Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

SES Courier of Redemption

Lt. Samuel N. Hampton.
Personal Log.
Date 8/12/2325.

Beginning Live Speech recording

My Dearest, It has been a difficult day today; they all have been lately without you here with me.

I am taking to my new assignment well. Courier of Redemption is a fine ship; it holds all the bells and whistles I could ask for as a technician. I've been assigned to Service Eagle strike fighters. They are magnificent machines, you know, I never realized just how big they were from the pictures. As a kid, I always wanted to fly one, but alas, this is as close as I will ever get.

The war effort is going well. Nanos Sector has been recaptured once again. I hope we can hold it this time. Democracy Officer Berklint seems like a friendly fellow, although the scars across his face can be hard to ignore. I hope that Liberty didn’t notice me staring. I'm just in my own head, though. He speaks in poetry, he’s an excellent motivator, and we're lucky to have an officer of his caliber.

The Helldivers are specimens of humanity; everything they say about them is true. We get to watch through their helmet feeds during missions — or at least, Shipmaster does. When Eagle-1’s out, I can’t help but glance at the monitor. They say Redemption’s divers focus on shock infantry and marksman training while in cryosleep, and whatever Nicholson’s doing, it works.

I haven’t spoken to one yet. I wonder what they’re like under those helmets. It might be treason to suggest it, but… do they fear death? They don’t seem to. Still, they’re human. I think.

I think. It’s odd, really. I know what it's like down there, even if I wasn't a Helldiver, I've seen combat back when I was with SEAF’s 113th Infantry battalion. That was before Super Earth, where I took that plasma bolt to the knee. That was also the last time I saw you…

I don't know why I'm reminiscing; my fighting days have been behind me for a while now. Was that back in May? Liberty, has it really been that long? It’s weird, I do miss it in a way, not the fighting itself, but the feeling of kinship with my squad, the cold steel of my Liberator in my hand. The ground beneath my feet. It's more the ground beneath my foot nowadays, heh.

The cybernetic leg is comfortable, but it does feel wrong. That's a story for another day, though.

Computer send message, Citizen code 1313247AZP.

End Log Transmission Failed. Recipient code invalid. Saving log to local storage.

Records. Recipient Janet T. Hampton status: deceased after a voteless conversion. Voteless set free at 01:00 Hours local time by Helldiver Private J. Jackson Battle for Super Earth, York Supreme. 28th of May 2185.

Chapter Text

SES Courier of Redemption

Lt. Samuel N. Hampton.
Personal Log.
Date 8/18/2325.

Beginning Live Speech recording

My Dearest,
It’s another maintenance day aboard the Courier of Redemption. Pelican 2’s port winch actuator failed during launch yesterday. You should have seen it, sent that Emancipator Exo down like a Rock Cast into one of the ash vents back home on Aesir Pass. I miss that place, I'm promise well, retake it soon, when we do, I’ll give you a proper headstone… Officer Berklint said that it's good for me to do these logs, keep my mind fresh, and my hatred against the enemies of Liberty strong—his words, not mine. He’s interesting; the best way I can describe him is intense.

Ugh, my back hurts.

I'm Eagle crew, so the mechs are not coming out of my pay. That poor bastard, whoever's got to make the mandatory 25% down payment, though… don't envy him today. We did have to go in and replace the part after the Pelican2’s crew got put in unpaid overtime mopping the officer deck floors. Berklint called it incompetence, not treason.

As for the war, the Nanos Sector is stable for now. The Redemption has been deployed away from the bot front. We are fighting down in the Rictus Sector planet called Oasis. It's beautiful, lush, and green compared to back home. It almost reminds me a bit of Super Earth… Which makes me think of you. We thought we were so lucky to get that deployment, you’d live on base, I'd have a low-risk garrison Job, it all could have been…damn squids.

I can’t watch these missions; they bring back too much. Hopefully, we’ll be back to the Western Front soon.

I spent my off-shift running diagnostics on Eagle-1’s targeting array. Funny — I kept thinking about you. Remember that old flight sim you used to beat me at? Feels like that was a lifetime ago, back when we were kids.

Computer send message, Citizen code 1313247AZP.

End Log Transmission Failed. Recipient code invalid. Saving log to local storage.

Records. Recipient Janet T. Hampton status: deceased after a voteless conversion. Voteless set free at 01:00 Hours local time by Helldiver Private J. Jackson Battle for Super Earth, York Supreme. 28th of May 2185.

