As I left the theater that would eventually see itself emptied of humans and prepared for another awakening session, Sergeant Jul-ves asked me a question I knew I wanted the answer to also.

"Do you think any of them will choose to join the Nephilim Army?"

"I don't know," I told him honestly. "I saw some of them that looked willing to at least learn more about it all, but that doesn't mean that they'll all join. Some of them might choose to go home after they hear more, and others might get home and change their minds about staying there. It all depends on them. I just wish I knew how to impress the permenace of their choice on them."

"What do you mean, Commander James?" Jul-ves asked.

"After the scientists work out the Nephilim serum, the one that will change us from humans, anyone who takes it won't be able to go home until the Scourge are dead," I answered. "Even if the Wardens of Life place a known presence on Earth, any Nephilim soldier will be stronger than a human without trying. If they go to Earth with the intention to stay, then there's nothing to stop them from becoming a criminal or worse and there won't be anyone there to stop them. I just don't want my actions and choices to lead to a new age of dictators and monarchs rising on my homeworld."

"I understand," the sergeant said with a nod. "There was concern when Gul-fen rose to the rank of Commander and took over his father's position. Cal-nok was beloved by all Tar-en-fil for his wisdom and his kindness, both allowed him to lead our people well. He also possessed the strength to stand against the other Commanders when they wished to force confrontations with the Scourge. Cal-nok saved my people from being forced into obscurity and shadows due to a lack of warriors and those capable of leading. And it was not just Tar-en-fil he saved either, he forged new alliances and stood by them allowing other weak races to be protected within the Wardens of Life. Had he not done these things, then races such as Muthnar and Hullmran would have been shoved aside or worse, allowed to go extinct. His wisdom and vision made him a hero amongst my people."

"Gul-fen, however, is and was nothing like his father. As a youth, he was prone to bouts of anger and violence that would lead him to spending more time in a healer's bed than in his own. When he joined the warriors, seeking glory from killing Scourge, no Tar-en-fil squad wanted him because he was lazy and nearly incompetent. I do not know what he did, but eventually he rose through the ranks and eventually settled into the Vice-Commander rank. There he proved again and again his immaturity and lost much trust and goodwill from the people. When his father died, he was named Commander and many Tar-en-fil wept, certain that he would undo his father's work."

"I am unashamed to say that I thought much the same," Jul-ves continued. "However, after his father's death, Gul-fen began to change. Before, he would rush ahead bullishly and leave the consequences for others to worry for; now, he seeks counsel from others, peers, friends, even opponents. He hears all they say and he chooses the course of action that he feels will leave all Tar-en-fil and our allies better off. That change was slow and many younger members of my race claim that Gul-fen acts with Cal-nok's wisdom, but I and the other older members of my race know. We know that Gul-fen acts with his own wisdom and he has risen to a height equal to Cal-nok's. He is not Cal-nok, but he is Gul-fen. I tell you this in the hopes that you will not let your fear of your people or others and their actions hold you back; instead let your wisdom guide you and others while also allowing others to make their own mistakes and grow. Do not stifle them for fear of what they may do. Guide them for hope of what they will do."

In a way, Jul-ves' words helped. I couldn't explain it but they did. I guess they gave me hope that even if I wasn't there to lead the Nephilim, they would still follow examples I laid down with my own actions and decisions, and from there they would choose courses that would make me proud or happy to call them Nephilim.

I went into my next four human wake-up sessions with more optimism after what Jul-ves had said. It was coming out of the fourth one that I finally got some happy news. I had a new recruit.

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The teenage girl sitting across from me wasn't the type that came to mind when you said "future soldier." Seventeen and she already had tattooes covering her arms and enough piercings in her ears to make me wonder if a fridge magnet would stick to her easily. She was also adamant about not going back to her drug-addled father and the nearly condemned apartment building she lived in.

"Now, Carrie," I said, wanting to work out all the detail of what was expected of her as a Nephilim, "you do know that you will be in extremely dangerous situations with extermely dangerous monsters out for your blood, right?"

"Yea, duh," she said. "Just give me a gun or whatever and I'll be fine."

"Actually, we won't be using guns," I told her. "The aliens haven't been able to pack enough punch into the bullets to make them worthwhile against the Scourge."

"You're kidding!" she shot to her feet. "They're aliens! How do they not have guns?"

"They aren't capable of fighting Scourge as easily as we are," I said, ignoring her small outburst. "They've also been running for a long time without an opprotunity to research and improve their long range weapons. They've been forced to go medival on the Scourge, and since it's been working for them, they've been ignoring other avenues of weapon types in exchange for researching faster ships, more efficient food production, better fuel sources, and even stronger armor. When you're more worried about saving other races before the Scourge find them, you don't worry about having guns big enough to crack planets, you worry about having ships fast enough to reach those planets and armor strong enough to stop the guns that break planets. Not that we need to worry about that with the Scourge."

"So you mean that I'm going to have to use a stick or something?" Carrie Applewood asked incredulously.

"Or something," I nodded. "If it makes you feel better, the armor is really good. I wore the same suit through multiple fights against different kinds of Scourge and the only injuries I suffered were bruises and a few broken ribs. Course I was alone and had no idea what I was doing, so you'll probably still have an advantage over me in your first fight."

She still hadn't sat down and had started pacing, biting her nail and twirling a lock of her neon green hair with her other hand nervously. I waited until she either changed her mind or asked a question, taking the opprotunity to name the ranks of the Nephilim Army now that I had a free minute. Eventually she sat back down and looked at me before opening her mouth to speak. Oh well, can't win them all.

"If I do this, will I have to go back home one day?" she asked. Huh?

"Not unless you wanted to," I told her. "As a Nephilim you will have a set of quarters assigned to you and all meals you eat will be provided to you. Just yesterday I had borscht, you ever had it? It's actually really good, I've always wanted to try it but I wasn't sure where to start since my family's only loosely Dutch on my mother's father's father's mother's side. So, you know, no Russian grandma to pass a recipe on to me."

My inane words seemed to make her less nervous, enough that she smiled at me a little. Progress, if I was going to be leading her into fights then I needed the girl to know that I wasn't going to throw her in the deep end of the pool without making sure she could swim.

"If we do go back to Earth, what will you do?" she asked.

"I'm already planning my next trip back," I told her. "The plan is to try to recruit more people to fight the Scourge, but I also need to get everyone that doesn't want to fight that's already here back home."

She looked a little scared at that but I couldn't guess why; she didn't have to go unless she wanted to.

"When you go back, can I come with you?" she asked. "My little sister doesn't need to stay with my dad and if I know she's safe from him, then I think I can fight any of those monsters."

Oh no. Was this girl from the worst sort of broken home? The kind that only broke because a parent died and the other couldn't get over it?

"I can't force her or you to fight or come with me," I said, best to stop her from thinking that I'd hold her sister as some sort of hostage to make her fight now. "I can, however, do my best to make sure that she's taken care of. Whether that means that she comes with us, or she stays with people on Earth, I will do my best to make sure she'll be okay."

"Cool," Carrie said nodding. "Then I'll do it. I'll become some alien killing badass; just keep your promise."

Her eyes bored into me and I wanted to run away already. I wasn't looking to be someone that dangled hope in front of people just to make them dance to my tune.

"Great," I said extending my hand out to her. "Welcome aboard, Cadet Applewood. Your training will begin tomorrow at seven in the morning. Don't make me come get you."