1 Chapter 1 [Natural]

Sagittarius 24/ 2260 13:43

I spun the knife in my hand as I watched the flourishing planet fly by underneath the ship. Energy hummed in my veins. The mission couldn't start fast enough. The pilot, Captain Raven Lupe, glanced at me and frowned.

"Nervous about the mission?" She asked. I shook my head. Raven tilted her head at me, her dark eyes thoughtful. The twenty-six-year-old was one of the few friends I had. I'd met her when I was twelve. Six years ago.

"No, why?" I asked. She nodded at the blade I was holding. I glanced down. The blade itself was long and slender, but the stone was wicked sharp. A perfect stealth weapon. One of the few things left behind by my mother.

"You only do that when your thinking. What's on your mind, Stormy?" She pushed her long black hair behind her shoulder and steered the jet to the small wooden village in the distance. What isn't? I have to finish my course in psychology so I can get my diploma. I've been researching the Legend program, and I'm trying to build a suit with Cleo. I thought to myself.

"I'm fine." I spun the knife again before returning it to the sheath on my leg. Speaking about my feelings or what I was thinking was not one of my strong suits. Talking about the Legend program was something I avoided. I quickly thought to change the subject away from me. "How close are we, Rave?"

Raven opened the hologram screen to her left and tapped a few buttons. She made a clicking sound with her tongue as she did so. I saw her sharp eyes scan the map and numbers, doing the long equation within seconds in her mind.

"A minute." She answered. She opened another tab and clicked some more. "The Legion team is about twenty minutes away. That doesn't give you much time..."

"It will be fine." I crossed my arms, shifting the rifle slung over my shoulder. I went over the map in my mind, recalling it took five minutes to get to the spot I wanted to set my trap in. Another five to set it, then wait. It would work. "How does it feel to be back home?"

The Sif descendant shrugged. Her eyes grew distant as she thought before shaking her head.

"Nova." she decided, good and bad. "Definitely, nova."

She fell silent and turned her shoulder away from me. I took the hint and went into the back to gather my pack. Within the plex-fabric was enough explosives to make a small crater. Just as Raven was lowering the ship, the comms rang. I strapped the backpack over my free shoulder before answering. Admiral Jermia's face filled the small screen. His faded blue eyes were ringed with purple bags on his pale face. His once blond hair had faded to silver and cut as short as possible.

"NightStorm. When you return to Lexi, meet me in my office as soon as possible." Jermia said. I frowned and tilted my head in question. It was impossible to guess what the meeting would be about. He was too good at hiding his thoughts.

"Something wrong?" I asked. He shook his head and forced a thin smile.

"No, something we need to discuss," he said. His words didn't ease the knot that had formed in my stomach. I bit my lip and nodded. "Stay safe."

"Always do," I smirked and nodded again. Jermia rolled his eyes before signing off. I turned and headed for the ramp as the ship hovered above the ground. I glanced over my shoulder to call to Raven. "Be back soon."

"Don't get yourself killed," Raven called back. I pushed the button to open the ramp. It hissed open, letting in the dry Sif air. I walked to the edge. I jumped the last few feet to the planet's sand-covered surface. My feet sunk a few inches, but it cushioned my fall. I turned away from the village and ran to the forest. I would leave Raven to talk with the civilians of the town. It was part of the reason why Jermia sent her with me on missions. She dealt with the regular people while I killed the aliens. After a few minutes of a hard sprint, I slowed to a jog and tapped open my bracelet. The thick metal slid halfway up my forearm. It lit up before projected a hologram screen about a quarter above my skin.

I tapped the icon for my map and waited while it found the correct diagram for Sif. Sif was an underdeveloped planet, so a lot of the maps were outdated. After about a minute of searching Leaxain archives, it opened the most recent map. The blinking green icon told me I was almost at the spot. Eventually, I got to the large clearing with a stream cutting through the middle of it. I closed my bracelet with a tap as I entered the opening. Sif's huge trees made almost a wall around the grass with only two paths leading in and out. I pulled the pack off my shoulder and put it on the ground, resting my rifle beside it. I quickly dug out the bombs and began burying them in the soft soil. After a few minutes, I grabbed my now empty pack and rifle before finding a tree to climb. The bark bit deep into my hands, managing to cut through my gloves. When I got to the top, I tore off my ruined gloves and stuffed them into my pack.

