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Jack Cooper listened to the wind rustling through the trees, he was high on an orange grassy hill, the sun setting off to the left of him as he looked up at a giant statue depicting an SRS Vanguard surrounded by various riflemen and pilots, all in dramatic and heroic poses.
The statue was on a large square base with ornate writing underneath.
'In dedication to those who gave their lives on Typhon to protect Harmony.'
Below it, on all four sides of the statue was a list of every single Pilot, Titan, and Grunt known to have died during the battle.
It has been exactly one year to the day that Jack had lost Capitan Lastimosa.
He walked up closer, and placed down a single blue flower amongst the others people had obviously placed over the last few days, he then went around the statue until he located Lastimosa's name then he ran his fingers along the text.
"I still can't believe you're gone..." He said softly, feeling the swell of tears behind his eyes, growing a lump of sorrow in his chest.
The Pilot had been a good mentor and almost like a second father to him. They'd known each other off and on throughout the years, and Jack had nothing but great respect for the man.
Jack, put his helmet on to cover his face and stood in silence, as tears began to fall. He wanted to hide those tears in case anyone turned up, as a Pilot he felt he needed to look strong, a foolish idea but he just didn't want anyone seeing him like this. Hands clenched as he thought of what had happened that day, so many lives lost, not just Militia, and he'd had a major part in that. Closing his eyes he could still see bits of the battle, the death, the blood, the constant need to kill and push forward as he and BT navigated around facilities and miles of harsh landscape just to try and survive and to try and stop the fold weapon from being fired.
He'd had nightmares ever since, and despite now having several bloody battles under his belt, nothing had compared to those 18 hours on Tython. Those 18 hours had changed everything, not just for the Militia but for him as well, he'd become a bloodstained hero, a pilot, but had lost Lastimosa in the process.
Nearly lost BT too.
As if on cue his coms device pinged and BT connected with him.
"The memorial, it is a beautiful tribute." The titan said softly, looking at it through Jack's helmet.
Somehow above all odds the titan had survived in his helmet and was able to be restored.
Jack took a moment to reply, gathering himself a little. He knew full well BT could sense his emotions through the link and made no attempt to hide it.
"Well no one got a real grave so this is the best they could do ..."
"Lastimosa would be proud at how far you have come this year Pilot, you were like a son to him in many ways, all he wanted was for you to be the best you can be, and you've filled the empty shoes he left and then some."
Over the past year, BT had learned a lot from Jack particularly when it came to idioms and slang words, not to mention a vastly better understanding of human emotions.
"Yeah perhaps so, though I still have a long way to go to truly live up to Lastimosa's talent and reputation...do you...do you ever wonder what he meant with his last words? Or rather who he was talking to? 'look after him'..."
BT took a moment to reply thinking it through.
"It could have been directed towards either one of us...The only real thing we can do is keep looking after each other, that way we ensure we live up to the request, whomever it was for."
Jack smiled weakly, his tears had subsided, comforted by BT's words.
"Sounds like a plan to me buddy..." He looked over at the horizon, admiring what little he could see of Harmony's wilderness. It would be pitch black by the time he hiked back to the outpost he had left BT at.
"Sleeping in your cockpit tonight, hope that's ok buddy?"
BT made a soft almost pleased sound.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Jack. Take all the time you need. I will be waiting."