7 Renewed Hopes (1/2)

* In the air above the now burnt forest *

'' Commander Landon, the Tamarain ship managed to escape before we got here. It seems they bombed the place. ''

A tall, well-builtman was looking at the results of the bomb below him, whilst sitting comfortably in his Commander's chair. His name was Commander Joseph Landon. He had a rough-looking face and one of his arms was uncovered, letting all the people around see the lightning scars he had from fist to elbow. He had acquired those scars in a fight against a class B Tamarain fighter, in the rough part of the war.

'' I can see that lieutenant. The question is why. There are no bases in a thousand mile radius and the closest village is 50 miles to the west. ''

'' We have no idea Sir. Detection arrays show faint remnants of Galvanic energy, which leads us into more confusion. ''

If there had been a fight, who were the Tamarains fighting, out here in the boonies?

'' Sensors are picking on movement on the ground Sir! It appears to be... a man? ''

Back on the ground, Henry was finally coming to and he was still stuck under the big body of Captain thunder punch, as he now called him. He could smell the odor of burnt flesh coming from him, so he pushed him aside, only to resurface in the ghost of the forest that had earlier surrounded him. Seeing the aftermath of the Tamarain bomb around him, he asked the System.

'' System, how the hell did we survive this. ''

'' Sensing impending doom, We have taken upon ourselves the decision to convert stored energy from lifespan, to active energy to protect body from heat and shockwave from the detonating explosive. ''

'' HOT DAMN! Great thinking. Was that very energy-consuming? ''

'' System calculates energy consumption to 1 year ''

'' WHAT!!??? Half our lifespan. FUCK!!!! ''

Cursing at the Tamarains for their radical measures, Henry failed to notice the ship, hovering high in the sky overhead. What snapped him back to reality was a loud voice, coming from an onboard speaker from the ship.

'' Unknown civilian on the ground, identify yourself. ''

Looking up, Henry saw the ship hover over his head. He then looked around to see if there was anyone else. Seeing not a single living soul arround him, he understood they were talking to him.

'' This is Commander Joseph Landon, Commander of the ESM Prometheus, Frontline fighter ship of the First Response Squadron. I repeat, identify yourself. ''

As he was hearing these words, henry saw the ships weapon re-align and take aim on him. Not seeing any signs of charging yet, he wondered if they were human or Tamarain and if he should take his chances running or do as asked. Hearing a humming sound become louder, he now knew the first option was no longer viable. They had started charging the weapons.

'' This is your last chance. Identify yourself or die. ''

'' My name is Henry Calvert. I am no one. Please, I ask for mercy, don't shoot. '' Henry said, not wanting to test out his resistance to what seemed like 4 plasma cannons.

'' Human or Tamarain? ''

Henry did not know what species the man speaking to him belonged to and the System had been unable to scan the ship, due to an energy barrier surrounding it. Figuring he was better off telling the truth and roll the dice, he answered.

'' Human. ''

As soon as he did, he heard the humming sound start to fade away and the weapons shift their aim back forward, away from him. He sighed deeply, relieved he could yet live another day. What happened next took him by surprise though, as the time he took to sigh with his eyes closed, he felt the ground under his feet change.

Opening his eyes, his jaw dropped. He was standing on a round metal plate, what he assumed was a warping pad, in what he assumed was the ship he was staring at just moments ago. He was also being held at gun point by 4 mean looking men. Hearing heavy footsteps from the corridor outside the room, he knew he was about to meet his captor really soon.

Moments later, Commander Landon entered the warping room on his ship, intent on meeting this fool, who he had found in the middle of a blast zone. When he saw him on the platform, just standing there, not a care in the world. Four men were taking aim at him and yet, he was just looking around him curiously.

'' Mister Calvert, if that is even your real name, you have some explaining to do. And it better be good. '' The Commander told him, standing behind his soldiers, his arms crossed behind his back.

'' About what exactly do you want explanations? ''