Nicole makes a second, highly encrypted recording from her desk at HQ.
"Well I've finally finished cleaning this mess up. The Admiral will never know, and no one's going to be looking through my outbound transmissions. Well, as it stands, Captain Armada made a recommendation for my promotion, but I doubt it'll happen. Oh and apparently, an Outcast had taken out the Coalition pilot who stole my vodka after I ejected from my fighter as it exploded. It definitely wasn't easy, that pilot was good. But in the end, Armada managed to finish them while I took the heat. Worth losing another fighter to get that vodka back."
Nicole shuffles some papers around, then goes through a drawer. "I see Lieutenant Watson finally put in his transfer request. He's a good man to fly with. I also hear that when the Admiral found out Armada had a lover, he got put to the Bretonia Expeditionary Fleet. If I ever manage to get someone, I'm never letting Sader find out. That's all for now, till next time."
Nicole ended the transmission before it got too long and the Navy communications techs would take a look at it.
"Coalition, Gallics, and a deep investigation. I've been busy these last few days with no time to sit and record an entry. Well, for almost two weeks straight now Coalition craft have been encountered and battled. A Gallic raiding party entered California yesterday but we throw them right back out. This one I heard a rumor about, but some ship was found and some investigation is taking place right now, but I don't know any specifics about it. I also met this interesting BIS agent, called himself Alexander. I fully doubt that's his real name, I mean we're allies sure but I know better. The lunatic bought the drinks we had. Think's I'll let him get away with buying them in Bretonia next time I'm there too. I'll send a prepayment to every bar and pub in Bretonia if I have too, nobody outsmarts this girl. Till next time."
Nicole ended the recording, thinking of how to outsmart Alexander.
"Man it's been almost a week huh? There's been a lot happening that I can't exactly record right now, but it's keeping me so busy. One strange think is, why does everyone want a drink with me? First a BIS, then Bradley, and then a Gallic defector. Speaking of her, she's a capable pilot. Really hope she's truly on our side, because I'd hate to be in her crosshairs. She nice, I'll give her that.
It's nice that something went our way once. And we're making a plan, but I know the fleet is getting restless. Theres been a lot of action in the core systems, and with Gallia trying offensives while we still sit idly and fight defensively.. its frustrating. Sometimes, it feels like were making no progress in this war. But that'll change soon. Till next time."
Nicole ends the recording, going off to pick up hair dye.
Nicole turned on a transmitter, sending right to her personal log on her family ship.
She sighed after turning it on, "Transmitting from Omaha, some quarters Bradley whipped up for me. Well my yachts in for a refit, looks like Omaha is going to be my home for a little bit. It's been.. crazy for me. But the things I wanna make note to myself of the most is.. well, my private life. I finally need to get one. I've.. finally found someone that's right for me. We're basically the same person." She smiled, looking out the window of her quarters. "I never thought I would, but I found someone. Only one problem, Sader. That... ugh, that ass has assigned me to the front lines, and he has the nerve to revoke my status as XO of the Miasma! Does he have any idea how long I've held that command? How much good I've done from that warship!?" She sighs again, clearly exhausted and angered. "I don't know what's gotten into him, but he's clearly not thinking straight. Recognition from most of my superiors but him, if he won't see my merits on his own I'll collect so many and shove them down his throat.
He's trying to break me, but he never will. I won't break to him, or anyone else. Until next time."
Nicole ended the transmission, resting in her temporary quarters.
Resting in her room, Nicole flips on her recorder for her log.
"Well, certainly gets longer and longer, doesn't it? Well a lot's happened, and I don't want any of it to change. Well, I don't wanna say yet, incase my damned brother is snooping around. But everything is going great with Allen, it really is. Gunna be spooking him with a surprise soon enough." She laughed lightly with excitement. "It might cost a fortune, but it'll be fun. Things are, generally okay. Not like I really have much of a life to comment on. Some action on the lines, but something of note, we found squids in both New London and New York. Quite the pain, honestly.. Anyway, all I got for now, till next time."
Nicole ended her recording, spotting her sister Amy snooping, chasing her down with a pillow.
From the cockpit of her docked Ravens Talon, Nicole sends a log entry to her yacht.
She sighs. "I can't believe this... Amy decided to return to Kusari which is nice and all, the only issue is who she's decided to associate with. She's become a pilot for the Golden Chrysanthemums. While she hasn't joined whatever would be their primary force, this is troubling to me. Even more so that I'm sitting on one of their bloody stations. I'm here visiting, but this place is more cramped than a Guardian.." She adjusted herself, trying to get comfortable for her recording session.
"I fully support my sister and what she wants to do, but this, I can't openly support or help her, I'm a Navy pilot, if anything about this traced back to me, my god I'd take the front over that storm. I'll even respect that she wants me to call her Satsumi instead of Amy, though getting used to being called Sakura again will take some getting used to. This is a hard situation for me, on one hand I want to help her out in any way I can, but the GC are terrorists, and from what I've seen on this station.. cardamine addicts."
She sighs again, opening a bottle and taking a drink from what appears to be vodka. "I'll do what I can to quietly support her, which I know by extension will help the GC, but I have to be extremely careful. She'll always be welcome to visit home without me trying to throw her onto a prison station, but this is going to be hard.. Wish I had something lighter to touch on but right now I don't, this I just had to get off my chest, even if to my private little diary. Untill next time."
She flipped off the transmitter, taking another drink before returning to visit her sister on the GC station.
Nicole sat in her room on the Omaha, recording her diary.
