Starbound: A Space Odyssey 168 Side Story 11 : Esther Bright's Journal

Senior Protector's Journal: Entry 4092

After a successful a.s.sault in one the last standing USCM's base, we can finally say that the USCM is now completely destroyed.

The universe can finally breath in peace now that such warmongering organization was wiped out from the map.

Even though it isn't know how exactly they fell, from the testimony of one of the prisoners we captured, it was said that all the higher ups were killed in some kind of experiment that was made when they were collaborating with the Miniknog.

I personally interrogated the prisoner so there's no way that he could have lied.

The name of the prisoner was Peter Torque, or how his comrades would call him, Penguin Pete.

He earned the nickname because he's as sly and untrustworthy as a penguin. That's why I doubled down on my interrogation with him, just to make sure.

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Senior Protector's Journal: Entry 6901

The devastation we found at the settlement was truly distressing, barely a structure was left standing, and only one survivor. A scared young girl, alone among the wreckage.

Judging by the girl's account the outlaws were a diverse group, Florans, Apex and Avians, amongst others. Desperate people doing terrible things. This girl has lost her home and her family all in one blow, but I'll protect her. Her name is Asra Nox.

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Senior Protector's Journal: Entry 6890

I was suddenly appointed to become the Grand Protector, I don't actually know why.

I'm not the smartest and neither the brightest of the Protectors.

But the Grand Protector had already decided, so all it last is for me is to go it.

From some rumors going around, it looks like I was appointed even though the Elder Council was against it.

The Grand Protector was adamant in me being the next one in the line.

I must say that I'm honored, but I don't know if I have enough strength to carry a burden from the whole Terrene Protectorate in my back.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 89

I really don't know what to do with the situation in my hands.

The Elder Council is trying to undermine all the progress the Terrene Protectorate has done after all this years of hard work.

I wonder...

When had the Terrene Protectorate became so.....corrupted.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 107

Who would have thought that inside the Terrene Protectorate existed such secret organization.

I'm talking about the Terrene Peacekeepers.

Some of my unanswered questions were answered as I met with Captain n.o.ble, the leader of the Peacekeepers, and surprisingly a Novakid.

Different from the Terrene Protectorate, the Peacekeepers act to protect the universe from the shadows.

They blend themselves with the crowds and are often mistaken as bounty hunters.

To clean up the evil that sprouts in places which the Protectorate can't reach or reach as fast as possible, they use of b.l.o.o.d.y and questionable actions.

From what n.o.ble told me, less than 10% of their people know that they are a branch of the Protectorate, the rest 90% think they are a part of a huge bounty hunt organization.

Fighting evil sometimes require to use a more lawful evil. Such is the Terrene Peacekeepers.

They are a lesser evil made of some outlaws, a.s.sa.s.sins, and even lawful mercenaries and bounty hunters, to hunt and kill, or capture, the greater evil.

Even as a Grand Protector, I don't have much power over them.

They operate separately of the Protectorate, but if something can't be resolved by us, or the situation require more... drastic actions, we can post a bounty at the Terrene Peacekeepers.

I don't agree to such methods, but I have to recognize, they are good in what they do.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 443

Asra is doing so well, she's a lifetime away from being the frightened girl I found in those far off ruins. Over time she's grown in confidence, and her natural intelligence has flourished, she really keeps me on my toes!

Sometimes though, when she's still and quiet, when she thinks no one sees, I catch glimpses of a deep sadness in her. How can I protect her from the pain that lingers within her?

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3537

The Protectorate has become too stressful for Asra and myself, of late, so I've brought her with me to aid me in my personal research. Perhaps a little s.p.a.ce and time will settle her.

My exploration has taken us to a small planet orbiting a remote star, far away from any civilisation, but perhaps closer to the answers I seek. Asra has been a huge help , I hope one day her wits will grow into wisdom.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3592

I have discovered a terrible secret, deciphered it from the ancient writings carved into these walls, they tell of an archaic force of unspeakable might, tethered but unresting: a powerful being driven to destroy all life!

Something must be done, but what hope do we have against 'the Ruin'?

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3593

The Letheia Corporation had really done this time.

They are trying to take the Ark Outpost as monopoly for themselves.

This is unacceptable!

I won't allow it, even if it means that I have to exhaust all my resources I won't allow them to have full control over something so important as the Ark Outpost.

This place is simply a Dimensional place that could connect the entire universe through the Ancient Gateways, making long travels shorter and cheaper for all of us.

I'll personally contact the Sumeragi family tomorrow. I hope that they can help me on this one.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3594

I have made a deplorable mistake, last night I shared my findings with Asra. As I explained my discovery she became agitated, I wanted to stop, but she wouldn't let me finish speaking until I'd clarified every last point.

I worried I was upsetting her, but as I concluded she boiled over into tremendous excitement! She told me I was wrong, that I was misinterpreting my findings, that at last we'd found proof of what she'd always known...

She began raving, saying terrible things. She believes the Ruin to be a 'cleansing force' that will destroy all 'inferior life' in the universe - that it will leave 'only the worthy intact'. She was talking about humans! She wants to release the Ruin, to aid it!

