"Phew," A month since he woke up, Rael noticed some changes in his body. He wasn't yet able to feel it properly, but realised that the Maurta heart in him had finished adapting.
Once he was released from the hospital berth, the nurse helped him with rehabilitation. Performing some basic exercises, Rael exhaled a long breath, feeling that he was actually healthier than before.
During the past month, he got a better understanding of a soldier's standing, and the Federation, as a whole, in the interstellar era.
The scale of measurement was based on the Garracks.
The Garracks were a massive, overbearing race in the universe, having control over an estimated 557 planets. And, all these planets were capable of sustaining life.
And, there existed various species among the Garracks, products of evolution originating from the various worlds that they have devoured. There were too many to name or even keep an account of, but the strongest 1000 were kept a tally of, for they were powerful enough to be worried about.
Type!
They numbered from one to thousand, addressed as 'Type-1, Type-2…Type-1000.'
Type-1000 was the weakest among the named Garracks and the lower the number got, the stronger the Garracks became. The Garracks that had invaded Earth in the past were all in the late 900s.
So, even though they proved troublesome, they could be dealt with. And, this was how the power scale of various races was determined in the universe.
The sentient races incapable of even killing a Type-1000 Garrack was deemed a Fourth-Tier Race, and generally not even concerned with. They were typically captured by other races and used as slaves.
The races that were capable of killing a Garrack in the three digits were termed as a Third-Tier Race. It was as simple as that. And, the lower the number of the Garrack in the three digits that they killed, the higher their ranking among the Third-Tier Races.
The Maurta Race was barely able to kill a Garrack in the late 300s. Even though they were a strong race, they were nothing in the interstellar era.
The races that manage to kill a Garrack in the double digits would be termed a Second-Tier Race. The Federation was among the lowest of the Second-Tier Races, barely managing to kill a Type-98 Garrack.
They were still struggling to exceed their limits. But, this was still spectacular growth in the eyes of the other races. After all, around four hundred years ago, humanity struggled against Garracks in the late 900s.
This was a tremendous level of growth in a mere four centuries.
Finally, there was the top of the universe, the First-Tier Races that managed to kill a Garrack in the single digits. This was a spectacular feat, since to achieve this, their power level should reach the planetary scale.
A single-digit Garrack was capable of destroying a planet on its own. They had extraordinary might.
Above the First-Tier Races were the Garracks, the overlord of the universe, one every strong race had united to go against.
Galactic Union, a force created when all the First-Tier Races joined hands to resist the Garracks. Those that were part of the Union were given protection by the Union when invaded by the Garracks.
It was primarily meant for the First-Tier Races to protect themselves. After all, only they were capable of resisting Type-1 to Type-9 Garracks, the peak of the universe.
The rest of the races were only baggage to them. But, if a Second-Tier Race served them enough strategic benefit, they too were accepted into the Union.
The Federation had been trying to become part of the Union all along but were denied entry. Humanity wasn't respected much in the interstellar waters because it hadn't been long since their appearance.
So from time to time, foreign races other than Garracks too would invade them to plunder their resources or enslave humans.
Rael listened to the nurse give a recount of various incidents from history that the Federation had to endure. To prevent the regular populace from worrying too much, details related to this weren't divulged.
But now that he was a soldier, he obtained the qualifications to understand them.
"Plasma is incredibly powerful. Power-wise, it is at the top of the universe and at present, is something exclusive to humanity. So, many races are vying for us in the dark to find the means to steal our power." She spoke.
"But, we're still learning about Plasma and have yet to unlock its full potential." She sighed.
"What makes you think that?" Rael asked, "Shouldn't those at the top of the Federation be capable of God-like feats?"
"Well, they can do that indeed. But, those arising from planets other than Strombus Nebula have a real-life reference for the peak of what Plasma can become.
"What's that?" Rael asked in surprise.
"The Sun." She said, "A giant mass of plasma in the vastness of the space, capable of melting and swallowing any asteroid that slams into it."
"The Sun… I see," Rael nodded, "That is indeed the best example of what the peak application of Plasma could reach."
"Indeed, and we haven't reached that stage yet. Humanity would become a First-Tier Race if we are capable of that." The nurse nodded, sighing.
"The Sun…" Rael muttered, "I want to see one."
It was because, he hadn't seen a Sun in real life, only gazing at its pictures to date. The Federation had eight planets under its control, other than the various outposts.
And among them, Strombus Nebula was special in that it didn't exist in any system like the solar system.
It was an individual planet, having no sun to revolve around, and no moon. For mysterious reasons, it drifted about in an orbit of its own, the cause puzzling scientists to this day.
The planet's luminescence alone was enough to brighten the surface equal to Earth. Moreover, its internal volcanic cycles changed in such a manner that the luminescence altered in set intervals, creating day and night cycles.
Of course, the time duration for a day and night was vastly different from Earth. But, the people of Strombus Nebula had adapted to this, despite being humans.
This was why they used two different calendars. One was the local one, followed by the residents of Strombus Nebula. The second was the military one, following the cycles based on Earth, used by the military throughout the Federation.
As Strombus Nebula was a special planet. Rael hadn't ever seen a moon and a sun other than in pictures and videos. So, he was of course curious about them.
