City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion

Collection point G4, Kamil Teodoryanu, August 12, 2049

A few minutes later, the promised sergeant approached – a rather young man, seemingly about twenty, lean, dark-skinned, and dark-haired. Dressed in a uniform similar to Kamil’s but with a heavier jacket, under which a large holster and rather long sheath hung at his thigh. His epaulets were not just black with a “K”, but edged with red and a single diagonal stripe.

“Sun be with you, brother warrior! I’m sergeant Giacomo Paolini,” he greeted, raising his hand in the now-familiar military salute.

Kamil didn't recognize the language, which sounded somewhat like Italian, though oddly accented. Nevertheless, the auto-translator didn’t fail.

# language identified: Tarforro (UNSA Protectorate)

“We’re short on time, Kamil, so hurry!”

In the next half-hour, the recruit was put through his paces:

A check on a strange machine with head sensor.

A quick warm-up and power checks: squats, deadlifts, bench presses. All at maximum weights.

A blood test.

Another device, this time with suction-cup sensors. And again, spheres that delivered electric shocks.

A device resembling a tomograph. Examination while lying down, with an opaque bandage over the eyes.

Yet another blood test.

Another physical fitness check.

Phew… it seemed to be over.

His t-shirt could wring out wet, but smart Kamil had thoughtfully removed his jacket beforehand.

“Excellent work, brother-warrior!” Giacomo shook his hand in a gesture familiar to every Earthling. “If you want to rest, you have just under five minutes. Shower’s over there. Change your t-shirt at the dispenser. Come on, you need to be in room 243 in five minutes, down the corridor on the left. That’s it! Move, move!”

The sergeant didn’t have to repeat himself.

Five minutes later, Kamil was entering the designated room. Besides him, four other recruits were already waiting for something.

“Hello, folks! Or should I say, Sun to everyone or however it goes here…”

However, Kamil didn’t get a chance to make acquaintances. Almost immediately after he entered, the door opened again, and the sergeant who had been escorting him reappeared. Before anyone could react, he took a deep breath and bellowed,

“Line up! Attention! Protector-Mentor!”

Everyone hastily assumed the appropriate stance. A tall, burly man in his fifties entered, his uniform starkly white and much different from anything they had seen before. His battle-like jumpsuit, reinforced with heavy panels, looked more combat-ready than ceremonial. The impression was enhanced by a heavy white chest plate and massive shoulder guards.

Several metallic bars adorned his chest, with intertwined colorful crystals – perhaps service distinctions or awards.

The medallion around his muscular neck resembled those issued to the recruits, but it was white, with a miniature of a sword and sun, and it glowed continuously with a dim light.

He appeared to be no less than fifty but was in exceptional shape. Despite the bulk muscles suggested by his silhouette and visible beneath his uniform, his movements were fluid, his gait supple as a tiger stalking its prey.

He slowly paced in front of the recruits, scrutinizing them beneath bushy eyebrows.

“At ease! The Sun be with you, ‘Reds’! I am Protector-Mentor Kroyberg, tasked with initiating the newcomers aspiring to join the White Class, the elite warriors of the Protectorate! I am also responsible for guiding you through your training. Is that clear?”

“Yessir! Sir, yes, sir! Affirmative!” came the disordered chorus from the rank, each echoing the training they presumably once received.

“I will now take the time to explain – just this once! – the essence of your situation and what lies ahead. Afterward, you may ask questions if you have any remaining, of course.”

He walked back to the end of the line, turned, and clasped his hands behind his back.

“First things first. It might be hard for you to believe, but we, the people of UNSA, and you, people of the Protectorate, who have lived carefree on this planet, are of the same biological species. What differentiates us? We are considerably older. Our experience and technologies, as you have witnessed, have advanced far beyond yours.”

“Yet, we share much in common! We also honor the best traditions of our ancestors, carefully preserving symbols and rituals, maintaining all that is best from civilization, which empowers us to advance.”

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“Not all our decisions will be immediately understandable; some actions may provoke outrage or even fear – but they are necessary. This isn’t the first world we’ve come to, nor will it be the last.”

“Why are you five here now? The test results were unprecedentedly promising, and you will be granted the opportunity to train and rise to the White Class. To the Knights Templar, the elite warriors of the Protectorate.”

With these words, he gestured towards the wall where a large holographic screen unfolded.

“Long before your world, we tried a different approach. Negotiating. Assisting... Not taking full, unconditional control of a planet. But when facing an enemy like the shaiszu, such tactics are unacceptable.”

“Time has proven a simple truth. Either everything is done our way, or the planet is doomed.”

“I will show you what happened to worlds that thought they could manage on their own.”

On the screen, video chronicles flickered to life:

A camera offered a view from space of a planet resembling Earth, though the continent outlines were unfamiliar.

The next scene shifted to a look at a city’s protective wall, perhaps captured from a flying drone. It was revealing a sprawling metropolis with unfamiliar, but stunning architecture. Yet, the locals now didn’t care about beauty – they were preparing for defense.

The camera snatched self-propelled guns, tanks, and rocket artillery poised and ready, with rows of drones hovering in formation.

Battle alarms flashed, soldiers with heavy weaponry dashed out, and machinery roared to life.

