Chapter 1 - Prelude

10 Years Ago

As Mikar played in the sand dunes near his home, he sensed a disturbance, a sort of premonition that something very wrong might happen. Mikar was very unusual in many ways. The 8 year old was gifted as some might call it, a mutant as the less accepting people would call it. He was very quiet, not like the other boys who yelled and screamed and fought. His parents had given up on trying to make him normal, and Mikar was very thankful. Unlike nearly everyone else, he was worried about the war with the Kharaa. Even though his home planet of Tayseer was not in the TSA affiliation, he worried. He knew deep in his heart that the Kharaa didn't care if a planet was officially in the war, they would kill and ravage any human they could find. While the rest of the inhabitants of Tayseer thought the TSA outpost near their home planet a nuisance, Mikar was thankful for it.

As the evening came to a dark end, Mikar decided to go back home. He stopped buildling the spaceship he was molding, and stood up. He looked around him, taking in the scene. It was beautiful in the desert at this hour. Mikar tried his best to enjoy this moment as he had always done, but he could not fight the feeling that something was wrong. He shook it off, and walked towards his house.

As he walked, he smelled the faint odor of spent gunpowder and blood. Quickly, he ran, and only then did he realize that no one came out to get him, as they usually did, and the TSA Marine Corps. guards were not at their posts. Mikar ran as fast as he could towards his home, thinking to himself that his family was safe, that nothing had happened to them. Even as he tried to calm himself, he knew it was futile. The Kharaa killed everything they came in contact with. His unarmed family stood no chance. As he ran, tears came into his eyes, and they stung. Coming into the outskirts, Mikar saw smoke and blood everywhere, both human and Kharaa alike. He smelled the odor of a Grenade Launcher, and saw Heavy Machine Gun bullet casings on the ground. He knew there had been a huge battle, and in his daydreaming, he hadn't sensed it.

Mikar ran to his house, and when he saw what remained of it, his knees buckled and he fell down. The house had been demolished by Onos and he could see traces of Acid Rockets. His family lay near the house. Apparently, they had tried to run, but had been torn apart by Lerks. Mikar fell down, and he felt weak. In his daze, he didn't hear the sound of a Skulk leaping towards him. However, before it came close enough to tear his throat out, he heard the unmistable sound of a high powered magnum sniper rifle, and the skulk literally exploded before him. He turned around and saw a Marine in green armor on a two-story buildling. The marine nodded at him, and continued to pick off Aliens. It was only then that Mikar noticed the battle was still raging, and it seemed as though the Marines were going to win this one.

As the last Fades and Onos were rounded up and shredded to bits by HMGs, Mikar still couldn't move. Near him, he saw a Frontiersman being pursued by a Fade. The soldier had a Shotgun, but he was reloading. Unaware of what came over him, Mikar dashed towards the Fade, and the next thing he knew, the Fade started shrieking and fell down, dead. The marine looked at Mikar, and a mixture of shock and fear crept into his eyes, but only for a split second. The very next, he shouted at Mikar to go to the makeshift bunker the Marines had set up, and to take shelter behind the Turrets. Mikar did as he was told and ran into the bunker. Once inside, he ran up to the eagle's nest and looked down at the battle, which had come at last to an end, in favor of the Marines. The last Onos was cornered by Heavy Armors and shot down. As it died, a intense wave of emotion came over Mikar. Perhaps it was empathy, perhaps it was hatred, or perhaps it was a mixture of both. Mikar had seen enough carnage, and went down to sit with the other survivors.

As the battle concluded, The marine that Mikar had saved came over to him, along with three other Frontiersmen. One of them had a red badge on his chest, the sign of a Master Sargeant. The second had the sign of a Siege Turret, presumably the sign of the Artillery Squadron. The last soldier had a badge of a Alien Eye. He was apparently the leader, and Mikar knew that he was in the Kharaa Hunter Order, the most elite of the marines, tasked with the assasination of specific aliens.

The three men came over to Mikar, and they told him to come with them. Mikar obeyed, and they walked to a remote location near the outskirts of town. The soldier Mikar had saved sat down, and turned to Mikar.
"Son, do you know what you did to that Fade"
"No...no sir, I...I don't" replied Mikar, scared.
"Son, that Fade was killed. Do you have any idea how you did that?" the Artillery Corps. Captain said
"Sir, I really don't know what I did. I really don't"
"That Fade was killed by a Psi blast. There were no bullets in him, no scorch marks from Greandes, and no gashes from knives on its body"
"Are you aware that you have immense psychic powers, young man" said the Master Sargeant
"I never knew that I had that kind of power...but I think I knew I was psychic to some extent"
"Well son, that kind of power now is extremely rare, and it is powerful beyond belief." said the Kharaa Hunter, speaking up at last. He paused a moment, and then said haltingly "Now, I know that this has been a hard day for you. I am sorry, I truly am. I know what it feels like to lose family. There is nothing here for you now. We in the TSA need soldiers like you. You could be the key to winning this war. What do you say?"
Mikar, although he was scared half to death, nodded and said "Yes sir. I will join the Marine Corps."
"Good, I want you in a new division. We are gathering gifted young men, and we're going to form a Psi Corps. They are going to be the most powerful soldiers, and they will be able to take down a Fade or an Oni by themselves. They won't use weaponary, explosives, or technology. They will use their minds, and the Kharaa are not prepared for that."

As Mikar walked towards the BattleCruiser, he took a last look at the desecrated town, and he bowed his head and shed a tear for all who had died. He made a promise to himself right there that he would find and kill every last alien in the universe.

End of Part 1. Part 2 to come whenever I feel like it. Hope you all like it. Feedback would be welcomed. Constructive criticism is appreciated also.