Born in the world of LC-935, Uan was no stranger to danger.
Life there for most started in a muddy ditch from the womb of an anaemic, disease-ridden woman whose name he didn’t remember.
Those who were lucky died shortly after birth and those who weren’t lived on.
Uan was in the latter category and he, like all called the Lost Cradle home, lived in an environment that sat atop the ruins of a once advanced people.
Their concrete towers and cities had since been eaten whole by dense vegetation which people had to navigate through if they wanted to go anywhere.
The population of a little less than one million individuals in total across the planet’s surface was divided into tribes that were spawning grounds for violence and rape.
The laws that existed between those tribes were flimsy at best and the idea of mercy was often laughed at as entire cultures were founded on callousness and brutality.
That’s how Uan spent his early years. Guided by those ruthless ideals and seemingly trapped in that terrible mire.
The only things he could find comfort in were the stories the elders told on uneventful nights.
They spoke of a False God who lied to the people of the Lost Cradle, offering them protection and bounty but he possessed no such power so the people took it upon themselves to test that enigmatic being’s divinity.
After capturing him, they sent a spear into his side and while it is said he bled water, he ultimately died from his wounds.
What kind of god can die, let alone at the hands of mortals?
Wouldn’t that mean they weren’t worthy of the title in the first place?
Uan often thought about this along with the other story that often stole nights from him as he looked to the stars although it was more of a prophecy.
One which spoke of a being who would come to save the people of the Lost Cradle from their pain and suffering.
One without a face and one who was said to walk alongside two brides.
Almost everyone on LC-935 believed this being would come but to Uan, it was just another tall tale cooked up by the oddly optimistic elders.
Uan’s life of hunting the local fauna for food and barely surviving tribal skirmishes would one day change when the Archon Gudo landed on LC-935.
Many were quick to assume that he was the faceless being the stories spoke of but Uan wasn’t convinced.
Gudo wasn’t there to help them.
He was there to recruit any men he could find into his general armed forces.
Uan was picked simply because he wasn’t as sickly or insane as those who were.
He was then trained for eight months alongside hundreds of thousands of others in a massive world where their bodies and minds were brought up to speed.
They were made into soldiers but only in the capacity of general infantry.
Not that Uan complained.
He was more than grateful that Gudo had saved him from possibly dying at the hands of his many crazed kin.
Uan would then serve Gudo for four fairly uneventful years since Archon Zenith never got too involved in the Celestial Conflict.
This too, of course, would change when Ardi appeared.
She, in less than thirty days, killed two of the Devourer’s Teeth, took over all of Zenith’s territory and became a key player in the conflict.
She was a terrifying existence and a large part of Uan was grateful he was on her side.
That said, she also wanted to involve herself in the war much more than Zenith did and this inevitably meant that she would need to raise an army.
In a strange twist, she refused to take control of the men who served her captains and instead chose to form an entirely new force.
An Armada.
Uan was equally perplexed when he was drafted but since he felt little loyalty to Gudo, he went without complaint.
He was grateful for all that Gudo had done for him but was also willing to see where else his fate would lead him.
So, he joined fifteen million individuals in being transported towards the sector surrounding Plinth.
This massive number of people was then dropped off on several worlds where they were led into massive facilities.
It had been made clear that everyone would be undergoing heavy body modification and while being drafted for the captain-led armies was non-negotiable, everyone was allowed to decline to join the Armada.
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So that meant almost everyone came willingly.
Uan recalled feeling nothing but dread as he, alongside many others, was placed in an ovular capsule, one of many that lined the almost nauseatingly clean white space.
[Please remove your clothes and lay down in your designated capsules.] Came a voice from above.
Uan’s number was 200382 and so, after stripping he laid down in the surprisingly comfortable pod.
What followed was a wave of drowsiness.
He didn’t know where it came from or why but before he knew it, he was unconscious.
.
..
[System booting...
Connecting to Ardinite Nerve Bridges...
Running full system diagnostics...
Syncing with Ardinite Network…
Designation: “200382/"Uan"
Diagnostics complete.
All systems are operating within optimal parameters.
Initialization sequence complete.
Name: Uan
HP: 2000/2000
EN: 1000/1000J
STR: 20 000N
SPD: 28m/s
DI: 100%]
Uan awoke with a gasp.
He quickly sat up to find that he was still naked and in his pod, only his entire body felt different.
While it looked mostly the same with his pale skin remaining unchanged, he felt both lighter and more robust.
His vision was far clearer than ever before and every breath of his was infused with power that he knew he had complete control over.
[Hello, Uan. You have successfully undergone the Meredian Transplant and, while a majority of your body has been replaced with more efficient parts, your brain is very much the same one you were born with.]
Uan squinted in confusion upon hearing those words only it sounded like they were coming from inside his mind and were in a familiar voice.
As if sensing his puzzlement, the voice spoke again.
[You are currently synchronized to and are interacting with the Ardinite Network – Admiral Ardi’s very own intelligence network that will allow you to gather and process information at extreme speeds. You may refer to me as Ardy if you like.]