# Pause

“The phenomenon you’re about to witness is called a ‘cascade breakthrough.’ This occurs in every world if shaiszu portals are not properly suppressed from the start. Though complete prevention is impossible, the mass opening will also occur on your planet. However, it will be on a smaller scale and thus, less catastrophic.”

# Unpause

The camera panned away to show a plain. For a few seconds, all was still until a ferocious burst of light engulfed the area – a single massive explosion from thousands of emerging portals. Precisely aligned, these lines stretched to the horizon.

A shockwave of disturbed air hit the walls, and from the portals spilled billions of beetle-like creatures.

From the walls, flashes of fire erupt to greet the offenders. Tracers from machine guns, fiery tails of rockets, billows of smoke, and the thunder of cannons…

It seemed as though the advancing lines wavered, the density of fire halting the savage tide of creatures. But this was just the beginning.

Colossal “mounds” come out of the portals – armored monsters resembling titanic woodlice. Alongside them, the ordinary “beetles” intensified their assault, among them now large “caterpillars” curled into balls, rolling forward rapidly.

As heavy artillery focused on the largest beasts, the smaller creatures reached the walls. Explosions boomed, one after another. Flames fiercely gnawed at fortifications, people, and machinery. Shards of steel and concrete flew, along with fragments of human bodies.

The command clearly realized the “caterpillars” were detonating and ordered to focus fire on these “living bombs.” But it was futile – they were agile, hiding among the charging horde, hard to hit, and their numbers were overwhelming.

The “armored mounds,” meanwhile, continue pushing. They took hits, many of them, but each round only sparked neon flares of protective shields.

# Pause

“A progressive civilization,” came the confident, slightly raspy voice of a Knight. “About at your level of development, perhaps slightly higher. Yet despite their fierce resistance, the defenders are being pushed back. The fall of the city is just a matter of time. But this world was fortunate. We chose to intervene.”

# Unpause

From the sky descended a shining white ship, shaped like the tip of a spear.

It hovered for a moment above the wall.

And Templar Knights appeared on the battlefield.

Only five of them.

A whole five of them.

They plunged into the throngs of shaiszu, sowing death and destruction, slicing through the heavy monsters, effectively turning the tide of battle and allowing the defenders to regroup and counterattack. Most importantly, they redirected the fire towards the smaller shaiszu, preventing the living bombs from reaching the walls.

The first of the White Cloaks carved a path to the attacking giants. A leap, the jetpack on his back ignited, the plasma of his sword flashed. Contact! The glowing blade penetrated the neon defense, and the Knight landed on the creature’s back. With a powerful strike between the joints of its armor, the Templar breached the monster’s shell.

He sheathed his sword in the power grip on his back, his hand lit up with a flash of something intensely bright within the armored glove. Dropping to one knee, the Knight drove this “star” deep inside.

He straightened up. Green slime dripped down his arm... and then he leaped away from the creature. From the hole in the carapace erupted a column of orange flame. A powerful explosion literally split the biologic armor from within. Bits of green slime and chunks of flesh flew through the air.

The warrior stood up and took his sword in hand. A wave of flame ran down his arm, burning off the clinging innards of the shaiszu and cleansing the armor.

Then, without looking at the screen, Kroyberg continued,

“The strength of a Knight lies in his unique tactical training. His mind, through rigorous schooling and numerous battles, has absorbed all knowledge of the shaiszu, from every world. No event on the battlefield, no creature is unfamiliar to him.”

“Armed with weapons tailored for each Knight and special resources, he can execute any battle plan, leveraging knowledge of vulnerabilities and pre-rehearsed tactics.”

“Our primary role is to decapitate the enemy’s command. To neutralize major threats so that the remaining forces can focus on secondary targets!”

“The Templar Knights are the best in everything. In strength of body and spirit. In the swiftness of thought. In the purity of intent and decisiveness of action. In allegiance to our cause and the Great Guardian. Across all worlds, the Knights command unconditional respect; idolized by men and women alike, they are the heroes children aspire to emulate!”

“The mere sight of the White armor and cloak on the battlefield instills terror in the shaiszu! Yes, we sometimes fall, for ours is a perilous service. But we do so with honor, eternally enshrining our names in glory! The spirit of each Knight, upon death, remains forever in the protective embrace of the Great Guardian.”

Protector-Mentor Kroyberg paused in the center of the room, surveying the young warriors before him.

“The results of your tests suggest you possess traits that, with proper cultivation, could allow you to join our ranks. You can still turn back now, but I am certain it would be a decision you’d regret for life! There will be no second chance. As I’ve said, decisiveness is a critical quality of a Knight.”

“It will be hard, at times lethally dangerous, but those who make the right choice – will not be deterred. And besides, as I’ve mentioned... You may well be the first future Templars from the Earth – becoming a ‘bridge’ between our world and yours. We will welcome you into our Temples, unveil secrets, share strength and knowledge. And through you, the people of Earth will increasingly understand that we are One. That standing for each other and to be united is the only way. So, embrace this mission. That is it.”

Silence hung in the room for a few seconds, so profound that one could almost hear the racing heartbeats beneath the uniforms, spurred by his words.

No one from the present in the room refused.