Alright, we seem to have be having trouble settling on a main plot, so after talking with M for a little while I've designed a prologue that could serve as an effective lead-in to Nebulae and would leave us plenty of room to make the real plot something quite interesting. The following will be a basic summary of my idea so that you can see what I have in mind and comment on it, NOT a full write-up, I've already got one for Rios on my plate. If this ends up being used, I'll likely do a write-up at some point in the future so that it's up to snuff. So without further ado, I present to you my prologue:

The player is originally part of a 4-person squad who is relatively new to the NSF, but is quickly making a name for itself in the organization for being quick and extremely efficient. At the start of the game, the squad is being given the orders to head down to the lower levels to both clear the area of any rogue robots and some of the rust so that it is easier to traverse and to also check the system's functionality, since it's planned to reintegrate the area into use. After the player and their squad finish up the job and are checking the system, the station is assaulted by someone or something: lasers, missiles,the works and then before it can mount a defense, is boarded. The station descends into chaos, both lockdown sequences and security measures being taken rapidly. After toasting a few old security bots, the squad, young and eager to prove themselves, decide to try and get into space suits and scale the outside of the station to get onto the opposing ship so that they can wreck it and prevent their escape.

They manage to get on-board and begin to explore the ship, finding nothing that easily identified who these invaders were or what they wanted at the NSF's base. They run into a few of the guards who were left behind to guard the ship and manage to overcome them with only a little difficulty; even though they weren't the most skilled fighters, the guards were well equipped. After dispatching the rest of the men, they'd reach the bridge and proceed to smash the controls, preventing the escape of any of the invaders still onboard the space station. Their mission here completed, the squad decides to split up, half of them remaining behind to guard the ship and take care of any of the men who come back to it in search of refuge, while your character and the other member re-board the station to try and help out its defenders. You split up again, you taking the lower hallways and your friend taking the upper hallways, taking care of whatever intruders you find and passing many dead from both sides of the conflict as you continue your search. Then, as the player nears a staircase, they hear a scream from up above and recognize the voice as their friend's, taking off as quickly as they can up the stairs towards where the scream came from.

The player would eventually arrive at a large set of double doors, having to dispatch an unidentified robotic drone before they can gain access to a large, open room. In a glance, they would see a large man dressed in ebon black armor and with technological gear covering his entire body, a large, red beam sword in one hand, another man tied up in the corner, who the player would recognize as one of the high ranking officials of the base. Finally, directly in front of the player would lay the dead body of his friend, the man in black's chuckling making it quite evident that he had committed the deed. The man and the player exchange banter, the man revealing that he's in fact, a bandit who came to the base in order to "retrieve" an item that had piqued his interest and that he had been probing his prisoner's mind trying to discover the combination for the safe that held it. The man would gesture to the open safe, an item clenched tightly in his fist, and say that his friend had arrived just as he had gotten it open and had tried to stop him, but he wasn't any match for the bandit. The bandit goes on to say that the player is too late to make any difference, that he already has what he came for. The player retorts that the man's ship is disabled and that there's no way for him to escape. The bandit doesn't even seem to be fazed and snickers as he responds with a single phrase, "What ship?"

A button pressing sound is heard and the station is suddenly rocked by an explosion, the lights flickering on and off and alarms going off all over the base. As the player turns to look out a nearby window, they see debris from the bandit's ship floating in space, tears coming to their eyes as they mourn the death of the other two members of their squad. While the player is distracted, the bandit quietly sneaks out of the room and heads off to make his escape. The player realizes after several moments that the man's vanished and sprints after him in an uncontrollable rage and catches up with him at the hanger bay, where he's trying to procure a ship. After a tough battle (first boss fight) you manage to incapacitate the bandit and upon examining him, you would recover what he stole from the vault: a sphere shaped object that is actually a map of some kind. In his semiconscious state, the man starts muttering to himself about things the player doesn't know anything about, "Could have....made a fortune...wanted to cash in.....on that planet.....while it was still there.....not much longer...hahahe-" After this apparent string of nonsense, the bandit falls unconscious and the scene fades out.

Some time later, the player is in a meeting with all of the high-ranking officials of the base and are giving them their report about the event and what they've learned. The council is in fact quite disturbed by the man's final words and are worried about what they might portend for both this system and the NSF. They've discovered that the man had entered some coordinates into the map and assume that since he was talking about heading to a planet to make money, that these coordinates lead to the world in question (Dialgus). Since they want to keep the revelations made by the bandit's words a secret and since the player is already aware of what's going on, they task the player to travel to the coordinates in the map alone to try to see if they can figure out what's going on and put a stop to it if they can. The player accepts the mission, both because they don't want to see an entire race of people be destroyed, and because they hope to come upon associates of the bandit that had attacked them to exact further revenge for the death of his friends. The scene fades out.


---


Nebulae-Alpha: Among the Stars

In space there is no sound, at least, not any natural sound. There is only the noise of progress which disturbs that which has lain silent for eons; delving into areas that never before had been seen by the eyes of planet-dwelling races. Perhaps they were never meant to gain the ability to sail the cosmos and ply their skills, perhaps they were meant to stay grounded, dealing with their own problems on their own worlds. Yet it was not to be so. For better or worse, they’ve been released into space, like seeds on the wind. War, peace, tyranny, democracy, these choices are theirs to make, their future their own to mold. Whatever happens, their actions will change the face of this universe, paving the way for generations to come; they are the trailblazers, a new breed of mavericks. It is here that our tale will unfold: the Era of Exploration is coming to a close and we stand on the threshold of the next great age. Space travel and interstellar trade have become the largest grossing sources of income in the known universe, with hundreds of planets providing goods and services. Yet this massive exchange of valuables has also attracted more unsavory attention from those who would use their newfound freedom to enrich themselves. A security force was established, arbitrating and containing cases of a criminal nature, and with time, even disputes between galactic powers. Arising from humble origins, the regulatory force didn’t even have a name at first, not until it had made a name for itself; that name has kept the universe quiet for now, but how long can it stay that way? Not forever certainly, but no one could have expected that it would be so soon…

