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[Emerald39]

Thank you, Viscoun. 

 

Well then, here's the first chapter of my novel. 

 

Spoiler

 

Chapter 1: Subjugation

Earth, the Green Planet; it was so young, so innocent. In our schooling we learned absolutely everything about it: its vast continents, expansive seas & millions of life forms. I always thought it was so incredible how much this small space rock had achieved in 4.4 billion years. Little did I realize how close I would become towards it.

In a faraway galaxy, beyond Andromeda, beyond the Medusa Cascade, lies my home planet of Gemstania. It was a very unique planetary phenomenon; with a creation date estimated to be about 7 billion years ago, a distant circular orbit from a massive star, and a rectangular prismatic structure, no scientist could comprehend the support of life on its surface. However, they were proven wrong, and so Gemstania flourished; the unique areas of the planet formed, with roaring oceans, searing lava flows, rocky earth, blooming plants, and even whispering plains. From the first life forms to my own time, it had become a very tranquil and powerful planet, filled with many different species, and also many different races, including my own.

Each race had control over specific elements; the Rubefecians controlled fire, the Jethestras controlled metal, the Topasirozarens controlled electricity and earth, the Amethevitras controlled psychic power, spirits and darkness, the Sappherisens controlled air, water and ice, and the Jadelfiers controlled plants and organic toxins.

On the other hand, I was part of another race, one that exceeded all others: the Emerald Royal Family. This powerful group not only was placed in charge of the other races, without protest, but also could control every element of every race, including the rare elements of light and pure emerald. Everyone was at peace and was living prosperously, but then everything changed.

Just 30 million km from Gemstania was a moderately large spaceship; but it was no ordinary ship. It was the battleship of the legendary Vitrolax, the dark leader of the planet Vidraxis. The legends told of him as a skilled swordsman who destroyed his own planet out of rage, and then vanished into the cosmos to learn how to control fate; but no one thought that he existed, or that he would return.

On the spacious bridge of the cosmic brigand, he sat in his command console at the back of the room. He had a rippling body of dark matter, triangular golden eyes and a left hand sheathed in metal. His mythical sword leaned on the wall next to him, his purple cloak wrapped around it.

One of the pilots turned to face him and reported, “Targeted planet inbound, Vitrolax. ”

Vitrolax’s eyes gleamed golden as he heard the news. “Are we within range?”

“Affirmative,” the pilot replied.

Vitrolax rose from his seat and walked towards his sheathed weapon. “Excellent. Activate the transmitters.”

The pilot returned to his console. “Yes, my lord.”

Vitrolax put his cloak on and, holding his sword in his other hand, stroked it with his steel claw. “Soon, the new fate will be sealed. Be prepared, Prince Emerald, for this peaceful day will be your last.”

*

At the time, I was in my private chamber of the royal palace, preparing for the celebrations. It was an important day for me; not only was it my birthday, but I would commence training tomorrow. I would finally learn how to use emerald energy, after 14 years of waiting. I would be the final member of the family to master it, as everyone else had learnt it much earlier. I wore my royal robes, the official prince’s crown and a long flowing cape around my shoulders. Mother had let me keep my hair spiky, but she insisted that my diamond-shaped eyes be outlined and the emerald in the middle of my forehead shined.

I didn’t consider it that important. Every Gemstanian had a gemstone located there; the only differences were what gems they were and their shapes. The Rubefecians had a triangular ruby, the Jethestras had a tear-shaped jet, the Topasirozarens had an oval topaz, the Amethevitras had a circular amethyst, the Sappherisens had a square sapphire and the Jadelfiers had a spiral jade piece. The Emerald Royal Family had a diamond-shaped one, as if a third eye; they considered it as a mental eye, watching over the universe and the planets contained in it. Me, I only considered it as a variation of a common trait that all Gemstanians had. My only interest in that area was of the insignias, which were unique to each Gemstanian. The patterns and combinations interweaved from the original ancestors and their descendants were so fascinating to me, with their intricacies and rune-like qualities. When the celebrations had ended, I planned to create a system to profile these insignias and use them to trace back our nation’s history; I could even discover when in time our different races branched off from each other.

As I was readjusting my cape, Emerina barged through the door. She was also a Royal Emerald, and my elder sister; she was the busiest in the family, and assisted Father significantly throughout the palace.

Her breaths were heavy as she spoke. “Brother, I have bad news. We are under attack; the Amethevitras are marching in military formation towards the palace and one of the observatories has spotted a battleship in orbit around the planet.”

I jolted. “A revolution? What could have happened?”

The reply was sudden. “Calm yourself, brother; it’s not a revolution. We believe the orbiting ship is behind this assault.”

As calmly as I could, I asked curiously, “Did they provide a description of this ship?”

