First off, I am looking for a beta for this fic. Currently I am unhappy with how it is, however no worries on how broken up this chapter is. There will be even more references to how Sid and Joe got together, as well as everyone's past. If you'd like to beta this for me and are serious, please give me a comment! The canon divergence is mainly centered around AkaRed never finding all of the Rangerkeys, thus allowing me to explore the universe more. Unfortunately this does not allow me to introduce Gai until the potential sequel. I know I'm sad about that as well.

There once was a time where he had not been known as Joe Gibken. It was when his mind wasn't filled with the soldier impulse to keep to his training or getting defensive if an unfamiliar sound was heard in the dead of night. He swore that if he thought hard enough that he could remember smoky green skies and a mountainous landscape, along with a dark haired woman standing on the side of a small stream. There was no happiness in that image, even as it flashed through his head, instead there was fear that accompanied it, seeping into the very marrow of his bones until Joe had to stand up and stop whatever he was doing. The fear would always subside when the others went to talk to him, yet it would always be lurking within that memory ready to rear its ugly head again. The memory of a Zangyack controlled planet that once had been beautiful and pristine.

All he could remember is that the empire had raided countless planets for human soldiers to train, soldiers that they could use to infiltrate other worlds and destroy them. That image was the last thing, and honestly the only thing, he remembered when he had been taken. His scream still haunted his memories, still taunted him at night if his mind was left vulnerable and unguarded. But it was the woman screaming, his mother, that always woke him up in a cold sweat.

Regardless of the heat from all of the bodies surrounding him, Joe was shivering. Even with his arms wrapped around him and knees drawn tightly to his chest, it was overwhelming, causing the boy to feel dizzy and nauseous. The ship shuddered all around him as it began to lift off and a whimper slipped through his lips. Those who had been standing toppled over onto one another, cries and sobs beginning to echo off the metal walls until it was a chorus of fear. He winced, clapping a hand over his ears to stifle the sound.

It was no use, the sound clawed its way past his small fingers and wormed its way into his mind. A small choked sound slipped past his lips, wishing it would go away, that the silence he hated on his planet would return. Many children huddled closer to each other, as if each other's company would magically make everything okay.

It would never be okay.

Hesitantly, once the shaking of the walls ceased, Joe raised his head from where it had been hidden against his knees. The cell they had been unceremoniously shoved into was small, there was barely enough room for all of them to sit without being able to be squished between everyone else. The kids around him made his eyes sting and mind spin.

He was used to muted colors on his home planet, yet the faces around him and their clothing were different. Too many strange faces and all of various ages; their skin colors ranged from pale like his own to deep brown and one girl near him had hints of green along her flesh. Their facial structures were otherworldly, and the eyes… Such bright and radiant colors that were twisted by fear -blue, green, brown, even bright grey. Unlike the near-dominant black hair color of his own people, there were hues of colors he only heard about in stories. Then there were the clothing, made of materials so rich and intricate, with beading and lace that his village would have gone to war for.

It was obvious to Joe that he hadn't been the only one taken from his planet, nor was his planet the only one taken. Those who had been there the longest were quiet and pressed back against the wall like he was now. It was as if the hope they could escape had been drained from them, now resigned to their fate. There were stories of what happened to those taken on his planet. Many whispered that they became slaves to the empire, other swore they trained them for battle. Then there were the rumors of them simply vanishing, never to be seen again. Neither of those options sounded pleasant to the child's ears. He just wanted to go home.

A sudden loud screech of metal slamming against metal silenced everyone in the cells. Joe's heart leapt to his throat, staring at the bars and trying to sink further into the wall he was pressed against. Joe froze, as did many others; the remaining ones tried to scramble away from the bars in a panic.

