it sounds like you’re the kind of person who will always be a hero to a lot of people. But just make sure you take care of yourself first."
It took me a couple minutes to calm down again, but eventually I sat up off her shoulder and got a few deep breaths in.
"My mother taught me a lot, about engineering, about technology, but I still think the most important thing she taught me is how to take care of people. And if she were here, she'd tell you to go get some rest.” She stood up and walked over to her desk, but when she noticed I was still sitting down, she gave me a gentle smile. “You can have a room here at this workshop for a day if you want."
I didn't feel at all fit to fly, or even ride with Apex, so I took her offer.
As I drifted off to sleep, I remember thinking to myself, Who knows, maybe she'll be able to help get Colonia to take a stance against Federal corporatism. Probably not though…