Flowers of the Forest

[Nodoka Hanamura]

// This roleplay is open to join upon request, upon the condition that your characters knew the 'deceased' or know Mieko. Submit requests in DM.

Kieya Woods, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega-48 System
May 22nd, 834 AS - 11:30 Local Time
OCS Abdicant Seraphine Memorial Site

"Eyes forward, pilot. For the waypoint has yet to light.
Consider your armament, your shields, your equipment, before you depart, for the waypoint has yet to light.
Break free from the docking ring, and witness the stars and nebulae abound before you, for the waypoint has yet to light.
Enter formation, plot the course, then wait for the jump hole to align, for the waypoint has yet to light.
Pay attention, pilot. For those who have gone before you, now call for you to join them.
The waypoint is now alight."
- The Fallen Freelancer's Creed, anonymous poet, ~710 AS

The skies of Gran Canaria's vast northern alpine reaches was clear and blue - a reprieve from weeks of snowstorms that battered the Kieya Woods, among countless other parts of the region, whilst the more temperate climates at the equator were in the midst of the occasional monsoon. The scene was elegant, and the memorial placed down, even more so. An array of pointed obelisks make a curved echelon before the edge of a hilltop's slightly steep descent. A clearing of grass had been made earlier, by those who had assembled the obelisks in the early morn. Snow and cold winds would be impending in the later hours, but upon this hill, overlooking the valley below, nearby a small log cabin - there was a calm, as if it were ordained by entities beyond the comprehension of this technological world.

As time passes, ships nearby arrive to the site, landing in a nearby clearing, closer to the cabin, ships of all kinds, it seems - bearing sigils from far and wide - Auxesians and Freelancers. Zoners and Libertonians. Even a Blood dragon's Gitano and a Gallic freighter would be among the ships approaching. At the site itself, photos of the deceased, shown by a holographic projector upon the obelisks. Memories of the crew of the OCS Abdicant Seraphine and her fleet - a crew of nearly 4,000. Mieko, and those who had left after the destruction of FOB Maehara by the GMG, were all that remained of the Ouroboros.

At the site, Mieko stands before the obelisks, and reviews the plaque before it.

---

In remembrance of the 3,895 souls of the OCS Abdicant Seraphine Carrier Battlegroup
Gone but never forgotten - sons and daughters - brothers and sisters - lovers.. and the loved.
May they all rest in peace, and guide us to a brighter future.

---

As she examines the plaque, Mieko is approached by a Technocrat, one of the Temple of Eirene. The faith was one of a collective of eccentric gnostics, who believed in Eirene - a meta-deity that was the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom, and was among the many inner groups within the Auxesian technocracy. The young woman is adorned in a digital mask, not too different from Leviathan's, but a sea of black, lighting up pink as her voice emits from it, covering her face. She and her kind were in attendance at the request of one of Mieko's superiors, who had consulted with a chaplain of the Eirenic faith on the matter - all of which, were adorned in ceremonial robes.

"My child, you still mourn, I see." the priestess says, as she places a hand upon Mieko's shoulder. The girl was for the first time in a while, back in her old kimono dress and clothing.. more out of remembrance than anything - turning around to see the Priestess, light still glowing upon her face. "Yes.. seeing Hanamura.. my sister.. the others.. how I left them behind to do my duty.. it tears at me, Priestess Elise."

The Priestess looks briefly into the distance, before speaking. "What you are about to do.. is a tribute to their memory. The knowledge and experiences they endowed upon you, upon all of us. She and all of them.. are one with Eirene in the Pleroma, my child. They are freed from the burdens of this material world. As will we all, some day. And when that joyous day comes, you too will be among Eirene."

The preaching of Elise warms Mieko a bit, but she is still left regretful of what happened. Of course - she was the one sent back to Sirius to keep an eye on things.. but after they never returned, she just.. lost hope. The warm smile she once bore rarely manifested itself. It seemed only Leviathan, now that Mieko had made amends, could even come close to coaxing it out of her - the world around her frozen body crumbled - the Roi had fallen, with the Natio not far behind. The once prominent Hellfire Legion, reduced to shambles, now reliant on Auxesia to prop it up and back into life once more as Xenos encroach upon both them and Liberty - Bretonia, broken and beaten after the war, with a smouldering Leeds and millions of war dead to show for it. The faces she knew, for the most part, were either dead or lost to the void. Vex Upsilon, Mei Ayasato, Marisa Kita, Mia Farrugia, Kyu Akibara, and countless, countless others - gone. This world was, even with all of the compassion Auxesia's lower echelons, and even one of its' founders - could muster for her, hollow and alien.