****************

While there are many marvels that can be seen in space, few compare to an overhead view of an asteroid field. The debris, ranging in size from pebbles to boulders, circle each other in an endless dance, weaving between and around their partners and narrowly avoiding a collision with every rotation made. It takes thousands, maybe even millions of years for these vast networks of stones to form, as meteors and other space debris get caught in the other’s gravitational pull. Yet such wonders can be permanently damaged or destroyed in a moment by simple carelessness. A ship passes between the rocks, its swift and careful passage not leaving the belt any worse for the wear; a glimmer is visible far in the distance, perhaps its destination. The ship slows its approach, a gigantic asteroid right in the center of its intended path. For a few moments nothing happens, the vessel content to lazily rock up and down in place; perhaps it would wait until the asteroid had passed in order to continue its journey. Then, as though to strike down this very theory, the ship fired a laser straight at its massive roadblock, the sheer power of the weapon lighting up the darkness of space and sending smaller asteroids flying. The meteoroid was consumed by the beam’s insatiable hunger until all that remained was a cloud of dust, its leftovers. Its path now clear, the craft resumes its steady advance, the glimmer on the horizon growing ever closer as it leaves the swath of devastation behind it.

*****************
The base of the Nebulae Star Federation was an impressive structure; it boasted a ring of eight hexagonal defensive towers, with guards manning the bluish metallic spires around the clock to defend from the base from attack. The base itself was composed of a large, upright diamond structure that was made of millions of overlapping metal plates, much like those of a snake, making it seem as though the very surface of the building shifted up and down like wave on the sea. Finally, a pair of large cylindrical rods that appeared to be driven into the diamond at its highest and lowest points, the upper tower housing the living quarters of the society’s many members and the lower tower formerly housing its archaic research labs. The entirety of the structure gave off a soft, white glow; a technology designed to detect that which it reflected off of.

The NSF Headquarters was in a flurry of activity. The base was normally busy, an organization didn’t run itself, but today was an exception to even this. Today, the expedition that had been sent to the Aurous Rim was returning, victorious, from their efforts to quell the conflict caused by illegal smuggling in the region. It had taken a hard fought series of battles, some shrewd negotiation, and a lot of luck, but after a full year in the Rim, the agents sent there were finally coming home. The flood of family members into the base had started early in the week and now they filled it to capacity, making it difficult for most clerks to even perform their jobs. Many of the workers were thankful that after today the base would be even emptier than usual, since all of those involved in the Aurous operation, even those from Mission Control, would be taking a vacation after such a long period of work. They’d still have to make it through today though, and that was easier said than done, the couriers struggling to squeeze through the crowd in order to deliver one or another piece of paperwork and then return it from whence it came. Luckily, they wouldn’t have to suffer through this hell much longer, as the light of their redemption greeted them in the form of an arriving vessel, a large cruiser that held the vast majority of the smaller ships in its fleet, having had them dock prior to its arrival.

The assembled masses tensed as the starship completed its docking procedures, anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones. The hatch that separated the two groups hissed and slid open, air rushing in to fill the void between them; soon, there was nothing between them at all. As the tired soldiers disembarked from the craft, they were met by the warm receptions of their family members, causing smiles to curve their way onto their faces; they were home at last, the war was over. Yet, not all soldiers enjoyed the same treatment; in fact, entire squads didn’t even have family present to receive them. It was in the midst of all of this chaos that one of these squads, made up of 5 younger NSF members, was intercepted by a group of guards that had been carefully placed amongst the crowd. Without a word they were spirited away, each guard clamping one hand down on a youth’s arm, the other preventing any words from leaving their mouths. Though they struggled and fought every step of the way, their destination was reached without any major incident; the young men and women were thrown through a pair of large double doors, the portal swinging shut before any of them could even move. As the air settled, the dull ring of defeat echoed through the room and the group let out a collective sigh as they turned to face the desk before them.

*****************
<Player> tried to ignore the scolding that the group was being given, but the Admiral’s voice quickly proved to be so loud and strident that it would be a struggle to do so. Why was it that they had to sit through this anyway? All they’d done was something to allow them to be able to return home quicker; sure it might have been a bit extreme, but was that so very wrong? Well, at least in the Admiral’s eyes it was, and of course their commanders deferred to him, it was so typical. With yet another sigh, their third since being practically tossed into the office, <Player> allowed their focus to return to the officer that was in front of them. Admiral Duncan was a tall man, his thin frame belaying the strength that he had possessed in his youth, and if stories were to be believed, that he still possessed. His face was characterized by his bright blue eyes, close cropped haircut and drooping, steel grey mustache, just a hint of white beginning to work its way into his hair. He was clothed in a blue, military jacket with a pin bearing the symbol of the NSF prominently displayed on one of its twin folds, and a pair of similarly blue pants, brown shoes completing his spick and span image. As the Admiral reversed his step, bringing his gaze upon <Player> once more, they gave up the struggle and allowed his harsh words to once again fill their ears.

“…I can’t believe that a squad that we spent such a long time preparing and training would just throw away all that we taught them in a single act of stupidity. What you did was not only stupid though, it risked the very stability of our universe; the tenet that our organization was built on! For what, to speed things up; they weren’t moving fast enough for you brats, you just couldn’t bear to stand the wait, even though it was what you SIGNED UP FOR? You’ve not only besmirched the name of the NSF, you’ve tainted the names of your own families; is this how you want to be remembered in history, for a blunder of this scale!?”

“Sir-” began one of <Player>’s squad mates, a young man by the name of Aaron, only to be brutally cut off by Duncan, the General stepping right up to the soldier, the gleam in his eyes revealing that he’d been waiting for one of them to speak up. Aaron had taken the bait.

