Above Eden: Of Science, Magic, and Gods (Original, Sci-Fi/Fantasy First Contact)

[dane10152]

A single officer, dressed in a clean olive green dress uniform with a beret, marched through the halls of the United Nations Space Peacekeeping Forces Headquarters in San Diego. The tall, towering structure was a recent addition, constructed thirty years ago due to humanity's expansion into space. Fifteen stories tall and encompassing an area the size of a soccer stadium, the UNSPFHQ was the military arm of the United Nations at home and in outer space.

A military arm often fought over by the member states, especially among the eleven ruling members of the UN Permanent Security Council, the United Nations was only united in one aspect: trying not to destroy each other. Otherwise, everything else was fair game.

Still, due to the strict demilitarization of space for individual members of the United Nations decades prior, the UNSPF and the Discovery Corps were the only two entities available to aspiring soldiers and officers who wanted to deploy into space.

For the member states, these were the only two avenues of projecting their influence into the galaxy… which was filled with nothing but rocks and giant balls of gas until that discovery just over a decade prior.

Captain Jonathan Moore took off his beret and grasped it tightly while he marched into the office of one Brigadier General Robin Turtledove. The office was on the tenth floor, offering a spectacular view of the San Diego beachfront and the spaceport in the distance. The city of three million souls went about their daily lives under a clear blue sky. It would've been a perfect day for the beach, though the captain was here for more important matters.

The younger officer snapped a salute and stood at attention. "Captain Moore, reporting in, sir."

"Good to see you again, captain," General Turtledove acknowledged. The man had a forest of grey hair combed neatly to the side, his weathered face displaying only a tad of exhaustion. His sharp blue eyes remained bright, unmarred by any hints of age or wariness. "Congratulations on your promotion from first lieutenant. I've heard about your fine work on Nova. Take a seat."

"Thank you, sir." Captain Moore sank into the chair before the general's desk and awaited upright.

General Turtledove took the time to scan through the thin transparent computer screen on his desk and frowned. "I see that you've requested an assignment to either Luna or Mars. Why those two places, captain? A bright officer like you should be looking for better opportunities elsewhere."

"Some peace of mind, sir. I've had my fill of action on Nova… and I don't think I'm cut out for an administrative role."

"You wouldn't reconsider for a chance of a lifetime?"

"No, sir. I just want some peace and quiet, preferably away from Earth and Nova, for a nice change of scenery. Battling terrorists for two years on Nova and seeing an American city go up in smoke would do that to you." Captain Moore chuckled deprecatingly.

"Well, I feel a bit sorry for you, son," General Turtledove said. "Because you've been handpicked by one of your former commanders. You're slated to be sent somewhere else, not Luna or Mars."

"Where to? Io? Isn't there some training base that was recently built there?"

"No, to Roana."

"Roana…" Captain Moore's eyes widened as he bolted up from his chair. "That Roana? The inhabited planet they found eleven years ago? I thought it was quarantined!?"

"Do you follow the news at all, son?"

"No, sir."

"Well, they un-quarantined it. There's a UN mission set to depart for the planet in three months. Science and first contact, no big military action planned. It should be right up your alley."

The captain crashed into the seat of his chair. "I'll be damned."

"You've been assigned to Bravo Company, under First Brigade commanded by Colonel James Wilson. Sounds familiar? He requested you specifically."

Captain Moore sighed. "Of course he did. Is there any way I can…"

General Turtledove raised his hand. "No. You were also recommended by the CO of the Tenth Mountain Division, and since this UN mission is of utmost importance, we're sending the best of the best, which includes you and parts of Tenth Mountain. Some of the men under your command will be familiar since you will be leading a light infantry company formed with soldiers from Tenth Mountain."

"The biggest group I've led personally was a platoon."

"A platoon of Tenth Mountain men, from the reports. Something that happened accidentally, but a position you excelled at. There is no way out of this, captain. You're going to Roana."

"I… Yes, sir." Captain Moore's shoulders slumped, yet he maintained eye contact and held back a grimace. "I… I guess I'll do my best then. When do I have to report?"

"A week, captain. Take your time and get ready for the long trip ahead. The relevant material will be sent to you by the end of today. And remember, the mission is of great importance: our first opportunity to meet with foreign life. Failure will not be tolerated."

---

Outside the clear window, a wondrous darkness filled with shimmering stars gazed back at Captain Moore.

He stared at the reflection that appeared in the thermal glass, his crisp navy blue uniform blending seamlessly into the dark void. The few wrinkles on his face accented as his mouth drooped into a frown. A faded scar graced his forehead, making his brown eyes look even more tired and angry.

Looking past his reflection in the vast sea of space, he could faintly make out three small balls of fire: two were grouped together on one side while a lone orange star glowed further away from its sisters. Four planet-sized bodies orbited the twins, and while he could not see them from his seat, he knew three were barren, yet one was small and teeming with life—primitive life, with a lack of advanced intelligence, but life all the same.

That one was already being settled.

His focus shifted back to the single orb, alone yet supporting several planets within its grasp. One of which was something the United Nations Space Force had been searching for three decades.

A planet that had nearly caused a Third World War on Earth.

He expelled the negative thoughts racing through his mind while he grabbed the thirtieth-generation iPad from his desk. "It can't be any worse than Nova…"

The captain ran his fingers through his jet-black hair and leaned back into his chair, which sat behind his desk in the office. It was a small, spartan place, with only a handful of small furniture packed into the compartment. If he weren't certain that he was in space, he would've mistaken it for the interior of a seafaring carrier. A small green blanket on the couch and a coffee mug with a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge were the only homely items within the space.

A few comfortable seconds of silence passed, and he slowly sank back into his chair. His mind drifted away while he mindlessly browsed through a few documents, reading and enjoying the neverending view out his window.

Out of nowhere, a slender arm strangled his neck, and a low voice rumbled in his ears. "Yeah, there ain't many things worse than a fusion explosion."

"Christ!" Captain Moore yelped, instinctively swinging the iPad into the person's face. "Where the hell did you come from?"

The officer, one Lieutenant Randy Choi, barely blocked the smash with his free forearm and winced. "Fuck, man. That woulda been the second time you rammed somethin' in my face."

Captain Moore snorted. "You wouldn't wake up after that night out in Apollo. Not my fault you were snoozing away even after I shook you for a full minute."

"Still rememba' the ass-chewin' I got from the colonel," the Asian-American officer said with a thick Southern accent. "What got y'all tensed up?"

"You know, the fact that we're on a glorified tin can billions of miles from Earth."

"Right… From how riled up you got, seems like you ain't settled from that mission on Nova."

"Like you said, watching an enhanced fusion explosion happen live will do that to a person."

"Heard it was the biggest firework on this side of the universe," Lieutenant Choi shrugged. "Mustva been one helluva view."

"It was. Too bad you missed it." Moore's snide remark rolled off his tongue naturally. He shrugged off Choi's arm on his shoulder and rolled his chair away. "How's work on your end?"

The lieutenant yawned and waved his hand. "Same ol' shit. Reading data from the synths on the ground. Humans are crazy enough, but magic an'all the other stuff... You're doing the fun thing and actually meeting the locals. I have to stay behind and compile all the info."

"You staying on the Nimitz? Or heading aground?"

"Back and forth, probably. At least I have a buncha books and games on my iPad. Brought my Nintendo Soar, too. Got that new Fallen game that came out a week before we left; shit has been fun so far."

"Hopefully, we can go out drinking on the ground after we settle down. We barely got any leave time on Earth before this deployment."

"Who the fuck cares? There's magic and fuckin' elves man on the planet, man."

"They're not going to fuck you, you 'tard. That's why you're being stuffed in an office."

Choi let out a rumbling groan. "The one time I regret being in data analysis. But it ain't like you're better looking, ya protosoy Californian ass."

"Get out and go count the number of clouds on Roana or something," Captain Moore said, tossing a crumpled paper at Choi and pushing him towards the door.

"Fuckin' killjoy," Lieutenant Choi muttered while he opened the door of the office. "Hope ya get magical diarrhea on the planet."

"I might get it before that with the chow we're eating."

The door slammed shut, and the captain was alone, stewing in his thoughts once again. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned on his iPad. He glanced through the dossier for the umpteenth time, noting the bolded "Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment" at the top.

With a single swipe, the names of two hundred souls under his command were sprawled out on the desk in front of him, the holographic display hovering a centimeter in the air.

"Thirty new guys rotated from Fox Company… One hundred and sixty from Earth, thirty-two from Nova, eight synths…"

"Technically, nine synths, sir; I just don't have a physical form yet."

A smile tugged Captain Moore's lips as a display of a young brunette appeared in front of him. "I never knew you counted yourself as a member of the Peacekeeping Forces, Iris."

"Well, I do finish most of your paperwork and keep your information organized and tidy," the AI responded. Although her holographic form was only half a foot high, she looked every bit as detailed and natural as an ordinary human. "I've basically been a part of every unit you've led."

He chuckled, wiping away the dossier from his desk and replacing it with a map of a continent on Roana.

The planet that had changed the course of human history: Earth's, Nova's, and Roana's.

"What do you think of the mission then, Iris? I don't agree with what our government thought about the issue, but they had a point."

"Having second thoughts again, sir?"

"Somewhat."

Iris paused for a moment. "Everything is a risk, sir. Humanity took a leap of blind faith when developing the first sentient artificial intelligence, no? For all you flesh ba…"

"Language." Despite his attempt at a stern voice, his eye roll gave away his true feeling about the sarcastic term synths and AIs often used.

"Many humans were afraid of AIs, especially ones with physical forms. Plenty of popular media made that clear: Ex Machina, I, Robot, Terminator, 2001: A Space Odyssey, that AI I sympathize with in The Avengers: Age of Ultron…"

"There's a difference between creating intelligent life, and interfering in the development of a separate intelligent life on another planet, which contains humans."

"And when has humanity, of all living beings, shirked away from danger and opportunity? Especially when it came to fellow humans?"

Captain Moore sighed. "That's just it. I'm just… getting massive 'colonizer' vibes from this mission."

"Considering that half the UN Security Council threatened to nuke the other half if such attempts occurred, I doubt any attempts at exploiting, kidnapping, or threatening the natives will go over well. Which is why UN Peacekeeping Forces Oversight's Assistant Director Fletes is on this mission with us, sir."

The captain tapped his fingers and pressed a few buttons on his iPad. "Iris, activate Protocol Saferoom."

"As you wish, sir." Iris snapped, causing the lock on the door to whir. Within a few seconds, he heard various devices and lights power down around him. "Is it time for your daily rant?"

"No… Yes. It's about the Nova mission."

"Is that why you're unsettled about this mission, sir?"

"Somewhat." Moore placed his iPad on his stand and folded his hands before the hologram. "Nova is considered an "equal" of Earth, yet it's… been a struggle to actually treat them as equals. All the people on Nova can trace their lineage back to Earth, but it's clearly a secondary partner, if anything, a "colony" of Earth. You know what happened on Nova, what the separatists caused."

His AI partner blinked. "The UN learned from the blunders on Nova, hence the extreme caution towards this mission. First contact will cause some shock among the inhabitants of Roana, and exposure to our technology and ideologies may be detrimental. But the UN has prepared for thousands of worst-case scenarios."

"Still," Moore replied. "I'm afraid we'll make a similar mistake on Roana, especially due to the massive imbalance of power."

"If there is anything I am certain about humans, is that they are capable of immense good despite the horrors they can unleash. Perhaps you're right, and we will make mistakes on Roana. However, I am approximately eighty percent confident that much of the UN leadership learned its lesson from the Nova Uprising and its centuries' worth of history on Earth and will ensure all protocols are followed properly. Even with the difference in the levels of civilization between our two worlds and unknown variables still surrounding this mission."

Moore raised an eyebrow. "Eighty percent?"

"I wouldn't put it past some of the more unsavory members to attempt aggressive coercion to learn more about the local mystic arts and other anomalies. Even then, I doubt that many would attempt something blatant as kidnapping."

"Sounds reassuring."

"Nothing is certain, sir."

"And an AI telling me that assures me a ton."

Iris scoffed, folding her arms in front of her chest. "They say that an AI learns much from the human it initially meets."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it's just me and not the UN coders that live in a shed in Geneva. Begin the daily log, Iris."

The room whirred to life, and the door unlocked after Iris waved her hand. "... Recording will begin in five seconds."

Captain Moore waited for a beat to pass before speaking up, ignoring the annoyed stare from Iris. "Captain Jonathan Moore of the Third Unified Division under the command of the UN Space Peacekeeping Forces. Day fifty-eight of the UNS Nimitz's mission to Petroica, formerly Sector 36 Ophiuchi. The ship has exited warp speed, opting for a more steady cruising pace to finish final preparations before planetfall. With one hundred and twenty-five million miles remaining on our journey, it will take us approximately five days to arrive in orbit around Petroica II, also known by the natives as "Roana"…"

 

[dane10152]

We're the mighty watchful eye,
Guardians Beyond the Blue,
The invisible front line,
Peacekeepers brave and true.
Boldly reaching into space,
There is no limit to our sky!
Standing guard both night and day,
We're the Space Force from on high.

Captain Moore tapped the exterior of his coffee mug to an erratic beat, his free hand rubbing his dull eyes while he yawned. The clock on one of the meeting room's walls displayed the time adjusted to Earth's GMT: 8 AM. Members of the Third Unified Division remained in London for two weeks before departing for open space, enduring a series of physical and mental tests while adjusting their internal clocks before the arduous journey. The short vacation in London certainly helped to an extent, but the captain glimpsed at the other captains in the room and noted that they all looked sluggish to some degree.

The meeting room was secluded in the rear of the giant carrier UNS Nimitiz; a round table with the UN logo stamped in the middle took up the majority of the space. More than a hundred chairs surrounded it, though even with all officers with the rank of captain or above present, some seats remained empty. Despite being a "unified" division, most officers sat with their local or regional counterparts. The only officers from different regions that sat together were the colonels and the major general who sat at the head of the table.

Moore noticed that Assistant Director Fletes was absent, but a female secretary sat with the higher-ranking officers in his place.

"It's your turn to take the notes, Jon," Captain Tony Rodriguez whispered right before the personal screens in front of them booted up. The tanned man twirled the screen's stylus between his long and fat fingers, dropping it twice before he stopped.

"Nah, you're doing it again, remember? You doodled some weird alien and human graffiti last time. We got dressed down by Colonel Johnson for that shit." Captain Moore answered.

"I think he was just impressed by my graffiti; he didn't even punish us for that."

"Just shut the fuck up and write."

"Alright," Rodriguez turned to the third American officer, Captain Ezekiel Davis, and grinned at him. "You do it."

The short African American officer scowled. "I did it five times in a row before last time."

Rodriguez leaned back into his black leather chair and hummed, his tall frame spilling over the top of the seat. "Don't care. If you don't want to get yelled at, you do it."

Before Moore could interject, Davis muttered something about "son of a jonesa" with his notable Nova-American accent and nodded with a disgruntled look. Despite knowing Davis for a few months, Moore was still jarred by his accent: an unholy mix of Texan, Jersey, and Cherokee.

Thankfully, Major General Gaétan Bassot, an aging Frenchman with a greying mustache, tapped a small gavel to gather the room's attention and cleared his throat before any further bickering could break out between the two American officers. "I know it's a bit early on in the day, but we have an urgent situation that requires all of your immediate attention before we land on Roana in three days."

That statement grabbed even Rodriguez's attention, forcing him to sit up in his chair.

The lights of the room dimmed as the screens blared an image from Roana. It was a picture of a sizeable island with a thick jungle and beautiful beaches. Moore stared at the picture, reminiscing his first and only vacation to Hawaii as Major General Bassot spoke in his native French. "As you all may remember, this was the island where we had originally planned to set up base, a thousand miles away from any local civilizations, yet at the halfway point between two of the largest continents. It was one of the largest uninhabited islands we could find."

"Was it recently inhabited by some merchants or pirates, perhaps?" A female officer from the Chinese section inquired in Mandarin through the mic attached to the armrest of their seat.

Moore tapped the MicroTranslate in his ears to turn down the volume before the general replied to the question. "No. If that was the case, we could've resolved it easily."

The screen changed to a vast and empty sea, not too dissimilar to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Moore glanced at the image and frowned, unsure of the implications of the image.

"The island disappeared." General Bassot said. "Just six hours ago, one of the satellites above Roana noted an anomaly near the island. When it took a new picture of where the island should've been, it sent this to us."

"Could it be possible that the Roanans have some form of detection array or deep space observations? They have 'magic,' correct?" A male Russian officer asked, speaking in near-perfect, if slightly accented, English. "Perhaps they knew we were heading to the island and used their 'magic' to conceal the location? Some form of silent warning against our approach?"

General Bassot shook his head. "No. There have been no reports of such detection capabilities by the natives from the fifty synths we have on the ground. And even if they could spot us, it would've been impossible for them to know our destination on the planet itself."

One of the colonels next to the general continued the presentation. Moore recognized her as Colonel Naisha Chatterjee of the 15th Brigade. "Due to this sudden change, the general has authorized Plan Deuxième instead of hoping for a reversal of the island's disappearance. As the planet has unknown variables, such as magic and rumors of living gods, this event was a surprise, but not an unexpected one."