“Yes,” she replied, and her eyes widened. “It had a purple-black appearance and bore an emblem of a triangular golden eye.”

The information struck me like a mason’s hammer. “But that’s impossible; he’s just a legend.”

“Or so we all thought, brother.”

I had no time to lose; I flew out the door and straight to the throne room. Mother and Father were there, sending messenger orbs at maximum efficiency via the large windows. They were both dressed in their royal outfits, just as surprised as I was by the observations.

I walked up to my father. “I presume you have received the description from the observatory.”

My father laughed. “That I have, son. You’ve been informed as well, then.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “But that can’t be possible; he’s a myth. He is a myth, right?”

Father turned to me. “From our observations, he’s more than just that.”

“Father,” I reported, “I also heard news of the Amethevitras attacking. Do we know why?”

Father replied, “We believe Vitrolax is using some form of primitive mind control. The Amethevitras had always been fascinated with understanding the powers that the former ruler had during the thriving of Vidraxis, and so constantly tried to harness it from the planet’s remains; they eventually managed to command darkness at a reasonable level, but then he simply used an unknown form of darkness to command them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why is he attacking? What could he possibly want?”

Before my father could reply, the castle walls rumbled. Small stones fell from the ceiling and some of the windows shattered. I had no idea what had struck the palace, but at the time it didn’t matter to me.

I gritted my teeth. “That bastard is destroying our home, our people’s homes, our entire planet! I’m not going to let that happen! I’ll fly up to his ship and kill him myself!”

But before I could take flight, Father grabbed me. “Don’t do that, Emerald. You cannot defeat him, and if he kills you, he will have accomplished his goal.”

I looked at him, perplexed. “What do you mean, I cannot defeat him? That he’ll succeed if I die? I am a Royal Emerald, aren’t I?”

“There’s no time to explain now,” Father said calmly. “All will be made clear in the future. Now go, follow your mother to the emergency capsule; I’ll handle Vitrolax.”

I landed in front of him. “If you have time to handle Vitrolax, then you have time to answer my questions. Why can’t I fight alongside you? What information are you hiding from me? Where is the pride and courage that our family has upheld since the first king was inaugurated? I will not be left in the dark while you can see the light! SO ANSWER ME, DAD!!”

Father crouched down so that his eyes were level with mine and he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Emerald, there’s no time; you must escape this place.”

“No,” I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I will not leave your side; this is my fight as well, and I refuse to run while our people suffer.”

My father sighed and stood up. “Then I am sorry for what I must do.”

He held out his palm towards me and I started to feel drowsy. I tried to stand up, but within 10 seconds, I had fallen on the ground in front of him, unconscious.

*

I awoke in the capsule launcher, ready to be fired. I frantically looked around and saw my mother programming the co-ordinates in.

“Mother?” I said. “Where is Father?”

Realizing I had regained consciousness, she turned her head to face me and told me, “Your father is … dead.”

This shattered me. “What?? I thought he said he could handle any evil, including Vitrolax.”

She somewhat calmly replied, “He has become much stronger; he is now a larger threat than we had originally thought. That’s why we must launch you far away from here, so that he may never find you.”

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. My mother, my own mother, was forcing me to leave my whole world behind, all because of that vile creature that is Vitrolax. My whole world seemed to collapse around me, and the walls shook in agreement.

Shocked, I yelled, “You can’t just send me away from here! If Vitrolax discovers my departure, he’ll destroy this entire planet!”

I tried to lift myself out of the capsule, but Mother gently held me back.

“Don’t be afraid,” Mother replied. “I will prevent him from damaging our home. Gemstania shall live on after him.”

I held back tears as I struggled to move. “Please, let me face him, challenge him to combat. Even if I lose, I know he will be obliterated by one of us.”

“Sweetheart,” she said, a single tear streaking down her face, “You have come so far, but we are doing this for your own good. Only you can defeat Vitrolax, this much we know; and no matter how separated we are in time and space, my love will always burn for you inside.”

She stroked my cheek as she spoke this. A diamond tear crawled across my face. “No… I can’t do it… maybe you could…Emerina could…”

She kissed my forehead. “Never fear, my dear son. For I know that you are capable of purging any evil, no matter how wise or great. Now go, and know that your parents’ love and hope for you will shine forever among the stars.”

Those were the last words I heard her say; as Vitrolax appeared in the open doorway, she slammed her hand down on the panel, and the capsule launched into the distant outer realms of vast space. The last image I saw before my vision blurred from the acceleration was my mother, crying as Vitrolax’s sword stabbed through her crystal figure, her hand still on the launch panel.

As galaxies whizzed past in a blur, even in my stasis form, I thought for certain that Gemstania would be no more; I only hoped that wherever I ended up would be for the best. 

