Date: September 24th, 2021

Midgar Log: #1215

Era: Midgar Cold War.

Travis's Journal

Travis Journal Log#4462

Flashback Date: April 18th, 2002.

Over 19 years ago, before both the Meteor Disaster, the Genesis War, and even the Nibelheim Incident, that plagued Gaia, stood a bad memory within my history, not just my history, but my friends in general. 15 Miles to the North of Midgar stood the mountain city state of Malishu, which today is nothing more but ruins from what I am about to tell you that occured from back in the day 19 years ago in April of 2002. There was no excuse on what happened that day, but being super soldiers that were designed to follow orders from Shinra, we had to do our jobs, to this day I still have horrid memories of the screams of terror of the citizens of that mountain city burning and being brought down one by one at the hands of all 3 of us.

So far no one knew about what happened that day in Malishu, Tifa Lockheart was still in Nibelheim, which had not yet been massacred by Sephiroth, Cloud Strife, was still in training at the time as part of the SOLDIER program, Avalanche no longer existed at the time, and Aerith Gainsborough was mostly neutral during the time of the year 2002, as all she mostly cared about doing was attending for her flowers and selling them in order to make people smile. However, little did all of these people know was that 15 miles North of Midgar, was that the town of Malishu was refusing to work with Shinra in order to open up a supply route within the Mountains of Iliayshio, so that Midgar could pull Mako from the mines of Cordiao, which was located at the end of the town, and was one of the most richest mines on Gaia at that time period.

The Town was run by multiple Militia units that no longer agree with what Shinra was doing, and chose to put their foot down, by refusing to allow Shinra into their neighborhood, in hopes that others would join in on the cause. However, President Rufus Shinra wasn't having it, and that same day, as a form of punishment sent the 3 of us in to teach the city a lesson, now during the time of this event, I honestly thought we were going to destroy a couple of buildings and structures in order to force the town to cooperate, but what happened when we got there, got a whole lot worst, then we had imagined.

We were ordered, to massacre the city, I don't know why, I didn't object at that time period, to this day I regret not saying anything, as it haunts me to this very day. We followed what we were supposed to do, and attacked the city Invading the mountain town, which put up a defense in trying to stop the 3 of us, but they didn't last much longer, I tried not to attack anybody, only if it was in self defense, but in the end, I didn't try to stop it either, it was not any better, on what I was doing, in fact I believe that it was even worst that I wasn't trying to stop anything.

I'm glad I was wearing head armor at that time period, because I couldn't bare to look at any one of those dead bodies in the eye.

We torched the city and brought down almost all of the population, and even located a hidden group of citizens under the city that were hiding a way in the Vaults of Honor, us being under the direct order from Shinra, despite them pleading not for us to attack them, attacked them, I heard as their bodies dropped dead against the ground. Inside I was broke, and heart broken, but yet I didn't feel anything, that is how incompetent we were those days. Following the destruction of the entire village, Shinra arrived by helicopter, and Shinra occupied the town for about 4 years, until eventually leaving it in 2006, where by then Midgar's Reactors had all the Mako it needed from the planet's underground energy source.

That massacre I remembered, even Hunter and Curtis remembered it as well, where even though we still held Loyalty to Shinra, the destruction of Sector 7 that would occur by 2007, would eventually reawaken those horrid memories, to the point that we finally did something and stood up, only for us to come under the control of Sephiroth.

To me those civilians didn't deserve to die, We spend many nights wishing we can go and take back what happened those days, The town was never remade, and was left abandoned after Shinra pulled out, nothing was left of the city of Mountains, even today it still holds the horrors of what happened back then on April 15th, 2002.

No one knows about what we have done that day, except for the people outside Midgar, but I cannot bare to tell this to anyone, especially to Aerith, or Tifa, they would never take it well, especially Cloud, even he didn't know about, but in my heart though I think it is best to try and fight this terrible part of our history, so that history doesn't repeat in the future.

Many of the people of the outside world of Gaia, claimed that justice was never served towards the victims of Malishu, even with the destruction of Midgar 5 years later, but In my opinion, I have to say that they are right, the true perpetrators of that massacre, was done by the 3 of us, and here we are left still roaming the world of Gaia, and with Midgar even being back up and running again with 67 Percent of the city being reconstructed, along with this cold war happening today. Apart of me believe that this is Karma coming back against the 3 of us,, and that the reason no one wants to help our city and wants everyone to die here in old Midgar, is to get back at us, because of Malishu, needless to say, I wouldn't blame them, Malishu was one of the most respected Towns that had been around for centuries, even before Our city came into existence, and yet they were wiped out, all because they didn't wanna follow Shinra laws, and had the courage to stand up to them, worst of all is they had the 3 of us do it, and I get the feeling Shinra did that, just so we can take the fall, and it looks like it worked.

I can never walk back into those mountains again, I can't bare the shame that me and my friends have brought upon the residents of Malishu over a false lie that had been fed into our brains since 1981.

-Travis Hans, September 24th, 2021...