"As our new landing zone will be on the continent of Resforna, the ship will remain in orbit to avoid frightening any local inhabitants, and shuttles will be used to ferry people, equipment, and supplies down to our base of operations," Colonel Chatterjee continued. The screen lit up to reveal a wild piece of forested land that faced the Jouse Ocean, the large ocean that separated Resforna from the largest continent on the planet. "Since the terrain here is noted by the locals to be atrocious and filled with hostile wildlife, much of the first week on the ground will involve pest control and establishing defensive perimeters. Civilians will be shuttled down after the landing zone is cleared for safety."

A British officer, sitting next to his European counterparts, spoke up with a thick Yorkshire accent. "What sort of hostile wildlife are we talking about?"

"Large, aggressive animals and a 'few monsters' from one of our scout's initial explorations. We will know more soon in the next day or so." General Bassot answered.

When monsters were mentioned, a flurry of conversations emerged between the officers at the table. From the hushed whispers, Captain Moore picked out mentions of the Bible, Lord of the Rings, and hunting seasons.

"Isn't this technically within the borders of one of the local nations?" Davis asked.

"The Duchy of Lisentia has de jure control over the 'Forest of Anseuan.' However, we have confirmation that they lack a firm presence in and around the forest; the area has been out of the duchy's direct rule for over a century. The nearest sign of civilization is thirty miles away: a military town to defend the northern borders of the duchy. If needed, we have received authorization from the UN Security Council to enter negotiations to 'purchase' the territory for a fair and reasonable sum."

"Fair and reasonable, my ass… I bet the Euro chuds are looking to swindle the natives like they did in the Americas," Rodriguez muttered. "The damn Ruskies too."

Moore elbowed him and glared before turning his attention back to the general.

"You will receive further briefings about the situation as we receive more information. For now, ensure your units are ready for immediate engagement the moment we're planetside. We have received authorization to use armor and air assets within the confines of the forest to minimize any unexpected friendly casualties."

From the corner of his eyes, Moore saw Rodriguez's eyes light up and rise from his chair, pumping his fists, prompting him to let out an inaudible groan.

General Bassot looked around the room and stared at every officer he could. "Remember, our mission is a diplomatic and scientific one. The core objective of this mission is to make peaceful contact, learn more about magic, and assist those facing oppression on a limited scale. We are to tread carefully around the natives on the planet. The UN Security Council does not want to repeat what happened on Nova...

"The situation may be different since Nova was populated entirely by people from Earth. Yet, the essence of the mission remains the same. Lethal force is not authorized unless in extraordinary circumstances. You know how that goes.

"You will receive further briefings about the situation as we receive more information. For now, ensure your units are ready for immediate engagement the moment we're planetside. We have received authorization to use armor and air assets within the confines of the forest to minimize any unexpected friendly casualties."

From the corner of his eyes, Moore saw Rodriguez's eyes light up and rise from his chair, pumping his fists, prompting him to let out an inaudible groan.

"That is all for now," General Bassot announced. "Assemble your respective units and have a pre-combat inspection today. Following that, we'll have a division-wide uniform inspection within the next two days. I expect all issues to be dealt with before we touchdown on Roana. We will have another meeting tomorrow at 0800. Dismissed."

The three captains, along with a dozen other American captains, exited the meeting room with a noticeable beat to their steps. Before Moore could walk away, Rodriguez clapped him on his back. "Think Lieutenant Colonel Lee would mind if I went a bit ham on the course with the Raineys today?"

"Yes?" Moore said with a sigh. "You nearly blew a hole in the walls last time; I think the last thing she wants is our battalion having to pay for the damages to the course. I saw her smoking an entire pack the last time she had to clean up your mess."

"Tell her it's for 'readiness' prep. This is the most exciting shit since running over those blowhards in Nova."

"And I'm sure monsters will be in awe of your company's firepower and those giant slags of a machine called the Raineys."

"Can't be a worse audience than terrorists," Rodriguez answered with a shrug.

Rogers interjected into the conversation by clearing his throat. "I've sent my notes to your emails. Both of you owe me a bottle."

Moore glanced at the hesitant look on Rogers' face and subtly nudged Rodriguez with his elbow. He noted the Nova-American flag on the African American officer's sleeve: the fifty-five stars and thirteen stripes, along with the words"NOVA-USA" stamped on top. In contrast, both Moore and Rodriguez wore the stars and stripes with the word "USA" stamped above the flag.

The nudge earned an annoyed look from Rodriguez, but the officer noticed Moore's harsh gaze and quickly backed down. "Sure, sure. Come down to the barracks in a few hours."

An awkward moment passed before Rogers walked away wordlessly, his pace more brisk than before.

"Did you forget where Rogers was from, you dumb oaf?" Moore chided.

"Shit, not my fault he looks the same as any black dudes from Earth-side. The only thing that's weird about him is his accent and slang. When he's all quiet like that, I forget."

"Make sure not to remind him of the Nova Revolt. Heard he lost family when Roosevelt was wiped from the map."

"Yeah, yeah." Rodriguez dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I'll see you during chow time."

Captain Moore strolled away after watching his counterpart saunter away with a skip to his steps. Within a few minutes, he was back in his office, pressing a few buttons on his iPad to alert the members of his company. "Fucking troops, always wanting to be the first to roll into battle. How are the tankers saner than them these days?"

"Since the UN Space Force Regulation 193-B2 was passed twenty years ago, in 2129, any and all armored fight vehicles were prohibited from being deployed on Nova. The only exception being four years ago when infantry fighting vehicles were utilized in the early days of the Revolt against insurgents…"

"I know, Iris. I was literally there, remember?"

The brunette AI, with her detailed features and lithe figure, popped onto his desk and frowned. "I assumed that you were unaware of the specific regulation since you tasked me with processing and reminding you of the manual."

"Because it's two thousand pages long. Even I agree with Tony in that the UN needs to 'shove it up their ass' and make a more simplified manual."

"That is the simplified version, sir."

"I earned a degree in business, not whatever degree requires me to read a thousand pages of boring text."

"That would be a juris doctor."

"Always knew lawyers were a soulless bunch," Moore grumbled. "Shoot a direct alert to First Sergeant Wilard and First Lieutenant Doe. Pre-combat inspection in fifteen minutes in Hanger Six."

"Of course," Iris replied. Her eyes gleamed momentarily before she yawned and sat on the desk. "It's done. I made sure to have the alerts blaring at max volume. If they were sleeping before, they'll be bouncing off the walls now."

"And…"

"The updated mission brief has been sent as well."

"What changed?"

"We are to take point with the Marine Recon unit and make contact with local synth agents. Afterward, we will establish a perimeter for the other units to land."

"Fuck!" Captain Moore swore. "Blake?'

"Yes, Captain Blake. You've been ordered to meet with him tomorrow afternoon to discuss any last-minute adjustments," His AI assistant affirmed with a scowl. She spat out the rank of the Marine officer with an emphasized disgust in her voice. "Why they would allow someone with two Article Fifteens to partake in this whole journey…"

"Every one of those crayon munchers has an A-15. Unfortunately, the best ones have two. We'll deal with that headache tomorrow, or never, if possible. For now, the company."

"Of course, sir."

+++++

AN: Still working out a few kinks in my writing and the such. I'll explore the world more in detail as time goes on and hopefully stabilize around a cast of characters (with our MC at the center, of course).

Most of the POVs will be from Captain Moore. However, I will shift POVs as the plot demands it (it's not a First Contact story without... POVs from people encountering advanced civilization).

As always, any criticism or comments are appreciated. Thank you

 

[dane10152]

The captain took a few minutes to save Captain Davis' notes and skim through the content before changing into his MultiCam uniform and departing for Hanger Six. He carried his own pack, filled with the equipment and gear he would need for the upcoming mission.

He walked into the hangar at exactly ten o'clock, with much of the company already assembled in their combat gear. Equipment, from MREs to rifles, was laid out on numerous ponchos across the hanger in a "junk on the bunk" fashion. Captain Moore noticed heavier weaponry, such as machine guns and mortars, lying amongst the mountains of items.

First Sergeant Wilard stormed through the rank with an angry gait and gave a stink eye to each platoon leader as he inspected the soldiers. In turn, each platoon leader glared at their squad leaders if the first sergeant noted an anomaly. The senior NCO, tall and lean with graying brown hair, was grilling one of the platoon leaders while waving a small clip in his face.

"Three hundred years of regulations, and we still have dumbasses that leave on shiny d-rings after buying sunscreen from the PX," First Sergeant Bobby Wilard said with a scowl sprawled on his face. "You really think this silver piece won't stick out during the day or shine a glare in the dark?"

"No, first sergeant… I mean, yes, first sergeant!"

"Get your shit together, staff sergeant. The last thing we need is for some monsters on the ground to be attracted to shiny things and have half a squad being targeted for glittering in the sun."

"First Sergeant Jon," Captain Moore interjected after the squad leader nervously scampered away with a private first class in tow.

The first sergeant turned and saluted the officer. "Good morning, sir. Reporting for the pre-combat inspection."

Captain Moore saluted back and nodded. "Status?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," First Sergeant Jon answered. "The usual crap; newer guys bringing heaps of new and shiny stuff. They'll figure out why not to do that after this mission. D-rings, patches, and other things on vests that stand out. Few knuckleheads leaving grenades hanging out or having too few mags; had a PFC that only had two. The only abnormality is that everyone and their mother have a camera with them. Some of them are comically large, to the point where I'm sure some of them are pulling my leg."

"If they get the pictures back to Earth, they would be worth their weight in gold. It'll definitely affect cohesion if everyone is trying to take pictures for themselves… Tighten up the rules on cameras; nothing larger than a fist. And warn them that they'll be reprimanded if they're caught using it during the op."

"Of course, sir."

"What about the Tenth Mountain guys?"

"Buncha fucking hooligans as always, but they're strapped and ready to go already. One of them brought an honest to god fucking news reporter camera. Some of them are doing weird role play shit and "interviewing" the others."

"Course they are." Captain Moore smirked. "Finest bunch I served with on Nova, though. Take a few more minutes to ensure that the men are ready. Gather the company in ten; I want them in full battle rattle to finish the inspection and review the briefing."

"Yes, sir." First Sergeant Jon sauntered away to another squad and Moore watched as the NCO's face morph into a deeper scowl than he previously thought possible.

The captain joined his executive officer with the HQ Platoon, which was also finishing up its inspection. First Lieutenant David Doe checked the radios and other equipment with the assistance of Corporal Anetta Chen, their radio operator.

"Everything is in order, sir." Corporal Chen declared, her youthful face and clean shoulder-length black hair sticking out from under her tightly strapped helmet. After fiddling with the buttons and checking the battery, she handed a radio back to the lieutenant.

"We should be set then." Lieutenant Doe responded. He noticed the commanding officer and saluted. "Attention!"

Captain Moore returned their salute and pulled out his iPad after the rest of the HQ Platoon saluted. "At ease. Good morning to all of you. I know all of you are jittery since we'll be landing in a few days. Though our first mission as a unit will be on another planet, treat this like any pre-combat inspection you've partaken in. No matter where we go, our objective remain the same: carry out the mission and finish it."

After booting up the screen, he noticed Iris grinning and waving at him, prompting a small wave from him. He swiftly pulled up a map of the Forest of Anseuan and walked up to the lieutenant, pointing at the screen in doing so. "Lieutenant Doe."

"Sir."

"What is our objective? And where will we be landing?"

He pointed to the bottom part of the screen and drew a circle. "We are to land and establish a perimeter at 33Q XD 82 36 in conjunction with the Third Force Recon Company. An empty pocket within the forest without tree cover will allow us to land our shuttles and vics, which will be utilized for the initial landing. We'll have three hours to comb the area for any hostile wildlife and prepare for the arrival of the rest of the battalion. Once the battalion is on the ground and we're certain that the threat level in the area is minimal, we'll contact the Nimitz and prepare for the full-scale landing of remaining personnel."

"Where will our company be, and where will the marines be?"

"We are to head due south and then west while the marines circle around from south to the east. If everything proceeds smoothly, we will regroup with the Third Force Recon at the northernmost point at 0900 and prepare to land at the drop zone."

"What is the fire support plan? What vics do we have with us?"

"A mortar section, along with two heavy weapons squads and a fire support team, will provide indirect and direct fire support. We'll have five MATVs, one of which will have attached CCMS-Hs."

"Good. Company-wide briefing in five."

Captain Moore inspected a few more platoons as the company finished its inspection, strapping on their equipment and packs before shuffling into formation. He walked to the front of the hanger and scanned the room: two hundred faces stared at him silently as the talking winded down.

"Good morning," he stated with a firm kick in his voice. "You were probably surprised by the sudden call for a pre-combat inspection today, but we are heading off to a foreign planet and will be the first humans to land on it. You can see why we're making preparations ahead of time."

"I'm sure all of you are excited to reenact Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, but let me be clear; I won't tolerate any of you sleepwalking or goofing off on this mission. Regardless of the light opposition we're expected to face, you are all representatives of Earth, and this is a UN operation, the first one on this planet. That means I expect the utmost professional behavior from all of you. No clowning around, no wandering off to snap pictures, and no smuggling of foreign wildlife into your packs."

From the corner of his eyes, Captain Moore saw a familiar red-headed sergeant grin with unabashed eagerness in his eyes. The short and stocky soldier had the palest face he had seen in the army and a mischievous glint in his pupils curtained by his stringy red hair. There was also a reporter's camera beneath his feet. The captain internally shuddered at the memory of the man unleashing a pack of squirrel-rabbits from Nova into the barracks.

"Keep your head on a swivel!" Captain Moore shouted, snapping every soldier in the vicinity to attention. "I don't care if we're shooting at monsters or squirrels; there will be no complacency or laxness while setting up the perimeter. We don't know what this world has to offer, and the last thing I want is someone wandering off and getting eaten by a giant sandworm because they weren't looking where they stepped."

There were a few snickers from the crowd, though more than a few looked serious about the notion of strange wildlife inhabiting the planet.

"So we're going to get Dune-d or?" The red-headed sergeant asked.

That prompted even more snickering and a few laughs, though Captain Moore maintained a neutral expression. "No, but there are a few creatures that make even tigers and bears look small. Killable with rifles, but threats nonetheless. As I said, keep your head on a swivel. Our scouts have mapped the terrain and surveyed the wildlife thoroughly, but unexpected complications may arise regardless. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," hundreds of voices rang out in unity.

"Good. Be ready to step in for your platoon leaders and treat the final inspection as if you would step off with the company in two hours. Afterward, review the updated briefing amongst your squads. The entire company should be ready by 1030, and you'll be dismissed if you're finished."

"Hooah!"

---

From today forth, I will be posting on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Usually around 5-6 PM PST on Mon/Thurs and 9 AM PST on Saturday.

I do have a Patreon now, where I will post advanced chapters (up to 10).

I'll be updating it later tonight (8/19, around 9 PM PST). So if you're interested, feel free to head on over and give it a go!

https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez

 

[dane10152]

Two days had passed since the pre-combat inspection, and the company was now awaiting a night's rest before landing on Roana. A uniform inspection, followed by a few more exercises, kept the unit confident and loose. The meal was more extravagant than usual, but considering their long journey and their landing tomorrow, Captain Moore thought it was well-suited.

The mess hall was small and cozy, more than enough to fit a few hundred personnel. All the soldiers of the Bravo Company ate their fill in the brightly lit grey-walled room lined with chairs and tables. Instead of eating in his quarters or with his fellow officers, the captain decided it was apt to mingle with his soldiers before the operation.

After spending the past ten minutes with Wells, he was starting to regret his decision.

"Steak, lobster, and eggs? Are we dying tomorrow?" Sergeant Zachary Wells asked.

Captain Moore held back the urge to roll his eyes while he sawed off a piece of steak. "Good chow is good chow. Looks like they finally listened to some of my recommendations after the stuff we've been given to eat for the past few weeks."

"You know what good chow means, sir. They've been giving us shit chow for the past week."

"It might have to do with the op tomorrow, yes."

"It definitely is. I didn't think they would expect us to die tomorrow."

"It's probably for morale, sergeant. Don't overthink it."

After a few grumbles, the pale NCO with stringy red hair wolfed down some eggs and muttered. "Yep, I can taste the saltpeter."

Captain Moore choked on a steak piece and pounded his chest while he coughed. After downing an entire glass of water, he glared at the sergeant. "Even if they did put saltpeter, which they don't, do you think it would stop the soldiers from trying to… you know?"

"Screw anything that moves, sir? Nah. Grunts like us would get hard even if we're being tortured. They would need something more potent or some shearing knives to really control our balls."

The other soldiers around them laughed at the free entertainment provided for them, quieting down after the captain made a point of staring them all down one by one. Even so, none of them missed the humorous look on the captain's face.

"Are you up for some football later, sir?" Sergeant Wells asked. "Some of the boys and I thought we could bash our heads on the ship one last time."

"I would like to take you up on that offer, but I have final preparations. You know how it goes."