 

[Emerald39]

Chapter 2's done; check it out. 

 

Spoiler

Chapter 2: Impact

2 million (human) years passed, with no sight of me ever landing on a single planet. I did not age, however, due to the stasis of my body. The Medusa Cascade was a smudge of light from the capsule and Andromeda was a red blur, and then a blue blur as I passed it. The chance of impact became more promising when the capsule was pulled in by another galaxy, the Milky Way. For years I had wondered why it was named that, but now I comprehended why. The capsule ended up in the spiral arm of Orion, and then into a cluster of unique planets, some of which seemed familiar. I landed 28,000 light years from the galaxy’s centre, on a mysterious blue-green planet.

From first observations, I saw it’s cloudy atmosphere and vast oceans, much like on Gemstania; and I saw its solitary moon and spherical shape, nothing like on Gemstania. I felt as though I had read about it somewhere, but my mind was still hazy. As gravity caught the capsule and brought me towards the surface, it started to combust and heat up; but I knew that nothing would happen, as it was built to withstand supernovas and meteor strikes, or even the Big Bang, should I have been flung through space for long enough. I landed on an island continent, with a curvy shape, a small southern island, and a significantly larger northern island.

Crashing into an arid region, my arrival was discovered almost immediately by strange creatures in a nearby town. They looked eerily familiar as well, with pinkish-white skin, elliptical eyes and unique clothing. By nightfall, the capsule was surrounded by thin metal fencing and flooded with lights shining from metal cylinders. Still unable to move, in my mind, I feared the possibility of being despised by these alien beings; they may be sentient, but they may not be accepting of other species. A lot of intelligent species are like that; believe me, I know.

As time passed, many more of these two-legged quadrupeds came to the site, with flashing lights and metallic telescopes. Some wore white coats, and were the only ones who were allowed within the fenced-off area. Every time, they would bring some strange device and then proceed to try to break through the capsule layers. How oblivious they were to its godly strength.

The planet’s days were incredibly short compared to Gemstania’s. Day and night interchanged very rapidly, with each cycle lasting what felt like seconds. I thought that the remainder of my life would be spent here; how wrong I was.

The foreign sun was overhead, and the white-coats were attempting to penetrate the capsule again. However, not all of them were occupied with the machine, as one of the creatures was standing away from the group, staring at me. Her eyes were level with mine, and I stared back, fascinated by her cold gaze. Something must have caught her eye, as she then approached the capsule. I was surprised as she reached out toward the capsule and lightly touched it. The moment she made contact, green electricity burst forth and shocked her; I presumed it must have been a built-in failsafe. But to my surprise, the capsule deteriorated and my body fell to the ground, inanimate. The world turned black around me due to the broken stasis. 

*

I came to quite quickly. I was unsure how much time had passed, but I estimated several day-night cycles. Upon further observation, I realized that I had been transferred to somewhere else. This place seemed more technological, with concrete walls, a coloured flooring and a strange rectangular object set into the wall. A band was around my arm, which was connected to another smaller rectangular object, but this one displayed something in green light. A weird line moved up and down, and a sound transmitted each time this occurred. I exited what appeared to be a bed, and advanced towards the rectangle in the wall. A button press activated the device, which was projecting images and text, both of which seemed familiar to me.

Looking around, I noticed another bed alongside my one. Contained within was someone I thought I would never see again: Emerina. What a relief to see that she had survived.

She also had a band attached to her arm, which was linked up to a separate monitor. Removing her from the bed, she was still wearing her royal robes, which were the same as mine. But that didn’t matter right now; I needed to figure out our current location. With my arm securing her around the waist, I busted out of the room and flew within orbit of the planet. It was then that I realized where I was; after years of learning about this place, I had finally reached it: Earth, the Planet of Hope.

As I admired the view of it from my position, Emerina awoke and, startling me, silently screamed in fear. The telepathic communication from her was unordinary. Where am I? What’s happened to me? How am I breathing in space? Am I dead?

 I tried to comprehend her reaction, and then I reached the conclusion that this may not be the true Emerina. She might look like her, but potentially be an entirely different being. In order to quell her fear, I flew back down to the planet’s surface and pondered as to what to do with her. Releasing my grip around her waist, I waited until she appeared to be in less distress, and I calmly asked, “Madam, may I inquire as to who exactly you are?”

She responded in a nervous manner, her legs slightly shaking. “Eil … Eileen … Eileen Gillespie … human … female. Please … please don’t hurt me.”

I was astounded; how could a human such as her have been converted into a Gemstanian like myself?

Acknowledging her fear, I said, “Eileen, please remain calm. I am not going to hurt you; I am simply leaving to find assistance with this planet’s authorities. Hopefully, they will be able to help you recover from this incident.”

