Written by: DK
Last Updated: n/a
Word Count: 4,375

Prologue

The year is 2150. Mankind’s avaricious nature has helped them expand far into the void we call space. Their star-system has been divided into various rival factions. These factions competed for economic dominance. Peace was at hand, despite occasional business feuds. However, when a valuable discovery is exposed, peace is abandoned. Tensions fly, paranoia is everywhere, and all hell breaks loose.

Total strife occurs in space.

Chapter 1

"Beginning landing sequence, captain," said Private Walker as he eased the ship down to the surface of the chaste planet.

"Proceed," replied Captain Spencer as he surveyed the reddish planet. He was wearing the standard Quartz Federation uniform—a dark-blue suit with his initials and rank at the left breast.

"Everything looks clear. Just the way we found it."

Spencer and his crew were aboard the Quartz Federation Colony Pod. The colony pod was a large, silver ship capable of supporting life for a lengthy period until a base was functioning. The colony pod was equipped with 2 pulse cannons, turbo boosters, an advanced life system to support up to 500 people, and held the materials of creating a temporary base.

His crew was on a colonizing expedition. The reddish planet currently called QF-3, was recently found unclaimed and capable of supporting life. After five days from the East QF Docking Station, they arrived safely onto the untouched planet. The ship landed softly and immediately the docking-doors were opened. Capt. Spencer and five of his crewmembers stepped out.

Spencer took a deep breath. This new air smelled clean and cool. He could see far into the distance an abundance of mountains and lush forests. There were several lakes nearby but no sign of animal life anywhere. The ground was red with hints of green plants dispelled all over. The sky was very clear and a gentle, a mild breeze could be felt. Bright stars were seen contrasting against the dark heavens.

"Alright crew, let’s get to work!" cried Spencer. The pilots inside the pod opened a large hatch revealing a storage compartment. The tools and materials were distributed and each crewmember went diligently to work. They had to build a temporary command center until more materials were transported.

After an hour of their work, a slight hum was heard in the background. The crew stood up and felt uneasy as the disturbing hum increased.

"What the hell is that sound?" exclaimed Private Kelly. She examined the skies but found no answer. "Pilot!" Kelly said into her comlink. "What’s that hum we hear?"

The hum became louder.

"I don’t know!" replied Walker. "I’ll search for it with the ship side-cam." He guided the camera to the origin of the sound. He didn’t see anything.

The hum became even more louder than before.

He revolved the camera once more and soon he and the crew had discovered their answer. Burst lasers ripped through the cannons of Wolverines sending panic into the crewmembers. The Wolverines were fast, agile fighters. They were capable of extremely high speeds with excellent nimbleness and were feared for their powerful burst lasers.

"Everybody, retreat to the ship!" cried Kelly just as she witnessed one of her crewmembers being blown to bits. The crewmembers made a mad dash toward the safety of their ship. It was so far away!

The Wolverines were very fast and swooped down for another assault. Blood-curling screams were heard as the crewmembers were quickly cut down.

The colony pod was already ignited and desperately waiting for the rest of the fleeing members. Four more were quickly butchered into bloody chunks. Only two more men remained. They ran as fast as they could only to be wasted by laser fire.

"Get us outta here Walker!" bellowed Spencer desperately trying to save the rest of the crewmembers’ lives. Walker blasted the engines. The colony pod ascended quickly and made a frenzied getaway. The Wolverines however, viciously pursued them. They chased the defenseless Quartz Federation ship, arduously trying to knock it out of the heavens. Walker was an excellent pilot and was able to weave in and out of the line of fire.

"C’mon baby," Walker whispered to the ship as he calmly maneuvered it. "Just a few more seconds and the boosters will activate!"

"Get us outta he--"

Spencer never finished his words. The turbo boosters activated just as the ship was instantly struck and blown to a thousand burning shards.

"Queen Zeela! I have news about the recent colonization mission!" said Chancellor Terry Lowin as he trotted into the Royal Hall. The Royal Hall was a large, circular room. At the walls of the room were portraits of past, great leaders of the Quartz Federation. In the center, Queen Zeela was sitting in her throne in an exquisite red robe. Her auburn hair was tied up where her golden crown fitted snuggly. Her face was pale from make-up, which contrasted her red lips. By her side were her two trusty handmaidens who tirelessly assisted and guarded her. Queen Zeela replied calmly,

"I’d like to hear it, Chancellor."

"Yes your majesty. I have terrible news to bear however." He paused and looked at the queen. Her calm visage was replaced with nervousness and worry. "Although not one of the crewmembers returned, I received this message just a few minutes ago in my office."

"What is it?"

"I think its video footage. I haven’t seen it yet."

Queen Zeela spoke again in a calm fashion, "I’d like to see it."

"As you wish." He took from his pocket a small disk. He inserted into the Royal Hall’s computer. He pressed a few buttons and a screen appeared with the footage in action.

The screen showed a black background speckled with spots, outer space. The camera shooting the video then revolved as it caught sight of 10 Wolverines progressing quickly towards the screen. Flashes of light were unleashed and screams and the yelling of orders were heard. The camera focused on one of the Wolverines. The familiar red Seventh Reich insignia was seen on hull. The camera lost sight of the Wolverine. Only sounds were heard. Thundering explosions and screams were perceived. Then the camera shook violently as the ship prepared to take flight. The image moved and stars were seen flitting by. Laser beams ripped through the sides of the image, rocking the whole footage. Then the ship jarred intensly as the image was lost.

Static remained.