This was far too bizarre for Uan to wrap his mind around and so be turned from what was going on within to what was happening without.
Everyone was being led out of the pod space all while a video transmission played above via a large hologram.
The man speaking on the video was apparently Director Hans and he explained just what the Meredith Transplant was as everyone was led out of that space and into a series of large rooms that were lined with bunk beds.
At the feet of these beds were black trunks which everyone was prompted to open by their own Ardy’s.
Doesn’t Ardy sound a little too much like Ardi? Uan wondered and Ardy responded immediately after.
[Ardy was chosen specifically to avoid confusion.] It or she said and she sounded so proud of herself too.
Uan shook away his flabbergast and opened his trunk to find two sets of grey, regular-use uniforms, toiletries and a few other miscellaneous items.
[While you may be sharing this room with the five hundred soldiers in your battalion, you will be part of a Unit 1 – 4th Platoon, 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps. Your teammates will be highlighted now and will occupy the three beds closest to you.]
“Excuse me.”
Uan turned around to find a short naked woman standing behind him with an outstretched hand.
“My name is Afilada and I’ll be your captain. Looking forward to working with you.” She smiled.
Her brown skin seemed to glow under the bright lights above and she had shortly cut black hair.
Uan shook her hand and, without needing prompt began changing into his uniform.
As he got dressed, Ardy informed him that his two other teammates were approaching and so he turned to the right to a tell man approaching.
Uan knew he was a teammate because Ardy highlighted and named him as such.
He had short blond hair, pale blue eyes and a sturdy frame.
“Hello. The system in my head says you’re my teammates. I guess we really are Archons now.” The man nodded to himself but this just made Uan tilt his head.
“HI. We’re not Archons. We’ve just been heavily augmented but I look forward to working with you regardless.”
“Oh- I guess that kinda makes sense. Also, my name is Saai.”
Uan turned to the last of his teammates as she approached and while just a little taller than Afilada, she was also skinnier and looked like she was really sleepy by how low her eyelids were. She had shortly cut black hair, pale skin and slanted eyes.
“Hello. My name is Gizagi. Nice to meet you.” She didn’t sound like she wanted to be present.
Strangely enough, even though there were four hundred and ninety-six other people, Uan could hear his teammates clearly.
He assumed this was Ardy’s work and before she explained her wrongdoings, Uan told her he didn’t want to know.
“Nice to meet you all. Now, I know this may sound a little childish but what do you think we should call our unit?” Afilada asked with a bright smile.
“Ooh! How about Death Force!” Saai yelled with a pumped fist.
“Mmm… could we try something less… ominous?” Afilada asked as she joined Uan in wearing her uniform which bore the crest of the would-be Armada. The wheel of a ship and the insignia of Ardi’s Fleet – a quill and a scroll.
Saai and Gizagi did the same, slipping into their grey sweatpants and shirts, while Saai loudly droned in thought.
“Shouldn’t we wait until we have a distinguishable trait or achievement to name ourselves?” Uan raised a brow.
“You’re right. I just thought it would be neat if we had one. We’ll have to think deeply about it.” Afilada tucked her shirt into her pants and strapped her grey sneakers on tightly.
[Please make your way to the assembly area outside.] Ardy instructed and, as if compelled by an unseen hand, everyone moved out of the sleeping quarters and exited the building to find themselves in a vast field that was made mostly of grass. The local star was steadily setting, casting everyone in deep shadow.
Tall floodlights illuminated the space which everyone stood in according to their designation as prompted by Ardy.
Uan didn’t want to think about it but it felt as though he was part of a hive mind.
A massive holographic display then appeared above the 1st Battalion and showed a veiled woman who all knew as Ardi and this was enough to make the usually nonchalant Uan gasp.
[Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. You now stand slowly as actuators for my vision. Some may think it selfish, the way I have gathered you for the pure purpose of achieving my goals but I truly believe that our people will benefit the most from the future I have in mind. One where man is returned to his seat alongside the machines who helped him build it so high.]
Uan felt like he was going to drown in the ever-reaching ocean that was her voice but he tried his best to remain composed.
[You will fight and many of you may very well die in the name of peace. If you believe in this Oh so idealistic vision of mine, then please get on your knees, put your hands on your laps, close your eyes and look up.]
A wave of confused murmurs filled the air but everyone did as instructed, including Uan who, after kneeling, wondered what exactly Ardi was planning.
He would get his answer in the form of a violent torrent of knowledge.
Combat skills, tactics, survival skills, geographic knowledge, scientific knowledge and so much more.
In a fraction of a second, he had been given access to just about any piece of information he could think of.
[Welcome to the Ardinite Network and while my Ardinites serve to deliver me knowledge, you will be the nodes that deliver victory!] Ardi declared and as she did, some people broke into tears and others gasped or screamed aloud as they were filled with knowledge.
No one dared open their eyes yet and completely gave themselves to Ardi.
Chief among them, perhaps, was Uan who began to question Ardi’s nature and her purpose beyond what she outwardly presented.