She looked at me, her eyes frantically staring at me, then ran to my side and clutched my arm. “No, don’t do that. Just leave, hide; if he finds you with me, he’ll torture you for the rest of your life.”

I stared back quizzically. “If who finds me?”

Before she could reply, a large group of humans emerged from nearby; they wore a green uniform, and carried metal weapons. I guessed that this must be the ‘army’ that the human tribes possessed, and that I must have trespassed onto their land.

Eileen watched with panic as they marched towards us. I could feel her grip tighten. “Run; I am telling you, run. You can’t negotiate with him.”

I was confused by her words. “Who’s ‘him’? How can you say that I can’t reason with this person?”

She began, “Because…”

I missed what she said afterwards, as something heavy hit me in the back of my head. Dazed, I fell to the ground, perched on the edge of consciousness. I realized that I shouldn’t have let my guard down before I had even negotiated. The last words I heard before I blacked out came from Eileen: “No…father…”

*

The room I woke up in was not as pleasant as the previous one. It was a dank metal box with strange instruments lined up along the side. While I was out cold, I had been clamped to a giant table. That was all I could see before he came in. The human male appeared to have some form of high authority, and judging by his attire, I assumed he would have been the ‘general’ of that militia that attacked us. He looked rather old, with a grey moustache, wrinkled face and weary blue eyes.

I tried to liven the mood a bit, as he looked rather aggravated. “Ah, you must be the general. I was rather astounded by the prowess of your army, if I may say so, sir.”

“Quiet, you freak.” His voice was gruff, and as cutting as steel. He turned away and grabbed one of the implements off the wall. “Now then, freak…”

“I have a name, you know; it’s Emerald.” I was getting rather sick of him calling me that.

“Ok. Now then, ‘Emerald’, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What have you done to my daughter?”

Confused, I replied, “Huh? Your daughter?”

“Yes, my daughter! Because of you, she’s no longer human; she’s … one of your lot. So answer my question: what have you done to her?”

He was close to losing his cool, so I tried to figure out whom he was referring to. Then it occurred to me: that girl.

I inquired, “Wait a minute; is your daughter called Eileen?”

That question caught his ear. “Yes, that’s her name: Eileen Gillespie.”

After he said that, all the pieces came together. “Oh, so that’s who you’re talking about. I’m not entirely sure what’s happened to her, but I believe that the capsule had a genetic seal embedded within; so when she reached out and made contact, her entire genetic code was transformed from human to Gemstanian. Although I don’t understand why her appearance was completely changed, including her face.”

Having taken all of this in, the general juggled the object in his hands and responded, “Ok, then; if that’s what happened to her, then maybe you can change her back.”

I knew that I couldn’t, so I told him. “Unfortunately, I am unable to perform that kind of action.”

He didn’t want to hear that, which explains why he then tried to crush my fingers with what appeared to be a hammer. He obviously didn’t know about the elemental defense mechanism that every Gemstanian had, and so the weapon passed through without damaging me.

His temper flared. “That’s not what I want to hear. Your people did this to her, so you can change her back.”

To surprise him even more, I floated straight through the clamps and sat on the edge of the table. “I’ve told you, I can’t do it. If any of my family was still alive, they’d be able to restore her, but I haven’t acquired that power yet.”

“YOU LIAR!” In rage, he grabbed something resembling a sword and swung it at me. It passed straight through without harm, and in retaliation I morphed the blade into water, which splashed onto the ground.

I said calmly, “General, I am not lying to you. Some processes in nature cannot be reversed; this you should understand, being a well-ranked fighter. In my current state, I cannot do anything to make her human again; but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There is a chance that my family was capable of reversing the genetic seal; so if I do figure out how to in the future, I promise that I will restore her for you. This I promise you.”

I held out my hand to him, and he reluctantly shook it. “You better not be lying to me, or there could be a bullet through your brain.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry; I always keep my word. Now, on to more pressing matters, I need to speak with all the international generals.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Why? Is something coming?”

I replied, “Not something, but someone.”

*

I sat in the head seat of the room. With me were General Gillespie and all the other generals from around the world. I got up and addressed the gathering:

“Good afternoon, gentlemen; as you would have been notified about, I am Prince Emerald. I have gathered you all here because of an entity that threatens this planet, this universe and myself. There is a cruel dictator of dark matter, by the name of Vitrolax. He is currently chasing after me to kill me, for what reason I do not know. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal; he will even obliterate entire planets to get to me. I do not wish to have innocent people killed any longer, so I propose to apprehend him here; we can make this planet the final frontier in this struggle for survival. What I require from you generals is simply surveillance: maintain observation in your respective countries and notify me if Vitrolax appears. I am not certain about when he will arrive, but I would estimate within a month. You people will be crucial to preventing this corrupt leader from slaughtering millions, so I am heavily relying on you. I care about the safety of the people as much as you do, and so I will ensure that minimal casualties are sustained. We will bring this tyrant to justice, and with your help, that can be swiftly achieved. Thank you for your time; meeting adjourned.”