“But what,” yelled the General, “Are you going to try to tell me that you were just trying to do what you thought was best for the organization? Lies! All that you’ve thought about is yourselves and how to build up your own reputation with deeds of “heroism” and “honor.” What you’ve done is NEITHER of those; you didn’t think about how a split second decision could affect you or us. You’re lucky I don’t strip all of you of your ranks immediately,” the man stepped back from Aaron, the youth shaken to his core and his face pale as snow, “but if I did that you would turn to delinquency and never learn. You need to be disciplined, shown why what you did was wrong so that you don’t repeat such a mistake ever again; do I make myself clear, for no reason whatsoever will you EVER do something like this again.”

“Yes sir.” The group replied, some weak hearted and broken, the others simply resigned to their fate. There was no reason for them to fight the inevitable, they knew this and so did General Duncan. So they were not surprised when the moment after their declaration left their mouths, Duncan’s lips curled into a smile that could only be described as a single thing. Vicious.

“Well then,” he purred, his eyes gleaming with malice, “I think that I have the perfect way to begin your ‘re-education’.”

*****************
The squad held their heads low as they filed out of Duncan’s office, a kindly smile replacing the merciless one that had previously dominated his visage, the man waving after them as he closed his door. As soon as they’d put several hallways between themselves and the office, <Player> cursed, the sound swallowed up by the celebrations going on around them.

“…Calm down <Player>, getting mad isn’t gonna make this any better, or get it done any quicker,” said David, another of the members of their squad, one who had become quite adept at surviving a lambasting by his superiors, “let’s just do what he told us to and get it over with. Once that’s over, we’ll just have to stomach a few lectures and then we’ll be home free.”

“Yeah, come on,” sighed Sara, the female member of their squad whose usually fiery personality had been doused by the tempest that was General Duncan, “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but what are our options right now? It’s either this, or we’re booted from the NSF and I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford for that to happen right now. My family has a lot riding on this paycheck and…”
Aaron stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, having regained his composure despite the General’s onslaught, “I know it’s tough for you Sara, being an only child and all, so we won’t let you lose this job. I mean, what we have to do isn’t even all that difficult, I bet we could have it done in record time if we really put our minds to it. What do you say, <Player>?”

“…Alright, alright, we’ll just do it, even though it means giving into that old windbag; I guess riding out his punishment may be just enough to give him a surprise. Besides, I know that none of you want to leave this place and neither do I, even with the stiffs up top. There’s not another place in this universe where I’d be able to do what we do here, well at least not legal ones.”

The rest of the group burst into laughter before <Player> even managed to finish talking, the sheer sappiness of their speech just too much for them to handle; the joke added on at the end just made it all the worse, even <Player> couldn’t resist a chuckle and soon the hallway was filled with mirth. Yet the moment was short-lived, as the squad didn’t even remain in the area long enough to fully appreciate the moment, instead departing rather suddenly and leaving it all behind. Their faces hardened and their step became more urgent; they readied their gear and made sure that all was in proper working order. Then, as one unit, they strode into a freight elevator placed along the edge of the space station and stared out into space as the doors slid closed behind them.

*****************
In the early days of the Nebulae Star Force, its base had been cutting edge, one of the most technologically advanced constructs in the known universe, each floor housing a different department that contributed an invaluable part to the whole. From the labs to the training facilities, each part was meticulously kept up to date and continued to produce the things that became the NSF’s lifeblood: Soldiers and Innovation. However, as time wore on and the base began to become overcrowded, cuts started to be made in the system in order to try and ease the stress that was being placed on the HQs many inhabitants. The leading council began to search for other methods to maintain their still high level of prestige and production while meeting the needs of the organization’s members. They came to the realization that the only way to continue maintaining such a large set of facilities would be to outsource several of them to other locations, not only to clear out space for those that would remain, but to give those that were being moved a space of their own, one that was wholly devoted to its purpose. So over time several departments, including Research and Development, were moved to several smaller stations built into or around asteroids located in one of the various nearby belts and the space that they formerly occupied was redistributed to the programs remaining. For a while, things ran smoothly like this, but as the years passed and the rapid stream of volunteers that had initially been attracted to the NSF dwindled, many of the confiscated regions fell into disuse as the remainder of the NSF compressed itself into the central body of the station. This area received the continual updates that had benefited the structure for many years, but the same could not be said of its lower levels, the old Research floors rusting and practically falling apart from lack of care. Recently, the council has been looking into seeing if the floor could be refurbished and the lab reopened so that they could welcome some of their researchers back into the main hub of the organization. However in order to do so the lower levels must be purged of any remaining hazardous material first, and the presence of a rogue robotic security system only compounds this issue. Since there seemed to be no easy solution to this problem, the project sat on the shelf for months while ideas were tossed around, but it wasn’t until today that a method was finally devised by General Duncan to complete the task. After committing an act of severe abandon and negligence, Squad 46-B would be the perfect unit to use to clear out the robots. If they succeeded, then they could be phased back into the NSF without too much trouble, but failure then they could just be stricken from the personnel roster and no one would notice the difference; no one would know the truth but the man who sent them to their deaths, but to Duncan such a risk was worth the results. So the plan was put into motion: Squad 46-B was ordered to descend to the lower floors and purge the “threat” that had infiltrated the base’s interior.

*****************
There was a flash and <Player> was blind as their body was seared with heat, despite the laser only grazing their torso. The beam continued on to melt through the next wall and explode, causing the whole area to shudder. If it hadn’t been for their suit’s beam resistant coating, <Player> would have been vaporized by the shot and if they didn’t take care of this machine soon, they all might still be. The robot was a large bronze beast made of spinning cogs and sliding pistons, the hiss of steam escaping its carapace every so often and heating the air to almost painful temperatures. Its head was a wide cylinder that was sunken into its neck, only its infernal red eyes and the flat top visible. The thing raised its weighty, hoof-like hand and smashed it into the ground, knocking David away from it and causing its nimbus of heat to wash over all of them.

