September 25, 2111
James Stone
After the ARW's victory in the battle for the Tegun Trade City, Commander Sizar's star cruiser, the Tempest of Titans, needed to undergo a few rounds at a repair station. That fact granted many soldiers some much need stretching-of-the-legs on solid ground. With the Tempest of Titans under repair, all the soldiers who were involved in the battle had been dropped off at a temporary outpost outside the boundaries of the Tegun Trade City. Supply ships have been dropping off goodies all day. I'd already finished my share of duties in setting up the outpost by pitching a few tents and carrying some supply crates. When some of my fellow soldiers finished their contributions, they set up a makeshift basketball court using some spray paint cans and two recently dropped goals. One of those men was my good-old pal, Benjamin Cross. He'd only transferred to the Tempest of Titans two weeks ago, and since then we'd made time to catch up and hang out on and off the ship. It was a jolly good old time, and together we talked life over a few games of hoops. So, when some other soldiers challenged us to a game on the makeshift court, we couldn't find it in us to refuse.
The score was a lot to a little, with me and Ben up. "Pass the ball," the towering man I was guarding called. "I have him in the post."
He dug into the dirt and pushed against me with all his weight. I held myself sturdy as a brick wall. His teammate passed him the ball, and the man I guarded turned to face me, dribbling, sweat dripping down his face, and his hot breath against my neck. Looking for an opening, he tried to fake the ball right and pass left to his teammate, who was driving toward the rim. Capitalizing on his misjudgment of my skills, I intercepted his pass and dashed for the opposite rim, dribbling the ball past everyone. I leapt off the dirt from behind the stained three-point line. While in midair, I twisted my body around, not once, but twice, for the seven-twenty spin. To finish off, I dunked the ball, making sure not to break the rim. That was the game.
"Ohh! Oh shivf! That was awesome!" Ben praised.
Playing ball against me really wasn't fair. Although I can't shoot to save my life, my defense is impenetrable, and my interior game is unbeatable. Hell, I even market the fact that I'd give anyone a thousand jemns if they manage to score on me; I have yet to pay anyone. Benjamin - he keeps me on my toes with his fluent passing. It was our thing, and we made a good team.
"Let's go take a break," I suggested to Ben.
Benjamin picked up a towel from the sideline and wiped the sweat from his face. "I could sure use the rest."
The both of us took our leave from the court and plopped our asses on some old camping chairs near the grilling area. Only a second had gone by when Valiic spotted me and trotted over, carrying a bag of ground beef. "James, I brought some fresh ground beef from the Magic Meal. Do you and your friend want some?" Nobody from my squad had met Ben yet.
"Sure thing, man," Ben said. "I'll take one." He held up a finger.
"Four," I added.
"Four?" Benjamin looked at me with a blinking expression.
"I'm a large man, and I need a lot of calories to make up for that," I chuckled.
"I don't doubt it, bro," Ben shrugged. He gazed back and studied Valiic. "Man, you are one scary brotha. What do they call you?"
Valiic tossed ground beef patties on the grill. The air was filled with the smell of sizzling meat. "Valiic Bessile. And you?" He extended his hand in greeting.
Ben accepted, and Valiic's bulky hand concealed Benjamin's entirely. "I'm Ben, short for Benjamin."
Just as he finished those words, Narrisa walked over with Shadow-Walker wrapped over her shoulders like a child. She stopped in front of us with a look of annoyance all over her face.
Valiic gazed over to them. "Narrisa. You got, ah… ah little… something on shoulder." He pointed at Shadow-Walker.
"I noticed." Her words of irritation came fast.
Shadow-Walker jumped in, "I bet a few guys that I could stay on Narrisa's shoulders all day… no touching the ground."
"And he just jumped on without permission," Narrisa added.
"Hey! I told you I'd split the profits between the two of us. All you gotta do is be a good sport," Shadow-Walker said with a laugh.
Ben chuckled. "Is this an everyday thing for you guys?"
I rolled my eyes. "You have no idea."
Shadow-Walker smiled. "We have fun on this squad."
"Sounds like it," he said, somewhat sarcastically. "Speaking of which, I heard you guys were at the core of the city, in the brunt of the action."
"Legionnaires thrive in the center of the action. Hell, we almost got trampled by a boultha there," I responded.
"And a boultha, what is that like? I've never seen one."
Valiic tossed up one of the patties. "A beast tamed by the dytircs from their home system. It's tall, borderline impenetrable, and tries to trample over its prey with its momentum."
"A nightmare on two legs," I added. "You'll see one someday."
"Hopefully not. If everything works out, I'll be in the commander program before I'm placed on another mission," Ben said.