 

Any feedback is appreciated; I have the remaining chapters mostly written, but they're not completely done yet. Plus I have about six more books planned as sequels after this, so anything would be helpful at this point. 

[Viscoun]

Chapter 2:

 

Spoiler

2

 

2056

 

London, United Kingdom

 

It was often noted that the inner city of London, though being a section of one of the most prosperous cities in the world, offered as much comfort and warmth as the back end of the Amazonian jungle on a rainy day. The occupant of one of the area’s numerous terrace houses could attest to that personally – the mosquitoes had wrought havoc on her skin, but she’d come to warm up, in a purely figurative sense, to what scarce joys the Brazilian backwater had had to offer. Which included a variety of dangerous treks across the forest canopy and unsecured rides down the Tapajos rapids, but when you died for a living, anything was fair game.

            The windy drizzle continued to slap against the window, and Holdt watched with one bored eye on the clock, and one equally bored eye on the view. Past the motel she was currently in, there was brick building upon brick building, and in the distance, amidst the thick early spring fog, the spindly silhouette of the Shard could be seen, a grey stem surrounded by slender steel petals that gradually fell away into the whiteness beyond.

            The clock chimed, and with a sigh, Holdt rose to leave.

            The rain greeted her with an almost nonchalant chill – she was perhaps barely the ten-millionth person to have received the best of British weather since the day had started. A taxi hurtled past, and the splash from the pool of water conveniently situated on the segment of road next to her piddled down the interior of her boot. Excellent start, she mused.

            In the distance, a ubiquitous symbol of London tolled. Ten rings from the Big Ben. Ten o’clock.

            Late again.

            She pulled her coat tighter towards herself, and hurried to the station.

 

“Late again, Sergeant.”

            Holdt nodded, and tried to look apologetic. She only succeeded in looking facetious.

            “Don’t give me that flippantness, Sergeant. You are late. Look serious, I’m giving you a lesson on punctuality here.”

            “If you’ll forgive me, sir, ‘flippantness’ is not actually a word. And my clock was running late. I had not realized the time until the city clock had chimed.”

            “The city clock is also late, Sergeant. Ten o’clock means nine fifty-five on my watch.”

            “Then you must set your watch forward five minutes, sir. For the sake of punctuality.”

            “Try more lip on me and I’ll send you to the Amazon. A place with which you should be more than familiar. Come now. Speak candidly, Sergeant.”

            Holdt smiled. Colonel Colt was the best superior she’d been assigned to in a long while, and it wasn’t just because his surname rhymed with hers.

            “I lost track of time. I apologize.”

            “A very human error, and one that we may all be guilty of committing. Anyway, since you are already here in London, I’m assuming you’ve been briefed on the details?”

            “If you mean details on why I’m actually here in this unbearably stifling climate, then no, I haven’t been briefed.”

            “I thought a document had been sent to your residence. You live near Fulham, I believe?”

            “Near Gloucester, sir.”

            “Close enough. Anyway, you should have received something.”

            Holdt faintly recalled disposing of a stack of paper lying on her bedroom table that she had thought to be scrap left by the previous tenant. “I believe not, sir.”

            Colt frowned. “We shall have to give you whatever snippet of the full introduction we can fit into our current itinerary. All the better, I suppose.” He gestured to the door. “Come with me.”

 

Despite being located in the heart of a city renowned for its architecture, old and new included, the headquarters of the Stratos Foundation was an unassuming, drab concrete cuboid, with one sole row of windows on the top floor, and a green garbage bin sitting at the front to mar the otherwise completely grey exterior. Four stories below the windows was the main entrance, and four stories below that was where the real face of the organization appeared.

            The elevator seemed to travel forward in time with every floor descended, going from bland, old-fashioned reception at ground level to vibrant blue lights, steel conduits, and glass hallways at B4. The elevator, looking like a relic from just about every angle, somehow managed to announce “Floor B4” as the doors slid open to reveal a large, expansive chamber.

            The Stratos Foundation was, unbeknownst to many, not just any old weapons contractor. Well, it had been, until it had enlisted the help of a certain Dr. Tabane Shinonono, back when it ran under a different name. The name of the corporation was changed in honor of Shinonono’s breakthrough invention, ownership of which was jointly held by the company and the Japanese government. At the behest of the United Nations and the United States, the Foundation had invited delegates from several countries to test the “new product”, though exactly what the product was had not been explicitly divulged to any of the parties concerned. They would have to see for themselves what the Stratos could actually do. Even the colonel had to admit he knew little past what operating a Stratos basically entailed. “This is some new-fangled stuff,” he laughed. “Not for old men like me.”

