1 The Mission

Milamber was awoken by a harsh, pale-blue light and a soft, yet persistent beep.

Rubbing the sleep from his hazel eyes, he rolled out of the bed to interact with the glowing, pale-blue interface that was hovering in front of his bed.

Realizing it was a call from the commander of the space station Anubis, he hurriedly pressed 'answer'.

"Hello, commander Jack!" Milamber hastily saluted.

"At ease, private." Commander Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. "You know I don't like formalities, so why do you adhere to them?"

"It feels wrong not to." Milamber responded easily, dropping his salute.

The commander shook his head, feeling a migraine coming on.

"Are you aware of the situation on the planet Treason?" Commander Jack asked, massaging the bridge of his angular nose, trying desprately to fend off the impending migraine.

"No, commander." Milamber shook his head.

"There are reports of prisoners exiled to Treason developing strange and seemingly supernatural powers." Commander Jack felt the migraine overcoming his efforts. "And HQ has decided to take the best of the best among the seven Empire-class motherships to investigate. Do you know what that means?"

"A mission?" Milamber instantly felt more awake. "When do I start?"

"You mission junkie." Commander Jack chuckled without humor, pulling up mission files and sending them to Milamber's interface. "Mission is strictly infiltration. Unless circumstances force it, you are not to engage in force or overt operations."

"Not much detail." Milamber said as he read the very short mission briefing. "Guess they weren't able to get past the supposed 'Supernaturals'?"

"You are correct." Commander Jack nodded, still fighting his horrible headache. "You'll be going in blind. Nothing is known about the Supernaturals, save a few of their so-called 'Gifts', which I am sending you now."

"Are we certain it's not just elaborate posturing?" Milamber asked as he finished the short, bulleted list. "Because it wouldn't be hard to fake telekinesis, as an example. All they'd need is difficult to see wires and a few people in on the trick."

"The 'trick', according to the report, downed two skiffs." Commander Jack massaged his temples. "I wish it wasn't you who had to go on this mission. You're our best recruit and Treason is the most dangerous place in the Sector. I don't want to lose you."

"If I am the best recruit, why are you concerned?" Milamber laughed and saluted. "I'll prepare for departure."

"Alright." Commander Jack took a painkiller in an attempt to alleviate his oncoming migraine. "But listen to me well, private. If you see the situation is even the slightest bit life-threatening, I expect you to immediately abort. Am I understood?"

"Yes, commander." Milamber held his salute. "I understand."

"Good." Commander Jack felt a little better about sending the best recruit they had to a planet that had been deemed an intergalactic prison planet. "I expect you to research the planet well. Do not go in unprepared."

"Understood, commander." Milamber dropped the salute.

"Dismissed." Commander Jack felt reassured.

"Private Milamber, out." Milamber ended the call and sat down on his bed, earnestly beginning his research.

The briefing stated that he had a set insertion point, but the extraction point was to be decided in his final transmission. This spoke volumes about the danger of the mission.

Most missions would have set insertion and extraction points, but if they were variable, it meant that either the danger was ambient, or they feared a sudden change with the environment.

Milamber was unconcerned, however.

"Ooh it looks like a vacation planet." Milamber said, pleased by the planet that resembled Humanity's home planet.

Milamber's search for Treason pulled up a floating holographic of the beautiful rotating a planet, along with a massive essay written regarding its immense dangers.

Milamber took note of many of the dangers, but disregarded just as many.

'Who the fuck is going to die of heatstroke?' He wondered. 'I survived on Venus for a week with minimal cooling before it was terraformed.'

As he went about preparing himself for the mission he was to depart for, he glanced at the scheduled departure time.

'0500. Ouch. That's early.' He didn't like one thing about missions. How early he had to get up. 'I suppose I have to acclimate myself to the planetary cycle.'

He grumbled inwardly at the annoyance of adjusting his sleep schedule as he packed the small bag that had been sent to his quarters.

He packed the bag until it was almost overfull, knowing that no sane man would run about on a incredibly dangerous planet unprepared.

Immediately after he finished preparing, he started researching the only Organization that survived planet Treason.

F.E.A.R.

The files he perused contained little actual information regarding them, and primarily contained inferences about their sudden rise to power.

F.E.A.R. ruled an entire hemisphere with an iron fist. They forced everyone to stay inside during the day and only allowed people outside during the night.

They told every citizen that they belonged in the shadows, that they would remain safe if they did, and they were followed almost religiously.

Milamber scoffed at people's gullability and went to sleep early in preparation for his early awakening the next morning.