NationStates Jolt Archive

It has been a long time since I was last home, since I saw my beloved home, held the warm embrace of my husband, before he went off to fight in a horridus war. Three months to be exact, three months, since I last saw his face, three months since I saw my homeland, three months since I have had anything from home, except my daughter Alexandria.

The people here have been good to us, too good. We came with nothing, and they gave us work, not slave jobs, or meaningless jobs, but real jobs, ones that can go somewhere, ones that use our skill sets. The thirteenth colony has been real good to their cousins from Kobal. Almost too good.

In our time in hiding, from the bombs and deceits of war, from the death and destruction brought on by the propaganda of two nations, nations that had nothing to do with the colonies, other than to use us as puppets for their will, we have survived. We have struggled, and we have succeeded.

— Except from the diary of Katrina Satyr

Katrina waited patiently since she got off work, gently leaning against a tall strong oak tree, she looked out to the distance, to a playground. There she could see the hope of the future, all that remained of the free people of the Twelve Colonies of Kobal, her daughter Alexandria. She smiled to see her daughter for the first time in three months interacting with other children, playing with them, swinging on the monkey bars, running around on the Mary go round. For the first time in three months, Alexandria was able to be a kid again.

Katrina watched, as she saw her daughter run up a slide. A slight breeze picked up, as she began to think back of her own childhood on Caprica City, during the spring, with dogwood trees begining to bloom. She remembered playing with her brothers, Michael and Neal. She remembered the day that she got a new dress and they pushed her into the mud. Oh how her mother was furious at them, but Katrina was even angrier. Katrina let a laugh out loud, as now that she thought back on it, none of that mattered. She was sure they had died. How could they not have. She had read the newspapers, seen the holonet.

As if Admiral Cain was not enough, the cylons had returned and killed eleven billion people out of twelve billion. Few survived, even fewer the following weeks, and soon fewer yet as it seemed that war between her home and the Coredians was nearing inevitable. She looked out to her daughter, would she be one of the last of the colonials?

Katrina watched as Alexandria, with her dark brown hair, her olive skin, so much like herself played with the Woodian children. They laughed, and ran around, doing all of the little things in life that most people take for granted. Here and now though nothing was taken for granted, how could it be to a person who had lost everything... well almost everything, she still had her daughter.

Katrina slowly looked down to the her watch on her wrist. It was her fifth year wedding anniversary present. She looked at it, remembering that day, the same year her daughter was born, as her eyes began to tear up. Quickly she reached her hand up to her eyes to wipe away the tears that were forming. It was 5:30, it was time to begin to take her daughter home.

“Alexandria” Katrina yelled over the growing wind, as she could still see her daughter playing on the playground. “It is time to go.” She continued.

“But Mom!” the young girl soon exclaimed, as Alexandria soon turned to several of the Woodian children. “Now Alexandria, do not make me come and get you.” her mother yelled back to her daughter. Katrina knew why she had not wanted to leave, so many months cooped up on a ship, packed like sardines. Three months of not feeling ground beneath your feet, of eating rations, would wear on anyone. Katrina watched as her daughter after talking with the Woodian children for a moment ran to her mother.

“Mommy, what is it?”

Katrina smiled, as she pulled out a map of the city. “My dear it is time for us to see our new home.” she replied to her bright eyed daughter. Katrina reached down to grab her daughters hand as they began to walk. Across the street was customs, where even now more and more colonial refugees continued to pour out of the building. The Woodians were surprisingly efficient, as they gave debit cards for food and other necessities, maps of the cities, and keys to apartments, to each and every colonial citizen. They moved with the efficiency of a assembly factory, which was surprising for any government bureaucracy. The only hitch was over tobacco.

It would seem that in White Diamond, pure tobacco was the only legal form of cigarette or cigar. The Woodians searched every bag, and confiscated what they called death sticks. At first there was a slight uproar from the colonials, until they were given all they had lost with pure cigarettes. Katrina looked down to her own pack, and she had to admit, it did taste better.

Mother and daughter continued to walk down the clean and serene streets of White Diamond, enjoying real non recycled air, real gravity, it was a great sight to behold. Minutes went by, as they finally found the building where they were to live. Slowly they entered the building and took the elevator up to room 312. Katrina fumbled in her pockets looking for the keys. Finally after finding it she unlocked the door and entered.

[OOC]The stuff spray-painted on Katrina's (as well as every other in the building) door is from the search and rescue effort in the days after my civil war ended a couple of years ago. The scheme is quite similar to the RL searching of NOLA after Hurricane Katrina. IC background post (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10731387&postcount=631)[/OOC}



21/8

PSX0--

0

The cryptic greeting stared at Katrina as she unlocked the door. Were she to look through the written information the Woodian government gave her with the key to the condominum, located on the 300th floor of 200 Canal Street North, she would learn that it was shorthand for "Searched on the 21st of August by someone, or a unit, with initials PS, zero animal casualties found, zero human casualties found." Some of the units around her displayed numbers other than zero--but still, the Woodians who had performed search-and-rescue operations had removed the bodies, given them proper burial, and cleaned the units. Still, the spray painted markings that Woodians had not bothered (in some cases, simply refused) to clean might help to explain why a single city was able to accommodate so many, so quickly, on such short notice.

