Bajes felt the cold grip of mortality tightening around him as he lay on the ground, bleeding out. His psi skeleton, a marvel of technology designed to protect and monitor, was failing him in his most critical moment. The detailed health report flashing before his eyes read like a death sentence: internal bleeding, blood flooding his lungs, a heart beating in a desperate, irregular rhythm, external wounds weeping blood freely. Worse, his brain was overheating, a dangerous consequence of pushing psi technology beyond its limits. This was only the fourth time in his life he had dared such a feat, and each previous instance had nearly cost him dearly. But this time, the combination of his grievous wounds and the relentless use of psi powers had sealed his fate.
Lying there, Bajes was caught in a cruel irony. The very technology that was struggling to stanch the external bleeding, to keep him anchored to life, was simultaneously hastening his end. The psi link embedded in his skull was cooking his brain from the inside, a malfunction that would likely lead to catastrophic failure. He yearned to survey the aftermath of his last stand, to witness the carnage he had wrought in defence of his command centre, but his body refused to obey. His vision, however, still served him, offering a glimpse of the devastation that surrounded him and the bodies of the elite enemy soldiers he had vanquished. Among them were faces he recognized, warriors renowned for their skill and ruthlessness. Against all odds, he had thwarted their mission to infiltrate the command centre on the planet under his charge.
As the spectre of death loomed closer, Bajes's thoughts drifted to a simpler time, a flash of memory from his childhood. It was a stark contrast to the violence and sacrifice that had defined his life in recent years, a reminder of the innocence and dreams that once filled his heart before the reality of war had reshaped his destiny.
It was April 1st, 2569, a date that, for most, would pass as just another day. However, for humanity, this day would forever be etched in memory as the "Bloody April Joke." Why this grim moniker? Because on this fateful day, 300 million human lives were extinguished within a span of 15 minutes during a catastrophic space battle. A Terellian fleet, comprised of 1 massive ship, 4 large ships, 2 carriers, 20 medium ships, and 100 small ships, obliterated the entire space fleet of the Human United Nations. The battleground was the orbit of Mars, where humanity had recently unearthed an underground base teeming with technology of mysterious origins.
Approximately half of the human casualties occurred in space, while the remainder fell victim to the relentless bombardment by the Terellian fleet. In just 15 minutes, they achieved a staggering victory without sustaining a single scratch on their vessels. That day, humanity was forced to confront a harrowing reality—not only were they not alone in the universe, but there also existed a race capable of annihilating them on a whim.
And how does this relate to Bajes's memory? Almost not at all, aside from the fact that he learned of these events years later. On that day, Bajes was a mere five-year-old child living on Mars. He was playing outside when the sky suddenly ignited with the flaming debris of human ships plummeting towards the planet. His mother urgently instructed him to seek refuge in the defensive cellar underground. Together with his father, Bajes hurried to the shelters, while his mother went back to fetch his older sister, promising to reunite with them shortly.
Bajes, too young to understand the gravity of the situation, was cradled in his father's arms as they ran with a tide of others seeking refuge. Amidst the chaos, the shelter they sought sanctuary in was not the safe haven they had hoped for. A devastating explosion tore through the structure, causing it to collapse. In an instant, Bajes found himself separated from his father, propelled through a tunnel by the force of the blast. The friction scorched his back, leaving a trail of pain in its wake.
He emerged into a vast hall, so immense that words fail to capture its scale. Illuminated by an unfamiliar technology, the hall was intermittently shaken by distant impacts, possibly from falling ships or ongoing bombardment. Overwhelmed by fear and pain, Bajes began to weep for the safety of his family.
In his despair, an unexpected comfort came in the form of a voice inside his head, soothing yet alien. "Don't cry, little one," it whispered, as if directly speaking to his frightened soul. Before he could process this anomaly, another voice beckoned, "Come to us, we will help you. Follow our light." Almost on cue, the ambient lighting dimmed, except for a radiant glow in the centre of the hall that seemed to beckon him.
Driven by a blend of curiosity and an innate trust in the mysterious voices, Bajes wiped away his tears and staggered toward the illuminated centre, each step punctuated by the quaking ground beneath him. As he approached, he noticed an object at the focal point of the light—a mirror, its edges shimmering with an ethereal glow, resting on the ground as if waiting for him.
Surrounded by an all-encompassing darkness, Bajes stood alone, save for the ethereal glow emanating from the mirror's edges. Peering into it, he found no reflection, only the surface rippling like disturbed water. The voice in his mind posed a haunting question, "Will you accept one of us? We can't all fit in, so the most suited one will." Confusion and fear gripped Bajes as he scanned the darkness for an answer.
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Another voice chimed in, its tone laced with fear, "We are afraid as well, we need you to survive." Bajes, confronted with the mirror's enigma, doubted its capacity to hold whatever entity spoke to him. To prove his point, he attempted to move the mirror, only to find it immovable, anchored by an unseen force.
