Holy Mother of God
02 Mar 2024T.Fulda
Commander T.Fulda log, Earth date 3/2/3310:I'm struggling to find the right words for log this entry. Perhaps I should've given it more time before making it, but I'll give it my best effort. I've been radio silent on these for the past week. Like many other independent pilots, I've engaged in operations against the Thargoid Titan codenamed: Taranis. Well... The job is done, but I'm at a loss for words. I've been around the galaxy and seen a lot of strange and intense things, but this one trumps them all.
This is a major victory, the likes of which humanity has never seen before... I'm back at the Overseer's carrier and the crew is popping champagne, but I can't shake the feeling that we've just done something terrible. Although I generally agree that we humans are responsible for starting this war, I also logically understand that we couldn't simply stand by while the Thargoids eradicated us, but I still just can't shake this feeling. I sat in my cockpit for a good 30 minutes gobsmacked, just staring at the remains of it. That doesn't look like any explosion I've ever seen. We'll likely need to wait some time for the intensely caustic remains to dissipate in the vacuum of space, but something other than ruins are in the epicenter of that explosion and I'm not sure we're prepared for what it is.
As someone who's engaged in rescue efforts for the bulk of this war, I also feel a deep pit in my stomach for anyone we missed. We worked to rescue as many remaining hostages as we could while the titan was in meltdown, but we have no idea how many were left behind. It's easy to sit on a high horse and talk about collateral damage and sacrifice for a greater good when it's not you or one of your relatives that went up in smoke. I hope Alba Tesreau can sleep comfortably at night thinking about that, because I sure won't be able to.
It also raises further questions... As much as the Empire and Federation want to sit there and claim they have good reasons to keep the rescued hostages in quarantine, they have yet to prove there's anything wrong with them. People keep talking like they're sleeper agents, but the Alliance released their citizens months ago and not a damn thing has happened. If the Thargoids captured these people and stored them in these titans, but didn't do anything to harm them, it raises significant questions as to their motives. Perhaps we'll never get answers. Unless or until the Thargoids feel inclined to finally communicate and explain themselves, all we can do is take things at face value.
In either case, we have 7 more of these things to deal with and now that the Thargoids know about these Guardian nanites, I suspect they will bolster their defenses... Or worse, respond in kind. Either way, there isn't a whole lot of time to sit here and pat ourselves on the back. There's still a long way to go and God only knows what lies in store for us.
God damn, I need a drink. CMDR T.Fulda signing off for now.