Personal Memory Log: 00368
14/09/2463.3
Lewis Lawrence, Orator,
Ministry of Remembrance, 1st Division.

I sat myself in the cafeteria and prepared for myself a delicious breakfast of kraavus eggs. Ah, kraavus eggs, a package deal with stronger, meatier flavour combined with larger size. They are a delight no mere earthling chicken egg can match.

I look around the plate delighting in my fried kraavus egg's huge yellow yoke and small white. Next to it is bacon. While kraavii work wonders compared to chicken, there is still no substitute for a classic slice of pig fried to perfection.

I take my fork a knife and dig in. All the while the unsettling presence of an Empath rushes through me. I look up, finding the Praetorians walk right pass me in search of seats and tables. I watched as they denied themselves tables near other humans, favouring an empty table in the distant corner.

The feeling passed and the voice of a news reporter caught my attention. I look to my left as did half of those in the room. My eyes fell on a hologram showing scenes of gunfights, protests and countless other examples of civil strife. All the while a female voice spoke in the background.

"Tensions continue to boil as the UPE struggles to answer secessionist uprisings on dozens of worlds. Many still look to the Republic of Eregon as the shining example for a galaxy smouldering in the fires of war. The one question on everyone's mind... Are we willing to dive into a new war so soon after the Great Galactic War?" The Spokeswoman said.

I ate up, watching the news report as it painted the bleak picture of the galaxy we all faced in this age of uncertainty. Garros' True Republic tore humanity asunder, gutted it of territories, citizens and entire worlds and all we can do now is pick up the pieces. I ate, assured that with our galaxy the way it is, no fool would want war.

The news report drew to an end I noticed the general stand up and walk out of the room, into the hallway. Just as he did he passed by a group of four troopers in our white and maroon uniforms, they all saluted him casually and he saluted them back with his cane.

As they all kept walking General Hudson looked back at them at continued his walk, putting a finger in his ear. The next moment Sarissa and the Custodian stood up from their table and casually walked towards the incoming group of troopers.

Sarissa came within arm's reach and stopped, allowing one to come up right next to her. Suddenly, in a flash of movement, she took hold of him by the shoulder. She held him tight, forcing a groan of pain from the man.

"Halt! You are under arrest traitor!" She declared.

The accused trooper, froze, panicked, looking around. He saw all eyes fall on him, then focused on Sarissa, drawing a hidden knife in anger.

"Come at me you Bi- Argh!" He roared as he dropped to his knees, losing the knife. The Praetorian tightened her iron grip ever more, crushing bone and sending a savage crunch reverberating from his shoulder. She eyed the other two, and they panicked also, pulling out detonators from under their tunics.

"For the True Republic!" They roared.

"Taurus!" Snapped Sarissa instantly as she ran away towards me.

The Custodian tackled them both to the ground, burying them under his immense bulk. Then an explosion consumed the room in fire and smoke. The shock wave blew me backwards off of my seat, hitting my head on the tile floor.

I came too a moment later to the sounds of coughing and cries of pain. The fire prevention system triggered and a second detonation covered everything in a fine layer of carbon dust, smothering any flames in the room.

I climb back over my table and found a smouldering husk of a praetorian in the centre of a crater some three meters wide amidst a haze of smoke and carbon dust. In the distance, I saw General Hudson looking back. He gazed at me for but a moment then turned about and walked on.

The once pristine white floor, now scorched black by the heat. I look around and found the innocent fourth member of the group lying in a pool of his own blood. The body of the lone survivor slammed onto my table, battered, bruised but alive.

Then sat at my table was Sarissa still beautiful as ever while she wiped away the carbon dust. Minor scratches, cuts, bruises and burns littered her body. Almost all have already scabbed and are looking like they're healing.

She looked at me, saw the shocked look in my face and knew the fright flooding my soul.

"You don't spend much time away from your station do you, Orator Lawrence?" She asked.

"I am an Orator. I spend most of my time processing information that floods onto my desk or computer into the next great work I will publish... I spend next to none of it holding a gun. Much less being blown up." I told her.

