Author's Note: Hey guys! This is just a random story. I'm actually on my WiiU, typing on the gamepad. Anyway, I'm making this story up as I go along. I THINK it's going to be about a duo of people who live near a secret Republic base on a far-away planet. For those of you who read my old Hunter series, you might recognize a few things. Anyway, here goes nothing!

Nianni's Crimson Star

''Mark one!''

''Hey, no fair! I saw it first!''

''Yeah, but I marked it first.''

''Tracker, you're cheating. I don't play with cheaters.'' Tracker just laughed and kept on gazing up into the sky. It was a clear night with neither of the two moons in sight. It was easy to spot the continuous trail of commets that flew past the planet every year. They streaked across the night like streams of sparkling gold. Tracker and his younger sister would sometimes hike the dirt trail that led to the open medows. The would lie on the grassy hillsides and watch the light display untill late.

Sometimes, times like these, they would play the marking game. Whoever marked the most commets, of course, would win. Tracker was winning. He always did.

Nianni, Tracker's sister, suddenly pointed up into the sky. ''Mark!'' she shouted, extra loud.

''Why so loud?''

''So you wouldn't say you called it first.''

''Whatever.''

''You're so moody''

''I'm a teenager, I'm supposed to be moody.''

''You're only thirteen. Mom says you're still her 'little boy'.''

Tracker frowned. ''That's because she's my mama. Mama's are supposed to do stuff like that. Besides, you call Dad daddy.''

''You still call Mom, Mama! Ha!'

''Why you...!'' Tracker jumped up and stood over Nianni. ''Little nerf scrubber!'' She suddenly bolted upright and tackled her older brother. They struggled against each other before they both tumbled to the ground. Nianni was twelve and just as tall as Tracker. But Tracker was stronger...barely. He almost pinned her but she threw him off-balance and she rolled away. She was on her feet before he could recover. Uh, oh. This is gonna hurt. Tracker cringed as Nianni charged him at full speed...and promptly tripped over her own feet. She flopped onto the ground. Tracker burst out laughing. Soon after, Nianni joined him. Their laughter carried across the empty fields, poking holes in the silent night.

Tracker finally caught his breath after a good, long, minute or two. Nianni was still giggling. It felt good to laugh. Grandma had said it was good for his soul. He could hear her voice in his thoughts, clear as the night sky. 'Stop worrying!' she would say. 'You're too young. Learn to laugh during your childhood. You'll miss it once it's gone. You are thirteen. Take it from your Grandma, if you can't laugh now, then I don't know if you'll ever.'' Tracker's memories of his deceased Grandma always brought a few tears to his eyes. She was watching over him now, he knew it.

''Marked! Wait...Tracker, look!''

Memories disapeared in a poof. Nianni sat up next to him. Blades of grass stuck out from her long braids. She was scrutinizing something in the sky. Tracker sat up.

''What is it Nianni?''

''Out there, a commet, but it's not moving.''

''Huh?'' Tracker sat upright and joined his sister. ''Where?'' She pointed. He followed her finger and...what was that? Up in the sky a bright spot glowed, brighter than the stars around it. He pulled out a pair of electrobinoculars that he'd snuck from his neighbors shed (He had to promise Nianni FIVE TIMES that he would return them before morning!). The veiwfinder zoomed in and focused on the bright spot. Crimson light filled the screen. Something dark and shadowy filled the center. Tracker sighed. ''It's just a ship Nianni. You know the Republic keeps ships up there.''

''Then why is it glowing so much?'' She had a good point. ''Is it fighting? Daddy said we were far away from the war. The ships don't do anything.''

Tanner lowered the electrobinoculars. Dad is a coward. He says the war is far off. Everyday it's getting closer. Jauden and I snuck out to the Republic base in the valley. They have tanks there. Tanks! Why would they have tanks if there wasn't a fight coming. The Republic base with the soldiers in the white armor had always been a hush-hush topic in the town. One day a bunch of ships had flown over and the armored soldiers had come into town. ''We need your cooperation'' they had said. Then a man in a grey uniform had hired a bunch of people from their town and the surrounding towns and started building a compound in the valley. Once the compound was done, the soldiers never showed up again. They always stayed in their squat metal buldings that were covered in antennae. Who knew what they did in there?

''Tracker.'' Nianni snapped her fingers in Tracker's face. He waved her hand away.

''What!?''

''Don't get an attitude with me!''

''Stop trying to sound like Mom. What is it?''

''That ship is getting brighter.''

Tracker almost swore. He caught himself just in time. His Grandma' had always scolded his father when he swore. She would tell Tracker he was to NEVER talk like his father. It dirtied ones vocabulary to swear. As Tracker spotted the ship, much brighter than it should've been, he almost dirtied his vocabulary a WHOLE lot more than he would've admitted. Something about the brightning glow in the sky dindn't sit well with him. It brought images to his mind. Images of a flaming star ready to burst. He looked back through the electrobinoculars. There was now a definate shape in the center of the red glow. A big republic ship. An orange tail of light stretched behind it. This is bad. Really bad.

