Memories
Santiago/Wren/Valderi
Most people knew him as t'Maekh tr'Lennex, at least most of us in the simming world did. I don't think any of us had the privilege of knowing him in the real world. There he was called John Cage. He was a Great simmer, a Great Star Fleet Officer, and a Wonderful friend. I first met him in summer or fall of 2001, when he joined the Sunfire with the character of t'Maekh tr'Lennex. He had a dynamic character, he was a great writer, and he was a wonderful person. My character was counselor on the Sunny, and when I was having trouble having something to write, John helped me by having his character come in for counseling. Well, He was supposed to come in for counseling, I'm not sure if he ever did, but he helped me get posting by giving me something to work from. We'd chat whenever we caught each other online, and I think we became friends. He'd tease me because for a while I always confused his location in Tennessee with Zach Vrona's down in Florida, and we'd discuss real life and the sims. He'd always spare at least a second to say hello, and other time to talk. John was steady, had strong opinions, and he didn't waver on his decisions. When the fleet was breaking up in Feb of '02, John was one of the people who you knew exactly where he stood.
John was intelligent and articulate, and he was also very loyal, to his friends, to those he served with, to the Ships he served on, and to the Fleet. He had a staying power and drive to make whatever ship or situation he was in the best he could. When things were not going very well on the Sunny in summer '02, John was the one who hung in there and who encouraged others to stick with it. He was ready with a helping comment or suggestion, and now that's even more precious knowing the troubles he'd been having in his real life, a car accident during a Storm in May '02 lead to him breaking his leg, but he was still there, posting away.
I remember when Zach Vrona asked me to join SB10, and looking at the roster and seeing that John's character tr'Lennex was there, and being happy, because my friend was there. I remember crying when I learned that his little brother, who I'd never even known was sick, had passed away, and talking to other friends who were on SB10 with us who knew, and how sad and upset for him they were. Most people don't cry for a casual acquaintance or get as upset as we were over someone they don't really know. We did, because through the RPG's, and email and Instant Messages, John had become more than just another simmer, he'd become our dear friend.
I remember the last time I talked to him, in an IM a few weeks ago. He was talking about Star Base 10, and how well it was going, and how proud and glad he was. He'd been on LOA for a bit, and was looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. He didn't stay online long, he'd gotten in from work a few minuets before and was just checking his mail before going to bed. He'd teased me a bit for not writing him, I hadn't seen him online for at least a month before. There are so many things I would have told him if I'd known that was the last chance I'd get to speak to him.
There is a country song that says, "It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go." John Cage left behind friends who miss him, and a Legacy of great posts and strong impressions his contributions to simming made. John knew what simming was all about. Enjoyment of the writing, meeting others with similar interests, building a community and making friends through our online writing, striving to be better, more excellent, with every post. Working to build the Star Trek Universe that we all love so much, in a place where there are no barriers to stop us. John Cage will be missed, but he will go on in every post we write in which we have striven for excellence, where we have tried our best, and into which we have placed our hearts. John Cage will live on in our hearts.
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