"What about you, Ben? What's your unit like?" Valiic flipped over another burger.
"Nothing special. I'm a just a watchman - a sniper on a support squad." Support squads are squads that are without captains and are tagged onto independent units such as legionnaire squads or they can be used in other strategic ways by a commander. "Man, I wish my program was like yours. Command rotates us around so often, it's hard to get to know anyone. I didn't even get to know my last two squad mates before they passed."
"Passed?" I asked.
"Bro, just last mission, too. We had a couple dytircs take us by surprise, and they took the hits."
"I apologize for your loss," Valiic voiced with concern.
"Don't be. Like I said, I really didn't get to know them."
"Alright, enough with the sad stuff," Shadow-Walker interjected. "Let's get to something interesting."
"Like what?"
"What's your love life like, Ben?" Shadow-Walker grinned.
"W-what? Me? Oh, there isn't much of a story there. Man, I'll probably die a freven virgin knowing my lackluster female-talking skills."
"Well, you must have a type," Valiic jumped in. Talk of relationships always sparked his curiosity. It was how he gained a sense of people.
Ben put on his thinking cap. "That… that's a good question. For me… a brunette definitely. One no bigger than myself who is smart but not afraid to try something new. Someone who will keep the spark alive and make every day a surprise. Yeah, that'll be it."
"That's weak," Shadow-Walker teased, "and cheesy. Me… I'd want a lady I can just come home to and take my day out on. Like, I'd love to come home after a long day and download my frustrations onto my girl. See, those angels… they're a luxury. You don't find them that way anymore." His comments gave us all a long laugh.
"Shadow, did I ever tell you that you have a one-in-a-million perspective on things?" I laughed.
"It's all about seeing life as it is. It's a gift. What can I say?" Shadow-Walker teased.
As Shadow-Walker finished his sentence, Captain Landis walked over. "James. Kalvin wants to see you in his quarters on the north end of the outpost."
"I'll be there in a hare's race," I said with a nod.
"Wow, you are one beautiful lady," Ben blurted out. His words hit me like a brick, and I wasn't the only one. The expressions from everyone showed that Ben just screwed up.
Landis stopped in place, and you could almost see anger rising up her neck. "Excuse me!" She gave Ben a hard, bilious stare.
"I've heard of you. Captain Landis, the Angel of Death, right? I'm just complimenting you ma'am," Ben, not sure of what he said, tried to mend the situation.
"Do yourself a favor, and keep them to yourself." She walked off, squeezing her fists over and over again.
When she was out of sight, I explained, "She hates it when people spill any mention of her looks. You're lucky she didn't chew your face off and spit it into the dirt."
"I don't get it. If I were a girl with spotless, smooth, light-chocolate skin and sparkling brown eyes like her, I would be nowhere near a war… not to mention not ever wanting a compliment. What's her deal?"
"Don't blink twice about it. You're not the only one who can't catch what she's throwing. She complicated. I'll just leave it at that."
"Complicated? I heard a rumor that she was, at one point, with somebody."
"Landis? Hah, that's one of the funniest jokes I've ever heard. And that's coming from me." Shadow-Walker laughed.
"If that's to be believed, that somebody must have been a pushover so as not to push her buttons," Valiic added.
"Or be more stubborn than she is," I retorted.
"That is a scary thought," Shadow-Walker concluded. "Oh… James, didn't you have to be--"
"Right." I got up. "Kalvin wants to see me."
Ben jumped up. "Bring it in before you leave." He pulled me in for a quick bro-hug before I headed toward Kalvin's quarters.
I ducked through the entrance of Kalvin's fancy black tent. Candles inside designer glasses flickered inside the tent. Various decorative, old century items gave off an antique shop flair. Opposite his bed, Kalvin sat at an ebony wood table, writing in a notebook.
"How did an asshole like you manage to obtain stellar living quarters such as this?" I asked him.
"Being the Director of the Order of Aegis has its benefits." He closed his notebook and stood up to face me. "By the way, James, I admire the beard. Brings out your inner gruffness." Kalvin referred to my short yet thick beard.
I pointed to the candles. "A bit old school, don't you think?"
"A firm reminder of how far our species has evolved. Can you believe mere decades ago, humans still believed they were the single intelligent life forms in the universe? It is no phenomenon we struggled to contend with diseases as insignificant as cancer and AIDS. In the last twenty years, the Order of Aegis has doubled the average human lifespan, constructed slip space technology, cured all human illnesses with nano-immunal technology, and the list extends on. Due to our contributions, the ARW military eventually awarded us with the responsibility of being their lead weapons and technology supplier. Of course, we extend our gratitude to the qwayks for their intelligence. Regardless, past decades motivate me to continue to mold our universe into a superior state."