Chapter Text

Lt. Samuel N. Hampton.
Personal Log.
Date 8/20/2325.

Beginning Live Speech recording

My Dearest,
The Redemption has been rerouted — we’re skirting the edge of Bug space now. The air’s tense. From what I gather, the Redemption doesn’t see much time on this front. We're still en route as I record this. too clean, too quiet. No one’s said where we’re headed. We just keep burning forward.

Crew’s a quiet mess except for Berklint. He doesn’t seem to have an off switch. He even gave one of his “poetic” briefings this morning. You should have seen it, Janet — he actually rhymed “liberty” with “serenity.” I thought it was ridiculous, but the crew ate it up, though. Maybe I’m just too used to the blunt talk from my infantry days. Heh. Maybe.

You know I know you’re gone, but the dreams I've been having, of you lately, maybe you do hear me after all. Sometimes when it’s quiet, I think I hear you.

[muffled speech detected — transcription may be inaccurate]
Uh—what am I saying? I don’t even believe in that stuf– You’re dead.—I mean I saw your— or what was left of you. But my dreams— the folks on Aesir Pass used to say the souls of the fallen whisper in liberty’s wind. Were they right?

Oh—Officer Berklint. I’m just finishing my log. I’ll get to my station when we re-enter normal space.

Anyway… Jan—if you can hear this—send me a sign. Something small. Break the coffee machine. Put my wrench in the wrong locker. Throw me a bone and have my old dog tags disappear; I'd want you to have them. Just let me know you’re still out there. That I’m not just losing my mind.

Computer send message, Citizen code 1313247AZP.

End Log Transmission Failed. Recipient code invalid. Saving log to local storage.

Records. Recipient Janet T. Hampton status: deceased…..

Chapter Text

Lt. Samuel N. Hampton.
Personal Log.
Date 8/22/2325.

Beginning Live Speech recording

Janet, you took the Tags. You even left a note on my data pad. You can hear me. This is wonderful. I read it. I know you said it takes a lot of energy to directly communicate, but I'm just so happy to know some part of you is still out there.

It’s been a hard week. We're being besieged on all sides. Achernar Secundus and Turing have fallen, the former a loss—I can’t even find parts for Eagle-1 right now. The Pelican crew feels the same; those factories need to be retaken, and soon.

The Clankers are advancing, though the western front is holding—for now. We’ve been deployed to Charbal-VII, along with the DSS, trying to cut their offensive off at the source. Delayed yet again from Aesir Pass, I'll get you that headstone…. one day. Always a new delay… but—

Voice change detected, second voice identified as Ship system PA Hellpod Launched all staff report to Combat action support stations

Damn, I’ll speak to you soon. Computer send message, Citizen code 1313247AZP.

End Log Transmission Failed. Recipient code invalid. Saving log to local storage.

Records… Reci—… Recipient Janet T. Hampton. Status: deceased. Voteless set free at 01:00 Hours…

Chapter Text

Lt. Samuel N. Hampton.
Personal Log.
Date 9/9/2325.

Beginning Live Speech recording

I’m sorry my love, I'm sorry it’s been weeks, you have’t sent me a message and I can only assume you're angry at me.

The war has gone to hell, but the fronts have stabilized, and the Redemption’s crew can breathe again. The fronts have stabilized, and we've been ordered to Oshaune in the gloom. We were not allowed to watch the footage, but we all know the battles are not going our way… we lost a lot of ground, and more men. I just hope this new element they discovered is with it

home’s been completely cut off from SEAF and Helldiver forces, damn be the clankers, I’ll get you that headstone one day, yours next to mine…somewhere… the skin around my cybernetic legs been acting up medical officer Evens says its fine and had put me on a stim dosage, but I know my time’s drawing to an end, the body is failing and the mind is going crazy… at least thats what technician Jacky said. But I know better, I’ll be reunited with you soon in the lights of the next world my love.

Better not let Berklint hear that, though; he’ll dock my pay. heh… Although, why do I care anymore nothing left for me here other than to get you a little payback. Every bomb i arm from when were on the Squid front I think of you, every round I load, even when my body aches and my bones break it's worth it just to get something back… guess I should get back to it eh Janet.

Computer send message, Citizen code 1313247AZP.

End Log Transmission Failed. Recipient code invalid. Saving log to local storage.

Records… Reci—… Recipient Janet T. Hampton. Status: deceased. Voteless set free at 01:00 Hours…