Sergeant Wells munched on a lobster tail, shell and all, before replying. "Hell, what about Lieutenant Doe? Where is he anyways?"

"He's busy filling out some last-minute paperwork and his will."

"No shit, sir?" Wells asked with his jaws dropped, staring at the remaining lobster on his plate. "So I was right about this damn lobster!"

"I'm kidding." Captain Moore smiled. "About the will part, not the paperwork. He's also doing some final checks with the armorer."

"... You almost got me, sir."

"Your face said otherwise, sergeant."

The sergeant refused to humor him with a response and instead wiped his mouth with a napkin in an exaggerated manner. After finishing the final few bites, Sergeant Wells leaned back in his chair and picked his teeth with a fork. "I never got to ask, but did you snag Corporal Chen for the company?"

"Had to. She was the best radio operator I had ever seen on Nova. The lass can talk a mile a minute in the most soothing voice."

"No need to tell me twice, sir. I completely agree. Could've done with a good cook though."

"Our cook is great." Captain Moore glared at the sergeant while eyeing a figure in the corner of the chow hall. He pantomimed, zipping his mouth to Sergeant Wells, who understood immediately after following the captain's eyes. "I am interested in what kind of cuisine they have on Roana."

"If they have any red meat and seafood, I am set." Sergeant Wells burped. "Shit, I almost forgot how good steak was."

"The world is medieval, sergeant."

"Hell, nobles still ate their fill of meat, no? And we got plenty of goods and other shit to barter with."

Just then, Captain Moore's cell, a touch flip screen made by MobiFone, blared to life. He glanced at the caller and scrambled to pick up the phone. Out of habit, he stood up from his seat. "Sir."

"Captain Moore." General Bassot's gruff voice filled the captain's ears. "Plans have changed. Have your unit ready for deployment within the next hour."

"Yes, sir…" He hesitated before continuing, a noticeable wrinkle of annoyance appearing on his forehead. "May I ask what led to the change?"

"An unexpected opportunity has arisen which will lessen the danger to you and your unit. I have already informed Captain Blake and his unit. Head to Hanger Six by 2125."

After hearing the general's words, the captain's face softened while he nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll inform the men."

"Change of plans?" Sergeant Wells asked after the captain put his cell away.

"Full battle rattle. Get ready to step off in thirty."

Sergeant Wells shrugged. "Well, I probably wasn't going to sleep anyway."

Captain Moore powerwalked out of the hall with urgency. "Iris, can you…"

"Already done." The brunette popped out from the cell and hovered on his shoulder as a hologram. "What would you do without me?"

"A lot of texting and yelling, that's for sure."

"Anywho, we'll meet up with some of the synth scouts, right? Do you think I could ask them to transfer some information to me?"

"Probably not," Captain Moore said, zipping past a pair of soldiers before they could salute him. "Protocols, you know why. They need to be vetted and the such."

"Shucks… it was worth a shot. I'll still see the world from your GoPro, though."

"Let's hope I charged it this time."

Thirty minutes passed in a blur, and Captain Moore stood in front of his unit in full combat gear in the blink of an eye. He strapped the helmet tightly to his chin and swept his eyes through the two hundred soldiers under his command. "Listen up! We've been over this a hundred times, but I want to drill it into all of you at what is at stake.

"This world is not Earth or Nova. This world has magic! This world has races of non-humans that are intelligent, including the likes of elves and trolls. This world has creatures, monsters, that none of you have personally seen with your own two eyes. So there will be no fooling around, no acting like a tourist. We are here for one thing and one thing only: to complete our mission.

"Our mission remains the same: secure the landing zone and establish a perimeter. The timetable has been adjusted and sent to your respective platoon leaders. Changes have been made due to monsters suddenly clearing the drop zone, which should make our life a helluva a lot easier…"

"Where's the fun in that? I thought the whole point of this shit was to kill some monsters and get some badass trophies."

Captain Moore groaned and turned to face his Marine counterpart, his company watching the new arrivals silently. The tall, blond Marine officer, who had a long scar on his chin and wore aviator glasses, incessantly chewed gum while staring the captain down.

Though the Marine was wearing his long-sleeved combat uniform, Captain Moore knew he had a tattoo that said "Cindy" in hearts on his right forearm. His nose curled after whiffing a hint of vodka seeping from the Marine. Behind the blond officer stood the Third Marine Recon Force, emitting a hint of bloodlust but looking laxer than their army counterparts.

"Captain Blake… You're fashionably early."

"And you still have a stick up your ass after all this time."

Instead of continuing their conversation out in the open, Captain Moore lowered his voice and moved to the side with his counterpart. "I assume you know your mission, at least?"

"That's why I came early."

"You're ten minutes late."

"Whatever," Captain Blake scoffed. "All I know is that this mission got a shit ton more boring. No monsters? What's the point of sending me and my boys then?"

The Army captain stared at him incredulously, shaking his head and massaging his temples. "The area has cleared out to an extent, but there's a chance that we'll still have to shoot at some monsters. Just… don't go looking for trouble."

Captain Blake flashed a toothy grin. "No guarantees; I want to go hunting. I'm gonna be the first Marine to hunt a monster in this new world."

After a deep sigh, Captain Moore turned back to his soldiers. "File into the shuttles; we're stepping off."

"Hooah!"

As the soldiers marched to their respective shuttles, a high-pitched "Hooah!" was echoed by the Marines in a mocking tone. Captain Moore turned to see that Captain Blake also had his mouth open and was laughing. "Boys, show the pussies how to do a proper war cry!"

"OORAH!" the Marines rumbled.

Captain Moore ignored them and entered the lead shuttle at the edge of the hanger: a sleek BX-115 trans atmospheric shuttle. As he boarded, he noted that amongst the half a dozen BX-115s were two large BXM-90s, double the size of their BX counterparts, with a much larger capacity to carry vehicles.

He placed his equipment into a compartment below his seat and sank into the vinyl cover, tightly fastening the harness and seatbelt. His rifle, the XM12, was secured tightly between his thighs. Besides him, Lieutenant Doe shuddered and stared out the window with an unfocused glaze.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5559199530252743/

"You alright, lieutenant?" Captain Moore inquired.

"Somewhat. I hate flying."

"We were flying through space for the past two months."

"That's completely different, sir. And you know it."

"Just keep your mind off the fact that we're flying in a small shuttle through the void of space and searing through the atmosphere of a foreign planet…"

Lieutenant Doe glared at him, his face turning a hint of green. Captain Moore patted his shoulders and smiled. "Relax. There hasn't been a crash on this type of shuttle in years."

"Attention," a voice over the intercom rang out over the chatter within the cabin. "Fasten yourself into your seats and ensure all equipment is tightly secured in your feet compartments. We are off in one."

As the shuttle drifted into the air, Captain Moore placed some headphones on and looked out the window, noticing Lieutenant Doe grasp a wooden rosary tight between his hands. The cabin shook for a moment, a sudden jerk that pushed the shuttle out of the massive space carrier and sent it barreling towards the planet. The sudden movement prompted the lieutenant to move his lips like a man gasping for air, leaving the captain chuckling in silence.

The voice of Eminem rapping streams of lines thumped his eardrums as Captain Moore watched the beautiful blue and green planet, akin to Earth, fill his views. He smiled when they entered the atmosphere, and a familiar yet foreign canvas dotted with stars appeared out the window.

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.
There's vomit on his weather already, mom's spaghetti.

---

AN: If you enjoy my work, feel free to support me on Patreon! 10 advanced chapters available: https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez

 

[dane10152]

"Specialist Jennifer Smith, reporting to Captain Moore of Bravo Company."

Captain Moore stared at the female soldier in front of her, returning the salute and assessing her appearance. She was dressed in a simple grey robe with her rifle in her hand, and her perfectly constructed face and dark brown hair gave her the appearance of models he had seen back on Earth. The only nonhuman aspect he could pick out about her were her eyes, which were bright red and gleaming even in the relative darkness.

"Where is the other specialist?"

"He was assigned to Rovensi, the capital of the duchy. He will remain there for the foreseeable future."

"I see," Captain Moore replied. The rest of Bravo Company took their positions around the perimeter while the final shuttle landed to begin the operation. "It's good to have you, Specialist Smith. Have there been any changes in the plan?"

"Negative. I have been attempting to trace the source of the sudden shift within the forest. I have no definitive conclusion for the shift. Unfortunately, there are no records or witnesses to corroborate my observations."

"Then we will proceed with greater caution. There might be some unknown danger that only the wildlife can detect. Join the others and relay any new information you have back to the ship through Corporal Chen. You are due your checkup to ensure your parts are in place."

"Of course, sir."

As the synth walked away, Captain Moore entered the shotgun seat of a MATV, the successor to the old Humvees, and entered his position within the line formation. The MATV took up the right center position behind two rifle squads, one led by Sergeant Wells. Once everyone entered the formation, the company moved forward without a word, their objective, and plan already rehearsed and memorized. Three squads from Bravo Company and three from the Third Marine Recon Force remained behind with the shuttles to protect the landing site.

The captain adjusted his goggles and stared ahead, the company slowly rolling into the endless forest surrounding them. There was hardly any light from the dim night sky, a small moon providing only a modicum of visibility for the soldiers.

Minutes rolled by, and hardly a peep came from the soldiers or the forest. There was a distinct lack of even the smallest animals, at least from what Captain Moore could pick out from his night vision. The tall, unfamiliar trees towered above them, as high as redwoods back on Earth, though their purple and greyish leaves proved their foreign nature. The eerie silence provoked Captain Moore to look around on all sides, his eyes darting for a seemingly missing presence.

"I didn't know monsters took days off," Sergeant Wells commed through his radio. "It's quieter than two rats fucking in a wool sock."

"Cut the chatter," First Sergeant Wilard grumbled over comms. "Don't draw any attention to us. I don't want to hear another peep from you, sergeant."

"Hardass," came the sergeant's muted response.

"Keep your head on a swivel," Captain Moore echoed his previous warnings to cut the tension between the two. "Just because it's clear doesn't mean it can change in an instant. Keep the channel clear unless you see something."

From the other side of the formation, the captain could see Lieutenant Doe's MATV to his left. Behind him were the two MATVs with the mortar section, with the MATV with First Sergeant Wilard and the MATV with attached missiles containing the fire support team to their right. The remaining squads of the company were evenly distributed at the front and the flanks.

Suddenly, the air above them shifted, and Captain Moore glanced into the night sky to see two silent Cherokee tiltrotor gunships providing aerial surveillance. The pair seemingly saw nothing and continued their trek over the vast forest, leaving Bravo Company behind with only a huff of air to prove their wake.

Two hours passed without incident, causing Captain Moore to let out an inadvertent sigh. "Not bad for a first time CO…"

"Keep your head on a swivel," a voice muttered in his ears.

"Not now, Iris."

"Just teasing you. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Captain Moore coughed and knocked on the vehicle's door.

"Everything alright, sir?" Corporal Chen asked from the back seat.

"Yeah, yeah… Too bad we don't have any wood."

"Sir?"

"It's fine, corporal, stress of the op and all."

"I've received word from Captain Blake that he and his unit have also encountered nothing. They should be within visual in the next few minutes."

"We'll continue down south after we regroup with him. After that, we'll prep for the rest of the division to land."

"I'll send word to Captain Blake, sir."

Moore looked outside to check up on his squads. The soldiers looked wary, though all of them seemed loose and light. Several were muttering quietly, while others were taking in the sights more deeply than before. Even First Sergeant Wilard was quiet despite his usual disciplined self, ignoring the soldiers in his MATV that were relaxing instead of paying heed to the path ahead.

Suddenly, Sergeant Wells stopped and clumped his fist into the air, tapping his ears onto his shoulders. Captain Moore scanned the surroundings yet saw the same alien foliage he had viewed for several hours. Even so, the captain trusted the veteran NCO to have spotted something he hadn't.

The convoy slid to a halt, prompting the formation to tighten. A few soldiers came about slowly, though the transfers from the Tenth Mountain Division amongst the ranks snapped to attention with their weapons drawn. The looming shadows seemed to flicker around the group, earning a nervous shuffle of feet from a few of the newer recruits.
Both the heavy weapons squad and the mortar section sprang out of their respective vehicles, the metallic clinks from their equipment echoing deeper than expected through the silent forest.

The sergeant quickly pointed to himself and then toward his squad. He then placed his right hand next to his ear and waved his hand backward.

The nine men in his squad followed him and trekked forward toward a section of the forest that was particularly dense in vegetation. Even with his night vision, Captain Moore could barely see a foot beyond the initial bushes near the company's formation. Before the sergeant could peel away the leaves, numerous beings sprung out of the bushes, and the earth swallowed up several soldiers in a single breath.

Without waiting for the commanding officer's command, several shots rang out toward the enemy just as the ambushers knocked down a few soldiers. Muffled shouts and cries filled the air, reverberating between the MATVs.

One of the bullets landed home and struck an enemy, who rolled onto the ground and landed near Captain Moore, his long ears and dirty, childlike face evident through his lenses. Another body landed nearby with a thud, the silhouette of an adult man sprawled onto the ground.

"HOLD FIRE!" Captain Moore's voice boomed. "Hold fire! They're humans!."

The cracks from the rifles tapered off in an instant, and the 'humans' in front of them scampered away into the forest. The attack ended as fast as it started, within ten seconds.

Only one remained behind, standing defiantly and pointing a rusty bronze knife at Sergeant Wells and two soldiers, who kept their rifles trained on her.

The young, scruffy woman had dirty green hair and fierce bronze eyes that shone like glowing metal. She wore a muddied brown tunic and pants made of some animal skin, and her pale skin was marred by mud and dirt. Yet, she growled in the face of several heavily armed soldiers despite understanding the power of the weapons in their hands. "Иɘ ᗡonϱƨɒɘ Иɘnɒ!"
"Shit, we hit a kid?" Sergeant Wells glanced at the ground and saw the young boy sprawled out on the dirt. He grimaced while a few other men in his squad winced. "... Fuck."

"Medic, attend to the injured pronto!" Captain Moore commanded, stepping out of the vehicle. The squads on the flanks maintained their position and aimed their weapons at the dense forest with increased alertness. A few soldiers helped those that the ground had swallowed up and pulled them out like carrots. "Specialist Smith, didn't you report that there was no human presence in the forest?"

Specialist Smith hopped out of the MATV she was riding with the mortar section and stood at attention before him. "I apologize, captain. It seems I was not as thorough with my search as I was led to believe. Perhaps it would be prudent to request ground radar equipment next time…"

"You didn't answer the question, specialist."

"They are elves, sir. More specifically, Den Elves. They live underground and are nomadic. However, my previous patrols in this forest failed to reveal their presence."

"..." Captain Moore rubbed his eyes. "And I'm guessing we stumbled upon their current camp or something?"

"It appears so." Specialist Smith motioned towards the soldiers that were sucked into the ground. Their fellow company members pulled them out, though all six looked rattled and dirty. "They're relatively unknown even by the people of this world, avoiding contact with civilization as much as possible. It is perhaps due to the status of elves in this world and the constant oppression they face from certain segments within the Lisorian Empire."

"Which was why we couldn't understand what the girl was saying, sir." Lieutenant Doe interjected, joining the pair as they stared at the elven girl with increasing nervousness. "We were given the database for the main language used in Resforna, this continent. The other languages were considered a bit too niche for general distribution."

Captain Moore tightened his grip on his rifle and turned to his radio operator. "Corporal, report the updated information to HQ immediately. Inform them that we will await further instructions after returning to the landing site."

"Understood, sir."

"We need an urgent heli-evac, captain," the medic, Corporal Cronenworth, stated. "None of us were injured, thankfully, but the elf boy was shot in the stomach and is losing blood rapidly. One of his intestines was ripped from the gunshot. The other one has a ruptured lung; the bullet punched through his chest."

"You heard him corporal."

A few seconds later, Corporal Chen looked up from her radio set. "Already done, sir. Heli is two minutes out."

"Shit, did we miss the party? I thought me shooting one pig-looking thing was all the action that happened tonight."

Withholding a groan, Captain Moore greeted Captain Blake and a few of his men with a curt nod. "We got ambushed by some… elves."

"Elves?" Captain Blake took off his aviators in a flash. "Fucking elves? Are they hot?'

"Now is not the time, captain."

Instead of acknowledging his comment, the Marine officer saw the elvish girl and inspected her with a leer. "Do you think we can hire…"

"... I would highly urge you not to finish that sentence."

"So… what do we do about this one?" Sergeant Wells asked, maintaining his aim at the elvish woman, who was still gripping her knife defiantly.

The captain trotted over to the stranger and waved for Sergeant Wells and his squad to move aside. He held out his rifle in an exaggerated motion, and under the stranger's intense scrutiny, he placed down his weapon and held up his hands with his palms facing out. The woman stood still while he took a step back, emphasizing the emptiness of his hands. "We come in peace. I'm sorry about your friends."

"Moɿɘɒϱo?"

"Specialist… any chance that you know a language they might be familiar with?"

