Chapter 1 -- New Beginnings

Year 2088, February 22, Planet Sol Standard 

Humans. The sole dominant species, inhabitants of their home world, Planet Sol. What was once a primitive race of cavemen evolved into a spacefaring civilization, pushing the boundaries of possibility. From discovering fire to harnessing wormholes and nuclear fusion energy, from rudimentary tools to advanced artificial intelligence, humanity's journey has been one of relentless curiosity and innovation. Throughout millennia, humans have shaped and reshaped their world, conquering challenges and striving to understand the universe's nature. Their unique ability to adapt, communicate, and collaborate has not only ensured survival but has also propelled them to explore the stars, seeking new frontiers and untapped knowledge. System after system, planet after planet, and most importantly, contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, eventually leading to both increasing and decreasing relations.

Today, humans stand as a testament to ingenuity's power and the unyielding spirit of exploration, forever reaching beyond the known into the vast expanse of possibility, hailing as the most advanced civilization in the known interstellar medium.

However, reality differs from fiction. Humanity didn't venture into space as one unified race under Planet Sol's single banner. They ventured out as separate states, and these spacefaring nations are only those developed enough to harness space travel. Depending on their pacts and alignments, these nations have either similar or differing goals and objectives. Among these nations, The Republic of Joazkardia stands as humanity's most powerful, renowned for its staggering patriotism, loyalty, and bravery among its people, as well as its technological and military might, unmatched by many, except for a few of its most powerful peer adversaries.

- - - - - - - - - -

Planet Aurora-277B

7:30 AM Local Time

After a preceding one-year close observation at the inhabitants of this planet, the discoveries of events and other aspects on the surface were so shocking and incomprehensible that the government has started to classify anything regarding Aurora-277B. The reason? "National security," they claimed. It remains undetermined when the Joazkardian government will declassify and reveal the beauty, anomalies, and most importantly, it's documentation of the anomalous nature, threats and potential dangers of this planet to the public. As a whole, it took them two years, the first half dedicated to observation strictly through orbit and re-entry hypersonic aircrafts, to finally have a decision before they landed and stepped foot on Aurora-277B.

What started as a highly promising star system -- named "Aurora-277" as discovered by the Joazkardian Aerospace Agency's 'Astralis' space telescope, stationed six hundred light-years away at the VR33 Star System, three colonies were planned to be established on this world of anomaly. Site X-12 is the most developed of the three. Site X-14, situated at the far north near the ice caps, is the youngest colony, with construction currently in progress. The second colony, Site X-13, situated on an island south near the ice caps, has already undergone enough development and infrastructure to begin production. It's very first gigafactory has already completed rapid construction in an impressive 168 working days, from paperwork to finished product.

- - - - - - - - - -

Site X-12, Gunther twin-islands, Aurora-277B

A man paced around the balcony, his eyes fixed on the construction on the other side of the road that stretched towards the distance. As he listened to the echoing sound of heavy equipment, a distant rumbling caught his attention. Looking out, he witnessed the majestic descent of a spacefaring behemoth. A gigantic Single-Stage-to-Orbit spacecraft, a testament to human ingenuity and ambition. Its sleek, cylindrical body, painted a pristine white, tapered gently towards the blunt and rounded nose, where it gleamed as it embraces sunlight.

Bold, black lettering ran vertically down its side, proudly proclaiming the name of it's respectful military branch. Adorning the sides of the spacecraft, a bold inscription in black proudly displayed the name 'Joazkardian Aerospace Force'. Named the SL-105, the SSTO, neared it's base towards a landing tarmac. The combination of superheated liquid hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen created a spectacle of dust plumes rising from the ground as the colossal, 6,400-ton metal structure gracefully touched down. The turbo-rockets ceased their roar as soon as it made contact. 

"Well, that's the last of 'em," the man muttered to himself, his voice deep, baritone, and gruff. He drank the last sip of coffee before heading out to the stairs.

The man picked up his BGR-284 rifle from the table beside him, slinging it over his shoulder as he went to the stairs and walked down.

"Take me to the tarmacs," the man said, picking up his fancy helmet hanging at the side of the JACV80, an 8x8 wheeled IFV, adorned with advanced technology. At the top of the helmet, a velcro callsign was affixed, with the name 'Vintorez' printed on it.

"Copy that, sir," replied the drivers before mounting inside the vehicle.

The 1,000-horsepower engine of the eight-wheelerJACV80 revved up, causing the vehicle to torque into motion. A number of individuals at the nearby construction site turned their heads towards the cruising monolith of steel, adorned with angular shapes that help it deflect various kinds of projectiles. Its 50mm autocannon, pointed upwards at a shallow angle. The sheer size of the multiple SL-105 rockets grew larger in perspective as they traversed the road, leading to the landing tarmacs. Large ramps touched the ground as many vehicles and thousands of cosmic marines made their way outside.

Stepping out from the back of the vehicle, Vintorez walked towards one of the rockets. A man in his thirties walked towards the five of them, waving at Vintorez.