            They wove around a maze of consoles and blinking screens, all colored in some variation of grey and silver. A holographic map of the geography surrounding the United Kingdom covered the center of the floor, as well as a diagram of two Stratos engines, one deactivated and in its bracer form, one fully activated with its array of weaponry on display. Cables snaked along the walls; vents covered the floor, letting out wisps of cold air. At one end of the chamber was a large screen, and at another end was a small room with a two-way mirror, which Holdt and Colt now entered.

            Colt shut the door, and the bustling and low hums from outside were immediately cut off. Thanks to the two-way mirror, Holdt could see outside, but no one could see inside. Evidently, the more sensitive side of operations undertaken by the Foundation was handled here.

            A holographic tablet was already on the table. Colt switched it on, and an image sprang from the projector, displaying the Stratos Foundation’s insignia.

            “My guess is that you were sent here last month because you were the only one in the Heer who understood English,” the colonel said with a grin. “Though I’ve heard that you’re a bit of a loose cannon.”

            “That has changed, sir. Or at least, I hope it has.”

            “Maybe the Stratos will change your ways.” The colonel made a swiping motion, and the image blurred, then came back into focus, now showing a diagram of the armed version of the Stratos.”

            “So, Stratos.” Colt cleared his throat. “I trust you’ve heard roughly about what it is?”

            “It’s some kind of… exoskeleton?” Holdt offered.

            “Pretty much. The word Stratos is, believe it or not, an anagram.” Colt flicked the image again, and a series of words appeared.

            “Symbiotic Technology. Remote Armament. Tiered Oversight System. S-T-R-A-T-O-S,” he recited. “Also comes from the Latin stratum, or ‘layers’. Mean anything to you, Sergeant?”

            “Well, “symbiotic technology” probably means this thing helps you out in some way. “Remote armament” means you can bring guns out without having to actually carry them. “Tiered oversight”, I’m guessing, is some kind of computer that controls different parts of the whole thing. Layers, if you want.”

            “Quick as I’ve always known you to be. I see why they sent you.” The projector now showed a picture of the world, with little red dots smattered over its surface. “Or maybe you just have a good grasp on English.”

            “I like to think it’s both, sir.”

            “Suit yourself. Now look here.” He pointed at the United Kingdom, and drew a circle around it. “That’s where we are.” He drew another circle, this time around Japan. “That’s where the Stratos was invented.” He drew a final circle. “That’s where you’ll be training with the other testers.”

            Holdt frowned at the last circle, which glowed green instead of red, as the other two did. “Why there?”

            “Because it forms an isosceles triangle with the other two locations. Don’t roll your eyes now, that was a joke.”

            “The British are famous for their dry humor, I’ve heard.”

            “Well, now you get to experience the finest brand. Anyway, the real reason is that you’ll be having your training in a rather… peculiar location. Let me say this beforehand: this wasn’t my idea.”

            “What’s so bad about where I’ll be training?” An uneasy feeling grew in Holdt’s stomach. “I mean, I’ve been to the Amazon, how hot can the place be?”

            “Hot? Oh no, quite the opposite, actually. And where you’re headed right now will be, in fact, the closest place on Earth to where you’ll be training.”

            Holdt’s heart dropped.

            “With all due respect, sir, you can’t be serious.”

            “Like I said.” The colonel opened his hands apologetically, and shook his head. “Not my idea.”

 

~

 

Hobart, Australia

 

“Stiffen up, ladies!”

            It was common for superiors in the army to call new recruits the opposite gender of what they were, in order to purposely demean them and perhaps provoke them into working harder. Not that the drill sergeant here was doing such a thing, of course, since everyone present actually was female.

            “Now, I know it’s cold.” The drill sergeant was visibly shivering. Everyone else, all of them stood in a line in front of him, seemed largely unperturbed, and could only look at him with a shared sense of pity. “It’s near the middle of autumn, so we’ve got a long road ahead of us. But!” he shouted, and suddenly began chattering. The recruits waited for him to finish, and after taking a few seconds to gather himself, he ended meekly with, “You know, if you can stand this weather, then you can stand just about anything.”

            “Who made this guy leader?” someone muttered, and everyone laughed. The drill sergeant managed a small chuckle.

            “I’m just not a cold weather person.” He motioned for the recruits to follow him back into the warmth of the training center, and almost began to run off, before remembering he had people with him. “I’ve been in the Sahara Desert, though, and that was fine. I don’t know why they’d make me come here. Extreme weather experience, perhaps.” Small puffs of snow began to fall from the night sky, illuminated by the spotlights surrounding the facility, and he urged them ahead.