She sighed, hurting my pride more than I had prepared for. Then she gestured to the crater and her fallen comrade.

"I am a weapon. I have destroyed more than you'll ever truly see stuck behind your desk."

Without a reply I fell silent. Soon I notice the smoke clearing as praetorians and emerged into the scene. Medics rushing to the aid of the injured. One, I recognised, the Muse from the guardroom, he came to Taurus' side, filling the body over.

Taurus laid there, both his arms and dozens of small chunks of flesh missing amidst third-degree burns throughout his body. I gestured to him, catching Sarissa's attention.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? Oh he's not dead." She said.

"What?!"

"This isn't his first rodeo. In fact, it's not even the first time he has lost his arms. Give him a month and he'll be fine."

She looked at me, seeing the concern and confusion in my eye. She sighed showing frustration, making me feel unnaturally guilty.

"Look Lawrence. It's one thing to sit at your desk processing information but going out there and seeing the real thing, first hand. That is how you'll truly know the universe."

She looked away in frustration.

"It's people like you that ought to bear the blame for all of this." She muttered.

I chose to ignore it, not sure why though. I nodded towards the traitor on the table.

"What about him? Hope he wasn't a loss."

She looked back, scanning the traitor with her eyes.

"He'll live. My Praetorians and I will interrogate him and send off to Tartarus or some other prison facility." She said.

"The war might not be over after all." I muttered, my own words worrying me.

-//-

Personal Memory Log: 00370
16/09/2463.3
Lewis Lawrence, Orator,
Ministry of Remembrance, 1st Division.

Of the one hundred and thirty-four affected by the blast only one died. The poor soul who walked into the cafeteria with the traitors. Three more were knocked out by the blast and shrapnel, injured at least twenty-eight others, four, hospitalised in a serious condition.

As for the Praetorian named Taurus. He remains in intensive care. Many of his wounds have already shown signs of recovery. As for his arms, they have begun to regenerate. For now he remains hospitalised, being fed more than quadruple his standard ration.

With a startle I pulled myself back into focus, looking around I came to remember my surroundings. Sarissa standing at the door, myself sitting where I usually sat and then I almost yelped as I saw the single glowing red eye staring at me through the dark.

I looked down at the files and holograms and reason returned to me. I suddenly found myself in yet another question session for Garros The Prisoner. I felt their eyes stare into me as I rubbed the back of my neck, stressing, trying to think of what I was supposed to ask. Instead, one question came to my mind.

"Why would people call you a hero?"

Garros' eye fixated on mine in an instant. Then he looked down, thinking for a moment.

"The very concept of a hero is an illusion. Many who see heroes in others often blind themselves from the truth about them. The age old saying 'never meet your heroes' rings especially true in this regard. In short... only the delusional and childish would ever call me a hero... hmph, or a monster in that regard."

"What would a sane, competent person call you then?"

"What I am, of course. A man."

"and yet you consider yourself the father of our future."

The man shrugs.

"Well, any man can become a father can he not?"

"Not in that sense, no."

"Then how do you explain me?"

I sighed.

"You don't value human life at all do you?"

"Ha! How valuable is my life to you?" He nodded towards Sarissa. "How valuable is my life to her? We are, all of us, commodities."

I all but cringed as this, this exchange became monotonous and tiresome. I had once imagined myself compiling my great work with pages upon pages of texts founded upon his comments. Now, however, I'm not so sure.

As the day dragged on and on dreams of erupting volcanoes and the dramatic spectacles of predators on the hunt threatened to pull me from the moment and dump me in paradise. To my alarm, their allure was most appetising.

Where was the spirit that once drove me? Where was the sense of duty and honour that once inspired me?

I do not know.

-//-

Personal Memory Log: 00371
17/09/2463.3
Lewis Lawrence, Orator,
Ministry of Remembrance, 1st Division.

Midnight passes by, shining moonlight into my room while I dropped my ass onto my bed and tucking myself into it, exhausted. I relished its soft embrace, its warmth and the sanctuary from the tedium of life it provided.

