Chapter 1 The Beginning

We introduce our protagonist and begin this story as things start to escalate quickly for our hero.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

    My name is Jackson Stol, a recent graduate of the Military Academy of the planet Terminus in the Paragon system at 18 years old, I thought of going to sign up for recruitment in the Solar Regime's Military Corps, or SRMC for short, but I still have doubts. So many Earth Years have passed and there's still riots and terrorist attacks to deal with amongst the human and ET population across the Colonized Systems yet the Solar Regime refuses to disclose any information about the origins of such acts other than the possibility of unified group amongst the lower class against the Regime which will be quelled as far as the galactic news stations said. So I decided to join along with his classmates, it's only natural that I'd go with my friends, right? However, I saw something that I almost cannot understand, but never forget, soon after leaving the Beam Rail. Beam Rail transports are a descendent of Earth's old MagLev system that uses a semi-solid energy beam to create a charge similar to maglev to carry a light, autonomous train car from station to station.

    The route I take to the Recruitment Center skirts along the Plasma Field that marks the borders between the main city and the ghettos of the planet's main Quarantine Zone where Thanatos Strain victims, various petty criminals and ETs alike live. Near an entrance into the zone, I saw a picket line in front of the Quarentine Zone's military police consisting of low ranked Rays and what looks like a minor officer. The protesters seem to have the telltale signs of people were treated to good health some must've been formally stage 3 infected when infectious crystal-like formations had began forming had left behind red streaks along where their veins and arteries are around their arms. The fact that most of the protesters were formally infected, lead me to the assumption that they hate the fact that these people had left family and friends in there and want them treated. "I want to see my family," a young man, no younger than me, shouted, "Just treat them and let them through."

"My son and granddaughter is in there," A woman yelled, "Please, I'll do anything for them to come with me."

The officer in charge suddenly spoke on a loudspeaker, "I advise all civilians to clear out now, your families will be here soon just head to the crossing building and do the work there. You'll meet with your family in due time once all paperwork is done."

This only made the crowd shout louder in anger as an old man, who was once a stage 3 infected, shouted, "You damn liars! I waited years for my grand kids and daughter to come with me after doing that paperwork, YEARS!!" Many others shouted in agreement showing pictures of their friends, relatives, sons, daughters, grandchildren, parents, brothers and sisters.

The officer pushed on, undaunted, "I urge you all to disperse immediately." Beyond the line of military police, I could see the officer on an elevated platform stopping to listen to a subordinate and later listened to a transmission as well. The thing about transmissions in this age is that they can be retransmitted from solar system to solar system so it can come from central command itself. This is what seemed like the case as I noticed the officer's expression darken upon hearing the transmission. With a nod, the officer raised his hand and as he said with his voice gone colder than he sounded on the loudspeaker moments before, "Soldiers, take aim, you fire on my mark," He said off speaker and later spoke into the loudspeaker as the men hesitantly pointed their guns at the mob, "This is your last warning, disperse now or you will be fired upon."

    The older people dispersed but the youngsters stayed still shouting, until the soldiers began firing. At that moment, sniper fire from the rooftops came down on the soldiers as the kids dispersed as more armed people appeared brandishing various guns and showing the colors of the rebel group Death's Door. My gut told me to run but my mind told me to get closer as I steadily walked against the torrent of fleeing civilians to try to get closer and get a better view. Using what I learned from basic combat at the academy, I kept my head down kept a careful watch of my surroundings in case the battle spills over while I keep a hand on my personal pistol nestled in its holster. Unfortunately, it did as Mobile Battle Suits (MBS), aka 'Storms', began rolling in. The rebels quickly retreated as the Storms began firing yet a few more were captured for questioning. I know this since I've witnessed various 'interrogation' sessions secretly where they try to literally beat information out of the captives before giving them a lethal injection to put them down when they refuse to talk which is almost always the case.

    When the sounds of battle died down, and the Storms began to search for any more rebels, I suddenly got a tap on my shoulder. I turn to look with my hand on my pistol's holster only to see one of my classmates, and closest friend, Nathaniel Argo, but I always call him Nate or just Nathan, we've been friends since middle school. He's got quite the character, being one of the class slackers, always the first one to skip classes and class work for the VR Arcades or the various fast food restaurants occasionally taking me and a few of our friends along. We've been even closer when I helped him fight a small group of Ronin Yakuza. "Whoa, Jack," He said raising his hands as though surrendering, "No need to shoot, we're on the same team."

