Chereads / The Shadow System / Chapter 2 - Military

Chapter 2 - Military

In a military base hidden from enemy eyes located in the snowy mountains of the planet, a crowd of people wearing lab coats and military uniforms were moving in different directions. 

The scientists were heading at the same time to a specific building; the main laboratory, while the military men were picking up their weapons while following orders from their superiors.

After indefinite attempts in the past, a small military team managed to infiltrate enemy territory successfully. The main purpose of their stay on this planet was to monitor the current situation of their enemies.

Reports with tons of information were transmitted every day from this military base to their headquarters on Earth about the situation on one of the planets ruled by their enemies; the Porska. 

If there was an opportunity they could exploit on the Porska, they would not hesitate to move their weapons immediately to control this planet and all its resources. This would happen on a normal day. However, today was an exception....

This was because this morning the scientists were able to notice an unidentified object approaching at an incredible speed in the direction of the planet. The speed at which this object was moving was so fast that they lost sight of it many times.

From one moment to the next it would increase its speed drastically for a few seconds before slowing down as if running out of gas, before increasing its speed again. It was like a crazy car.

The scientists spent hours of intense effort to come up with some information about this object, but due to their meager tools it was impossible to detail it accurately. The little they knew was that this object had an exuberant amount of energy contained within it.

The waves emitted by the unidentified object were enough to saturate their connections with the alliance headquarters on Earth. Without receiving orders from their superiors on Earth, the military base felt desperate.

Inside the main laboratory on a large table located in the center of the building a group of military men could be seen discussing. Some scientists approached the table and left some documents with information printed in real time. The military scrutinized the contents of the documents thoroughly.

They were discussing the current situation and what actions to take to reach an immediate solution. Half of the people present at this table were in favor of leaving this planet in a short time and avoid a possible death by this mysterious object.

The other half were determined to stay and not die stupidly. Indisputably they thought that, if they revealed themselves, their enemies would not stand idly by and watch an enemy race rest on their planet undiscovered.

The military would be led on a hunt in which there is little chance of survival due to the few resources they currently have.

"We have to leave this planet as soon as possible, we can't wait for that potentially dangerous object to kill us!" An angry military man stood up from his seat trying to reason with his fellow soldiers.

A military man of equal rank as the previous one shook his head. "What will we do once we decide to give up on this place? Do you think we'll get another chance to be in enemy territory? I rather doubt it. Besides, do you think those lizards will let us go in peace knowing we have information? We'll be hunted down!"

"But it's better than being trapped here! If it were a full-scale attack by a superior race seeking to eliminate the Porska, what do we accomplish by staying? If we escape from this planet we have a slim chance of survival."

For a long time scenes like this were present at the table. It was a tug-of-war between two sides. After arguing for a long time without reaching a result, all the military men looked at one person in particular.

A middle-aged man in military dress with three star-shaped medals resting on his chest had his eyes closed thinking about the options available. No one interrupted him for fear of being punished.

Even if they were arguing a few minutes ago, the final decision was up to this middle-aged man. Since they had lost all contact with their allies, this military man had automatically become the most influential figure on the base.

After a while, the man opened his eyes and looked at all the people present at the table. His gaze sent chills down everyone's spine.

"We will stay. We have no resources and no time to escape from this planet. The object is approaching the planet's atmosphere and in a short time it will touch down. By that time it is best to be prepared for the worst. Transmit my orders immediately."

Having said these words, the man rose from his seat and as if he were a ghost he disappeared from his current location with a faint burst of flames. When the other military men came out of their stupor they exchanged glances before nodding and moving.

On the roof of the main lab, the middle-aged man looked up at the medium-dark sky with an indifferent expression. "I hope we can survive this catastrophe."

A small blue spot could be seen in the sky, expanding with each passing second. Its brilliance was enough to bring light to this part of the planet.

Explosion!

All the people in the barracks stopped their movements as they sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere. Instinctively they looked at the sky, specifically at the blue spot that stood out from miles away. The object managed to cross the atmosphere in less time than expected.

The blue spot continued to advance under the gaze of countless people when it suddenly stopped. Being at a close distance from the planet, the military was finally able to see the appearance of this object.

It was a large blue marble with a terrifying aura around it. From such a distance the military could feel the change in the atmosphere. Many felt suffocated in the presence of such energy. They had never witnessed such a scene before.

The object stood still for a few minutes as it slowly shrank to the size of a normal marble before continuing its journey in a northerly direction of the planet. Its velocity exploded into a thin blue line that disappeared after a few seconds. 

"I wasn't even able to keep up with its speed..." The middle-aged man looked down at his shaking hand. His back was covered in cold sweat. Even a powerful military powerhouse like him had felt deep fear under such an aura.

"The higher races are a whole different level..."

***** 

Alexander's wounded body lay motionless in the snow for a long time. His heart had stopped beating many hours ago.

In the midst of the silence, a blue spot streaked across the sky like a shooting star.

The blue spot sailed across the sky before it entered the forest and stopped in the middle of the vegetation. 

That's when its appearance was revealed as a small blue orb. 

The small blue orb hovered for hovered for a few minutes before suddenly sinking into the snow.

The minutes passed in silence. When something surprising happened.

Waves of steam rose from the snow as the temperature rose rapidly. It was as if a volcano had suddenly erupted in the middle of the forest. The small mountain of snow melted in a matter of seconds revealing an emaciated body.

"Aaa..." Alexander opened his eyes as his heart pounded a mile a minute. His body was completely sweaty. "I... am I alive?" he thought in confusion.

His condition pointed to a definite death. How was it possible to be alive?

He froze for a few seconds taking in the situation before shaking his head.

"I don't know what's going on, but if I've been given another chance I don't intend to die again..." Alexander made a mental note to investigate later. 

For now he needed to go back. 

He immediately stood up, albeit wobbly.

His figure disappeared into the trees.