Vintorez approaches him as the man extends his hand. He shook his hand and spoke; "Captain Erickson!"

Erickson chuckled; "Long time no see..." He greeted.

Vintorez nodded and smirked. "Welcome to the abnormal world, cap." He said. "I suppose you've been briefed about everything going on in this planet, yeah?" He added.

"Affirmative. Thought it was all bollocks. Whatever the abominations recorded, we've yet to see their real extensive capabilities." Erickson replied. "We better have some countermeasures to those."

The two stopped as they begin to converse. "We already have. Those god-knows-what shields? Through ISR and footages from orbit, we saw how it can sustain resistance against fuck-tons of arrows, then shatters and 'dissipates after a certain hit limit is reached'. This implies that impacts tend to break those shields. We're yet to test our rifles against those, but one can assume it's obvious it'll take significantly less bullets than there are arrows against those shit." Vintorez said.

"As someone who has shot at level four body armor before, I agree with that." Erickson replied. "But yeah, fuck tons of arrows..."

"But don't expect too much, sir. We're in a world that lacks any fuckin' sense at all. This planet's a whole ass anomaly". Vintorez added. "Who knows, they'll probably have a lot of the powerful bullcrap that these so-called 'weebs' are talking about." Vintorez responded.

Erickson nodded and took a gaze at Vintorez's outfit and equipment, which is composed of full-body armor, ballistic helmet, a heads-up display system, magazine pouches, and others. Embedded at the other side of his helmet is a silhouette of a black skull with a four-edged star at its back, an emblem of the JASF Stellar Strike Force, a special operations force completely separate from the cosmic marines. The SSF basically the JASF's version of the Joazkardian Navy Seals. The SSF are trained to fight regularly in all domains; be it space, land, air, moons, or the sea.

"Hence the full combat equipment you're wearing?" Erickson said.

"Absolutely." Vintorez answered back, "Currently prepping up for one of our own combat exercises this day. The simulations through the HUD will help a lot. It's workout too, y'know? Runnin' around with all that equipment."

"Damn right mate, gotta smoke some asses from time to time, even if they're virtual." Erickson replied, looking back behind him and turning back to Vintorez. "And hey, I'll take it from here. Goodluck out there, Vintorez."

"Take care, captain!" Vintorez replied back, ending the conversation with a salute.

----------

9:30 AM

Amidst the wide canopy of trees, every small alien fauna that can fly suddenly jumped out of the trees as soon as the thunderous noises of jet engines flew past them at medium altitude, and at an unprecedented speed. Up in the sky, are speeding, streamlined hunks of metal. Their fuselage, adorned with two air intakes at the top, is painted dark grey, signifying it's low-observability design. Their wingtips sport a streamlined and aerodynamic monolith, it's sides equipped with three long, folded propeller blades.

A V-formation of Four CB-5 Kestrel HSVTOL, a separate, stealth variant of the C-5 High Speed VTOL made for the respective Special Operations Command of each military branch, soared past the air and gentle winds. With their rotating detonation jet engines, the flying marvels of engineering are sustaining a high cruise speed of 750 kilometers per hour.

"ETA, Five minutes!" Vintorez's voice emanated from their comms. "There's approximately two-hundred confirmed hostiles in each village, and we gotta extract this intel as efficiently as possible! Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The rest of the Reapers responded back.

All the other operators within the aircraft adjusted their visors, turning their Heads-up-display systems on. Opening the safety cover on their shoulders, their hybrid exoskeleton suits quickly turned on and powering up. A flurry of data gets sent to their hardware, including the location of confirmed enemy forces and assets. Their combat area and objective is to raid a mock town -- a system of four sizeable villages connected together by dirt roads, simulating an ancient village that imitates the architecture and environment of that of the native inhabitants of Aurora-277, a combat range named the 'Warforge Enclave', and extract intel.

Dubbed across the military as the valiant "Nightshade Reapers", the 64-strong SSF platoon led by Vintorez, are divided into four sections consisting of sixteen troops, each section carried by one HSVTOL and assigned to one village per section. Each of the VTOL aircrafts approach the landing zone from different directions, using terrain masking to avoid detection. The rotors blades of the aircraft finally extended back to its original diameter, finally tilting upwards giving it higher efficiencies at hover mode. Slowing down to a mid-air halt a distance away from the village, the wheels of the CB-5 VTOL touch the ground as operators exit their aircraft quickly and orderly. Boots started making contact with the ground, and soon their knees as they form a perimeter around the landing zone, covering all directions and sectors of fire.

Four of them stayed besides the VTOL, each tasked to pull out two VX-7 quadrupedal robots from under the seats and setting it up on the ground. The quadrupedal robots quickly rose and stood to life; their lightweight, belt-fed rifles ready to shoot.

The Kestrels would then depart the landing zone as soon as possible. Using their helmet HUD systems, the operators are able to visually decipher the waypoints and the pinpointed positions of any simulated enemies that are found by the small UAV loitering above the villages.

