The One Red Binder

written by Penelope P., Head Manager of the Quality and Inspections division & Right Hand Woman of the CEO.

At Rokugou Systems, we tend to do some... less than normal things in our endeavors to make the world a better place. Whether it be burning down hangars (which happens more than we'd like to admit (thankfully, our safety measures ensure there have been and will not be any casualties)), triggering a few security measures in place while trying to share data, or even scaring a few politicians with our unparalleled enthusiasm.
However, one thing about Rokugou Systems seems to stand out to all of you, so we think it's time to address it.
If you've ever seen our CEO, be it in a video, during an interview, or even in public, you'll start to notice he always tends to carry around one red binder. Whenever someone whispers in his ear, he'll open the binder, write something down, then close it. While we did have a good chuckle at your speculations (no, they are not nuclear codes. sorry to disappoint), they don't have anything to do with any of our products. So, here's the explanation.
It's a bit of a heavy topic. It tackles serious things like trauma and death, so if things like that make you uncomfortable, we advise you skip this article.
Our CEO had a... traumatic upbringing. His father died in the first cruise missile attacks conducted by Ali base, and he was there when it happened. It scarred him, heavily. Since then, however, he's seen therapy and has gotten much better.
When starting the company, he looked back at what pushed him to do it—injustice, corruption, and a world that was lusting for blood—and he wanted to put that to an end. And to remind him of that, he keeps a red binder with him. Inside are countless names, all belonging to those who were lost to someone else's fight.
Every time whispers in his ear, it's someone reporting a loss to the war. He writes down their names, and keeps going. He keeps going, hoping that one day, he will no longer have to write names into the binder again.
Speaking as Penny, not the company as a whole, I've seen him consider a choice, then pause to look back at the binder, and change his mind because of it. And it kind of stings, knowing how much he thinks about that.
so, the next time you see him writing in it, hope with him, that he'll never have to put his pen on those papers again. Hope, pray, and fight with him. Fight by pushing to end the war between Ali Base and Droo Space Center, whether it be via protests, lobbying, or even something as small as calling your local representative. And tell them you're done watching names fill pages that should stay blank.
The day the binder remains blank, is the day the war ends—for all of us. And we want to make that day come sooner.