"Wow.. I didn't think it was this long since I last used this diary of mine.. Regardless, a lot's been happening. Recently got promoted to Lieutenant Commander, several idiot junkers have been smuggling again, alongside the usual idiots who screw around. This idiot who keeps threatening me, well, since he'd see anyone I send at him coming three systems away, I've hired Elena and her people to shut him up. A sizable chunk of my savings for it, but worth it to keep my family safe." She took a drink from what seems to be a bottle of vodka. "Wish I had some time to actually be sociable with people like Elena or Allen and others. Maybe when these damned projects finish I finally can. I did get to dye my hair pink though.. I like it, so did Allen." She set the bottle down, relaxing.
"I also met this LSF agent, Patricia Woods, who lost someone close to her in action. I was at the attempted rescue, but there was nothing we could do, the man was almost gone when we got him. I've been assigned to find out who the hell took him out that far in the field, but the blackbox is shot to hell. Aside from work, I put this giant hot tub in the family yacht, yet another sizable sum. I seem to be spending all my money faster than I make it. But on a happy note, Allen and I are getting married, just need to set a date, I am not looking forward to wearing a dress though. But Lindsay will be happy, she deserves a good mom, I just I am a good mother for her.. Well, that's all for now."
She sat back and switched it off, throwing her uniform to the floor and diving into bed.
"Jesus.. almost a month eh..? I didn't mean to neglect this so much.. Bah. Anyway, just some minor updates really. Allen and I got married, Armada got promoted to Commodore, good for him.. hm.. Well, I've been trying to take peoples advice and relax a little. Been planning to take the yacht out of Liberty for once or maybe visiting somewhere on a little vacation. Problem is, who the heck do I ask? Seems like everyone I know has been incredibly busy lately.. Even Sarah, Satsumi, Miles, Alicia and the rest of the family have been busy."
She leaned back in her chair, sipping a coffee. "Maybe I could managed to yank a couple Forlorn people along, not sure. They seem as busy as anyone lately. Heh.. mostly been quiet at Trenton because of that.. I need to visit Ainu sometime too, see how Satsumi and the Chrysanthemums are doing. I was also assigned XO of battlecruiser Yorktown, under command of Commander Cheyenne Deneva. A weird assignment, but it beats a damned fighter, even if I have to take orders constantly."
She leaned up, setting her coffee down. "I also heard a little interesting, cryptic story. Possibly a lead on an Order spy. I don't have any evidence it's true, or if it even makes sense, but a couple things stood out to me, and I deem it worth looking into, atleast on my off duty time. Not worth using Navy assets, yet. That's all for now, my little diary. Till next time." She turned her recording off, gently climbing into her bed.
Nicole, sitting in her Talon's cockpit, looked bad. Almost unwell. She only stared at her recorder, contemplating even turning it on, before finally doing so.
She took a breath in, trying to calm herself. "I can't.. I'm back in Delta. I hate this place. I can't stop being paranoid, I can't stop shaking. Agent Blossom told me she found a lead out here and I needed to hear about it in person. It better be damn important, I hate being out here. I suppose I should give a short explanation.. Allen's lost his arm. Apparently theres a solid lead out here so I'm here to find that girl and gut her."
She sat back, looking at her shaking hands before grabbing a bottle of whiskey, drinking straight from the bottle. "Been drinking a lot again since it happened... But goddamn it, it's my fault this happened, I have to make it right. Atleast no one will know I'm god, the one good thing about being a mostly uncared for person, eh?" She sighed. "Lindsay's with the sitter and Allen can't leave the hospital yet, so no one will even notice my little trip out here. Well, I should get this over with, I don't want to be out here any longer than I have to be." She said, turning off the recorder and leaving her ship.
Nicole lay in her new bed, staring at the ceiling before finally switching on her recorder.
"Again.. a month without making an entry.. hmph.. and I was supposed to start making these more often.. not ignoring them. Well.. Allen's got his arm back.. The rate of me being injured in action has increased, substantially. I suppose, had this been happen years ago I would be happy.. my original intent in joining the Navy was to get my dumb self killed. I was too lucky for that. Or maybe unlucky. Now I'm just getting blown up and injured left and right. No damn way I'm good enough to ever get promoted enough to command my own warship, I ain't good enough for that, atleats that's how command must see it. I can't just keep sitting around and getting injured either."
She leaned up, taking a drink from her coffee. "It seems like every week I've got something wrong with me now. Shrapnel in the back last time, this time my head got screwed up in a dogfight because my fighter didn't fully explode, so I just got tossed around the cockpit. Hurt like hell. Seeing the way things are going one of these times I won't be able to come back and record another diary entry.. maybe I should just get out while I've still got all my limbs and my life. I don't know.. I should talk with the few people outside my family who care enough to remember my name. Never was good at meeting friends.."
She set her coffee aside, laying back down, somewhat adjusting the pillow to comfort her injured head. "As if I've talked to any of my friends at all. Then again I have like, three. One kidnapped, the other two trying to save her, and me, stuck fighting a useless war that's going nowhere. Sarah's been luckier than I have. She's become this hotshot business woman in Kusari, even bought the family a new passenger liner from DSE. She's even having the family democritus upgraded. Atleast she's doing well. Last I mostly heard from her, I was chasing her across Kepler with a load of illegal weapons. I'm the biggest hypocrite ever though. Chasing down my sister for illegal activities when I myself don't even follow the law. But atleast I don't get caught. Not that it would matter, I could disappear easily enough. Atleast Allen's got his arm back.. he was so happy finally having that missing limb again.. As for me.. I just don't know what to do anymore.. maybe I should leave the Navy.. bounty hunt, conquer my damned fears of the Omicrons, blow up a few squids out there. Sure as hell not join the Order or Core though, screw that. Still.. a tiny incident in my life that happened out there makes me so paranoid and I can't stop it. I really need to deal with this.." She finished her monologue and turned off the record, trying to ease her head pain and relaxing on her new bed aboard the new passenger liner, privatized for the Prower family.