            Though Tasmania offered some of the best ocean views in the Southern Hemisphere, it was also known for Hobart, the capital of the tiny Australian state, and the most well-known portal to the icy wasteland that was the Antarctic. A myriad of research stations from around the world had established bases both at Hobart and at the Antarctic, making the place a hotbed of scientific activity. Now, here at the Stratos Foundation’s Hobart Training Command, one could push oneself to the limit, and simultaneously obtain feedback from several diverse sources after testing new inventions. Or so the thinking had gone.

            In reality, many of the scientists stationed here wanted nothing to do with “the soldiers”, and deep mistrust of the Foundation’s activities was rife amongst the locals. The staff at the training center found themselves very much alone in the city, which, despite its small size and remarkable location, still housed a vibrant cluster of just over two hundred thousand people. Earning the enmity of all of them wasn’t exactly the best way to make friends, so as a result, the Foundation had to pull in their own researchers and military experts to the new base, many of whom strongly disliked cold weather, but had to go anyway. This drill sergeant included.

            “Now that we’ve concluded the tour, y’all will be needing some rest.” The drill sergeant, having returned to the warmth, had also regained his drawl. “Tomorrow, eight o’clock sharp, down here at the lobby, in alphabetical order like we just practiced. Dismissed!” Unsurprisingly, he was once again the first to go.

             Holdt trudged up the stairs as the new recruits began to chat. In truth, many of them were of higher ranks than privates, perhaps even higher up the ladder than the drill sergeant himself. But they as of yet still knew very little about Stratos, so they had to go with it. Not that they minded – it was all very exciting, being the first actual soldiers to have the opportunity to be at the forefront of current technology.

            “Tired?” The soldier to her right grinned. “You look like you’re not from around here.”

            “Is anyone really from around here?” A few chuckles came from the front and back. The soldier laughed heartily.

            “Well, I'm South African, so I can say I’ve been close enough. Name’s Nadia Currall, by the way.”

            “Senna. Senna Holdt.”

            “Holdt? Is that German?”

            “Sure is.”

            “Interesting. I’ve never met anyone from there before.”

            “It’s an honor to be the first.”

            The floor they were staying on was comprised entirely of dormitory rooms, with a lounge and gaming room in the center. The rooms themselves were suites with two bedrooms each, and one shared bathroom per unit. All very nice, and if the Stratos Foundation could afford to keep things comfy, no one could possibly complain about the weather, especially with central heating installed.

            “Makes you wonder who pays for all this.” By some twist of fate, Holdt found herself paired with Nadia in the same suite. In all honesty, Holdt wasn’t the best at making friends, and someone who was willing to talk about just about anything, as she soon found, suited her just fine.

            “But it’s great, isn’t it?” Nadia gazed around the suite, which had its own mini common room, complete with a television embedded in the wall, and a computer with a holographic monitor and keyboard. The plushy sofa was an added bonus. “Looks like a hotel, almost. You’re lucky the German army sent you. I’m lucky the higher-ups back in South Africa sent me, too. I feel like this is gonna be great. Don’t you think?”

            “I wish I were as hyped up as you are.” Holdt opened the door to her room. The luggage had already been dealt with, and was stacked neatly on a rack next to her bed. Very efficient. “I arrived this morning at Canberra and was shipped straight over here. I don’t think I can stay awake for much longer.”

            “Well, if you want to sleep right now, just get your bath in the morning. That’s what I usually do if I’m jet-lagged.”

            “Sure thing.” Holdt pulled off her shoes, undressed as quickly as she could, and was asleep before her head reached the pillow.

 

The Hobart Training Command was one of the few research bases in Hobart that actually had a hangar from and to which aircraft could fly. Of course, no one else really wanted to borrow it, as the presence of military jets and fighters drove away the vast majority of outsiders. Because of this, it was perfect for performing experiments that the Foundation didn’t want anyone else seeing.

            Like tests on the Stratos engine, for instance.

            The snow from the night before had not cleared, and with the sun glaring through the high frosted windows in the hangar and reflecting off the almost blinding whiteness outside, much of the hangar’s interior found ample illumination. The skies were clear, and rightly so, as any approaching aircraft were triple-checked by automatic sensors even before they were allowed vision of the hangars.

            For each of the recruits, of whom there were ten, there was a bracer laid on the table in front of them. In each bracer was installed a brand-new Stratos system core, each one an entirely different brand, organized and modeled by the governments of their respective countries.

            No one really knew what to think or say. Not even a single quip from Nadia broke the air. This was a moment that could make history, and the ten soldiers put on their respective bracers in silence as the drill sergeant looked on.

