It was the turn of the new year, the year 2000, and fireworks streaked up into the dark sky per this jolly tradition held around the world. While the brilliance of their light faded as they fell and was supposed to be replaced by the usual pitch sky and moonlit night, citizens around the world looked up to see persisting streaks of lights across the expansive sights above.
They didn’t know it yet, but this event would be later named the Starfall Calamity.
Considered first as just a phenomenon of shooting stars, these lights in the sky were in truth falling space debris that had penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere, how or where they came from was still unknown. But that question faded from everyone’s minds at that time.
Shock overtook them, hundreds of these streaking lights made impact to the surface of earth, destroying, and leveling whole cities and even splitting a few countries in twain. The map of the world was completely changed after a single night, and humanity realized that this calamity still wasn’t over, it was just getting started.
Known once as America, this large nation was shattered in the opening hour.
With most of the State of Texas being cratered and the land bridge connecting to South America being decimated to an extent that it connected both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. A now hideous expanse of ocean existed, opened up after all of Mexico and half of Texas was wiped off the map.
Reports of unknown creatures then popped up like mad and the rising death toll in this disaster caught every nation off guard. For a time, the United States of America held out due to their open carry policy and the right to bear arms but that soon held little advantage when what you needed to kill had skin as hard as tank armor and was as big as buildings. Not only that, but people began to turn, in more ways than one.
As people fought amongst each other, almost reaching worldwide anarchy, an unseen war had started, and humanity had yet to even know it, but it would be the unifying event that smothered every nation’s past grudges. In the first year, humanity was still reeling and trying to figure out what was going on.
After a hastily cobbled together research group was sent in to examine the largest impact points of these “shooting stars” and resulting “holes” that were the source of these unknown creatures, the surviving governments around the world found their findings troubling.
An astounding 99% of the research group was killed in a matter of months for this discovery, and this was just one of the many small sacrifices that humankind had made in hopes of understanding and surviving what was like the apocalypse.
The findings were few and were at first disregarded since dealing with the issue of whole cities being consumed every week was of higher importance, but eventually it gained notoriety in higher leadership. It shook them to their core since the findings held absolute assurance of what was happening to their world.
The researchers who were sacrificed for this intel would be remembered, but there was no service for them, their findings were of more importance and their next actions took much precedence and haste. It seemed that to politicians, the words written on a piece of paper held more significance than the blood spilt thousands of miles away.
Creatures, not native of this planet, were pouring out from the holes ripped in physical space by those “shooting stars”. Defensive lines were quickly drawn and all armies around the world were mobilized.
The war against these invaders was of only staggering success. The creatures' overwhelming and otherworldly powers pushed humanity to the brink, not even nuclear weapons could stop them all, not if humanity still wanted a planet to live on.
Humankind needed something to turn the tide, to truly allow victory across all battlefields but with pinpoint force and deft control like that of a scalpel that could cut away at the enemy. Entering the history books, the Explorer Program was initiated. Professed to the people as a scientific initiative to understand the cause of this war.
The apparent holes designated as star depths, in reference to the shooting star event that had caused all this, were the main point of research.
Years of work ensued as battlelines broke and reformed to buy time, bodies were thrown to the frontline to gain every second possible. The war seemed bleak every time the lines broke, but the river of blood that was created paid off.
A breakthrough was made. It seemed that the event of the Starfall had not only affected the physical appearance of their landscape but had a rapid effect on the indigenous animals. This included humans as well, who could now possess unnatural powers.
Recruited for study and for their use of their new powers in the war, these individuals were the first aptly named explorers to truly pierce the veil of the changes happening to their planet and in finding just what exactly these star depths were.
More years passed and more explorers were identified and joined the Explorer Program. Battles across the world began to be won as heroic figures took the stage to turn the tide of war. It was by some great miracle that humanity had found a way to survive, clinging to the explorer’s power as a comforting warm torch in the cold long night of the world ending around them.
Near a turning point, the first Terracolony was made to act as the Explorer Program’s home base. Many countries followed and built their own, recruiting from their pools of remaining population centers to train even more explorers to join the fight for human survival.
15 years, it took 15 years to finally end the war. On top of that, another 15 had passed prior to allowing key events that lead to the creation of the Explorer program’s foundation. In all, 30 years of fighting for their lives was needed to truly vanquish the unknown invasive creatures on the surface and contain them to the star depths.
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30 years to push the frontline, 20 and counting to contain the threat. Was it truly worth it? To most, yes. To some, it was a reminder of just how powerful their enemy was.
Now, in the present time, the year 2050, terracolonies are scattered around the globe, dotting the war torn but recovering civilizations of humankind. Their purpose now changed, terracolonies are at the forefront of exploration and containment of the star depths.
Those that come to these colonies are trained to become explorers for the sake of discovery and safeguarding humankind against the creatures of the deep depths. As the apparent power of these individuals were of great note, many colonies had changed to training and recruiting explorers as soldiers and figures of political and militaristic power to act as deterrents against one another.