Raising his fist and pointing forward with his index finger, Vintorez provided clearance to move and make their way to the village, moving as quickly and efficiently as possible. The VX-7s, armed with their usual .338 machine guns, followed suit. Avoiding open areas and instead used nearby vegetation and natural defilade, they are able to evade early detection. They moved at a staggered column formation, keeping a safe distance between each operator and maintaining situational awareness, each operator keeping their eye and aim at different directions to cover all directions and sectors of fire as they walk swiftly through the vegetation.

"RS-One. Spotted fifteen 'wolf-riders' approaching, 90 yards off the vegetation." A voice said through the comms, spotting a heat signature of enemies, wearing helmets and clad in chainmail and padded armor riding in large, giant wolf-like creatures. The riders armed with long spears, all of which are simulations through their HUD.

A, muffled pop emanated from their suppressed rifles, firing their high-pressure, .264 Savage cartridge, sending a 135-grain 6.5mm EPR bullet from a muzzle velocity of 3200 feet per second from the 24.5-inch barrel of their BGR-284 Bullpup rifles downrange.

The scouts, along with their wolves were quickly dropped to the ground, each wolves receiving a well-placed shot through the head. The advanced AI of the simulation accurately depicted the damages done, representing the properties observed and studied from the ISR missions performed throughout the years.

"Clear!" Reaper Section One moved forth once again, village-one coming into sight in Vintorez and his section's perspective.

Seconds after, another voice spoke through their comms, "RS-Two has dropped the wolfpack from village-two."

The Reapers came to a halt and laid down in prone, some kneeling behind thick trees as they start to survey the combat zone using the real time UAV footage and their binoculars. Pinpointed in their HUDs, a foe with a threatening size can be seen inhabiting the sizeable village, consisting of archers, knights, cavalrymen and wizards. Tagged red in their HUDs are confirmed enemy forces, as seen by the UAV above, many of which can be seen through many obstacles.

"About twenty-five guards, 500 meters outside of the palisade fences." One of the operators said.

"Copy. Splash 'em."

With the smart scope mounted on their rifles, they began to take aim at the unmanned mobile dummies placed at the metal fences, visualized as a native equipped with a chest plate, robe-like garments and a spear-like staff with a glowing crystal. A wizard. It is, however, visualized in the HUD as an orange, glowing target as it is in the thermals mode. Others were the usual archers and knights. They were unaware of the presence of the Nightshade Reapers.

"Fire." Vintorez ordered, sounds of muffled firing emerging once more as the machine gunners squeezed the trigger. This time, 300-grain .338 bullets were fired in small bursts, from the machine gunners and the VX-7s. With an overkill amount of kinetic energy, the .338 bullets zipped through the air just as fast as the .284 Savage, and with even better ballistic coefficient precisely landed on the targets outside the wooden palisade and penetrating their chest plates like a hot knife through butter.

The bullets provided exceptional lethality, the copper jacket, base slug and the exposed tungsten penetrator tip fragmenting apart in an explosion-like fashion. Another series of muffled firing followed once more, taking down more targets within the vicinity. The ballistic dummies fell over the ground as they get shot.

"Go." He muttered over the comms, the entire section moving forward. In an attempt to enter what they decided to be the least secure area of the village, the western part, they quickly placed a dummy C4 at the fence, making a hole as the pre-fragmented area of wood came apart in random shapes to simulate the effects of a breaching explosion.

Vintorez and his section swiftly moved to cover and defilade behind houses and rocks, aiming at sectors of fire where the targets might come from. Seeing nearby approaching targets through the structures as pinpointed in the HUD, the operators took aim with some canted behind corners, easily taking down the moving ballistic dummies with each shot within their field of view. After firing multiple shots, others reached out behind them, pulling a magazine protruding from the side of their magazine dispenser.

An operator extracted a rectangular gadget from his pocket, pressing it against the wall. The device's screen illuminated with data that revealed who and what lay beyond the wall, which was then transmitted to the augmented reality HUD. Simultaneously, the VX-7s released a fleet of nano-quad drones, their toroidal propellers whirring to life as they took flight to scan neighboring residences for signs of life via wi-fi signals. Working in tandem, one drone served as a transmitter while the other functioned as a receiver.

Shown in their helmet HUD systems are markings of targets and life signs behind, as if they can see through the walls. Knowing what to do, Vintorez gestured his fellow Reapers to proceed.

The operator smoothly shifted to the right, following the path of least resistance until he reached the corner. Assuming his area of domination, he swiftly took out all immediate threats in front of him, hitting the chestplates of four dummies while avoiding what is simulated as the unarmed peasants. Without missing a beat, Vintorez entered the room and moved in the opposite direction of the first operator, swiftly eliminating six threats with precision. His rapid follow-up shots suppressing the opponent and killing them.

The third soldier then immediately moved opposite Vintorez's direction, scanning and sweeping his sector as he made his point of prepotency, killling three. The fourth operator followed suit, scanning the room for remaining threats as he moves to the left towards the Lieutenant's direction.

