Half of his left arm is torn off. There is barely any blood dripping. The tip of the broken bone is visible while the rest of it is covered with his torn flesh. His right hand is tightly gripping a long sword; its blade is pearl white with a very noticeable sharpness that could cut nearly anything. The handle is obsidian black with dark white strands that attach onto the user's hand, making it harder to drop the sword in battle. The pommel and handguard, golden in color, shone brightly into everyone's eyes even in the heat of the battle.

His Armor is of pure magical silver that never gets dirty or withers. The vivid colors of the shining armor, pommel, and handguard shine from miles away, attracting the attention of both the enemies and allies. Spiral patterns of gleaming gold are engraved all around the Armor. While most of the breastplate is covered with silver, its center has an emblem of an all-seeing eye in a spiky circle entirely made out of gold. The Armor on his torn arm is completely gone, only fragmented pauldron remaining.

His name is Recai

He holds his right arm up and positions both his legs in a defense stance. There he stands with his feet firmly attached to the ground in front of Ralos who is sitting on a large golden throne. Its arms are polished with a seat made out of the most exotic white fur. The throne is so huge that you could hardly see the top of it. The throne room is empty and does not contain any furniture; it has two windows on each side with massive red curtains covering them. An enormous hole is also seen in the ceiling with rubble right beneath it.

Recai’s breath is steaming out of his helmet, and not because of the cold but because he has exceeded his limits both physically and mentally, only his willpower alone keeping him standing.

Although a silver helmet covers his face, you could tell that he is exhausted. You could see his bright eyes through the little gaps in the front of the helmet staring at his opponent with full focus.

"My offer is still available" A heavy voice echoed throughout the throne room.

Recai looked to the shadows in front of him. A tall body entirely covered in armor sitting before him. No weak points to be seen. The metal plating of his armor represents the color of darkness itself while his eyes glimmer of purple color wrapped in the shade.

One of his enormous hands tightly grip a massive black sword with a dark purple outline. There are white runes embedded into the blade, enhancing the user and boosting his abilities. The handle and the pommel are of dark greyish color, with a diagonal dark rest striped pattern. The sword has no handguard which is very abnormal as it allows the opponent to strike the wielder’s hand without complications. Although the hand is completely exposed, its absence allows more complex techniques to be performed.

His original name is unknown however the aliens call him Ralos The Annihilator.

Although Ralos is a human, a lot of people see him as something else. Some say he is a being from another world while others claim that he has been genetically modified to be the perfect human. His abilities dramatically exceed the ones of a human and his physical state has surpassed what was thought to be possible. Not only is he able to freely move with weight over two hundred kilograms, but he is also faster, stronger and more robust than a normal human being. Not much is known about his mental state but it is very clear that it surpasses the humans.

Usually Ralos wields two weapons instead of one, the missing weapon is a plasma cannon that was destroyed in the earlier battle between him and Recai. He would use the plasma when his enemy is too far away and switch to a sword in close combat.

"Sorry, not interested" Recai responded while still trying to catch his breath from an earlier battle.

"Why is that?" Ralos asked with anger in his voice.

"Why do you think?" You could not see Recai’s face but it was clear that the question amused him.

"I take that as a no" The anger in Ralos’s voice died down as he understood the conversation would prove to be pointless.

A moment later Recai's loud voice could be heard echoing throughout the throne hall once again. Desperately trying to reignite the conversation.

"You haven't answered my question!"

I should stall as much time as I can, I need time to recover at least some energy.

"...There is no need” Ralos replied while his heavy body lifted itself from the throne

Shit, I need to stall for a little bit longer or I am fucked.

"Come on Ralos. I want to know" Desperation could be heard in Recai's voice while his hand tightly gripped the sword’s handle.

"To cure your curiosity, I thought some part of humanity was still left in you...I was wrong."

Fuck humanity. Recai thought, nearly spitting the words through his mouth.

"I had. No. Choice!" He grit his teeth as he spat out in anger.

But his words could not stop Ralos from readying his weapon once again. As soon as Recai realized that the small talk is over he too prepared his weapon. Ready to take his opponent head-on.

His breathing now more stable than before. While Recai's energy levels have risen since the start, he only has the power to defend and perform one attack.

Okay, okay, think, think. I don't have much energy, so if I attack him right now, he would block and counter me. Due to my injuries, I would not be able to dodge it. What about running? Hmm, no, he would quickly catch up and kill me. He will surely attack again, so I will defend and try to counter him with a powerful blow that will hopefully be enough to kill him. Come on, come at me Ralos, take as much time as you need, the longer you take, the higher my chances of survival.

Silence.

Only sounds of wind accompanied by noises of a faraway battle.

A situation of life and death...Yet the atmosphere feels tranquil. A rather peaceful moment in a long struggle between the two enormous powers.

Both opponents are looking at each other with full focus, waiting for one another to make a move.

The silence broke with a simultaneous move from both sides. In an instant two glimmering swords clashed with ultimate force, drastically changing the aura of the environment. As the two powers collided, dark and uncontrollable lighting formed around the clashed blades, destroying everything it touched while nearby rubble and rocks became weightless in this now unbelievably tense atmosphere.

Their concealed eyes are now gazing at each other as their bodies desperately try to overthrow one another. Recai gripped his sword tightly as he felt Ralos's enormous power slowly pushing him back. To avoid an unfavorable position Recai quickly disengaged and dashed backward with incredible speed, however his opponent was quick to react and attacked him again keeping the pressure high. Recai kept blocking the attacks while simultaneously fleeing from his opponent, one single misstep and it would be over. The two powers continued clashing with each other, neither making any mistakes.