"You need to touch us," the voice instructed, as another tremor shook the hall, a grim reminder of the chaos above. Urged by the voice and the promise of concealment from the unknown threats, Bajes wavered. His fear was palpable, his understanding stretched to its limits. "We do not know the meaning of their arrival, but we can help you hide if you allow us," the voice coaxed, sensing his hesitation.
Admitting his fear and confusion, Bajes received a final plea, "We need to establish a symbiotic relationship between us. It takes 5 minutes, then we will help you survive and look for your family." The mention of his family tipped the scales. With a mixture of desperation and hope, Bajes extended his hand to the mirror.
Upon contact, the mirror's surface transformed, its solidity giving way to a liquid state that climbed up his arm, encasing him in a chilling embrace. The cold sensation spread rapidly, evoking a deep-seated fear within Bajes.
As the liquid reached Bajes' temples, a sharp pain surged through his body, causing him to collapse, immobilized and helpless. The voice, now a constant presence in his mind, offered a brief explanation, "We will be silent. Assimilation is not pleasant as it creates a direct link to your brain." Waves of pain washed over Bajes, each one bringing a torrent of tears and internal screams of protest—cries of "lies!" and "not fair!" echoed within the confines of his mind, the natural reactions of a frightened child.
Eventually, the pain ceased, giving way to a moment of respite. The voice reassured him, "I have established a connection. The link needs to cool down, and then you will regain movement. It will be shortly." True to its word, sensation and control gradually returned to Bajes' fingers, then slowly spread through his body.
Urged to ensure the safety of the technology, the voice instructed, "Please touch the edge of the well. I need to make sure it does not fall into improper hands." Despite his hesitation, Bajes found his hand moving seemingly of its own accord to comply with the request. Upon touching the mirror, a blinding light enveloped him, followed by complete darkness.
"I will navigate you through the hall. Can you trust me?" the voice asked. Amidst his confusion, Bajes felt an inexplicable sense of trust towards the voice. Agreeing, he stood up, and as he did, several lights flickered to life around him, piercing the darkness and illuminating a path forward. This new alliance, born out of necessity and desperation, now guided Bajes through the unknown, a beacon of hope in his quest to find his family amidst the chaos.
As Bajes lay on the ground, incapacitated by a paralyzing shot from an unknown weapon, he was suddenly aware that he could understand the alien language being spoken by the figures standing over him—a language he had never heard before. This realization was startling, yet he found no guidance from the voice that had been so present in his mind until now; it remained ominously silent.
The two figures looming above him were Terellians, distinguishable by their unique physical attributes: elongated limbs, skin tones varying from deep purples to vibrant greens, and eyes larger and devoid of lenses compared to humans. Their uniforms were sleek, with designs that seemed both organic and highly advanced, reflecting their technological superiority and aesthetic values. Despite their alien appearance, there was an undeniable elegance and efficiency to their gear, indicative of a society that valued both form and function.
One Terellian, examining Bajes with a mix of curiosity and caution, suggested, "Shall we dispose of it?" The other, with a tone indicating a higher rank or perhaps more knowledge, countered, "No, we are bringing it home with us. Look, it is the only human so far with a psi link. And not just any link, but one that only the royal family possesses. If it's a royal heirloom, we need to bring it along, like it or not."
The first Terellian, resigned to the decision, responded, "Then put it to sleep and let's get out. These savages attacked us while we sought peace talks; they are not advanced enough." And with that, darkness claimed Bajes once more, his consciousness slipping away into oblivion.
Everyone knew the story that unfolded after Bajes was taken; it was a moment etched in the history. The young human boy, spirited away to a Terellian command ship and into the presence of the royal prince, soon found himself on a path that would forever alter the fabric of interstellar relations. His subsequent adoption by the Terellian empress and integration into the ancient race's royal family was not just a personal turning point but a galactic event of unprecedented significance.
To the people of Earth and the Moon, Bajes symbolized a living bridge to a cosmos teeming with untold mysteries and new allies. Meanwhile, on Mars, his story was tinged with bitterness—a vivid reminder of their defeat and loss, with Bajes himself an unwitting trophy of the Terellian triumph.
His adoption, an act that no one could have foreseen, thrust him into the spotlight as perhaps the most discussed individual across the known universe. That day, Bajes lost everything familiar: his family, his friends, his very world. Yet, in their place, he gained an unexpected new family among the stars.
It took years for the truth to dawn on him—the conflict was sparked by humanity's own aggression and foolhardy dalliance with powers beyond their grasp. Now, as he lay dying, Bajes pondered the irony of his legacy. Here was a human, embraced by the royal lineage of one of the galaxy's eldest civilizations, yet marked by the same human follies that had led to this moment of reckoning.