Introduction
Welcome readers. Please enjoy this short story based in the future timeline of our upcoming game Sol Avenger. In Sol Avenger, the player may choose a name for either protagonist. However for the telling of this story, I'll be referring to them with the names I chose in the early development stages of the game. The male pilot's name is Hector Haines and the female pilot's name is Veronica Voight.
Hector Haines was born in Oregon, a son of the first generation of spacefarers. His father, an intrepid explorer and military pilot for the United Earth Command, flew vanguard for the engineers and scientists that began the first colonization. He is focused, outgoing, and was frequently chosen among his peers as a leader. Hector finished primary schooling and immediately began preparation to join the UEC Military Academy on Earth. Eager to test himself, he never lost sight of his dream to follow his father's footsteps in the service and the stars.
Veronica Voight is a first generation Martian, a result of 21st century commercial venture to Mars. Her parents were swept up by the romantic and pioneering spirit of space colonization, and signed up for a one way expedition to help expand the colony. While the original colonists were hailed as brave Earthborn explorers, the first generation of Martians became a symbol of power being shifted from Earth. The Martian people were initially discriminated against, but as space colonization became more mainstream, humanity became less bigoted against spacers. Unfortunately, her parents didn't live to see the ban on interplanetary travel lifted. Veronica became an orphan on Mars at a young age, and she learned by experience on a colony that had not yet developed an education system. One day, ships from Earth arrived, and recruiters from the UEC Academies on Earth and the Moon offered a scholarship to any able volunteer. Veronica couldn't resist the chance to retrace her parents path and to show the Earthborn the might of Mars.
Chapter 1: Our weakest link could cause failure beyond your control
Hector Haines fidgeted in his UEC academy uniform. The grey-green woolen jacket was coarse and poorly fitted, dull at best. He didn't like wearing it, or the black button up shirt and slacks, but his father looked so proud when he had left with it on that he had to smile when he looked at himself in the mirror. Hector's father had told him that many of his old comrades retired to teach at the academy, and that he should not expect special treatment. He grabbed his satchel bag and reached into his pocket for his datakeys. They weren't there. He took one last look around his dorm room and spotted the ring of data sticks plugged into the computer on his desk. He tugged it out and stashed them in the front pouch of his bag and let the door shut behind him.
The dormitories formed a circle that cradled around the classrooms, laboratories and academy training facilities. The academy was built in Africa. The flat deserts and savannas that were once the cradle of humanity were now giving birth to the new industrial revolution. Rocket launches and landings went off hourly, the ground crews could hardly keep up. The air was scorched and smoky and blocked the stars in the sky at night.
Hector exited the outer dorm ring, following the signs set out for new arrivals and the groups of grey-green students converging on a hangar normally used to train the mechanics. A degree in mechanics from UEC Earth was considered one of the most prestigious of it's class, but he wasn't interested in spending his life in the hangar. Hector hoped he looked like Space Marine material - he adjusted his collar.
The hangar that held this orientation was a superstructure capable of housing multiple rockets for refueling and repair. Booths peppered the hangar floor, each were space occupation wards with excited students seeking for a coveted academy major allowance, which gave them permission to pursue this study major. Each year the mechanics, logistics, engineers, scientists and military wards of the academy gave a limited number of major tokens to be distributed to qualifying candidates based on the needs of the UEC fleet. Hector did not worry - the military ward tokens often went undistributed.
The original space marines were viewed as heroes. Men and women with little training, piloting ships with none of the safety precautions developed since, putting their lives on the line for humanity. Since the successful colonization of the Moon, Mars, and the establishment of the UEC, the opinion of the Marines program changed. There didn't seem to be a combat role for humanity in space. By the common skeptics, they were seen both as both a de facto police force and a possible invasion force - a precaution in case the tensions rose between the Earth and Mars. The Earthborn generation that saw the Mars One project launch, that called them 'heroes' were dead and gone. The new generation that grew into power saw Martians as a possible threat to UEC dominion over the system, as crooked thugs looking for the opportunity to seize independence.
A massive explosion from ten years ago caused the death of hundreds in the Martian colony. The tragedy was attributed to poorly constructed substandard construction practices and materials from Earth. In exchange for those parts necessary for survival, Martians were hauling large quantities of mined ores back to Earth. As the gap between their peoples grew, the colonists began to self-identify as Martian. They were no longer colonists from Earth but citizens of another world. In retaliation to these actions, the Martian council decided to temporarily limit the shipments of ore back to Earth. It created a jagged rift between the two peoples. Earthborn propaganda began depicting Martians as barbaric and selfish, incapable of sustaining themselves without the direction and control of Earth. This made joining the space marines a controversial decision, but Hector didn't hold these prejudices and he was determined to pilot a fighter like his father.