From her position to the thing’s right, Sara moaned, “I don’t know how much more of this we can take guys, if that thing gets another shot off, we might be done for!” As she shifted her position to cope with the heat, she adjusted the sniper rifle in her hands as well, not letting the mechanical juggernaut get out of her sight.

<Player> blinked away the disorientation and turned to Aaron, who nodded back to him; the only way that they were going to be able to take this monstrosity down was to get into close range. Without hesitation the two raised their rifles and burst into motion, silently rushing the colossus; why alert the machine to their presence by screaming, they needed all of the advantage that they could get. Unfortunately for them, the robot didn’t need to hear anything more than the clang of their feet on metal, its head swiveling in place to face them as it brought its left arm to bear. Instead of a clubbed limb like its right, the left arm had a large chain gun grafted to its side; a weapon meant to keep enemies away while its laser was charging. As the machine opened up a salvo of shots on the pair they ducked low and then leaped into the air, the shots flying harmlessly past below them to clang against the far wall. As they started to descend they braced themselves and slammed into the robot, which hardly budged from the impact. However, before it could react to the group of enemies that had suddenly assailed it from above, <Player> and Aaron open-fired, their guns emptying their entire clip into the open spaces in the machine’s armor. The robot let out a loud hissing wail and before the two could prepare themselves, it spun out of control and flung them to the ground. Hard.

As it swung to face the squad again, its treads screeching in protest, it brought its large beam cannon into range, gears whirring and the air becoming heavy as it prepared to fire. If it got this shot off, it would spell the end for all of them; their suits protection wasn’t meant to take such an attack head-on. Luckily it didn’t come to that; a second before the robot could roast them Sara fired a shot from her long-range rifle, the bullet lodging itself in the space between the unit’s head and its body. With a smile, she clicked a switch present on the upper barrel of her gun and watched as the head of the robot exploded, pieces raining down all around them. Without its control system to guide it, the machine crashed to the ground and ceased to move, silence settling over the area.

As the others stood up, Sara descended from her perch atop a twisted plug of metal, “I believe you guys owe me big time for this one.” After a moment of feigned grumbling, the rest of the group grinned and <Player> clapped her on the back.

“Nice job, though I guess this makes us even for what happened down in the Rim, now doesn’t it?” Sara seemed like she was going to complain, but instead started to laugh and for the second time today, Squad 46-B shared a good, genuine laugh. This time, they stayed behind to enjoy it. David was the first to break the chain, as he carefully skirted the pile of slag that had formerly been a defensive robot to get to the floor’s control panel; the last thing they had to do to accomplish their mission and be done with this accursed punishment was make sure that there was no dangerous material on the floor. Other than the last guardian robot, the job had been nothing other than annoying: Having to find alternate passageways due to some being rusted shut, cleaning up hazardous spills, fighting off the occasional security bot; in other words a bore. The others followed after their teammate at their leisure, not predicting that they’d find anything; they’d run all over this entire floor taking care of robots, and they hadn’t seen anything then. By the time that they reached him, David had finished the scan and had a smile plastered across his face; they didn’t need to ask, there was nothing for them to retrieve on this floor. Their mission was done. They didn’t make any more to return to the surface immediately; they were all exhausted and if Duncan planned to hold true to his word, they’d have no time for rest after they returned. So why not relax for the moment, the upper echelons had no idea that they were finished and until they chose to return, it would stay that way.

The squad’s exhaustion got the better of them and they fell asleep, with nothing more to disturb them. It wasn’t until several hours had passed that <Player> finally stirred and opened their eyes, glancing around with a confused look on their face. A moment later, their memory came back to them and they frowned; it hadn’t been a dream. They pushed themselves to their feet and stumbled forward before catching their balance and began re-arming themselves for the long trek back to the elevator. Once they finished <Player> went to wake the others from their slumber, but was knocked from their feet as a tremor tore through the station. The rest of the squad bolted awake, their gazes darting about like a group of deer in the headlights, their hands groping about for their weapons. After a moment, they realized that there was no enemy to fight and stood up.

As <Player> got to their feet, Aaron was the first to speak, the remnants of sleep already gone from his eyes, “You have any idea what that was, any of you?” The assembled group shook their heads and before Aaron could ask any further questions, the structure around them convulsed again, and then again, and a third and fourth time in rapid succession, alarms blaring and flashing red everywhere. All of the four were once again grounded, but as Aaron raised his head he glared at David and without even being asked, the man began to crawl towards the control panel, using it to pull himself up as his fingers began to rattle away on its keys. Once it seemed like everything had settled down for the moment, the others joined him, David’s only reaction to point at the screen. It was showing a view of the NSF headquarters from the aft side, yet the base didn’t dominate the image’s view as it should. Instead, there was a ship docked next to it: a black and red trimmed cruiser (the same ship that blew up the asteroid earlier), large beam cannons mounted below its body and several missile tubes still streaming smoke loaded onto its sides.

“…We’re under attack,” said David finally, as he snapped out of his trance, “we’re really under attack.”

Sara paled, her hands going to her rifle for support, “But shouldn’t the soldiers who arrived from the Rim be taking care of them; they shouldn’t have even been able to been able to get more than a shot in.”
“They’re probably gone, a lot of them were already leaving when we were headed down here, and we all planned to take a vacation after we returned as well. We’re lucky if the base is even at normal capacity right now,” Aaron said, his words coming out dry and emotionless.

<Player> didn’t even budge and in fact, looked angry, “How do we know that this isn’t just another one of Duncan’s tricks to get back at us,” he/she hissed, “I mean, he seems dead-set on punishing us for what happened at that thrice-damned village-“

“That’s ENOUGH <Player>,” screamed Aaron, his patience finally snapping, “I know you have a vendetta against Duncan, I know you don’t like him, but do you REALLY think that he would put his own center of command through this just to get back at you, a soldier who he could punish in worse and more demeaning ways” Aaron spread his arms wide to indicate the room around them, “like this clean-up job right here.”

