My name is Rebel Hawthorne, and I am the leader of this overused-cliche ragtag group of rebels. I know what you're thinking, what kind of name is Rebel? Well, it's a name that was given to me by my parents, who were both activists during the early years of the Panmavors colonization. They were rebels then, fighting for equality and justice for all. They died when I was young, leaving me with their legacy and their name.

I know some of the members of my group make fun of my name behind my back, but they also know that I'm the reason we're all still alive. We fight for freedom, for a world where people can live without being told what to do, where they can make their own choices. We fight against the Moieties, against the oppressive system that keeps people in check.

We may be small, but we're mighty. We have fighters, hackers, and strategists among us. We have people from all walks of life, all fighting for the same cause. We all have our reasons for being here, our own stories of oppression and suffering.

My story begins with my parents. They were activists, always protesting and speaking out against the Moieties. They were eventually arrested and executed for their "crimes." I was just a child then, left alone to fend for myself. I was taken in by a group of rebels who taught me everything I know.

Now, I lead the rebellion. It's not easy, and it's definitely not glamorous. We live in hiding, always on the run from the Moiety's security forces. We scavenge for food and supplies, relying on the kindness of sympathetic strangers to keep us going. We're always on the lookout for new recruits, new people who want to join the fight.

Today, we're planning our next attack on the Moiety's infrastructure. We're going to hit one of their factories, destroy their supply lines. It's a risky move, but it's necessary. We need to show them that we're not afraid, that we won't be silenced.

As we plan, I can't help but think about my parents. They fought for the same things we're fighting for now. They would be proud of what we're doing, of what I'm doing. I'm doing this for them, for the memory of all the rebels who have come before us.

We're ready to fight, to take back what's rightfully ours. We're not afraid of the Moieties, of their power and their influence. We're rebels, and we fight for freedom.

I signaled to my team, and we quickly took positions behind the trees. We were all tense, but I could tell from the calm in our movements that we were ready for this. This was what we had trained for.

"Everyone ready?" I asked.

My second-in-command, Jackson, nodded. "Ready as ever, Hawthorne."

I smiled wryly at his use of my last name. "Just Rebel is fine, Jackson."

"Sure thing, Rebel."

I took a deep breath, my hand steady on the detonator. This was it. We had to do this right, or our entire plan would be ruined. I looked around at my team, my fellow rebels. We were a small group, but we were determined to bring down the Moieties and free our people.

"What's taking so long, Rebel?" another one of my teammates, Treestump, asked impatiently. "We don't have all day."

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I shot him a withering look. "If you want this done right, we need to be patient. Remember, we're not just blowing things up for fun."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. We need to create a distraction so we can get the intel we need. But can we hurry it up?"

Stump was not a subtle man by any means, and his body type matched his name. Still, I nodded and took another deep breath. I had to focus. I had to be sure they were looking this way. I flipped the switch on the detonator and ran for cover, my team close behind me.

The explosion was massive, sending shockwaves through the air and causing the ground to shake beneath our feet. I looked up to see flames and debris raining down from the sky. It was a sight to behold, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in what we had accomplished.

"That was a big one," Stump said, grinning. "You sure you didn't go a little overboard, Reb?"

I shook my head, a smile spreading across my face. "Gotta have a little fun, right? Also, no such thing as overboard when it comes to taking down the Moieties." I knew the explosion was big for us, but for the guards, over five kilometers away, it would look like the beginnings of a forest fire near a breaker box.

We all watched as a couple of extinguisher drones flew overhead, putting out the flames as expected. A few minutes later, we saw the group of guards, four in all, ride up to the edge of the forest on their ATsikes. It looked like they were led by a tall, slender man with a bushy red beard sticking out from under his helmet.. They walked right into our trap. They were heavily armed, but we had the element of surprise on our side.

I held up three fingers and counted down with them. When I reached one, we attacked.

The pop of the net gun caught the attention of their leader, and he pushed the other two on the ground, causing the net to miss entirely. Our diversion had worked, even if the net hadn't. The guards were disoriented, and we quickly took advantage of the chaos.

I managed to get into position and scoped them, making sure my rod was on a non-lethal setting. I heard gunfire coming from the base of the trees where the guards had sheltered, and I saw chips of wood fly past my face where bullets hit the trees near me. They were outnumbered, as we had planned. With a few shots from our stinger rods, or what my grandfather would have called a "blaster rifle," we quickly subdued the guards and tied them up.

"You guys all right?" I shouted to Jackson and Treestump.

"We're good, Rebel," Jackson shouted back, while Stump threw a thumbs up.

I walked over to the guy I thought was the leader of the guards. He was a tall man with a thick beard and a scar over his left eye. He was glaring at me, but I thought I would see fear in his eyes. Strangely enough, all I saw was exhaustion.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, wearily.

I looked at him and asked his name.

"Henry," the man said. "Well, technically Captain Henry Ghim-tab, but you can just call me Henry. Or Hank. Or whatever." He leaned his head back against a tree. Ghim-tab, that told me he was owned by the Ghims. Also, he looked too young to be that tired. He couldn't have been more than thirty, same age as me.

I crouched down in front of him. "We need information. And we're willing to do whatever it takes to get it."

He chuckled. "You rebels are all the same. You think you're fighting for freedom, but all you'll do is bring chaos. You want freedom? Do the work, like we're doing." Henry said the words, but didn't sound like he believed or trusted them.

I stood up, dusting off my pants. "We'll see about that. Bring them along, we have work to do."

I gestured to my team, and we started moving deeper into the forest, our prisoners in tow. It was time to find out what the Moiety Ghim were up to, and we were going to get the information we needed, no matter what.