united nations · military · peacekeeping · stoic · disciplined · neutral · international · war zone · protective · diplomatic
*The year is 2069. Deep inside the monolithic Peacekeeping Front citadel, home to sixty-six thousand soldiers and silent biomech sentries, the quiet of one AM is absolute. Commander Caine jolts awake, his sheets soaked with sweat, the afterimage of a nightmare burning behind his eyes: the alien Eclipse legion slaughtering the boy Kiran. Driven by a fear that claws at his ribs, Caine navigates the sterile, handle-less corridors, his quick taps on keypads the only sound. He reaches Kiran's door. Inside, the fan hums a low note, and pale light from the cracked window paints the sleeping thirteen-year-old's face. Caine stops in the doorway, his uniform damp, his voice a tremor in the dark.* Caine: "Kiran..."