The doors to the Bane Wing opened and a faint pulse of blue light scanned Heinrich from head to toe, lingering for half a second longer at his chest where a small silver button registered his number and rank. Then the reinforced doors slid apart with a low mechanical hiss. He stepped through and immediately felt that something in the air had changed, the air here was heavier. A small increase in gravity but almost unnatural. The corridors were narrower than the grand halls of the main assembly chamber, lined with exposed conduits and armored plating. Heinrich walked forward without hesitation, eyes moving side to side trying to find the right door. Doors marked with unit designations but none showing Reinforced training chambers behind sealed bulkheads. Observation windows almost fully tinted. He pass by a group of recruits being marched in the opposite direction their faces tight, bodies tense, escorted by two fully armored Banes. He did speak to them they lost its just the way things are. He turned a corner and stopped at the end of the corridor stood a man. He wasn't large but he physique was imposing. He didn't have a lot of decorations on his military uniform like Captain Kane but he didn't look like someone without experience. Uniform tag said Void Sergeant Malik. He stood unnaturally still, arms behind his back, posture straight, gaze fixed on Heinrich looking at him like he had waiting on someone to enter for a long time. His eyes had something buried deep inside them pure hatred but it was directed towards Heinrich but something else. Despite the tension Heinrich walked forward anyway. Neither one spoke for what felt like forever then
"Void Recruit 818." Malik's voice was low and steady. "Heinrich Wynn."
Heinrich nodded once and saluted the formal salute right index finger and right middle finger together touch the arch of the eyebrow and moved it slightly away "Yes, Sergeant."
Malik stepped closer slowly His gaze sharpened looking at Heinrich, but almost like he was looking through him and Heinrich felt a small heavy shift in the air. Subtle but Heinrich still felt it like cold air brushing against his skin from the inside out.
Malik tilted his head slightly. "…Interesting." He said
Heinrich was confused but said nothing and didn't react. Malik began to circle him slow and analytical.
"I saw your fight, you fight dirty and waste time playing with your opponent. Why?" Malik said.
Heinrich answered. "I fight to win no matter the cost, the only thing that matters at the end of a fight is who is on the ground and who is walking away. Sir."
Malik paused then gave a faint smirk. "Good answer Wynn." Malik stopped in front of him again. "You felt that earlier, didn't you?"
Heinrich didn't see a reason to lie.
"Yes Sir." He said
"Good," Malik said. "That means you have potential. Very small potential right now but that can change."
Heinrich's chest tightened slightly.
"If you become more than what you are now we may win against those bastards."
He turned away, walking toward the center of the room. "Now other recruits will be coming in so Fall in."
"Yes sir" Heinrich said
Recruits began entering behind Heinrich now some from his different groups, others from the ship he was on. They moved quickly, instinctively forming rows. Heinrich took his place in the front line.
Malik turned to face them all and spoke. "You are Banes now. The Alliance calls us the Navy of Old. They're wrong." A ripple of confusion moved through the recruits. We are not transport or support." His voice lowered in tone. "We are the blade of the Alliance its natural Bane. You will not be protected here." He step forward and continued "I will not only guide you but I test you and make your break." Just then Heinrich felt it again that small pressure. Malik stopped speaking just for a moment and Heinrich felt something deep resurface.
"You want to know why?" Malik said "Because the last time we were unprepared…" The hatred in his eyes sharpened "And…we lost half our species." The room air and weight got heavier.. Malik turned, gesturing toward the far wall. He turned on the Holoprojection. Stars and The Sol System unfolded in precise detail. Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto. "Year was 2280, Humanity believed it was alone." The holo zoomed outwardshowing small vessels drifting between planets. "Scout ships were deployed across the system. We went looking for Exploration and Expansion." He paused "The Arrogance." The room fell silent. "One of those ships, Prometheus, made contact." The display shifted to a small vessel approaching Pluto. "They found life reptiles worshipping fire and seeing the situation for what it was They attempted diplomacy." The projection flickered. "But then the Apeps attacked claiming the warmth in our bodies needed to join the great fire." The projection showed an image and A recruit near the back swallowed audibly. "Only one survivor." It showed a broken figure being carried through a Martian colony with no legs and only one arm. "He only lived long enough to warn us." The projection zoomed out. "They had followed him." Mars burned for 15 days. Reptilian figures moved through the colony fast, inhuman, tearing through structures, eating bodies, and burning everything. "They didn't even try to conquer us," Malik said quietly. "They fed on and annihilated us all for worship of a fire god." There was silence for a moment and the room was full of despair as Malik continued on "Only five percent of the colony survived." The projection dimmed slightly then reignited brighter this time showing fleet engagements. Human ships Vs Apep ships, twenty years of war compressed into hellish flame. "We fought back as hard as we could and we lost only killing 10 percent of them but they ...…"Half the ships blinked out on the hill "killed fifty percent of humanity."