Ralos grew tired of playing cat and mouse and unleashed a shining dark orb from his palm. Aiming for Recai it flew straight at him with unbelievable speed, twisting itself and looping around the hall to confuse the target. Not being able to dodge due to his injuries it exploded as soon as it touched Recai's body.

The smoke from the explosion is now covering the throne hall, without hesitation Ralos attacked blindly through the smoke. Although he had no vision of his opponent he trusted his other four senses to do the work. Ralos struck the blind spot with a mighty blow; as his sword struck the ground all the surrounding smoke and dust instantly cleared.

Yet Recai was nowhere to be seen.

What!? Confusion spread through Ralos’s mind

Not only was Recai uninjured but he managed to get himself behind his confused opponent. He lowered his sword next to his waist and pushed it forward with all his might, trying to perform a successful backstab. Ralos however was quick to realize the situation, he quickly lifted his sword and swung it around with his body, ultimately blocking the backstab and turning himself around.

Although Ralos prevented the attack he fled and distanced himself from Recai, awaiting another attack to come flying his way.

However no attack came.

Ralos examined his opponent more closely and realized that Recai is on his limits. His body is shaking while his eyes are not even focused on Ralos. His golden armor is now losing color and not glowing as vibrant as it used to be.

This is my chance

He is too tired to dodge any attacks so I will put in all my power into this one blow. If all goes well it should be enough to kill the bastard.

Ralos gripped his sword with two hands and charged towards Recai without leaving him time to recover.

Ralos’s attack is potent however it has its flaws, its speed is too slow and could be easily dodged by the opponent; however due to Recai's injuries and inability to move at his usual speed, it could now be performed successfully.

Recai knows he will not be able to dodge the blow; he has no other option than to stand still and block it.

Both swords clashed with an unbelievable might, sparks of dark lightning could be seen once again flying around the room. Little by little Ralos’s sword pushed Recai back.

"HAAAA!!!!”

With a loud scream, Ralos overthrew Recai and broke his sword in half. Delivering a mighty blow to Recai's trapezius the blade went through the remaining armor like butter, almost cutting him in half and stopping at his lungs. Without the armor, the blade would undoubtedly cut Recai in half.

Recai body remained conscious only for a few seconds after the blow was struck. As his lifeless body began falling Ralos took out his sword and stepped aside watching it drop dead in front of him.

A moment later Ralos walked to the front of the body and looked down at it. He positioned his sword at the center of Recai’s body in piercing position, ready to finish the job.

“Die”

Ralos pushed down the sword with little energy he has left for it only to be blocked by an armored hand that appeared out of nowhere. His body got pushed back a few meters while his sword flew in the air and striked the ground beside him. Ralos’s eyes quickly glanced around the room only to find two female humanoids standing beside Recai. One of them is treating his wounds while the other is standing still in a defensive position fully focused on Ralos.

With his body posture fixed Ralos pulled the sword from the ground.

“You are late to the party” He said jokingly while pointing his sword at them

The two female humanoids started speaking to each other with neither losing any focus on their tasks. The language is different to humans so Ralos cannot understand what they are saying

“Is he alive?”

“Barely, we need to get him to the temple right now”

“But what about Ralos!? He should pay for what he did!”

“Are you mad? We cannot win against him, if Recai can’t none of us can.”

The humanoid female that is not treating Recai’s wounds grinded her teeth as she looked at Ralos

Ralos laughed loudly as he saw the anger in the humanoids eyes.

“Are you angry?”

“Come at me and I will show you what will happen” Ralos carries on teasing them even though they do not understand a word he says

“Asti let’s go we don’t have time” The humanoid that was treating Recai’s wounds said as she put him on her back and shoulders.

With Recai safely secured they both swiftly made their escape through the hole in the ceiling, using only feet they easily wall climbed all the way to the top in only few seconds

“He is not chasing us?” The humanoid that was not carrying Recai said as she looked down at Ralos

“Doesn’t matter, we need to get away from here as quick as possible”

A few moments later the humanoids were out of sight, only a blood puddle left from where they were positioned.

Seeing that they were out of sight Ralos put away his sword.

Barely able to stand he proceeded towards the door that led to the balcony. The balcony overlooks a substantial part of the land that is covered in forests where an alien race lives. From above no one would be able to tell that the forest is inhabited by life however beneath it all a prosperous city exists. Its streets as well as the houses are all made out of stone with no metal to be seen. On the edge of the town, a large temple is present that is very sacred to the aliens and often is the place where they perform rituals to please their gods.

As Ralos came out to the balcony, he could see massive spaceships spitting out fiery napalm that burned everything to ash. You could hear aliens scream in agony as their skin and body burnt to a crisp. You could hear the children's crying as human soldiers forced their way into their homes, exterminating families like pests. All around the forest hundreds and thousands of aliens are brought together in one big group for an easier extermination. Children, women, men, all dropping to the ground one by one. Their lifeless bodies are then thrown into the nearby fires, decreasing the time needed to clean up after the massacre.

The soldiers that are performing these orders are called Exitiums, emotionless elites that will fulfill any request given to them. This mission does not require Exitiums because of their extermination abilities, but because of their mental skills. Unlike a combat marine Exitiums have an unbelievable amount of war experience. If combat Marines are ordered to exterminate newborn as well as unarmed aliens it could potentially affect their mental state, it can also lead to combat Marines letting aliens escape which would be an act of treason. Exitiums are the most loyal soldiers and would never do anything to betray their leaders.

Ralos looked all around the land, making sure everything is going according to the plan. Ralos placed his finger on the helmet where his ear is located; a second later a voice could be heard.

"Sir?" It was the voice of a captain in charge of the Exitiums

"The mission was a success, carry on with the plan" Ralos said in cold voice. His facial expression did not change. No happiness yet sadness is visible on his face. Just emptiness.

"Yes Sir" The voice replied, sounding more enthusiastic than before.

