Vanguard // #Wattys2018

Chapter 21

President Vey had arranged the ships common hall, one of the larger spaces on the Atlas, into an unofficial memorial for all the lost soldiers. The lost friends. Vey reminded himself. They were friends. And brothers, and sisters, some even parents. Vey knew very few of the dead soldiers, but he did know plenty of the dead Earthen's. Over 9 billion recorded casualties. The wound was still raw after three days travelling to Mars. The Atlas had slowed down, extending the journey to two weeks rather than the original one week Vey had hoped for.

Crew, soldiers, passengers and survivors alike all gathered around, taking seats and staring up at the screen that had all the names displayed. There wasn't room for one screen, there had to be a million screens passing by, tattling off the names of dead people Vey hadn't even known existed. A few occasionally popped up that Vey thought he might of known a lifetime ago. Perhaps an old friend, or an old lover. Whoever they had been, they were dead now. All because of the world I let them live in... Vey felt the stab of guilt and remorse strike him harshly. D.A.T.A would never have been made if Vey hadn't of greenlit the project to make a single cybernetic with the power to take over a planet and spark a revolution.

Yet, in the end it was D.A.T.A who held the final defence for us. He betrayed everything he believed in so we could live on another planet. It stumped Vey. D.A.T.A gave his life, if you could call it that, so that the remaining humans could escape. After committing the greatest act of genocide in known history, he threw it all away for us. Vey refused Aurelian's first request to have D.A.T.A acknowledged on the wall of fallen soldiers, alongside General Amadeus Kress and the other human casualties. But when Aurelian managed to convince Meridia, Vey couldn't refuse a second time. Half the Atlas was fine with it, acknowledging D.A.T.A's final act of "heroism" as one of redemption as well, making him a friend to humans in the end. The other half wanted to kill Vey. He managed to calm them by meeting them in the middle, acknowledging both D.A.T.A's retribution and his crimes. "The good will never erase the bad. And the bad will never erase the good." Vey had worded it perfectly.

The crowd had settled into seats, the room falling dead silent. It seemed to Vey that all of the Atlas was present, yet it was merely a hundred and fifty. The pilots remained in the control room, the engineers were performing constant maintenance and the doctors continued their work. Some of the passengers had simply opted not to attend Vey's little conference. Vey had arranged for Meridia to help Aurelian oversee his final preparations for whatever it was Aurelian planned to do.

"Thank you all for joining me today." Vey addressed the hall with a confident voice, projected across. "We gather here, amidst everything that's occurred, simply to remember all those we lost. The number is large, and we may be here for awhile, yet we will remember the people who gave their lives for our planet." Vey concluded and took a deep breath. "We won't have a comfortable life on Mars... The planet is much smaller than our old one, and President Halcron already has overpopulation issues. Some people may need to travel a little further to Ganymede, where President Leeza had promised accomodation despite the current issues plaguing the settlement." Vey observed as the room shifted uncomfortably. "But we will make do. We've made this far, and we'll make it even further."

______

Aurelian donned his final outfit. From the shiny aurichalcum armour, to a black outfit of memory. The cloth was light and breathed easy, his body was covered in a sort of plastic that was hardened to defend against attacks. The robes themselves were as black as D.A.T.A's body had been, and they draped elegantly over Aurelian's shoulders, down his back and down his torso, falling right to Aurelian's ankles in an orderly fashion. He wore a magnetised belt, a set of plasti-steel wrist guards and a chest piece that would be tough enough to stop a bullet. No aurichalcum armour, no helmet, and no vanda-blade. Aurelian cut his hair and trimmed his beard (only enough to make it appear cleaner, Aurelian opted to keep it) and tidied his face.

The outfit was inspired by an old K'o'ox traditional garb of mourning. Meridia mocked the "rule" of never removing the outfit. Yet Aurelian was prepared for such commitment. He would sleep in this outfit, he would love out the rest of his life in this outfit. Sown into the fabric was a single one of Sakurako's hair, a trace of D.N.A Aurelian had found in some of Falle's dried blood on his armour and finally a speck of black coating from D.A.T.A. My fallen friends will be by my heart always. Aurelian took a deep breath as he stood by the door, ready for Vey to call him out.

"Are you nervous?" Meridia asked. Her hair had finally been cleaned, a pretty orange colour that sat above a round face with innocent eyes. Innocent eyes that've seen too much.

Aurelian forced himself to at least smile. "I am." Aurelian admitted to Meridia and himself.

"Don't be." Meridia said as her hand went over Aurelian's. Her skin was soft. "You've always got me."

The door opened. Aurelian walked down the length of the hall, countless faces turning to watch him as he made his way down. It must've been comical, a one-eyed man in a black outfit he'd never be seen out of. Yet the mood was deadly somber, and the tension in the air was palpable. It never occurred to Aurelian how people would react when they finally laid eyes on his face. The Great-Whatever-Grandson of the infamous Edward Langdon. Yet I'm just a man who's lost his love, his friends, and one of his eyes.

Aurelian reached the end of the hall and knelt before Vey as he descended to come down to Aurelian's level. Vey had also cleaned up, shaving his scruff of a beard and tidying up his face. He looked slightly younger after it all, shaving away the three years he'd gained in three days. Hmph, Aurelian couldn't help but smirk to himself, one week ago, D.A.T.A had never been turned on and 9 billion people still lived.

"Aurelian Langdon. Tell us, what is your purpose?" Vey asked, according to the script they'd prepared.

Aurelian looked up and took a deep breath. Meridia stood beside him, giving him an encouraging smile. "My name is Aurelian Langdon. I descend from Edward Langdon, the saviour of Lyn'nair. I am twenty-nine years old. I was born into genetic engineering at the hands of Amadeus Kress, alongside Sakurako Gallagher, Falle and Hontus. We spent our entire lives being altered and trained into soldiers." Aurelian explained solemnly, reliving the boring tale of his own life. "I served as Vanguard since the age of eighteen. I have given everything I have for my President, and for Earth. My eye, my family, my friends... and my love." The sting of Sakurako's memory hit Aurelian again. "And now, I have nothing more to give."

"Then you don't need to give anything. Your service has been more than respectable. I release you from your duties, now stand again as the free man Aurelian Langdon." Vey commanded, and Aurelian rose. "We will remember all of your sacrifices. What is it you will do with your life now?"

"I will honour the memory of my friends. Sakurako, Falle, D.A.T.A. They all hold a place in what remains of my heart."

Vey gave a nod. "Thank you Aurelian. You are free."