The furniture was all still inside, none of it so much as bloodstained; the previous occupants seemed to have fled the ravages from the civil war two years ago. Katrina walked into the living room--a room with a sweeping view of the entire northern end of the city, with only an occasional skyscraper tall enough to obstruct it. To the west, the sun was setting over the ocean; to the east, the sunset colored the glaciers of the Bitterwind Range all manner of orange and red hues. City lights twinkled on, all at once, right before her eyes, giving the view almost a mini-Coruscant feel.

A couch there was, also, and a rather comfortable armchair, a coffeetable in the middle of everything, a few documents of someone long gone scattered about it. A Holonet set there was also, even a wetbar, in the living room, complete with wines of a vintage two generations ago.

Not to mention the kitchen...Woodian search and rescue teams had already cleaned out the refrigerator, but all manner of spices and nonperishable goodies could still be found...

not to mention the two fully furnished bedrooms. Both with views.

Katrina, tired after a long day walked over to the brown leather couch, and sat down. It was soft, and comfortable, she thought to herself, as she reached over to the coffee table and picked up the remote for the holo-net. She was interested in two things, Culture, and current events.

Katrina began to flip through the holo-net, channel after channel. Over one million channels and nothing was on. Bored, and tired she stopped the channel on the White Diamond News Network.

Katrina rested her head back against the back of the couch, her body tired after a long day of standing in line at customs, having her bags searched, listening to speeches on the laws of the Woodians. She wanted rest, she wanted peace... she tuned into the wrong channel.

She watched, her eyes half open, as the Prime Minister of the Woodian nation began to speak of the crimes of the Coredian Empire. She watched in horror, as she learned first hand, of the Coredian attack on Caprica City. “Those frakking bastards!” she thought to herself, as she suddenly woke from her nearly worn out state. She listened even more, as she learned of Bailey’s fatal mistake, and watched as the camera cut outside to the Woodians in protest.

“Someone should nuke those bastards!” Katrina thought to herself, as a second window popped up. A small ticker scrolling underneath simply said, “Konoha nuked by the Cylons.” Katrina’s mouth went ajar, as her anger turned to sadness. “What the frak!” she said, as the news ticker continued. Minutes later, the ticker said, “Coreworlds surrenders to Cylons.”

Katrina could not believe it. The mighty Coreworlds succumbed to a bunch of AI from the colonies. “Could this day get any worse” she thought to herself, as her daughter came running in the room. “Mommy, mommy, come see, come see, my room has toys in it, lots of toys.

Katrina could barely register the words, “Honey not now.” she said. “But Mommy!” Alexandria replied... “I said not NOW!” Katrina yelled at her daughter. Katrina could not take her eyes off the holo-net, as the camera cut to a interview with the average Woodian. A well built, middle-aged man slightly balding began to speak. “Those bastard Coredians, they are about as bad as the Empire. What is next, will they begin a genocidal campaign against their enemies. Would not surprise me,” the man yelled into the Camera.

Katrina reached for the remote and shut it off. She placed her hands to her head. “What is this universe coming to” she exclaimed, as she went over and walked to her daughters room.

Her daughter’s room was beautiful, it looked like a small child’s room. Pink paint, with lots of dolls, a lovely princess bed spread. It was beautiful, the ruffles as a mattress skirt. Katrina could barely believe her eyes. “Did the Woodians do this just for us?” she asked herself. “See mommy, it is perfect.” Alexandria replied.

Shocked and dismayed by everything, like she was in a dream, Katrina just stared. Alexandria replied, her eyes bright and full of stars, “Mommy it is perfect.” Katrina just watched in amazement, “Yes it is honey, yes it is.”

Katrina kneeled down, and hugged her daughter. “Are you happy?” Alexandria looked up to her mother, “Yes mommy I am, but when is daddy coming here?” her daughter asked.

Katrina looked down to her daughter, her eyes began to fill with tears, “Honey he is not coming, Caprica City was destroyed by the Coredians and the Cylons.” Katrina looked down to her daughter, her eyes began to fill with tears,“I am so sorry honey!” Katrina cried, holding her daughter tightly. “The entire city is gone.”

“How is that possible mommy?” her daughter asked, as her nose began to turn red from the tears and congestion.

“I do not know dear, but we must be strong. We have a good home here, in a good planet. We will have a good life.” she tried to comfort her daughter. “No we do not. I want my daddy, it is not a home without him.” Alexandria cried.

Katrina sat quietly, holding her young daughter. It is all she could do.