<Player> stared at the ground, neither Sara nor David saying anything while Aaron stared daggers at the recipient of all of his pent up anger, his fists still clenched tightly. Finally, <Player> raised their head to stare back, their eyes calm and their expression serious, “Fine, you’re probably right. I’m sorry for that, but if the NSF really is under attack, then they’re gonna need all of the help they can get right now, even from a couple of wash-outs like us.” They then walked away towards one of the closed cabinets off to the side and started to fiddle with the lock as David called after them.

“But what are we going to be able to do; it’ll take us hours to get back up to the base the way we got down here.”

<Player> didn’t answer immediately and instead continued to work on the lock, eventually managing to break it open and with a grin, swung one of the doors open and reached inside. Before David could say anything else, <Player> yelled “Think fast!” and threw something straight at him, the man barely stopping whatever it was from impacting with his face. As he looked down, he saw that he was holding a space helmet and suddenly understand dawned on him, understanding and worry. He realized what <Player> was planning and knew that it would be risky. <Player> was of course still smiling and as he turned to the others, holding a helmet of their own, he spoke in a surprisingly serious voice,

“Suit up.”

*****************
(I was thinking climbing up the side of the station could be a mini-game, so I’ve left out the details)

With one last push and a thrust of strength from their upper body, <Player> heaved themselves over the edge of the station’s large, diamond-like center and breathed a sigh of relief, and several more after that one. It had taken over an hour of hard work, but they’d managed the climb; made all the more difficult due to the artificial gravity exerted by the HQ’s surface. <Player> looked over the edge to see Sara coming up right behind them and reached a hand down to pull her up, which she gratefully took. Within short-order, all of them stood just above the enemy craft and easily jumped across the gap to touch ground on top of its hull. At this point, Aaron stepped forward and fell to a crouch as he drew forth a beam knife that had been sheathed at his side and smashed it into the ship’s metallic outer covering. He drew the knife around in front of him with a practiced hand and made a perfect circle, nodding back to the others before he slid it out and leapt backward, allowing the disc of metal to buckle and burst outward, the piece of slag rocketing into the void of space.

The squad swung into the ship before the airlock barrier slid into place, effectively sealing them inside the ship until they could reach the exit. With a wave of <Player>’s fingers David took the point position, with Aaron following behind and <Player> and Sara bringing up the rear. The inside of the ship appeared much like its outside: smooth black walls only broken by the dull glowing red lines that ran throughout them and the occasional door. As they traveled, the squad checked the hall and every open room, but was unable to find anything that might have identified the invaders; they were simply nameless. Before long they heard footsteps approaching them, probably someone coming to check what had caused the airlock shield to activate. Their observations were proved correct when a man clothed in black armor rounded the corner, clearly taken aback by the fact that anyone was there. Before he could scream out for help, David smashed the barrel of his gun into their helmet and <Player> shot them in the chest as they fell to the ground. Seeing no reason to disguise their presence at this point, and suspecting that most of the enemy would be in the station and not on this ship, the group continued on with minimal resistance until they reached the control room, where they had to dispatch 3 guards, two dying from gunshot wounds and the third from a concussion.

As they moved the bodies to the side, the squad turned to examine the bridge. The command zone of the ship had noticeably brighter lighting than the hallways beyond it, large globes placed in the corners illuminating the room. It was arranged in a semi-circular shape with chairs every few meters along the wall. A soft red glow illuminated from a light on every panel, evidence that a silent alarm had been triggered. David stepped forward and took a seat at the craft’s helm and to attempt to see if he could access any of the data stored onboard the ship.

“Damn, there’s no way I’m gonna get anything out of this database anytime soon, the encryption would take me hours to break,” muttered David.

“…What if we were to get you that time?” asked Aaron, “Would you be able to get it done?”

David put a hand to his chin and wrinkled his brow in thought, “Yeah, I guess if I had to I could bypass their firewalls and hack the security codes on the data, then take some time and decrypt whatever I find there, but I’d have to completely focus on what I was doing. I wouldn’t be able to defend myself if one of them” his other hand pointing to one of the corpses, “came back while I was working. I’d be a dead man.”

<Player> looked at Aaron and then the pair both glanced at Sara, who after a moment got the idea and sighed. “If you want me to, I’ll stay back and guard David’s butt, but you two owe me for this one.”

The pair grinned and Aaron spoke, “Alright, we’ll come back to pick you two up, hopefully with a contingent of soldiers, once we sort the mess on the station out.” If they expected a response, they didn’t get one, as David was already hard at work on the keypad and Sara was staring at the screens connected to the security cameras placed throughout the ship. Still smiling to themselves, <Player> and Aaron turned away and strode toward the dock and headquarters.

*****************
The first thing <Player> noticed as they reentered the station was how dim the usually bright and inviting lights were. Whatever had happened over the past few hours the place was running on its backup power generator, which meant that most of the structure’s defenses were down. That explained why the ship hadn’t been quickly repelled after its initial salvo, but there was still another question burning in the back of <Player>’s skull. Why was it so quiet? The base should have been full of soldiers risking their lives to defend the base, and yet there wasn’t a single noise coming from anywhere around them. Just the dull, almost dead pallor of the formerly vibrant base staring back at them, almost as though it was telling them that it was already too late, that the HQ had already fallen.

It seemed that Aaron was unsettled by what they saw as well, the man shivering as he glanced around the area. “…We can’t waste anymore time standing here, <Player>, something’s wrong and we have to find out what. From here the base divides in two and then meets at the central airway, we should split up and then meet there to discuss what we’ve found. Remember not to bite off more than you can chew alone, we can always regroup and take care of it together.” Aaron reached down to his right side and unbuckled one of the many hilts on his belt, this one connected to a sheathed blade, a long sword if <Player> judged the length correctly. Aaron twisted the weapon and held it out to <Player>, “Take it, I know that you don’t have any close-range weapons on you and I have plenty. If things get crazy you might need this thing way more than I would.” After a moment of hesitation, <Player> nods and grabs the sword hilt-first and straps it to his left hip, un-holstering his rifle after making sure that the blade is secure.

