It was the first week of October, and the rain started to fall. Andrey was in the middle of a lecture, taking notes as the lecturer tried to humor the class with 25th-century History. Obsolete but precious as she says, " There wouldn't be a Federation of Asteroth without it" she said when another lecturer interrupted the season whilst panting like a dog who chased a rat.

" Breach, I presume Susan." Said the lecturer.

" No, just Kempf." Said the interrupter, still trying to catch her breath.

" What Kampf?"

" That Kempf, Adelaide!" Said Susan pointing literally at Kemf as the entire class looks at him.

Kempf's face was a blank space of emotions as he remarked: " Being new here, I'll say wow! You people just couldn't stop giving welcoming parties. It is the second one so far this year. I'm impressed." He clapped as he finished. One could barely notice a sense of mockery in his tone.

" Kempf, this is Important. You've been summoned by the University President. You are to meet him ASAP!"

"Okay, just let me pack my things, drop them in the locker, and.."

"Just bring your bag with you." She interrupted and took herself out of sight.

Andrey moved with haste to reach the office. On the way, he met Irina and gave her a tender smile. A security guard saw him and raised his hand before screaming: " Halt! No running in the Hallway!" Andrey threw him the pass Susan gave before galloping away and shouting: "Summoned!"

He reached the office panting, the door opened before he could knock. He was greeted by the secretary who told him to hit the quarters, he did so and saw the President reading a letter.

" Ah Kempf, finally you're here. Didn't expect you to be this early, you still had five more minutes left." He said as Kempf panted.

"You think! Ms. Großland said ASAP."

"For her, not for you." He chuckled and motioned him to sit.

"A few days ago, I received a letter addressed to you." He stated before showing him the luxuriously white paper with majestic handwriting.

'Mom.' Kempf thought as soon as he saw the first sentence of the letter.

"It says here that, they want a word with you. And it's very Important concerning family matters. A shuttle awaits you in the capital and you are expected to board at exactly 1700hrs."

"Nice, at least they gave me time to eat lunch." Kempf scoffed.

"Now for your information, I've already processed a pass for you. And I expect you to be present tomorrow. There's something you need to know by that time." He said as he stared death in his eyes.

"And I do mean important thing you must know." He added.

"And that would be all Mr. Kemf, and do approach bus number eight. I've arranged for the driver to take you to our train station."

Kempf stood and took a low bow, before proceeding.

The bus ride was quick and so he bought tickets for the ride, before stumbling on a weeping eight-year-old boy. Kempf matched the boy's height, kneeling on one knee.

"What's up kiddo? Are you lost?"

"Hhhhelllp me!" The kid whispered to his ear. The kid's words were a bit alarming that he pondered for a few seconds. That is until the mother came and swiftly scooped the kid into her arms. The kid had an obvious look of despair in his eyes as if captured by a predator. Both the mother and the kid looked the same as if siblings. The kid had good genes; the mom was a MILF as he judged. Still, he can't but wonder: "What's wrong with single mother's in this country?"

This is not the first time he saw this. A few days back, he noticed that kids especially boys with single mothers are not the most cheery people you can find. It's almost as if they are constantly asking for help, or are resigned to a damned fate. They are universally gloomy.

His conclusion was a gloomy one. If a sibling and a mother doting and lusting for a male offspring is nothing of concern and instead is a fantasy for the normal places while if the roles were reversed it becomes a horror story, then the situation here might be related? The natives here had males with the lowest libido available that he never noticed them rank their female classmates in attractiveness ever since he came. Quite the opposite, it was the girls' catcalling the dudes while the dudes were either minding their business playing games or reading ebooks.

"Was that kid raped?" He thought and felt his guts churn! "Maybe it's too early to guess." He finally let go of that thought, however, even seeing the faces of the kids in this enclosed area of the station did not help

This left him thinking of the pass that the President Issued him during the Fourteenth. He wondered if whether the recent incident he witnessed was connected somehow.

***

Federation Space

FIS Bittenmaul

1900hrs N.D.

Kempf left the shuttle just as the door opened. The interior was lit with lights that could blind a man, the walls near skeletal but good enough for the protection needed and the crew were extremely busy with their duties. An old man wearing a black coat, and in the garments of a butler approached him from the back as he got out.

" A fine ship, isn't she sir?" The man said in a fine voice.

