[11th of February, 2206; Norterop District, Earth]
Nathan Rodriguez was by all means an average person. He had black hair, brown eyes, and was about 5'9. He preferred his food to have a little spice, but not too much. He had a few hobbies, including some light fitness and watching vintage movies. He was so average that even his own family paid little heed to him. They were all politicians or businessmen. Even his parents were severely disappointed by how little he had achieved in his life so far.
"It's all a load of crap." Nathan muttered as he strolled down the streets of Brussels. "How can they expect me to make a name for myself when the entire world is caught up in a war?". He asked, clutching his hands in the air before him. No response came, for the empty streets made a poor conversation partner.
It was late, the blackouts had already started. Ever since the war had begun, energy had become a scarce resource. After 11 P.M, no light but that of the Moon and the stars was to be seen in the city.
The reason Nathan was out on the streets at such a time was due to an argument with his parents, an argument that seemed to be as recurring as the evening news. It was always the same story. First, they would carefully suggest that he take up school again, and then they would suddenly tell him about a family firm that was looking for employees. After that, they would usually just start shouting at him, telling him that he was a disgrace to the family and that he should just disappear.
Today he had decided to take them up on their offer, and so he left. He ventured out from the safety of their villa and started wandering through the city. Luckily for him, Brussels was still fairly safe. Due to Norterop being neither a populace nor an industrious district, air raids were fairly limited. Had he tried the same thing in Shenzhen he would likely have been blown to shreds by a stray beam.
He turned a corner and entered a narrow alleyway, the perfect place to sit through the night. The alley was dirty, and filled with all kinds of trash. The wall was plastered with layers upon layers of recruitment posters.
Nathan walked up to one of the posters that was still in readable condition and took a good look. It was the first time he had really paid attention to one of these. The poster was a faded orange and had a black and white picture of a soldier. The soldier was wearing the uniform of the United Human Front (U.H.F.). Below the image, the title read; "Join the U.H.F., Defend Our Cradle, Shape Our Destiny!".
"Defend Our Cradle" Nathan whispered. For any citizen of the U.H.F., that sentence sounded as familiar as 'Good morning.' or 'Good night.'. It was broadcast every day at 21:24. The digits of the year where it all started.
"Shape Our Destiny." He spoke a second time. It was the motto of the U.H.F. itself. After the unification, the world was in shambles, and morale was low. The new government needed a way to increase voluntary enlistments into the United Armed Forces (U.A.F). They decided to give the soldiers a purpose, a greater purpose. One that transcended the individual. They would not be fighting for their homes or their families. Instead, they would fight to preserve Humanity and ensure its survival.
The slogan worked. Millions upon millions of people of all ages started signing up. It was the biggest wave of enlistments since World War 2.
Nathan sat down, leaning against the wall and let out a long sigh. His gaze wandered to the top of the alleyway, the night sky was filled with bright stars. In the distance, he could make out the faint glow of the moon.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A deep male voice said.
Nathan shot up, quickly scanning the alleyway for anything he could use to defend himself. "Who are you?" he carefully asked.
A chuckle came from the darkness, a man was slowly walking towards him. The man was quite tall and muscular, and had black hair and blue eyes. He wore the U.A.F uniform.
"Relax, I'm just a passerby," the man said, raising his arms as if surrendering.
"You're in a military uniform," Nathan said, still wary of the stranger.
"I am," The man answered. "But that doesn't mean I'm here to harm you. I'm a recruiter."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, "What? Why would a recruiter be scurrying the streets at this hour?".
"I could ask you the same." The recruiter chuckled. "You certainly don't look like a homeless person, and your muscles are too well adjusted to Earth's gravity for you to be a refugee.". The recruiter started leaning against the wall next to Nathan, gazing up at the stars as well. "So why are you here, young man?" He asked.
Nathan calmed down again, sensing it was safe to trust this man.
"I-I had a fight with my parents." He stuttered, looking down in shame. "I ran away from home.".
The recruiter gave Nathan a shocked look, before bursting out into laughter.
"Must've been a pretty bad fight if you risked going out at this hour." He laughed, wheezing in between words.
Nathan's cheeks turned a bright red. "Stop it's not funny." He said, bawling his fists. "The fight wasn't that bad, I'm just done with it all."
The recruiter managed to straighten his face before continuing to talk. "Done with what?" he asked.
"Everything." Nathan answered. "My whole family expects me to do something with my life. How am I supposed to do that when the whole world's gone to crap?"
The recruiter didn't answer, just peering at the sky whilst thinking.
"You know what? You're right," he eventually said. "There is a war going on, and we're losing. We're losing, and we have no hopes of it turning for the better any time soon.".
"I knew it, it's impossible to accomplish anything right now." Nathan said, letting out a sigh.
"I didn't say that," the recruiter replied. "We may be losing, but that doesn't mean you can't make a name for yourself.".
"But how can I make a name for myself in the middle of a war?" Nathan asked.
The recruiter smiled. "Simple, become a hero.".
Nathan let out a short laugh, "Ha, and how do I do that?".
"Well," the recruiter said, turning towards Nathan. "You can start by joining the U.A.F.".
"And why would I do that?" Nathan asked.
The recruiter grinned. "I told you, to become a hero.".
He put a hand on Nathan's shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. "You want a chance to get noticed by the world, a chance to make a name for yourself? There is no better place than the front lines."
"I'll be one of millions though." Nathan remarked. "How can I make a name for myself when others like me come dime a dozen?".
"You most likely won't." The recruiter exclaimed. "But if you're brave, and truly make an effort to defend our species, then perhaps. You may just become someone special.".
Nathan thought for a moment, "You really think so?".
"I'm as sure as the sun setting on Mercury." the recruiter said.
"Ok then, I'll sign up," Nathan said.
'I don't have much choice' He thought. 'My parents won't let me back in after this last fight.'.
"You're making the right choice." The recruiter smiled, patting him on the back. "Meet me tomorrow at Neptuna Square, I'll be setting up a recruitment stand first thing in the morning. With that he stood up and walked into the distance.
As he walked away he took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry kid, I truly hope you survive.".