Hector combed through the crowd looking for the familiar blue tipped missile logo of the Space Marines. The crowds of students were a sprawling school of grey-green woolen fish. The gulping murmurs, the smell of anxious perspiration and salty cooking were waves that overwhelmed his senses. Military ward sergeant recruiters were set up between any two booths, hungry sharks that lie in wait for doe eyed recruits in need of assignment. A small group surrounded a booth where a spirited sergeant was showcasing different features of some personal powered armor. It was a lightweight, durable exoskeleton to fit over the armored spacesuit to allow a peacekeeping marine to move around an orbital laboratory, factory or other facility without the aid of a costly space fighter.
Hector caught the eyes of a searching shark, a sergeant who seemed to recognize him.
"HAINES! Front and center!" The sergeant bellowed. The students around him gave him a concerned look. Hector approached stood at attention.
"Well well well, blonde hair and blue eyes, you look just like he did his first day, kid", the sergeant seemed to be lost in a thought but regained his stern and aggressive persona. "Your father told me you'd be going through our program."
The sergeant pulled a copper ward token from his coat and placed it on Hector's hand. "Get out of my sight; see you at 0700."
Hector felt the engraved insignia of the Space Marines between his thumb and forefinger and pocketed the token. Looking around he decided to loiter around the orientation a little. A huge banner was draped against the wall of the hangar. In bright red letters it said "Welcome to the first Martian class at UEC, Earth!". He walked over to the Martian info kiosk and swiped his display over the data node. His small screen displayed a welcoming message to the "First Martian Class", it showed a stereotypical Martian covered in red dust, shaking hands with an Earthborn.
"Earth is the home for all humanity. Mars and the Earth need each other, and to honor the sacrifices of our brave explorers we welcome the recipients of the Mars Initiative Scholarship, to bring humanity together!"
He pocketed his screen and chuckled, first class of alien attendees? and began to walk back to his dorm on the outer ring of the academy.
His first week of class had been invigorating. The marines exercised strenuous physical regiment and access to the simulator pods to practice. Hector concentrated on his remedial classes that covered basic combat repairs, first aid, explosives and tactics. Spending time in the hangar bay learning how to repair and modify a service model craft, he asked many questions from the mechanics students, and discovered he rather liked working with his hands on the strike craft after all. However, it was the simulator pods that got his adrenaline pumping and took up his time. All of his off time.
This is where he met Giuseppe.
About a week of frequenting the simulator, each of the pods retained a high scores for each attempted simulation, and in a week's time he was close to top of his class, but came up short each time. Tired and frustrated, he was beginning to climb out of the simulator when he heard a voice behind him.
"You're ruining your score," An accent whirled around Hector. A tall thin man, a pair of glasses, each lens displaying a small screen.
"Who are you?" Hector asked, furrowing his brow.
"Giuseppe Glaisyer. I am a marine-in-training, like you. You saw me during instruction with my friend, Tarik, right? Playing these simulations alone like this will never let you surpass these high scores."
Hector adjusted his collar. "Hector Haines. I have an easier time when I run the simulation without allies. Allies cause failure, and throw off my focus. If I can memorize the simulation I can get the best score, but I can't keep all of my allies safe..."
"It's an easy mistake for new cadets, part of the total score in these simulations is effective teamwork. You can never get top leaderboard scores without these extra points."
"But it's impossible to score this high with allies!"
Giuseppe shook his head and approached another simulator. "Not without practice. Just because something is hard does not mean it is impossible. You are correct though, we will need to practice a lot. Our weakest link could cause failure beyond your control." He turned the simulator on. "Let me show you."
Hector dropped back down into the simulator and turned it on. The pods synced and the simulation began. The pod cockpits were modeled much like the old 21st century fighters, and the transparent canopy of the cockpit displayed simulated space. He heard the communicator click on.
"You take point, Haines!" Giuseppe said, his fighter pulled up into formation behind Hector.
They entered small scenario in which a group of criminals were assaulting a transport freighter. Four enemy pirates attacking the transport ship, and four enemy pirates in a dogfight with the transport's three AI escort fighters. Hector had ran through this one many times. When he tried before, and worked to save the dogfighting escorts, the transport is destroyed. When he had protected the transport, the dogfighting escort was destroyed and the criminals overwhelmed him and the simulation had ended. Hector collected his thoughts for a moment.