After a moment of silence <Player> spoke, his voice soft and somber, “Thanks Aaron, good luck and be careful out there.”

Aaron nodded and whispered back, “You too” before turning on his heel and heading down the right passageway, <Player> following suit down the left passage a short time afterward. <Player> wandered through the corridors, crossing the odd hostile. They were all relatively easy to dispatch, although their numbers could make the bouts more difficult, and for unknown invaders their technology was quite impressive. Despite this, they reached the main breezeway in a little over an hour, surprised to find that they were the first to arrive. Aaron was usually the more punctual of the two of them, even if he was more careful; if he was supposed to be somewhere, he got there quickly. After waiting another 20 minutes, <Player> was sure that something was wrong and as they took a step towards the other side of the airway, they heard a scream. It was Aaron’s voice. Without wasting another second, <Player> raced towards the nearest door and tore it open, heading towards where they heard the scream.

*****************
Along the way, <Player> heard Aaron scream several more times, each howl weaker than the last. The urgency in <Player>’s step propelled him quickly to his destination, ending up before a pair of wide-open double doors; they normally blocked the way to the high security vault, where artifacts and other items of incredible value or danger were preserved, only the council itself having the knowledge of how to access what lay within. <Player>’s breath caught in their throat and their heartbeat slowed as they saw what lay beyond the threshold, their skin chilled down to the bone. On the floor not a few feet from the doorway was a body, the formerly slick and sharp suit that it wore now covered with blood. The worst part was its face, twisted at an angle and already pale with the touch of death; Aaron was no longer of this world. As <Player> walked forward, their rifle fell from limp fingers, clanging against the ground with a hollow thud, causing something to stir. The form quickly coalesced into that of tall man garbed in ebon black armor, a large sword hilt belted at his right hip and a blank face-mask covering his head. Behind him were several men, General Duncan and several other council members among them. One had their head lolled to the side, their eyes blank and their body unresponsive: clearly unconscious.

The man stopped a few paces away from <Player> and his mask tilted downward towards Aaron’s corpse, a dry chuckle emanating from beneath the metal, the sound like the splintering of bones.

“I see you knew him” he says plainly. “Yet, will you die a fool like your friend, or run as a coward?”

<Player> remains silent for a moment, their body involuntarily shaking, before they manage to muster the strength to push out 3 simple words. “Who. Are. You?”

The man chuckles, the sound itself seeming as though it was almost unnatural, but responds, his deep baritone voice rolling through the air like a drum beat. “My name is unimportant” he sighs. “If you must, you may call me Bandit, one who uses what another possesses for their benefit. I ventured a long distance to retrieve that which will open the way to fortune. To my dismay, I required the safe code” he gestures towards the councilmen with his left hand, “His resistance was commendable, but the matter was easily rectified.” The bandit raises his right hand, revealing that there is an object clenched in his fist, a faint blue finish the only detectable quality. “I have what I came for, despite your friend’s objections. Yes, it’s a pity, and he wanted so much to end this for the sake of his squad; I believe that that’s you, correct?”

The bandit returns the object to its resting place and slowly begins to walk forward, his steps slow and deliberate. “I’ll be taking my leave. “

<Player> turns to face the bandit, a small amount of spark still present in their eyes despite the amount of shock that they’ve just gone through. “…No, you won’t be. We’ve taken control of your ship and dealt with most of your grunts in the hallway. You have nowhere to go, Mr. Bandit, you’re stranded.”

The bandit seems unperturbed, though his mask hides his facial expression, his next words confirming this, the sardonic twist present in them almost gut-wrenching. “Oh, have you. That’s too bad then.” He then moves his left hand to the hilt of his sword and presses the top, a switch clicking inward. A moment later, the entire station rumbled once more, a large explosion audible from some point far below the room’s large window.

<Player> paled and stumbled for a minute before he rushed to the window, the bandit laughing behind him as <Player> caught a glimpse of the debris floating through space, shards of the ship’s black and red exterior noticeable among the rest of the scrap. <Player> fell to their knees, their eyes wide, tears starting to slip down their face as the reality of the situation hits home hard. They’d just lost all of their squad, in a matter of minutes, after all that they’d been through.

The bandit, either not caring or simply ignoring his emotions turned to exit the room once again, muttering to himself as he went, “I guess this means I’ll just need to take one of their ships; now where was that hanger? Ah yes.” Bandit stops and glances back, “It would be improper of me not to thank you, here I was walking into a trap, and you were kind enough to forewarn me.” Bandit strides out the door, “Consider your life payment in return.”

<Player> remained on the ground for a while, letting their tears flow out and just letting all that had happened sink in. Eventually, they stopped crying and just stared out into space, the remains of the bandit’s ship floating past. It took a while before the connection was made. The bandit, the person who had killed Aaron, Sara and David, was still onboard the station and trying to make his escape. Sadness fell away as another emotion crystallized and took its place inside of <Player>: rage, pure anger that wouldn’t be sated until he visited the same level of pain that Aaron had felt onto the bandit. <Player>’s right hand fell to the hilt of the sword that he had been given and tore the weapon out of its sheath, a beam-edge winking into effect as the blade came into contact with the air. Stalking towards the bound and gagged council members, <Player> saw Duncan looking straight at them, his blues eyes showing an emotion that <Player> had never thought the old man had. Remorse. The general realized that it was likely his fault that 3 soldiers were dead now, and that must be weighing heavily on his conscious. Unable to waste anymore time thinking, <Player> raised the sword and brought it arcing downwards to slice right through the ropes binding the men, freeing them from their bonds. But <Player> was already long gone by the time Duncan tore off his gag; running out of the room the instant their sword had parted the last of the ropes. Their footsteps echoing through every hallway passed, <Player> made a beeline for the hanger, where the enemy lay. <Player> gripped their sword tighter; every step brought the Bandit closer, anger steered their every action now.

