500 years into the future, technological progress has stagnated. Wracked by a series of problems like climate change, lack of resources and the innate human lust for war, the geopolitical landscape of planet Earth is radically different, and quality of life is far from what it was in the past. While technical development and research into realistically feasible space travel has made leaps and bounds, this has come at the cost of a world that is reeling from centuries of technical stagnation in other aspects of life. The establishment of a mining colony on Mars has led to the discovery of a new, rare material called sarinium; though it is extremely tensile and durable, it has a very low melting point. The discovery of this metal leads to large mechanical infantry- dubbed 'Spirit Striders', they are six to ten meters tall and as famed for the pride they provide a nation as they are a lethally mobile heavy weapons platform. The story follows the character of Marilin, who must both figure the enigma that is her past, and what this means for her allegiances in the future. Despite her genetically physical frailty, she seeks to gain power through a vessel that will channel her wish to change the world- the Spirit Strider. --- I hope you all enjoy my work. This is a story that I began writing over four years ago in my beginning years of high school, and have cast aside unfinished in the past two years. Though it is not up to my current standards, I hope you all may find some enjoyment in it. Happy reading.