I relax, dropping my hand as I say, "Sorry, crazy stuff happening back there."

"I saw it," He began, "I guess Death's Door is really in the city, then."

"Yeah," I say after checking around the corner for a few seconds, "But I bet the news would just chalk it up as a petty terrorist attack or something."

"No kidding," He shook his head, "The news should know that they can't hide the truth forever. It's been well known for ages since news first began to circulate in the media."

"Anyway," I began, changing the subject, "You gonna sign up for the SRMC military?"

"No way, man," He says, "Too much stuff to even go through, I hear some people head hunting for Death's Door recruits."

I look around hoping no one is listening and said, "You're going to sign in with the rebels? Why?"

"You should know why, Jack," Nathan says, "The SR has been spoon-feeding us their bullshit, and the people take it. Death's Door, during the broadcast hacking month, said that they fight for the people not for social gain or what the common term is known as 'glory,'" he snorts at the word," You saw what happened back there, they don’t care for s**t about the innocent or glory for that matter, at least their high command and the 'all powerful' High Chancellor. All this is why I wanted to join Death's Door to fight for what's right."

    I couldn't believe what my friend said to me. Not just about his tone and attitude toward the SR and its military but his delivery when saying it. I never heard him talk so much about anything for as long as we've known each other. For a while we just stood there, in silence letting the words sink in for a moment as he then said, "Sorry, I don't think this is a good place to talk about this stuff anyways."

I shake my head smiling, "No, It's fine, it's just so sudden that you decide to fight with the rebels. Honestly, I never really gave it any thought about joining anything, I only thought about enlisting into the SR Military Corps because I assumed you were joining. Right now, I'm not sure at all, especially with what happened back there."

As if on cue, a small poster floated down from above. I took it before the wind blew it away. The mark of Death's Door, a reaper's scythe in a circle that's dripping blood, was what caught our eyes at first on the paper. Below that was a holophone number which below said, call this number and we'll give you the location to where we'll meet.

    "This has gotta be a joke," I say partially to myself, passing the paper to Nate who looked at it intently. His eyes opened wide as he opened up his holophone. Holophones, by the way, are built into special gloves or handheld fiberglass screens. The one he has are the gloved ones which open up a display projected by the tips of his first 4 fingers using his thumb and other hand to operate the device using the holographic keypad or touchscreen depending on the interface he uses. Nate dials in the numbers and held it to his ear as though holding one of those vintage cell phones. A moment passed and, to my surprise, he got an answer he nodded along to the speaker and saying the occasional "yes," ,"Okay" and ,"No." He then suddenly said, "I have a friend who is right next to me," he paused for the response, "No, he's of no danger and he's interested," Another pause, "Okay, I'll see you there."

    He hung up by closing his hand on it and turned to me as I asked, "Why did you make me one of the participants in this?" He grinned at me and said, "You might as well use what you learned at the academy into training with any sort of military group."

"But we're academy students and they are rebels," I say, "Do you think we might even survive even meeting up with them?"

"Trust me," Nathaniel says in a cheerful voice, "I've heard of a few other academy students here and other planets joining like this. You've heard of stuff like that as well, right?"

I heard an imaginary zipper close my lips in my mind as I know that most of the time, he's right. It even took a bit of effort to say something, "Do you know anyone from the academy that's going there?"

"Yeah," He says as we began walking, "Katsuki Sakuto says he'll join as well as your crush, Sacha Wright."

I blushed as he mentioned Sacha, "I-I told you before I don't have a thing for her."

"Quit hiding it, Jack," He says while slapping my back, "You had a thing for her since our first year at the academy."

I sigh heavily admitting defeat since he knows I can't keep up a poker-face for too long, it's true one of my friends is in fact my crush but I refused to admit it to anyone else but my best bud, Nathaniel. Most of my friends are all just classmates but I have my own group like any other schoolboy like me, Nate, Sacha and Katsuki. Sacha is a cute, sweet girl that seems a little small for her age by a few inches but she went through the academy without a hitch we always ended up in the same class during those times so it's natural that we became friends but I kinda fell for her. Katsuki Sakuto is a male Ronin, a samurai-like ET that live like a modernized version of Feudal Japs.

