Chapter II
Chapter 2
Ten years later.
COLONEL CORD'S OFFICE
August 1 4035
1204 Hours Colony Siri, Moon
It's shortly after twelve in the afternoon. There is a square cubicle of metal walls. In the center of the room is a desk. And behind that desk is the faint outline of an older man. Late sixties. He turns on the computer, the screen illuminates his face. A nose that broke and never healed straight. His left eye covered by a red eye patch. And if you asked this man what happened, he would tell you of his time in the Colony wars.
A battle between the Anchoras and the Unifers; two factions that caused a decade long black out across planet Mars.
And when the dust settled, the Unifers rose from the ashes.
The lights in the cubicle illuminate. We now see the old soldier is wearing a bright white suit with many medals on his chest. Above his left breast, a name stitched in gold: Cord.
On his left shoulder, the rank of a Colonel.
Colonel Cord.
Cord looks down at his desk, on it, an old plug-in-the-wall style telephone.
A few filing cabinets to his right; a picture of him and his lovely wife on the desk to his left, offset with a picture of him shaking hands with the one and only Thomas Deliah. The old one. The one that could walk.
Behind the Colonel is a large television screen that shows a real-time image of ten massive spaceships orbiting outside of Earth's atmosphere. These ten simple transport ships are used to invade planets and colonies. They have a simple docking system that allows four pods to drop every ten seconds. At one thousand soldiers per ship, and ten soldiers per pod, it takes over sixteen minutes to deploy each vessel. We watch on the screen as the bottom of the Hawkeyes open like two eagle claws preparing to drop its prey.
Cord leans forward, his eyes falling to the phone that brushes his right hand.
It's coming.
The little red LED light on the phone blinks three times. He picks up the phone.
"Col. Cord speaking."
"It's Letty, have you given the order to drop yet?"
"Of course,"
"Good."
Cord spins around in his chair to watch the Hawkeyes as they deploy the first wave of black onyx pods into Earth's atmosphere.
"I'm proud of you for doing this," Letty whispers,
"You know hesitation isn't in my blood," he says, gripping the receiver. He feels for those soldiers dropping. He feels for them all.
Fight till your last breath. Brothers and sisters.
"I know. I trust you, and after yesterday I had some reflection."
He raises his watch to eye level. Time? 12:12pm.
12:20 pm will be their Time of Arrival on Earth.
"You there?"
Cord spins around in his chair, back to his desk.
"Hello?"
"I'm here."
"I wanted to apologize alright? This decision isn't an easy one. But I need you to trust me when I say we found another machine. The intelligence doesn't lie, and once we have another machine under our thumb, then we can really get this ball rolling."
Cord bites his tongue, turning his eyes to the photo of Thomas Deliah.
"I know, I trust you. I just wish we didn't have to spill more blood to get our hands on this ancient technology. Some days I wish we could just build it here."
"I know, it's heavy, but we're doing what we can with what we have,"
Letty says, a frog in her throat.
"We've been trying to retake Earth from these machines for 13 years. But I have to say Letty, I think this plan is solid, even though many will die."
"They always die,"
"I know, but this is the first time we didn't even give them a fighting chance."
Cord bites his tongue, clenching his fists together.
He inhales deeply and exhales, thinking of back to the war room. Thinking back to the plan.
Thinking back to all their past failures.
Again his eyes fall to the photo of Thomas Deliah.
"I know it hurts Cord, and I'm feeling it too. . . but we just need to remind ourselves that when we get hands on the ancient machine, it will all be worth it."
"I know, I know. . . but I must ask, once we find this machine. . . who's going to pilot it. . . I know Thomas won't even if you try to ask,"
"I have it sorted."
And that, General, is what always scares me.