Chapter 1: Bastian De Leon
A well dressed man in a golden and white attire walked through the halls with a determined face. He was a taller man and had a scar over his right eye, signifying that he had served in a rough battle of some sort in his career. He had tan skin and had a bulky figure that most people in his line of work often had. As he walked he exuded an air of authority that didn't lack the domineering presence someone of his stature would have cultivated over the years. His uniform was similar to those of a naval vessel admiral of the former United States of America and on his shoulders were sigils that displayed his rank.
The Admiral walked out of the hall and into a grand cathedral made of steel and concrete, which was finely decorated to match the tastes of his bosses. In the giant cathedral were many people, many of whom wore similar military and naval uniforms that didn't leave any less impression on the people if they were to witness the sight. Sitting in the center of the cathedral, in front of all the other people, was a woman who wore a small crown while also donning her own naval uniform, though hers seemed to be much more meticulously fashioned to make the wearer seem more regal.
The admiral stopped short of the woman and took a knee, saying to her loud enough for everyone present to hear,"Star Admiral Bastian De Leon reporting to her highness, the savior of humankind!" No one even flinched at his statement as they all felt the same way, this woman had definitely saved all of them from extinction!
The woman in the center of the cathedral stood up and started to speak with absolute authority,"Star Admiral De Leon, It has been over 40 years since we were forced to evacuate our planet known as earth." A few people looked bitter when she mentioned this fact, they were all still angry about having no choice but to abandon their motherland, but no one interrupted her. She continued,"In approximately 26 hours earth and mars will once again be in alignment and thus we will have a chance to send people to start the campaign to retake the motherland!"
Everyone in the hall who was not a star admiral or of comparable rank audibly gasped when they heard the proclamation of the woman. The woman once again continued without paying heed to the others, saying,"For forty long years we have rebuilt a colony on mars and have slowly gained a new footing on this desolate world. Now, as our department of agriculture is telling us our food reserves will run dry in approximately 20 years, I am ordering the reconquest of earth! For too long have we sheltered on this barren planet, and for too long have we procrastinated in taking back what was always ours to begin with!"
The people in the cathedral couldn't hold back their enthusiasm and a few people yelled out.
"Conquer the Earth!"
"Retake what was always ours!"
"The motherland calls for us once more!"
The woman smiled seeing the reactions of the common people she let into the venue, this was surely going to be the turning point in history. She looked at the determined face of Bastian and said,"Star Admiral De Leon! I order the reconquest of the Earth under any means possible! You will have absolute authority over the men and women under your service and command! As my favored Star Admiral you shall have absolute control of the strategies you employ, the battles you fight in and the people you place in important positions to aid you in this endeavor!"
Bastian looked up at the queen and stood up quickly, saluting to her and shouting,"Yes, my queen! I shall take back the motherland and ensure the stability of our people once more! I, Star Admiral Bastian De Leon swear upon my name that I shall bring honor to the people of the queen's kingdom!"
The woman, who De Leon recognized as his queen in front of the other onlookers, nodded her a head. She looked around at the other officers and Star admirals in the room and shouted so that everyone could hear,"This is no longer a possibility, this must happen for the future and survival of the human race! I entrust this mission to you, Star Admiral Bastian De Leon!"
Bastian bowed once more and then saluted, yelling out,"It shall be completed!"
The queen responded to that by saying,"Set off! Complete this task and you shall be heavily rewarded! I hereby commence Operation: Reconquer The Earth!"
Bastian saluted once more and did an about face and walked nobily out of the cathedral, towards the command center that he had been in charge of for over 20 years. He walked through the door to see three other people standing in the room. He said them,"Gentlemen, the queen has approved our plan to retake the earth, and I will accept no deferrals, is that clear?"
The men one by one stated their opinions on what Bastian had said.
"Aye, I have no problems here"
"Whatever you need, boss man!"
"I live to serve the queen, I am ready"
Bastian smiled and then took out a map he had brought with him. The three other men looked at him as he explained his plan. "I believe it would be wise to retake an island nation first, and after a debate with War Chief Hawk, we have decided to land in former Britannia. Hawk, you have anything to add?"
Hawk was a smaller man with brown and a fair complexion. He also had many scars on his hands similar to the scars on Bastians head. However to most people he had always carried an air of authority around him and conducted himself in the strictest of fashion, quickly earning him a solid reputation in the army. War Chief Hawk looked at the map and said," Yes, we have discussed it thoroughly and both Star Admiral De Leon and I believe that landing in the former county of Cornwall in the former British Isles is the best start to our invasion. This piece of land will give ample strategic defense on land, as we will be surrounded on all sides by the ocean. We will land at the tip of Cornwall here," he pointed to the map,"and we will slowly clear out the monsters that stand in our way."
One of the other officers in the room spoke up and said," Medical Officer Ramirez, we will be taking civilians with us. Will you be able to handle the influx of injuries should we encounter trouble in this area?"
Medical Officer Ramirez was a vert serious person and treated every person, whether they be poor and destitute or rich and famous the same. He was a little shorter than Bastian and had a darker skin tone than him as well, however he did not have any noticeable scars in his body unlike the three other men in the room with him. Not taking this comment as an insult he responded,"I am betting that it will be tough should we encounter a force we cannot immediately force back, however If my team is constantly busy then we should be able to manage. I will have to leave the defensive armaments and technological improvements to our equipment up to you Tech Officer Ross."
Tech Officer Ross was almost just as short as War Chief Hawk, however he had black skin and had several scars covering his neck, showing that he had been in a serious life or death struggle at some point. Tech Officer Ross had gained his reputation as the reliable subordinate of Bastian after he was born on mars, and learned almost every tech upgrade the colony would let him touch. Eventually his curiosity and devotion to the colony and Bastian, as well as high technology, got him recognized by the queen herself and after receiving her permission, started to invent new ways to store and create food, defensive measurements and much, much more.
Tech Officer Ross scoffed and said,"I will make sure that not a single patient is harmed! That is a promise!" He turned to Bastian and asked,"Sir, by my estimates it will take around 40 hours just to clear this western tip, however our ships can only cruise above in the atmosphere for around 25 hours, do you have a plan for this?"
Bastian thought for a moment and then responded,"Alas, the only thing I can think of is that we just have to move very quickly. When we first land, we'll have some of the transport ships act as preliminary scouts, alerting us if a horde ever gets close. Meanwhile, my men and Hawks men will get down to the ground and clear out the western tip. We have roughly 300,000 men that will need to get down into the ground and prepare to set up proper defenses. We also have around 100,000 civilian volunteers that are going to be helping with the construction efforts."
The three men continued to plan the small details and the logistical planning for the rest of the night as the 400,000 men and women started to converge and get onto the fleet's ships. Bastian looked at them aboard the ships with a determined look in his eyes, saying only so loud for himself to hear,"It will work, I'll make it work, even if I lose my life in the process." His determined look strengthened as his fist tightened and he began to draw a little blood.