"Not here.." One of the operators reported after he rummaged through various chests.

The other teams made their way into other houses in search of intel, sweeping the other houses off of their targets after getting scanned by the drones and VX-7s. The other two teams swept the room quickly.

Moving further, warnings have been received through markings on their HUDs.

"Sixty-three hostiles approaching northwest of our position, Lt!"

Vintorez took a look down at his wrist, his eyes briefly focusing on the grid-like holographic icon located at the center of his wrist, which a mini-map appears through the augmented reality HUD. A surprising number of wizards make up a good chunk of this group, with shield-wielding swordsmen at the front.

"We'll splash them with the hornets." He responded back, pulling out an LM-3 hand loitering munition from his pouch at the side of his plate carrier vest.

Pushing a button, he activated and threw the munition up in the air, it's four arms quickly unfolding with its serrated rotor blades immediately spinning to life. A few other troops followed suit, buzzing sounds can only be faintly heard as the loitering munitions flew farther, thanks to the noise-reduction feature of its serrated rotor blades.

As the live UAV footage was being closely monitored, a group of wizards and warriors could be seen dispersing to take cover behind homes. Almost simultaneously, they cast magical shields that provided a wide area coverage for the group to hide behind. Suddenly, a torrent of tornado-heavy winds, simulated by the camouflaged hurricane simulators around the area, swept through the LM-3s, a result of the powerful wind spell orchestrated by the magic users.

With lightning speed, the LM-3 Loitering munitions showcased its remarkable intelligence as its algorithms swiftly responded to the wind turbulence. The craft maneuvered on it's predicted trajectory through the challenging conditions, effectively nullifying the impact of the wind. Assessing the current condition of it's targets, the loitering munitions seamlessly transitioned its warhead into HEDP-mode. The spherical warhead rotated vertically, aiming its dual-liner shaped charge at the direction to target and breach the shields ahead.

Loud sounds of explosions emanated quickly as its warhead exploded, sending a hypervelocity jet made of molten tantalum and reactive material perforating through the magical shields. The jet from the tantalum liner perforated a hole, while the secondary reactive liner creating a blast of overpressure inside.

After three LM-3s unleashed their devastating blows, a second wave of three emerged, scattering in different directions as they aborted their initial strikes and set their sights on new targets. The AI swiftly detected the imminent threat of two additional groups rushing to the area. The LM-3s wasted no time in obliterating their designated target zones, unleashing a series of thunderous explosions that reverberated through the air. The hostile combatants stood no chance as the LM-3s efficiently eliminated them. The impact was evident as the mobile ballistic dummies toppled to the ground, their stands collapsing under the weight of the tungsten ball fragments unleashed by the LM-3s, signifying their successful elimination.

"Clear!" An operator voiced.

Vintorez quickly made a hand signal to move forward, the rest of his section accompanied by the four VX-7 robots, were going through the gaps between houses and eliminating the hostile threats they came across. Making an abrupt stop, they quickly noticed a town hall of which is heavily guarded.

"Looks like that house is what we're looking for," Vintorez spoke, pointing to the large house. "Scan for more targets and smoke 'em."

A pair of Nano Quad-drones followed suit and scanned the building, revealing a high number of people inside, with other pairs scanning other houses. Aiming at the dummy guards present out the building and around, the operators quickly let out bursts of .264 and .338 projectiles downrange, immediately taking the dummies down. Vintorez aimed at the windows at the second floor of the house, hitting the dummies. Also seeing the targets through the walls, he fired and shot through the wooden walls of the second story, dispatching the dummies behind into oblivion.

"Go." The lieutenant ordered, moving forward to the house.

The operators quickly stopped as they reach the house, standing right beside the walls rom each side of the door, with the other sections securing the perimeter around their area. One operator kicked the door, only leaving a response saying, "This shit's locked.".

Pulling out a thermal breaching torch, another operator pointed the tip against the metal lock and pressed a button, igniting the reactive material within the torch.

Melting the upper portion of the lock, it wasn't enough. Removing the front segment of the torch, the operator replaced it with another, a fresh new reload. Igniting the reactive material once more, the operator is able to melt down the second lock, which allowed Vintorez to kick the door open.

Entering the room, the Reapers quickly made their areas of domination and quickly swept the room clean of any standing dummies. Eight troops quickly went to the stairs to scan the second floor, whilst Vintorez and seven others carefully walked over and rummaged the table and shelves of paper scrolls, cautious of any trap laid down. Unscrolling several papers, they have read what appears to be mock-up letters and maps regarding a deployment of legions and monsters to attack a point of interest -- a mining site, with a military base situated right around it, located on a mountain range located at the northeastern part of the region.

"O-4 Actual this is Reaper 1-1; we got the intel!" Vintorez spoke through his comms. "Transmitting data shortly."

"Job well done, Reapers. Now get the hell outta there and prepare for exfil." The officer replied.

"Roger!" Vintorez responded.

