A planet drifted through the vast space. It was pitch dark and freezing cold. Eternal silence reigned. Its only companions were its seven brothers and sisters and the stubborn sun, caring like a mother.

It had not seen any signs of its former inhabitants in a long, long time.

But on this day a change unexpectedly occurred in the silent solar system.

A small dot appeared out of nowhere, indiscernible before the endless black canvas. It hung between the stars for a few seconds, struggling to hold on.

Suddenly though, energy surged into the small dot from an unbelievable distance away. It broke through its shackles, growing at an incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye a large black hole appeared, looking like a rapture in space. Its inside was pitch black at one second and filled with light the next.

Watching closely, one could see something moving in the light. It was an eerie sight, seemingly standing still but continuously coming closer.

Suddenly a pulse ran through the tunnel. The entrance bulged, spitting out the object inside, before disappearing as if it never existed.

Only a large spaceship remained. Its metallic hull blinked with all kinds of lights. A wave spread from the vessel, scanning its surroundings.

A man stood withing the ship’s bridge, anxiously staring at a few monitors. His transfixed eyes were reddened, his gloved hands shaking.

One hand slowly moved up the man’s body, gripping onto his rather long grey beard. A few hairs were ripped out, but the man didn’t notice the pain at all.

An eternity passed within moments. Finally, results appeared on the monitor. A lifelike female voice belonging to the ship’s AI sounded out:

“Congratulations, Prof. Dr. Delphi. We have reached earth!”

The man’s body froze. His gaze penetrated the glass, focusing on the inconspicuous rock drifting through space not far away.

“So, it really exists…”

Another man stepped next to the doctor, sighing to himself. He wore a dark red uniform made from leather-like material. A crest was stitched on his chest, showing a majestic blue rocket, which was the insignia representing the eternal empire.

His voice allowed Doctor Delphi to snap back to reality.

“Hahaha!”

The doctor laughed free and easy like he hadn’t done in a long time. At this moment a low sound could he heard, followed by heavy footsteps against the metallic floor.

Multiple people entered the bridge, all clad in uniform as well. A green-haired woman was in the lead, speaking first:

“Is it really true? No false alarm again? Did we really find earth?!”

“Hahaha, of course it is true! Look outside! Isn’t she beautiful?

Everyone doubted me! You as well, Deputy Pisces! Don’t think I don’t know.

But I did it! I! I, Dr. Delphi found the ancestral planet of humanity, Earth!”

No one present took the signs of craziness on the doctor’s face to heart. After years of working together, searching the vast space for a single planet, everyone got used to the others’ antics.

“I don’t know what you mean, doctor. I always believed in you!”

Pisces spoke with a bright smile, holding up her palm towards the team behind her, a coin-shaped device lying on her palm.

A few grumbling voices could be heard. Some of the members took out similar devices, holding them against the deputy’s.

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The woman retrieved her hand, looking at the number displayed on the device with a chuckle.

Watching this exchange the doctor could only scoff. His eyes fell on a young man at the back of the group. Seeing the excitement on the latter’s face he felt much better.

“Virgo, come here! Take a good look!”

“Yes!”

The young man with red burn wounds on his neck didn’t hold back, running towards the front and staring into space with a fascinated expression.

“So, this is earth…”

“Yes! Humanity’s ancestral planet! We left approximately twenty thousand years ago for uncleared reasons. The planet, no, the entire solar system, somehow fell into oblivion.”

“I still can’t fathom how this could’ve happened.”, whispered Virgo.

“That’s why we’re here.”

Virgo flinched hearing the deep voice of the man standing next to him. Only now did he remember that his superior was present.

Virgo straightened his body, glancing at the many stars on the tall man’s shoulders:

“Yes, Major Leo! For the empire!”

“For the empire!”

The other soldiers echoed the salute, gathering around the major.

“Everyone, don’t lose your vigilance! We are in uncharted territory! Adhere to protocol, on position!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers moved with great discipline, some leaving the bridge to take position elsewhere.

“Gemini, analyze the planet.”

