June 17

9:56 A.M.

“... and we’re gonna see a low of about 53, 57 in Lower Manhattan. Back to you, Emma.”

“Thank you John. Now for the highlight of the day, the President will be making an important announcement in just a few minutes, at 10 A.M. Eastern.”

Behind Emma, a beautiful brunette newscaster wearing a red dress, was a view of the Washington Monument. Scores of people were crowded up between the monument and the Capitol, as if today was an Inauguration Day.

“Wow, that’s an incredible crowd,” said Emma as she turned to face the masses. “Some may wonder, what’s the occasion? Well, earlier last night someone from the White House leaked information about an announcement relating to aliens! In just two more minutes, we are going to find out just what our President has in store for us.”

The screen switched to a different view, an aerial view of the National Mall, for the next minute until the President finally came up to the podium placed in front of the Capitol. The view then switched to the President himself. Around the world, over a billion people were viewing this event, having heard the rumors spread all over the Internet. With the focused eyes of his countrymen and those around the world trained on him, the President began to speak.

“Good morning, my fellow Americans, and greetings to all else around the world. Many of you are wondering why we’re here today, and I assure you all, it won’t be disappointing,” Keener smiled, quickly glancing at his teleprompter. Taking a breath, he continued. “Exactly one month ago, on May seventeen, the year of two-thousand nineteen, the United States accomplished a significant first in human history. A portal had spontaneously opened in the deserts of Nevada, and we sent brave pioneers and explorers into the wormhole.” Keener took another breath, watching as the crowd became more tense, excited for his next words. “That day in history will be remembered as the first time that humanity stepped foot on an alien planet! As American astronaut Neil Armstrong once said, ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind!’”

Applause erupted from the crowd as screens displayed pictures taken from the new world, named Gaerra. Of course, Keener’s press teams selected pictures that displayed only the environment, wanting to keep the existence of aliens a secret for a little while longer. The crowd was stunned by the beautiful pictures of pristine mountains and plains, untouched by mankind. President Keener placed a hand up after a minute of applause, signaling to the crowd to quiet down before continuing.

“At the moment, we are still studying the properties of this planet. We know that the planet is similar to Earth in terms of mass and gravitational acceleration, but is larger, boasting double the surface area of our planet.” The pictures on the screens were replaced with satellite images of the continents. “We are taking every precaution with our exploration teams, who are currently ensuring that this alien world is safe for humans to live in. Our scientists have put up satellites in orbit in order to assist them in their studies. Soon, we will open up this new world to the public, and to the rest of the world! This marks a new era of mankind, as we venture into the final frontier and claim our manifest destiny!”

Perfectly choreographed jets flew overhead, trailing red, white, and blue smoke. The crowd went wild, truly ecstatic from the President’s epic speech.

—

Fort Washington

Month 6, Day 17

11 A.M.

Captain Donnager and the rest of Alpha Team were currently being briefed by General Harding. They have been assigned an important mission, or rather quest, based on the details. Their job is to locate and secure ancient artifacts that can stabilize magical energies.

“Captain, I want you to take your team to a site known to the locals as the Ahmalan Ruins, located in the Ovine Mountains. Apparently the entrance to the ruins have been sealed off, so I’ll requisition an excavation team to go along with you. Check your packets for additional info. Get ready; you’ll be heading out at 1300.”

—

Research teams on both sides of the portal had discovered that the portal was slowly dipping in opacity, becoming more and more transparent. While the reported 2% dip in opacity was not a big concern at the moment, it could spell disaster in the future if the portal was to disappear with Earth citizens trapped on the other side, or natives trapped on this side. The scientists studying the portal discovered that it was essentially an Einstein-Rosen bridge.

Einstein-Rosen bridges are wormholes that have been theorized to exist, popping into existence before disappearing almost immediately after appearing. Modern scientists think that a type of exotic matter is required to keep the wormholes open; this exotic matter has negative mass and hence, negative energy and negative pressure. Science lesson aside, this type of matter has been theoretical until now, as seen evidenced by the existence of a true wormhole, right in Area 51. Since magic was used to create the portal, scientists on Earth theorized that magic was used to summon this exotic matter, or somehow imitate its effects.

When questioned, Kelmithus revealed the truth about portal magic. Although it requires much energy to produce, portals are generally easily created, and many portals to many worlds once existed in the past. The species of this planet all arrived via these portals, with the exception of humans, who were already situated on the planet. None of these portals lasted long, though. At most, they lasted up to five years.

That was, until a group of mages five hundred years ago were able to find some ancient ruins that contained a circular gateway, with a large road leading to it.

“Heh, sounds like a Stargate to me,” joked Sergeant Alex Gutierrez.

“Stargate?” Asked Kelmithus, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Captain Henry Donnager informed, shooting Alex a glare. “Please, continue with the story.”

“Well, as I was saying…”

The mages who had first discovered it documented the layout of the chamber where the gateway was held. Kelmithus showed a scripture that he borrowed from a local academy. It depicted a sketch of the chamber, with clearly visible control terminals off to the side.

