Plasma!
The fourth state of matter, and the power that humanity obtained to form a foothold for themselves in the international waters, where terrifying races existed everywhere. Of course, the basic information about Plasma was known to every human that went to school.
There were also promotional videos released by the military every now and then to advertise their various campaigns.
So, Rael had a fair extent of knowledge about Plasma. And now that the white-haired lady in the screen said so, he became a bit excited, understanding that from now onwards, he too would be able to wield the power of Plasma.
Before he became lost in his sea of thoughts, the white-haired lady's words brought him back to reality, "But, you won't be able to wield Plasma just like that. Before I go into detail about that, let's make a short trip through history, alright?"
Her speech was pretty long but was interesting. The essence of the information could be summarised as the following.
Earth; 1st August 2054, it was the day Earth was invaded by the Garracks. The Garracks of that Swarm weren't powerful and were just a discrete—scout—unit that roamed through the universe in search of planets with life.
But, they were still fairly powerful, giving humanity significant trouble. The war lasted for 17 days and was the most brutal in all human history, laying waste to countless lives.
Upon winning the war, humanity came to a consensus, realising that they weren't alone in this universe. All countries united to give rise to the Federation, developing weapons and powerful vehicles.
They also researched the corpses of the Garracks they captured, both dead and alive, achieving countless breakthroughs in science and technology.
9th December 2057, on this day, the Maurta Race invaded Earth next. The Federation later came to know that the Maurta Race was stealthily following the small fleet of Garrack scouts to search for other planets to conquer.
After all, in the vast, ever-expanding universe, there were numerous exotic planets with different radiation fields, giving rise to sentient lifeforms possessing mysterious powers. So, every sentient race would be on the search for exotic planets.
And, there is a chance they could integrate the abilities of the lifeforms on that planet into theirs and upgrade their powers. So, it was the norm in the universe.
The Maurta Race was a Third-Tier Race, so they were desperate to find a new planet and improve themselves. And, they planned to do that by relying upon the Garrack scouts, stumbling upon Earth this way.
Right after the Garrack scouts were destroyed, the Maurta Race invaded the Earth. The war lasted 37 years, mounting casualties on both sides. But, the winner was actually the humans.
During these 37 years, the Federation researched upon both the Garracks and the Maurta race, eventually coming across an interesting phenomenon.
"The Maurta Race is self-sufficient. Their homeworld has no other living organism apart from them. Their tail is capable of devouring the soil and converting it into nutrients necessary for their survival. So, hunger and a lack of food had never been their concern."
"Though, this also was the reason they failed to evolve beyond their basic genetics. After all, necessity is the harbinger of evolution, and the Maurta Race's primary trait is that they can adapt to any environment."
The white-haired lady smiled, "And, during those 37 years of research, our researchers found out that when the human heart is replaced by the Maurta heart, something interesting occurs. Though, the procedure necessary to attain this condition was what needed decades of research and experimentation."
"Once the Maurta heart fully adapts to the human body, it also begins to affect the human body, making it inherit the Maurta Race's trait of adaptability. And, Plasma is the product that is produced as a result."
Once the Federation observed that the humans that successfully adapted to the Maurta heart began to wield the power of Plasma, they retaliated, finally releasing their trump card.
Nuclear Weapons!
They captured the Maurta fleet, improved their technology, and arrived at the home planet of the Maurta race, defeating them before enslaving them. From that day onwards, humanity obtained everything that belonged to the Maurta Race, officially taking a step into the interstellar era.
After that, the Maurta Race lost its history, with all their elderly being killed, with their hearts used to create more soldiers among humans that now began to wield the power of the Plasma.
After that, the younglings of the Maurta Race were grown while sheltered, cared for, and harvested when they matured into adults. Their hearts were harvested to transplant into humans.
"This is the truth behind humanity's rise." The white-haired lady said, "Had we lost on that day, our roles would have been reversed. Now, the heart of a Maurta pulsates within you, giving you the power to protect your family. Remember this, and never forget."
"Humanity has barely become a Second-Tier Race. Compassion is reserved only for the strong, and Garracks, the strongest race in the universe don't even know the meaning of compassion." Her voice turned sharp, "Take up arms, execute your mission, and protect humanity."
Even though her eyes were fully white, as Rael continued to stare at her, he realised that he was beginning to understand the emotions in them, slowly getting attuned to them like they were normal.
Honestly, it was a scary feeling, making him feel as if he was no longer himself. After all, the heart beating within him was no longer his, but of an alien's.
"Every mission a soldier has to perform contains grave consequences if failed." The white-haired lady let out a gentle sigh, "Whether you are strong, weak, arrogant, or foolish, nothing matters. Only your ability to accomplish our mission matters. A dozen double-digit Garracks are all that is necessary to decimate the Federation."
"This…is the Federation's situation."
The screen switched off after this as Rael still reeled from the information he obtained, failing to clear his head for the time being. He felt a headache, unable to digest everything that he heard.