“Yes, sir!”

A tall man with impressive muscles barely fitting into his uniform, replied calmly. He swiped over a few screens, focusing the scanners outside the ship on the silent planet which seemed so small in the distance.

“No signs of life…

No, wait. We have detected signs of civilization. Still, no living beings.”

“Civilization, civilization…”, murmured the doctor quietly. His eager eyes still stared at earth.

“Leo, what are we still doing here? Did you hear this? Civilization! We need to go!”

Major Leo glanced at the crazy doctor, taking a deep breath.

“Alright. Set destination: earth!”

“Yes, sir!”

Forceful shouts answered the major. Although the soldiers took their mission seriously, everyone felt at least some curiosity towards this mysterious ancestral planet.

The ship began moving again. Soon it traveled close to the speed of light. The surroundings flashed too fast for the human eye to comprehend.

However, the people in the small ship could seemingly still keep up. They expertly steered the spaceship, getting closer and closer towards earth.

“Begin landing procedures!”

“Yes, sir!”

The ship’s movement changed gracefully as it approached the planet’s surface. Its thrusters moved to slow down the momentum. With precise bursts of energy, it slowly sank towards the ground.

Doctor Delphi behaved like a fool in love, his eyes never leaving the planet since he first set his sight on it. Now that the ship entered the vicinity of the planet, one could slowly make out details of its surface.

Large parts of the planet were covered in ice. Only some places, which were directly facing the sun, had some superficial water reservoirs.

Between the enormous ice deserts some land could be made out, consisting of dry grey stone with not a speck of green to be found.

Suddenly a voice sounded through the bridge coming from a female soldier standing next to Gemini:

“Unknown structure found. Requesting permission to put it on the main screen.”

“Permission granted, Aries!”

With a swipe of Aries’s hand an image suddenly appeared on the large main screen. It showed a strange metallic structure. It was rather narrow and tall, ending in a rounded tip.

A few similar structures could be seen in its surroundings, some standing and some laying on the ground.

Major Leo pondered for a moment before glancing at the man next to him.

“Any ideas, doctor?”

“I can’t confirm it from up here, but if I’m not wrong these should be starting ramps for rockets!”

Delphi stared at the screen. A certain fascination, or rather fanatism, could still be seen on his face. However, most of it had been suppressed by a professionalism worthy of a famous researcher.

“Major, if I am right, we should start our search from this point.”

“Alright. Guys, you heard the man.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following the major’s orders, the soldiers quickly lowered the ship. The metallic structures enlarged in their view.

When Aries looked them up and down, she couldn’t help but comment:

“How uncivilized.”

Immediately she felt a pair of eyes staring down her back. She didn’t turn around, though. There was no use pacifying the doctor. In the years working together it had quickly become apparent that Aries and Delphi would never share the same view on humanity’s ancestral planet.

A short while later a jolt went through the spaceship. It had landed not far from the supposed rocket starting ramp.

“Hahaha, we are finally here! I’m coming!”

Doctor Delphi laughed happily. He basically lunged out of the bridge. A short, narrow hallway led him to a large room at the back of the ship.

The doctor took off his airy black robe, carelessly throwing it on a bench at the side, leaving him in a white shirt and black trousers.

He approached a few cabinets to the right. Entering a short code one of the cabinets snapped open, revealing a powerful armor.

Even the doctor couldn’t help but stare in awe for a moment, admiring this marvel of modern technology.

Gen 17 power armor, defending the wearer against all known and unknown hazards space could throw at them. With a sturdy exoskeleton enhancing one’s movement, yet still nimble and comfortable, this power armor offered anything a soldier could wish for.

And next to the mighty armor an entire arsenal of deadly weapons was stored. All of those were produced to the highest standards, their lethality incredible, allowing humanity do dominate the battlefield since generations.

Doctor Delphi couldn’t hold back anymore. His hand pressed against the core of the armor. An electronical voice spoke up:

“Recognized Professor Doctor Aristo Delphi. Power armor ready to be deployed.”