"ɿɒ⑁uoƨuM ɟuϱ .ɒbɘnmɘƨdu ɘϱqoɿɒϱnoγᑫ ɒbɘnmɘƨɟɒw," Specialist Smith stated in a strange dialect in a completely foreign accent.

That statement prompted a puzzled look from the elf, though she looked somewhat more approachable. She kept her grip on the knife, but slowly brought it back toward her belt.

"What did you say?" Captain Moore asked.

"That we're not a threat, and we come in peace in Imperial Elvish. It should be the closest branch to Den Elvish, if at all."

"Think she understood it?"

"Judging from her expressions and lowered heart rate, she seems at least familiar with the language. "

"Иɘ bonϱƨɒnϱ doγoᒑo," the elf said, her tone suggesting it to be a demand.

Captain Moore glanced at the synth specialist, who shook her head. "Tell her to follow us then, in Imperial Elvish."
"ɒwɘɿɒɟT," Specialist Smith translated.

The elf glared and glanced between the two, finally noting the clothing the soldiers were wearing and the devices on their persons. She looked beyond them and saw her two compatriots lying on stretchers, her face twisting into an expression of horror at the sight of the young boy's stomach wound. "Ƨunɘ!"

Her attempts to bolt towards the younger elf were stopped by Sergeant Wells and one of his men, and before it could further escalate, a gunship arrived overhead and landed in one swift motion. The appearance of the metal machine made the elf stumble backward, allowing Corporal Cronenworth and another medic to put the two patients onto the heli quickly. The heli took off rapidly, soaring through the sky towards the Nimitz.

"Иɘ bonϱƨɒnϱ ɘɿ bɘɿɘγowɒ!" the elf shouted, placing her hand back on her knife.

Instead of answering her, he waved her hand for her to follow and started walking away. "Convoy, we're moving out immediately. Specialist Smith, please inform our new 'friend.' Sergeant Wells, keep an eye on her."

"Yes, sir," the soldiers responded.

"Lieutenant Doe."

"Sir."

"Keep an eye on Captain Blake for me, and do not let him anywhere near the elf."

+++++

AN: Due to a scheduling conflict, I will now update every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday instead of Monday/Thu/Sat.

As always, thank you all for reading! Feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments/criticisms.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[dane10152]

A lone sleek spaceship drifted through the fringes of space, its shining silver hull gleaming red from the system's star. The ship itself was long and thin, exuding an alien grace with its rounded front and its glowing quad engines in its rear. A bridge on top of the ship's hull watched over the ship and the endless sea of space like a domineering lighthouse.

It was lightly armed, with only a few railgun cannons and lasers mounted into its sides like pins. Yet, its several hundred-person crew knew their mission was not for combat, especially with the lack of known alien species within the greater galaxy.

The ship was the only foreign object drifting through this section of space, a lone traveler amidst an infinite space that had shown a worrying lack of warm intelligence throughout.

"Nothing of note again, captain. Scanners are reading no signs of life. Plentiful deposits of iridium and rhodium on planet 2B of the system may warrant a synthetic mining colony in the near future."

Captain Jin-Ren Chang of the PLS Guangzhou sighed and leaned into his chair, his hands ruffling his messy black hair and scratching his scalp. "Rocks, rocks, and nothing more than fucking rocks. Is there anything interesting in this galaxy?"

"Sir, this is only the fifth quadrant we've surveyed on our mission," Lieutenant Bor, one of his synthetic officers, stated.

The lieutenant's outer features were strikingly Asian, and he was indistinguishable from an ordinary human except for his glowing blue eyes. He was sitting by the ship's navigational equipment, processing hundreds of various reports about local systems and star coordinates—a task that a lone human was ill-equipped to deal with, though possible for the artificially intelligent being.

"You, of all people, should know, lieutenant. How many systems have been surveyed in the history of Earth?"

Lieutenant Bor responded without delay. "Ninety thousand, nine-hundred and forty-six."

"And which of those had intelligent life?"

"... If we are to exclude sapient life, captain, then the total would be one."

"Including?"

"None."

"Do you get what I mean?"

"Captain, I am certain you know the Fermi Paradox…"

"I wouldn't have joined the Discovery Corp if I didn't know."

"It is impossible to state if his calculations or theories were correct due to missing variables that we are still unable to grasp today." Lieutenant rambled on. "However, in an infinite universe, there is a mathematically possible chance that intelligent, sapient life is out there in the universe. We only have…"

Captain Chang rolled his eyes. "Yet to find it, I know the fucking bullshit slogans and mottos the UN cooked up. I don't care. We're not going to be home for three years, and all we'll be stuck with is scanning rocks all day, every day. They had to make a mockery out of me and assign me the ship with the name of my hometown so I'm reminded of home every day. Who is to say that I will be the one to make mankind's greatest discovery since the warp engine?"

"Well," Lieutenant Bor said with a smile. "The chances aren't zero, captain."

"Whatever. What are the coordinates for our next system?"
"It shouldn't be too far, captain. I have the coordinates locked into our galactic positioning system, and the warp engine is ready for launch."

"If there's one thing I love about this job, it's saying this every time we go somewhere," Captain Chang grinned. He pointed to the vast expanse of space ahead of him and slammed the armrest of his chair. "Punch it."

The ship lurched briefly, sending some crew members sprawling, before accelerating into a pocket of bright white lights. The captain heaved and held onto his stomach while looking around the bridge. "What the hell happened, lieutenant? I thought you had everything locked in."

"I… I did, sir." The synth officer stuttered in shock for the first time in the weeks that Captain Chang had known him. "Everything was according to protocol."

"Damn, I need to yell at Lieutenant Sun about disciplining his engineering crew. Well, we're at warp speed, but we might need to run a full diagnostic of our engines and GPS as we move."

"Should we drop out of warp speed then, captain?"

The captain tapped his armrest and clenched his fist. "No. The last thing we want is to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with our engines blown. We'll ride it out until we get to our designated sector. At least that'll give us somewhere to land or settle instead of drift."

Lieutenant Bor nodded wordlessly, prompting the other officers on the bridge to carry out their duties to check the ship's health.

A few minutes into checking for damages, a computer screen began to blare, and Lieutenant Dor read the content before turning back to the captain with widened eyes. "Captain… the ship is dropping out of warp speed now."

"What?" Captain Chang asked, stumbling over to the screen and reading the display. His eyebrows furrowed with every word he read. "Multiple gravitational pulls detected. Shit, is it a deep space storm? We shouldn't be in the path of any systems, right?"

"No sir… there are exactly three readings. Two are very close, and a third is isolated by itself. All of them registering… sizes close to our own sun."

"Twin stars and a tertiary star…"

"I believe that may be the case. It seems to be located in a sector that disappeared off our star maps a century prior."

"What, in 2038?"

"Correct. I believe the system was named Petroica. After some bird, if I recall correctly. The system went "dark" from our telescopes, and two previous expeditions had failed to enter its supposed location."

"Well… I guess it's a system, alright. Do we have any information about the system?"

"Nothing comprehensive, captain. Mostly just estimations involving the planetary bodies around the stars."

Captain Chang pointed at the pilot. "Drop out of warp speed then. We'll have to sit tight here instead of risking another jump."

The ship smoothly exited warp speed, descending out of its light tunnel with a practiced ease. Captain Chang looked out the windshield to see the three stars ahead and gaped at the planets that orbited the twin stars. "...Please tell me I'm not going mad, and that is… green?"

"It is, captain."

"Well, I'll be damned." Captain Chang sank into his seat and rubbed his temples. "Proceed to the planet and carry out initial biome and zoometric scans. I'm feeling good about this."

One of the officers tasked with the scanners frowned while tapping a few screens. "Captain, you may be more interested in these two planets orbiting the tertiary star."

"Why is that?"

"Both contain signs of… civilization, with extreme energy readings. I have… never witnessed such readings in any of my studies or records. I'm not detecting any signs of pollution from either of the planets, yet the energy readings are beyond what even the Moon produces..."

"... Did we hit the galactic jackpot?"

"I believe that would be the appropriate use of the phrase, sir."

+++++

AN: After some thought, I'm going to rewrite parts of the first chapter and either add a prologue chapter or add additional bits to chapter 1.

I think the biggest problem for the story's beginning is that it lacks an inciting incident. The discovery of a new planet with humans and other intelligent life, especially in a universe where Earth has failed to find such things for decades, is a huge moment. And I think I'll add a scene of the captain and his crew discovering the planet and its anomalies.

(Credits to the user named Dominura on the VoyceMe discord for giving me good criticism over the story)

Additionally, I dove into the first chapter too "dry." The MC is introduced a bit awkwardly, and I did have some ideas to expand upon his background that I will take the time to implement. For instance, this wasn't an assignment he particularly wanted, especially after the events surrounding Nova (which is hinted in the beginning chapters). I'm gonna expand upon that fully, and make it clear that he's sent because of his experience in Nova, and his superiors vouching for him.

Hence, he's in a sticky situation that is against his will, but he carries out his duties the best he can despite being a bit young and reluctant. Adds a nice layer to the insanity of his crew.

Hopefully, I'll have both edits done by today. However, I plan to release the next chapter later today regardless.

 

[dane10152]

A single mutter of prayer left Caelu, her pleas to Tesa seemingly unheard since her captors continued their trek without interruption. One of her captors, the short man with hair that looked like a dulled, sagging flame, nudged her forward and kept a close eye on her.

The rest continued to move forward, urged to advance by the metal beasts with four round… legs if she could even call them legs. They were closer to the round stone tablets she had seen in the elders' hovel.

Her courage faltered with each step, but she slapped her cheeks together and thought of her brother, who her captors had wounded. He had been whisked away, and she refused to shy away until she reunited with him.

All the strangers around her wore some form of strange clothing that looked to be a peculiar blend of green and brown and metal decorations on their eyes. They all carried packs and wore heavy boots, clearly indicating that they were on a journey somewhere. She had seen humans, twice or thrice from a distance, in her twenty-two rotations of life. Yet, none of them dressed like the humans in front of her.

Her elders had always cautioned her against humans: barbaric savages who whisked elves away and enslaved them for their cruel entertainment. From what she had seen so far, other than the loud sticks of theirs, they had been somewhat… friendly with her. Which she hoped was a good sign.

She had never been taught about situations like this. The only time the elders mentioned outsiders was to tell her tribe members to avoid them at all costs.

"Where are you taking me? What happened to my brother and Roke?" the elf asked once more, her sharp ears prickling in annoyance.

The female captor, whose red eyes glowed just like hers, turned to her. "ϱnuᒑʞuວ ɒmɘmiᒑɒ⑁."

Caelu scoffed again, but continued to walk with the group in silence. The red-eyed woman's speech was crude, an older and archaic version of her people's language. Yet, she understood it to some degree, especially due to the emotions she felt from the words conveyed: reassurance and peace.

Words that Caelu doubted, primarily due to the nature of the heavy black sticks these strangers carried. Yet, even she knew that she couldn't take all of them on, especially without her trusty knife, which they had seized before beginning their trek. And even if she won, she would never be able to find her brother, who was taken up to the domain of Tesa's greatest rival.

How these strangers could whisk her brother into the sky… she didn't know. Yet, the thought of her captors being able to fly made her ears bristle again. Were they envoys of Bie? If so, that spelled trouble for her tribe.

By the time the night cycle reached its peak, they had arrived at the clearing that her tribe had wanted to use for the upcoming winter. Instead of a tranquil and empty field, the place was now occupied by dozens of strange machines, with even more strangers carrying tools and sticks. Her eyes bulged when she saw the swarm of flying metal beasts in the sky, their strange wings and limbs unmoving as they landed in greater numbers. Bright lights flashed through the clearing, providing miniature suns as sources of light for the humans.

Several giant metal monsters were assembling what seemed to be surface dwellings, which her tribe built on occasion. Those monsters almost looked humanoid, with arms and legs and a giant torso akin to a troll she had heard of in legends. Each monster also contained a vessel, a human vessel, in its center.

Were they sacrifices for these machines to move and lift giant amounts of weight with ease? Were these envoys of Bie necromancers?

She shuddered visibly against her will and fiddled with her empty holster, earning a grunt from the male captor behind her. The thought of the forbidden arts, magic that doomed its victims to eternal damnation, enslaving sent her mind into a frenzy.

Was that her fate? Was there still time to escape this madness?

One of the beasts lumbered past her, and she could see the vessel within more closely. Instead of a dying or screaming human, he looked ordinary, excitement rolling off his skin despite a tired pang in his emotions. The beast was clearly made of metal, with various lights and pipes that groaned every time it moved. She could sense the raw power emitted from the beast and recognized that they were… tools rather than living things.

"ɘϱiວ ɿɘbnɘmɒɿɒƧ ɘϱɘƨmi⑁ nɘnɘbnɒm .ɘϱiϱ," the red-eyed woman said.

She didn't understand what "ɘϱiວ" meant, but she could discern parts of the statement. Something about strength? Perhaps they were tools that made a person stronger? Like drawing from the spirit of the earth?

Various thoughts whirled around in her head before she spotted the man who had approached her before, the friendly one who disarmed himself and spoke calmly to her. She assumed he was the leader, as she had seen him bark orders at the others, and all of them deferred to him. Yet, a new mustached man appeared before him, and the supposed leader snapped his hand toward his forehead and talked to the new man politely. The leader looked visibly distressed, and Caelu could feel frustration and confusion leaking into his words.

The other man pressed down on his mustache and responded calmly. He muttered a few things to the leader that was incomprehensible to her, before walking away.

A bead of sweat trickled down her neck as the leader of the group trotted up to her. Her mind weighed the choices she had at hand. She took a breath and calmed her frayed nerves; they had treated her with… some respect and hadn't harmed her. That calmed her down some, though she prayed to Tesa again for her and her brother's safety.

The leader spoke with the red-eyed woman for a few moments before giving her a reassuring smile and talking to the rest of his group. The rest of the group broke formation and moved away from her, though her female captor remained and motioned widely with her hands. "ɒwɒɿɒɟT."

Caleu followed the woman, and though there were no more black sticks aimed at her, she felt a rush of power behind the woman's words. Now that she focused on her words more carefully… Caelu felt a distinct lack of soul when listening to her captor's voice. There was emotion but a lack of spirit.

She decided to sideline this observation and followed her 'guide' to a strange hovel with metal walls. While every sight she saw made her twitch, she was far from her tribe and was surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of warriors with big sticks.

"I'm not leaving without him," Caleu muttered.

The woman opened the door and ushered her in, bringing her into a room that was far too clean to be natural.

The room was bright, lit up by a round flameless torch on the ceiling. There was a layer of a polished material that reflected her figure on the wall opposite of the door. Glancing at herself on the water-like surface, she frowned at her messy appearance and combed her shoulder-length untamed green hair with her dirty fingers.

Her captor circled around the table in the center of the room and sat down in the seat facing the door. She motioned for Caelu to sit in the other chair facing the polished wall. Caelu glared at her captor but slid into the uncomfortable metal chair and drummed her fingers on the strange metal table.

She pulled something from her pack, and her eyes reflected the light from the clear square in front of her. The strange transparent square portrayed drawings, some of them moving and all of them looking lifelike. The woman pressed down on one of the drawings, and it pulled up a moving drawing of a man nodding.

"ɒϱƎ ?ɒγom," her captor asked, her unnerving red eyes flickering like flames. The statement's intent was clear: a question, what that moving drawing was.

"Where is my brother?" she demanded again.

"... .ɟɘoວ uɘᒑnuM .ɒϱɘɘ."

Soon was the intent that she received.

She looked up at the water-like wall and sensed a few sparks of emotion behind them. It seemed this was a test of some sort or perhaps some form of interrogation.

Caelu decided to humor them before things turned for the worse. Her brother's safety came first.

"That is… nodding? Yes?"

The woman stiffly nodded and pulled out another drawing. This time, it was a man shaking his head.

"ɒϱƎ ?ɒγom."

"... Shaking his head. No."

This puzzling game continued with brief pauses. Caelu was asked to name hundreds more objects, including a few foreign ones that looked vaguely familiar yet starkly different from the ones she was familiar with.

There was a fruit that looked similar to the tesfruit, though more spherical and red instead of blue. A metal that had a similar sheen to that of rusetal, which was what her knife was made up of, though the metal she was shown was much smoother and polished. Some were completely foreign, and she shook her head to notify that she had no words for them.

After what seemed like several night cycles, the woman stared off towards the wall with the polished surface. She walked over to the corner of the room, and a small hole appeared, depositing a small metal trinket onto the woman's hand. Caelu watched closely as her captor slid the trinket into an opening in her wrist and blinked several times in rapid succession. The elf stared as the human woman's wrist snapped shut like a trapdoor.

Was this woman a golem?

The woman shook her head before clearing her throat and turning back to her. "I am… Elize. You… understand?"

Her accent was garbled and rough, yet… Caelu understood her. It was her language. "You can speak my language?"

"No… yes. Difficult. Learning."

It was a broken jumble of words, yet the meaning was clear. "How?"

"... ʞɒw⑁ϱnoວ. No word in… your language."

"Magic?" Caelu asked.

"No… opposite."

"Opposite of magic?" Caelu blinked, unable to comprehend what the woman was suggesting.

