A New Dawn - 1. Chapter 1

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

-Charles Darwin

***

UES Nexus-TR-3 - Sol System

"All passengers please be advised the transport ship will be arriving at Jupiter Station momentarily, E.T.A ten minutes, five seconds and counting." droned the transport ship's AIX, Artificial Intelligent Executrix, as we neared Jupiter Station.

I sighed out loud while looking out the starboard view port at the BattleStar which would soon be the home for my men and me. We were here as the personal guards to the president of the UEN while she resided on this ship for her tour of the outer colonies. The other reason for the platoon being here was to find out why we have been losing contact to many of the outer colonies in past few years. I had known something was out there since I was ten, when I was on one of the planets that had been attacked. The public was told that AAA aggressors were responsible for the attack, but soon after I joined the UENMC (United Earth Nation Marine Corps) I learned that the AAA base was found destroyed two years before my birth planet Alpha-Omega IX was attacked. To this day, I hope I find the bastards that killed my family and poisoned my planet. I want to make them suffer and feel the pain that I felt as I saw all that I have ever known be destroyed around me.

I walked away from the window and headed towards the lockers where my team was suiting up and running diagnostics on their suits. The Ghost Division of the Corps didn't wear the normal run-of-the-mill combat suits. Instead we wore a special combat suit that consisted of a CNSU (Combat Nano-Synthetic Uniform), an EAS (Extremity-Armory System) and a CSH (Command-System Helmet). The CNSU are a basic tight fit uniform that was completely black that had an inner and outer layer of nanobots and an in between layer of a synthetic material that was kept secret even from us. The outer layer acted as Kevlar, but much stronger, and as a camouflage projector. The inner layer acted as a med-nutrition system. The EAS is made of many add-on pieces of amour. The CSH looked like a normal black motorcycle helmet, but it was more complex. It had an inner and outer layer of nanobots, and also acted as our communicator and a visual enhancer. It was technically a super computer that helped us during combat and on missions. Once everyone was suited up, I started to brief them on our mission.

"Alright ladies and gents take a seat at your benches, our E.T.A. at Jupiter Station is 2 minutes and counting." I said while looking down at the wrist of my CNSU which displayed the time until our arrival, "As you know, we are here as the President's guards while she is touring the inner-outer colonies; that is our cover. Our true mission here is considered Alpha-Red 1 priority, meaning that no one is to know our true purpose here. Is that understood?"

"YES SIR!" They said in unison

"Good, most of you have heard rumors about us losing contact with the outer colonies, unfortunately they are true." I turned around and hit the controls on the wall that activated screen behind me. "The following has only been seen by the Joints Chiefs, the President, Sergeant Major Matthews and myself." I touched the screen and hit play on the file.

"HOLY SHIT!!!" exclaimed one of the men "Is this for real?"

"Yes it is, Sergeant."

"How did this happen?"

"We really don't know." I said while looking at the screen which now displayed images of the outer colonies as smoldering craters, "No alarm was sounded, the outer defense platform was found destroyed, and we found traces of unknown energy signatures and plasma burns at the colonies and at the remnants of the defense platform."

"What do you mean unknown energy signatures?" asked Corporal Rainer.

"He means that we have no idea what did it and we have never seen anything like it. All that we do know now is that it's very deadly even a week after the attack took place" answered my second in command Sgt Maj Matthews.

Before any of my men could ask the question, I told them about the first recovery team arriving at the scene. "When the recovery team arrived at Sigma-Prime, one of the attacked colonies, they all said that they were having problems breathing even with their suits on. Command decided to keep going with the search but soon lost contact with the team. Command decided to launch a drone, which soon found the recovery team. They were all dead, something had burned through the suits and they were poisoned by the outside environment. Soon after, the drone also failed..."

"That energy thing killed it?" asked Private Smith interrupting me.

"Yes, it seems that it did. We do know that after a week or so the intensity of the so called energy lessens ‘til it non-existent" I sighed, "Look, we don't know what we are dealing with but we will find out and destroy it before it can do anymore damage." They all yelled their expression of valor. I smiled at my team knowing they would give it their best. "Okay you magg,,,,"

"Sir, we will soon dock with Jupiter Station" the AIX droned in, "All cargo will be sent to the UES Novus Diluculo Cargo Bay 3."

"Thank You Computer. Well you heard her boys and girls, we are here", I looked at Sgt Maj Matthews and told her "I'll be heading to the Presidential suite on the station, take the men down to Docking Bay 5."

"Yes Colonel!" She said while snapping a salute.

I snapped a salute back at her and turned back to the screen. Even after so many years I still can't control the emotion coursing through me as I saw the images before me. I have seen this scene before, not from other vids or images but from real life. It has been a total of fourteen years since I escaped a dead world along with 27 others. I was born on Alpha-Omega IX in the Alpha Centauri System, a planet long since classified as un-inhabitable for humans. Fourteen years ago on a day like any other day, they came. No alarms sounded, No defenses activated to protect us. Only after the destruction of two main cities did the security system where I lived activate, but not before the city was hit, my parents never made it to the bunker. We stayed there for over three weeks before a rescue team finally arrived and took us away from the planet. The shield around the bunker was able to stop the same energy that killed the rescuers on Sigma-Prime from burning through. I finally did see how much destruction it caused when I was aboard the rescue ship. It was something a child of ten years should never see.

"Sir, are you okay?" asked Sgt Maj Matthews, jarring me from reminiscing over past memories.

