As I wrap up this book, it has been over 40 years since Titanic was laid to rest under the ocean. The world has seen its share of death and desolation through war and economic crises, yet Titanic remains one of the most famous disasters in the century.
Over the few weeks after Titanic sank, four Macro Cosmos ships sailed to the scene where it happened and recovered somewhere between 316-337 bodies. Captain Drake, First Officer Marlon, Master Shipbuilder Timothy Durbin, Wireless Operator Clemont, the first class music band, and Lord Mivashkama Herløv's manservant, Morfious Korvashka, were confirmed dead. If any of their bodies were among the ones that were found, they were never identified, and, depending on the condition of the bodies, they were either buried in a special cemetery with the other bodies found or buried at sea.
From April 19th to May 25th of 1912, an inquiry was held by a subcommittee of the Commerce Committee of the Galar Senate regarding the sinking of the Titanic. Multiple survivors, passengers and crewmen alike, testified what had happened. When Aunt Sonia found out about the inquiry through a newspaper, she returned to Wyndon to testify while Chloe stayed with Aunt Sonia's grandmother. She wanted to establish how the crew failed to fill the boats to their capacity and how Kanoa and Orson refused to take Lifeboat 6 to look for survivors after Titanic submerged, but she was denied being allowed to testify solely because she was a woman.
Fortunately, while Aunt Sonia couldn't testify, the inquiry still concluded that too few lifeboats were available, and they had not been adequately filled or manned with trained seamen, though they had been lowered correctly. They also found that the lookout being kept was inadequate given the navigational hazards Titanic faced and that the ship's officers had been complacent. The Board of Trade was criticized for its inadequate regulations, notably the failure to ensure that enough lifeboats were provided and that crews were properly trained in their use. Third-class passengers had not been prevented from reaching the lifeboats but, in many cases, had not realized until it was too late that the ship was sinking.
After the inquiry, there were new recommendations for new regulations. Ships should slow down on watering areas with drifting ice and post extra lookouts. Navigational messages should be brought promptly to the bridge and disseminated as required. There should be enough lifeboats for all on board. All ships equipped with wireless sets should maintain communications, day and night. Adequate boat drills were to be carried out for passengers. Finally, rockets should be fired as distress signals and not for any other purpose.
A month or so after the inquiry, Chloe and Aunt Sonia tried to press charges against Mivashkama for the murder of Gary. Unfortunately, as Aunt Sonia predicted, neither the authorities in Wyndon nor Hammerlocke paid any mind to Chloe's claims. Some would suspect they didn't listen to her because of her gender, just like with Aunt Sonia, but the reality is even if it was, there were no other witnesses, and there have been no reports of any of the oars in the lifeboats having any blood stains. Likely, Mivashkama was never informed of the charges, and, truth be told, I doubt he spent the rest of his life ever paying any mind that he murdered someone. History remembers Mivashkama Herløv continuing to live in wealth, respect, and luxury for the rest of his life. In fact, it was only a year or so after the sinking that he found a pretty woman younger than Serena to be his submissive wife to show off and bear a son who succeeded him.
But I don't think he truly got away with murder or any other form of cruelty he had ever committed. In Isaiah chapter 65, verse 17, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that, at the end times, the Lord will create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Furthermore, many sources speculate that Mivashkama was hardly a believer by any stretch of the imagination. Considering how popular Christianity was back then, he only appeared to worship the Lord out of obligation. If the words of the prophet Isaiah are anything to consider, not only does eternal damnation await Mivashkama, but when this world passes away, he will spend all of eternity not remembering the comfort he experienced in this life. Not the endless respect as the lord of a major city, not the success in his investments, his fine food, expensive brandy, his massive mansion, or the decades of pleasure from his wife's flesh.
Now, I admit that what I'm saying is potentially way off the mark. While its prime messages are usually understood, it is not uncommon for specific passages in the Bible to be misinterpreted or taken out of context. Still, I think Mivashkama may experience such a thing. Regardless of whether or not I'm taking God's word severely out of context, I firmly believe that the eternal punishment that awaits him is far worse than you, I, or anyone else could give him. Even if the spirit of dear Gary Oak came back from the Realm of the Dead to torment his murderer for the rest of his days, it wouldn't hold a candle to the eternity of burning, weeping, and gnashing of the teeth that awaits Mivashkama at the end times.
Molly continued to work for Oleana, content that Serena was alive and happy. She and Oleana stayed with Chairman Rose for a little while before Chairman Rose decided to marry Oleana. However, Chairman Rose was publicly hated for surviving the sinking of the ship he had made. He was branded a coward who deserted the ship while women and children were still on board even when that was proved not to be the case. The inquiry clearly found that he wasn't responsible for what happened, that he helped people into lifeboats, and he only got off on Collapsable C when there were no other women and children nearby. Regardless, most people see Chairman Rose as a coward to this day, and because of that and how much Titanic was a disaster for the company, he stepped down as chairman of Macro Cosmos.