I tried to reason with her, but she WOULD NOT see sense. Her excitement became rage, incensed by my 'ignorance'. I reached out to her but she pushed me away. I pleaded with her but to no avail. She left. My Asra, my little girl, is gone.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3595

Even though I'm saddened by the fact Asra left me, I mustn't let myself become too emotional and commit mistakes on my job.

The Sumeragi family had tried to help me, but looks like the infighting in the Letheia Corporation is getting worse, the Sumeragi has lost some power within the Corporation and their Government.

The situation is getting out of control. The Elder Council also wasn't of great help. They are simply trying to stay out of trouble while taking the most benefits for themselves.

I fear...

I fear that the Terrene Protectorate is already a dying organization.

All I can do is train a worthy successor and try to slow down the process to the maximum.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3601

In the middle of the chaos and the corrupted Terrene Protectorate I found a person worthy of being one of my possible successor.

Her name's Leda Portia.

She's young and as such, was clean from all the corruption and dirty going around under the wraps of the organization.

I'll personally contact her and train her.

I think she's my best option to be a successor.

While I was looking for files about Grand Protectors of the past I stumbled upon a file that had gone through a 'book burning' process, someone probably tried to erase this file from existence, but I still found some pieces about it.

The file in question showed personal information about a certain prodigy of the Terrene Protectorate Academy. Different from the other prodigies, this one was kept in secret and trained by the Grand Protector personally to become the next Grand Protector.

If everything followed the plan in the paper, I wouldn't have been the Grand Protector, but rather this young man.

His name was Matthew Connor.

From the remnants of his file, his last mission was to explore the Frontier at a Warship made by the Terrene Peacekeepers.

Probably sent for training or... I fear... someone wanted him dead by sending him at a suicide mission beyond the Frontier.

I wonder what happened to this prodigy.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 3798

Another Senior Protector had decided to retire.

It's the third of this month, and the 1789th after I took the Grand Protector's position.

This time a very old friend of mine, an Apex called Boris.

He said he had enough of the corruption going around the Terrene Protectorate and that he was tired of being treated like a dog by the Letheia Corporation.

Just like what most of the previous one said.

I'm trying to slow down the fall of the Terrene Protectorate, but things are looking worst than I predicted.

I hope the organization can last a few more decades before it fade away in the currents of time.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 4002

I had a major breakthrough in my research about the Ruin and the ent.i.ty known as the Cultivator.

From my calculations the seal of the Ruin is being weakened faster than my previous calculations.

In less than 30 years, the seal will be weakened enough to for the Ruin to start to emerge in the universe.

I tried to convince the Elder Council about the danger, but they didn't listened to me, they think it was just old tales about the Ancient civilization.

I'm certain about the danger.

I must try harder to convince them of doing something about it.

I need more time to study about this.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 4013
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I'm really disappointed with the Elder Council now.

When I took a leave of a few days to dive deeper in my research about the Ruin, they used underhanded methods to approves some proposals detrimental to the Terrene Protectorate's Protectors.

They are really drunk with all the power they have, but they still want more.

It really goes by the saying of the days before the 100-Years Great War, 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

I'm getting tired of this. My hair is all gray already, I'm too old and very busy to deal with those westrels.

I wonder... How much time I can push myself to stay in the seat of Grand Protector.

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Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 4055

I'm old and tired.

I really can't carry this burden anymore.

I just finished writing my resignation letter. I think Leda Portia will be able to hold the fort and carry the burden of maintaining the integrity of the Terrene Protectorate.

I feel ashamed of doing such a thing, throwing the burden of trying to keep the ship sailing despite it already started to sink.

When I took the office I hoped to make great changes and push the Terrene Protectorate forward.

I hoped to leave some great legacy behind when I resigned.

But from the looks of it, I don't think I made great changes.

In fact, I think I may be shunned by history books in the future and labelled as an useless Grand Protector.

It truly breaks my heart seeing all this happen.

Tomorrow I'll resignate.

My best wishes to the next Grand Protector, Leda Portia.

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Ex-Grand Protector's Journal: Entry 26

If even my leave from the Terrene Protectorate wasn't enough to break my heart, next piece of bad news was.

Asra... She really lost her way.

She founded a group called Occasus Cult. A bunch of extremists Humans that believe that all the other sentient races are inferior to Humans.

I saw this coming, but what I didn't expected was that a few previous Senior Protectors were also joining the group.

I think is because of their hatred against the Letheia Corporation that drove them to do make the choice of joining the Cult.

Really...

I don't know what to do anymore.

Year after year, the universe gets more chaotic, and a greater evil is looming on the shadows, waiting for the time when the seal is at its weakest to break free and start a slaughter.

I don't know where I did wrong.

Should I have just let the girl die on that devastated city?

Should I have raised her differently?

It was my fault, or this was inevitable?

These questions keep bugging on my mind.

Looks like I was bound to suffer, one way or another.

I wish...I wish I could go back in time and fix everything that went wrong.