"That's fine and all," I said, uninterested, "but I'm sure you didn't call for me for a chatter-up on our history."
"Fair enough. Those documents you witnessed in my hands when you rescued me were the documented findings of countless autopsies performed on our adversaries. The Order of Aegis discovered an anomaly that was overlooked for years. Inside both the lycargans and dytircs' brains are unknown nano-bugs connected to their amygdala - the section of the brain that processes emotions. Furthermore, my scientist managed to discover a faint energy emitting from the nano-bugs - a type of energy never before examined. Thought-provoking right?"
"I don't follow. What's interesting about it? You hardly know anything about this bug."
"Precisely that, we cannot yet comprehend this technology. Yet it is inside every single one of the adversaries. Back when our alliance first encountered the lycargans and dytircs in 2098, they had already formed the Wersillian Legion. Our ideologies clashed head on with theirs instantaneously. The ARW believed that clash would lead to war, and we began to prepare. From what many comprehend about the lycargans, we gathered that this war was started because of their own religious ideologies. Lycargans are thought to believe in a living superior force, and they follow that force even through the most extreme of circumstances. Nevertheless, they are a cruel, cunning species who adore instigating physical and emotion distress to others in the name of faith. Then there is the biggest threat - the dytircs. They are persistent, aggressive savages focused on asserting themselves. Everything we understand about them suggested dytircs were separated among tribes until they were brought together by the lycargans to form their legion. It makes sense that the lycargans would use them for their own motivations. The dytircs occupy nineteen planets and six moons in the largest star system in the galaxy - the Draynought System. Their numbers alone are four times more than all four of our allied species combined. What is curious is this new technology discovered. It forces me to question everything we understand about our adversaries. I have an inkling that there is more to this war than what was originally perceived."
"All this theorizing makes no difference. To me, it's simple. The lycargans and dytircs are enemies. My job is to eliminate those enemies and kick their teeth down their throats until we win."
"Your simplistic mind is insulting! Your potential far outreaches a mere soldier, so do not pretend to be the part!"
Out of rage, I walked straight up to his face and spat out the next few sentences. "Any special future I could have had was stripped away years ago. And you can thank yourself for that. Now I just do what I can for this alliance and my family. You - no one else - put me through hell countless times over. Now you stand here… acting as an ally. Your soul is no better than the dytircs'. If I wouldn't be discharged for it, I would've left you at that research center." At this point, my blood was boiling.
Kalvin looked down, covering his eyes for a second. When he looked back up at me, he didn't seem scared. Instead, he had a hint of sadness in his wary brown eyes. "Sacrifices are a necessity in the pursuit of knowledge. In order to understand what DNA markers made you so exceptional, research had to be conducted, and with certain research follows pain. One day, I hope you will come to understand this."
"Don't expect me to. Your research cost me more than just my life, and that isn't a metaphor. You tortured me behind closed doors – and for what?" I yelled.
"It is understandable that you would not know."
"Know what?"
"We discovered the markers in your DNA were triggered by the 2nd Big Bang from the year 2036. Furthermore, we discovered that every living intelligent being we have examined contains those same markers. At the time when the 2nd Big Bang hit, nobody understood what it meant not even the qwayks. What was perceived as an anomaly now has some explanation to it. To this day, this discovery is recognized as amongst the greatest."
"So you're telling me everybody is an ace?"
"Not technically. These markers are indeed encoded inside every intelligent being's DNA. However, they rarely activate as yours did. As far as my calculations go, the probability of becoming an ace is one in two billion. And every attempt to manually activate those markers failed, ending with the loss of the subjects' lives."
"So even more innocent beings bit the pill and died over me?"
"As I said, sacrifices are a necessity for the betterment of our alliance." He spoke as if he'd done the right thing.
"You're despicable. I'm glad I escaped your hellhole when I did." I smirked, a bit calmer now.
"You mean your astonishingly effortless escape?"
"What are you on about now?"
"Your escape, access to an individual willing to forge a medical sheet, enlistment in the legionnaire program. Even you must acknowledge it was all too convenient."
"Jesus. You truly are an asshole."
"I personally anticipated you would end up in the military, applying your abilities for the ARW's well-being. In the future, I challenge you to accept that you are not a mere soldier. You contain far superior potential."
My blood boiled yet again. I wanted nothing more than to strangle him until he turned blue. However, I decided I should leave. I held myself back and, as calmly as I could, asked, "Is that all?"