"Giuseppe, concentrate on the transport, I'll handle the fighters!" Hector called out, banking right and increasing thrust. He activated his targeting computer, and red and green identifiers appeared on the grid display in front of him. The escort fighters were flying in tight formation below the transport, desperately trying to distract and deter the pirates from intercepting the transport. Hector assigned his objective in his targeting computer and flew to intercept. When he pulled into position behind them the enemies began to raise speed and quickly maneuver. Slowly, his fighter's onboard targeting sensors built a lock, and as soon as he heard the chirp of the successful lock, he flipped up the missile safety and let loose a salvo of bright blue homing missiles. One of the simulated ships erupted in a fiery explosion, and the other three enemies disengaged the attack on the escort fighters, forming at Hector's 6 and began to lock onto his vessel. He shot forward full thrust. The chirping of the enemy lock alarm faded as he outpaced the pursuing pirates behind him, and oriented his craft towards the allied escort fighters, who were trying to use Hector's distraction to change formation. Hector disabled his injector safeguards, enabled overdrive, and laid onto the thrusters. His ship shot even further forward and caught up with the fleeing escort squad. Once the escort drones were in network range, he relayed orders to them to form up at his sides and they immediately turned together with him back towards the pirates.
Giuseppe had successfully distracted and made short work of the pirates that had not chased Hector to attack the transport. Hector's eyes were glued to his targeting display as he sped back to the transport. He felt a pit in his stomach as he saw the three pursuing pirates behind his ship, and heard the wailing alarm of an enemy lock. Giuseppe took control of the situation and began flying on an intercept course, straight for Hector. The pirates were delivering a hail of laser fire towards Hector and the transport ship. White hot plasma began to drain Hectors ships shields and errant shots grazed the transporter's hull, scoring it. As the gap between Hector and Giuseppe closed, Hector braced himself.
He drew a deep breath and sent a scramble command to the escort drones. The computer controlled ships banked away in opposing directions, unfortunately none of the pirate fighters took the bait and broke away to pursue. Their shots were becoming more accurate, and the small rocking of shield impacts shifted to the sudden and violent impacts to the hull armor. Suddenly, his diagnostic computer began to chirp, and Hector realized that Giuseppe had fired four missiles that were headed in his general direction without any designated target. The blue plasma missiles twisted unopposed through the vacuum of space, barreling towards Hector. He did a hard evasive roll maneuver, pulling up into a somersault. Giuseppe saw Hector bank clear and activated his ship's lasers. The missiles flew in proximity to the pirate ships and Giuseppe's lasers lanced through one of the projectiles as it passed, causing an explosion that engulfed the other missiles and set off a chain reaction overtook the remaining pirates. The simulation ended and they each put in their initials. Hector hopped out of the simulator pod with sweat dripping down his neck. He unbuttoned his collar, and approached Giuseppe shaking his head in disbelief.
"You've got to show me that trick you used. How were you able to lock onto the missiles with your lasers so quickly?" He approached Giuseppe, smiling.
"I didn't," Giuseppe said dryly. "The missile and laser lock takes too much time. You have to get a feel for how to aim intuitively." He tapped his forehead with his forefinger "Our weakest link could cause failure beyond your control, eh?"
They spent the rest of the evening talking in the simulation room. Giuseppe came from France - he was practical and efficient. Giuseppe's father, like Hector's, was a member of the first vanguard of the UEC forces. He was stationed on Jupiter's moon Europa and returned after his tours of duty to Earth.
He felt his calling was writing, but his family forced him into the service. Resigned to his fate, he joked that the experience would make a perfect first novel.
That month, Giuseppe and Hector teamed together to become highest scoring students in their class. They received a lot of attention from their classmates in the process, and began to help the others improve their scores as well. One night, sitting in the commons area, a dark skinned man with curly dark hair approached Giuseppe with light hazel eyes.
"What's the matter Glaisyer, you're looking like a Martian over there with your mouth gaping like that," The man joked.
Hector felt uneasy around this new arrival, but he politely smiled and remained silent. Giuseppe clenched his fist, but eased in slow pulses - relaxing, calculating, winning.
"Tarik! You've finally escaped from your studies!", Giuseppe opened his hand.
"More like they escaped me, some idiot classmate in the hangar slipped with the spanner on a fighter engine, and there was plasma leaking everywhere. We were told to relax until they had the situation under control!"
They all had a laugh.
Tarik looked at Hector. "A new friend of yours?"
Giuseppe nodded. "Hector Haines, meet Tarik Tabia. Tabia, Haines. He is the one I was briefing you about, the high score."
"Ah, I see now, you're a fast growing legend around here, Haines!" Tarik's eyes widened. "You know a real ship is much less predictable..."
Hector shook Tarik's hand tightly, and grinned despite himself. "Nice to meet you, Tabia. My dad taught me that behind every great Marine is an amazing mechanic"
"Oh, a pilot that appreciates us gear monkies. Excellent! Where'd you find this guy, Glaisyer?" Tarik squeezed even tighter.
