Nicole leaned back on her back, turning on her diary recorder.
"Day by day, I swear the Navy just gets worse and worse. Allen's gone to third, somewhere he'll be happier atleast. As for me, I'm not sure I should even stay in the Navy. He wanted me to transfer with him, but I'm just not sure I'll stay at all. I feel like life would be so much simpler as a freelancer."
She leaned up, taking a drink from her cup of coffee. "I.. uh, I went back to Delta. My god. Goddess I hate it, but I've got to get over it. What happened, that was a one of a time thing. No way infectee's chasing you would be a normal thing, right? Right..? I hope so.. Not like I'll be out there often anyway.."
She set her cup down, leaning back again. "Haven't heard from Elena for a while.. I hope she didn't hit a.. lethal snag in her plans, but I don't have any way to even check on her. All I can do is wait I suppose.. curled up in my bed with my paranoia, not knowing whether both of my only friends to killed in Gallia or not. And then there's my hold full of Azurite gas canisters. I found a blown up transport, probably by Nomads, with canisters of the stuff all over the place. I managed to snag a couple before they came back. Atleast I'm home now, with canisters of Azurite and I have no idea what to do with them. Don't feel like handing them over to the morons in the Navy.
I suppose that's all for now." She turned her diary recorder off, pulling the blanket of her bed over herself, relaxing.
Nicole hopped onto her bed, seemingly more cheerful than before.
"Just a quick little update. I did it, I resigned form the Navy. I almost feel bad, leaving them during a war, but I reminded myself why I did it. None of them are going to lookout for me, so I have to ensure my own survival and that of the few friends I have, and being in the Navy isn't a good way to survive. Met a rather nice person during my final patrol. Sadly after some time our conversation was routinely interrupted, so in the end I decided to cut early and file my resignation. Was a nice chat though, hope I get to meet him again, in space though. Otherwise, I feel.. free. No obligations, responsibilities, no anything. Just me and whatever I want to do. It feels great. That's all for now!"
With that, she turned her recorder off, seemingly more interested in getting into the Hanazuki's hot tub than anything else.
Nicole sat in her bed, this time the background looking to be a different ship.
"And here I thought my days in the Omicrons were done. Well, this time it is for sure. That guy I met before with the drone, his name is Ezrael Vertiga. He told me to dump those canisters marked 'Azurite' I found on my last trip out here from that destroyed transport, and I did. But I should've kept one. I want to know about it. My curiosity is always too high for my own good. I came back, but I wasn't expecting a party. An entire composite fleet from all parts of Sirius was here doing battle with a Nomad fleet. Naturally, I aided. The less of those creepy blue things around the better.
After we had knocked them out I got taken back by Hellfire forces with a jump drive. That was incredibly odd feeling.. my stomach was upset for an hour after. Now I'm back again. I want another canister of it, but no other transports had been blown open carrying the stuff. I did find that ancient structure in the field again, where we got chased by infected last time. None around this time, though I did come prepared this time. I found a small hole leading into what looked like an active core. I'll investigate more of it later. Is that where that strange gas comes from?"
Nicole sat up, turning off her recorder and sipping her tea.
Nicole sat on her bed, holding a small canister in her hand.
"I investigated more. That strange gas called azurite is abundant in there. It has to be where it comes from. How many if these places exist? More importantly, what secrets make this gas do sought after? Either way, I wasn't prepared yo harvest the gas myself, so I hired a zoner on the freeport to get me a canister of it. He did and I now have it. A small canister of azurite gas. That Vertiga guy sure was firm in me not holding on to any of it, but I need one to study. Not like he can monitor who goes around with one anyway. Just tell him I dumped it all snd that was the end. He'll never know. Anyway, that's all for now my dear diary, gotta plan my exit so I'm not caught with this canister."
Nicole turned off her recording, looking at the gas canister again, before putting it in a safe under her bed.
Nicole relaxed in her bed on the Hanazuki, enjoying it's comfortable feel.
"The other day was rather... interesting. While going to pick up some gin from Planet New London, on the way back I met the two people I never imagined running into again. Those two people that knocked down Sader and two others and almost me too. Surprisingly, I wasn't about to die when they approached. They were rather peaceful than anything. Mock-bickering between each other, atleast I think it was. After a short time they invited me along into what became a trip around the sector. Even a little bit of Gallia! Goddess.. it was weird, for a short time in the beginning I felt like it was a trap. Thankfully it wasn't.
