Sheer was a planet that was mostly covered by land. Patches of green, khaki, and brown stacked together and on top of each other, surrounding the only field of ocean on the planet, making this planet a little inconspicuous in this infinite field of black, aside from the two floating space stations outside of the planet.

  They were the facilities under the S.D.A's control, a part of the Star Chaser Project.  

  Mello 1, which was located in the sky at the South of Rodenzel, was the first space station that the S.D.A owned. A strip-shaped body with some ginormous, spinning rings around it. Although one can only see a brief silhouette on the ground, the orbit of it was in correspondence to the rotation period of Sheer. Therefore, Mello 1 looked like it was nailed to the sky in the same spot for the people.

  Gadina stared at the weird space station that was stagnant in the sky; some droplets of sweat slid down from her forehead.

  I wonder how the artificial foods up there taste.

  She remembered what she heard from other people. Although life at the base wasn't exactly bad, she was still curious about the life out in the space stations.

  At least I won't get sunburnt up there.

  She thought to herself.

  The girl flipped her hair a little, turned around, and suddenly noticed that there was a falling spot of light in the sky not too far away.

  Here it goes.

  She looked at the spot, and the other six smaller ones that followed after. Some new recruits had also stopped what they were doing and looked in the same direction like she did. As a resident of Sheer, this wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar scene.

  Half a century had passed, but still, no one knows where the Star Creatures came from, or why they were here. Although the giant monsters' invasions had become more frequent, the terror they brought wasn't as haunting as it was in the past decades; especially for the era that Gadina was born in.

  The Star Creatures were once a strong threat, since normal weapons didn't work on them. Human civilization almost got wiped out, but those uninvited guests did not rule over the land for too long. After failing countless times, the surviving Sheerians found out the Star Creatures' weakness. They even discovered a way to kill them. Humans started to repair the broken world, and reestablished order. S.D.A forming symbolized that the threats the Star Creatures brought no longer crushed them.

  Before Gadina joined the S.D.A, she had only had a rough idea of them; or more like she didn't care, just like how most of the people living in the Mega Citadel were.

  She only knew that the S.D.A would monitor those invaded Star Creatures, and then they would send out Chasers. The monsters were disastrous, or more like pests, and the S.D.A was the professional pest control.

  "Assemble!" Someone suddenly shouted. "The break is over!"

  Gadina shifted her eyes away from the sky, and followed the others to where the voice came from.

  I'm starving.

  She thought to herself, but the morning was yet to be over. It was because of the fact that she shared the sweet bread she got for breakfast with another girl.

  I need some people that I can trust on my side.

  She told herself, although she had already left the street life she had in Rodenzel.

  Gadina didn't quite understand why she was doing this; perhaps it was of the uneasiness she got from the uniformed lifestyle. She still believed that she should have her own group of people.

  Or maybe some dummies that I can order around.

  She plotted, since the girls that were in the same year as her were either too honest and upright, or a little bit dim.

⧫

  "I'll get it for you," Joel picked up the luggage Hanister left in the cockpit.

  "It's alright," the girl stood up. "I've got it."

  She walked towards the opened hatch door.

  "Allow me, I have to take you to the personnel officer anyway."

  "It's okay... No stress," Hanister rejected again. "I've got it."

  "Do you know where to go for registration?" Joel lifted the luggage he was carrying, then asked in a serious tone.

  Hanister didn't reach out for the luggage. Instead, she poked her head out of the cockpit and scanned around. The Belden Base was a partially-underground advanced facility located in the suburbs of Rodenzel. The two of them were right at the hangar. There were a couple of aircraft for transportation parked. She could see a bunch of maintenance staff walking around, inspecting the aircraft, but there were no signs around.

  The girl ducked back, looking a bit embarrassed. "Or maybe you can take me there..."

  Joel nodded, with a genuine grin plastered on his face. He slung the luggage onto his shoulder, then left the cockpit.

  "Mr.Joel," Hanister followed behind. “When can I become an official Chaser?"

  "An official Chaser?" The man walking in the front asked. "You really want to go to the front line, don't you?" He couldn't help but frowned a little.

  "Yeah, I just..." The girl's face reddened, but did not continue on to finish her sentence.

  "It'll take at least six months," Joel answered after thinking for a moment.

  "If you adapt fast enough that is," he said. "But don't worry, you'll stay in this facility for at least three months."

  "And then?"

  "Then?" Joel slowed down. "I don't know, Hanister."

  He turned around and glanced at the girl.  

  "It depends on your training, your test results, and how many people stays."

  "How many people stays?" Hanister caught up to the recruiter, and walked alongside him. They have been heading towards a tunnel ever since they left the aircraft. The entire hangar was underground. On the other hand, the ceiling was a ginormous mobile gate, making it easier for the gyroplanes to take off and land.

  "Some people might not be able to make it over the training," Joel shrugged. "Or they might fake some sort of sickness, in order to not pass the physical examination."

  "Because they don't want to conclude the training?" The girl was a little confused.

  "Because they don't want to die," the recruiter sighed.

  "Not everyone shares the same kind of... ambition as you," he admitted.