"There is one more matter to discuss. Our spies have received word that a warlord is believed to be leading an invasion on Juster in under a week. This news is troubling. I have already relayed this intelligence to Commander Sizar, and he is preparing to counter."
"Which warlord?" I was now intrigued. I dropped my previous rage toward him.
"That information has yet to be revealed. All we know is that there were eight warlords commanding the entirety of the Wersillian Legion, and now there are six. We defeated a dytirc warlord named Cralo and a lycargan warlord named Eruvir Varzaac. Unfortunately, some reports have us believing that two more have stepped up to take the place of the two fallen. Nonetheless, none of the existing warlords is unidentified to us. You must understand it is a rarity to witness them in battle and live."
"That's not much to go on." I was suspicious of his plan.
"Precisely why we must act. We must attain more information. I have a suspicion that somehow, those nano-bugs are connected to the warlords."
"Why tell me all of this?"
"Is it not obvious? There is more to this war than what was originally perceived. This could be proof of my theory."
"Whatever. If that's all, then I'm leaving." Without saying another word, I left his quarters and headed back toward my friends.
Around dinnertime that same day, Commander Sizar summoned me and Captain Landis to a command meeting. Commander Sizar had just landed at the outpost from an escort ship. This was the first time I'd seen him in person. He was a qwayk male, particularly tall, with gray skin and teal eyes. His vantors had a strange lemon tint to it. He waited, with his arms crossed, near a hologram table wide enough for nearly a hundred individuals to stand around. There was a camera drone aimed at Sizar meaning many more were tuned in for this meeting. Small chatter continued until everyone he summoned had gathered around the table.
Holograms projected from the table, and he spoke. "I have summoned all of you here to go over the plan my officers and I have come up with over the last few hours. Our intelligence suggests that in less than a week, the Wersillian Legion is planning an invasion, led by a warlord, on the planet Juster." Everyone in the room whispered amongst themselves for a moment. "Yes, you heard correctly, a warlord. All present in this meeting are captains and first lieutenants. It will be your responsibilities to discuss with the rest of your squad the specific orders I'm about to give each of you. For the next hour, we will hand each of you your orders inside these envelopes." He held one up for everyone to see. After putting it down, he continued. "When your name is read, come forward and grab your envelope. Once you have it, you may leave the room and read it with your squad. This next part is crucial, so do not forget: Burn the instructions after you read them. Now, one of my first mates will begin reading names."
Twenty minutes passed before Captain Landis' name was called, then mine right after hers. We got our envelopes and left.
On our way toward our squad, she said, "I've never seen them take this much precaution before. Does the command not trust its own soldiers?"
"Maybe it has something to do with a possible warlord stepping out of the shadows. They must simply want to make sure the ARW has the best chance possible to take said warlord down and stop the invasion."
"You're probably right. I've never been on an operation involving one of them." She finished as we pushed through our squads quarters.
She and I tore open our envelopes and made sure our orders were the same. Once confirming they were, she began. "Alright, 1070, listen up. I'm going to read our orders out loud." She cleared her throat before beginning. "1070 Legionnaires, you'll be working with the Bruising Brothers and Benjamin Cross, of the 8990 Watchmen, to find the location of the warlord and kill him or her on sight." I raised my eyebrows, stunned to hear Benjamin was accompanying us. I shook my head, figuring Kalvin had something to do with this. "We've paired you with the Bruising Brothers, Alabon and Geariic Zserin, because of their experience. They were the two who killed the dytirc warlord Cralo. Benjamin Cross was added last-minute to the squad at the request of Kalvin Keefe for his tracking and navigation skills." I hit my head with my hand as my suspicions were confirmed. This made me wonder how he knew about Benjamin in the first place. "Your unit will be dropped near the location, where we believe the warlord to be as soon as we obtain that information. Take note, Captain Landis will be in charge of this mission. Be ready in an hour for transportation onto the Tempest of Titans. Notice: Burn paper."
Landis and I both lit our papers and watched them as they burned away. "Everyone know the plan?" She asked the entire squad. We all nodded, and she continued. "Good to hear. Before we head out, I want to add some additional info. First, has anyone heard of the Bruising Brothers?"
"We have." Valiic signaled to him and Narrisa. "They're maelkii twins, with activated markings in their DNA. They're aces, like James."
Landis nodded. "Correct, they're twin maelkii brothers, with skin made of metal. I worked with them two years ago on a mission. Just know they aren't the most level-headed men. I want each of you to be prepared for them, because they can be hard to work with. As for Benjamin, he'll follow orders without any problem. Nothing else special there. Everyone got that?"
We all nodded, ready for the adventure to kick off.