*****************
The mechanic collapsed back against the wall, his eyes glancing every which way as he tried to find somewhere else to go, but the man in black had played his cards well; he’d backed the mechanic into a corner. The bandit chuckled, enjoying the man’s fear before he took a step closer, and another after that, and another, the mechanic barely restraining the terror that now besieged him.

“Now, I don’t think that I was being unreasonable before. All I asked you to do was tell me which of the ships here are flight-worthy right now. I was kind, courteous, and would have left you alone, but you had to be difficult. Now I’ve had to be a bit more forceful and look at what you do, run away from me. You don’t like it when I’m being nice and you don’t like it when I’m being “assertive”. I’ll give you one last chance to take the high road. Now then, which one of these birds is ready to fly?”

Before the frightened man could answer, the door to the hanger flew open, metal scraping against metal as the door slammed into the wall. The bandit glanced to the door, half-expecting one of his surviving men to have rushed in, begging to be saved. What he actually saw caused him to raise an eyebrow underneath his helmet, as he turned to face an NSF soldier; one that he never expected to see again.

“Well, well, well.” A smile spread across the bandit’s face.

<Player> clenched the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white, and took a step forward, his eyes hard and cold. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done, thief. You’re not going anywhere until you do.”

The bandit remained still for a moment, before hooking the blue object in his right hand to his belt and laying the hand on the sword hilt. “It appears no one wants my mercy,” he chuckles as he draws out his own weapon: a massive, red beam broadsword, “I spared your life the first time due to obligation.” The bandit bows and takes a step forward, matching <Player>’s own movement.

Gripping their sword in both hands, <Player> rushed the bandit, bringing the weapon around for an overhead, diagonal slash. Bandit twists his sword to block, sparks flaring as the two weapons clash, and then smashes his own forward, knocking <Player> backwards. Bandit follows up with a massive downward slash, which <Player> hurriedly leaps away from, the sheer force of the blow causing the ground to splinter from the strain. While his defenses are down, <Player> spins forward with a horizontal slash, but Bandit manages to pull his sword upward to catch the blow. Both combatants push backward, done feeling out their opponent, and start to circle each other, waiting to see which will make the first move. Bandit takes a long step forward and swings his sword out from the left, using the weapon’s superior reach to his advantage. <Player> raises their sword to block, but is instead smashed across the face with the bandit’s hilt, the wide slash having been just a feint so that he could step in closer. As <Player> stumbles backward, Bandit presses the attack with a downward slash from left to right, the tip slicing right through <Player>’s armor and leaving a thin line of blood across their torso. He then brings the blade back around for a hard slash across to bifurcate <Player>, but they’ve managed to recover enough to bring their own sword up to block, the amount of pure power behind the attack still enough to smash <Player> into the wall.

Bandit laughed as <Player> coughed up blood, barely still on their feet after the beating that he’d given them. “Do you expect to beat me, where your friend could not? Might it be that you believe -“ The bandit was silenced as <Player> barreled into him, knocking the man to the ground as they brought the hilt of their weapon down hard on his mask, cracking the front and causing the shards to dig into his skin. Bandit screamed and shoved <Player> off of him as he struggled to pull the mask off of his face, the action causing a jagged edge to slice up his cheek as it came off. The useless headpiece fell to the ground and the man brought his sword into position, his face revealed for the first time. He had pale skin and a head of jet-black hair, his eyes a pair of sharp brown thorns. There was a multitude of bloody pock-marks where the mask had pressed into his skin and a cut from bone to bone on his right cheek, blood still dripping out of the wound.

“That’s it kid; I’m done playing around now. I’m going to maim you quickly and kill you slowly, and then I’m going to get off this piece of crap and go on with my plans. Understand?”

<Player>, now fully recovered from their brush with the wall, raises their sword and assumes a defensive position, “Try it.”

Bandit yells and rushes <Player, slashing straight down with their sword, <Player> easily sidestepping the simple attack, but is surprised when the man brings his sword right up for an upward slash, narrowly managing to wedge their weapon between the broadsword and their body. The bandit jumps backward and then leaps forward again an instant later, his broadsword repositioned for a stab aimed right at <Player>’s chest. <Player> drops to the ground and as the sword passes over them , slides forward and stabs upward with their weapon, cutting into the bandit’s stomach, the flesh burning from the sword’s laser edge. The bandit roared in pain, managing to fight through it enough to knee <Player> in the face before he stumbles backward, both actions pulling the sword out of his gut. As the blood poured onto the ground, the bandit took deep, heavy breaths as he struggled to raise his head, his wild eyes fixing themselves on <Player> as they tried to pull themselves to their feet. Then, as though the wound was no hindrance to him, the bandit charged towards <Player> again, this time slashing wildly, all of his battle prowess disintegrating in the face of a life-threatening wound. <Player> twisted out of the way of each slash, the man’s attacks often wide and slow, the weight of his large weapon finally getting to the man. After one such slash, <Player> slipped inside the bandit’s guard and buried their sword in his ribcage, wrenching a gasp out of the man’s lips, his sword clattering to the ground, the red beam sputtering and then fading away. He fell backwards, his body sprawled out on the cold, hard ground, blood trickling from his multiple wounds.

<Player> kneeled down next to the man and looks to his belt, reaching down to grab hold of the item the bandit had stolen from the vault. Upon closer examination, the sphere appeared to be covered with various grooves, the object’s actual surface the faint blue color that he’d seen before. Strapping the item to their belt, <Player> turned to the bandit, the man’s face now clearly even paler than it had been before, his lips moving as though they were trying to force sound out. <Player> leans closer to see if they can catch anything that he’s saying, or trying to say.

