0088.05 – Hope

Having been returned to his detention cell, Eliard sat down on the crude bed fastened to the wall. He nearly went crazy in the first three days he was taken here. He no longer had anything to believe in.

Eliard was born in the colonies, he enrolled in the Earth Federation Forces military academy and had to put forward much more effort than others for the elite were born and raised on Earth. The nightmare of the One Year War engulfed the entire Earth Federation Forces. A group of individuals within the Federation Forces seriously considered the colonies to be a danger that breeds rebellious elements.

The “Delaz Conflict” encouraged that thinking. The Titans were created immediately following the end of that uprising. Just to be a member: a one rank promotion. It was something young officers longed for. Everyone at the academy dreamed of enlisting in the Titans. Eliard was no exception.

However, being raised in the colonies, he resigned himself from the get go. There were strict requirements and reviews for joining the Titans. One of the conditions that were gossiped among cadets at the academy was that you had to be born and raised on Earth.

However, Eliard was allowed to enlist in the Titans.

It was like a dream.

When he received his transfer orders, he had no sense of reality. Assigned to an experimental team, he was charged with a highly dangerous mission. Though he was delighted to be able to quickly access weapons that were developed by the Federation Forces.

Eliard eagerly continued fighting with the pride of the Titans in his heart. His commander, Wes Murphy, was an ace pilot who played an active role in the Delaz Conflict and was decorated for his first battle during the One Year War at the Battle of Solomon.

Over time he came to feel pride in being able to fight along side him more than being a Titan. Carl Matsubara and Audrey April were also great members of the team. He actually felt like he was sharing his life with them.

It was after the end of the “Gryps War” that he was made aware that the Titans were intent on being a privatization of the Federation Forces for a very select few. Following the war, the media and informational websites that had been suppressed up til that point immediately bounced back and various facts became clear.

However, Eliard knew of the truth to the rumors behind the Colony 30 incident. Until then he had heard the rumors and he also heard the speech Char gave at Dakar. But, he believed that it was just misinformation that Zeon remnants and their terrorist sympathizers circulated and thought that the AEUG had just taken advantage of it.

He learned for the first time he was involved in the “Colony 30 Incident” when he was arrested by the military police and read his charges following investigation.

Everything that supported him until that point crumbled beneath him.

He tortured himself in solitary confinement.

He seemed to have completely lost sight of himself.

The only way to defend himself was to forget about everything.

For what he tried to forget, there were things he couldn’t forget.

Still, he tried to forget, otherwise his mind would not last.

That is when Conrad showed up.

Eliard was suspicious of the man, he didn’t trust anyone. However, Conrad’s enthusiasm became clear during their talks. Now, that which Eliard had forgotten became a desperate attempt to remember.

That’s right. He had to remember everything in order to fight with Conrad.

He wasn’t bothered by solitary confinement anymore; he had found a sliver of hope.

A hope that gave him courage.

His isolation gave him time to slowly recall things, or so he came to believe.

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