Ralos lifted his right arm and turned his head towards it, looking straight at the armor that is covering his arm.

Not only is the armor equipped with the latest technologies like advanced AI but it is also made out of a rare material called Shadow Bone.

Humans found Shadow Bone while exploring planets in their colonization expedition. They decided to explore deep space and stumbled upon a small planet located hundreds of light years away from earth.

While the planet was not fit for human civilization, it possessed rich minerals and resources that would greatly benefit humanity. One of the sturdiest materials found on the planet was the Shadow Bone. Not only is it stronger than any material found on earth, but it is also extremely lightweight and versatile. As soon as this material was delivered to earth, scientists were able to reform the material and use it in all kinds of ways. It can be easily mistaken with Carbon due to the color similarities.

After examining his armor Ralos let out a deep sigh

No one could tell but Ralos was on the verge of defeat when he battled Recai in the throne room. Ralos suffered multiple blows in their previous battles, he pretended that they had no effect on him as not to boost his opponent's morale, but in reality he nearly lost the fight.

This was the first time Ralos went against a strong opponent, a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment spread through him. This battle, as well as his new scars will be a constant reminder.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Ward woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweat; his whole body trembling whiles his mind trying to comprehend his existence. His breathing is rapid while the hearth accelerated beyond normal. He looked around the room but was only greeted with darkness, the eyes yet to adapt. His eardrums could only pick up his roommate's breathing as well as the sound of the ventilation system in the room. He tried to wipe off the sweat from his forehead but noticed that his hands had clenched the bedsheet refusing to let go. Ward started breathing in and out slowly to try and counter hyperventilation; it seemed to help as a few seconds later his hands have let go off the bedsheets and he was now able to move more freely. He put both of his hands on his face and covered his eyes for a brief moment — his heart and breathing now more stable.

What...was that?

What the hell happened to me? This dream. No, a nightmare Felt...so real.

Ward heavily exhaled and slowly descended his upper back. His bare skin touching the moist sheet caused by his sweat, while the sensation is uncomfortable, Ward doesn't care; his mind entirely focused on remembering every single detail from the nightmare. He fell asleep soon after without even noticing.

The spacecraft in which Ward is stationed has been designed to have a lot of small rooms where soldiers can rest. Most rooms would be able to fit two soldiers with ease and also provided space for personal belongings. Lucky for Ward he has been stationed in a bigger room due to communication issues with the HQ. The room’s interior is mostly made out of metal, while it did not give a cozy feeling; it makes the room feel more secure. Other basic human needs are provided in a different area on the ship; the cafeteria is located in the center of the spaceship to provide easy access to all personnel on board, while lavatories are scattered across the spacecraft.

"Ward..." a quiet voice whispered.

A few seconds later the quiet voice transformed into a loud shout.

"Ward!"

Wards body felt heavy and lazy, his muscles still sore from yesterday's exercise. He slowly opened his eyes and then turned to a side. He could not identify the figure in front of him due to sleep inertia and the darkness in the room, but his ears recognized the voice

"Come on man, you going to be late to the assembly.” A now more familiar voice could be heard once again

With Ward's mind slowly waking up every second, he recognized the silhouette standing in front of him; it was his roommate Lewis. Lewis is of average height, medium build, and light complexion. His hair is short, bright and blonde. His flat cheeks are covered with freckles while his lips are pale and small. The eyes however take all the attention. His iris is of dark blue with lingering colors of grey, it is notably easier to see his iris due to the broad shape of his eyes. While Lewis is an outgoing person, he is very short tempered. It reached to the point where he had to take professional help back on earth to control his temper.

"What time is it?” Ward slowly muttered.

"It's 6:30 am. We have an assembly in 30 Minutes."

Every Monday morning all soldiers on the spacecraft are assembled to receive commands. It is also time where soldiers can send and receive messages from family and friends. Soldiers do not carry personal communication devices as they are unable to communicate on vast distances.

"Do I really need to attend it?” Ward said with a yawn, his hands now crossed and tucked behind his head on a pillow.

"Of course you do, it's an order from the captain” Lewis replied with a more serious tone.

"It's just a waste of time. Cleaning lavatory is more useful than this" Ward said half-jokingly

Of course, that's not what he thought; Ward knew that assemblies were essential in this situation. They kept the morale high as people receive heart-warming messages from their family and friends. The assemblies also enabled soldiers to receive important commands from HQ in one go.

The real reason Ward did not like the assemblies is that no one was there so sent messages to him. His family does not care about him, and he barely had any friends while he was living on earth, so no one ever sends him messages.

"Come on, chop-chop” With those words Lewis energetically walked out of the room.

This guy has too much energy - A thought passed Ward's mind.

With the help from his hands Ward slowly lifted his body off the bed and stood up, his bare feet felt the cold metal floor while his body shivered from the cold. He grabbed his old clothes that were hanging on a chair and put them on. After dressing up, he turned around and reached for the new pair of green clothes from the small cupboard below his bed. These clothes were a pair of boxers, trousers, shirt, socks, and boots. The clothes are provided by the army, while they lack design, the quality is remarkable.

With new clothes in his hand, Ward headed for the door to the corridor. Ward stepped out and turned right without hesitation; he has been on the ship for a month now so he knows his way around the corridors pretty well. The hallways themselves are quite extensive and mostly empty as the majority of people are already in the main hall waiting for the assembly to start.

When Ward arrived at the lavatory, he took off his clothes and used laundry shoot to throw them away. All of the dirty clothes get washed at the end of the week, it doesn't matter if they get mixed up as the spacecraft crew cleans and dispenses the clothes based on size around the rooms.