"Silence!" The booming voice cut through the hallway and cells, efficiently ending all cries. An involuntarily shiver ran up and down Joe's spine, not daring to move even an inch as a large gold armored figure stepped into the room, followed by two red metalloids who stopped near the doorway. The silence didn't last for long, a few whimpers slipping through. The gold one stepped closer to the cell opposite Joe and grabbed the bars. The clang of metal on metal earned a few shrieks of fright, children falling over each other as they tried to get to the back of the cage

"The Emperor would be pleased with them. Begin training immediately and weed out the weak. If even ten of them survive in the end, then everything will fall into place." With that said, he turned around and left, the red beings following him in their wake. Joe's eyes widened, chest tightening as panic began to settle inside.

"If even ten of them survive…"

Everything faded away, darkness filling his vision. He wanted to go, he wanted his mother and baby brother! He wanted to go home! Barely surviving each day on that forsaken planet at war with other tribes was better than the unknown future that this ship held for him.

"Hey, are you okay?" A flinch came unbidden as a hand lightly squeezed his shoulder. Immediately Joe's eyes snapped open and tried to shove the person away, but the child he had been next to cried out and pushed him into the very person he tried to get away from. The older child caught him before his head could slam against the ground. Joe tried to breathe through the still rising panic.

"Easy." The other helped move him into a sitting position, shifting over a couple of inches to allow him some room.

"My name's Sid Bamick. What's your name?" The older child was the only one that was attempting to smile surrounded by these terrible events. There was warmth in those eyes, a comforting presence as he laid one hand on his shoulder.

"J-Joe…" Silence stretched between them, and when it lasted too long, Joe raised his eyes to meet Sid's. There was confusion in the stranger's face, eyes flickering back and forth between his eyes. A hesitant smile was sent towards him, as if it would help Joe open up.

"And… your last name?" The smaller child worried his lower lip, ducking his head.

"Last… name?" Joe's frown increased and he looked down, wringing his hands as he huddled against the cold wall. Sid waited for the other to explain, seeing as he kept opening and closing his mouth in an attempt to say something. Joe wasn't sure how to explain his planet's customs, unsure if it was like it in other places besides his own. From the storytellers and historians back on his planet, they always told the children that outsiders had different views, different ways of living with societies so opposite from their own.

"We… we don't get a last name until we prove ourselves when we're older."

"So a coming of age trial?" Coming… of age? Joe's eyes jerked up to meet Sid's, relieved to see understanding in their depths. Although their ritual wasn't called a coming of age trial, the two were quite similar from what he knew. The younger boy nodded in response, ducking his head and almost flinching when Sid ruffled his short hair. The ship roared around them, sending a spark of fear racing through Joe's body. If the older boy noticed, he didn't say a word, only wrapped an arm around him to pull him close.

It was the only small gift of warmth that he would receive in a long time…

...

Hiding the pain from the Gormin soldiers was an easy thing to do, their blows were easy to deflect, and they were far too predictable. All of those years of tortuous training regiments, both in hot and cold simulated weather, brought him to understand that having a calm stoic exterior could help him last. Yet when he pushed his bruised body past its limits, the young teen found it almost impossible to not let out small cries of pain when the Sugormin shoved and kicked him down for amusement. It happened all those years, to the point where he learned that after a beating, to stay down meant they would leave him alone. If not, he would be sent to the infirmary and punished even more.

It wasn't as if Joe couldn't take down a Sugormin. Against one, he could handle himself well with a sword, and close combat was his specialty. However, that was only when they were instructed during training. Early on, they all learned that if any of the soldiers pushed them around, they weren't supposed to fight back. The last one who did… He never saw that boy again.

Faced with similar styled-enemies, he was among the best of the several soldiers who had survived the trials, however now he was falling behind due to his stature. His memory swam as he tried to recall the numbers. Seventeen children were all that was left. A few years had gone by, and through the training, only nine had passed.

Joe's eyes shut tightly, hearing their screams in his mind. Only the strong survived, it was a harsh reality Joe had accepted. In war, there were casualties and the only one you could look after was yourself. Teammates were vital to survive, but when it came down to it... Joe's heart lurched uncomfortably in his chest.

When it came down to it, you were the one that mattered.