Even after surviving the apocalypse, the inhabitants of this world continued to vie for power. This was all common knowledge to both Stella and Amanda, and for both of them they were here for their own reasons as well.
“NH! I think I’m done.”
Feeling herself refreshed, Stella stretched her arms up, tensing them to get the stiff feeling out of her body. Her movements caused her enormous chest to bounce but it truly got the weight off her shoulders.
“I’m heading out first, but I plan to go do some shopping around the colony. Would you like to join me? I’d love to continue our chat about our journeys?”
“Sure! And I’d love a shopping buddy. Give me a sec though, I wanna really soak in the heat. I haven’t had a bath this good in months.”
Amanda’s bliss was palpable as she sighed, letting herself dip deep into the large communal bath’s warm water, and Stella could understand why. Her new friend had actually been going on a trip around the world in search of something, while Amanda had not said what it was she was looking for, Stella knew not to pry.
“Well, take as much time as you need. We’re in no rush since school doesn’t start for a few days. I’ll see you in my room.”
“Alright. Take Care.” Amanda yawned in relief as her shoulder sagged and went somewhat limp.
Gathering her things and departing to her dorm, all Stella wore was a towel around herself as she left, while improper and indecent, she knew this place was pretty much empty so she didn’t mind since her room was only a short walk away.
Finishing up herself, Amanda recollected about her journey. It had been quite one heck of a life. After the Starfall Calamity War, Amanda herself was an orphaned child whose parents had died while civilization was still trying to put itself together.
She was raised most of her life in an orphanage and knew very little of the wider world. But when she was 15, Amanda left the small world of her orphanage to go on a journey of self-enlightenment. Her powers had manifested and she had quite the adequate control over them, so much so that she could handle herself in a fight. It was a trait that was a bit rambunctious for this beautiful girl.
But even with this silver lining, it was a sad past, but these years of traveling were somewhat fun and even exhilarating. Seeing lands regrow into lush greenery and the people flourishing in once war-torn landscapes, brought a happy tear to her eyes.
It was so hopeful she thought, as she hoisted herself up and out of the bath to get changed. She wanted to ride out this positive note into the rest of the day.
Reaching to the clothing bin, Amanda’s senses tingled. She was a mystic, a class of explorers who were known to manifest powers or abilities of psychic or unusual attributes. Because of this, Amanda had a somewhat sixth sense in detecting presences. The one she was picking up on if she focused enough was of a prickly kind and was not as warm or energetic as Stella’s.
Quickly fastening a towel around herself, Amanda rushed to find a weapon since she could detect that the would-be assailant was close by.
She knew she could defend herself and materialize a weapon with her powers as a mystic but using her abilities outside of designated classes or without permission from authorized personnel was grounds for expulsion, which she didn’t want to happen before she even started her first day at the academy.
If she blundered here, she could imagine what the news would say.
Glancing around, she found a metal baseball bat that was oddly still here in the changing room. She thought nothing of it, believing it to be a leftover memento from the previous year’s students before herself and Stella.
Thanking the unknown person who left this here, Amanda sneakily peeked through the communal bathroom’s double doors. From here, she could see the open reception area she had met Stella in.
This time, instead of the cheery red hair girl filling the room with her crimson beauty, a hooded young man, who wore a face mask that covered most of his face, was prowling around. He walked in from one of the restricted entrances' sliding glass doors and Amanda thought he was up to no good, because of all places, why would a boy be in a girl’s dorm.
But Amanda paused, she had no idea if this person really meant any harm since he seemed harmless. He was tiny in comparison to herself or Stella, but his presence and the look in the young man’s dark black eyes told her otherwise. They screamed of murder and the shape of a sheathed knife strapped to the side of the young man’s waist belt caught her attention.
But what pushed her to action was how the young man was walking in the direction of Stella’s room.
Identifying this person as an invader, Amanda hid her presence with a few tricks up her sleeve. She wouldn’t let her new friend be accosted by some tiny assassin alone, she’d beat the crap out of him and turn him into the authorities.
Approaching slowly to get behind him, Amanda’s heart sunk when the young man suddenly stopped walking.
Did he notice her? Or was it something else? Amanda thought to swing the bat in her hand, but she wasn’t in range yet.
She got her answer to her previous questions when the intruder reached into his pocket to pull out his personal terminal. Amanda crouched to hide behind a nearby couch and let him put the device to his ear as he connected an apparent incoming call.
“Yeah, I’m here.” He said, his voice sounding uninterested and dry. He paused, letting the person on the other side of the call say his peace before nodding.
“Yup, I’ll execute the plan, don’t worry. I’ll get the job done.” He patted the knife at his side and hung up the call. He put his personal device back into his pocket but as he looked up, and then down the hall, the hooded assailant saw a red beauty clad in black lingerie.
He flinched at the sight of Stella and while he didn’t know her by name, the young man knew her from the news. And right now, she looked as if she was going to attack him.
But before she could, Amanda had seen and heard enough. She dashed and the young man then heard footsteps on the wooden floor behind him.
Taken off guard and confused, the assailant wondered why two naked girls were attacking him.