"... Knowledge. Change."

That sparked a torch within Caelu's head. Knowledge and change… Perhaps her captors also had elders who shared knowledge, which led to changes. The elders she knew from her tribe were stubborn yet wise and accumulated new knowledge quickly, especially the occasional spark of ingenuity granted by Tesa's blessing upon her people.

"Where did you take my brother?"

"Healing. Brother is hurt. Off to… sky."

"Why the sky? Are you envoys of Bie?"

"What is Bie?"

Caelu frowned. Perhaps they were not envoys of Bie and unfamiliar with the Lady of the Sky? "She rules the Skies. You entered her domain."

"No… no Bie. We are… from far. Healing beyond the sky."

That statement was true, from what Caelu could discern. Yet, she remained on her guard. Nothing around her was familiar, and she had a sinking feeling that these people were from very far away. However, that still didn't answer her question: why did they bring her brother into the sky?

Were they not aware that her people were connected to Tesa and the sky was restricted for her people?

And what was beyond the sky? Wasn't that where Eden, the Hall of Gods, resided?

Before Caelu could ask another question, her captor crossed her hands and asked her a question. "You, Den Elf?"

"What in Tesa's name is a Den Elf? I am just an elf," Caelu responded. She hesitated before continuing. "Do you swear on the gods that no harm will befall me, my brother, and my people?"

The woman looked at her intently and nodded. "I swear."

She sighed in relief; swearing upon the gods was binding, no matter where they were from. "My name is Caelu. I am from the Dangj Tribe, blessed by Tesa himself. We live here, in the Forest of Tesa, which was blessed by his holy spirit three hundred rotations ago. We are the tenders of this part of the earth, and I recommend you do not disturb this place."

"... I see. Leaving… difficult. Our… elders, discussing. No resolution… yet."

"Then inform them they need to leave this place. Bringing attention to this place will cause great harm to my people, and Tesa will not be pleased if this forest is turned into a battleground. I have seen the weapons your people hold, and they are clearly weapons of war."

'Elize' tapped the transparent square with vigor, prompting a curious glance from Caelu. "I will inform. We come… peacefully. Did not know… your people here."

"It does not matter what your intentions are. Unless Tesa himself approves, your presence here is unwelcome. This forest, this slice of Tesa, is our refuge."

Suddenly, a man wearing clothing colored like foliage entered the room by opening a section of the polished wall. He walked over to Elize, who held her hand before her forehead like Caelu had seen before, and spoke candidly to Elize. She responded with an even tone and turned her attention back to the elf when the man left. "Caelu… Your brother, safe. Healed."

Caelu stumbled out of her chair and instantly rose to her feet. "Can I see him?"

"... Some time. Need rest. For now, you stay. More questions. Need help from you."

Despite protests rising from her throat, she bit her lips and answered. "I can not promise I will answer everything.."

"That is fine. You and your people will be safe, we promise."

"May Tesa hold you to your words," Caelu answered. Elize's sentences were much more fluid and coherent than just minutes prior. She was even beginning to sound like a member of her tribe. "What did you want to ask?"

"We want to know more about your people and this forest…"
++++

AN: The Prologue is done (I might tweak it in the future, but the chapter is there), and I've edited chapter one as well! Feel free to check it out if you would like

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[dane10152]

Captain Moore stared at the synthetic specialist and frowned. "So… they're a branch of Den Elves that lives in this forest?"

Specialist Smith, now dressed in MultiCam and wearing a standard kit, stood at attention before him. "Correct, sir. From what I managed to garner, the Danj Tribe, the name of the elvish tribe that lives in this forest, is not nomadic, unlike the other Den Elves. Additionally, they do not refer to themselves as 'Den Elves,' perhaps due to their relative isolation from surrounding civilizations. She stated that it was her tribe's… magic that led the monsters to clear the area. They were preparing for an upcoming ceremony: a coming of rite passage from what I gathered.

"Your AI has received a more detailed report about the subject matter. As General Bassot requested, we are to watch over her and make her feel welcome, along with providing any information she requests except those involving any standing orders or military equipment."

"I see," Captain Moore mused. "Any suggestions or thoughts based on your observation?"

"From what Caelu, the elvish woman, stated, her tribe is rather primitive. Something along the lines of a Bronze Age civilization, with a few advancements made possible due to magic and… her tribe's patron god, so she claims. I have already included my suggestions in my reports, but I believe it is prudent to approach this tribe with increased caution and upgrade to Level Foxtrot."

"They are unlike the civilizations we had planned to encounter in this world; we expected extreme wariness of outsiders and fanatical religious zealots, but not on the level of 'never seen any foreign entities up close.' Further contact may necessitate going underground for extended periods to negotiate with the tribe."

He nodded. "Iris."

"Already organizing the UN brief about the planet and similar historical situations on Earth, boss," the AI quipped, her hologram sitting on his desk.

"Thank you," Captain Moore said. "Specialist Smith, you are dismissed. Thank you for your time. Make sure to get that checkup with the engineers as soon as possible."

The specialist saluted him and exited his temporary office. The temporary abode was not too dissimilar to his office back on the Nimitz, with copied furniture and his few personal possessions on his desk. His office was one of many small rooms within the HQ building on the west side of camp.

Everything was preassembled and prebuilt, shipped onto the ground rapidly after the perimeter was secured. He had heard that Bechtel Corp and a few others had created thousands of buildings for this mission, enough to crank out an entire city if necessary. He witnessed its effects now; a small fenced town had been built within a single night, and more was yet to come if things proceeded smoothly.

It was reminiscent of the stories of Bunker Hill, though instead of a small earthwork fort, it was an entire settlement made of steel.

He leaned back into the stiff steel chair and vacantly stared at the ceiling. Despite the captain's personal objections to the rest of the division landing in the forest, General Bassot reiterated that the soldiers had looked forward to getting off the ship, and delaying the landing by days or even weeks could have disastrous effects on morale. Not to mention, the alternatives were significantly more difficult or just as problematic.

With that in mind, he had been told that once the UN forces established contact with the local tribe, negotiations would be made to ensure an equal partnership… or at least attempt to do so.

If what he had heard from Specialist Smith was accurate, that would be no easy feat.

"North Sentinel Island, still uncontacted to this day, potential contact in the past led to a disease outbreak that potentially wiped out a chunk of the tribe. Evangelists approached an uncontacted native group in 1981 called the Nukak in Colombia, leading to an outbreak of various diseases and other conflicts, resulting in the death of half of the tribe within a few years…"

"The only saving grace is that the doctors and the medical AIs managed to synthesize vaccines and treatments for the diseases on this planet… Though the reverse is the bigger concern."

"And it will take time to synthesize that much vaccines and medication, even with our resources," Iris stated. She continued to read her data. "In 2016, almost a hundred years and fifty years ago, the Peruvian government and a Chinese mining company covered up several incidents of exploitation into lands with native tribes. Same thing occurred in 2076, during the War of the Pacific, since fighting spilled over into South America and several native tribes were flattened… by our government due to resource concerns."

Captain Moore groaned. "Any resources on this planet that might draw interest from some… unsavory companies?"

Iris' eyes glowed. "According to the UN Environmental Report 201E-R19, palladium, rhenium, iridium, rhodium, and osmium are several hundred times more plentiful on this planet than on Earth. There are also traditional gold, silver, iron, titanium, and other resources. Even more importantly, there are resources unavailable anywhere else on this planet, including specific metals and minerals that look to be infused with well… magic."

"So basically, this entire planet has a bucket load of resources, including those required for building starships, electronics, and everything that glows on our planet. Not to mention, new unknown resources that could reap huge rewards?"

"Yep."

"... Maybe our government and the Chinese government were right; we should've never stepped foot on this planet."

"I can keep an eye out for any new reports being filed from Earth or Roana if you would like."

"Please do. For now, let's keep our minds off of this issue." Captain Moore stated, massaging his temples. He stood up and looked out a small window by his desk. The forest was a strange mix of green and purple, but the sight was wondrous in a mysterious way. "We can't do anything about what command wants, and I'm getting a splitting headache."

"Just a heads up, you have a message from Lieutenant Doe. Something about Captain Blake and the elf?"

Captain Moore's hands were suddenly on his iPad, his eyes reading the message in record time. "Looks like I need to head over. Iris, how updated is the database for the Dunj language?"

"Approximately 87%."

Which meant a few stutters and pauses in between his words. "Good enough. Let's go."

He swept out of the room like a hurricane and jogged over to the temporary lodging section of the soldiers. While outside, he took inhaled the crisp air, far fresher than even that of the forests on Nova, and smiled at the clear blue sky. The smell of various plants and trees, a pleasing mix of pine and citrus, wafted in his nose despite the various machines and equipment assembling the camp. Giant trees loomed over the small slice of modernity on this planet, and even a few unknown animals, looking like chimeras of Earth animals, wandered by the outside perimeter.

Due to the limitation of the clearing and orders from command to avoid damaging the forest for the time being, many of the buildings were several stories in height. The camp was about three kilometers long from one end to the other. One of them was the barracks for Bravo Company, where their new 'guest' was also residing. It was located on the far side of the base, towards the southern perimeter, and stood four stories tall.

Said guest was now being courted by one Marine officer, whose grin looked far too crooked for Captain Moore's comfort. Several members of Bravo Company were standing in front of the barracks, looking displeased at Captain Blake's presence.

"Captain Blake," Captain Moore said in the Dunj language, walking up to the Marine and attempting to speak to the frightened elf hiding behind Specialist Smith, who was the elf's liaison for the time being. "For the last time. We are here on a diplomatic mission, and you're here scaring our only point of contact with the natives in the area!"

"You can't fault a guy for trying," the blond officer stated, flashing his pearl-white teeth with a smirk. He also responded to the elvish language with ease. "Relax, I'm just trying to talk to her. I'm interested in her… people."


"You, being interested in learning? Iris, can we get a statistical probability for that?"

"Zero percent!" Iris rang out from the cell in Captain Moore's pocket.

"Right. Off you go, captain. If you want to learn about Caelu and her people, it'll be in the report you were given a few hours ago."

Out of nowhere, Lieutenant Doe appeared and hovered near Captain Blake, staring him down with a frown. The Marine glared at the soldiers around him but clicked his tongue and backed off. "Fucking party poopers."

After Captain Blake was out of sight, Captain Moore glanced at the elf with an easy smile. He adjusted the MicroTranslate to help with his speech before speaking. "Sorry about that. Uh… Leader Blake is… unique. He's a great warrior but otherwise…"

Some familiar words were missing in the Danj language, especially more modern or military terms such as "captain." The translator automatically chose the closest option available.

"I understand," Caelu answered, stepping away from Specialist Smith. Her foreign words were quickly translated into a strange accented version of English. "I assume he is not a High Leader or Elder, considering his strange behavior?"

"Definitely not."

"That is acceptable. There are a few akin to your Leader Blake within my tribe, though they are more subdued. Perhaps it is universal among all tribes."

"Regardless, I apologize for his behavior. I will ensure that the… elders are informed." Captain Moore cleared his throat and stuck out his right hand. "I just realized this is our first 'formal' meeting. I'm Leader Jonathan Moore, in charge of… Brave Group."

"Caelu of the Danj Tribe," the elf responded amicably. She stared at the hand in front of her before hesitantly shaking his hand. Her skin was still laced with dirt, though slightly less than what he had seen yesterday. "I heard from Elize that you were the one who guaranteed my safety and protected me from harm two days ago, so I thank you."

"Of course. My warriors were a bit shaken by your tribe's ambush as they were expecting monsters in the area. They responded out of surprise if anything else. We would've changed our plans if we had known your people were here."

"So you say. Yet, if anything, it looks like your people plan to stay in the forest regardless of what we have to say."

Captain Moore looked at the imposing buildings and structures from the corner of his eyes and grimaced. "For the time being, yes. We hope to reach an agreement with your tribe before then."

"I have already told Elize, but unless Tesa himself agrees, I'm afraid that will be impossible."

"Tesa, your god?"

"Tesa, the God of Earth and Hearth," Caelu emphasized.

"Right. So… how do we gain his approval?"

"We can commune directly with him at the Spring Equinox, which is not for at least another one hundred and fifty-night cycles."

"One hundred and fifty-night cycles... I don't think we can wait for an answer that long."

"The only other possibility is for Tesa to reach out to us on his own accord, which is a rarity. For the past one thousand rotations, such an event has only occurred four times."

"Thousands of… rotations around the sun. I see."

"So please, if you can, please inform your elders that Tesa will not be pleased if you trespass upon his domain without his approval. Additionally, my tribe may be in great danger if you choose to remain here and draw in other humans."

"I will do my best," Captain Moore answered. He knew his words of protest would fall on deaf ears, but he resolved himself to send a detailed report up the chain of command about the issue. "But I can't promise anything."

Caelu looked down at the ground and sighed. "I understand. More importantly, where is my brother, Chiu?"

"He's still recovering aboard our… uh… ship, I believe, is the word in your language? He should be returning to the ground in a few days."

"Ship. My people have not used the word for a long time."

"I assume it's because you live under the earth?"

"Within the earth," Caelu clarified. "But yes, my people do not stay on the surface for extended periods, with few exceptions. As I have mentioned to Elize before, Tesa blessed us after we were expelled from our old homeland in the far east. He took pity upon our people and guided us to this forest, where we decided to hide from the world as our people were preyed upon by others… especially humans."

"You have the reassurance of me and my elders when I say we will not harm your people."

"From what I have seen so far, it remains so. I hope that this peace will continue."

A loud growl escaped the elf's stomach, causing her to keel over and look around with flushed cheeks. "Forgive me… I had some of your people's food last night in my quarters, and it seems as though my stomach is asking for nourishment once again."

Captain Moore chuckled while covering his mouth with his hand. "No problem. I could also use some food; it's almost noon. I'll lead the way to the… dining hall."

The two of them walked inside, followed by Lieutenant Doe and Specialist Smith. They entered the mess hall, which was simpler than the one on the Nimitiz yet clean and serviceable all the same. The cream-colored walls and polished tan tiles reminded him of Fort Benning back at home. "What's the chow for today?"

"Country fried steak, mash, corn, dinner rolls, and salad," Lieutenant Doe responded.

"Country fried steak? Looks like Specialist Marsh is cooking."

"What is a "country fried steak?" Caelu asked.

Lieutenant Doe's southern twang dripped through his everyday 'standard' American accent. "God's gift to man."

"Can you eat meat?" Captain Moore asked the elf.

"Yes?" Caelu answered with a puzzled expression, her ears twitching. "As we are blessed by Tesa, the wildlife, both plants and animals, are free to be consumed for nourishment. That is, as long as we are not wasteful."

"Huh," Captain Moore said. "I thought elves were vegetarians."

"Why would we only eat vegetables? If I am to be honest, I prefer meat."

"I believe Captain Moore is a bit confused about the matter due to… literature about elves from our home," Specialist Smith spoke up. "I did not think you were interested in such… literature, captain."

The captain cringed and waved his hands, feeling the judgemental gazes of the synthetic soldier and even his own executive officer. "What! No, no, it's not me. Lieutenant Choi read crap like that out loud back on Nova and the Nimitiz. It's not me, I swear."

"Literature about elves was considered manure in your homeland?" Caelu asked, her ears raised in alarm.

Specialist Smith clarified with a lecturing tone. "It is a figure of speech in our language; it is not meant to be derogatory. He means that the literature involving elves was usually regarded por…"

"Anyways, let's get some food," Captain Moore interrupted, pushing the group toward the serving area and handing each of them a plate. He took a whiff of the chow and grinned ear to ear. "Hope you're hungry."

+++++

AN: Shoutout to Demoniose Oculus, Rémi Dufour, and deathraven181 for their support on Patreon. Thank you so much

I apologize for the lack of updates during the weekend. I had something that came up and prevented me from posting.

I'll return to a consistent schedule this week (Tuesday [5:00 PM PST], Thursday [5:00 PM PST], and Sunday [12 PM PST]). I have some time off tomorrow so I'll be writing a few extra chapters so I have +10 chapters in advance.

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[dane10152]

After piling a mountain of mashed potatoes, corn, and two fried steaks, he escorted the group to an empty table and sat down.

"I wanted to ask… how has your tribe accumulated such knowledge and tools?" Caelu asked, waving her metal fork at various objects within the hall: the lights, the refrigerator, the stoves, and even the glass on the saltshakers. "I have never seen such things, but I can understand they require knowledge far beyond what I know."

Captain Moore raised an eyebrow. "I thought you gave her a basic rundown, specialist?"

"It is difficult to cram the entirety of human history, society, culture, and… politics into a single night, sir," Specialist Smith replied impassively.

"And what information did you go over with her yesterday?"

"... As much as I was able. Caelu was in isolation for the past two days due to biological concerns. Due to all the vaccines and tests she endured, she had been asleep for the past twenty hours."

Caelu's ears and cheeks blushed. "I was drowsy… but the berths were very comfortable and fluffy. It felt as though I was sinking into water."

"Good old memory… material." Captain Moore nodded approvingly. "Can't go wrong with that."