Slowly, Joe went back to counting his racing heartbeat, fingers clenching and unclenching his black soldier outfit. The small training room around him felt cold and seemed to compress around him like a cage. It was eerie to be alone in one, with dark steel sucking almost all light out of the room. The scrape of one boot against the hard ground echoed loudly, Joe flinching despite himself. Normally he felt at ease in these rooms during training, but with him being the sole inhabitant…

Unable to continue staring at the Zangyack banner in front of him, Joe closed his eyes, letting everything wash into darkness. Receiving a notice that his swordsmanship was lacking, they sent him to this room to wait for a mentor, a mentor who apparently was a higher ranking Officer in the Imperial Special Forces, the group of elite soldiers all of them aspired to be instead of mere frontline grunts. Muscles tensed again, worry coiling up like a serpent in his belly. From what he knew of the Officers, they were strict and one of the best soldiers in the field. It wasn't easy for humans to even reach those ranks. Joe's tall lanky form that was the result of an ongoing growth spurt for the teen was making it awkward to settle into the advanced sword techniques taught to them.

He knew the basics of course, those were child's play. Footwork, blocks, lunges, counters, feints, all of these were ingrained with his mind since the first few training sessions when he was small. Yet he was faltering in matching the pace that his shorter comrades were picking up. Joe was being humiliated. He hated it. From one of the best to now last, he could feel doubt tearing him from the inside.

"Let me see where you are at, boy." The rather casual tone shocked him back into reality, jumping a little as he spun around to meet whoever had talked. He saw a flash of black and white, and a grinning face of a man before he bowed down.

"Sir." There was a grimace on the man's face… One who looked only a bit older than he actually…

"You don't have to act so formal. One of the rules with me starting now, no bowing." Quick to comply, Joe nodded and stood straight up at attention.

"So I know all about why they said you needed a mentor, so let's start with the advanced stance your division was working on." Joe nodded yet again and watched as the man – he didn't even know his name - easily settled into the said stance. It was perfect, no flaw and a seamless transition from the casual way he had been standing. The younger soldier almost forgot he was supposed to copy it when his new mentor glanced over at him, waiting.

A clear of the throat jerked Joe out of it. Red crept up his neck, turning so he could imitate the position as best as he could with his awkward frame. Luckily he knew he would properly grow into it after the growth spurt stopped, but how quickly would that be?

"About your last name…" Joe froze, sword freezing before it could properly fall into the proper stance. Last name? But he had no last name, so what was the other talking about? Normally soldiers weren't called by first or last names, the latter only if they past the soldier trials. Everyone always had a nickname that the higher ups called him.

'You' was an all too common name, that and 'boy' as demonstrated by this officer. Due to that, he never passed it on that he had no last name. All of the others in his division only knew him by first name, and vice versa.

Joe's eyes suddenly widened. Wait. He glanced at the older man, taking in his sharp features and the strips of white in his hair. The other seemed… so familiar now that he really looked at him. His mentor didn't lower his sword, turning his head slightly to catch Joe's gaze. He smirked.

"I've thought about it often. No one should go around without a last name. Gibken. On my planet, it meant Warrior of the Swords. Joe Gibken…. It sounds nice." Joe's stoic face faltered for a second, eyebrows drawing in tight as he looked down, trying to place that voice, but when he returned his gaze to the other's eyes, he could recognize the warmth, the softness.

"Sid… Bamick?" He was unsure, his tone wavering and confused, sword lowering a foot as he tried to connect the dots. His memory from before his training began was hazy, the brutal and tortuous training hardening his body into that of a warrior's. But that voice… He recognized it. A warm hand on the shoulder, a friendly smile amidst terror.

Sid's lips slipped into a smirk, still standing in his stance. A nod only confirmed it.

"It's been a while, Joe."

The happiness and surrealism of meeting the only person who had shown him compassion never dwindled away even as they moved through the training Sid had for him. There were bruises there, small cuts from where Joe didn't move in time to dodge a dulled sword. Joe was determined to show Sid he could fight, that he didn't belong in the bottom of his division, rather at the top once more. That determination could easily be seen in how he kept getting back up, how he took each advice Sid said to heart. It was different than the trainers they had; Sugormin and the various humanoid trainers weren't so keen on helping them.