Ward stepped into the shower shutting the curtains behind him, only one button present in front of him. With a light press cold water began pouring down on his bare body, slowly turning warm to his satisfaction. He proceeded to have a casual shower and scrub his body clean. Ward would usually have long and thoughtful showers, but due to the assembly this was not possible.

After showering, his naked body left the small shower cabin and he proceeded to dry himself with a dry white towel that was hanging on a hook next to him. His body is skinny yet very sturdy and fit, he doesn't have much visible chest or pubic hair. Only a small trail of hair is visible going down from his bellybutton to his genitals.

After drying his body, he put on his new clothes and proceeded to the sink to brush his teeth. His hands firmly gripped the edges of the sink so his body could rest while his brown eyes met the mirror's reflection.

His short black hair is still wet from the earlier shower while his body is mostly dry. Lucky enough Ward does not possess any scars or battle marks on his body although a small scar is present next to his right cheek. Upon a better inspection of his face Ward found some crust next to his eyes that have not been washed away by the shower, he filled his hands with water and splashed his face while trying to pick out all the crust with his fingers.

Next to the sink is a basket full of identical disposable toothbrushes and few tubes of toothpaste, all of the toothbrushes are individually wrapped in their own wrappers to prevent contamination.

Ward took one of the toothbrushes and processed to brush his teeth.

Hmm, I wonder what the new orders are. It’s most likely another delivery mission as always. I hate this. I didn't sing up for scouts to deliver cargo. False advertisement at its finest.

Ward spat out a mixture of saliva, toothpaste, and blood on to the sink, he then cupped his hands and filled them with water to rinse out his mouth.

Blood again, I should visit a dentist when I get back to earth. Now that I can afford one.

After brushing his teeth, Ward threw the disposable toothbrush in the bin and looked at his watch.

Hmm.6:49, I still have time to get some breakfast

Ward stepped into the empty corridor and started walking to the cafeteria. As he walks the empty corridors a feeling of tranquility came upon him, the sound of silence is what Ward loved, and this is the only time he could enjoy it.

As he approached the cafeteria, an extensive menu sign next to the entrance showed all the menus of each day.

The menu

Monday – Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tuesday – Sweet Potatoes and Curry

Wednesday - Chicken, and Rice

Thursday – Beef Stew

Friday – Pizza and Ice Cream as a Desert

Saturday – Pasta and Chicken

Sunday – Fish, and Rice

Due to the modern technology soldiers would only need to have one meal a day. One technology advanced meal can easily substitute three regular meals that people have back on earth. Not only is it more convenient to serve this food due to its properties, but it also saves a lot of space in the spacecraft as fewer ingredients are needed to be stored. The cafeteria would serve different food every day however the breakfast would always be the same. Toast and Eggs.

As Ward entered the cafeteria the smell of eggs and toasts filled his nostrils. The cafeteria itself is filled with dining tables and chairs that are all placed in a line, a couple of these lines are spread out equally through the cafeteria, saving a lot of space and allowing easy access to the serving desk and exit. All the way in the back is the serving desk where people would get their food. The cafeteria is practically empty today as most people have already left for the assembly. There are about five people in the cafeteria, two of them are part of the navigation crew while the other three are engineers.

Ward walked to the desk where he found out that all of the food was already out for him to take. He took one toast without a plate to eat on the go and headed out for the exit.

The time is 6:55 am. Ward is on his way to the main hall while chewing on the last part of the toast. As he walked through corridors, his eyes would always look to the side where the windows are located. All he could see is a vast amount of space, stars and one planet in the distant. His mind is always wrapped with thoughts of leaving everything and flying away to a distant unknown world where no one would know who he is, to start a new life and live by your own rules. Thoughts like that would often cross his mind.

With his eyes still focused on the stars outside, he sighed powerlessly while acknowledging that these thoughts were nothing more than a small dream of his. Ward slapped his cheeks to get his mind straight and carried on walking to the main hall.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

"Attention!”

A loud voice was heard throughout the hall. It came from Captain William who is in charge of the platoon. The captain is a tall bald man with black complexion; he has few scars on his face showing that he has a lot of experience in combat. He is also in possession of a scary aura around him, indicating that he is not to be joked around with. He is standing on a small platform that is located all the way at the back of the hall. The platform allows him to be heard and seen better by everyone in the assembly hall. As soon as the soldiers heard the voice, they all lined up in three separate horizontal lines.

"As some you may have heard we have received a new command from the HQ last night. We are to land and investigate a new planet by the code name Nealon 4. We are to land in one week”

The captain’s eyes glanced around the room before he continued to speak.

"There are a lot of messages from earth this week, if you believe you have one, stay in the hall, if not you are dismissed!"

"Yes, Sir!” All the soldiers shouted in unison

Ward was really excited by the news. The main reasons why he joined the scout unit in the first place were to explore the universe. While he and his unit did land on planets before, they are yet to explore an entirely new world where humanity has never been.

Everyone including Ward has to undergo different physical exercises while being on board the spacecraft, this rule was created so soldiers would always be physically fit and ready for immediate deployment.

Ward, now with a positive mental attitude set off to his room. As soon as he started walking through the corridors thoughts once again took over his mind and he arrived at his room without even realizing.

Upon arriving Ward laid down on his bed and took out his favorite book that was hidden under his bed. He quickly flipped through some pages, searching for the chapter he was on yesterday. Upon finding the chapter and reading the first word Ward's mind transported to a different world. Without even realizing an hour has passed and his reading was interrupted by his watch's beeping.

Already huh? - Ward thought while looking at his watch. Every day before gym Ward goes to the shooting range to practice his aim.

He closed his book and placed it back below his bed where no one could see it. He got up from laying position and sat on his bed, his hands stretched while his mouth let out a yawn. Due to the reading session Wards body felt heavy and lazy so it took him a few moments before he forced his body to stand up.

