The Draft

"IT'S WAR! It's been war for more than two hundred years. The Djinn made contact with the human worlds about two hundred and twenty years ago. Their attack was sudden and wiped out over fifty human worlds. They thought they could destroy us, but then we fought back with the genius of human technology. The Djinn relied on their bodies, primitive weapons, and artifacts to battle us, but we humans found every advantage nature offered and weaponized it.

The frontlines were quiet for nearly fifty years. The Djinn learned from us, they understood that their old ways weren't the best. They also began exploiting nature to find new weapons of war. They discovered Demon Beasts. When they utilized Demon Beast cores to amplify their weapons, they increased their weapons' output by an additional fifty percent or more. They also discovered that the cores could combine with their Djinn cores creating a hybrid core.

With their new technology, the Djinn were assured of victory, but they didn't expect that humanity had discovered the versatility of demon beasts long before the Djinn. If not for the sudden attack by the Djinn forces, technologies based on demon beast cores would have already become widespread fifty years earlier.

Even so, human beings were ahead of the Djinn, and we learned that demon beasts had more to offer than their cores. With Beast taming and synthesis, humans can gain the strengths and powers of multiple beasts at the same time, making us physically equal to our enemies.

At first, the Djinn were put on a back foot, but the strength of both armies equalized. Now, neither force is moving the line of skirmish much in either side's favor. However, the death rates on both sides increased. Even with birthing initiatives and cloning facilities, the death rate will soon reach a point where neither side can supply the frontlines with new soldiers without risking the extinction of their race.

The Human New Weapons and Species Population Initiative (NWSPI) seeks to solve the problems of a stagnate frontline and rectify the alarming trends that could lead to human extinction. I believe the research direction of the NWSPI shouldn't be towards how to make bigger weapons but smarter and more agile ones. Today, I am entering my submission for a post-graduation grant to research this important area of research. Along with financial support, our team of young specialists submits a request that our time researching be countered toward the mandatory twenty-five-year military service period."

A young man turned off the screen behind him and tidied his papers, placing them on the lectern as he shifted his attention to a balding, highly decorated officer.

The officer scribbled some notes on his pad and began to speak.

"Very good, Mr. West. I take it that your proposal boils down to you and your friends don't want to fight in the war. I can assure you that we already have research being conducted along the lines you suggest in your paper. I don't see anything that warrants you, your friends, or your theories as being something the Army needs more than your bodies on the frontline. Request denied. Please report for basic training on February 22, 2496. Thank you.

"Thank you, General Robbins," the disappointed youths stood and murmured their appreciation as the general left.

The young men and women approached the young man who delivered their presentation. They patted his back and encouraged him.

"It didn't work out, Deven, but at least we tried. I thought we had a shot."

"We just had bad luck getting General "No" as our evaluator."

The young man, Deven West, looked down at his notes but quickly turned to his friends and smiled warmly.

"I hope to see all of you again after basic. Eyes up, know your zones!" Deven said to his friends.

"Know your zones," his friends repeated.

Deven was the last to leave out of his friends. He walked to one of the seats in the auditorium and let all of the air in his lungs escape as he melted into the chair.

"I guess I'm going to the frontlines. Chance of survival 41%."

"There are ways you can improve those odds," a feminine voice called out from behind Deven.

Deven turned to look behind in a lazy manner, but when he saw the voice belonged to a Lieutenant Colonel, he popped out of his chair and saluted.

"Sorry, mam, I didn't know it was an officer."

"At ease civie, no need to salute to me. You aren't a soldier yet, but by how quickly you saluted, I guess you didn't have much faith in your proposal?"

Deven relaxed and looked to the Lieutenant Colonel, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, but you could never tell how old someone was just by looking at them.

"I believe in our proposal; however, I didn't believe we would get a serious hearing for our proposal."

"You got a serious hearing, believe me. The General was right, there wasn't anything in your proposal that hadn't been offered by others. We've also done research along the lines you suggested, and so far, we haven't gotten anywhere."

"If that's true, why are you speaking with me?"

"Don't get me wrong, your proposal was nothing special, but your creativity, the novel ideas, and strategies you suggested were very novel."

"I'm not sure what you're trying to say, mam."

"I'm saying that I think we can find a better use for your talents than giving you a gun and sticking you on the frontlines. Would that interest you?"

Deven's eyes sparkled as he listened to the woman.

"For sure, mam, but my friends?"

"This deal is for you, this was your proposal, your creativity. I appreciate that you tried to save their lives by bringing them into this, but I doubt they contributed much. My offer is for you alone, are you interested?" The Lt watched as Deven struggled, but in the end, he agreed.

"I'm interested. Please explain the opportunity."