"Yes, I am Sam." I said while turning to look at her, "Thank you for your concern, did you want something?" She momentarily looked at me with concern in her eyes, and then proceeded to tell me that the ship had docked and they were ready to move out.

"Very well Sam, move them out and I'll join you guys at Docking Bay 5."

"By your command, Colonel" She saluted and went to round up the team.

I went back to the controls in the wall and ejected the vid-disk inside. I grabbed my pocket knife and scraped both surfaces of the disk before crushing it in my gloved covered hand. I walked over to the nearest disposal on the ship and threw it in. I had to make sure no evidence was left for the media to get its hands on.

"Computer, inform the President that I will be heading to her room soon."

"Yes Colonel" the AIX droned.

I picked up my helmet and strapped it on. I pressed a button on my wrist and the camouflage system turned on. I headed out towards the airlock to Jupiter Station. This was going to be fun, I laughed to myself.

***

Jupiter Station-Sol System

The Secret Service agents that were supposed to be guarding the President were no match for me as I headed towards the Presidential Suite on Jupiter Station. For one thing, they couldn't see me, and for another I was better trained than them. I easily passed the first line of them and headed to the second team that was guarding the main door. I grabbed my Kinetic-Pulse Cell Disrupter (KCD) from my side and set it on its lowest setting and fired it at 2 of the 5 agents on the door which rendered them unconscious , before the 3 other agents had chance to press a panic button I strapped on my KCD and jumped on them, knocking them to the ground. I pulled my Electro-Lance from behind me and hit the agent that was closest to me. The agent slumped over and kept jittering from the electro pulse going through his body. As the two remaining agents came at me, I charged up the lance and tried to hit one of them, but the second agent was able to kick it out of my hand, sending it flying down the hall. I silently cursed myself for losing my lance. These guys are better than the others I have fought, I thought to myself while blocking their punches and kicks coming towards me. They kept trying pushing me against the far wall, nice strategy trying to get me far away from the door. I decided that I wasn't going to lose this easily to them so I ran to the wall behind me while they followed, did a back flip off of the wall, landing behind them and giving me the opportunity to punch one in the back and grab hold the other. I held the agent in a sleeper hold and pulled him towards the door. His partner on the floor got up and started to rush me but I had other ideas.

"Come any closer and I'll break this agent's pretty neck" I told him while choking his partner in my hold, the agent stopped in his tracks, "Good Boy, now kick that lance over and get on your knees, NOW", He kicked the lance over and kneeled down.

I hit the agent in my hold hard enough to knock him unconscious but not so hard as to cause damage. That same moment I kicked the lance up into my hand and hit his partner before he had a chance to get up. Having achieved victory, I smiled while heading to the door, placed my hand on key pad and allowed my CSH to open the door. The door chimed and slid open. I walked in with my KCD out and headed to the main room. I knew something was off when I entered the room. First off, it was empty and didn't look like anyone had been using it. I turned to walk out, but it was too late, Standing in front of me was the Madame President with secret service agents and their KCD's out and pointed at me.

I smiled at her and un-strapped my helmet, "President Carter, I see you took my advice of not staying in the main room."

"Yes I did, and it seems that it worked."

"Really now?" I holstered my KCD to my thigh, "How do you know that I don't have something up my sleeve, hmm?"

"Come now Colonel, I think you have showed my agents that you can take care of me on this tour" she said to me.

"True"

"Alright ladies and gentleman return to your posts and clear this room, please" she told her Secret Service Agents. I stood at attention waiting for the room to clear. Once everyone had left, she turned around and shook her head at me, "At ease, Colonel Carter," and enveloped me in a hug.

"Nice to see you too, mum" I said while returning her hug.

"Is that all I get? A ‘Nice to see you mum', I would have thought I would get better treatment from you Daniel."

"Yes mum, so I see that your dogs are still worried about you."

"Yes, well that's what I get for being the president of the UEN."

She pointed to the couch and told me to sit. We began to discuss my team's mission and other personal items. Now I know you are wondering how I came to be the Madame President's son. The rescue ship that saved me from Alpha -Omega IX, took the other survivors and me to earth. My then future adoptive mother was a Senator who was present at our arrival. She took one look at me and decided that I was going to go with her because she couldn't allow me to go to one of the adoption facilities. A few days later my last name was changed and I became Daniel Jonathan Carter.

"So Daniel, what have you been up to the last few weeks?"

"Hehe, come now mother you know I can't tell you what we do."

"Bah, you and the Ghosts always keeping secrets even from the most powerful person in the system."

"I can tell you that Mars....." I started to say before a strange feeling entered me, and it made my hairs stand on end. Then out of nowhere I started to hear whispers in my head. But just as fast as it started, it stopped.

"Son, are you okay?"

"Umm, Yeah... Just hold on a second" I said to her, holding up a finger. [Sam, did you just feel that?]

[Yes I did, so did our men.]

[Do you know what it was?]

[No Sir, I have informed GCCO about it. GCCO says to keep an eye out in case it happens again.]

"You know I hate it when you ‘talk' to the others like that" she told me.

"Sorry Mum, but that's why the Ghosts were created, to train us to perfect this new ability."

"Yes, I know but I still don't like it" she said with a smirk.

The door slid open and the President's secretary entered, "Ma'am, the Novus Diluculo has given an all clear to come aboard."

"Thank you Steven, tell Agent Jones that we will be heading out soon."

"Yes, Madame President" said Steven stepping out of the room.

"So I guess it's time for us to head down."

"Guess so" I said strapping on my helmet, [Sam we are heading down.]

"Lead on Colonel."