01
The captain frowned at the sight of a Class 1 Aerobug landing on the outpost. Judging from the multiple scratches on the hull, it has been through many battles across the system. Upon looking at an emblem painted on the small dragonfly-like jet fighter, the frown turned into a bitter scorn. He knew the person who owned the Aerobug, perhaps a little too well.
“What are you doing here, old timer? You should be resting. After all, your platoon just reclaimed Venus,” said the captain, forcing a smile on his face. However, that smile was greeted with a jolt of electricity through the body. With a violent case of shaking, he fell face first to the grass. Nearby, Beharska troopers bowed down at the sight of the general exiting the Aerobug.
“Nice to see you too, captain. You do know I hate being called an old timer. To be honest, the credit goes to the colonel. It’s all part of his plan. Don’t worry, though, the credit for this find is still yours. I’m just a little curious about it,” said General Vorgues as he gave a nod to the troopers, motioning them to stand up.
“Now, which trooper would love to show me to the site of the discovery? My old age has started to get to me so I don’t wish to be lost here,” he asked, giving a warm smile.
Trekking through the jungle was tough. Along the way, he and a few Beharska troopers passed by various objects, relics of the past during the time of his ancestors.
And to think this planet, Earth, was once inhabited by the likes of us, the general thought.
“General, we’ve arrived,” said one of the troopers. Cutting at the vines blocking his view, Vorgues couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him was a cave guarded, or used to be guarded, by what seemed to be a three-storey tall robot, a Mech. This ancient Mech has long been deactivated and damaged beyond repair. Its red, white and blue paintjob has worn out from the passing of time as rust covered the majority of the Mech, saved the head and cockpit. Its exposed cockpit revealed a skeleton, its spinal cord in pieces and a gaping hole on the skull, making it impossible to determine the identity of the deceased pilot.
To think that a Mech exists even during the Second Civilization, Vorgues thought as he touched the ancient Mech, hoping to at least get a name from it. However, as soon as he touched it, the giant robot started to disintegrate leg-first. Thankfully, a Beharska trooper was quick enough to push Vorgues away from the falling Mech. As the remains crashed, the parts covered in rust disintegrated into particles that flew away with the wind. Looking at the damaged head and cockpit of the Mech, Vorgues let out a sigh.
“Thank you, soldier,” he said to the Beharska trooper who saved him. As he dusted his coat, several other troopers were seen coming out from the cave. They were shocked when they saw the remains of the ancient Mech. With a team dispatched to deal with the remains, the general entered the cave. Inside the cave was mural across the walls accompanied by inscribing written in an ancient language unknown to him. Some parts of the wall have been taken down, revealing vein-like structure with energy surging inside. Several researchers were seen recording the discovery.
Then, the general reached a dead end. However, he was surprised when he noticed light radiating from his pocket. From there, he took out an oddly shaped key. Halting a nearby researcher, he asked, “What did you found out about this place?”
“Initial reports came from a marooned soldier who sought shelter here. According to him, he detected a large amount of energy emitting within the cave. The mural seemed to be from the time of the Second Civilization but the writing looks alien,” he replied.
Vorgues noticed a hole on the wall. As he walked closer to it, his key glowed brighter. Curious, he inserted the key into the hole. To his shock, a large surge of energy pulsed through the cave. Perhaps he accidently activated a booby trap. The general braced himself for certain doom but nothing happened, not even a cave-in. Instead, the keyhole turned, as if it was unlocking a door. Slowly, the wall in front of him opened up, revealing a chamber. Within the chamber stood a cryopod suspended on the air.
As the general took a step into the chamber, another surge of energy pulsed through the cave. This time, it opened the cryopod. A boy, with brownish skin and black hair, fell from it. Swiftly but cautiously, he placed his fingers on the boy’s neck. He sighed when he felt a pulse. The boy was alive yet weak, presumably from the effects of the cryopod. As Vorgues called for a medic team, the boy slightly moved, slowly waking up.
The general looked around for the medic team he asked for but instead, a group of Beharska troopers entered the chamber alongside the captain. Under his signal, the troopers aimed their rifles at the general as well as the boy.
“Captain, what are you doing here? I require a team of medic to look into the boy,” protested Vorgues.
“You do know how your sense of sympathy made you naïve, general. We, from the Beharska Empire, are supposed to be ruthless. Despite your contribution to the empire, your kind nature just make you look despicable. So, now, in respect, I ask you to step aside and let me take the boy for experiments. Surgical experiments and I get to be at the front seat. After all, I found him at the first place and you helped me make my job easier,” replied the captain with the smirk on his face.
With a gulp, General Vorgues looked from the boy to the captain, then back to the boy. I’m sorry, lad, he thought as he stepped out of the way. The now awakened boy looked at the advancing troopers, frightened.
“Where am I? Who are you people?” he asked. However, the troopers tightened their grip at their rifles, finger ready to pull the trigger.
Suddenly, with a yell of pain, a trooper dropped dead, an arrow stuck on his head. The troopers panicked and frantically searched for the shooter. Soon, more troopers fell, being shot by the unseen archer. With their teammates down, the remaining troopers ran away in fear.
“Where are you going? Come back here, you cowards!” yelled the captain. Nearby, Vorgues looked on with disbelief. The captain held his gun but dropped it when an arrow was shot through his arm. Kneeling down, he yelled in pain. With that, the mysterious archer showed himself. However, with slender figure, “he” revealed to be a “she”, a girl with maroon hair and green eyes.
“A pack of troopers beaten by a girl?!” yelled the captain in disbelief. Before he could reached for his gun, the girl ran towards him and kneed him on the chin, knocking him out cold. She turned towards the general, ready to fire another arrow. To her surprise, the boy ran in between the girl and the general, defending the latter. With a sigh, she put away her bow.
“Well, he did try to save you,” she said. With that, she took out a microchip from the cryopod before escorting the boy away. The general sat down in disbelief.
“What just happened?” he asked.