------------------

Coming to a descent, four CB-5s hovered down outside the villages as the Nightshade Reapers Platoon made their way out of their assigned areas, moving inwards towards the middle of the crossroads. The kestrels were visible to each other as they landed near the dirt roads at the outskirts, surrounding it.

The operators quickly ran to the aircrafts, with the VX-7 robots embarking first. After sitting down and coming to a rest, the seats finally unfolded on top of the resting VX-7s, allowing the human troops to embark the aircraft.

One operator spoke up as he took a seat."Time to smoke more people in Wargame VR once I get back."

"Easy there, Lopez. Take a rest. You play shooter games almost every bloody day." Corporal Santos interjected.

Lopez replied, "Hah, as if I do that in times like this."

Santos couldn't help but chuckle as he reflected on the current progress of hyper-realistic VR war simulation games of today. "They're impressive, no doubt," he remarked. "Nothin' beats the good old-fashioned drills and exercises, still." Santos glanced over at Vintorez, who seemed lost in a nostalgic trance, his gaze fixed on the swiftly flowing sea of green.

Noticing the look of his fellow comrades at the very corner of his eye, Vintorez quickly snapped himself off of his limbo, and spoke back in his usual deep, rough, gruff, and powerful baritone voice and an Arlandian accent, distinctive of the usual Joazkardian accent spoken of by his fellow platoon members.

Looking back at them, he scoffed and smiled. "Nice work, boys." He responded, his voice sounding like he has seen and done unspeakable things in combat that people can only imagine.

Lopez and the others nodded. "Indeed..." Lopez replied. "Good, sire?" He asked.

Vintorez let out a deceptive nod. "As always, Lopez." He spoke. "Prepare for debriefing when we come back." He added, staring back at the window.

---------------

Command and Control Headquarters, Site X-12

11:25 AM

Inside the command-and-control room, various screens adorn the walls, with staff personnel manning those stations. In the middle of this large, advanced room is a large, rectangular holographic table, which a map of a southern portion of the region of the Gunther Island is shown.

A seemingly high-value man is seen swiping through the map, zooming in on a rather wide, plain field, with temporary arrows and sketches drawn around it. A Director of Operations, a four-star general, his last name is inscribed at his shoulder; 'Flynn'.

A woman, a J-2 Intelligence officer, opened the door and entered the room, walking over to the holographic table. She saluted at the general and handed him a tablet with some documents on it. "Sir, reports have shown that the potentially-high-risk threats within all areas of interest in the southern region have been scared away by the 550th Light IBCT." The woman said.

"You mean the anomalous wildlife inhabiting that area?" Flynn responded.

"The "mudder" hexapedals to be exact, sir. The highly territorial ones that can turn hundreds of acres of land into mud to hunt small animals that get stuck," She replied. "ISR sorties further confirmed this, and the real estate is now fully in our possession and under our control, sir. Apart from that, the rest of the wildlife isn't that much of a threat, despite their observed abilities. This chunk of land is ready for construction for the future Solians so come, sir."

Letting out a breath of accomplishment, General Flynn responded, "We'd better make steaks out of these hexapedals," Flynn joked and chuckled. "But anyway, thanks for a job well done." He remarked. "What about those sea monster wizardry we've spotted a few times back then?"

"So far, sir, none have shown interest in sending whirlpools, local storms or tsunamis up our ports and coastlines," The Officer said, "They are, however, getting more and more aggressive around their local environment, and the countermeasures are already there and ready to be used, sir, be it passive or active. But we're still in the middle of research and planning with regards to taming one of those like that one native faction up northwest. These creatures are under constant watch by our submarines."

"Good. Let me know if there's anything else. Extraterrestrial wildlife here's still a direct threat."

------------------

Capital city "Arcanum", Joazkardia, Planet Sol

6:40 PM, Sol time

Apart from the beautiful sunset making it's descent below the horizon, the huge, bustling mega-city below further amplifies the scenery as it emits a seemingly never-ending flurry of city lights, as darkness slowly creeps up the vast sky.

Flying overhead, moving past the city's airspace in a gentle glide, a blended-wing body aircraft known as the BL-800P, a cutting edge, military-grade variant of the BL-800C civilian airliner, tailored for the Joazkardian President.

Staring at the blanket of buildings and city lights in motion below, President Orvex sat down, sipping his warm, dark coffee.

"Sir President,." An aide came up to him, handing him a black tablet containing documents. "This is by far all the compilations of all the observations and surveillance conducted by the Joazkardian Aerospace Force regarding the anomalous planet until last week."

Orvex took the tablet, swiping around the screen of the tablet. He tilted his head slightly at the sheer amount of documents, recordings, and presentations of all the findings from the multi-year observation of the anomalous planet. "Damn son, that's a lot of important intel. I could use something interesting to watch and read every now and then as well."

"Indeed, sir," The aide replied. "But be warned, mister president, some of the footages and docs might be... gruesome and messed up." He warned.