Ward left his room and proceeded to the shooting range via the corridors, the shooting range is not far and is located near the cargo bay so it would take 15 minutes to get there at most. Unlike other parts of the spaceship, shooting range is equipped with small security personnel to check if any guns or parts are stolen. The security check does not take long; one only needs to walk through metal detector upon entrance and exit. Before Ward entered the shooting range he could already hear shots being fired, ranging from small hand gun to heavy machine guns.

Ward passed the security check and entered the shooting range where he had to choose the weapon of his choice, as well as some ear protection against now ear-piercing shots. All of the weapons are laid out on the table so without hesitation Ward picked a massive sniper rifle called Vera-16. Vera-16 is a powerful sniper rifle that is capable of penetrating many surfaces with one shot. While its power is impressive it does have its share of problems; the gun is not mobile as it is incredibly heavy, it takes a long time to reload, and it makes a lot of noise once someone fires it. The gun is perfect to take out a target from a long distance, that's one of the reasons why this gun is favorite among the assassins.

Ward laid on his stomach, his breathing still while his right eye is looking through the scope. A target 300 meters away.

First shot fired

Headshot

Five seconds later another loud shot is fired

Headshot again

Ward's accuracy is remarkable and one of the best in his platoon. He would often practice with the gun so much that he started to develop dead skin on his fingers. Even back when Ward was a kid he loved playing around in his grandfather's armory, trying out new guns and keeping up with the latest weapon news. To this day it is still Wards passion, a dangerous one but a true one.

Ward’s watch beeped again, informing him that he needs to finish the target practice and head for the gym.

As he stood up, you could see that his elbows and arms have turned red due to the weapons weight pressing down on him while he was laying down. Ward picked up the heavy sniper rifle and set it back to its default setting with safety on. He placed the gun back on the table near the entrance where he originally picked it up.

After a swift security check Ward found himself once again in the corridors, this time making his way to the gym. Attending the gym every day is part of the soldier's duties; skipping exercise would lead to a lot of trouble with the HQ and the captain.

The fastest route to the gym is to walk through the living quarters where soldiers rest. Some of the rooms are open, indicating that someone is currently inside the room, be it resting or socializing with their roommate.

Ward walked through silent corridors, reminding him of scary movies he used to watch as a kid. Near the end of the corridor however Ward could hear voices coming from one of the open rooms.

A conversation? Ward thought.

The closer he got to the room the better he could understand the now less inaudible talk.

As soon as Ward was in range to hear the conversation perfectly, his footsteps slowed down.

He is now fully eavesdropping the conversation and occasionally looking back to make sure no one is present behind him. Ward could not see their faces but their voices are quiet similar, with one being a tiny bit heavier than the other

Same age perhaps…?

…

It's not really eavesdropping if they are loud right? Ward thought as he reassured his actions.

“I miss Anna” A more soft voice said

"Your girlfriend?" A heavier voice replied

"Yeah man. I haven't seen her for a whole year now. I wonder how she's been lately."

"She not sending you messages?"

"She is, but you know messages are one thing but talking to her face to face is completely different. Plus messages cannot be long, only about 100 words or so."

A short paused in a conversation before the other person continued to speak. In that short pause Ward experience a small heart attack as he thought he was exposed for eavesdropping.

"They said that after this mission we will have few weeks off and will be able to visit earth"

"I heard the same thing last mission and yet here I am"

"Really?...Weren't you mad?” A surprise could be heard in the man’s voice, it is very uncommon for a soldier not to be sent back to earth after a mission.

"I mean, it was quite vexing, but I didn't really have any plans back on earth, so I kinda got over it"

"You don't have a girlfriend right?"

"Nah, but I did meet this one cutie back in the HQ" The HQ is located on Mars and goes by the name Eos Foundation. Eos Foundation is in charge of human colonization, from sending scout units to infantry with war mechs.

"When did you have time to visit HQ?"

"Last month I was sent there to help transport cargo to our ship"

"…and how was it?"

"The HQ?"

"Yeah"

"It was huge. They have multiple bases all around mars with the biggest one being in the center.”

"Damn, that’s cool"

"Yeah, I think it was even bigger than the base back on earth."

"I wish I had a mission like that."

"You probably will in the future. “

…

“So what about the girl."

"Oh yeah. So, I am there you know, minding my own business waiting for the cargo to be loaded and then this cutie approaches me, I believe she is working as the cargo inspector? I am not too sure, but she is the person that makes sure I've got all the correct cargo loaded."

"and?"

"What you mean and? I double checked everything and went on with my business."

"Wow really? You didn't even ask for her number?"

"Why would I? The chances of me meeting her again are so fucking slim and plus, how would I call her? The signal doesn't reach that far"

"I guess you right...or you just pussied out."

"I am not John mate” The man chuckle

They both laughed and started talking about a different topic as Ward hastily passed the open the door to avoid suspicion.

While the conversation did not hold much interest, it made Ward think. The fact that you could laugh with someone, share your experiences and tales is what Ward misses. His whole life he did not have a lot of friends, but he still enjoyed talking to people about his life. His entire childhood Ward grew up without making friends, while he did make few mates when he attended the high school, they didn't last long as their interests shifted away over time. Ward real friend was his grandfather; he would often spend time with him in his armory and try out new guns with him. His grandfather served in the military and would often teach Ward the means of war and tactics. They would often spend time at the shooting range where Ward sharpened his accuracy and learned how to handle different guns. From plasma rifles to mechanical pistols.

"Remember Ward, making friends on the battlefield is like digging a hole, the deeper you dig the harder it is to get back up."