            “Now, ladies, once you’ve got those cuffs secured, you’ll want to stand as far away from each other as possible.” He pointed to an unoccupied space of considerable size in the far corner of the hangar, buried deep inside a throng of fighter jets and cargo planes. “We’ll head there. Again, stand away from each other.”

            “Sir, why aren’t you wearing one?” Nadia asked. “Aren’t you going to teach us how to use this directly?”

            The drill sergeant looked perplexed, which in turn also confused many of the recruits. “Why would I wear one? I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

            “What do you mean?” Holdt asked.

            “Haven’t you heard?” The drill sergeant gave a half-chuckle. “The Stratos can only be operated by women. Don’t ask me why, I didn’t invent these things.”

            The recruits looked at each other. Indeed, all ten of them were female. And all of them knew this meant a great deal, especially considering many special branches of their respective national armies still almost exclusively recruited men, as women never seemed to have the physique and fitness required for such operations. If the Stratos was female-exclusive, what would that mean for the current marines and special ops, divisions of the army that future regiments consisting entirely of Stratos pilots could conceivably replace?

            “When you’re done having your girl moments, you can come over here, and I’ll teach you how to use the Stratos. From a safe distance, of course.” They trotted after him, a little gingerliness now in their steps. Suddenly, the bracers seemed somewhat heavier on their wrists.

            “Now,” the drill sergeant began, after having separated all the recruits to his satisfaction, “you’ll see that on your bracers there are a wide variety of buttons. Even though each bracer is different, and some of yours may have extra functions that you can unlock later, the core functionality of each bracer is essentially identical. Make sure you remember what these buttons do, because if you’re in a battle and you forget how to turn on your shield whilst the enemy is prepping a machine gun right in your face, you’re as good as dead. So listen closely.”

            He took a sheet of paper out of his pocket. On it were front and back diagrams of a basic Stratos bracer, without any of the fancy add-ons.

            “Blue button, here,” he pointed to one of the buttons, “is the main activation switch. It’s not a push button, mind you. You push down, and then turn it counterclockwise a little. Make sure no one is near you before you turn your machines on. Also, try and forgive any initial discomfort.”

            That last sentence put the recruits on alert, and all of them looked at each other again, too anxious to make the first move.

            “Come on, girls. The Stratos won’t activate themselves.”

            Right. Holdt closed her eyes, let her hand hover over the button, and took the plunge.

            Immediately, the bracer began to heat up, increasing rapidly in temperature. Just as Holdt thought the heat would actually burn her skin, a field blossomed from several small projectors poking out of both ends of the bracer, crawling up her arm like a swarm of hot, angry bugs. Uncomfortable couldn’t begin to describe it.

            If it’s going to be like this every time, I might just quit this program.

            The field, which glowed azure, began to coalesce at certain points on her body, forming recognizable shapes: an elbow pad here, a shoulder pad there. The bracer itself sprouted several protrusions, which formed into sockets that housed a seemingly arbitrary variety of small weaponry, including a taser, a wrist cannon, and what looked like a plasma-tipped bayonet. Holdt clenched the metal fiber glove that had formed around her hand, and the bayonet shot out, extending several inches past her fist. Handy.

            She felt a weight on both her shoulders, and turned to have her head almost collide with a giant back-mounted, double-barreled cannon. The cannon was not actually attached to her back – its base was floating behind her, suspended by some kind of powerful electromagnetic trickery, whilst the barrel was leaning on her shoulder, held in place by another, slightly weaker electromagnet.

            What struck her most about her machine was that it was mainly jet-black, with a sleek red trim running down the sides of her wrists, shoulders, and the underbelly of the back cannon. It was a great color scheme, to say the least, and the look of her suit almost made up for the itch that had been running up and down her skin during the whole process. Almost.

            As the sensation began to wear off, a piece of headgear coiled around her head. When Nadia saw this, she began to laugh.

            “What?” Holdt tried to look up, but couldn’t see what was on her head, much less what seemed to be so funny about it. “Does it look weird?”

            Some of the recruits looked over, and began laughing as well. Holdt felt a wave of irritation wash over her.

            “Just tell me! I don’t decide what these are meant to look like!”

            The drill sergeant offered himself a small smile, and then rummaged in his pocket, taking out his phone. “Here,” he said, handing the phone to her. He had switched on the camera, and as Holdt looked at the screen, the image in the selfie camera looked back.

            “You can’t be serious,” she said, amongst a backdrop of hearty chuckles.

            The headgear was a simple device. A metal headband, black and gold, with several grooves running along its circumference.

            And two giant rabbit ears, as conspicuous as they were seemingly useless, clad in the same design, poking out proudly from above her considerably smaller human ears.

            She gave Nadia, who was still in stitches, a look of complete helplessness.

            “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”