    Remember that I mentioned a Ronin Yakuza gang that I helped Nathaniel fight? Well we didn't fight for no reason, Katsuki was just about to leave the Yakuza Clan he was in but was about to get beaten up as a result when Nate stepped in and later I did. Nasty fight but we managed to get out with Katsuki with our limbs and heads still attached and organs and essentials in the right place. He owed us a lot so we became great friends, it was a shame that he wasn't allowed in the academy due to his race with only me and Nate taking turns in tutoring him in secret. "Looks like we're here," Nathaniel says, interrupting my thoughts.

I look up and see that it looks like an old green warehouse. Green warehouses usually store plants, biomass, renewable power sources, and the occasional indoor illegal drug plantation which is the main reason these facilities could be shut down in a heartbeat.

    A man armed with an antique assault rifle, wearing a gas mask and Death's Door's colors came up to us and did a brief once-over. No it's not like we're toxic or there's anything immediately dangerous airborne in our immediate area, or anything like that, both the Rays and Death's Door guys wear these for many battles for their own reasons. "You guys the ones who want to join," The soldier said, his raspy voice muffled by the mask.

"Yes sir," Nathaniel said, "And this is my friend who I said is interested."

I kept my silence and nodded as soldier says, "Good, follow me."

We followed the man into the warehouse going past derelict rooms and overgrowth from abandoned plants, fallen light sources, windows, screens, and air conditioners litter the place. Broken, rusted and blown pipes already run dry with a few exceptions dripping filthy water. Eventually, we came upon a lift that seems strangely intact and pristine compared to the building. Before we can make a comment we were nudged into the lift and sent downwards. As we went down, we were welcomed by windows showing an underground base as the elevator slows. Below, we immediately see training centers, a hospital, even a small group of MBS units outside what looks like an armory. The windows gave way to reinforced plating as the lift came to a full stop opening up with another soldier beckoning us to follow him past many different staff, soldiers and civilians of all races and ages. "I wonder how they stayed hidden for so long," I whisper to Nate.

"I think there's a material surrounding this cavern that reflects," He whispers back, "or absorbs sonar and EM rays making it invisible to scanners above-ground."

Our guide, caught us and said, "I guess you could say that. Those damned Rays can't shine their beams and see us so we could bring our families and friends here."

'That explains the civilians here,' I think to myself as we come up to a room marked, "Command Room," in bold black letters and translated into different languages below it.

Our guide opens the door using a small terminal and lets us in where we meet a well known man leaning over a holographic map of all of the Colonized Systems on a circular table. He looks up showing a slightly wrinkled face with dark eyes but it confirms who it is, the famous/infamous Tobias Slade former commander of the great SR army's 8th regiment aka, "The Lucky 8s," in the early days until the Quarantine Killings when the SR rounded up advanced infected and slaughtered them like livestock, now he is the appointed leader of Death's Door. "Come in, recruits," Tobias said his voice is low and grim as he seen and been through many horrible things in his days in the SR army.

"'Recruits'? But we didn't officially join yet, sir," Nate says.

"Any newcomer is a recruit to me, boy," The man said standing straight, his dark and graying hair is long and tied in a ponytail, he has an average build and is aging slightly but his body majorly speaks years of training and experience. As far as height goes he's taller than I and is wearing a leather trenchcoat that was remade, recolored and reinforced form of the ceremonial coat he wore to parades. The former commander beckons us over and we do so obediently. "Before you say anything," He says holding up his index finger, telling us to hold on our words, "If you're asking about that battle you saw, it was not by my command, a subordinate of mine saw this and went ahead without my consent."

    We both nod understanding this as I said, "So what's going to happen?" He looks at me as though he's saying I'm stupid and says, "As for you two, you should get to some training."

"That's it," Nathan asked, "Just a walk in and then training?"

"A little bit more to it than that, soldier," Slade said, "Before training, you must be deemed trustworthy and see your expertise in simulations. We'll set them up now," He looks at us his eyes sizing us up, "Any experience prior to this?"

"We just graduated out of the Military Academy, sir," Nathan said.

"So you two wanted to give up being the SR's playthings," Slade says, "I wouldn't say you made the right or wrong choice since you'll be an enemy to the SR, but at least you'll be with us," he stops to listen to a soldier as he whispers in his ear and later says, "Before you start training, we'll take you guys with us. We'll show you why we fight and who we fight for."

Author's Note

This turned out a bit longer than I expected, so I apologize if this chapter is too long for you.

Reviews

[colleen Drippe']

Good job at setting things up. Sentences are too long and sort of fragmentary in spots. It's still interesting enough to look for more.