Ward remembered his grandfather's words and avoided making any friends on the spacecraft. Yet the loneliness gets to him.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Ward finally arrived at the gym and began his regular exercise. The gym has a lot of different equipment, from treadmills to complex body machines. Wards usual routine is forty minutes on cardio and twenty minutes on legs and arms. Cardio essential for scouts, when exploring a planet being able to run for a long time will save one’s life.

As a scout you have to exercise for one hour once per day, between 8 am - 7 pm.

To make sure that the soldiers exercise, the gym equipment is equipped with a tracker that will record the soldiers time on the machine. To use the equipment soldiers have to scan their fingerprint and wait for the tracker to respond. As soon as the tracker confirms the soldier's identity, the equipment automatically unlocks. Tracker sends all the data gathered to the HQ where they see if someone is slacking off or not performing.

Ward started running on the treadmill, increasing speed every 2 minutes. After achieving his desirable speed, he began imagining the future and his perfect life.

"Who is he?" A villager asked, his clothes tattered and his body weak from starvation

"His name is Ward." A different villager said

"Ward the Defender of mankind?"

"It is I Villagers. I will slay this evil beast and protect you all." A Knight said, standing strong while his silver armor reflects lights like a mirror.

A 3-meter beast stood in front of him with a sharp look in its eyes, its fur is of brown color with uncountable scars and old wounds. The beast's claws are deadly sharp while its teeth resemble the ones of a shark. If one to look at the creature a picture of a bear would come to mind, not a typical one but a mutant that is standing on two legs like a human. Its mouth is wide open with thick saliva dripping to the ground resembling a hungry predator looking at its pray.

A moment of silence before the battle between a man and a fiend. All the villagers are gone, watching the fray from the distance.

Without warning, the beast flung its heavy body towards the hero, its massive arm with a sharp claw struck the heroes blade pushing him back a few meters. The hero did not expect the attack to be this fast due to the beast's body weight. One must not underestimate his opponent.

As soon as the hero got pushed back, another attack came not giving him a chance to regroup. This time instead of blocking the beasts attack hero decided to dodge and not spend energy on blocking. The heroes speed is substantially greater so avoiding the attacks did not prove to be a problem.

Another missed swing from the beast.

The hero quickly moves around the creature creating mirror images and confusing it while looking for openings. The beast's patience came to an end as it screeched in anger, with a roar the beast went into frenzy mode becoming faster and stronger with each second. The hero saw this opportunity and with one quick move pierced his sword through the thick fur right into the heart.

However—

*BEEP*

Suddenly a loud beep came from the treadmill, interrupting Wards daydreaming session. A moment later treadmill started slowing down before stopping completely. Ward looked at his watch and realized that 40 minutes have passed.

Oh, come on! I was getting to the good part. Ward thought as he stepped off the treadmill, his legs feeling funny as to yet understand that he is not moving anymore. He wiped off the sweat with his shirt and headed to a different sector in the gym, where he began his typical arms and legs exercise.

*BEEP*

Another beep coming from a watch this time, informing Ward that the time for gym was over. He glanced at his watch one more time to confirm the time and headed for the exit. Lunch starts at 12 pm and ends at 1:30 pm. On his way to the cafeteria Ward visited his room to change shirts; he kept the old one in his hand to throw away at the nearest lavatory.

Upon entering the cafeteria, the smell of meatballs and tomato quickly rushed to his nose, making his mouth water in an instant. He promptly slurped up the saliva so no one could see his dribbling mouth. The cafeteria itself is full of soldiers, nearly all of them are in their small groups, slightly reminding Ward of his high school days where all the kids would form their small groups.

Ward walked to the counter where the cooking staff served food. He grabbed a plate with a tray and stood in line. It wasn't long until Ward's plate was full of food with a cup of water on the side. He sat down on his own and started eating his food before beginning to daydreaming again.

As usual, soldiers would give Ward the looks; some would look at Ward with sympathy while new soldiers were curious. Back when he first joined the scouts people approached him, inviting him to their table at the cafeteria and trying to talk to him, yet Ward denied them all. Over time they stopped approaching him and let him mind his own business.

Ward finished his food and placed the dirty plate on top of other dishes that would then be washed by the kitchen staff. Current time is 12:30 pm so he still had 30 minutes of free time before he would be assigned a task. These tasks vary from helping out in the kitchen to transporting cargo across the ship. Every two days soldiers have a combat examination. Combat examination includes a physical test, weapon maintenance test, and first aid test. All soldiers should be able to complete them without a problem; if one fails to do so extra lessons would be assigned in the field that they failed in.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Ward set off to his room to carry on reading one of his favorite books called "Planets" by Early Kady. The book is an autobiography of a famous scientist-explorer who explored thousands of planets in his lifetime. The book contains statements that could not be explained by science or logic. After Kady released his autobiography he went on another journey across the space but did not return. Due to his sudden disappearance many conspiracy theories have been created, some even claiming that the government ordered for Kady’s disappearance as he leaked top secret government information. The only thing that is left is his autobiography that many people believe to be a key to finding his location.

After a quick read Ward headed to the assembly hall where he would receive tasks for the day. Upon arriving at the assembly hall Ward stood in line and waited for his turn to receive the task. At the start of the line, a member of the captain crew is present with a list of names and assignments.

The assignments range from spacewalks with engineers to cleaning lavatories and helping out in the kitchen.

"Next!" A man shouted while waiting for a different soldier to approach him. He is holding a clipboard with dozen of sheets.

"Name?" The man said without lifting his eyes off the sheet

"Ward"

The man flipped through the sheets while pointing his finger at the names.

"Ward.Ward.Ward. Got it. You are to help engineers today. Meet the engineer's supervisor at the cargo bay."

Ward nodded and proceeded to leave the assembly hall

“Next!”

