Anniversary

Begin personal log, Thursday 12th of March, 111.

A whole year. Has it really been that long already? I still remember back when I first joined Ghost Festival all those months ago, the immense sense that I was very much straying from the beaten path - of taking my destiny into my own hands.

I was so happy when I got accepted, I packed everything I had into my Retribution - including the contingent of slaves that had been assigned to me - and headed straight for Derelik to meet my new friends. Never once have I looked back. I was so excited and naive back then, and I admit that I didn't really have a clue what I was doing! All my corp-mates had so much to teach me, and I spent most of my time simply shutting up and listening to what they had to say.

Thinking about it now, it does seem a long time ago. So much has changed since then... I've grown and learnt so much, and I'm still learning every single day. But now people look up to me, and respect me as a friend, a leader and a teacher. We have rebuilt this corp from the ground up, and I'm so proud of everything we've accomplished and the family we've built together. We have our ups and downs, the same as any corp out there, but ultimately I have this immense sense of pride for what we've done.

The awards ceremony was lovely, even if I did end up arriving late - That's the last time I use an interbus chartered transport. It was almost militaristic in a way... Everyone was so disciplined and professional. Frankly, they all put me to shame.

I knew I was going to be accepting an award for my long service, and when Myrhial pinned the medal to my dress I couldn't help saluting her. I've not done that since my time working for the Ministry of War, but I have such respect for her that it seemed like the thing to do. Then Yishal gave me something I did not expect at all... She had put the word out a while ago that she was collecting donations to buy an anniversary present for Myrhial. It seems that the donations where also used for something else as when Yishal opened the shutters of the bay so we could see stars behind the armourglass windows, a brand new Sacrilege-class heavy assault cruiser dominated the view - an anniversary gift for me. I didn't know what to say... It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! And the thought that everyone had chipped in to buy it for me...

There's a brief moment as Kimochi appears gather herself.

I feel like the luckiest woman alive to be involved with such a fine group of people.

Vince and I had dinner that evening. He really is a wonderful cook, and I had a lovely time with him - although I do find it a bit odd that he lives in the cargo hold of his Arazu. It was very nicely decorated and comfortable, but I felt the crates of antimatter ammunition clashed a little with the silk drapes.

After we ate, we danced... I don't know how he did it, but we ended up floating in the air! I didn't notice at first, and it was quite a shock when I realized I was actually several feet off of the ground! It must have been some modification he'd made to the grav plates. We danced and kissed under the projection of a night sky, and I felt my heart beating in my throat.

I spent the night with him... Nothing sexual happend, but it was a lovely night. A perfect end to the weekend.

She pauses again and has a sip of a glass of wine sitting on her desk.

And then there was the crisis in Seyllin... half a billion people dead. A whole planet destroyed. I can hardly believe it's actually happened, and I'm more than a little disturbed that the Federation scientists still don't appear to have any idea whatsoever on what might have caused it. I watched the live Scope reports as they came in... It was... horrific. I hope it doesn't happen here...

And now there are these wormholes popping up everywhere. Myrhial thinks we should investigate them, and I'm inclined to agree. We might see if we can get a task force together to do a little reconnaissance and prepare a report for the Dominations. They are going to want to know if there is anything we can make a profit from on the other side. I've heard rumours about what lies on the other side... Details are sketchy at best, but I've heard pilots rambling about monsters and drones and dead civilisations. I don't know how much truth there is in the rumours, but one thing is for sure: New Eden will never be the same again.

End log.