The Gift

POV Veren:

Craters and fissures littered the concrete ground of a small settlement. The simple cubicles built of hastily made concrete looked like they would collapse at any moment, their walls tattered with holes like pieces of old fabric.

Amid them, the tall exoskeleton-armed figures patrolled, their visors brightly shining and their sensors tuned to the maximum.

"What a dangerous world..." The chancellor and the general silently watched the still-smoking pile of stone that was, just a few minutes ago, alive and attacking them. The burned spots after the plasma bolts still glowed red in the residual heat.

Veren stood amidst the small crowd, ignored by everyone and watching the destruction of their new home. Anger quietly bubbled within his now fiery-hot blood vibrating with the newfound energy.

He could feel how shaken his people were, 'We have escaped a war only to get into another one.'