Interstellar Age

Two weeks came and went in the blink of an eye. It was almost depressing for Erich that he had finally earned himself a slight bit of rest, only for it to disappear as quickly as it had come. But such was the nature of service. As much as a man wanted to stay with his loved ones and live a life of peace, he was bound by honor to defend those very people against the myriad of threats which existed in the galaxy. 

Because of this, Erich was quick to pack up his field bag and dress in his fatigues. There was an almost painful look on his face as he said goodbye to his loved ones. This was not the kind of pain one would have when they were stabbed by the cold steel of a knife, but the pain that came from living a life of struggle. 

“I suppose this is farewell…”

Erich had served several years in the Armed Forces, and as time passed, he began to wonder when this life of combat would end, or if it ever would. Every time he got a taste of the sweetness that was a peaceful existence, he only became ever more bitter when the day came that he was yanked away to go fight on some foreign battlefield. 

Just like the last time Erich had left, Ayumi had a deeply foreboding sense about her man’s fate. And she made sure to hug him, and kiss him, before whispering a prayer of safety into his ear. 

“Oh Kami-sama, please shield this man from any harm… Be safe, my love.” 

Erich did not know how to feel about this slight prayer, because no amount of light in this world could truly pierce the dread that had overtaken him in this moment. Regardless, he forced a smile and thanked the woman, before moving onto his wife. 

“Thank you, Ayumi. I will do my very best to return to you alive and well…”

This remark had only increased the foreboding sense of impending doom that Ayumi had in both her heart and mind. There was very clearly a look of defeat on Erich’s face, as if he had just given up, and resigned to struggle, simply because it was the only thing that he knew how to do at this point. 

But before she could beg him to stay behind, Erika stepped forward and kissed the man, before scolding him for his grim appearance.

“If you leave me looking like that, I will have no choice but to worry about you while you are away. Please, come back to me in one piece, alright?” 

Erich had to force himself not to scoff at this remark, and only silently nodded his head with a lifeless look in his silver eyes. He then hoisted his field bag over his back and departed from the doorstep of the beachside mansion which he lived in. 

—

The shuttle ride to Germania was one of long silence. Erich took a window seat and did not bother speaking with any of the other soldiers on board. One could immediately tell by the look on their face who was a veteran, and who was a new recruit, fresh out of basic training. 

Erich was not the only one with a thousand-yard stare as he gazed into the black abyss of space. But there were far more men, much younger than he, with wide and eager smiles. Warfare had always been romanticised in the Germanic Star-Empire, and because of that with every new generation of soldiers, they would seek to earn honor and glory through combat. 

But once they had actually been through the shit, they would understand the grim reality of their fate. Those who had seen enough and lived to tell the tale would appear just like Erich. Incidentally, a private was sitting next to Erich. His fatigues had the markers of an Army Infantryman. 

While the Star Marines were the preferred infantry unit of the Germanic Star-Empire. The Imperial Army had their own infantry. These men, while genetically enhanced beyond that of a baseline human, were not specifically born and bred for the purpose of combat. 

Because of this, they were neither equipped nor trained to the same standards as Germanic Star-Marines, and were more often than not used as garrisons to hold certain objectives on hostile worlds. 

This meant that they often had fewer casualties than the Star Marines, and because of this, most Army Infantrymen survived their service, and were able to effectively integrate into the civilian sector. 

This young recruit could tell that Erich was a grizzled vet, and one who had likely survived the Terminus War. Thus, he was quick to make conversation with the man, in the hopes he could give him some pointers. 

“Hey, you, the mutant? You look familiar. Have we met before?” 

Erich didn’t even look at the man. Instead, he continued to stare out into space while speaking a single word with a monotone. 

“Unlikely…” 

Upon seeing that Erich was being uncooperative, the Private frowned slightly, before trying another approach. He noticed since the moment he sat down next to Erich that his fatigues were different. Erich wore a pair of solid black fatigues that had no markings on them whatsoever, not even a rank insignia. This was a sight that most soldiers would never witness in their life, and thus he was confused. 

“Hey, why are your fatigues so different? Where’s your rank, insignia, and unit patch?”

Erich sighed heavily, as if the very act of speaking with this naïve kid was emotionally taxing. He then explained, in as few words as possible, the reason behind this difference in attire. 

“I’m a WRAITH…”

Immediately upon saying this, those people sitting in front and behind Erich popped up and gazed at the man with intense curiosity. Even a few of the other grizzled veterans with thousand yards stares briefly looked over to Erich, before returning their gaze to the black abyss that was space. 

As for the recruits, they were astonished to hear that this man was a WRAITH. After all, such an elite unit in the Armed Forces was more legend than reality. Few people had ever met one before, let alone one who would admit to their position. 𝑂𝓋𝓁xt.𝒸𝑂𝗆

Thus, these wide-eyed kids were all curious about Erich’s service history, and began asking many questions. To which, Erich would remain either completely silent, or just mutter “that’s classified.”

Upon seeing that they weren’t going to get any information out of this man, the youths all turned their attention back to what they were doing before. That is, aside from the youth who was sitting next to Erich, who asked a simple question that had been bothering him for some time. 

“Since you’re a WRAITH, that must mean you must have extensive combat experience, right? Can you tell me what war is really like?” 

  For the first time since those surrounding him had begun interrogating him, Erich looked away from the window and straight into the soldier’s eyes. And in doing so revealed that despite his silver irises, there was nothing but a dark abyss contained within. For which Erich spoke only a few words before turning his attention back to the window. 

“War is hell… You will come to understand that soon enough, kid….” 

Upon hearing such a statement, which contradicted everything he had ever been told about warfare throughout his entire childhood, the young Private did not know how to properly react. He simply sunk back into his chair and remained completely and utterly silent throughout the rest of the journey. Perhaps finally realizing for the first time that he was about to be shipped off to his doom.