Noticing these, Alpha Team became excited, discussing amongst themselves the possible implications of such a picture.

“Those look like computers! Very advanced ones at that!” Nikita Tesla pointed out.

“Looks like a Star Trek ship bridge,” Alan Oppenheimer muttered. “I think we can use this to appeal to the General so that we may tag along with the others,” he suggested towards Tesla and Darwin.

“I’ll think about it, but that’s not really my area of expertise,” Lacey Darwin answered.

After ending their conversation, the scientists asked Kelmithus to continue with the story.

The mages analyzed the gateway, all failing to determine how to use it until they discovered a port on the side, depicted in the scriptures. Some members of Alpha Team noted that it looked like a port that would be connected to an energy source, an assumption which Kelmithus confirmed. The mages then discovered a metallic object with a handle, and a circular chamber inside of it. Kelmithus then showed a depiction of this device to the Americans, who said it looked like a tokamak.

“Tokamak?” Kelmithus inquired.

“It is a type of energy reactor,” Oppenheimer answered, reluctant to go into detail about fusion reactors.

“Yes, that makes sense. Anyway…”

The mages poked and prodded the device, until one had the bright idea of zapping it with lightning. Kelmithus surmised that the lightning symbol on the device had something to do with this idea. When the mages channeled lightning into the machine, it glowed, before becoming dormant shortly after. Eventually, these mages, while touching random things, somehow activated the device by pressing something that had a rune on it. The rune appeared to be a power symbol, based on its shape, which was comparable to those found on modern devices. The mages found a similar symbol on the gateway itself, and with both devices activated, machines that had lay dormant for eons began to come to life, glowing as they powered on. Not knowing how to operate the control terminals that had come to life, the mages simply summoned a portal inside the gateway. Unfortunately, the portal opened to a less than hospitable world. The mages who ventured into the portal discovered a wasteland filled with empty darkness, void of all life except for one species. These monstrosities were truly alien, and immediately charged after the mages, who were quickly torn apart. One, who was able to escape, buried the chamber along with himself, in order to seal the horrors within and prevent them from ravaging the outside world. Some creatures escaped and came to be known as Skitters.

(Imagine Zerg or Tyranids but with no hive mind and closer to Voidborn from league of legends in terms of nature.)

Ever since this incident, all other ruins that contained gateways were sealed or blocked off in some way, and portal magic was forbidden. The Ahmalan Ruins was one such site, hence the requirement of an excavation team. Kelmithus reassured the Americans that this particular site would contain no aliens, pointing out that the original Skitter site was located in the Erahan Desert, secluded in the northeastern portion of Eanif.

Having been debriefed, Alpha Team began to prepare for their mission.

—

Ovine Mountains, 260 miles from Fort Washington

7:32 P.M.

“Bro, my ass is soo sore!” Alex complained. “Man, why’d we have to crowd up in one car?”

“Command’s low on vehicles. They’re sending out a lot of recon teams to help establish contact with some villages outside of Sonaran territory. Lucky them. I heard all they’ve gotta do is mingle with the villagers,” Donnager explained.

“Pfft. Sounds boring, sir. At least we get to go on a real fantasy quest!” Ryan excitedly proclaimed.

Donnager smirked. “Well, it’s not like the recon teams found any cat girls or anything heheh.”

Ryan and Alex gasped, their eyes wide.

“Sir, please don’t play with my emotions like that!” Ryan said incredulously.

“Maybe we’ll get to go check out some villages once we’re done here. Let’s set up camp for the night. We begin our mission at 0900 tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir!”

With the order given, Alpha Team began setting up camp for themselves and the excavation team, while the excavation team prepared their equipment.

“Hey Kelmithus,” said Donnager.

“Yes?”

“What kind of threats do we need to worry about out here? Bandits? Monsters?” Donnager asked, thinking about various fantasy role playing games.

“Bandits are always a threat; you need people to keep watch lest your throats get slit in your sleep. As for monsters, some feral goblins or other lesser monsters may show themselves, but given your weaponry, I do not think they will be an issue.”

“Do monsters and bandits drop gold when we kill them?” Alex asked enthusiastically.

“Sergeant, be realistic,” Donnager said.

“Well, some monsters’ materials may be worth their weight in gold. Wyvern scales make for excellent armor, and Hoggen tusks can be ground up for various purposes. Such items would sell for a lot, with many merchants more than willing to trade their goods for just one Hoggen tusk. Spyder silk is also a very sought-after item. As for bandits, some may be carrying valuable weapons or looted goods. You might even come across different kinds of potions!” Kelmithus explained.

“I certainly love acquiring myself some treasure!” Jones smirked, happy that his treasure hunting days were supplemented by the vast opportunities available in this new world.

“Hm, that’ll be good to know. We might want to bring back some of these items, so the nerds can analyze them,” Donnager suggested.

“Especially those potions. The biochem guys will be really interested in the medical applications of health potions and healing magic,” Richard agreed.