"Officer Bamick." A low feminine voice broke through the sound of swords clanging. The change in Joe was immediate, a stiffening of his body as his eyes darted over to the door. Almost a second later, he felt a sword near his chest, pressing against his suit. It was difficult to resist pulling back at the sensation, eyes wide with the sudden movement. Sid smiled apologetically before he pulled back.

"Rule number one, Joe, never let your guard down even if in familiar territory." With that, he excused himself to go and speak with the young woman who was waiting patiently. Again a shudder ran through Joe's spine. The woman shouldn't have been considered a threat to him, not when he fought side by side with her and the others at times, but it was the way she moved silently, as if she was a ghost, and her cold style of fighting that bothered him. Shiana, an Acerian, humanoids who had the characteristics of trees and plants from a world whose name he didn't remember. The green sheen that he recalled seeing when they trained had darkened, skin nearly losing its light brown color as the emerald had begun taking over. Her eyes too, their earthy brown lightened to a poisonous green, and thorn-like appendages had finally ruptured from her shoulders and spine.

Joe swallowed when her gaze met his, the slight narrowing of her eyes showing she knew something he didn't. He instantly hated it. The two were far from close, only acquaintances, and she had been pulled from the soldier program to be sent into intelligence gathering and assassinations. Her speed and intelligence had far surpassed those in his own division, leaving everyone more than wary of her.

A sigh from Sid broke his thoughts, nodding at Shiana who took one last look at Joe before she vanished from view. A curious yet cautious look was sent towards his new mentor, fingers tightening on his sword. The officer ran a hand through his hair as he stopped before Joe, weariness heavy in his body.

"I'm needed for a quick mission that should last only a few days. Apparently it can't wait." Damn, Joe felt himself literally deflate as that sank in. He just received a mentor, someone he had met all those years ago and who actually was decent instead of cold and conniving, and then he had to leave for a mission. Trust his luck.

Sid noticed his new apprentice's downfallen expression and frowned. His eyes shifted towards the door before he walked back over to Joe. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing it firmly so Joe would look up at him.

"An hour after your training every day, meet me in this exact room. We will continue your specialized training until you meet the standards for your soldier exam, and if all goes well, the Special Forces trial." The way Joe's eye lit up at the possibility of being able to take the trial caused a small smile to warm Sid's face.

"I'll see you in a few days Joe, keep practicing."

...

No matter how many times Sid asked him, Joe brushed away the pain from a few minutes ago, gruffly telling him that he was fine and didn't need him to worry over him.

"A group of Sugormin thought that banging up you and those other three during training would be amusing. Of course I'll worry over you." Sid's sharp look caused Joe to withdraw again. Of course not only did his mentor oversee that training session, but three other mentors and the overseeing trainer did as well. The latter had shooed the other division out, as well as wave the Sugormin away. Bastard even looked smug when he glanced back at the four of them. Joe hated it. He despised how the trainer could make him feel like the progress he had meant nothing. If he could only properly fight back against the Sugormin and show them his skill.

He didn't learn to dual wield for nothing. Dual wielding even helped him with covering his vulnerable points as well. The downtrodden soldier glanced around discreetly even though the other three soldiers and their own mentors left. The shame that lingered in their eyes as they passed him still on the ground – of course he had been the main focus – was the same in his own.

Why couldn't Sid just be disappointed in him and say it already. After all that training, why was it Sid never was disappointed? Why was it that he… His heart flipped at the thought of it, and again when a pair of lips brushed his closed eyes. Something was wet on his cheeks.

Joe pulled away and wiped at his eyes, forcing himself to stem the bitter tears.

"Joe."

He ignored him, pointedly looking away at the far wall in shame.

"Look at me."

The stern order – it was rare for him to ever issue an order – forced him to obey. The younger soldier swiveled to look at him, tears still clinging to his eyelashes. Sid's face softened again, raising his hand to wipe the tear-trails away.