Despite Rose no longer being the ambitious businessman she fell for, Oleana worked fervently to make him happy. She gave Rose two daughters and three sons to love and raise together while living the rest of his life in retirement. But despite Oleana's efforts, Rose never stopped blaming himself for what happened on Titanic. He tormented himself with useless speculation about how the disaster could have been avoided. In 1937 he collapsed in his bed after suffering a massive stroke and died three days later. Oleana was overcome with grief and spent her last 15 years spiritless despite her and Rose's children's best efforts to comfort her. Aunt Sonia and I interviewed Molly shortly after Oleana passed away, and she said Oleana spent her last moments believing Chairman Rose deeply loved her even if he never said it.
Aunt Sonia was hailed a hero to the general public even though she wasn't allowed to testify. Today, the general public refers to her as the Heroine of the Titanic, and there was a call for her to receive a medal. Aunt Sonia found more fame from making more achievements in the archeological world with Chloe assisting her, but as time went on, her deeds on the Titanic were better remembered than her life's work. She never accepted the title of the Heroine of the Titanic, and wished people remembered her more for her life's work than for, in her words, having more common sense than an entire crew of men.
Shortly after Chole began living with Aunt Sonia and her grandmother, she was found to be with child, and she gave birth to her and Goh's daughter, Adar Walker. With Aunt Sonia and her grandmother there to help Chloe raise her, Adar grew to become a benevolent woman who loved accompanying Chloe and Aunt Sonia on their expeditions. Goh didn't give Chloe a life of financial success, but his final gift was more than enough to make her happy in his memory.
As for Ash and Serena, their life together was a time of challenges and happiness. They got their rings, bought a new sketchbook and drawing equipment for Ash, and Serena began looking for work as a dancer. Chances to audition for stage musicals and other means of performing were slim, showing how much of her opportunities in Kanto came from her father's connections as the Duke of Viridian City. Still, she would get some jobs here and there as an extra in a musical or one of the backup dancers, which was enough as long as she could dance. She only wished that her apparent death didn't break the hearts of her fans back in Kanto.
Ash had a more challenging time getting hired as an artist as many artists were trying to hit big in Galar's capital. He and Serena were forced to get part-time jobs just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Eventually, they were struggling to make ends meet, so they began to travel throughout the region like they planned, if for no other reason than to find better chances to make money. They stayed clear of Hammerlocke, ensuring Mivashkama never learned they were still alive even after he married someone else. At times, they would take Aunt Sonia on her offer to stay in her grandmother's house: taking jobs in Wedgehurst until they had the finances to travel again. Aunt Sonia and Chloe wanted Ash and Serena to stay for good each time they visited, but deep down, they knew they were committed to their lifestyle.
But things got more challenging during Ash and Serena's fourth year of marriage. Shortly after working on a musical production in Motostoke, Serena became pregnant. With a sudden new responsibility added to work to feed themselves, Ash and Serena stayed in Wedgehurst. And so it was that Serena, my beloved mother, gave birth to me on August 20th, 1917.
Yes, dear reader, Ash and Serena Ketchum are my parents. When I was born, my parents decided that I, T.G.G. Ketchum, would be named Timothy Gary Goh Ketchum in memory of my family's lost friends. A few years later, Ash and Serena had my twin sisters, Elana and Maria Belle. And though we weren't related to Aunt Sonia or Chloe by blood or marriage, they were very close with my family and loved us like we were their nieces and nephew. Aunt Sonia dearly loved my sisters, but she was anything but subtle that I was her favorite from the get-go. I suspect it had to do with me bearing the name of Master Shipbuilder Timothy Durbin, but I never minded. Whether my name made Aunt Sonia think of her late friend or not, she was my best friend. I even made her my Best Woman when I married Adar, which is why I no longer refer to Chloe as my aunt. In return, Aunt Sonia made me her Man of Honor, when she reconnected with Leon, and they married soon after.
Raising a family didn't stop my parents from continuing to pursue their interests, however. Around the time I started school, Ash found a job as an illustrator for a newspaper in Motostoke. Serena still danced during town festivals and fairs and continued to find paid gigs as an extra dancer or in a supporting role in a stage musical from time to time. She never received the fame she had in Kanto, but she doesn't mind as long as she can dance and our family is there to support her. Whenever my family watches her perform, my father is happiest seeing his beloved wife perform as though she is the only person on stage.
At this point, you may wonder why this book isn't simply about how my family survived the sinking of the Titanic. As I stated before, so many documentaries, autobiographies, and interviews over the years focused on just one family or person's experience during that fateful night that there would be little to make our story stand out. Even if that weren't the case, Titanic is not a story that can be best told by one side. Whether certain people knew my family or not, Aunt Sonia and I saw it as our solemn duty to narratively bring their stories to life as best as we could, so you could know the lives of so many who were on the ship with my parents, Aunt Sonia, and my mother-in-law. I am honored to have gotten to know the people Aunt Sonia and I interviewed and to share their stories. My only regret is that I couldn't complete this book before Aunt Sonia, my best friend and devoted partner, passed away in her sleep last year.
Even with Aunt Sonia gone, my family and I know she is in heaven, feeling complete from knowing that she and I had accomplished our passion project. And if there's anything I hope you will take from everything Ash and Serena Ketchum experienced on the Titanic, it's to never be afraid to fight for what is most important in life. Life is full of obstacles like discrimination, idolatry, pride, hate, and the fact that it will all end one day, but I pray that our heavenly father will guide you to not be afraid and hold those closest to you deep in your hearts. To love with every fiber of your being and to never give up until the very end.
The end