“Could have…made a fortune…wanted to cash in…on that planet…while it was…still there…not much longer…” and other such gibberish were all that the bandit kept spouting, so <Player> moved to leave, but the man screamed, “WAIT! Please child…at least pull out the sword…let me die quickly. I know it’s more…than I deserve, but I don’t…think I can take this agony…anymore.” <Player> stares down at the man, his pitiful appearance and his bleeding wound and, surprising even himself, kneels down once again and places his hands on the weapon’s hilt and spoke a single set of 3 words, just like the first time he’d spoken to the bandit, as he removed the weapon.

“Be at peace.”

****************
<The scene fades in: The Player is present in the Council chamber, a large white room that seems to be made of porcelain and marble instead of metal. There is a large curving desk where all of the council members are seated, General Duncan in the center chair. There is also a large circular table with several cloth covered objects and the teal-metallic object that the player recovered from the bandit on it in front of the council. It is before both of these that the player is standing>

“…and those were his last words,” said <Player>, leaving out his act of mercy for the bandit; besides, Duncan was already aware of what he had done.

The Council remained silent for several moments before Duncan stood to speak, the old general’s eyes soft and understanding, probably the calmest that <Player> had ever seen him. “Well, that’s quite the story, a disturbing one as well. Soldiers David, Sara and Captain Aaron will be given a war heroes burial, and they will be honored for years to come for their part in preventing the theft.”

<Player> inclined their head, “Thank you sir, I’m sure this is how they would have wanted it.”

Duncan continued, “And for your part, we’re prepared to reward you with 100,000-“

“Please sir,” <Player> interrupted, “I’d rather if you gave that to Sara’s family; I know that they were struggling even with her income. Without it…”

Duncan inclined his own head, shuffling papers, “Very well, I will notify the treasury department of the change. Now, to the matter at hand; I believe that you deserve to know what exactly it was that you were protecting. This sphere is a map, designed to be able to point the way to several locations on the edge of the galaxy. It’s quite powerful, but useless without a set of coordinates for the destination. However, after examining it, we’ve determined that the “bandit” that you apprehended had already entered such a set; they lead to a location that the NSF has never explored.”

<Player> raised an eyebrow, “I see.”

Duncan remained straight faced as he turned his gaze to the sphere, his eyes hardening. “Based on what you’ve told us about the man’s intentions, he wanted to make a fortune on a world before it was gone, whatever he exactly meant by that. This is quite an issue, since we’ve sworn to protect the entirety of the universe, and something like the destruction of a planet could have far-reaching effects. Our obligations state that we must act.”

<Player> nodded and then raised their hand to speak, Duncan granting them permission with a nod, “I’d like to volunteer myself for this mission, at least as an advance scout.” Noticing some of the council’s shock, they hurriedly continued “so that I can at least send back a more accurate idea of what we’ll be dealing with. It’s also better to send small numbers to scout, and one is the smallest number there is.”

Duncan took his seat and turned to the rest of the council to defer; a decision was reached rather quickly, Duncan delivering the verdict. “We’d already thought that you might want to take this task, so we debated the issue before you arrived. We’ve decided to allow you to go, on the condition that you’ll give us regular reports about what you encounter.”

<Player> was silent a moment and then spoke, “Thank you sir, I’ll take you up on your offer and be sure to contact HQ as much as I’m able.”

Duncan smiles, this time a gentle kindly smile, a stark contrast to the one he’d given the squad before he’d sent them off on their “mission”, “Good. Then, in addition to the map, we’ve also prepared some other equipment for you to take with you on your journey, which will also serve the purpose of testing some of our newest technology.” Duncan pulled the cloth off of the items on the table, revealing what appeared to be an advanced suit of armor and a sword that almost seemed to vibrate as the light hit it, blurring its outlines.

“This is the NSF Pathfinder, what is to be our new mass-produced set of armor for our soldiers: it can handle all basic combat situations and more; it’s better designed to fulfilling our purpose as explorers as well as defenders. You’ll find that it has many functions that your old armor did not, so I’d like you to take the time to test them if you can. I must remind you once again that the armor is still a prototype, and while the scientists say it’s safe, it hasn’t been field tested, so use it with care.”

<Player> nods, eyeing the armor and its impressive design, a very different one from their own suit.

Duncan then gestured to the sword, “This is to become a privilege that only officers in the NSF will be able to enjoy, a ceremonial weapon that has been tentatively dubbed “Comet’s Trail” although it shares no connection to the frigid things.” Duncan picks up the blade and moves it slowly back and forth, a wispy trail of light loosely resembling that left behind by a comet appearing before he set it down. “It might look pretty, but this weapon is a prototype of our advanced vibro-blade technology, designed to use types of light as a weapon as well as heat. This is the first safe prototype that we’ve been able to produce and we’d like to see how effective the new technology powering the sword is. Understood?”

<Player> nods again, approaching the table to look down at the three objects placed there, all of which were now theirs for the duration of this mission. “Thank you, sir.” After a slight bow, <Player> stands at attention.

Duncan almost beams with those words, but remains calm as he speaks again, this time a touch of pride in his voice. “As a final gift, I’ve discussed it with the council and we unanimously agreed. Henceforth you are no longer a Soldier, you are a Captain of the NSF and will have all the privileges allotted to such, including access to the officer’s lounge and the ability to select new recruits that you’d like to train. As such, I’d like to be the first to congratulate you on your promotion, Captain <Player>.”

<Player> struggles to speak for several minutes, only the occasional gasp escaping their lips until finally, “…Thank you again General, for everything that you’ve done. Everything. I solemnly swear to uphold and further all of the NSFs interests local and abroad, as well as complete all tasks set before me to the maximum capacity.” <Player> salutes General Duncan and the rest of the Council, whom all return it with their own, the General’s hand shaking slightly.

<Player> turns their gaze upwards, to a domed skylight through which lies the endless expanse of space. Somewhere out there, there was a solar system, that contained a planet that was in trouble, and it would be their job to do something about it. This was a mission of redemption and revenge: to redeem the person they’d been in the past and make amends to the NSF, and to take revenge on those who had caused the death of their friends. The means to achieve both were out there, somewhere, among the stars.