  "Then why didn't you do it that way?" Hanister couldn't help but asked.

  "They... I mean we, the inspectors, are now a little more formidable. If you get caught deliberately trying to avoid the enlistment, it wouldn't look good for you," Joel explained. “And if there is a legal way of dodging enlistment, then why wouldn't I take the chance?"

  "You're... probably not the only one, right?"

  "Of course," Joel answered without thinking. "I've heard a lot of strange and weird ways of doing so, just for the sake of being able to avoid enlistment, or withdraw from the training before joining the army."

  He cocked his head and thought for a brief second.

  "For instance, somehow get involved with the casualties' family, fake your background, lie about your age, or even cripple yourself. That's the more 'extreme' cases I've heard."

  "Cripple yourself?" Hanister was flabbergasted.

  "That's right," Joel gave a firm answer in return. It didn't seem like he was joking.

  "Let's head this way," he then said, taking a turn to another path.

  "Is that even necessary..." Hanister opened up after the two of them walked a bit further down.

  "To some people, they'd rather lose a limb or a leg," Joel answered calmly. "Then again, this is one of the more extreme cases. What I've heard most of the time is that they forced themselves to get addicted to nicotine."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  "Oh..." Hanister looked to be in a trance for a second. "You can't become a Shell Wielder if you have lung issues, right?"

  She remembered she was once warned by the inspector.

  "Yeah, seems like you knew already," Joel nodded.

  "Though it doesn't really matter to me, but if you really want to serve in the Shell-Wielding department of the S.D.A, remember to protect your lungs," he reminded genuinely.

  The two walked for a bit longer, then arrived at a somewhat more spacious location. An elevator was right in front of their eyes. However, there were no buttons on the wall, just a piece of metal panel.

  The recruiter rolled up his sleeve, then inched his wrist closer to the panel.

  "We need to take the elevator," he drew back his hand. As the light on top of the elevator flickered, the door opened.

  Joel walked into the elevator.

  "Come on in," he said to the girl who was still standing outside.

  "What did you do just now?" Hanister asked after stepping into the elevator. She saw that he repeated the same action to the panel, but this time, some floor options appeared on the panel. They seemed to be at around 7 floors underground.

  "You mean this?" Joel tapped on one of the floors that appeared on the panel, then stuck his hand out for Hanister to see. There was a string of numbers and letters on his wrist.

  "This is the authentication code we use for identification. You'll get yours as well in a bit," he smiled.

  The elevator soon arrived at the destined floor, and the two walked out. The hall outside wasn't exactly big, but there were two corridors on both sides. Hanister followed the recruiter to one of them, walked for a little, then turned at a corner. Suddenly, the room became much more spacious. A roomy, elegant, and well-designed main hall appeared in front of them.

  Hanister stopped in her track, curiously scanning over the bright space in front of her. They have returned to ground level. The sun outside shone in through the glass at the front side of the hall, onto the dark marble floor, which had a giant symbol of the S.D.A printed in the middle.

  Hanister took a few more strides, finding this main hall a little familiar. She lifted her head. The ceiling was raised, for at least three floors tall. A couple of sleek-looking lamps hung from above. The main entrance of the hall was closed, but it was transparent, and outside was a courtyard.

  She looked back to the hall. Some sofa sets were placed around the room; there was even a small bar counter in one of the corners. The S.D.A was a defense organization, but she thought that this hall with its interior and design, it wasn't that 'militarized' after all.

  The girl then turned to the other side, where some digital signage stood. They were there to show the history and milestones ever since the S.D.A's establishment. Not far away from the signage were some arrays of display cases, making the whole section look like a small museum. Hanister couldn’t tell what was displayed inside of the cases, aside from the biggest one. The biggest case had a miniature replica of the base inside.

  Suddenly, her attention was drawn towards a crowd at the faraway seating area. She saw a few people with microphones, and someone carrying a video camera.

  They’re... reporters?

  She finally realized why the entire main hall was somewhat familiar; she had seen it on the TV before.

  “This is the administration hall of the Belden Base,” Joel walked up to the girl. “Normally, guests are only allowed on this floor.”

  “Who is that?” Hanister pointed towards the crowd of people standing around in the corner.

  “Who?” Joel then followed her finger. “That’s...”

  “No way. How did I not know that there’s an interview today?” His brows furrowed. “They’re the reporters from the TV stations, Hanister. I just didn’t know that they were coming today.”

  “I know they’re reporters...” Hanister quietly retorted.

  “I mean the person standing in the middle,” she said, then moved her finger slightly more towards the man getting interviewed. He was wearing the uniform of the S.D.A, but without a hat. His brown hair was fixed neatly.

  She could recall his face from the TV, but couldn’t quite remember who he was.

  “Oh...” Joel trailed off. “That’s Jensen. Jensen Cavil. No wonder why the reporters are here.”

  “Jensen Cavil?”

  "Major Cavil's kind of a hot topic here. Basically, everyone in the S.D.A has heard of him," the recruiter said, standing in the same spot. "Since one Jensen Cavil equals an entire Chaser team."

  "Just him alone?" Hanister's eyes widened. "You mean him alone facing those monsters?"

