Chapter 1: The Dreamer

Vyran

I looked up at the sky from on top of the Space Defense Forces camp I'd been stationed in. Only a few faint clouds could be picked up from my eyes. I blinked, causing my eyes to zoom in further to see if there were any abnormal stuff or people entering our airspace. There were rumors that a planet in the neighboring solar system had been taken over by people not from around here. Since then, I'd been on high alert.

"There you are, Vyran!" a voice called out.

I blinked again, causing my vision to return to its regular zoom-level.

"Oh, hey, Sis," I said, waving at the red-haired older woman dressed in a form-fitting suit. Sis was one of the big wigs around here. Our family had a long history in the SDF. Actually, an ancestor of ours had even served as its first director, a path my sister was walking toward. As for me, I didn't care about such stuffy jobs. All I wanted to do was keep our world safe from those seeking to conquer it.

She folded her arms over her large chest and sighed. "Vyran, what are you doing here? You should be heading over to the training area with the others."

I blinked. "Huh? Is lunch already over?"

She ran a hand through her curly hair and sighed. "You really haven't changed a bit, have you, Vyr? Always having your heads in the clouds. Literally."

"I wasn't just daydreaming! I was looking out for any strange ships!"

"Vyr, oh, Vyr. Aren't you forgetting where we are? This place has a state of the art defense system. Even a tiny meteor won't be able to get far before getting blown out of the air!"

I picked up the blue can of soda sitting beside me on the bench, shaking its remaining contents. "Sis, don't you think that you're depending a little too much on technology?"

She scoffed as she turned around. "Vyr, the world revolves around technology. It has been the case for as far back as records show. Your own eyes are enhanced by the latest tech at the time of your birth. They aren't your natural eyes."

I placed a hand over them. Right… I had them since the day I was born, so it was easy to forget that these too weren't natural. 

"Vyr, remember, you're a pilot now. It's time you've moved past your childhood dreams of being a hero. This world has known peace for so long that we're fortunate not to be replaced like yesteryear's old chips," Sis said before closing the door.

I took a deep breath and looked at the other pilots as they listened to one of our superiors. But would that peace last forever? Hopefully it would. No, not just hopefully. I would make sure it continued.

My left ear began to twitch. I tapped it. "Hello?" I said as I made my way inside the building.

"Hey, Vyr!" my little sister called out in her high-pitched voice.

I winced but smiled all the same. "Hey, Varia. How have you've been?"

"I've been good! What about you? You sound kind of melancholy. Did something happen?"

I shook my head and closed my eyes. I could see the living room of my house and a blond girl around seven-years old. Her small arms were wrapped around a giant bunny.

She giggled as she saw me. Given I was at a base, she couldn't visit me like this, but I could visit her.

"Vyr!" she ran over to hug me, but failed to do so. Unlike her, my chip couldn't solidify my hologram with nanobots. Not that I couldn't use them, it was just that my range with them was far less impressive than the younger generation. Big sis was even more limited than me. Well, she was until she got the latest chip implant.

I could have gotten it, too, but I didn't want to. It would've just been obsolete in a year or so. Plus, I liked retro stuff. It felt… more dependable. While tech had improved a lot over the centuries, early version glitches were still a thing. Even integration hadn't changed that.

Part of me wondered if my ancestors would be disappointed that the singularity they'd expected didn't come to fruition. Or perhaps, they would be glad. It still allowed for creativity to exist in this world of quick trends. The world certainly would've been a more boring place.

"Hey, sis. I see you still have Mrs. Bonbon with you."

She snuggled it. "Of course, you won it for me!"

I laughed as I remembered the fair I had won her in. It involved a pretty intense dance off. I had to pop a hundred balloons in a minute.

"And you've loved her ever since."

She laughed. "Yup!"

"Vyr? What are you doing here? You aren't slacking off, are you?" Mom asked as she walked into the living room with a platter of sandwiches.

I shook my head. Seriously, why did everyone but Var find me irresponsible? I wasn't the same dumb kid as before. Even then, I wasn't really slacking. More like disinterested. School was boring. I mean, why did it even exist when we had all the known knowledge accessible in the literal blink of an eye? It was probably the one old-fashioned thing I didn't like.

"I sure hope so. Your father and I had hoped you would've matured a little."

"Is it that bad to daydream?" I asked, sighing.

"No, but you overdo it, dear."

Var giggled. "But they help Vyr come up with the best stories! Like the one he wrote about Mrs. Bonbon."

I chuckled. One involved the bunny constructing a retro wooden house for her family. Only Var liked it, though. Everyone else found it 'sleepy'. The forest wasn't something they found interesting. And the thought of camping was a nightmare to them. Especially without access to the Internet.

In modern times, it was impossible to not have access, even if in a forest. That's something our older sis pointed out as 'unrealistic'. Hmph, she clearly missed it was a callback to a more rustic time!

Mom set the platter on the table. "I don't know, dear. They were kind of old-fashioned. Don't you think so?"

I lowered my head. She wouldn't get it. No one really did. Sometimes, I felt like a stranger within my own family.

"Vyr," Var said, standing up.

I forced a smile and waved. "I need to go back."

"I would offer you a sandwich, but you probably have to go back to work now," Mom said, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah. I don't want to get an earful from Veroria."

Var hid her face behind her bunny. "Yeah, Big Sis can be scary when mad!"

I laughed and nodded. "Bye!"

I opened my eyes and found myself in the elevator. I'd put my body on autopilot while I talked with my family. It really was convenient. Although a bit jarring at times.

"You're awake, sleepwalker?" an androgynous-looking person said, causing me to jump.

I didn't think there were others around.

"I wasn't sleepwalking. I was chatting with my family!"

The person laughed. "I figured. Although you really shouldn't do it."

I scratched my face. Right. Good thing it wasn't Big Sis in the elevator with me. Else I would get scolded…

"Say, who are you?" I asked.

"Me? The name is Deros."

Deros? That name… and his feminine looks.

"Hey, are you from planet Orginal?" I asked. 

Deros looked down at the elevator floor and nodded. "Yes."

That reaction only told me the rumors were true. Orginal had been invaded…

"Did you escape the invasion? How was it?" I asked, getting closer.

Deros raised his hands. "Hey, some space would be nice!"

I gulped. "Oh, right. Sorry."

He took a deep breath. "I don't know what happened. I came to this camp to become a pilot for the capital. It wasn't until I couldn't reach home that I began to suspect something was wrong.

"That's…" I stopped, unsure of what to say. Could words even help relieve his anguish?

"Awful? I know, but that's why I went to talk to the director. I want to go home, but I know doing it alone could prove dangerous. Unfortunately, the director ignored my request. He claims it was just a solar storm, but… what if it wasn't?" Hints of tears poked out of his sky-blue eyes.

I wanted to give the guy a hug, but that wouldn't have helped.

"I have an idea!" I said.

He looked at me. "Yes?"

"Let's go together and check it out for ourselves."

Deros's face turned pale. "Are you nuts? We'll get into trouble if we do that. We would be branded as deserters."

Hmm, true… Maybe I could have Big Sis try to convince the Director to change his mind. But that was easier said than done. She was as stubborn as me.