“Indeed,” Kelmithus said before biting into his meal. “My, this food is quite delicious! What is this?” Kelmithus questioned, surprised that such an excellent meal could come from a mere can.

“Spaghetti with meat sauce. The pasta is made from wheat, and the sauce is tomato based and includes small chunks of meat.” Owens answered.

“Incredible,” Kelmithus muttered.

“Sure is. Spaghetti is my favorite dish!” Alex proclaimed.

After finishing their meals, the members of Alpha Team worked on setting up a defensive perimeter for the next couple hours until the excavation team finished setting up their equipment. Wary of bandits and monsters, the Americans set up trip wires around their encampment as an early warning system. Claymores were also set up, along with signs around the outer edges of the perimeter so that passing travelers would not accidentally activate the perimeter defenses.

“Alright; excavation team is finished setting up. They’re calling it a night. We should do the same. I’ll take first watch,” Donnager informed his team.

—

Month 6, Day 18

1:43 A.M.

“Pst, hey wake up!” Donnager whispered, shaking his teammates awake. All of the soldiers instantly became alert, shaking off their drowsiness. The same happened with Jones, interestingly enough, but Donnager attributed it to Jones’ past exploits as a Special Forces operative and an adventurer.

“Wha… Whas goin on?” Kelmithus murmured.

“Someone activated the trip wires on the northeastern section of the camp, somewhere toward the base of the mountain; get ready to fight,” Donnager ordered as he helped Owens distribute equipment.

“Sir, I see movement in the area you just described; eleven unknowns registering on the thermals,” Owens informed.

“They’re not moving like travelers; it looks like they’re being as cautious as possible. Could be bandits,” Alex added.

“We haven’t confirmed hostile intent yet. They could be civilians trying not to wake any monsters in the forest,” Donnager cautioned. “I’ll use the speaker system to warn them.” After determining which wire led to the northeastern speaker, Donnager began talking into the corresponding device. “Turn back now! You are trespassing on our camp!”

Watching through thermal and night vision sights, the combatants of Alpha Team saw the unknown group freeze once they heard the voice, frantically looking around for its source. After Donnager stopped talking, the unknown individuals began to move quickly toward the center of the camp.

“Sir, they’re moving on us!” Alex whispered.

“Orders?” Owens asked.

“Well—” Donnager began, before he was interrupted by an explosion in the distance followed by screams, “it looks like two of ‘em got their legs blown off by a claymore. And they’re still coming towards us! Alright squad, you’re clear to engage! Weapons free!”

“Light ‘em up!” Owens shouted.

“Don’t hit the equipment!” someone from the excavation team yelled.

TATATATATATA!

The engagement was quick and brutal. Lasting only a minute, the unknown hostile elements were mopped up by precise shooting from the American soldiers. As they walked to the bodies to identify them, the Americans found an insignia on each of the men they killed.

“Kelmithus, what is this?” Donnager asked.

Kelmithus walked over to Donnager, who was shining a flashlight on one of the bodies, holding up the clothing. Upon seeing it, he stepped back, his eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked, worry visible on her face.

“These men… they belonged to the Bractin Gang.” Seeing the looks of confusion on his comrades’ faces, he began explaining. “The Bractin Gang is a bandit group led by their leader, Amadil Bractin. He controls large swathes of territory past our southern borders, and his forces are large enough that he was able to seize our southern principalities from us. We eventually agreed to peace; three years ago, we agreed to allow him and his forces safe passage through our lands, and in return, they would not raid our towns and villages. I know not why they have ventured this far past their territory, but I am afraid we have gained the ire of their leader.”

Donnager sighed, “Damn. Let’s report this to command. Sarah, tell them we were attacked by bandits and their leader might go to war because of all that treaty stuff. If possible, request for a surveillance drone and reinforcements. Some Apaches would do quite nicely if we were ever to be under attack.”

“On it, sir. Command, this is Alpha Team…”

“Okay everyone. Get some rest. Tomorrow’s — ah, today’s a big day.”

—

10:13 A.M.

The excavation team just finished their work, having cleared the rubble from the silvery blast door that guarded the base of the mountain.

“Holy shit, it’s like Halo…” Alex gasped.

“Now, I’m no anthropologist but even I can see that this is wayyy too advanced for the civilizations we’ve encountered thus far,” Oppenheimer remarked.

“Areas like this have been here since the dawn of our world, even before the era of the Axon Empire, before the Divinians had built their first city.”

“How interesting.” Jones marveled at the architecture and design of the door. It resembled a blast door from a nuclear bunker inside a mountain, except it looked much more elegant. By the door, there was some sort of interface, upon which Jones placed his hand. Suddenly, the door began to open, two sides of the door retracting into their respective compartments, left and right, as if they were sliding. The soldiers readied their rifles, unsure about the contents of this bunker.

“What did you just do?” Donnager asked, analyzing for possible threats.

A stern look on his face, Jones replied. “I opened Pandora’s box.”