" For Heaven's sake Willibad! You nearly shocked me!" Andrey said smiling as they both embraced. It was a happy time for Andrey as this was his caretaker. The man who kept him happy and safe all those years, now with him once again. They chatted about their experiences and personal matters for minutes on end as Willibald led his protégé to the VIP lounge where his parents are waiting.

The lounge was beset by a darker tone. The Seats, Curtains, and walls were of a darker rendition. The lighting was that of moonlight. And the air was filled with sadder tones than one would prefer to let out.

Kempf was, by all means, a physical reflection of his father. To the point where one could mistake him for a clone. That eye, hair, cheek, nose, brow, and lips. More like a clone than a twin.

" Son, I've overheard that you have left the house and transferred schools without our consent. May we ask why?" His father said devoid of emotion.

Andrey sat silently for a moment before digging his hand on his coat and pulled out two folded pieces of paper.

"I believe you remembered these." He handed the two pieces only to see his father carve the base of his skull with his nails. His mother came, and after messing with Andrey's hair, approached his dad. Only to have the same result.

"I'm very sorry to tell you son, but I didn't receive this letter. in actuality, this is my first time reading this." The old man said as his hands gripped the reply letter, harshly.

"What the hell did you mean by that?" Andrey stood up.

"Check my dropbox, you'll see I received none." He said as Andrey approached the PC to access the database. Both of his arms shook and clenched a fist.

"Anyway, why'd you leave Ostland for Azuna in the first place. Wasn't the school good enough?" At this juncture, Andrey's parents sat near a table. And he nearly smashed the said table into two with his bare hands.

" Good enough! Being tortured by your classmates every morning is good enough, discriminated against because of birthright is good enough, going home beaten up is good enough, waking up every morning to remind yourself never to trust anyone is good enough? Or losing your heart and virginity to someone who never loved you and used you to destroy your parents is good enough!"

"That's enough Andrey!" His mother scolded.

"Hmmph, If the intent of this meeting is to persuade me to go back to Ostland. Then you better start digging a grave. I'll be back and soon enough you'll find me in the hole you dug." Cold and remorseless was the reply.

"The plan was for you to return to Ostland so you can both claim rights in the company and report on the current situation."

"(Scoffs) I can't even send an old-fashioned letter to you. And you expect me to act as a spy? I'll take my chances thank you."

" And your inheritance Andrey? Don't you want it?" His mother claimed.

" Thirdborns can't claim an inheritance, they work for themselves. And even if those two were to be assassinated, haha I'll tell you. They survived twenty assassination attempts. Each cost me a mauled back and a gunshot wound. I even shot an assassin with my sporting pistol before he could silence a maid. I couldn't see a chance in my birthright."

The arguments went on until his parents found something inherently unproductive in their attempts. Their son was already a living personification of nihilism. Losing hope too early in life, but one thing lingered in his father's eye: Would he be better off in a land of danger than of luxury?

" Andrey, would you find happiness living in that land of death and dangers?"

"If it meant dying with those boring, tan-skinned bastards. Then yes, I have somebody substantial there you see. I can't waste this opportunity."

"You must know that we won't be funding you in Azuna, right?"

"I have enough money to last me eight hundred years in Harkov. If I exercise discipline, that is."

"Then it's settled, just as Mr. Brock expected." His father exclaimed.

"The university president? How did you know him?"

"We grew up in Azuna, of course, we know him. Oh, and before you leave, take this with you." The old man said as he passed a diary to his son.

"Who gave this to you?"

"Damien Merkatz Markhova, satisfied now?"

At this juncture Andrey said nothing. He stared at the diary-like statue, for inside a blast of emotions plagued his mind.

" I'll show myself out. Besides, It's getting late. And I still have a class to attend tomorrow." Andrey said without a line in his face moving nor eyebrows stirring.

Before he could open the door, his father mentioned something about a person who will be watching over him. And that he must watch over him too. This sounded cryptic in his ears but a good piece of information nonetheless.

As he approached the shuttle, Willibald appeared out of nowhere and said: "Sir wait!" Scaring the wits out of Andrey.

"Willibald, the hell!" Andrey said panting.

"You must take this, it is imperative that you do not open this box until you reach your home." Willibald handed him the box and whispered in his ear:

" In the next five months, a crisis will arise. Azuna is the focal point of this muck and will first hit Harkov. Hoard food, munitions, supplies, and if possible buy a bunker."

"Where did you get this information?"

