Solara woke up to an alarm blaring. She stood up and ran into the hallway and followed the red lights inside of it. She came to a wide area with soldiers standing on either side of a large door. The door opened and steam rolled out into the open room. Lights flashed on the other side of the door and soldiers fell beside her in a heap. She heard Aridus walking behind her. Solara realized she could see through the smoke. She turned around to a nozzle pressed to her face. Aridus came into view with an expression of desperation. A light flashed behind her and Aridus’s head snapped back. Solara ran past the body, but was tripped by an invisible wire. Darkness filled her head.

Solara woke up to the whirring of machines. She opened her eyes and saw a person--no not a person. Its skin was smooth and blank, its face lacked expression.

“You’re awake!” exclaimed the person-not-person. Solara realized this must be some kind of android or robot. The android-robot wheeled Solara’s chair to a table. Solara finally noticed the bonds over her ankles and wrists. She could not feel the static.

“My name is FB4409, but you may call me Four.” said Four. Solaa looked out the window to see empty space. Four walked over to her and began poking and prodding her with tools. The final tool he came over with was a needle. Solara was resistant to the needle, not wanting it to pierce her skin. Four jabbed the needle into her arm and left it there for half a moment. After pulling the needler out, Four brought it to a shute and sent it to an unknown place.

Solara was released from the room about an hour later. She was taken down corridors with marvelous architecture and pristine walls. She arrived at a door with a strange marking she did not understand. The opened with a hiss and a bright light blinded her. Was this the Sun?

“Please wait here.” said a girl in a pale yellow dress decorated with silver symbols.

Solara sat down on a blue couch. It was too soft for her liking, so she stood up. Solara waited for an interminable amount of time before the girl in the yellow dress showed up again. Behind her was a man wearing a navy blue jacket and a black trench coat. He had perfect teeth and flawless hair. He seemed young, though Solara knew about age reducing processes and was unsure if this man had gone through one.

“This is Colonel Rayes.” said the girl in the yellow dress.

“Nice to meet you.” said Solara. She knew this man’s name. Rayes, brigadier general for the Republic of Telos. This man was far too young to be the real Rayes. This must be the general’s son.

“I was told you’re quite the warrior.” said Rayes.

“What?” said Solara, confused. She had never fought anyone in her life, or at least, not that she remembered. The Colonel walked over to a small desk and picked a glass. Immediately, the girl in the dress filled it with a frothy green juice. Solara hadn't realized before how thirsty she was.

“Excuse me, but what liquids do you carry?” asked Solara. The Colonel laughed.

“We carry the ever timeless liquid, water.” said Rayes in a mocking tone.

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“That sounds sufficient.” said Solara. The girl in the yellow dress briskly walked out of the room. Rayes sat down in a blood red seat with yellow cushions. The girl came back with a tray with two cups on top of it. Solara grabbed the water and gulped it down like it was the last thing she would ever drink.

“So, what did they do to you.” asked Rayes. What? Who?

“Sorry, but who did what?” questioned Solara.

“The Ardein Federation,” said Rayes, as if it was obvious,”Their leader, Aridus, was with you on the space station. He tried to kill you.” Solara knew Aridus, but not of this Federation.

“Back to my question,” said Rayes, “what did they do to you?” Solara tried to find out why the Colonel wanted this information, but she came up cold.

“They made me train,” said Solara,” I killed someone.” Solara hadn’t realized how vile she was until she had said it.

“Well, you aren’t the only one.” said Rayes in a depressed tone. Tension swallowed the room.

“Why don’t we catch you up on the history of our great galaxy, Onteria” said Rayes, breaking the silence. Solara was gestured to by the girl in the yellow dress to follow her. They walked back down the flawless halls of what Solara now knew was the capital building of the Republic of Telos.

“I’m Faer,” said the girl,” I’m the Colonel’s secretary.”

“Nice to meet you, Faer.” said Solara. The awkwardness of their conversation overwhelmed Solara.

Finally, they arrived outside of the building after what seemed like a maze of hallways and corridors. The sky was a bright turquoise and the grass was the most beautiful lavender color. This planet seemed like a paradise. It was also the only planet Solara had ever been on. Faer gave Solara directions to get to the nearest MetroTrack station.

“Just give the station attendant this card and they will give you a free ride to the Telos Archive.” said Faer. She handed Solara a lime green card with white lettering on it. Direct Pass.

Solara followed the directions Faer gave her to a small building. The structure was tall and had lots of windows. Its main colors were a light grey and lime green. It had a neon sign reading: Metro. Solara walked in and was surprised at the amount of noise she heard. She had never endured such sounds, the experience was overwhelming. She ran to what looked to be the Metro Transport. She stepped inside the vehicle. It smelled like fuel.

“Ticket?” said the driver. He was an old man with a hearty smile. Solara handed him her Direct Pass.

“I see we have one lucky duck on board,” said the driver, “You’re free to go.” What did ducks have to do with the situation? Solara walked to the back of the tram before stopping at an empty pod. She stepped inside and set herself in the seat.

“Identification?” said a voice, it made Solara jump.

“Sorry, what?” asked Solara.

“Identification?” the voice asked again. Faer had not prepared her for this step.

“Solara?” said Solara, hoping the voice would accept her name. A slight whirring came from the machine in front of her.

“No criminal record found,” said the voice, “Thank you for choosing MetroTrack!” Solara wondered why this place needed to have criminal records. According to her memory, the Republic of Telos had the lowest crime rate in the entire system. She dismissed the thought and replaced with worries and possibilities for the Telos Archive.