The Letter

Mobil Suit Gundam created by Yoshiyuki Tomino

	Bright Noah, captain of the White Base, looked at the 
reports on his desk and sighed.  Joining Commandant Joaquin's 
Third fleet had given them a reprieve from Char Anzable's 
constant attacks and the downtime was perfect for catching up 
on the administrative matters of running a starship.  Due to 
the almost constant conflict Bright had been letting a lot of 
the paperwork slide.  Now he was faced with an ever growing 
mountain of reports and requests for his signature.  

	He picked up a notepad and looked over an inventory of 
parts received from the supply ships, but couldn't keep his 
mind on the work.  His thoughts kept returning to the asteroid 
called Solomon.   Commandant Joaquin had spelled out White 
Base's role in the upcoming assault on Solomon.  Finally fed up 
with the paperwork Bright brushed all of the reports and 
clipboards off of his desk.  He opened a drawer, pulled out a 
pen, an envelope and a loose sheet of paper.  He sat and 
thought for a while, then started to write.

**********
	Dear Mother and Father,
	I'm sorry that I haven't been writing, but I've been 
very busy since becoming Captain of the White Base.  I don't 
really have that much time now but I just feel the need to 
write to you.  
	White Base is on the Vanguard for a major operation 
now.  If you get this you will probably already know about the 
assault on Solomon.  Knowing I'm going into battle has me 
thinking more and more about why I'm here.
	Mother, you've asked in your letters why I keep 
fighting.  I did join the Federation Navy before the war 
started.  I felt that it was a way to do something for the 
world.  Then Zeon dropped a colony on Australia and everything 
changed.  A lot of us felt we saw true evil on that day, 
dropping a massive colony, an entire world to some people, on 
the heads of millions of unsuspecting people.  There was no 
warning, no declaration.  One minute they were   going about 
their lives, and the next they were gone.  That gave a lot of 
us something to fight against.  Not against the people of Zeon 
but against the government.  I feel that by fighting we can 
prevent another atrocity.  One that may be dropped on you next 
time.
	Even having a cause like that, it doesn't become any 
easier looking battle in the face.  I've always known that my 
life is on the line here.  This ship isn't filled with regular 
military, but with a bunch of people that were handy.  We've 
formed into a good unit and I'm proud of them all, but it means 
that I really can't show any fear of hesitation.  I have to 
maintain the strong front for their sakes.  But I do go into 
every battle, especially one like this, knowing that it can be 
the last thing I ever do.  No one wants to think about death 
too closely, but it's worse to leave things unsaid.
	I'm hoping you understand why I am out here and why I 
put my life on the line.  I love you both and hope you are 
proud of what I do.
				Your son,
				Bright Noah

**********

	Bright looked over his letter again, then folded it and 
put it into the envelops.  He pressed down on the flap to seal 
the envelope and wrote his parents names on the front of the 
envelope.  He closed his eyes and paused in thought, then he 
added one more line to the front of the envelope.  As he was 
finishing writing the buzzer on his door sounded.  He stood up, 
still holding the envelope and said, "Come in."

	Mirai entered and said, "Commandant Joaquin is putting 
us in final battle formation.  You're needed on the bridge."  
She looked at the pile of reports on the floor and the letter 
in his hand and said, "Are you all right?"

	Bright smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine, I'll be on 
the bridge in a moment.  Make sure everyone is in their normal 
suit when I get there."

	Mirai nodded and left.  Bright tossed the envelope on 
his rack and grabbed his normal suit before heading to the 
bridge.  The envelope landed face up and on the front it 
said:  To Patricia and Daniel Noah.  To be opened in the event 
of my death.

End.



Author's Notes:  I wrote this one from an interesting position, 
about 40 miles off the coast of Iraq while on a US Navy 
warship.  Hopefully I'll be able to write a sequel but like 
Bright Noah, that still remains to be seen.  Please send me 
comments and criticism, but I may not be able to respond to 
them for a while if e-mail gets shut down again.  Thanks.

>From The Speartip
LTJG Kevin McHorney, USN


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