  "You heard me right," Joel nodded, smiling. "That's why we all say that Jensen's the nightmare of the Star Creatures."

  "How is that possible..."

  "He's been serving for seven years, and has received several official commendations and medals."

  The girl stared at the man who was surrounded by reporters, but did not say a word.

  Is it even possible to face such powerful monsters alone?

  She asked herself.

  Normally, there would be six people in a Chaser team. The reason was quite simple: that was how many people it required to take down a single Star Creature.

  No...

  Even a skillful Shell Wielder who has mastered the strength you need to contend against them...

  "Let's go," Joel said, and tapped lightly on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry. You still have plenty of chances to see Major Cavil."

  "We're going out?" Hanister pointed to the main entrance.

  "Of course... not," the recruiter showed a confused expression, then walked to the middle of the hall. There was a realistic-looking stereographic projection of Sheer.

  "Unless you're regretting your choice now," he stated. “There’s a hover train outside of the base that would head straight to downtown Rodenzel. You can take that back to Rodenzal, then transfer to the Gamond Region.”

  “I’m not regretting anything.”

  “I…”

  “I was just joking,” Joel awkwardly chuckled. He glanced at the giant projection when he walked past it. Then he went around, walking towards the end of the main hall.

  Hanister realized that there was a half-round counter at the end, like a reception area that she didn’t notice earlier. There were two round glass elevators, each at the sides of the counter. The two walked towards one of them.

  “Hey!” A man leaning against the front of the counter suddenly called out to Joel.

  “Justin?” Joel looked surprised. “They asked you to come here?”

  “Of course not,” the man said. “I’m just waiting for the Major here.”

  Joel cocked his head slightly, then took a quick glance at the counter. A female officer wearing the S.D.A’s uniform had her head hung low; she seemed to be quite disturbed.

  “Let her do her job, Justin.” Joel shook his head, criticizing the man for his actions.

  “I could say the same for you.” Justin retorted, hinting at the girl standing behind the recruiter with his eyes. “You’ve got some balls.”

  “What are you talking about, Justin?” Joel looked behind himself quickly. “I’m bringing in a newbie.”

  “Newbie?” The man leaning against the counter suddenly seemed interested.

  “Where are you from, little lady?” He walked towards Hanister.

  “I’m from the Gamond Region, sir.” Hanister looked at the man in front of her and answered in a serious tone. Although the man was wearing the S.D.A’s uniform just like the others, he did not button it up. Instead, he was wearing it as if it were a jacket.

  “There’s no need for this,” Justin said, stopping the girl from saluting.

  “Since you aren’t technically in the S.D.A yet, and neither am I your supervisor,” he gently explained. “So tell me, why is a girl from the crops section like you joining the S.D.A?”

  “I want to join the Chasers troops, sir,” Hanister answered, her tone certain. “I want to do something for this planet.”

  “You don’t have any brothers? Or maybe your father’s in the S.D.A?”

  The girl shook her head.

  “My father’s…”

  “One of the casualties.”

  “Oh…” Justin was then frozen to his spot, obviously knowing that he had asked the wrong question. “I’m terribly sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. But then you must know better than anyone else what kind of enemies we’re facing.”

  “Very clear, sir.”

  “You’re not afraid?”

  “I think ‘they’ should be afraid, sir.”

  Justin was speechless once again, but then he chuckled.

  “Ha, you’re such an interesting girl,” he slowly shut his mouth. “You said your name is?”

  “Hanister Dyner, sir.”

  “Hanister,” Justin looked into the girl’s eyes. “If you’re serious, then the S.D.A welcomes you. However, I’m quite curious about what this recruiter told you.”

  “Is it something about after joining the S.D.A, there will be a discount for your ticket purchase, or bus ride?”

  “Or did he say something about how delicious the food here is? Let me tell you this—”

  “My God, Justin. That’s enough!” Joel couldn’t help but cut him off.

  “I’m not the kind of person who’d say that,” he emphasized.

  “I just needed to make sure that you’re not trying to murder an innocent girl,” Justin said, at the same time sending a wink to the girl’s direction.

  “You’re the one who’s trying to coax her,” Joel rebutted.

  “At least you gotta let them know the danger that’s involved in this job,” Justin explained patiently.

  “I won’t die.”

  Both men turned towards the one who spoke.

  “Uh…”

  “I mean, I’m not here to die, sir,” The girl swallowed the lump in her throat, nervously fixing her statement.

  “Oh, of course you’re not, Hanister,” Justin said with a bright smile. “You’re a brave girl.”

  “We’re leaving, Justin,” Joel said. “I have to take her to the personnel.”

  “Then farewell, guys.”

  “Take care, Justin.”

  “You too.”

  Hanister followed Joel away from the counter. However, she didn’t take too many steps before hearing Justin’s voice again.

  “Hanister!” He called out.

  The girl turned back around, seeing Justin with his hands in his pockets, standing right where he was.

  “For the Stars!” His clear, steady voice greeted her ears.

  Hanister didn’t understand the meaning behind his actions, but she quickly nodded, and walked back to Joel.