Orvex nodded. "I see. I'll manage. Dismissed." The aide slightly bowed down politely and walked away, the Joazkardian president now fixated on the tablet.

The BL-800P aircraft continued its gentle glide over the city, with President Orvex engrossed in the documents on the tablet. Some of the recordings and presentations of findings from the multi-year observation of the anomalous planet were indeed gruesome and messed up, as warned by his aide. But as the president delved deeper into the intel, he couldn't help but feel a sense of concern at what lay within Aurora-277B.

The reports detailed strange creatures and unknown forces that defied known laws of physics, as well as monsters of gigantic proportions. He then swiped to an aerial recording of a battle that occured a few months ago.

The recording showed scenes of brutal combat, with creatures being torn apart by magical forces, their agonized screams echoing through the battlefield. Two opposing forces, one consisting of pale skinned, magenta-colored humanoids, the other with a regular magenta skin color. Most of the foot soldiers were clad with what seems to be chainmail armor, gambesons and helmets, whilst others wear full metal armor all around them, indicating a type of warrior similar to what is known to Solians as a Knight.

Bodies littered the ground, some writhing in pain as green tendrils of energy coiled around them, showing what can only be described as the drainage of the life force from their very essence. The battle erupted into chaos as the two factions clashed violently. Arcane energies crackled through the air as both sides unleashed blasts of elemental forces, sending torrents of fire, ice, and unknown energies towards their foes. In response, the faction with the regular skinned humanoids retaliated by having their robed figures casting strong torrential winds. And suddenly, the skies darkened as a group of robed figures from the pale-skinned faction raised their staff, channeling another wave of energy. The air hummed as they invoked the incantation, and a colossal angelic figure made of pure, crackling energy materialized above the battlefield. With a roar that shook the heavens, the figure unleashed a devastating storm, bringing down a fury of blunt and spherical accumulations of blue energy, turning the tide of the battle as it struck down upon the regular-skinned humanoids like an incoming volley.

Yet, amid the chaos, another group of robed figures from the opposing side re-positioned and positioned themselves strategically, their eyes glowing with a fierce, golden light. The surviving warriors around them also moved and ran in a coordinated manner, closer to the robed group for coverage. Recognizing the threat, multiple domes of shimmering, translucent energy enveloped most of their allies, blocking the other side's assault and protecting them from certain doom. The unfortunate ones that were not under the coverage of the domes were struck, either penetrating their armor or through the gaps of their metal armor. Other domes eventually broke down due to the immense amount of impacts caused by the spherical energies.

The battle was far from over but the display of such formidable wizardry promised that it would be one for the ages.

"Fuckin' hell... No one in the interstellar medium has ever seen such... Anomalies." Orvex muttered to himself. "Of all the alien civilizations we discovered, this one's most interesting. Threatening, even. How in the man's head in his ass do these even exist?"

Orvex, having viewed various other recordings, shifted his attention to the compilation of encrypted document files containing a comprehensive list of the planet's potentials. This peculiar world not only offered a gateway to stellar dominance within the Aurora-277 star system, but also held promising economic prospects. While scrolling through the documents, one particular report grabbed his attention - it mentioned numerous diplomatic and economic opportunities, along with untapped resource reservoirs scattered across different regions of Aurora-277. If this information proved to be true, it could open up an entirely uncharted frontier for Joazkardia to venture into and capitalize on.

With Joazkardia's advanced technology, they could potentially tap into the unclaimed and unoccupied resource pools on Aurora-277 and establish diplomatic relations with any intelligent life forms they deem friendly, cooperative, and trustworthy. It was a daunting task, but one that could bring great benefits to both the nation and potential partners.

Orvex leaned back in his seat, contemplating this new information. He knew that with any actions they took towards these other worlds, would have consequences.

With the present moment in mind, he resolved to concentrate on acquiring additional information and devising a strategy. The possibilities were abundant, yet the risks were equally plentiful. He reminded himself to seek guidance from his trusted advisors and specialists before finalizing any choices concerning their upcoming interactions with the anomalous society residing in Aurora-277. However, for the time being, he would first persist in delving into the intelligence collected by the JASF and the National Aerospace Agency.

With that in mind, Orvex continued reading through the documents on his tablet, eager to learn more about what lay beyond their own world.

- - - - - - - -

11:00 AM, Gunther twin-island, Gunther 2.

The Aide-Class LST, a 140-meter monolith of naval logistics, cut through the gentle waves with a steady thrum, its shadow looming over the waters like a prelude to a tale. The soldiers and scientists aboard were silhouettes against the dawn light, preparing for a mission that was part reconnaissance, part historical excavation.

Lieutenant Carter, a Navy Marine, stood at the deck; his eyes fixed on the approaching island. "Today, we make history," he announced, his voice carrying over the deck. The soldiers, neatly gathered around, responded with a resounding, "Hoorah!"

Dr. Jack Mitchell, an archaeologist, and his team of geologists and land surveyors were huddled around their equipment, double-checking every reading, every instrument calibration. Sarah, the surveyor, looked up at the island's looming cliffs. "It's like it's been waiting for us," she said, a hint of wonder in her voice.