"You can't let them get to you. At this stage, countering, yet not fighting back, can show to them that you are growing as a soldier." Although the encouragement was meant to give Joe the resolve to push through this, it seemed to have an opposite effect. His apprentice's eyes glazed over and his eyebrows furrowed. What was he think- Sid's eyes widened and he ran a hand over his face, sudden weariness hitting him hard. Oh… That one boy that had fought back. Even Sid, one of the highest ranking officers, had no idea what had happened to him.

A rustle of fabric caught his ear, Joe's fingers tightening on his legs. There had to be something to help distract the boy, to show him what he could really pull off with perseverance and that determination he always held fast to. It was almost instant, the idea that came to him. Feeling as if he was light as a feather, Sid lurched to his feet, brandishing his sword with a sweep. The movement caught Joe's attention sure enough.

"Sid?" There was a look of confusion dwelling in those dark eyes, yet Sid only spared him a small smirk.

"This is a technique I created before I passed my own Special Forces trial." Joe's eyes widened a fraction as he watched, spellbound. The motions were fluid, everything he expected from his mentor, yet the grace of this technique, hands moving in a circle, sword swinging overhead and to the right before being held in front. The way his hand passed over the shining white blade in a stance that promised pain for anyone caught in the way of it.

It was mesmerizing.

Without a delay he struck the air twice, producing two energized blades in the air in the shape of an X. Joe flinched back, the explosion of it striking the back wall blinding him for a few seconds. Spots danced before his eyes as sight returned.

On the wall were two deep gashes, the steel framing bent and partially melted. If Sid could come up with a technique like that… Joe's eyes turned to meet his mentor's, whose face shone with pride.

He could do it too, he knew he could.

...

"S-Senpai." Joe's voice was hushed, teeth biting into white knuckles as his body trembled. A hand slowly dropped further down his chest, lips curling against smooth flesh. An answering noise was all that filled the silence in the dark storage closet on the ship. There was no one around, which made this perfect for a stolen moment. The younger soldier drew his hand away to speak again, but a gasp escaped instead.

The soft touches were maddening, the way the older officer's knee shifted ever so slightly to cause sharp lightning bolts run up and down his body.

Fingertips danced across his cheek before landing on his chin and tilting it upwards. Joe's eyes snapped open, staring up into equally dark eyes. A soft smile echoed the warm expression on Sid's face. Lips surged forward and met in a hot kiss, senses overloading as the world began to fade away. There was no storage closet, no war, no Zangyack Empire. It was just them and…

"Go?" Everything crashed down and Sid jerked back, gaze fastening on the door on the far end through the sagging bookshelves. Joe stilled beneath him, breath caught in his throat at the fear of being caught. Relationships were never permitted between soldiers, something about making them lose focus on their duties. And with Joe in such a low position while Sid was near the top…

A Gormin stumbled into the large closet, turning its head this way and that as if looking for something. The underling scratched its head, poking around the shelves nearby.

"You idiot, the pack isn't in this one." Sid stiffened, pressing his body closer to Joe and the wall. If the light was turned on… He could practically feel Joe's frantic heartbeat beneath his suit, nervousness evident in how the younger soldier's eyes darted from him to the door. A Sugormin arrived in the doorway, growling. The Gormin looked back at it before they both left.

It was a very close call, one of the few that had happened in the last few weeks. No matter where they met on the ship or base they found themselves on, their times alone, besides their training sessions or missions, were limited. Sometimes Sid had to be dragged away or Joe was called for a small test of his skills, or a mission had to be issued. Strange, the past two months seemed to be full of activity.

"Are… they gone?" Sid's eyes darted back to take in Joe's worried, and still-flushed, face. With a tilt of his head, the officer listened. There were footsteps farther away, the sound of guards pacing their routes near the small treasury, and then the two who had interrupted them heading to the farther storage closet on the other side of the ship. They were alone for now. With one swift movement, Joe found himself straddling Sid's hips, back pressed firmly against the cold wall.

"Now… where were we?" Hot breath tickled Joe's ear and he shuddered, feeling a whine traveling up his throat.