Queen Zeela stopped the video aghast at what she just saw. She had to take action. She was a newly elected leader and had to take the initiative to seem commanding.

"That…that was appalling!" said Zeela. The queen’s handmaidens and Chancellor Lowin were speechless. "Contact President Grussheur of the Seventh Reich now! I shall speak to him about this matter."

"As you wish your majesty."

Lowin activated the interlink. He punched in a few codes and a large screen appeared in front of the throne. President Grussheur IV soon appeared on the screen. He was wearing a black and red Seventh Reich military outfit with a nineteenth century sword hanging from the side of his waist. At a diagonal across his chest, Grussheur wore a shoulder banner which said: "The Glorious Seventh Reich". It was also noticeable that his old age was grasping him, he was balding at a considerate rate. He had a disgruntled look on his face as he smoked his cigar. He answered with a bellow.

"Who is it?!"

"It is I, Queen Zeela of the Quartz Federation."

"Oh, Queen Zeela! It’s a pleasure to see you." Grussheur responded with a smile.

"I’m afraid I cannot say the same about you, President Grussheur. I have evidence that your fighters attacked our defenseless colony pod. Is this true, President Grussheur?"

"What are you talking about?" Grussheur sharply responded. Queen Zeela then played the video, showing scenes of the Seventh Reich insignia and burst lasers ripping out of the Wolverines.

"That’s what I’m talking about, President. Now explain yourself!"

"That…tha…that was my planet! Your colony pod trespassed our borders! We had to exterminate it after you disregarded our many warnings!"

"There’s no proof in your slander! You lie!"

"I…I don’t have time for this Zeela!"

"An intrusion can easily be prevented with more peaceful means. Instead, you attacked our ship and killed all of our crewmembers aboard! I demand one million galaxy credits as retribution!"

"Never! Your retribution is too high and you had no right to be on that planet!"

"We did not see your faction flag. However, I shall drop this matter in hopes of keeping peace. One more interference in our matters though, I will not be responsible for the repercussions on you and your faction. Queen Zeela out."

The interlink disconnected and the screen disappeared.

Chapter 2

"I recently saw the chancellors’ car and instead of saying ‘Protected by Electro-Guard’, it said ‘Protected by Election Card!" sniggered Nathe. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Have a good afternoon!" He left the stage as scattered applause was heard. Nathe Hammer was a comedian. Not a very talented one, but a job-worthy comedian nonetheless. He had black hair and was well-built. He left ‘Houd’s Nest’, the comedy club, and found his friend, Tom Larkin, waiting outside. They started walking home.

"Election card?! Where do you find this crap?!"

"Yeah, I need new stuff for my gigs. So, how’s life in the teaching business?"

"It’s swell," replied Larkin. Larkin was a self-defense instructor. He was a strapping, young fellow with short, brown hair. He also had a smile that would light up a roomful of people.

"Hey Tom! Look at this speeder!" exclaimed Nathe pointing to a beautiful, red car. Cars in this day and age were wheel-less. Anti-gravity sensors were attached at the base of every car. This device allowed cars to hover facilely in the air. Traffic was now distributed in three-dimensions. An intersection no longer included cars on the ground, but in the air as well. Accidents did not frequently occur however, Locomotion Sensors were attached to the sides of the cars for extra safety. Any object that came within a few feet of the car at a threshold speed would instantly the stop the car.

"Wow." replied Tom. He was speechless and astounded by the allurement of the car. He went for a closer look. He read the sticker that identified the owner of the car. "It says that it belongs to Houd!"

"Houd? The owner of ‘Houd’s Nest’?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Damn! I never knew he was rich! I should ask for a raise."

They both left and reached their home in a short while. Nathe entered their entrance password and the door opened. They walked in and immediately plopped themselves on the couch. The television was turned on where an important news broadcast was ensuing.

"Yesterday morning upon landing QF-3, a Colony Pod sent by Queen Zeela, was destroyed by a Seveth Reich attack. Evidence confirms that 10 Wolverines were employed during the assault. Unfortunately, all members of the Colony Pod were extinguished. With more information, here’s our newly-elected Queen Zeela at the Royal Palace from last night’s conference.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This morning, our Colony Pod en route to QF-3 was attacked and destroyed. I apologize for this unfortunate disaster. There will be a funeral procession…"

"Whoa." said Tom, staring intently at the screen.

"What is it?"

"She…She’s the queen?"

"Yea, that’s Queen Zeela. What’s the ‘whoa’ about?"

"She’s beautiful. Wow! Damn she’s hot!" Tom proclaimed finally. Nathe, with a perplexed look was about to say something but was shushed.

"Listen to what she has to say!" Tom exclaimed emphatically.

"…Although I have withdrew all aggressive action towards the Seventh Reich, I shall not hesitate to heed warnings and fight back. Please be prepared for martial combat if the situation shall arise. I will inform you of the whereabouts in the future. Queen Zeela out."

"Damn, doesn’t she look good? How old is she?" Tom excitedly asked.

"I think she’s about your age—26, 27. Somewhere in that area."

"You think I could date her?"

Nathe burst into uncontrollable laughter. After about a minute, he whisked the tears from his eyes, got off from the floor, and saw a sarcastic snarl on Tom’s face.

"Sorry about that." Nathe apologized with a small chuckle. "But you date her?! That’s hilarious. Your chances are very slim. Sure you two are the right age, but come on, be realistic! You probably gotta save her life or something in order to even talk to her!"

Read Chapter 3 and 4!!