The CAV-4s, their armor reflecting the morning sun, were lowered onto the beach as the LST's ramp touched the sand. The vehicles' 400-horsepower engines roared to life, and the convoy set off, leaving behind the safety of the ship for the unknowns of the jungle.

Sergeant Davis led the way in his squad, his eyes, aided by his augmented reality device, scanning the treeline. "Eyes peeled, ears open. We've got company," he reminded his squad. The jungle responded with the calls of unseen creatures, some flying away, some a symphony of the extraterrestrial wild that watched the intruders, painted as glowing orange figures in the humans' augmented reality devices.

The Archaeologist, geologist, and surveyors, protected by the soldiers, began their work immediately. Dr. Mitchell knelt to examine the soil, his soil nutrient sensor impaling through the earth. "This soil... it's rich in minerals, even more so than the other twin of Gunther Islands. There's more here than just what's on the surface," he mused.

As they ventured further, the jungle canopy thickened, casting the convoy into a world of dappled light and shadow. The CAV-4s moved along areas and pathways wide enough, their 30mm remote turrets swiveling at the slightest sound, a mechanical ballet of vigilance and precision.

Private Johnson, the youngest of the platoon, kept close to Lieutenant Carter. "Sir, what do you think we'll find?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lieutenant Carter looked back at the private, a curious look on his face, unseen behind his ballistic mask. "Answers, Private. Maybe some questions too," he replied.

The entrance to the underground village appeared suddenly, a gaping wound in the earth that seemed to swallow the light. The soldiers secured the area as the scientists descended, their flashlights cutting through the darkness like beacons. The underground village, revealed recently by the synthetic aperture radar from a National Aerospace Agency geological survey aircraft a few days ago, was their destination—a place shrouded in mystery and whispers of a bygone era.

As they reached the entrance to the subterranean enclave, Lieutenant Carter gave the order to descend. "Keep your lights on and your weapons ready," he instructed. "We don't know what awaits us in the dark."

The village was a labyrinth of passageways and chambers, each turn revealing more of the story. The skeletons of the natives were everywhere, some in groups as if they had been caught mid-conversation, others alone and isolated, and others as if they were cornered by something... or someone.

The soldiers and scientists descended into the earth, their path illuminated by their augmented reality devices and the beams of their headlamps. The subterranean village was a sight to behold, a network of dwellings and communal spaces, all silent and still. The skeletons of the native villagers told a story of a life once lived and a battle fiercely fought.

Dr. Mitchell stopped before a wall adorned with primitive paintings. "These... they're telling a story. A story of their battles," he said, tracing the lines with a gloved finger, dusting off another area that depicts a formation of hundreds of insectoids. "Oh my...." Mitchell

Sarah set up her equipment, the laser measurements bouncing off the walls, mapping the village in real-time. "We're going to need more time. There's so much to document," she said, her voice echoing in the chamber.

"Look at this," A team member of Mitchell spoke, kneeling beside the remains of a native warrior, with . chunks of wood around it's head. "These people were fighters to the end."

The soldiers spoke in hushed tones, their usual banter replaced by a respectful silence. "Do you think they knew it was the end?" A sergeant named Davis asked, looking at the remains of a native child.

"No one ever really knows," The member said.

Lieutenant Carter interjected, his eyes fixated on the scene. "Prolly yeah, if this is their sole settlement. It seems rather illogical for them to confine themselves here and not venture towards the neighboring island, at the very least."

"There has to be a reason, then." Private Johnson added.

As they gathered their findings, Dr. Mitchell felt a connection to this lost village, a bond formed across time and space. They were the first to walk these paths in what seems to be centuries, if not more than a millenia by the age of this subsurface settlement, the first to hear the echoes of a forgotten town, a withered community of native people.

Sarah took measurements, her device beeping softly in the quiet of the underground. "This place is a goldmine for data," she said, her voice filled with excitement.

Lieutenant Carter approached what appears to be chitin structures, an exoskeleton, indicating the presence of large insects, its size defying logic. "Fuckin' hell..." he said as more and more skeletal remains, some of which appear to have been torn apart by some kind of insectoids as evident on the exoskeletal remains, can be seen. "These people didn't confine themselves for nothing..."

Other marines also scanned the area to their own interest, unraveling more, skeletons, arrowheads, and exoskeletal remains of bug-like creatures.

The team worked into the night for their remaining time, taking breaks periodically, documenting their findings and securing samples. The dialogue between them was a mix of professional banter and the occasional joke, a way to keep the mood light despite the gravity of their surroundings.

As they emerged from the depths, the island seemed to breathe a sigh, as if releasing a secret held for too long. The CAV-4s awaited their return, their engines activating again amidst the stillness of the night.