"You can see them now." The nurse said, clicking a button on a device that she carried, soon causing a robot to enter the rehab facility. It was basically a sofa, attached to four wheels that allowed it to move.
Following her instructions, Rael took a seat while she sat beside him, clicking a button as the robot sofa moved through a corridor before arriving at a massive room. Once she informed the personnel within a room, they nodded and flashed her a thumbs up. Immediately after, the walls of the room began to move up.
A glass panel was revealed behind the moving wall, allowing the darkness of the space to come into view. And there, shining grandly, tiny in size but majestic in appearance was a Sun, a ball of fire floating in space.
"Dusk Entropa has a radius of 35,000 kilometres and is the second-largest planet under the Federation. It has two suns around its poles that are actually satellites orbiting it." She spoke, watching Rael's eyes unblinking, fixated on the scene.
She laughed, saying, "The two Suns of Dusk Entropa are the smallest Suns within the Federation. If you see Earth's Sun, you'll get an entirely different feeling. There would even be a sense of longingness when gazing at it since that's our origin energy that humans have basked for millions of years."
"They are…the smallest?" Rael spoke slowly after some time had passed, "When I looked at their radius in pictures, it paled in comparison to the other Suns. But, looking at them now, they are…massive."
"Yep, at times, numbers make things seem smaller than they actually are. In truth, we humans are just the size of dust in comparison to such celestial objects." The nurse said, beginning to make the robot return after Rael had gazed at the scene for a couple of hours.
He actually didn't wish to return so soon, but under compulsion that he had to complete his rehabilitation soon, she brought him back.
For the next week, Rael focused all his energy on rehabilitation, noticing that he was recovering quickly. Moreover, he observed that the wounds he had sustained while fighting the Arhkars had vanished by now.
"Your natural recovery process is amplified as the quantity of Plasma within you continues to increase." The nurse said, scanning his vitals before nodding in response, "Alright, rehabilitation is no longer necessary since your body has begun to produce Plasma."
"It has begun?" Rael asked, excited, looking at himself to see that nothing changed. He made a comical pose that he had seen on TV, intending to summon his power, but nothing happened.
Seeing his actions, the nurse chuckled, "It's not that easy you know. Unleashing Plasma for the first time takes time."
She then brought him a small suitcase, "Within it are the items that you had brought with you. Check it to see if everything is there."
'Thank goodness!' He sighed in relief, quickly looking through the suitcase before fishing out the choker with the System, wearing it immediately.
He then changed into a set of clothes, gazing at the nearby mirror before thinking, 'Appraise.'
[Name: Rael Rukh]
[Origin: Wrister City (Planet: Strombus Nebula)]
[Age: 15 Union Years]
[Race: Human]
[Might: 7]
[Toughness: 5]
[Mobility: 7]
[Endurance: 5]
[Plasma: 2]
[Rank: F]
His Might had increased by one unit while his endurance had increased by two units, surprising him, 'So, that's the reason I'm feeling healthier.'
He then noticed the number next to Plasma, grinning like an idiot immediately, 'I attained Plasma! I'm also an F Rank Soldier now!'
He was pretty happy with the development, glad that he had taken the risk to join the military and undergo that terrifying screening test, 'But, the enemies I'll face in the future would be so terrifying that an Arhkar would seem like a joke. I shouldn't slack off.'
Wearing a casual set of clothes that had been provided for him by the nurse, Rael exited the room, gazing at the nurse as he thought, 'Appraise.'
[Name: Echlika Lael]
[Origin: Wrister City (Planet: Strombus Nebula)]
[Age: 23 Union Years]
[Race: Human]
[Might: 52]
[Toughness: 54]
[Mobility: 60]
[Endurance: 61]
[Plasma: 698]
[Body Tempering: 5341 Newton]
[Temperature Index: 531]
[Rank: E]
Upon seeing the vast difference in their stats and the arrival of new data, Rael was stumped for words, gazing at the nurse in shock. He didn't understand the implications of the various stats yet, hoping to understand them eventually.
As if she had read his mind, the nurse smiled, "You'll understand the various means to use Plasma in your academy. For starters, let me show you something fun."
Saying so, she raised her palm, condensing blue flames atop that turned crystalline for an instant before resembling liquid, morphing into the shape of a bird.
It flapped its wings and took flight, revolving around Rael before perching on his head. For an instant, Rael shuddered, fearing his head would melt.
But, he then realised that nothing of the sort happened. Rather, the bird was warm to the touch.
Laughing at his confusion, the nurse replied, "I controlled its temperature to be at forty degrees Celsius. So, you won't be harmed by it. The greater part of our power lies in our ability to control our Plasma's shape and temperature."
She then accompanied him to a room where he was seated, "This shuttle would leave for Dusk Entropa now. All the best in your endeavour, Soldier Rael."
She saluted him as the doors closed.
Rael had barely raised his hand to wave at her when there was a mild jerk throughout the shuttle, causing him to hold his seat firmly. He then observe through the windows that revealed the outside, noticing that they were approaching a massive planet that was wholly blue towards the poles, sporting a ring of landmass along the equator.
Soon, a vapour cone formed around the shuttle as it entered the planet's atmosphere.
'An entire planet that has been turned into a place exclusive for academies…' Rael thought as his mind soon turned blank, watching the mystical scene of the space shuttle entering the planet.