With the new task, Ward set out to the cargo bay where engineers office is located; it is about 10 minute walk from the assembly hall. Cargo bay is a bustling location; it serves a very important role in the spacecraft as all the equipment as well as provisions for soldiers are stored there. It is also important to pay attention when walking through the cargo bay, accidents involving mechs happen very often.

Ward entered the cargo bay seeing a lot of people running around, everyone moving with haste trying to complete their tasks in time. Small man-operated mechs are also present in the cargo bay. Their primary objective is to carry heavy cargo and help around with heavy loads. They look very different to war mechs; they do not have any armor or any weapons, only different types of claws that help them carry cargo around the bay. They are also way smaller when compared to war mechs, making them more effective in the spacecraft.

Ward proceeded through the bay with care, trying not to get in the way of people working. He approached the small and portable office, its door wide open with one person sitting inside. The main inside is sitting opposite the door but is too busy looking at the monitor to notice Ward approach. Ward knocked on the open door with his knuckles, trying to catch the person’s attention.

"Hello, is this engineers office?" Ward said as soon as he saw the man notice him

"Yes it is, are you assigned to help out here today?"

"Yes," Ward said with a nod.

“What is your name?”

“Ward”

“All right just a sec” The man said while entering the name into the system. Sometimes soldiers get mixed up and complete tasks that were not assigned to them. In order to prevent that, all the names are passed through to the supervisors who checks if the soldier is in the right place.

"Perfect, my name is Kapor. I am one of the supervisors,"

"A group of engineers will come here shortly, and your task is to help them out, be it bringing them tools that they need or helping them repair equipment. Got it?"

"Yes Sir" Ward replied without hesitation.

"I will wait outside the office until their arrival."

Kapor looked back into the computer screen as Ward left the office

5 minutes later Ward had seen three engineers approach and entered the office; inaudible talk could be heard from the inside of the office, a few minutes later the engineers walked outside. They were all roughly the same height. They wore steel toe shoes with light yellow workwear dungarees and bright yellow hi-vis bomber jackets. They are also equipped with safety helmets and goggles.

"Your name Ward?" The man in the middle said

"Yes" Ward replied as fast as he could

"Perfect"

With the confirmation, they hastily started walking, Ward barely able to keep up.

"Did Kapor tell you what you need to do?" The same man asked

"Yeah, I have been informed of my tasks."

"All right great."

"Let me introduce everyone. My name is Tommy I am the head engineer of this group, the guy on my left is Bobby."

"What up dude, you can call me Bob," Bobby said with energetic voice, he is the shortest of them all, he has a large ginger beard and short ginger hair

"And on my right is Charles."

"Nice to meet you," A rather calm and smooth voice compared to others. Charles, on the other hand, is the tallest and the skinniest of the trio, he has long black hair and stubble black beard.

Tommy himself is of average height. His blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail, and unlike his co-workers his chin is cleanly shaven.

After the short introduction, the crew began talking about the tasks they had to fulfill today between themselves. Ward did not pay much attention to the conversation and carried on walking with them whilst thinking to himself.

"Ward" Tommy called out.

"Hmm?" Ward snapped out of his thoughts

"We are heading to the medical bay right now; we got a lot of tasks ahead of us today. So get ready."

"Got it" Ward replied

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Throughout the day, Ward followed the engineers. They've completed a lot of tasks all around the spacecraft, most of them were pretty dull and it is now time for the last task of the day.

"All right! Our last task is to fix one of the radio antennas outside the spacecraft" Tommy said while walking to the deployment chamber.

"Ward, have you been out on the spacewalks?"

"No"

"Well today is your lucky day, cause your ass is going out there and helping us out."

"...Got it" Ward replied with uncertainty. He has never been outside the ship; this is all pretty new to him.

Instead of using the main exit of the deployment chamber, engineers have a separate door to the outer space available only to them.

They arrived at a small room filled with spacesuits. These spacesuits are thin costumes that would wrap themselves around the body, unlike the spacesuits of the old generation these are far more technologically advanced. The material aids in optimizing the conditions inside the suit to ensure the person survival no matter what the conditions of the environment are. For example, you will not feel a difference when entering a new environment, be it change in temperature/pressure or radiation. The material is also very light and does not require one to undergo specialized training to wear it. All of the suits are of orange color with retroreflective strips wrapped around the suit.

Ward put on the suit as well as some special boots made out of the same material. There is no need for helmets, as space air regulators exist. When these advanced air regulators are connected to the spacesuit, they release energy that wraps around a person's head, allowing them to breathe and communicate through the radio without the need of a helmet and an oxygen tank. The air regulator is also implemented with an advanced A.I. Not only does it track the person's condition, it also displays the conditions of the environment that the person is in.

As soon as Ward equipped the air regulator, a robotic voice started talking.

Body temperature - 36.8°C

Hear rate - 84 BPM

Blood pressure - Stable

Neurotransmitters levels - Normal

Before heading out they all lined up in a line and attached a sturdy long cable to each other’s spacesuits. The person in front of the line has to connect the cable to the spacecraft and ensure everyone's safety.

With all the equipment in check they entered the airlock. Tommy approached a keypad next to the door that led to the outer space. After few presses of a button the door behind them closed and a few moments later the door in front of them opened, causing the engineers and Ward to start floating. Tommy is the first one out of the spacecraft as he is the captain, without hesitation he secured the cable to the outer layer of the spaceship ensuring everyone’s safety

Ward looked around for a moment. Seeing hundreds of shining stars nearly blinded his eyes. Ward has never seen such a scenery before, while he does look out of the window in the spacecraft, much of the view is limited. Out here in the open, it's completely different.

"I have never seen so many stars in one place..." Wards mouth slipped his thoughts

"Pretty amazing am I right?" Bob said with a laugh

"Yeah..." Ward nodded while still looking at the stars

"We are not here to sightsee, get moving you two" Tommy gave out an order.