Tarik was given a full scholarship to attend from Egypt. His family remained on Earth during the colonization, a luxury of the upper class. His application to the academy was an act of rebellion against their control. He never expected a scholarship and acceptance letter to arrive, but it did. His entitled parents cast him out of their home, and he traveled to the UEC academy without their blessing. His wild behavior and frequent quarrels with Giuseppe were the simple cherry-picked pleasures life him.
Giuseppe had hoped Tarik would be chosen to be a Marine with him, but a scout for the mechanics ward saw Tarik's talent being wasted and demanded he join the mechanics ward.
Ever since they met him, Giuseppe and Hector would hurry out of their classes to meet up with Tarik in the hangar. Most students would return to their dorm areas, enjoy the luxurious common rooms and work on tedious homework, but Hector and Giuseppe completed all this work during the instruction. They looked forward to the hum of the generators and the echo of metal against metal.
One particular afternoon, as their engineering class drew to a close, the teacher's aide in charge of weekend instruction broadcasted a new data bulletin to their devices:
"Cadets, we are accepting the very first Martian applicants tomorrow. Not only the first for our academy, but the first for Mars. I know some of you have never seen a Martian before. Our professors and I want you to remember that like many of you they left their homes and traveled far for the chance to join the UEC fleet."
Hector looked around, looking at the spectrum of reaction from the class. Wrinkled brows, cocked heads and shivers emanated throughout the room, but mostly the familiar looks of disinterest. Tarik seemed lost in a bad thought, Giuseppe was curiously gauging Hector's reaction. He raised his fingers, pulling at the woolen collar that seemed to shrink on him. Class was adjourned and they all walked out of the lecture hall with a silence between them.
In the short time he had gotten to know Tarik, he felt the soothing warmness, the familiar fire within, but also the burn when Martians were the subject of interest. Tarik grew up mired in the political propaganda on Earth, the threat of a Martian revolution, and the survival of the UEC.
A few times the subject came up between them, and it became uncomfortable. Giuseppe cared for connections, an avid humanist. Hector learned from his father to stay out of it, but he was very interested in the Martian recruits. He noticed in the data bulletin that they were due to arrive in the mess hall that afternoon for late orientation.
The three made it just in time and spotted the Martian cadets all clad in the academy grey-green uniforms with rich red stripes near the shoulders. The usually bustling mess hall, now nearly vacant, swarmed with hushed voices of the new arrivals. Hector noticed that with the red sands of Mars washed clean the students had pale, almost alien looking skin. Most had a very short buzz cut around their head, but their sideburns grew out long. Many were styled and trimmed into geometric shapes. Just as Hector begun to stare, his eyes caught the gaze of a Martian woman who looked just as curious about them as they were about her.
She had shoulder length bright red hair and an athletic frame. Something about the flame, the way the match lit in her eyes at him, made him want to shake her hand.
Giuseppe nudged him, stepped forward to the nearest Martian, and extended his hand.
"Those sideburns. Those sideburns! Those sideburns!" Tarik guffawed at the large spirals cut from the long grown sideburns of the man Giuseppe's had approached. This man was much larger and more muscular than Giuseppe, and it was only upon closer inspection that Hector noticed his arms were scarred and burned, and he could tell the man was blind in his right eye, probably from working the mines, or from sudden decompression.
"I want to welcome you to the Earth UEC academy. I am Giuseppe Glaisyer, a cadet just like you, and I hope you and your classmates enjoy your time here." He said, gripping the larger hand and shaking vigorously.
The Martian's left eye softened. "Luca Forte, well met. Your Earth is a beautiful sight to behold. The atmosphere is pleasant."
Hector used the opportunity to approach the woman who had been looking his way the entire time.
"Welcome to Earth. I... well I'm Hector Haines. I'm enlisting to be a UEC space marine. In fact, we started just a half semester earlier and are pretty new ourselves. What's your name?" The words felt cool, were they?
"I'm Veronica. Veronica Voight. I guess we have something in common then", she said tracing her finger along the three red lines at her uniform's shoulder. "They told me we would help bring Earth and Mars closer. I loved being in the cockpit on the machines on Mars, and..." She paused letting her hands fall to her sides. "I like to see the stars when I look at the sky. No offense."
Just as he was about to ask her something else, a martian with forked sideburns tapped her shoulder and pointed to an entering academy aid that called all Martian cadets to report to the dormitories for room assignment. She followed the others, but turned to look once more at the two before she slipped through the cafeteria doors and out of sight. Giuseppe gave a final farewell to Luca, and walked back to Hector and Tarik.