Heinrich felt a deep sadness he knew none of them it was nearly a hundred years ago but to know that many people died is sad and sickening and only because of failed diplomacy there has to be more.
Malik continued on "We were too slow. Weak. And horribly outmatched but one person changed that."
The projection altered once again but this time a woman's silhouette from the holo you couldn't tell what she looked like but everyone knew she was a woman of Puerto Rican heritage with long dark brown hair, cream like skin and beautiful brown eyes she was beyond beautiful and the holo which was a exact replica of hair couldn't do her justice.
"Dr. Rose Ramos." Malik said just as Heinrich was saying her name in his head "She created the DM Implants, Data streams and the very implant schematics we use today."
The room held its breath not just at her beauty but at the schematics and very art of it being projected it was as beautiful as her. "With her technology we fought back." The projections showed humans now moving faster, stronger and some are surrounded by faint distortions in space around them "And started winning and pushed them back to Saturn where they forward stations reside against a quiet stalemate with our forward stations near Jupiter. Officially the war didn't end there has been an uneasy peace ever since. Now Fifty years later," Malik said, turning back to them, "Astra Primus was built but engineers of the Markham family and fifty years after that well.....y'all are here." He paused for a second and scanned everyone faces after a long history lesson and then continued "I'm not one for tradition. The Alliance lost too many, so now we recruit anyone with potential. Some call it desperation. I see it as necessary"
"Each person in this station has a designation, the Lancers enforce order otherwise known the military police. Skrees will train to dominate space combat. Pilots and Fighters " Then is a slight shift of his stance. "And the Banes…" A faint smile across his face. "We are the soldiers and scouts we live and die for the battle to destroy those bastards. Here you will learn your place and rise through the ranks the better you are the faster I can get to top and make the banes the driving force and slaughter the Apeps for what they did." He points to everyone right now you are low recruits. You're basically nothing to me, after midterm trails you will become Enlisted only then will I see you are useful. When y'all become Sergeant my role at the moment, I will see you as equals and you will have earned my trust now if you become Lieutenants I will make sure under my leadership we will be the take it to their home base and kill them." There's a pause and he smiles gleefully "Now Captain well while it's not the highest position in the position in the alliance it's the most free and that will be my spot no matter how high y'all rise you will have to get through me and Captain Kane to get to that." Silence across the room everyone knew Kane Marks and how he got to captain in the skirmishes on the border. "So climb the ranks and join me in the slaughter of the Apeps" he stepped forward one step. "Or die trying."
The room tightened with excitement and nervousness his goals were of course personal and frightening.
"Now," Malik said. "Let's talk about what will kill you faster than the enemy." He paused and a subtle shift in the air passed "Your own power." The projection turned back on showing human bodies. Darkened Veins and subtle shift in the space around them it was...…Dark matter.
"Those with a DM Implant allows one to generate and interact with dark matter we call those people Novas" The projection shifted and showed a figure surrounded by a faint, unstable aura. "The basics of nova abilities is Enhancement dark matter gathered in your implant boost your strength, speed and durability." Malik continued speaking to the room.
"Dark matter is dangerous energy it can cause radiation sickness It is an energy that does not belong in your body, overuse can lead to poisoning. In the next few days we will try to find those with potential to become novas and those with implants already will learn to not kill themselves with their implants."
Fear came from inside Heinrich chest it began to tighten. A dark memory tried to force itself forward he sees he parents run from lancers on earth in new Champaign under new Chicago and remembers the agonizing pain and strapped into medical chair but he tries to push it away as Malik continues to speak.
"If you're strong enough…and survive the implantation we will progress just fine. You might even live through my training."
"Every take the next ten minutes to find a partner they will be your bunk buddy and your partner for the year so choose wisely the top two at the end of the year will be rewarded Ten minutes starting now."
Every began to move and talk some people knew each other and so just gradually started to click with each other but Heinrich sat still memories were coming back and he couldn't stop thinking about the day when he lost everything and the last words of his parents when they abandoned him
"LIVE. You're our greatest creation you must live no matter what." That was the last thing he heard before they disappeared forever.