"Useless cotton," I muttered. Rave had gotten me the gloves as a gift, but she failed to notice the type of material they were. I pressed against a few of the cuts and winched as they stung. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and waited. Then I heard footsteps approaching — soft, almost silent ones, accompanied by bigger and louder ones. I stared at the entrance as the Legion group entered.

Within the Legion, there were five races of aliens under the same alliance. I've fought four of them. The only one I hadn't seen yet was the Principans, not from lack of trying. They never left their home planet, yet they were the leaders of the entire Legion. There were stories among the soldiers about what they looked like. They ranged from six-armed humanoid beings to insect eyed, centaur bodied creatures. No one really knew because if you saw them, it meant you were captured and going to die. They were known as the smartest of the Legion, which is why they were the leaders, but they were also extremely religious. The Legion only existed because of the Principans ability to push their religion onto other races.

Going with intelligence, right below, or even challenging the Principans, were the Jareians. The humanoid creature's stood at eight feet tall. They had skin that varied in colour from pink to purple to green. Black diamond shaped eyes sat on their long face over an X shaped mouth. Their hands finished in four fingers tipped with small claws. Of the entire Legion, I respected the Jareians the most. They were always at the front lines, barking orders and leading their teams despite not actually being the leaders.

After the Jareians was the Zerians, these creatures were living weapons. They had claws longer than my hand, a razor-sharp tail that could cut through a tree and a mouthful of shark-like teeth. Them alone make a formidable enemy, but the Principans corrupted them; which made them weaker. They were taught to use weapons like guns and vehicles instead of their natural weaponry. Because of this, the Zerians often forgot about their body and relied solely on their firearms. The Principans named them as the leaders of the teams even though they couldn't make a plan to save their lives.

Next was the Higierans. They were short creature's with wide beady eyes on a round head. They had some sort of shell on their backs, making them look almost like a housed slug with legs. Their dark skin hung loosely off their bones like a reptilian. They were reasonably smart, but they were horrible in close combat because of their shell, so they kept to using weapons.

Lunias were possibly the most useless of the Legion; they were neither smart or good at any form of combat. Their bones shattered at the slightest pressure, so they had to be in a pressurized suit which constricted their movements. They were used more for wasting our bullets.

The group that walked into the clearing was an attack group. Seven Zerians, three Jareians and a couple of Higierans. A group that could easily tear apart the small village. The same group that already ravaged four other communities. The Sif people were strong, but not in military or fighting. They were strong in their beliefs of gods and rebuilding. It made sense why Raven and her sister were so interested in the history of ancient gods. The Legion group got the center of the clearing. My lips tugged up in a smile.

"Bye-bye, bastards," I muttered. I tapped open my bracelet before pushing the glowing red icon in the center of the screen. The bombs clicked on. I wrapped my legs under the branch under me and tapped the icon again — instant detonation. The mines exploded under the Legion's feet. Black, pink, and blue blood sprayed the beige trees and grey grass. Limbs flew with the sounds of fourteen screams. I swung the rifle off my shoulder and turned the safety off before resting it on my shoulder. Other soldiers wouldn't waste their bullets on this, but I wasn't like other soldiers. Besides, I didn't want to take the chance that one would live and return to their ship. I picked off the survivors, quickly silencing their screams. I clicked the safety back on and tapped my bracelet close. What remained of the clearing was a crater of water and churned dirt, discarded limbs and weapons. Luckily the trees were thick enough to withstand the blast, containing the explosion to only the small clearing. I internally apologized to the people that would have to clean this mess up. Some of these bodies were already starting to stink. I held my rifle to my side before swinging down the branches to the ground. Then I headed to the village in a loping jog. When I got close, I slowed to a walk, quickly giving the village a once over.