"I apologize if it is improper, but I wish to ask my question again. How has your tribe accumulated knowledge and tools to create all these things?" Caelu asked. She expertly sliced the fried battered meat and bit into it, prompting her bronze eyes to grow brighter. "This is delicious! This crunchy outer layer… and the sauce! Do you eat this every day?"

"No, the meals aren't this good every day." Captain Moore ate his own meal and eyed the lieutenant, who was wolfing down his with gusto. "To answer your first question, our people's history is old: thousands of years old."

"So is ours, though much has been lost due to the War three hundred years ago."

"The War?"

Caelu tilted her head; her cleaned green hair failing to hide the onslaught of eating behind it. She downed a cup of water, inspecting the glass with wide eyes, before answering. "Have you never heard of it? According to the elders, it was the biggest war this world had ever seen."

"I don't think I have, no. We are… from very far away."

"I would happily share what I know since it is not a secret. However, I request that you answer my question in full."

Captain Moore dug into his mashed potatoes while he answered. "Our people consists of… well, thousands of thousands of thousands of individuals. We live in many worlds, with many different tribes often competing against each other. Many of our tribes were like yours for thousands of years. Over time, as our knowledge accumulated and our tribes began to compete more intensely, our knowledge and tools vastly improved to where we are today. It was not only until the last three hundred years or so that we improved beyond the recognition of our ancestors."

"Well put, captain," Specialist Smith remarked, with Lieutenant Doe continuing to eat and Caelu pondering upon his words.

"Thousands of thousands of thousands?" Caelu asked again.

"Twenty thousands of thousands of thousands last time I checked, yes," Captain Moore affirmed.

Caelu's mouth gaped open. "We only have… so many in our tribe. How, what?"

"We grow plants and animals and can feed that many."

"But that many!?"

"We have about thirty thousand for our journey here."

"How large is your… ship?"

"Very large."

"On multiple worlds? What does that mean?"

"... We'll show you when the time comes. For now, I believe there are other things you need to learn about before we show you… our ship."

"I see… I believe the elders would be more than interested in hearing your stories and knowledge," Caelu answered. "As I have mentioned, they are wary of outsiders due to the stories involving the destruction and enslavement of our people from stories written hundreds of years ago. But they will certainly be interested in your knowledge and tools."

"So, are all of you from different tribes?" Caelu glanced at the female synth and the other male officer nearby.

"No, we're all from… ""America,"" Captain Moore replied, switching to English towards the end.

"Number one in our world," Lieutenant Doe spoke up, finally finished with his meal.

"Correction, one of the leading tribes in the world. In certain important country rankings, America still lags behind…" Specialist Smith said.

"Don't care, we're still number one."

"America," Caelu muttered the word under her breath, attempting to pronounce the English word correctly. "America… It is a unique name."

"It was named for the explorer that found the… land that our homeland currently inhabits."

Lieutenant Doe stood up from his seat. "I have to go, captain. I still have some paperwork and things to review with the first sergeant."

"Make sure to submit the report about our mission by today." Captain Moore stood up from his seat and stretched. "As for you and me, specialist, we'll be giving a tour of the camp to Caelu."

Within a few minutes, the group slowly walked toward the center of the camp, eyeing different buildings, machinery, and people. Hundreds of people were milling around, participating in manual labor, construction, or training as the UN base slowly took shape around them.

"What do you call that beast?" Caelu asked, pointing towards the Butterfly 1119K, a behemoth exoskeleton used for construction and heavy-duty work. The machine and its pilot were lifting a large crate filled with medical supplies to the storage area, its pipes and tubes emitting immense pressure with each step. "When I first saw it, I thought it was a metal beast powered by a human sacrifice."

Captain Moore blinked. "The Butterfly... but wait, human sacrifices?"

"It's not powered by magic, so what is it powered by?"

"Lightning," Specialist Smith said. "Our people have harnessed the power of lightning itself and can use it to power everything you see around here, from the lights to these… metal beasts."

"Beasts would be the wrong word, though, since they're not really alive and are controlled entirely by humans," Captain Moore mentioned. "More like… really big tools. In our language, it's called a "machine." A machine is…"

He glanced at Specialist Smith, who answered in his stead. "A tool that applies force changes the direction of a force or changes the strength of a force. They are… advanced tools. Tools that can completely reshape society and nature."

"Change nature?" Caelu's voice rose a pitch. "Are you planning to…"

"Cut down or destroy the forest? No, at least from what I have been told."

"The forest won't be touched unless we receive approval from your god. We have all the materials we need to construct the camp, and we can build tall instead of wide," Captain Moore assured.

Caelu nodded, though her expression still seemed hesitant. Regardless, she continued to marvel at the sights around her. As she gazed at the buildings, a BXM-90 flew overhead, its massive engines echoing through the camp. It streaked into the airfield of the camp, presumably carrying supplies and materials. "I still don't understand how you can fly so freely! Bie is known to be a very selective and demanding Goddess. She despises anyone that enters her domain without her approval."

"Well, if she exists, then she's probably never seen anything like those… "planes" before. Who's to say she's not interested in checking out some of the greatest things our people invented?"

""Planes?""

"Yep, that's the name of those things. Well, there are different types of "planes," but most of the metal things that can fly in our world fall under that name."

""Planes."" Caelu repeated the English word. "And they work like that… "machine?" With the power of lightning?"

"Well, it has lightning within it, but it's powered by other things. A plane is also a machine. That machine you saw on the ground earlier has a different name."

"Is that how you traverse worlds?"

"Well, somewhat."

"I think I understand, though this is much for me to remember and think about," Caelu admitted.

"Did you want some parchment to write on?" Specialist Smith interjected.

"Parchment?" Caelu blinked. "For what?"

"To write."

"Oh, writing? That's only for the elders."

"Your people have a written… language."

"Yes."

"But you can't write."

"No. Only the elders can read and write."

"Specialist," Captain Moore chided in English.

"I apologize, captain, but it may be useful information for future reference."

"Fair enough, but your tone..."

"My tone was as impartial as possible."

"Can you both read and write?" Caelu inquired.

"Almost everyone from every tribe in our world can read and write," Captain Moore answered, switching back to the Danj Elvish language. "Everyone here has received at least ten rotations of learning."

"But why?"

"Well… for us warriors, and everyone else really, it's so that we can read each other's knowledge and improve upon it. It's easier to accumulate and discover new knowledge if everyone can write down their knowledge and share it with others, who can then read it, no?"

Caelu scratched her head. "I'm not sure if I follow."

Specialist Smith stepped in. "For example, if someone discovered that a certain metal was too weak to be used for a sword and wrote it down, then other people would know not to use that metal for swords because someone else wrote it down, showing that the metal was unsuitable for swords. Thus, you can know what leads to failure and find a way to succeed by avoiding failures."

"... I think I understand. If we can exchange knowledge with others, they will absorb my knowledge and be more knowledgeable. Which can lead to more knowledge accumulated by avoiding failures and finding more successes?"

"That would be an apt way to look at it."

"Then I would assume that your tribe has perhaps thousands of parchments regarding knowledge?"

"Thousands?" Captain Moore smiled. He pulled out his iPad, spurning another curious look from Caelu. "Iris?"

"Hello!" the AI greeted. Her hologram form appeared on the captain's shoulders. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Caelu."

"What in Tesa's name is that?" Caelu shouted, prompting a few curious looks from people nearby "Is that some sort of… spirit?"

"She is… a living machine."

"Like a golem?"

"You have those?"

"I've heard stories about them: statues of rocks given the breath of life by Tesa. They were rare even back then."

"Interesting. Well, Iris is… I guess it is a golem with no physical body? Actually, spirit could work, though a cross between a golem and a spirit? If that makes sense.," Captain Moore replied. He looked over at the specialist, who shook her head. "Well, Iris, can you inform Caelu how many… parchments of knowledge we have?"

"If we're to put it into numbers, I would say the number would be somewhere about thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands of thousands…"

"... How many thousands of thousands? How much…" Caelu tried to count with her fingers, though she gave up after going through them five times. She bit her lips as her head swayed from side to side. "Are there that many parchments in existence? They aren't easy to make and use a lot of magic…"

"Well, "science" always has a way. By the way, about magi…"

Caelu cut him off. "That word… I heard it from Elize yesterday. What is this "science?""

"The sum of all our knowledge. To put it simply, Ms. Caelu, it's our study of the world and attempting to expand our knowledge by trying to understand the world through… "experiments" and evidence."

"Somewhat like… alchemy, but focused on the world's natural order, and discovering its laws and limitations," Specialist Smith suggested.

"I don't know much about alchemy either, unfortunately. I think I understand somewhat more, but it's still very… complicated."

Captain Moore rubbed his chin. "Specialist, how about you teach Caelu how to read and write?"

"Reading and writing… in your language? I think it was called "English," right?" Caelu said.

"Right. And if you're able to read English, you can read all of our parchments on various things. In our world, they say it's better to learn by reading and writing than listening."

"I could do that, captain," Specialist Smith affirmed. "It will take some time, but it would be useful. Should anything happen to our electronics, it would be necessary to have a living being translating for us. She'll most likely be with us for the near future, and she is receptive to learning."

"Yep. But before we send her down that path… Caelu, is there anything you want to take a closer look at or try?"

"... There is!"

Ten minutes later, a Cherokee gunship was zipping through the air with three new passengers. The green-haired elf laughed with delight as she looked down at the forest below. "Maybe Bie does favor your people and your machines! These things are wonderful!"

"Would you look at that, specialist? She's enjoying flights better than Lieutenant Doe already."

"Anyone is better than the lieutenant at enjoying flights, captain."

"Specialist Smith, telling a joke? Iris, save that recording."

"You got it!"

+++++

AN: Shoutout to Demoniose Oculus, Rémi Dufour, and deathraven181 for their support on Patreon. Thank you so much

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[Anansi]

Snap! Yep, this will be in my favorite story collection.

 

[dane10152]

Caelu sat in her chair and smiled, her skin feeling fresh and clean… yet completely bare. Her previous dirt markings were missing, and her tattered clothes had been replaced with strange new ones composed of unfamiliar strings.

The clothes felt… smooth and soft, like well-maintained fur. Yet, it wasn't animal skin, instead created by some sort of plant; she could sense that much.

There was much about the strange humans that were taken for granted amongst their tribe, but Caelu could easily see the wonders in even the simplest of objects.

She grabbed the dirt from the jar Elize gave her and created a network of elaborate drawings and symbols that she had memorized her entire life. "As I mark myself with the touch of Tesa, so too will his mark be upon me."

The process took several minutes, and she looked vastly more organized despite the streaks and lines of earth caked on her body. Caelu lifted her bare feet and glanced at the hard, ceramic floor, carefully lifting small bits of dirt that had fallen during her marking. After whisking the dirt with a wave of magic, she placed the jar back on the desk and glanced around the room.

""E-lek-trick-ity"" Caelu muttered, staring at the bright warm glow on the tall, straight lamp on her desk. She stared at the bright light before following the strange black tail snaking out of the lamp and into a nearby wall. "What a strange name."

Her vision focused on her surroundings: a comfortable bed with the softest blankets and pillows, a pile of hastily stored boxes made of sturdy yet lightweight material, and a few trinkets and bound parchments stuffed into a small shelf nearby.

There were many familiar things amidst the pile of mysteries, yet even they were different. She could sense the faint presence of metal in all of them and only received a dull thud as if her connections to the items were severed.

These humans were… nothing like the tales the elders recited. She had seen much, enjoyed much. Perhaps they were tricks meant to disorient her or lower her guard. Yet she could feel them, and her mental probing only provoked a gentle curiosity, touched by genuine happiness and generosity from their emotions.

Was it because they were from a place afar? Were these humans different from those that warred her forefathers?

"The word electricity comes from a word in our world called "elektron," which means amber."

Caelu turned to Elize, who was standing beside her with her arms behind her back. The brown-haired golem from Earth remained impassive like always, though she seemed satisfied with helping Caelu. "Amber? Why amber?"

"Because rubbing amber on furs such as wool generates sparks and attracts the objects together: static electricity."

Some of the words flew over her head, but Caelu nodded all the same. "So amber can create electricity?"

"In the simplest of terms, yes."

"And electricity is like… lightning, like you said earlier? Leader Moore said they're used to power your tools, right?"

"Correct. You are understanding new things very well."

"The elders mentioned that I was a fast learner," Caelu declared pointedly, her ears sticking up while she puffed out her chest.

"Then, hopefully, this will be useful for you," Elize replied. She walked over and pulled out the thin tool Caelu had seen during her first meeting with the woman. It was stubby and transparent, with a small metal surface on the bottom. "This is a tablet."

"A strange looking one, but I guess it is shaped similar to one."

"Unlike the tablets you know, this tool can assist us with many tasks…"

"Like what?"

"Taking a "picture," reading the entirety of humanity's knowledge…"

"What's a "picture?""

Elize blinked. "A form of realistic painting, where we use a tool to capture the moment in real life and instantly form it onto a parchment."

"That sounds rather magical," Caelu mentioned.

"It is entirely "scientific.""

""The sum of all your knowledge.""

"Precisely. At first, humans from Earth also relied on drawing things to transcribe what they saw in the real world into a visual medium. However, as their knowledge and understanding advanced, they harnessed chemicals and the likes to create a way to capture their view of the world as realistically as possible. Allow me to demonstrate."

Within a flash, Elize picked up the tablet and pressed a button, earning a small beep before she placed it back onto the desk. Caelu stared as she stared at… herself on the transparent screen. "That's… me."

"A picture of you, yes."

Caelu gaped at the device and shrieked. "Did you… capture my soul just now? Am I a prisoner to this tablet? Was this all a trick?"

"Do not panic," Elize answered. She picked up the tablet and took a picture of herself, showing the result to the elf. "It is merely a tool to capture your likeness. It is not some… device to seize your soul. Though you are not the first to think so."

A small part of her doubted otherwise, but Caelu steeled her nerves and slowly poked her fingers on the screen with the picture. Elize watched wordlessly, though she raised an eyebrow and released a slight pang of… amusement from her emotionless self.

Her finger bounced off, and the screen maintained Elize's unimpressed face. Caelu detected a distinct lack of magic, though considering these humans' usage of tools rather than the mystic arts, that wasn't evidence. "... Can it take pictures of anything?"

"Of course."

For several minutes, Caelu took pictures of objects within the room, including one of herself and Elize together. It had taken her a few attempts, but she had figured out the pattern for commanding the tablet to do something with a series of taps. The elf grinned and tapped the tablet twice to zoom in on a picture. "Can I have one?"

"Perhaps in the future. Unfortunately, I believe it is time for me to introduce you to this tablet's more… mundane features," Elize announced. She took the tablet away and swiped to something else, a screen that contained strange letters and symbols. "The tablet has access to all of humanity's knowledge from the beginning to the current day. This is a "dictionary," a way to exchange your people's language into the common English."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It will allow you to understand your language and our language, English, simultaneously."

"Ah… but I am unable to read."

"I will verbally teach you for the next several hours; that is my task. Now, let us cover the basics of the English alphabet…"

For the first time, Caelu had a clear sense of time. Her tribe had always tracked time through a magical sundial that worked underground. Yet, it was always an estimate of time, perhaps to the nearest "hour."

Here, time was down to the "seconds" and "minutes," made possible by a tool called a "clock."

This new understanding of time also exasperated her, as she realized that six hours had passed, almost a half-night cycle, on learning how to recite the English alphabet.

Her initial eagerness to learn was… dulled to an extent.


"T… U… V… W… Y?" Caelu said.

Elize shook her head. "X. You are very close to learning it. Considering you are learning an entirely foreign language that has almost no similarities with your tribe's language, you are doing well. "

"You said even children could do this!"

"Human children. You are making excellent progress; do not be deterred."

"... May I take a short break?"

"Of course. This is not something forced upon you; you are to learn at your own leisure."

Caelu sipped the clear, cool water that Elize had delivered earlier and chomped on a pastry known as a "chocolate muffin." She swallowed the sweet filling and licked her lips. "What is this brown sweet thing?"

"Chocolate."

"It is a fantastic delicacy," Caelul exclaimed. She licked the remnants of the chocolate on her fingers and smiled. "There is nothing akin to this back at home."

Elize stared at the muffin and blinked. "It is the fruit of a tree back at home. Perhaps we can plant one in this world after some proper vetting and rules."

"Why would you need rules for this fruit?"

"... There are dangers regarding any new plants and animals in foreign environments. Which is why such an action will require extensive studies and tests."

"Plants and animals should grow freely everywhere. Why limit this wonderful fruit to only one place?"

"Perhaps we will get to the importance of balance in "ecosystems" and the dangers of invasive species some other time in the future," Elize stated.

"Of… course?" Caelu answered, confused by Elize's words. After swallowing the crumbly bread, Caelu took another sip of water and stared out the small window in the corner of her room. "Do you think they'll allow me to fly on one of those planes again?"

It had never occurred to her how… vast the world was before the arrival of these strange humans. Her world was limited to the space within the earth, which her people called home, and the occasional visits to the forest for hunting or patrolling. The only time she spent consecutive nights on the surface was during her Trials.

