Star Force: Proving Ground (SF66)
Page 10
And him being here now wasn’t just for himself, but in memory of all those who had fallen along the way. Not in some misplaced sense of debt, but in the understanding that what Star Force was had to be protected. It was too valuable, too sacred to allow to be damaged, let alone destroyed, and being here, now, with all of the past memories fresh in mind, he realized more than ever that the galaxy and life itself was more than just chaos and death. There was good and light to be found amongst the darkness, and he had finally come to it.
For the sake of the fallen, he would protect Star Force in every facet to his dying breath, including himself. He was part of Star Force, and his own body was a battleground that only he could fight on. Saving and strengthening others was important, but it would never be more important than the battle within. He was a piece of Star Force territory, no matter what planet he was on or what circumstances he found himself in. Maintaining that piece was his sole responsibility, and he’d never compromise it.
Others would eventually tire of the training and fighting, ‘retiring’ to civilian life and gradually losing their self-sufficiency, perhaps to wake up and realize their mistake before it was too late, perhaps not. He would never go down that road, for it would be a betrayal of who and what he was, in addition to being a betrayal of all those who had fallen and not lived to see this golden age. He would not die for Star Force, he would fight until he was dead for it, always striving to survive, persist, and overcome…but never sacrifice.
For sacrifice was the same as surrendering, and was a betrayal of all that Star Force was. They didn’t stand for something, they were something. Something real and tangible, not an idea or belief. Star Force was the literal light in the galaxy, from every building to warship, every uniform to cookie, and every Scionate to Human. They were all Star Force, but each with their own path and purpose, right down to the shoes that were protecting his feet as he ran across the grasslands.
Bronsor wasn’t just fighting for the light, he was the light. And as such he could affect great things within the galaxy…or be consumed by the forces of darkness, whether they be an invading army or the insidious corruption of apathy and laziness. This was real, not academic, and for the first time he truly understood how closed off he had been after the fall of the old Calavari empire, with the parts of him that truly cared closing themselves off in virtual denial of the horrors around him.
But turn away from it as he may have, he was never out of the game. He was always live, and had found a way through it all, which is why this victory now felt visceral, for the threats were still out there. He wasn’t safe, Star Force wasn’t safe, and they never would be. Life was a fight, one battle to the next with no guarantees, and if the light of the galaxy was going to persist it had to earn its way forward, one day, one mission at a time. There would never be a finish line. Battles would be won, but the war would never end.
So what was the point of it all? Bronsor now knew, both from what he had learned and the perspective he had given his age and all he had witnessed. The purpose of life was to be the one in the right, to be the light and fight the darkness, in all its forms. Now that he was here and he knew what the light truly was he felt fulfilled, but not finished. Never finished. He was complete but always with more work to do, more enemies to fight, more workouts to complete.
Life was a neverending story, and the ultimate victory lay in being the light, moment to moment.
That is what Star Force was, and the transformative cleansing that Varasiss had undergone stood as a testament to a vital fact that Bronsor would never forget.
He was Star Force.
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