''Tracker.''

Tracker kept his eyes on the glow. It was getting brighter and bigger. It's going a lot faster than it should be. Meteors don't even fall that fast.

''Tracker!''

The glow filled up the entire screen of the electrobinoculars.

''Tracker! Look!''

He finally heeded his sister. He looked - and he dirtied his vocabulary. The glow was so bright he didn't even need the binocs' anymore. The ship was a crimson beacon in a sea of black. Far away, down in the valley, powerful white lights where sticking up into the sky, training their beams at the oncoming blaze. A low rumble echoed off the mountains. The ground was beggining to tremble.

''Nianna...''

''Tracker...''

''We should go!'' they both finished at the same time. As one they begin to trot back towards the old path. It would lead them back to their town. A heavy boom found its away across the feilds, shaking the ground. The rumble grew louder. Nianna and Tracker reached the path. It was dark so they had to slow down lest they twist an ankle. The trees along the path tremmored and rocked in an un-natural wind. Sirens started to blare in the valley. A warm breeze funneled down the path. Tracker stumbled over thick root. He turned sideways to hold his balance. Through the trees he saw the distinct shape of a starship diving through the sky. He turned away just as flashes of blue streaked from it's starboard side. The ground rumbled. Nianna fell. Tracker helped her up and ther kept on running. The path to town usually took thirty minutes walking. The two syblings were halfway down in less than ten. But red glow in the sky only grew closer. The rumble became a roar. T The last thing tracker saw was his sister as they both ducked low to the ground. Then the mountain side exploded.

''The war is far away. It's not coming to us.''

''Then why are there soldiers in the valley!? There's something going on!''

''Don't you raise your voice at me son! You're still a child!''

''But...''

''We DON'T discuss that war in this home. Especially not in front of you're sister. I take care of the family. There are enough things to worry about already.''

Tracker opened his eyes. Everything hurt. It hurt to look, to stand..it hurt to even breath. But he stood up anyway. Around him, trees were knocked flat and broken branches littered the path. It was hot. He turned around to see that the entire mountainside above him was in flames. A monstrous burning shape lay in a deep trench as wide as three town blocks. Someone suddenly grabbed Tracker from behind. It was Nianni. Tears were streaming down her face. She was scared. So was he, His heart was beating like a drunk drummer, smashing away at his chest. Tracker embraced his sister. ''We need to get home.''

Vroom! Vroom! Two white ships raced overhead. The doors hung open, exposing clusters of the soldiers in pale armor. The ships charged up the mountainside, towards the red flames. Tracker and Nianni hurried away. A third ship swooped over, coming in low. It hovered sideways and settled down in front of the brother and sister. An armored man jumped out.

''Firefek, they're children!'' He ran closer. ''Get in, get in!'' BOOM! Tracker spotted a large black shape walking through the fire up on the mountain. Green streams of light arched up towards the other two ships. One of them caught fire. Nianni grabbed Tracker's hand and pulled him up into the waiting ship. The soldier helped them in. He started talking on a hightech transmitter. ''We have locals aboard. We're pulling out. Send Teams IV and VIII into the surrounding towns. We need to keep them safe. Send Team V in hot. We need to contain this mess.''

''Roger that Team III.''

Tracker gasped when the dark figure on the hill lifted off the ground in a flash of white light. It raced towards the other ships, firing away as it flew in range. One of the ships exploded. The other peeled away while the gunners shot blue beams back at the pursuing 'thing'. That was the last of the battle Tracker saw before the ship he was on lurched into the air. The big side doors reeled shut, closing him away from the destruction outside. The ship flew off towards the town. One of the soldiers came around to Tracker and tapped on the shoulder.

''She needs you.'' the soldier said in a low voice. Tracker saw his sister wiping away her tears but still shivering. Shocked. Tracker was shocked too. He felt just about rocked to bottom of his soul. He went over to her. He put his arm around her and she did the same. Grandma' had told him that he would miss his childhood when it was gone. For some reason Tracker felt like his was already fading away. The image of the big walking shape, striding through the fire would never leave him. Things on the planet had changed. The war wasn't so far away anymore. It never was.

The ship landed on the edge of town. They must've called ahead because a bunch of people were waiting for them. Friendly but scared faces. Nianni and Tracker's parents burst into view and hug them. Rivers of tears made Tracker feel like he's drowning. Through the crushing embrace of his mama, he saw the armored men climbing back into their ship, lifting back into the sky. The one with the three stripes on his helmet nodded as the ship pulled away.

For the briefest moment, Tracker feelt like he needed to be with them. He wanted to be them, in the war. But his mama's embrace reminded him. He had a family, and for the moment, that's where he belonged.

The End

Happy Fourth of July and a big thanks to all the men and woman in the services!

-Ajile Jim Coconut (typing on a Wii is HARD work!)