In the solace of darkness I found myself drifting away. In the peace of restful slumber I found refuge. Suddenly the shock wave of a powerful blast slammed into me like a hammer. I found myself falling from some high perch.

I panicked as the blue skies and white clouds of the heavens fled from my sight. Soon fire and smoke flooded my senses as I fell for miles upon miles, never seeing my destination. All around me ball lighting flickered and danced amongst the smoke clogged clouds.

I turned downwards just in time to see myself falling into a pit of wooden steaks. With a sudden burst of desperate energy I broke from my sleep, shooting up and falling off my bed, onto the carpet below.

The lights turned on, stinging my eyes with their pale yellow glow. Disorientated, blind and blinking, it took some time to hone in on my surroundings. A small cabin, comfortable and cosy, just as it had been since first I came to this place.

I let out a sigh as I rubbed my face in with both hands. My vision restored, I got up and climbed back into my bed. My sleepiness gone I looked around, bored. I got up and walked to the kitchen where I poured myself a cup of cold water.

Standing around I drank it, relishing the tingle of the cold fluid as it flowed into my stomach. All was quiet, all was peaceful save for the raging memory of the bomb blast haunting my soul. Emotions of all sorts sparked in my gut keeping me ever awake

A subtle cold breeze blew in from an open window, gently brushing against my face. I took a deep breath, relishing the refreshing sensation of the midnight air filling my lungs. For a moment at last I was contempt.

Sirens howled to life while the world outside was bathed in an ocean of light. Moments later gunfire echoed in the distance. Sudden jolt of fear flooded my spine as I dashed for the window. I looked outside and saw the flicker of fully automatic gunfire shine from the armoury.

The thumping of heavy boots against ceramic tiles sounded through my door. I turned to it, wondering whether I should leave or not. Combing over old memories I recalled the procedure to follow in these emergencies so I approached it, turned the knob and pushed it open.

Peeking out I see a squad soldiers rush down pass the guards who stands aside, letting them pass. One guard spotted me and waves towards the wall.

"Best stay in your cabin, sir. Traitors throughout the army have revolted. Trust no one." He told me.

I nodded in response and retreated back into my cabin, closing the door behind me. I hear the gears within it click as it automatically locks itself. An explosion startled me as I returned to my window.

I see fires spreading across the base. The fighting was escalating with no end in sight. Anger burned in my heart as I saw the world outside crumble. What madness is this? Finally, a year of peace after decades war and they shatter it in fire and flames? Has man gone insane?

Fantasies of taking hold of the traitorous madmen with my own hands strangling them to death entered my mind. Rage set my soul ablaze with hatred and bloodlust. My peace... broken. Madmen! Madmen, all of them!

Then I halted myself. Freezing as I realised the madness that was overcoming me. I took several steps back, loathing myself for the hypocrisy I was relishing. I took several breaths and calmed myself down.

Beams of light shot into the air moving about, scanning the sky, looking for targets. Then volleys of missiles surged upwards as laser beams and high calibre rounds shot up into the sky. I approached the window once more and looked up.

What I saw was an image from hell. A sky of fire as black drop pods fell from orbit leaving columns of fire and smoke in their wake. In a matter of moments the first had already slammed into the concrete structures of the base.

I saw one land close to me, its doors blasting open upon impact and four humanoid creations of terror advanced out of the pod. Robotic killing machines, each one seemingly a black mass of moving armoured plates, six and a half feet tall and elegantly skinny, all wielding a small gun in one hand.

I all but recoiled at the sight. The Hunters have come for us all. Terror left shivering and hopeless. I rushed to the window and slammed it shut just as a shot smashed through the glass and clipped my temple.

I yelped in pain as I fell backwards onto the carpet floor. I scrambled to get onto my feet and ran towards my door. One of the monstrosities leapt through my window and fire two more shots as I slept out into the hallway.

Running, crying and panicking, I left little room for dignity as I sprinted into the midst of a horde of civilians fleeing the violence outside. Chaos reigned as fire spread and the earth shook with countless detonations.

Someone, save me!

-//-

Please support my work at https://www.subscribestar.com/tebramble