video; un: kolckek

[hearuthinking]

[Look who finally figured out how to change is username only to make it still be super generic. Anyway, Jason is on the feed and he nods to the camera]

So I don't know if any other word does this, but where I'm from we got a day we reserve for honoring veterans who fought in wars. And after the latest bullshit this place pulled, I just... I wanted to record this and talk about my people. Just to have somethin' I can go back and listen to, and think of them.

I didn't know Lieutenant Colonel Eric King for long; he showed up as our new C. O. right before shit hit the fan for us. His whole Caelus project was what brought us to that fuckin' temple in the first place. I don't know shit about space or science or any of that. So however it ended up for us, the fact that he pioneered the damn thing is still pretty fuckin' impressive. And he seemed like a nice enough guy.

I've know his wife Rachel for longer. She was in charge of our team before Eric showed up. We called her the Queen Bitch, but we meant it as a term of endearment. She was a hard-ass sometimes, but she listened to us and valued our knowledge and experience. She was here pretty briefly, don't know if anyone got the chance to meet her.

Then there's my buddy Sergeant Nick Kay. Guy's a good soldier but he gets caught up in his head sometimes, dwellin' on shit rather than focusing on the moment. I had to snap him out of it more than once while we were down there. Me and Nicky went through some pretty tough shit together before we were even dropped down in the temple. I wonder what he'd make of this place? [He reminisces for a moment before moving on]

And then there's Lieutenant Salim Othman. He... fuck. [Jason pauses, running a hand through his head] I don't know where to start. We were on opposite sides of the war. I was so fuckin' blind at first, seein' him as nothin' more than an enemy soldier. And right from the start he was always lookin' for a peaceful solution. He... [Jason stops again] He opened my eyes to a lot of things. He was here for a while, too. Just long enough to make me lasso his fuckin' weapon out of the ice. [Jason lets out a snort, smiling fondly at the memory]

I know people say that when you leave here you go back in the ocean as a squid, but when Rachel was here, she remembered different shit about the temple. So maybe she is back home, and Salim too. He's alive and with his son.

[He's quiet again for a moment. Then he takes a breath and focuses back on the camera]

So that's them. And if you were a soldier in your world, thank you for your service.

Comments

( video | un: burton )

[rocinantes]

I think I remember this sort of thing back where I'm from. Don't know if the name was the same but there were remembrances for the various wars we got ourselves into.

( and there were a lot of them even if some weren't official. )

This is a nice way to keep their memories alive.

[hearuthinking]

Where I'm from, we got two days for our soldiers. Memorial Day honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and Veterans Day is for those who're alive.

Me and those people I mentioned, we've been through hell together. And they deserve to be honored.

[rocinantes]

I'm not military but I've done a few ops with the Martians so I know how they work. And how serious they are about that —

( he considers the word he wants to use. )

Brotherhood.

[hearuthinking]

Martians, huh? Can't say I've run into them. But they may be out there; we already ran across creatures from outer space, so who the fuck knows.

[rocinantes]

Bunch of meatheads but —

( some of them were okay. )

What kind of creatures?

video; username: mariathorpe

[givetheslip]

Why should anyone thank us?

[Maria can tell the man's sentiment is sincere and heartfelt. But it's still very puzzling to her, when she compares his words to the war she remembers.]

[hearuthinking]

I see it kinda like a sign of respect. Sayin' they know what we sacrificed and risked. I ain't sayin' that everything I did in that war was worthy of gratitude, but I know others I fought with deserve it.

[givetheslip]

You must have fought in a different kind of war than I did.

[There's an obvious note of skepticism in her voice, though.]

[hearuthinking]

Maybe, ma'am. Every war is different.

video; un: lookingforshinsengumi

[tealeafs]

.. oh, that's.. a nice idea. Um, I mean, a day to honour people who fought in wars..

[ It's not really a concept where Chizuru comes from - or rather, when Chizuru comes from. Maybe it's since there hasn't been a war for such a long time, until the one she was now stuck in the middle of. ]

But-- that means someone should honour you too, right..? It sounds like you really did your best back home as well, and you didn't mention yourself. So.. um, I guess I should say.. You did a good job.

[hearuthinking]

[He gives a little smile and tips his hat at her]

Thank ya, ma'am.

Felt a little weird to honor myself, but I appreciate it.

[tealeafs]

Well, if you won't do it yourself, then other people just have to step in and do it for you..!

[ Like her. ]

I mean, technically you haven't even been able to have a break from being a soldier, since this place is just as dangerous as most battlegrounds are.. [ In Chizuru's experience, anyway. She's been on battlegrounds herself as well, after all. And things in this place always feel just as tense, even when nothing seems to be happening for a moment.

It's just that you never know when the next thing might strike. ]

[hearuthinking]

I didn't expect my tour of duty to last this long, but I'd rather be out fightin' then sittin' around on my ass.

voice | un: sds

[fogsong]

Queen Bitch, huh? I kind of like the sound of her. [ look she's not a little envious of such a title. she wants to be a queen bitch. ]

Is it Veteran's Day or Memorial Day? I never know which one's which. [ a beat and then: ] Either way, thanks for defending our country. Even if you wound up fighting creepy as fuck bat-vampire things.

[hearuthinking]

I think you'd like her.

If I was goin' by the weather, Veteran's Day. [He gives her a tip of his cap] Funny thing is, I'm glad. It was Hell down there but... I wouldn't wanna change it to where we never fell. Y'know?

[fogsong]

She sounds like a badass.

I get it. I mean, you met Salim and... Well, you had your eyes opened up down there. It kind of changed the way you look at the world, right?

[hearuthinking]

It did.

[In a cosmic way-- knowing they aren't alone in the universe. In a more grounded way-- seeing past an enemy soldier's uniform. And of course in a personal way]

Sometimes I think about 'em being here but I'd never wish this place on any of them. It's enough knowin' we all made it out of that temple.

Video; UN Lothrat

[ezra_of_lothal]

Thank you for sharing these memories. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet any of those people, while they were here.

[Ezra clears his throat.]

I was a commander, back home. All my adoptive family - they were soldiers in wars, either before I was born, or fighting beside me, or both.

[hearuthinking]

I'm glad I have 'em to share. [Ezra knows better than most what Jason went through with his memories recently] Me too, though I ain't too surprise they got outta here so fast. Especially Salim. He's got his kid to think about.

Military family, huh? I knew some guys like that. Sorry you had to be dragged into it so young.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Ezra nods, with a hint of a warm smile, and then sighs.]just Force sensitives the Empire abuses like that -

At any rate, my choices were hide - like I did for years before my new family took me in - or fight.

[hearuthinking]

That is just... fucked.

I chose to sign up. Then I busted my ass to prove I belonged there.

Video | 1stStrike

[strikefirster]

Sounds like a bunch of right bad asses there.

I wasn't in the military or anything. And- I don't have a lot of respect for the man I knew who was.

But that doesn't mean that you guys don't go out there and do good work.

So yeah.

Thanks for that.

[hearuthinking]

Damn right they are.

[He nods. He wouldn't consider everything they did "good" but he appreciates the words] Thank you.

[strikefirster]

Hey. Don't mention it.

You want to go maybe grab a drink or something? Shoot the shit and memorialize them the old fashioned way.

[hearuthinking]

Y'know, that sounds like a good idea. I'm in.