[Recording Start]
Ahem, this is Ensign Hoki Bachika speaking. I'd like to say right off the top that you'll find alongside this recording a heavily compressed copy of the TSU-East Flash-drive – If that doesn't sound familiar, it is the flash-drive of information my father gave IAFS just before he was placed under house arrest.
It contains base blueprints, troop deployments and a database of every TSU weapon that was available at the time he took the info – Unfortunately the data gets progressively more outdated with each passing day, but still perhaps it can be sold for some small profit? Whatever the case it was all I could think to put on here of any real use.
I should state more clearly what 'here' is – Scarlet asked us all 4, to record a black-box listing ahead of the rumoured battle next week. It's ummm. Heh, it's rather strange to think about, I've never recorded anything like this before – Though I've definitely been thinking about it alot recently.
There are just people in your life who you think are invincible right? Even when sad accidents and illness occur to others, there are some people you just don't think it'll ever happen to – People like my dad or Chief Pel.
I'd thought much the same of my squamates – Scarlet and Kolme are textbook survivors and Sabban surpassed my piloting skill months ago – And Una... She saved me at the Clover, fought on through a panic-attack at Station 9 and battled with the rest of us every-time.
If someone like her can die, then I guess anyone can really.
It has lead me to think alot about why I became a pilot too – In one way I'm the same as Sabban, heir to a military family. I didn't even join IAFS for any principled reasoning, I just kind of did.
And then I got such silly ideas in my head, that I was fighting for all those who couldn't fight anymore, and that list just kept growing, first it was my father and his friends but then my students started to fall in battle – Kids I had taught even if just for a couple weeks or months, were dieing.
I thought the best thing I could do was fight for all those voices, for people like Vald.
I love my family and I know I had a very privileged upbringing – Where other people grew up in houses, I grew up on the 'family estate' ya know? But I've never once felt I deserve the title of 'Hokuai', military-nobles – A title I got just for being born.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
My Father, he earned that title by being the Hero of the East, the first Bachika in generations to really live up to our warrior lineage – But me? He just declared the last time I saw him that the title was mine now, just like that.
Ever since me and Scarlet started getting along better, I've found myself coming to deeply admire her – She's a warrior-noble too, an Ace twice knighted as it were – She fought from nothing to being one of the greatest fighters, no Heroes of her generation!
She deserves her titles.
But now I think I'm starting to see it – Ridiculous it took me this long to learn such a simple lesson but sometimes I ask myself, if Scarlet died tomorrow would she really want me to fight in her name?
Would Una, wherever she is now, really want that?
Poor sweet Una, with her pretty smile and kind eyes – I don't think she'd want that for a second, she lived her own life, made her own choices and even if she'll never be able to fight again, or do much of anything – She never asked me to fight in her name – Neither did my other students or my father or, ... or Vald.
I should stop putting on airs, stop acting so foolishly and fight for myself, live my life for Hoki and be the very best I can be!
That's how I earn it, the right to the Hokuai title, the right to return to my father some day with a smile – And when the day comes for me to pass on, the right for me to face all those we've lost along the way with a brave face.
That's what I've decided.
Oh God, I really said all that out loud?! Ughhhhghhh I sound like some hormonal highschool girl!
Ummmmmm..... I have a Will so I won't list it here, that would be rather morbid I think – So I guess that's everything really? This is a very weird experience, perhaps I should do audio logs more often, step out of my comfort zone?
Well, errr.
It's strange, I feel like Una would know exactly what to say here and yet she's the only one who doesn't get to record one of these.
If I am, err, 'dead', well, stay strong everyone – I really am glad I got to know you all and fight alongside you.
Hoki Bachika signing off.
[Recording Ends]