The convoy made its way back to the LST, the island fading into the darkness behind them. The soldiers and scientists carried with them not just physical evidence of their journey, but also the memories of an ancient village and its final, tragic days.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Back on the ship, the team gathered on the deck, looking at the images of ancient pantings they took, displayed from their tablets. "Seems like the other paintings were abrased from the clashes that occurred within. I wonder what those other paintings could have told us...," Dr. Mitchell said, his voice soft.

"The way the bugs were painted in the depictions of the town's battles, is as if they were in a war with the bugs itself." Sarah remarked. "Maybe I'm bluffing."

The Aide-Class LST, now a grounded silhouette against the setting sun, had become a temporary fixture off the coast of the enigmatic island. The day's expedition had unearthed more than just relics and bones; it had revealed a story that demanded to be told in its entirety.

After reporting their findings, Dr. Jack Mitchell, Sarah, and his team had been given an order that would solidify course of their mission. They would not return back to the main base; instead, they would establish a research site right here, where history lay buried.

As night enveloped the island, the first of the reinforcements arrived. A second vessel, small civilian landing craft grounded alongside the LST in the beach. From it disembarked a cadre of experts—xenologists, entomologists, historians, and archaeologists. Each individual stepped onto the beach with a sense of purpose, their gear clinking softly in the quiet of the evening.

The soldiers greeted the newcomers, their faces etched with the fatigue of the day but alight with the intricacies of the task ahead. "Welcome," Lieutenant Carter said, extending a hand to Dr. Emily Harris, a renowned xenologist.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. We've been following Doctor Mitchell and his team's progress closely," Dr. Harris replied, her eyes already drawn to the jungle's dark outline. "There's much to do."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Under the glow of floodlights, the teams worked through the night to set up the research site. Tents set up on the grounds and areas above the subterranean village, each one a hub of activity. Tables were laden with artifacts, screens displayed 3D maps of the underground village, and the air was thick with discussions and debates.

Dr. Mitchell and Sarah were deep in conversation with Dr. Harris, poring over the skeletal remains. "The wear on these bones suggests they were a hardworking community, possibly agricultural," Dr. Harris observed, her fingers tracing the contours of a skull. "This suggests they've worked mainly on horticultural aspects before they hid underground."

"And the standard population reduced since the time they dug underground..." Sarah remarked. "The conditions inside the tunnels won't be viable to grow crops inside, and they have to either go hunting or pluck fruits from the trees above them. It made sense why they chose this particular spot."

"And as for not choosing the mountain instead," Mitchell said. "The only logical reason as of the moment, will be a hypothesis that states the island is severely infested with those bugs that time."

"And the bugs' population eventually went down from cannibalism, induced by insectoid overpopulation and lack of sizeable prey." Harris added.

"Why didn't they migrate to the other island, then?" Mitchell asked. "There hasn't been any remains of insectoids in Gunther-1 so far."

Harris scratched her head, looking back to the other table, where the entomologists are gathered on their materials of expertise. "Judging by the body structures of the bugs we currently have in the records, they have no ability to swim, nor are their bodies even adapted for that task. Their sharp arrowhead-looking appendages would make for terrible and highly ineffective propulsion.

Meanwhile, the entomologists huddled around the exoskeletons, their expressions a blend of scientific intrigue and concern. Dr. Torres, holding a chitin structure to the light, shook his head slightly. "Something doesn't add up here," he murmured. "These structures, they're too complex, tough, too... alien to have evolved in isolation on this specific island. The mandibles, limbs and appendages we gathered, It's as if they're made for the sole purpose of fighting and killing people, not even living in this island with basically no competitive predators from other species, will justify such a body shape and form."

Dr. Harris, after discussing with Mitchell's crew and examining the images of wall paintings and other things that Mitchell's team brought in, chimed in and started sharing pictures of old paintings. "And look at these murals. Some of them are ruined by age and probably abrasion from previous clashes, but what's left depicts these insects almost as superior beings from another frontier. If these bugs weren't native, it could mean the villagers revered them as foreign entities—perhaps even feared them as invaders, hence the suggestive symbolism on their paintings."

The team took a moment to reflect on the potential consequences. The notion that these insectoids of different sizes could have been basically alien to the island brought a whole new level of intricacy to their comprehension of the village's past. The murals they had access to also suggested a story in which an outside, possibly intentional or conscious threat had sparked a significant change in the villagers' lifestyle, a hypothesis that would need substantial evidence to validate. However, the current prevailing consensus -- that these insects are a type of invasive species from a distant land -- seemed to be the most agreeable conclusion.

As they continued their work, the researchers knew they were piecing together a puzzle that spanned beyond the mere physical remains. The research site buzzed with theories and mostly further analyses, each obtained data fueling the next step in their quest to unravel the island's ancient secrets. A group of surveyors, armed with tablets and recording devices, interviewed the initial escorting marines about their initial impressions of the village.

Private Johnson recounted, his voice steady as he spoke in front of the camera. "I don't have much to say but from what can be inferred from the evidence they collected, what those bugs did to those villagers sure is very fucked up."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

End of Chapter 1 -- New Beginnings