Chapter 1: A New Beginning

War changes people. People change war. A neverending cycle of bloodshed caused by petty disputes, different interests, and prejudice. Today, I'm going to share my story with you.

It won't be a tale of a hero. It won't be a tale of a legend. It will simply be a tale told through the eyes of a common soldier... A soldier who fought for what he believed in and to protect what was most important to him. His family.

My name is Lewis Almark. As I record this, I am currently ranked Lieutenant in the Green Force Alliance. I am a father of two children, Sarah and Jeremy, and a devoted husband to my lovely wife Maria.

If you're listening to this though... It means I wasn't able to return home as I promised and for that, I apologize. I hope that for my family's sake, I was able to rectify my mistake and make them proud of me. Well... I've never been good at this sort of thing, so how about I go ahead and start with this story then?

It all started two years ago.

"Looks like they're at it again." I groan to myself as I am reading the newspaper in the morning while sitting down at the kitchen table. "Who's that, dear?" I can hear Maria call out to me while she is cooking me breakfast, getting my eggs just the way I like them... Sunny side up. "Those space humans or whatever. They're part of some group called the "Cosmic Human Affiliation" I think. It says here they caused quite a ruckus over at Sector Twelve yesterday." I sigh to myself softly before flipping the page on the newspaper, trying to find something more appealing to read.

"Twelve you said?" Maria turns to look in my direction for a moment while calling out to me as I continue to scan over parts of the newspaper. "Yeah, that's right." I finally decide to fold the newspaper in half and place it onto the table in front of me, leaving enough room for my plate. "That's not too far from here. You think we'll be okay?" I can hear a hint of worry in Maria's voice before she turns back around to finish the eggs.

"Come on, Maria. It was just a protest." I say casually as I glance to my left, then my right, at the empty seats, wondering why the kids haven't come down yet. "I know, but..." Maria whispers to herself softly. She was always one to make a small matter into something much bigger than it really was. "Say, why aren't the kids up yet?", "You're right, they should have come down by now." Maria finishes cooking breakfast, then puts the eggs onto a plate beside the skillet, next to bacon which had already been cooked prior to the eggs, and grabs the plate, making her way over towards me.

I wait in anticipation as she holds the breakfast plate in her hands, then places it down onto the table in front of me, kissing the top of my head lightly. "Thanks Maria. I swear, you spoil me too much with your cooking, haha." I laugh to myself softly while looking up at her before grabbing the fork beside the plate and start to dig in. "You're probably right, but I don't mind." She returns the laugh, smiling at me for a moment while watching me eat her delicious breakfast. Shortly after, I can feel her porcelain like hand place itself onto my right shoulder before she walks by me, standing at the bottom of the staircase leading to our children's bedrooms.

"Sarah! Jeremy! Get down here already! You're going to be late for school!" Maria's sweet voice had suddenly turned stern and she was now in 'mother mode', placing her hands onto her hips while looking up the stairs, waiting for our children to come down quickly at the sound of their mother's voice. "Coming!" Both of them call out at the same time while trying to rush down the stairs as they bicker with each other. "I did not!", "You did too!", "Quit pushing!", "Mommy! Jeremy shaved Sabrina's head again!", "She broke my controller!", "Nuh-uh!"

I couldn't help but shake my head slowly as I listen to the loud thuds of footsteps as they rush down the stairs, already arguing with each other so early in the morning. A brief thought passes through my mind suddenly and I cringe for a moment as I wonder what it must be like to be in Maria's shoes, dealing with this sort of situation so often. "Would you two cut it out? Don't you know what time it is?" I can hear Maria already giving them both an earful after they come down the stairs, trying to get them ready for school.

I finally finish eating breakfast, then glance up at the clock on the wall to my left, realizing it's about time to leave for work. "Alright guys, I need to go. Someone besides your mother needs to put the bacon on the table around here." My lips curl into a smirk before I get up from the chair, now walking over towards Maria and the children. "That was lame even for you, dad." I can see my son already shaking his head while my daughter takes her cue from her brother, then begins shaking her head as well, my wife sighing softly. "He's right you know."

Maria looks at me, trying to hold back a grin before looking down at Sarah. "Daddy has to go to work now." Sarah looks up at me, giving me those puppy eyes she always has when I have to leave. "Come on... Don't look at me like that. It's not like I WANT to go. I have to though. You understand, right?" Sarah brings her hands behind her back while turning to look away, then sways her right foot a couple of times before looking back at me. "Yeah..." She whispers softly before bringing her hands back in front of her, spreading her arms wide apart.

"That's my girl." I take a step towards her, into her arms, then look down to watch her bury her face against my stomach while she hugs me tight. "I'll be back before you know it, sweetheart. Don't worry." I lift my right hand up, rubbing the top of her head gently as I feel her grip tighten around me a little more before finally letting me go. "Try not to get into trouble at school today, you two."

I look over at my son, Jeremy, then rub the top of his head gently as well, ruffling up his hair. "Yeah yeah." He grumbles while trying to fix his hair back to how it was before, then I turn my attention to Maria. "Remember what I said before..." I look into Maria's eyes before lifting my right hand up to her chin, tilting it slightly, then kiss her lips softly. "Yeah... I guess you're right." She nods her head lightly, a smile starting to form on her face. "I'll call if I'm going to be held up late."

"Alright. Have a good day at work, darling.", "I'll try, but no promises." I laugh softly before pulling my hand away from her chin, then turn towards the front door, opening it slowly. I turn to look at my family one last time, smiling as I wave at them before turning back around, grabbing the doorknob behind me to close the door while hearing farewells from my children and wife. "Byeeeeeee!"

Little did I know what fate had in store for me today...