It was a burdensome feeling - a feeling she wished would come to an end - and there again, the suicidal ideation resumes, but she realizes just as it is to begin.. it would be an insult to all of them, the faces staring at her upon the obelisks, especially Hanamura's - if she were to take her own life here. But in the end, Mieko swallows her grief. She rights herself, wiping away the tears. "Thank you.. Priestess. If you could please.. allow me to consort with the guests." Mieko asks of Elise, as she turns towards the pathway leading to the memorial site, to greet those attending.

---

One of the first, was a familiar libertonian, adorned in what would be standard issue Auxesian initiate attire, but instead, is all black, bearing the emblem of Prometheus. The brown-haired man approaches her, the nametag upon his uniform reading Struikas.

"MIeko." He says, looking to her with a gentle smile. The man barely knew her, having met twice beforehand, once to sell an old ship to Prometheus that belonged to Hanamura. "Good to see you, hun." He continues, offering a gentle hug. Mieko obliges, returning it, the warm embrace of the older man assuaging her grief. "So.. do you mind if you take me to the memorial? I'd like to pay respects before the ceremony."

Mieko breaks her silence. "Yes, Andrew." She says to him, before he calmly objects. "Just call me Struikas, Mieko." he says to her, as the two approach the memorial site. The man looks over the countless names and faces of the souls aboard. He kneels down. "Y'know.. I actually knew about you guys a long time before we met. Back at West Point, when the whole Core-Order-Zoner mess was going on in 824 - guncam footage of the mess out there was really a hot commodity, and.. as much as some of my men were ogling Nodoka.. I.. kinda respected her. She was no-nonsense, gave a damn about her home, and just wanted to keep those people safe.. even if everyone else was twisting her arm whilst she was in the midst of it. She earned my respect as a captain. Frankly.. She kind of was the reason I turned to the Legion. She and I.. kinda had that thing in common.. our home wasn't what we thought it was. And we're sick of seeing it like that. It's just a shame Kusari's gonna still be as fucked as it has been. If It weren't for what happened not gonna lie.. I probably would have joined up with you guys after I left the Navy. But.. well, I just gave up on life for a while." he elucidates to Mieko, before looking out towards her cabin.

"I remember you telling me.. at the bar. How you wanted to kill yourself after all this. I've seen my fair share of it in the Navy, especially in the darker parts of the war with Gallia. Woke up one night by my night officer that my adjutant FCO had shot himself in his quarters, after his parents who were on a transport from visiting family in Leeds got blasted to bits by the MRG. Between that and the hell we saw every day, the man couldn't take it anymore. It's horrible."

Mieko simply nods in the affirmative.

"Me and Sarrah were torn by it. But we went into battle regardless. And we engaged the Gunboat that did it, the Billancourt. Fired the main batteries at the fucker, called to engineering and CIC, engineering commit battleshort on the main bus, CIC target the Billancourt - for Johansson. On that last word alone, seconds later Sarrah, my FCO - saw the main combat bus battleshort light go off - and she just wailed into the gaul like no tomorrow. First two shots, shields popped. Followed by all guns, primaries and secondaries. The bastards didn't last 30 seconds. Pretty sure if this was Terra we'd have men on the deck firing rifles and RPGs, and chucking grenades at the fucking thing. It's one thing to kill our men. It's another to have them taken from us because of your monstrous deeds." he continues. "Hanamura and the rest of them didn't die in vain. They died trying to fight for Kusari. Their fight is over now, Mieko. It died with them - but they themselves - just like Johansson. They live on through us."

Mieko's eyes run wet once more with tears, as she looks to the stoic former admiral.

"If you ever need anyone to lean on. You can count on me." he says, only for Mieko to rush to him once more, Struikas reaffirming her as he holds her tightly. "Life won't wait for you. It's hard. But we all have to move on. But moving on doesn't mean leaving them behind." he continues, calming Mieko with gentle rubs upon her back. Moments later, the two break the embrace.

"Thank you, Struikas. For your words, and support." She says, managing to break a slight smile through the surface.

"You're welcome. Go tend to the others. I'll find my seat and we can talk more after." He says, giving a nod and pat on the back before he goes to his seat. Mieko returns to rear of the ceremony's seating, towards the entrance to the grass clearing, awaiting the rest of the guests.