The Stars' Memories

Fleeing the , Sergeant Aleksandra Zaytseva takes a moment to take in the a view of the stars. As she contemplates the view, she uses the opportunity to look within herself and explore why she continues on.
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Standing in the quiet observation deck of the evacuation ship, Sasha was surrounded by only the deep rumble of the engines resonating through the air. In stark contrast to the view of a burning world offered by the opposite observation room, the sergeant took in a vast expanse of stars in front of her. Though she had never been particularly fond of Madrigal, the repeated losses of human worlds were starting to wear on Sasha. It was why she alone had opted to take in the view of the stars, rather than join the crowd and look upon the Covenant fleet beside them.
Each one of those twinkling dots against the void was another system, and any number of them could hold a world just like Madrigal. It was this view that reminded Sasha why she continued fighting, despite all she had lost. The fact that she had chosen to look upon those distant stars still held by the UNSC, rather than look back on the dying world below, reminded Sasha that her drive to fight drew its strength from the planets and lives that still remained.
Yet, despite these reminders of what she had left to fight for, Sasha couldn't forget what she had lost. The stars provided her an escape, as they always had, but they also provided minute reminders of those she had left behind. There may be endless worlds that still belonged to humanity, but among those laid the star systems they had already lost. Harvest, Second Base, Green Hills, Bliss, even her homeworld, Biko. All of these worlds burned, their surfaces turned to glass, and now, Madrigal joined them.
Sighing, Sasha looked back from the viewer, turning away from the expanse, dotted with tiny lights. Walking slowly out of the observation deck, she was left with the memories playing in her mind. Hope and despair mingled into a hatred, burning as hot as each shining star. Space had always had a profound influence on her life. It had served as an escape, a reminder, and a driving force onward. And now it was all of those at once, even as she looked away. Despite only being truly alive with her boots on the ground, Sasha would always remember to look towards the stars.
Category:The Weekly