Prior to today, when Caelu stared up at the sky, all she saw was a forbidden place, despised by her people and menacingly glaring at her tiny vestige. It was an eternal reminder to remain planted on the earth or face uncertainty about the reaches of the sky.

Yet the "planes." Those fantastic metal beasts, roaring in ways that no monster in the Forest of Tesa could. Rising into the air like a spring gale despite its brutish looks and weight. Darting and zipping through the sky like her brother amongst his friends.

The way she could see an endless amount of earth.

The sharp yet tickling whispers of the wind.

The boundless limits of the air.

It had opened her eyes to new horizons, and she could never imagine a world where she was eternally looking upwards.

Why maintain such a narrow view within the earth, when one could see the earth in its infinite glory, in the sky?

"Possibly, as long as they do not impede the warriors in their daily tasks."

"I've wanted to ask… you say you come in peace, yet you have so many warriors amongst your tribe."

"The United States has a significant army, with millions of warriors. However, the organization we serve under, the "United Nations," is the one leading this… quest. This quest consists of a collection of warriors and scholars from tribes across our world, in pursuit of learning and exploring this world."

"So you… went from your home tribe to another tribe," Caelu asked. She tilted her head and frowned. "Why?"

"The situation in our world is complex, but the short answer is that after a series of devastating wars, many of the tribes on our planet agreed to… limit the amount of warfare and tribe-sanctioned violence. This goal has been achieved with… mixed success, and there is currently an uneasy peace across our world. The United Nations is tasked with ensuring that the tribes remain at peace and use volunteers from member tribes to maintain that peace."

"A series of devastating wars? How many?"

"There were two wars we call "world wars" on Earth. Both killed… approximately a hundred thousands of thousands people in total. Entire nations and cities were destroyed, and terrible weapons and tools were developed to kill more people more effectively. There was also a more recent "War of the Pacific," where our tribe battled with another large tribe… with great cost of life as well."

"... It sounds similar to the death and destruction caused by the War."

Elize turned her attention and stared at the elf, her bright red eyes focusing with eerie concentration. "What is the War?"

"A conflict that destroyed our forefathers hundreds of rotations ago…" Caelu said. Her words tapered off momentarily, her body shaking at the thoughts of the grim tales she had told since her earliest days. "I can not imagine your wars to be more devastating than the War. For it wasn't a war between mere mortals, but also a conflict between the gods."

"Please elaborate."

"Throughout the realm, hundreds of different groups, ranging from clans to kingdoms, are considered the physical guardians of their patron gods. They are much like how Tesa blesses my tribe. The War was a terrible conflict between almost all these groups, primarily between the Church, the Unitary, and the Kingdom of Lonsaure, the former home of all elves in the mortal realm."

"I assume that the war led to the Kingdom of Lonsaure's destruction, along with the dispersement of elves across the continent. Hence your tribe's underground lifestyle."

"Within the earth, but yes."

"The Unitary being… the Unitary Realm of Lisoria. And the Church is the Church of Eopsin?"

Caelu's ears twitched reflexively. "Humans."

"Humans from this world," Elize clarified. "The humans from Earth are not the same."

"So are you not a hu… Never mind. From what I've seen so far, you're right. Yet, I can not speak for my entire tribe."

"People will always fear the unknown. In due time, I am certain that your tribe will see differently. However, I would like to learn more about this world, your people, and the War. For example, was it your people who repelled the monsters away from our place in the forest that night?"

"Yes." Caelu paused, considering the possibility of the information being used against her tribe. She shook her head and answered truthfully. "It was to prepare for The Trials. A group of younger elves, including my brother, was to be sent into the forest and be given a day to prepare for the onslaught of monsters. They were to survive for a week, and if they succeeded, they would've been ushered in as full members of the tribe."

"Is your tribe governed by… war chiefs?"

"The elderly retired ones, yes. All are adept at both magic and weaponry," Caelu boasted.

"I see. And tell me about your dirt markings and Tesa."

"Of course! These markings are to honor Tesa, our patron god. It's so that we always feel close to him, no matter where we are..."

---

AN: Shoutout to Philip Mackinoths, Demoniose Oculus, Rémi Dufour, and deathraven181 for their support on Patreon. Thank you so much

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[dane10152]

Snap! Yep, this will be in my favorite story collection.

Click to shrink...

Thanks! Glad you like it so far

 

[dane10152]

"We can take them. Look! None of them have any real weapons, just those dull-looking clubs!"

"But Roke…"

"Looks like the others want to attack too. It's now or never, Chiu. Think of how much respect we would earn from the elders if we defeat some outsiders..."

Chiu slowly opened his brown eyes, blinking several times and shielding them from bright light shining on his face like a divine glow. He looked around and saw that he was lying on… a strange berth with a fuzzy blanket. There were… transparent things connected to his arms and stomach and a strange square that displayed… things. The room was clean, impossibly clean, and white. There were other berths like his in the room, but none were occupied.

He tried to recall what had happened but struggled to do so, a hazy fog surrounding his mind and thoughts. "Where… where…"

"Hello, Mr. Chiu," a calm voice said, with a perfect pitch and tone. It is reassuring that you are awake and well."

The young twelve-rotation old elf turned to see the most beautiful person he had ever seen standing next to him with a smile. His heart thumped faster at the sight of the woman's face, slightly hidden behind her long black hair like a secret entrance behind a waterfall. She wore clean, white clothes and carried a strange transparent square in her hands. "I'll inform the healer that you are awake."

"Y…you're really pretty," Chiu mumbled as the woman walked out of the room, and the door slid shut behind her. He muttered a prayer of thanks to Tesa for this beautiful vision before his Trials.

He looked around, and his gaze fell upon a strange transparent wall, prompting him to look through it. His eyes widened every passing second, and his lower jaw dropped. He stumbled over to the wall and pressed his face against it, his cheeks digging into the transparent barrier that prevented him from falling into the endless abyss.

He saw his light green hair reflected in the darkness and touched it in bewilderment. However, the outside view drew his attention away once again.

A beautiful blue and green rock stared back at him, surrounded by a black expanse, unlike anything he had seen before. Bright lights dotted the darkness, glimmers brighter than the brightest diamonds he had seen.

"I heard from Nurse Smith that you were… my goodness!

"Where…. Where am I?"

---

"So we located their main settlement then, thanks to Specialist Smith's conversations with Caelu and our drones. Well, what do we do now?" Captain Moore gestured with his hand.

Underground chambers and tunnels were mapped out extensively with drones carrying advanced ground-penetrating radar. Almost the entirety of the forest had been surveyed, and much of it contained at least a few tunnels and rooms. One particular area was densely inhabited: a section of the forest approximately twenty kilometers west of their current location.

The captain was meeting with the three other company leaders of his battalion in a small meeting room on the corner of the second floor of the HQ. The windowless room reeked of cigarettes, though no one was smoking.

Each officer held a file with various photographs and charts from the aerial reconnaissance for several days. A hologram was in the middle of the table, providing a more three-dimensional view of the maps.

The battalion commander was an average-height man with sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He looked younger than Captain Moore despite being more than a decade older.

"With the elf boy and man both waking up from their recovery, we will spend some time getting them up to speed," Lieutenant Colonel Justin Turner answered, fiddling with the controls and changing the hologram into a map of the underground near the base. "Yesterday, a few new tunnels appeared from the approximate location of the underground elf settlement towards our own camp. Our drones discovered this quickly, and after they had surveyed the area, the tunneling slowed quite a bit. It seems the elves… are taking a more aggressive approach against us. The general is aware of this and is already deploying countermeasures."

"How many days do we have?"

"About a day or two if the tunneling continues."

"But we want to deter them peacefully, if possible," one of the other captains stated.

"Correct. This is why we need the assistance of the elves under our care; they're our only diplomatic links to the Danj tribe. The last time we sent someone out there to look for them, those elves vanished without a trace somehow. I know you're turning the female elf into a potential translator and that she is quite friendly, Captain Moore. But how does she feel about us, specifically?"

Captain Moore rested his chin on his hands for a moment before answering. "She seems a bit… cautious but interested in everything we have to offer. I think she would put in a good word for us. It would help if her brother returned from the Nimitz since she's still here for that reason in the first place."

Technically, Caelu was allowed to leave anytime she wanted, though Captain Moore was confident she would be bugged before she left. However, she incessantly refused because she wanted to see her brother first. For the past three days, she was holed up in Bravo Company's barracks with Specialist Smith to learn how to read and write. Despite her lack of formal education, Caelu was learning reasonably quickly and was enjoying her time on the base.

"I was told that her brother, I think his name is Chiu, was also… interested in some of the things we had to offer and enjoying his time on the ship," Lieutenant Colonel Turner said. "However, he should be down within two or three days. Until then, we'll hold off on contacting the Danj."

"Can't they bring him down any faster?"

"He really likes the ship, like the ship itself. The concept of space and flying is fascinating to him. Besides, they're ensuring he won't have any lasting injuries."

"I guess the siblings are alike in many ways then."

"Can you blame them? Their entire lives they spent hunkered down in underground rooms and tunnels. Now, one of them soars through the sky every day despite being told for years that the sky was their "enemy's domain" or whatever that means. The other one is beyond the sky."
"I'm not saying they're in the wrong." Captain Moore shrugged. "All I'm saying is, they still need to return to their people, at least to help us negotiate with them."

"Regardless, unless we get their… god to agree, it doesn't matter if Caelu and her brother like us. You've read the general's request, correct?"

"I'll make sure to ask more about magic and her tribe today, I know. " Captain Moore waved his hand. "What about the other elf? How's he doing?"

"Oh, him? He claimed he was an elder candidate, whatever that meant. Chiu debunked that claim after he saw the older elf. Apparently, he was one of the warriors who pushed for the attack on your men. He's being kept in a separate wing under guard."

"Well, I'm sure he'll put in a good word for us."

Lieutenant Colonel Turner snorted. "Sure he will. Anywho, any questions so far?"

Everyone shook their head and waited in silence.

"Alright, moving on then." A three-dimensional PowerPoint appeared in place of the map, earning a collective round of groans from the captains. "No slide effects this time, I promise."

"You nearly gave Captain Williams epilepsy last time, sir," Alpha Company commander Captain Rodriguez mentioned.

"Maybe he should've built a tolerance for slide effects. Moving on…"

The presentation was a standard presentation about updated protocols regarding the native population and policies on interactions with them.

"... No, you are not allowed to "hit up" a local girl and get together with her, especially for a long-term relationship. Even if Uncle Sam gives you the ok for whatever reason, that includes non-humans that we know of, such as but not limited to: elves, dwarves, golems, trolls…"

"Who the fuck would date a troll?" Captain Williams asked.

Captain Moore stared at his compatriot silently.

"... They would really tap ugly ass creatures and rocks?'

"You really don't want to know," Captain Moore assured.

"Regardless of what you think of them," Lieutenant Colonel Turner tapped a few buttons on the table, and some pictures of various non-human races on the planet appeared. "Be respectful. We're on a diplomatic mission. Our goal is peaceful contact and learning more about the civilizations and nations on this planet."

They were dismissed a few minutes later, and Captain Moore left the building leisurely and trotted through the civilian part of the settlement to reach his destination. Many civilians were specialists researching the planet, such as biologists, geologists, arborists, and zoologists. A few were UN employees, while others were contractors filling the various demands a small town required. Many were already busy at work, just as much as the soldiers on base.

Zipping through the organized maze of welded apartments and container houses, Captain Moore arrived in front of the four-story building, with laundry already flung across windows and rails. He could hear twenty-first-century death metal blaring out through one of the speakers within the barracks, which was only slightly worse than the particular foot smell tinging his nose.

Thankfully, the synthetic intelligence operator and the company's guest left the barracks and joined him some distance away.

"Captain," Specialist Smith greeted her commander with a salute. "I was alerted by your presence and opted to bring Caelu along."

"Good to see you too, specialist," Captain Moore nodded toward the elf, switching languages. "You as well, Caelu."

The elf bowed, her old, tattered outfit replaced by a green shirt and tanned shorts. Even now, there were streaks of dirt on the clothes and her skin, though they were more… artistically placed in various patterns and lines compared to before. "Thank you, Leader Moore."

"How are your English lessons coming along?"

"They're going well!" Caelu beamed and held out an English workbook. "I can understand some words and speak a few phrases. My reading has improved much more. I've also learned more about your "electricity" and your "cars" today."

"That's good to hear. However, we have an urgent issue that we will need your assistance with."



"Is it about my brother? Did something happen to him?"

"It's not about Chiu; it's about your tribe."

Caelu's shoulders drooped. "Oh. Are they here already?"

"No, but we think they might be digging towards the camp. We're a bit hesitant to approach them head-on as of now," Captain Moore answered vaguely. "Can you give us a better idea of your tribe's capabilities so we can prepare to stop them without any loss of life?"

"You're asking me to betray my tribe…"

"We are trying to avoid conflict," Specialist Smith added. "You are not betraying your tribe if you do this for diplomacy and peace between our two groups."

Captain Moore lowered himself and knelt next to Caelu. "Look, Caelu. I've read what Smith remembered about your tribe's history. The War destroyed much of the continent, and many suffered, especially your people. Tens of millions perished, and entire nations were destroyed, including the old elvish kingdom that your tribe was a part of. And I know what the human empire did to that nation, but we are not the same humans.

"We do want peace with your people. You have my word that your tribe will be under our protection, no matter what is we may face."

Instead of answering, Caelu looked up at the sky, watching another BX-115 shuttle take off into the sky. Finally, she looked back at the captain. "... I will answer… to the best of my ability. However, I must confess I can't spill everything. There are secrets that even I must keep."

Captain Moore nodded. "Of course."

The three of them moved to the small yard area near the barracks, prompting the captain to pull out his iPad to take notes.

"What did you want to know about?" Caelu asked.

"Magic. How much magic do you know?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because none of us, or any among our tribes, can use magic."

"A fair point," Caelu said. She lifted her hands gently, raising it from her waist to her shoulders. The earth beneath her reacted, creating a thin pillar that rose toward the sky. A small plant started to grow out of the pillar, its purple leaves sprouting in bloom. "Since Tesa is our patron god, all members of my tribe are inherently attuned to earth magic. This field includes the earth, the trees, the plants, and most living things. It allows me to… sense living things, especially their emotions."

"How does it work? Is it through some sort of energy? Or something else?"

Caelu scrunched up her face, "To those unaware… it's complicated."

"That was one thing no other agents discovered the explicit details of, captain," Specialist Smith recalled in English. "Neither I nor the other forty-nine were able to extract much information from mages or the such."

"Why?" Captain Moore asked.

"We were never able to get close enough to them. It was as if they… knew something was odd about us. Additionally, much of the mystic arts on this planet are relatively concealed; most are mysterious even to local inhabitants here. Magic is prevalent, though it seems magical items created by mages are more common than actual magic itself. I was told that magic was… dangerous."

"Because magic kills," a new voice rang out in the Danj language.

They turned to see an Asian man in a slightly modified MultiCam uniform and the People's Republic of China flag on his sleeve. The man saluted the captain and greeted him in fluent English: "Captain Moore."

"...I believe you are First Lieutenant Li? How can I help you, lieutenant?"

"After some discussions between our respective governments, I have been assigned as an observer to your company," Lieutenant Kang Li replied. He was slightly taller than the American officer, with a robust build. His onyx eyes were unmarred by his short reddish-brown hair. "I will be in your care for the near future, captain."

"I was not informed of this."

"The decision was made very recently, an agreement between our two nations over furthering "mutual ties." You should be receiving an update from your battalion commander soon."

"I believe you. Otherwise, this would be a feeble attempt at spying by China."

Lieutenant Li smirked. "I assure you, if I was here to spy, you wouldn't have heard or seen me. But to answer that question you had, captain."

Captain Moore tapped his tablet. "Right, you said, "magic kills." What does…"

"Exactly as I said: magic kills the user over time," Lieutenant Li said in Danj, looking down at Caelu. "Isn't that right, Ms. Caelu?"

"Er," Caelu shot a nervous glance at Captain Moore.

"... He's Leader Li. He'll be joining us for now, but is what he said correct?"

"Yes."

"How did you know?" Captain Moore inquired, gesturing at the lieutenant.

"A lot of reading and guesswork, captain. I read the reports of all fifty… golems… I believe that would be the appropriate word in Danj. There were instances where some of them encountered magic, others that picked up a rumor or two. It took me some time, but I assembled the pieces together… Why was there such a mixed attitude about magic despite the wonders and feats it could achieve."

"Are you suggesting that magic drains the life essence of the user?" Specialist Smith asked.

"No, I'm not suggesting it; I know it."

"He's correct. From what I know, those not blessed by the gods sacrifice a piece of their life for every magic used. Magic is… unnatural, twisting the boundaries of reality to fit our needs and image. As such, the gods ordained a price on its usage, the price being one's life," Caelu stated quietly.

She stared at the raised pillar of earth with a grimace and sat down on the dirt. "Magic was one of the few things I was taught extensively. Tesa blesses our tribe so we can use earth magic without sacrificing much of our life essence. A few sparing seconds of our life at most, even for some of our strongest magic. In any fight against other tribes or outsiders, we would immediately resort to using it to defend ourselves."