Bob, Ward, and Charles are all following Tommy, after all he is the head engineer and has the most experience in the group, and it is clearly shown as he moves without hesitations, knowing exactly where to go and what to do. Ward also noticed how massive the spaceship is, while it was stationed back on earth he didn't pay too much attention, so he didn't notice that the ship was this large.

Tommy suddenly stopped with the group to follow

"Here it is," He said while pointing down at the antenna.

This antenna is a large white circle with a pointy middle; it blocks out unauthorized signals from the outer space. A lot of these antennas are stationed all around the spacecraft; this one seems to be the one making interference.

Tommy got closer to the antenna and opened a small box that was next to it. The box contains all the wires and transistors needed for the antenna to function.

"Hmm, the wires froze when we were traveling through a colder part of space, they are now unfrozen but the damage has already been done," Tommy said while digging through them.

"How long is it going to take to fix?" Ward asked

"It’s very quick as this is pretty common. Ward can you pass me the toolbox?"

Tommy said while reaching his hand out to Ward.

Ward took the toolbox and passed it to Tommy, as soon as the toolkit was in his possession he opened it and dug through it for a couple of seconds before pulling few dark blue wires. He then closed the toolbox and left it floating next to him. Ward reached out and grabbed it back while other engineers were focused on helping out Tommy with the wires.

Ward can’t help the engineers as he is not qualified enough, so to pass few minutes he decided to examine the stars around him. Before he knew it the engineers have already fixed the antenna.

"Yo Ward" Bob called out.

"Hmm?" Ward shifted his look

"We have finished, it’s time to head back."

"Already?"

"Yeah, as Tommy said this is a quick one."

"Oh I see there wasn't much for me to do after all" Ward chucked

"Don't worry about it, you helped us out a lot earlier today, plus who else is going to carry the toolbox" Bob laughed with a pat on Ward's shoulder.

Ward fake laughed and processed to follow Tommy, who is once again in front of the line.

After arriving at the airlock, Ward quickly changed and approached Tommy.

"So are we finished?"

"Yeah, we are pretty much finished for today."

"That means I can go back to my quarters?”

"Yeah, as I said we are finished for today."

"All right then, see you guys" Ward waved at Charles and Bobby.

"See ya ward,"

"Bye,"

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Current time is 8 pm, one hour before lights out. Ward arrived at his room and noticed that his roommate Lewis is missing, he didn’t pay too much attention to that and grabbed a clean towel from his bag.

Knowing Lewis he is probably talking to his new friends. Ward thought

Ward left the room and headed to the lavatory. Upon arrival he looked at himself in the mirror and started brushing his teeth with one of the disposable toothbrushes.

After brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth he threw the toothbrush away and headed back to his room.

Upon arrival he noticed him roommate Lewis lying in bed reading a book.

Ward began undressing, leaving only t-shirt and pants on. He walked to a chair and started folding his clothes in a neat pile

"How was your day?" Lewis asked

"It was all right, helped the engineers today."

"That's cool...You know, I always see you sitting alone in the cafeteria, and you don't really talk to anyone. If you don't mind telling me, why don't you make friends?"

"...I don't really know, I guess I am just a lonely type" Ward said with a smile.

"I see..." Lewis replied shifting his eyes back to the book

With the conversation now reached a dead end, Ward's exhausted body laid down on the bed. His hand reached under the bed and grabbed a book. For the rest of the free time Ward’s mind has been immersed into the book and he didn’t even notice that forty minutes have passed.

As soon as the lights turned off Ward closed the book and put it under his bed.

He closed his eyes and started imagining perfect future once again before soundlessly falling asleep.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The rest of the week went by pretty fast, and it was now Sunday night. Tomorrow is the day of the deployment.

Ward is in his room trying to concentrate on finishing the books chapter, but the excitement about the deployment doesn't seem to stop. Throughout the week Ward kept imagining what the planet is going to be like. Without even noticing he built up all the excitement in his head.

Finally we will land on the planet. I wonder if I will find any alien life, what if they are hostile? Well if they are hostile then I will have no choice but to defend myself. I mean come on that’s the main reason they teach shooting here. If we are to find human life will they look like us? Like humans? The HQ said that they are unsure about the oxygen on the planet so we will have to take precautions and take oxygen tanks with us. Although that doesn’t make sense, how are they unsure with the technology they have. Ah never mind it anyways. What will be really annoying is to carry it, but I don't really care. I really want to visit the planet. Why am acting like a child that is about to go on his first field trip? I should calm down and—

"What you up to Ward? " His line of thought was interrupted by Lewis.

"I bet you are pretty excited about the expedition."

"What makes you say that?” Ward replied with a surprised tone.

"Well you have been a lot livelier since the captain announced the mission earlier this week”

Ward indeed has been very positive since the mission’s announcement; he smiled more and looked happier in general.

"Hmm, I guess so. I haven't been to other planets before, so this is pretty new to me...It's actually a little bit scary. What if we find a hostile race that will attack us?"

"Don't worry about it, I have been to a lot of different planets and expeditions, the chance of us finding a new race is very slim, it will most likely be an empty planet."

Although Ward was disappointed with Lewis’s words, he did not want to show it, so his facial expression did not change.

"All right then. Thanks for talking about it” Ward smiled

"No problem dude" With those words Lewis climbed the small ladder to his bed that was above and went to sleep.

As soon as the lights turned off, Ward placed his unfinished book under the bed in its usual spot and tucked himself in bed, wrapping his body in a thin duvet and resting his head on a flat pillow.

Before his mind fell asleep, one last thought passed Ward's mind.

The chance of finding a new race is slim you say? Let's hope that's not the case on this planet.

End of Chapter 1