Januarry 8th, 2378
We got to the Reticuli colony today, just when the Meklar cruisers were coming back from recharging their systems in near-stellar orbit. The colonists managed to secretly build an underground missile base too, and it lifted up into position as soon as we arrived!
That took care of those Meklar! We still lost three fighters, but the Meklar lost both cruisers, and the people on the colony can finally feel safe when they look up at the skies!
The fighter fleet is going to have to stay here - there are even more fighters coming - to destroy the Meklar attack transports before they can invade and kill millions and millions more, but Sanras and I are going back to Maretta. The field training has been great, but I'm still glad we're going back. I miss my parents and Ralash and all my other old friends, and it isn't as thrilling to watch our pilots shoot down helpless transports even when they're filled with laser-mounted war mechs coming to kill as many of us as they can. It's important work, but the thrill comes from meeting enemy pilots in space, taking your own life in your hands, and screaming in, Neutron Pellet Accellerators blazing, to tear them apart before they can burn you down!
Marrch 17th, 2382
I caught a weird news report today. I'm not sure what I think of it. We're fighting the Meklar to defend ourselves, not to please some guy in a cloak who calls himself an emperor.
The cloak seemed to think our braintrust advisory council was an emperor too, and it didn't even say what reward it would be, so the real reward might as well be nothing, but the Darloks could call us by all the right names and promise us the galaxy and I still wouldn't fight just for them. I'm a fighter pilot (okay, in training). I'm part of the backbone of our defenses against Meklar bomber fleets. I'm not a Darlok mercenary.
It's possible Morfane was just feeling marginalized diplomatically, with the big trade deal that went through last year. It wasn't surprising after the big GNN report about galactic demographics - you remember, how we Mrrshans outnumber everyone else and the Sakkra are right behind us - but I think the Darloks were still surprised about the new 400 BC trade deal between the "top dogs." That's like 60% more than we trade with the Darloks every year, and they're the oldest trading partners in our history. Anyway, I don't really care about Morfane or how relevant he feels to the affairs of the galaxy. What I care about is defending our homes. If Morfane wants to reward us for that, then fine, we can use some help since we've been containing the Meklar on our own for pretty much my whole life at this point. There used to be machine fleets attacking Gion practically every year, but ever since the Meklar declared war on us too, all their ships have been getting diverted to our stars instead!
Marrch 22, 2382
I guess a lot of people have been talking about Morfane's offer (the dumb one from a few days ago) so Governor Shanria put them to rest. She says the RBO-37 had been talking over plans for years to try taking the war to the Meklar. They don't like the idea of attacking Meklar colonies, but our defensive situation is too precarious with the speed of their fleets and the location of Artemis.
There are three more attack cruisers in orbit there now, waiting to attack us at Berel or Reticuli - or here! I know I've talked about this before. I'm still worried every year that we're going to see some enemy fleet heading to Berel and find out too late that we were wrong - when the fleet arrives here at Maretta and drops fusion bombs on all our islands! So far we've been safe here, but I don't know how long that can go on. It also looks like their military base there is vulnerable if we build bombers of our own. The problem is, we don't know how to build fusion bombs like the Meklar, and our old-style nuclear bombs won't do much good if they get planetary shields in place before they get there. Our intelligence reports seem to say they've had those shields under construction for at least two years, and they could finish it at any time.
The good thing is that Morfane's mercenary offer is not going to change the way we defend ourselves. The bad thing is that it would have made a lot of sense to destroy the forward Meklar base at Artemis if we thought we'd have a good chance - and it doesn't look like we do. But the other good thing is that Governor Shanria and the rest of the RBO-37 know better than to throw our pilots' lives away on too slim a chance and the whims of some cloaked emperor. We knew that already, but still. And even if it's selfish, I have to say, I'm glad I'll be assigned to the latest Mrrnitcat design when I graduate, and not to some planetary bomber. I can't wait!
Febrruarry 2nd, 2384
We were right! They're coming for Maretta this time! It's my first real battle! I have to meet Sanras and Ralash and all the others in the briefing room in ten minutes, and we're scrambling in fifty! We've got six cruisers coming in and only one is a colony ship; we're going to be flying for the lives of all the Marettans, all our friends, our parents, and everybody!
Febrruarry 3rd, 2384
It ... it's over. The fight is over. It's ... it's nothing like the sims. Everything looks the same and sounds the same and the controls feel the same in your paws, but when a heavy laser cuts through someone's ship and their voice cuts off to static, it ... it's not a sim. It's not a sim and you know, and you feel it all the way down, and...
We won. We protected the planet, and it would have been infinitely worse if we hadn't; millions and millions and millions of people would have died, and some would be friends and family and teachers and people we love and respect, and some of them would still be us. Eventually, it would be all of us. But losing Sanras like that....
I know I'm not the only one. We lost a quarter of our fleet, and we lost more in the older engagements I had to watch from a shuttle. But last night, when we got back, we didn't want to celebrate. We didn't want to see any of the tomcats crowding in to meet the heroes and buy us drinks even though I know they'd hold us close to them and whisper about how brave and beautiful we are and everything. All Ralash and I wanted to do was find each other and hold each other tight and never, ever, ever let go, and first not talk at all about the brave, happy rallying cry Sanras was shouting just before her engine was breached by a heavy laser and then after a while talk about it again and again and again.
I'll be out ther defending our planets again because the Meklar won't stop attacking, and I'll paste a picture of Sanras up above my HUD, and I'll yell her brave, happy rallying cry, and I'll hope and hope with all my heart that we someday find a way to force this war to end.
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NEXT: Sheer Madness