All the buildings were made of the beige wood harvested from the trees. Dusty children ran through the dirt paths, darting from house to house while adults wandered around or worked on cleaning. From what I can remember about history, this was one of the first planets to be found and habited. Despite it having a human colony the longest, it kept to the old ways of living, relying almost solely upon what was imported from other planets.

"Stormy. All done?" Raven spotted me from where she leaned on a house. Beside her was a young woman with short black hair and golden skin. She stood just below Raven's six-six height.

"Yes," I answered once I got close. I gave the woman a quick nod before turning to Raven. "Ready to go?"

"Sure, just a minute." She waved her hand in a flapping motion. Calm down. I bristled at being told to calm down but kept my mouth shut. "This is Lady Ana."

"Pleasure." Ana bowed at the waist. She wore a long golden gown without shoulders and thin goldilac jewelry.

"Ana is the next leader of the village," Raven explained. I nodded again, forcing a thin smile at the woman before shooting Raven a sharp look. I didn't have time for Raven's flirting.

"Jermia wants us back. Sorry to pull you away." I kept my false smile in place while I grabbed Raven's arm. I gave a short pull. Come on, stop flirting and let's go. I thought. The pilot rolled her eyes at Ana before mouthing an apology. Raven followed me to the ship on the outskirts of town.

"You're no fun." Raven rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. I dropped my smile and shrugged. I scanned the main room of the ship.

"We got stuff to do. This is your job, remember. Not your dating line." I said. She rolled her golden eyes again and sighed. "Plus, I figured you would want to get off this planet as soon as possible. I know Cleo would."

"Cleo is dramatic." Raven retorted. I glanced out the ramp as the village. "An emotional wreck."

"She watched your parents die." I reminded her. I scanned the houses as I thought. I wonder which building it was. I turned to look at Raven. "It's not something you just get over."

"Yeah, right. Don't act like you know." Raven growled. I froze, my teeth gritting together. Only if you knew. I growled internally. Raven kept ranting. "You always defend her. Even when she's in the wrong."

I took a deep breath and shook my hands out. Pain raced from my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. I took another deep breath. The pain lessened a bit.

"Sorry if I'm trying to find someone who actually cares. Someone who won't choose my sister over me." Raven sat in her seat. I stood behind her and watched as she scanned the barcode on her left arm. The dash lit up in a soft red glow.

"Don't start with the favouritism thing again," I warned. I turned and paced the main room, my boots clicking on the dark grey metal. "I told you I've had enough of your competition."

"It's not a competition." Raven snapped. This time it was my turn to roll my eyes. Since I'd met the twins, there was always a competition between them. Who was the better person? Who was the smartest? Who was the strongest? It was absolutely pointless and annoying. I shot Raven a warning look before sitting on one of the benches that lined the main room. Raven crossed her arms and scoffed at me.

"Just fly the damn ship." I sighed. All the energy I felt before the mission was gone, leaving me empty and tired. Raven started the ship and settled into the cockpit. I waited until the ship lifted off before laying down. The vessel had two floors and four rooms. On the main floor was the central place where I was laying. The benches could seat twelve soldiers, more if needed — the cockpit, where Raven was and could seat two pilots. On the floor below us, which could be reached through a trapdoor in the main room, held the sleeping quarters and a weapons room. The sleeping quarters could keep six people at a time. The weapons room was small but held enough ammo and weapons for a mid-sized team — twenty soldiers at max. The ship was used for small or stealth missions. This was Raven's favourite ship, mainly because it had the same name as her. The Raven.

I stared at the polished ceiling where I could see my reflection: dyed dark brown hair, pale skin with freckles across my nose and bright bluish grey-green eyes. My eyes always set me apart. They linked me back to the planet my mother was from. Lexians all had dark brown eyes. If my eyes were brown, I would look just like any other soldier on Lexi. That is as long as I wore long clothing. Underneath the long sleeves and pants were scars that marred my skin. Some long and clean, other's short and ragged. They covered my arms, legs, stomach and back. Most were caused by a blade, not by bullets or energy bullets used by the Legion. The war had marred me, marked in something that would never fade. A reminder. A painful reminder.