"Like digging tunnels or sucking people into the ground," Captain Moore recalled.

Lieutenant Li was already scribbling a few characters into a small leather notebook. "That would also explain why the Danj live underground."

"Within the earth," Caelu corrected. "Many believed that elves were… favored by the gods. Numerous elven tribes were blessed by various deities throughout history, which led to non-elvish races treating elves merely as battle thralls. It was one of many reasons why my tribe went into hiding."

"Most of the mages I saw around the Unitary were humans," Specialist Smith mentioned. "If magic drains a person's life force, why are there humans that use magic? Do gods bless them as well?"

"I am uncertain; you are the first humans I've ever spoken to, and the elders did not mention anything of the sort."

"Is there a reason why some would… see through me?"

"Yes. Mages generally have better senses, especially from our tribe, which is blessed with being more privy to others' emotions. From what I could garner, you lack a spirit, Elize."

The synthetic soldier stared at the elf without blinking. "What does that mean?"

"All living things have a spirit within them, but… I can't feel yours. I think the other mages must've also discovered this."

"..."

Captain Moore cleared his throat. "Right, so… Is there a way to prevent them from crawling into our camp and wrecking havoc?"

"I'm not sure," Caelu said. "Though, our tribe's magic is limited to things granted to us by Tesa. When I sense the metals you have here, I only feel a dull pang and… apathy."

"So they can't do anything funny to man-made things?"

"Why would they tell jokes about such things?"

"... Never mind that, Specialist Smith, any ideas?"

Specialist Smith stared into the distance, her pupils dull and unresponsive.

"It seems like it may be having… a crisis," Lieutenant Li mused.

"Then, do you have any ideas?" Captain Moore asked in English.

"For a permanent solution? Steel is man-made, so a potential solution would be to surround the perimeter of our camp with steel walls, which are also anchored into the ground. Even with magic, steel shouldn't be something they can easily rip apart."

"Could work. That will take time, though, and they might see it while we install it."

"If it delays them or makes them reconsider their actions, then our task is accomplished, no?"

"Fair enough."

"The cheaper temporary solution is to simply predict their underground advance and block them off with drilling drones. I imagine something akin to an underground flyby. That will scare them off or force them to reroute, delaying them all the same."

"I'll send your suggestions and the info to command," Captain Moore said, tapping his tablet. "Specialist, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Specialist Smith replied. "I received some data from Specialist Carpenter, who is at Rovensi."

"Anything urgent?"

"No. It's just the usual data package. The locals are still unaware of our presence."

"Unfortunately, that is not the case for the Danj tribe," Iris suddenly perked up from the tablet. "Captain, Lieutenant Colonel Turner is asking for you right now."

"I'm going to guess that our guests have arrived prematurely?"

"The elves, yes. Looks like they want to talk."

---

AN: Shoutout to Philip Mackinoths, Demoniose Oculus, Rémi Dufour, and deathraven181 for their support on Patreon. Thank you so much

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[dane10152]

In Captain Moore's mind, the thought of 'elven elders' sparked an image of old, greying elves with canes. He imagined a few yelling at their company's guest for breaking curfew or getting captured, all the while nursing back pains.

He wasn't sure if he was impressed or disappointed when her expectations were… not too dissimilar from reality.

Three elves were standing in front of the fort, all far older than the ones the UN had taken in. All of them were dressed similarly to Caelu the first time Corporal Chen saw her: ragged clothes and robes caked with mud and dirt. He had never directly asked Caelu, but the captain was confident that the state of their clothes was due to tradition if anything else. He could not fathom any other reason for always wearing dirty robes caked in grime.

The sun was high in the sky, glaring down on the elves and humans in the open. He noticed a few people sweating, even in their short sleeved uniforms. From the rear, he heard Corporal Chen cough while sipping her canteen despite sitting in an open tent that provided shade to her and a few others.

"So these are the outsiders entering our forest," one of the greying elves asked, his face dulled by age yet retaining some youthful features. He was carrying a long wooden staff, though he wasn't using it for walking. "They are despoiling the serene view of Tesa's creations with their… metal monstrosities. They don't belong here."

"Elder Septen, this entire journey was your idea!" Another elven elder cried. She looked even older than the male elder, her face worn and wrinkled from time. Unlike her colleagues, she carried a walking stick and pressed it harshly into the ground. Her voice quivered as she scolded her partner. "Can't you behave for even a single minute!"

"Bah! Just because I suggested the idea doesn't mean I liked it. The Grand Elder felt a nudge from Tesa. It is not my duty to question the Grand Elder's or Tesa's will!" Elder Septen scolded. "Besides, it's not like these humans understand a word we're saying. Stop annoying my backside, Elder Auru."

"... I wouldn't be too certain. After all, humans are quite crafty according to the texts," the third and last elder elf stated. He seemed a tad younger than Septen and carried a staff, though more decorated and newer than Elder Septen's staff. His dark green hair stood out amongst the grey.

"No one asked for your opinion, Nedurp!" the elderly male elf grumbled.

The UN group, consisting of a few select members of the UN staff, Bravo Company, and HQ Battalion, waited in silence in front of the entrance to Fort Colossus. Its large steel gates and walls manned by soldiers loomed over the elvish and the human delegation, a foreboding silence filling the human side. Several drones whizzed about, monitoring the situation on the ground and under the ground as well. If the new elves thought anything of the flying machines, they didn't show it.

"So how are we going to communicate with them then?" Elder Auru demanded.

Elder Septen glanced sideways at Nedurp, who looked away and shrugged. The younger elf smirked and watched as the elder's face turned red. "I thought you didn't need my opinion, Elder Septen?"

"Bah! I'll figure it out on my own then."

"We can understand you just fine. I am… Leader Fletes, the chief 'elder' for my group," Assistant Director Fletes mused in Danj with a Spanish tinge, wearing a three-piece suit and a sun hat on his brown flowing hair. The tall man towered over even the tallest soldiers, and some soldiers called him a "half-giant" behind his back. "Admittedly, I was curious about your unexpected visit."

"... They speak?" Elder Septen sputtered.

Nedurp chuckled. "Crafty indeed."

"They must've done something to Caelu or the others.; there are no other explanations! They're either enslaved by magic or dead… What did you outsiders do with them? Extract their knowledge, their memories? Or something far more…"

"Elders! Nedurp!" Caelu shouted, waving her hand and running up to the elves from the human side. "I'm fine!"

"You always speak without thinking." Elder Auru smacked the other elder with her walking stick, earning a howl of pain. "It's as if you wanted Caelu and the others to be hurt."

Elder Septen groaned as Caelu hugged Elder Auru and Nedurp. "It's only her… what happened to the other two?"

"Chiu and Roke are… beyond the sky."

"Child," Elder Auru said. "What does that mean?"

"It's difficult to explain… but elder, believe me! These humans are friendly, and they're not from here. They're from a place far away…"

"Very far," Captain Moore stated. For some odd reason, he was utterly… unfazed by the skit occurring before him.

He blamed the first mission for throwing his expectations off track.

Iris whispered into his ears during the brief lull. "Are these guys really… some sort of elvish leaders? They seem kinda wacky."

The captain silently agreed, though his face remained impassive.

Nedurp nodded. "I suspected as such. I told you that they were different than the humans we studied, Elder Septen."

"Bah! You and your parchments. So what if they're from elsewhere." Elder Septen waved his hands at the fort. "They built… that thing in the middle of our forest! Right on top of where we had planned to move for the winter!"

"Before another argument happens," Assistant Director Fletes said. "Would you like to come inside? We do have refreshments."

"Do you have anything cold?" Nedurp inquired suddenly. Several streams of sweat were trickling down his head.

"Of course."

That led to Nedurp and Elder Auru dragging Elder Septen towards the entrance despite his angry protests.

"You can't do this to me! Nedurp, unhand me, or you will be severely punished! Auru, do something!"

Caelu tagged along, chatting with the female elder while Nedurp hissed at Elder Septen's screeches.

The UN group followed from behind, with Assistant Director Fletes leading the elvish delegation with his executive officer. Captain Moore and his company followed closely behind, discussing things in hushed whispers.

"Seems like the elves like cold things. I should've noticed that sooner with Caelu, considering her love for ice cream," Captain Moore mentioned.

"I escorted Caelu into the mess hall yesterday. When I showed her the freezer and explained its functions, she sat in it for half an hour," Specialist Smith said, her tone as even as always.

That comment prompted a few laughs from Bravo Company as they marched down the 'main street' of the fort. A few civilians and soldiers watched as the group passed by, and drones continued to patrol in and out of the fort. However, there was a noticeable shift in tension, and even the soldiers on guard duty on the walls looked more relaxed than before.

The group arrived at the HQ building and was further divided between the elvish group and those permitted to attend the meeting with the elvish delegation. Captain Moore entered with just Specialist Smith, who was still acting as the liaison for Caelu and Bravo Company. The remaining members of Bravo Company dispersed for their daily duties under First Lieutenant Doe.

As the elves sat down, Captain Moore noted the dirt from their clothes creating a linear mess throughout the floor and furniture and grimaced at the thought of the private that would need to clean up this mess.

It took all of one minute for the elven delegation to be sidetracked.

"Ice!" Nedurp exclaimed, examining the clear glass with apple juice and ice. "Such clear, clean ice! I do not sense a hint of dirt in it. I've never seen such a thing before! Do you have ice mages amongst your tribe?"

"No, it's not ice, Nedrup. I have not felt a flicker of magic within this place." Elder Auru frowned, though she took a sip from her own glass. "That is good juice. Tesfruit is still better, but this is some fine quality fruit."

The other elder shifted in his wooden seat, eyeing the humans on the other side of the table and the room itself. "... The tools they wield… I saw those flying metal beasts earlier. They must be servants of Bie."

"We assure you, we are not affiliated with Bie or any other god," General Bassot asserted. "And as… Elder Auru mentioned we have no affinity for magic."

"So how did you form ice like this? What is the light that is lighting this room? How do your tools work?" Nedrup rambled.

Elder Auru slapped the back of his head, making the younger elf faceplant into the table. "Don't mind him too much. He's the more curious member of our tribe, fitting of his title as the Scribe."

"We're not bothered," General Bassot said. "I have heard of how Ms. Caelu was… quite the curious elf herself."

Caelu blushed. She sat on the human side of the table next to Captain Moore. "I have learned quite a lot, elders and Nedrup. If you would like, I can share what I have…"

"No!" Elder Septen stood up and pushed away his glass. "Clearly, this is some ploy! As I have said earlier, we will not allow you to remain on our sacred lands! Your cheap tricks and tools can not convince us otherwise."

"Elder…"

"Silence, Caelu! You have spent days with these humans yet are far too friendly with them. For all we know, you may be controlled by some tool or something else!"

"I assure you, if we had initially known that your tribe lived in this forest, we would've considered an alternative. By the time we knew, we were already here and beginning the end of our trip," Assistant Director Fletes replied.

"Then pack up and leave! You claim that your people come from afar, so it should not be difficult for you to move again!"

"We are willing to negotiate to remain, if possible."

"Not without the approval of the Grand Elder or Tesa! Which you do not have either of."

Captain Moore spoke up. "Caelu mentioned that Tesa speaks directly to your tribe during the Spring Equinox or through a messenger. Is there a way we can gain his approval through either of those options?"

"Bah! I do not think Tesa will regard you kindly, invading this sacred place and even traveling in the domain of his rival!" Elder Septen spat.

"Then what of the Grand Elder?"

"I am here as his representative. If I refuse, then he will also refuse. Besides, what can your people possibly offer my people?"

Captain Moore looked at Assistant Director Fletes, who answered. "Protection from external threats, along with access to any of our tools and knowledge. We're also amenable to trading goods to your tribe and more. If you have anything to request, you have all to ask."

Nedurp's expression changed to one of hunger. "I heard what Caelu said earlier about the tools… And your knowledge, you will grant us all of it?"

"As much as we can, yes."

"Perhaps it won't be bad to discuss with them, Elder Septen," Elder Auru said. "After all, if Tesa hasn't kicked them out yet…"

Elder Septen gritted his teeth. "Tesa works in mysterious ways, but we are his envoys in this forest. Unless he explicitly approves, I will not budge from this issue, and I know the Grand Elder will not either."

"We're just going in circles," Iris groaned. "This doesn't seem right though… I thought the UN wanted to avoid forcing the natives to bend to our will?"

"Assistant Director," Captain Moore spoke up in English, prompting curious looks from the elves. "Perhaps we're going about this the wrong way. They're clearly in the right to want us out of this forest, especially with what we have planned for the future. We're also trying to force them to accept our terms rather than discussing a potential resolution in good faith."

"Your objections are noted, captain. If negotiations fail, we will vacate the area and leave the Danj to their fate. However, General Bassot and I have agreed that this may be the best course of action for now."

"Doing what's right is always harder, assistant director."

"We will continue the negotiations regardless of your personal feelings, captain. I understand your sympathy for the elves, but considering our presence, they may already be in danger."

"Specialist Smith received a report stating that none of the locals in the duchy were aware of our presence."

General Bassot cut in. "I also received the same report, but that may change at any given time. Our situation remains precarious, captain. Until this location is finalized, we will not contact any local entities as it may spread the knowledge of our existence before we are prepared. Any delays or changes in the plan may result in our expedition being cut short by the Security Council. Do not forget how contentious this entire mission is back at home."

Captain Moore held back a biting remark and nodded at his superior. He leaned back in his chair as the two sides continued their negotiations. Elder Septen spoke the most for the Danj tribe, while Assistant Director Fletes attempted to soothe the elves' complaints with a silk tongue.

Iris grumbled in his ears as the verbal spat continued. "I think I hate bureaucrats more than before. That slimy, oily git…"

"I apologize for Elder Septen… He is usually not like this," Caelu whispered, leaning towards the captain beside her.

"Don't be. It's understandable," Captain Moore replied in a hushed tone. "The War did a number on your people… I understand why your elders would be against diplomacy or engaging with outsiders."

"Even Elder Septen hasn't seen a human in a hundred rotations; he wasn't even alive for the war. But his father, one of the founding elders, was. The distrust of humans has continued through Elder Septen."

"Which has us at an impasse…Any chance that your Grand Elder may be more sympathetic?"

"I do not know," Caelu admitted. "I have never met him; only a select few can."

The pair watched in silence as the two sides continued their negotiations. However, after several minutes of circular arguments, Elder Septen rose from his seat. "I believe that is all then. Please leave as soon as you can."

"Elder Septen…"

"Unless Tesa himself sends a divine message, I will not…"

"Elder Septen."

A deep divine voice rang out through the room, speaking in Danj, causing everyone to freeze. The elves dropped their staffs and sticks, and even the Assistant Director's hat was knocked off his head. Captain Moore felt the echo of power behind the voice, rippling through the air like a powerful trumpet blast. With each passing second, the temperature within the room rose, and even the ground heated up beneath his feet.

A slow rhythm of steps filled the halls to the outside, each step marked by the room shaking. Something was coming.

The door to the meeting hall burst open, and a young elf with mint green hair strutted into the room. His tiny size paled compared to his titanic presence, an aura of power oozing from the child's body. He looked around with disinterest, noting the elves on one side before walking.

His trek towards the table caused the floor to split apart, revealing the bare earth underneath. Captain Moore noted that the trail behind him looked the same, the elf's feet only touching the bare dirt and none of the artificial flooring.

"Chiu!" Caelu exclaimed.

The elvish boy turned, and Captain Moore saw the bright purple glow surrounding his body. Chiu's eyes were like sharp, glowing silver daggers. While he had no pupils, the eyes looked like they were ablaze. "Your brother is safe, but he will serve as my vessel for now. Do not worry, my child."

Each word caused a minor quake, and Captain Moore felt the weight of the earth behind the voice. There was a smell of freshly broken dirt that wafted through his nose.

"Lord Tesa," Elder Septen gaped. Suddenly, he threw himself onto the floor and planted his face onto the wooden tiles. His previous fiery personality was nowhere to be seen, as even his staff was tossed away. His proud and haughty tone from earlier was now replaced by a stuttering mess. "I… I am…"

The other elves, even Caelu, were also on the ground in an instant. All of them kept their eyes glued to the floor and away from the glowing figure of Caelu's sibling.

Elder Auru trembled while Nedurp gulped and pressed his forehead into the floor. Caelu's face had turned a slight hue of blue as if the presence of Tesa suffocated her.

Tesa, the God of Earth and Hearth.

A god that Captain Moore thought was a mere myth was now standing in front of them.

---

AN: Shoutout to Philip Mackinoths, Demoniose Oculus, Rémi Dufour, and deathraven181 for their support on Patreon. Thank you so much

As always, thank you for the support. Any comments, criticism, and suggestions are always appreciated.

And I do have a Patreon if you want to read advanced chapters/support my work. https://www.patreon.com/okmangeez.

 

[Anansi]

The door to the meeting hall burst open, and a young elf with mint green hair strutted into the room. His tiny size paled compared to his titanic presence, an aura of power oozing from the child's body. He looked around with disinterest, noting the elves on one side before walking.

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