" Major General Von Himmel. He's been visiting us for a while, generously giving information and constantly asking for donations. That is, in terms of Guns and military hardware. Your father gave him enough weapons to arm the entire city, though that's a dumb move since everybody is armed to the teeth there. Anyway, that's all I can give, Gut Glück."

"Danke! my fründ" Andrey expressed his gratitude to his trusted friend. And boarded the shuttle.

The shuttle flew out of the airlock. And headed straight toward the nearby planet. He looked at the circular window to his right. ' Gazing upon the infinite abyss of space for another thirty minutes' Andrey thought to himself as he looked at the dark region of space available with his line of sight.

Looking at the shuttle's stubby wings reminded him that this was once an ordinary and cheap piece of junk. When Andrey was young, his father once took him to a junkyard. His father told him to find something he seems interested in, and he would restore it anew.

Andrey stumbled upon two things: an old, rusted, and ruined handheld multi-barrelled machinegun and an old, rusty but still salvageable shuttle. He returned and asked for both. His father laughed and said: " Pick only one, not both." Andrey only replied: "I want the plane fixed, and the Gun placed underneath the cockpit." His father laughed harder and said: " Okay, but what would you like to call it?" Andrey approached the shuttle and thought it looked like a chicken, a duck, a goose 'Wait! No, a swan' he concluded.

The design of this airborne vehicle is odd. It had stubby wings, two engine ports, an oblong or fat fuselage, and a cockpit that appears like a duck's head with a neck connecting its body. Underneath the cockpit is an inverse sloping and in the sloping is an area where nothing is placed nor utilized. It is notably good enough to house a 75mm cannon with an autoloader.

The design was weird indeed. Too few bought this shuttle due to its Spartan-like amenities, bad maneuverability, and overall aesthetic. The only redeeming factor of this design is its cost, efficiency, and customizable features.

"Swan, I want to call it Swan!" Andrey exclaimed.

"Hahaha, what once was the Young and Junker's Model 18 is now the Frigattur S90 Swan." His father said laughing once again.

" I like it, Dad," Andrey said as his father smiled.

He was just a four-year-old back then. And those were his golden days, a memory thought lost.

But in the midst of everything he looked at the box and darkness filled his mind. Doubt, distrust, fear, and paranoid thoughts filled his head and drowned his ears. He looked at his watch and thought "Fifteen minutes of daydreaming, fifteen minutes good enough to do something." He tried to guess its purpose and its content, but couldn't get a precise answer. At last, he prepared for the worst there is, for there could be no other possibility left to choose.

"It could be a bomb."

He thought the possibility of the content to be nothing but a remote-controlled bomb or a boobytrap bomb instead. Detonating it here in space could mean far lesser casualties than having it detonate in the apartment. ' What greater significance could three people be to an entire planet, far better to die here than die below.' He thought.

He looked at his watch and cursed his luck: five minutes past fifteen, five more minutes before atmospheric reentry. He took a deep breath and opened the box. What he found surprised him!

The box contained a metallic armband, a metallic ball, and a rosary with a legged cross. All with buttons he could not understand.

"Thinking too much again eh!" He said as he grinned and laughed for nearly ten minutes straight, the co-pilot was sweating, concerned about the passenger's sanity!

***

The next day

1100hrs

Summoned to the Dean's office, Andrey took a detour to the men's room and washed his face. He noticed something odd.

His hair looked gray and his eyes were green in the mirror. Thinking it was his mind playing tricks on him, he shrugged it off and proceeded to the dean's office. The dean told him to sit down, as they waited for someone to arrive. A few moments later, a boy with grey hair and green eyes arrived. It appears that the image he saw in the mirror wasn't an illusion but rather someone else.

He gazed upon the newcomer with dire intent. And found out that the only difference between him and the newbie was a scar on the newcomer's left cheek.

Without notice, Katya opened the door whilst the two were standing gazing at each other.

"Andrey let's go. I've booked a seat." She said oblivious to the newcomer's presence as the two turned their heads towards her. She let out a scream as a banshee does before the funeral.

The two returned to their gazing and afterward, both smiled. They said: "Die Bastarde!"

"Both were no doubt almost akin to clones. The same looks, same bodies, and the same mindsets. Were they twins or clones? And for what." Those were the thoughts of the President's secretary as she looked at the two before they looked at each other once again and made Hysteria fill the room.