Forgotten Hope.
He looked out the window, trying to calm himself. Everytime he looked at the stars, he felt small and insignifacant compared to all the stars, all the tiny planets that for the most part, had other creatures that, no matter if they were big or small, had one brain or multiple arms, strived for an existance.
He thought it was funny, the thought that almost every creature in the universe, from the age where they first learn how to survive and make homes in caves, learn how to do battle. Maybe the fight starts over the last piece of food, maybe the fight started over something small or stupid, but it doesn't matter. One of the creatures learns to grab that sharp piece of rock he found outside the cave and plunges it into his enemy in front of the other cave dwellers. Then the dwellers who were close to the killed cave creature leave the cave, find their own cave, and make their own society. They live nearby for a few years ignoring each other, until a fued starts over a food source. Then both groups get the impulse to attack each other on sight, until primitive war begins. As the groups evolve over time, making better and more complicated weapons, they soon forget why they started fighting in the first place.
Humankind was one of those races. When he was younger, learning about history for the first time, he learned that in the past, before humans had spread out to all corners of the galaxy, that they had almost destroyed Earth with war between all the races and cultures.
Of cource, he thought with a chuckle, when humans first learned and had contact with other creatures in the universe did the senseless war stop. Suddenly the fact that the guy who was shooting at them wasn't important, what was important was that the guy had two arms, not claws growing out of his face—
Basic Infantry Bernie Rohlik heard a knock on the door and saw the face of Sergeant John Denrussa. John Denrussa was a prick in Bernies opinion. He was a forty, chubby, took his tile as a sergeant for granted. No one he knew had any respect for his laziness, or the fact that it had took him almost 20 years to make sergeant. " Bernie," he said angrily, " Why arent you at the briefing?" He was breathing hard and fast, Bernie saw, and it made him angrier that he had to take orders from this pig. " I was going, I thought it was later today." Bernie said in a frank innocent way. " I don't care either way Rohlik, get your ass over there, you knew this was top priority briefing for all the soldiers. "Now, MOVE!" he bellowed. Bernie suddenly felt unconfortable, something about the way the sergeant talked that bothered him. Now he noticed how sergeant was sweating, his face red. There was a certain difference in his eyes, he saw something in there that really bothered him. Fear. Maybe it wasn't just the running that had him sweating.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDI NG THERE DAYDREAMING?" Seargent Denrussa yelled at the top of his voice. "GET OVER THERE OR ILL COURT-MARTIAL YOU FOR OBSTRUCTION OF ORDERS!" That got Bernie's attention, so he quickly made his way out of the rom he shared with 3 of his friends, and ran as fast as he could to the briefing.