Oddly enough after a short time, I found out that Loyola girl is the leader of the Core. I remember that one questioning me about what I knew about the Core, but like I told her, I'm mostly neutral about it, I haven't seen them in action nor the effects of what they do. She suggested that I join the Core even, though I suppose I should've expected it at that point. What paramilitary leader wouldn't want ex-Navy pilots? I told her I'd think about it, but I just don't know. I'm just enjoying my time to relax, plus I'm entirely freaked out about Nomads. I hate those things. I really do, and while being present in the Omicrons doesn't affect me much anymore, it still gives me this shiver down my spine. Anyway, that's enough blabbering on for one diary entry."
Nicole turned off the recorder, throwing the bed's blankets over herself and falling asleep.
"Well from what I've been able to find out, the opinion of the Core is mostly mixed. From jumped up Bounty Hunters to murderers and worst than Nomads to the saviors of humanity, everyone has their own opinion. Which is good, but doesn't help me that much. A lot of people seem.. biased in their opinions. Got what information I could on a visit to that Core base Yaren. Granted I have to take it with a grain of salt, it's still one the best places to sift through information on the Core.
I've seen some convincing arguments and reasons to join them, but I've found others not to. I really can't decide. I've been in Delta for a couple days and I got a call from Lindsay saying she misses me. Maybe I'll think about it on the way home, I don't know. I was supposed to meet with that Loyola or Valdez or whoever was supposed to meet me but I never heard anything. If I don't really hear anything by tomorrow I'll just head home, see my daughter. Think about it at home, not in this Nomad infested piece of backwater space. God this place gives me the creeps, yet that weird alien asteroid keeps piquing my interest, I want to visit it again, but that cloud.. last time I barely escaped, what if I'm not so lucky this time? Whatever.. tomorrow before I leave I'll just skim the cloud.. quick.. not enough time for Nomads to even react if they're watching."
Nicole turned her recorder off, rolling over and going to sleep.
Nicole sat aboard the station, slightly distressed.
"Exiled from home.. I have to make use of the few friends I have. For what? Wanting to spite Sader by knocking around one of his pilots? Goddess I'm stupid.. Atleast I've found a temporary haven. And just today I heard a rumor the person this all happened because of is an infectee. It can't be, there has to be something else. The Core guildmistress infected? That'd be as hard as taking the Admiral. I have to go to Delta, maybe poke around Yaren some, but avoid Loyola.. maybe Valdez too, they seem pretty close. I'll take my cloaked fighter this time, so I can make an escape if I have to.
Nicole sat back, thinking of an escape plan if caught in Delta.
"Y'know I made a plan to avoid those two when I was making my last entry. How did it go so far backwards Loyola became my boss? The heck's wrong with me? Why'd I just.. shrivel up and become open to any suggestion when it came to it? Is it my need for shelter and aid to get the Navy away from me? Maybe.. I have no idea, but I work for the Core now. It's not that bad really.. and what I heard about Loyola.. no way it can be true. Can't be. I'd have noticed by now. Hopefully soon I can get Liberty to stop trying to kill me.. I miss Lindsay and Allen.."
She shut the recorder off, reflecting on her situation, beginning to cry a bit.
Sakura lay in her bed, watching over the planet of New Tokyo from her window.
"And here I said I wouldn't forget about this little diary.. what a lie that was. I can't believe I abandoned the only thing that's here for me no matter where I am or how alone I feel. Alot has happened I suppose. When I enter Liberty I don't find deathsquads chasing me down anymore, so that's good. Enma managed to not only get herself kidnapped, but end up in the hands of Gallia. I don't even want to know, honestly. I hate Gallia.
I suppose one of the most important things is, my family is no longer poor. Quite the opposite really.. we even own a Renzu Liner now. It's so huge and so amazing.. we didn't have a place to mothball dads Democritus so.. we took off what pieces he left behind for us and sold the rest out, along with the old Hanazuki. Now Hanazuki is a massive floating home in the stars, armored enough to explore and venture out. I love it. It's incredible to have such a thing, something I never even dreamed of!
I suppose the last thing on my mind is.. what to do now. I'm not fond of being in the Core, I wasn't from the start. I did it out of fear. But I want to go home to Kusari, maybe find a job here, but what? I doubt I could hide my real identity from the Naval Forces after enlisting, don't know how well it'd go if they knew I am a veteran of the Gallic war. I have too much to join the Chrysanthemums, and I can't even fathom working for Samura. Kishiro isn't really up my alley and I don't know what to do. Ugh, I wish I knew.. but atleast I remembered you, my little diary. I won't forget about you again."