Basically, to obtain the power of the Plasma, they were implanting the hearts of the Maurta Race into themselves, turning into something that isn't human.
"You're wrong about that though." The nurse said all of a sudden, as if she was able to hear his thoughts.
His face was like an open notebook, allowing her to guess his thoughts, saying, "The Maurta Race adapts to everything. So, when their heart is implanted into us, it is the one that is adapting to us, not in the reverse. We are still human."
"Then…what about the Plasma?" He asked, fearing himself, revolted. Thankfully, he was fully bound, unable to move. Otherwise, there was a good chance he might yank out the tubes connected to his heart and die in the process.
"Human bodies have always contained Plasma." The nurse smiled, "The electric impulses through your nerves are plasma."
"And, it's not like a Maurta heart is taken out from a Maurta and is then implanted into a human. That's just useless since it'll just adapt to the human body and work no different to a human heart." She smiled, "The Maurta hearts are processed a little to make them adapt to Plasma, especially the various forms generated by the human body. Only after that is it transplanted into humans."
"This way, it'll affect the human body, allowing us to wield the power of Plasma." She concluded.
"So, it's just our own power." Rael nodded, feeling a bit more at ease now.
"The human body has many wonders. But, most of them exist at a scale that is useless. We've just used the Maurta heart to tap into those and maximise our potential." She spoke.
Rael was silent after that, going through the words conveyed by the white-haired lady over and over, slowly beginning to accept them. After all, it was him that had wished for it. Whining about something that had already happened was of no use.
Of course, it was still hard for him to accept the change in his body. Not many liked to have an alien organ in their body, especially him. But, he had no other choice but to accept it.
"How long will I be here like this?" He then asked the nurse.
"Until the Maurta Heart adapts to your body completely." She replied, continuing, "The time varies for everyone. Usually, it ranges from a week to a couple of years. The sense of discomfort you are experiencing now will vanish once it adapts completely. You won't feel any difference from before."
"Also, your body would begin producing Plasma once the Maurta heart finishes adapting." She said, laughing before commenting, "Thankfully, it seems you won't be needing too long to produce Plasma."
"How long do you think it'll take for me?" He asked next.
"Based on your vitals, I say around a month." The nurse nodded, glancing at the monitor nearby, "That's pretty high up in the scale. You'll become a powerful soldier in the future."
"You'll help big sister with a favour then, right?" The nurse winked all of a sudden, laughing in response.
With nothing left to do in his immobile state, all Rael could do was to talk with the nurse. And, it seemed most of her job was to do just that, talk with the patient when necessary to keep him occupied and show him some educational clips related to Plasma after that.
As they continued to speak, Rael learned that she went by the name of Echlika Lael, an E-Rank Soldier that was stationed as a nurse in this spaceship.
"Are we no longer in the Star Beetle?" Rael was surprised by this information, three days after he had woken up.
"Nope, the Star Beetle is a regular spaceship. It cannot sustain a warp through space." She said, "Currently, the ship we're at is the Class B Star Tiger. All the recruits from this time are within the group of Star Tigers."
"We're currently orbiting Dusk Entropa, and once you generate Plasma, you'll be accepted by one of the academies there. Your training and life as a soldier would begin the moment you step foot in one of the academies."
"Academy?" Rael was surprised, "Why an academy though? I thought all soldiers would be posted on missions immediately."
"Of course not!" The nurse broke into a fit of parlous laughter, patting his head before saying, "There are tens of thousands of ways to use the Plasma. These academies serve as a training ground for you to learn such abilities or even sell an ability you've invented and gain royalties from that."
"Also, the unit you'll join as a soldier is based on the academy you enter. You'll only move alongside with those from your respective academy." She said, stating solemnly, "Basically, the academy you join would become your backer. The stronger the academy, the stronger your backer too."
"They'll become my backer?" Rael's eyes lit up.
Seeing his reaction, the nurse smiled playfully, "So, you'll have to give a lot of thought as to which academy you'll become a part of. That'll basically become your second home."
"Also, you need to become an E-Rank Soldier at the bare minimum before you can join a mission. F-Rank Soldiers are treated as the lowest of grunts that won't get any respect." She said, pointing at him, "So, even if you don't wish to fight, you'll have to become at least an E-Rank so that you won't be treated like trash. Also, for those that remain an F-Rank even after a year of generating their Plasma, the military would stop giving them a salary."
"Why is it like this? Isn't this too harsh?" Rael frowned.
"No, otherwise, too many would slack off, for countless reasons." She said, "There are more cowards than you can think of. And this is the only way the military can wring out some use from them."
She smiled, causing him to shudder for some reason, for her expression was slightly odd, her voice echoed around the room, "The Federation isn't a bright place of comradery and devotion. It's pretty black and white where you're expected to complete your mission, irrespective of the means."
"So, if you have any naivety or soft spots in your heart, I suggest you leave them back at your home."