"Sid!" he whispered, mind nearly going blank when he felt the older officer's fingers travel up his back, reaching the zipper and agonizingly pulling it down. The smirk on Sid's face, however, dispelled any protest that still persisted in his mind.

...

"They're taking you down to Bahkanva?" Joe nodded as best as he could from where he was lying on the floor. Sweat dripped down his forehead, lungs gulping every drop of precious oxygen to revive his weary body. The last training session they had had been intense. He had just made it past the Special Forces trial not even a few days ago. However, apparently just passing the trial with six others meant nothing; they still needed to undergo one simple 'task' to affirm their title. Yes he was an Officer since the soldier trials, but to get that next rank up as Imperial Officer, there was that one last step. Joe's eyebrows furrowed, closing his eyes.

Sid had been confused when he mentioned that, but why? Did they just now implement the last test recently? And what was Bahkanva? It was a planet, one of the ones they were in a skirmish with, but their division shouldn't have been deployed there so they knew little about it. Lowly soldiers like them who just graduated to being Officers were never informed about important events.

"Be careful. It's not like the other planets you were sent to, where the war was dwindling down. Bahkanva is in an active state of war and wherever you are going will be like walking into the depths of Arvos." Arvos? Joe opened his eyes and glanced towards his mentor, a frown tugging at his lips. It was a place deep underground that was burning and the souls of the dead find themselves dragged down in, at least that's what Sid had said before. There were several versions of these 'afterlifes' or as some of the other humans had said, their hells. For Joe, he wasn't sure what he believed.

Was the planet really like that or was Sid exaggerating?

The worry that was still clouding his mentor's face bothered him. He hated it when Sid looked like that, sure he wasn't a kid anymore who fumbled with a sword, but he knew how to handle situations and knew he would be able to pass whatever this test was.

"You don't need to be worried, you taught me everything I know. Only a few of the other kids received mentors later on, but none of them dual wield like I do." The proud look seemed to glow on Sid's face, warming Joe's heart to the point where the smile he tried to hide bloomed full force on his own face. Sure, there was one kid who had a giant axe and another with a double-bladed spear but Joe prided himself on being able to best them with ease. There was a reason why he was now quite the favorite in his division. The other boys hated it, but damnit he worked his ass off in order to get this far. He wasn't about to let any of them take the number one spot from him.

"Don't get cocky, Joe, it doesn't suit you." It was difficult to bite back the laugh and remark that spewed from his lips.

"Right, because it suits you better." Setting a well-placed grin on his lips, Joe looked up at Sid through his curtain of bangs. He was pleased to see the startled look before it melted into one that matched his own face.

"Touché, Joe." There was a beep on a small device attached to Joe's belt. Instantly he went rigid, looking down at it. It had been given to all of the soldiers who had to take the test. A soothing hand on Joe's shoulder made the tension drain from his body, sinking sideways into Sid's half-hug. The older officer checked the doorway for any possible intruders before he placed a chaste kiss on Joe's lips.

"You'll be fine." It was the last thing Sid whispered to him as he gently nudged him up and out of the door. Still, as Joe looked back, he couldn't help but feel like the floor beneath him was about to open up. Every step away from the training room made him feel heavier and heavier to the point where he wondered if he would even be able to continue moving at all. The door opened to the outside at the end of the command center and he took a shaky breathe, stepping out into the night. To the far side was the shipyard where they would be taken to the planet. Movement caught his eyes and he quickly turned around to follow it. A hint of green beneath the stark yellow lamps that littered the compound. It was the Acerian again, Shiana… The smile sent towards him made him shudder and he quickly turned away and began to jog towards the shipyard. Behind him, the female agent paused, the smile transforming into a frown as she watched him leave.

The screams of the children, the look of pure terror in their eyes, the way they tripped over their own words as they begged to be let go. How could he ever forget those faces, how could he kill innocents?

I can't, I just can't kill defenseless children! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!

I-I'm not a traitor, I didn't sign up to become a soldier who slaughtered innocents! They are civilians, non-combatants!

Sid, I'm sorry.