Yush! Finally, I get to post this! Not much to say, I suppose, other than enjoy!
No matter who or what or where or when, beware the Eye of the Storm.
No matter land or sea or day or night, beware the Eye of the Storm.
Human or alien, living or dead, beware the Eye of the Storm.
Friend or foe, wherever you go, beware the Eye of the Storm.
While tales are told of silver and gold, beware the Eye of the Storm.
Where songs are sung by many a tongue, beware the Eye of the Storm.
Many have fought it, many have fallen. Beware the Eye of the Storm.
To some it brings hope, to others doom, beware the Eye of the Storm.
Some sing praise, while others curse, beware the Eye of the Storm.
The form familiar, and yet it's not, beware the Eye of the Storm.
It soars in the air and darts through the clouds, beware the Eye of the Storm.
It fires and destroys, both ships and convoys, beware the Eye of the Storm.
So, wherever you go, you always will know, beware the Eye of the Storm.
No matter where you go, you can always know… To Beware the Eye of the Storm.
The Eye of the Storm. Nobody knew what- or perhaps who- it was, but every planet had some level of fear of it. Some said it was an ancient race of warriors, while others said that it couldn't have been around for very long. Whatever it was, it had kept universal crime rates lower than they had been when it appeared. Nobody could really pinpoint when it had first appeared, but nearly everyone had heard the name. Some of the more underdeveloped civilizations sang about it, writing it into their legends as some sort of deity. The more developed planets did not do so, rather thinking of it as a highly powerful being or group of beings that nobody could control. Of all the mysteries in the universe, the Eye was one of the most debated. Some said that it didn't exist. Others claimed not only that it existed, but that they had seen it.
All of the major galactic powers remained mostly silent on the subject. All of them had some sort of procedure for what to do if the Eye should be encountered, but those files were likely dusty and rarely used. Diplomatic alliances were occasionally formed to create some sort of mutual protection against the Eye, but those rarely lasted. Whatever it was, it was feared greatly. At the slightest rumbling noise from the sky, many planets would panic. Shadows flickering among the stars would throw the crew of any spaceship into chaos. Every ship's captain, every fleet commander dreamed of being the one to take down the Eye of the Storm, whatever it was. The enthusiasm trickled down to the crews and subordinates of every government in existence. Everyone wanted to be the first to unravel the mystery, to take out the intergalactic threat. The question was, who, how, and when?
"We made it!"
"I almost can't believe this."
"Believe it! We're officially graduating!"
"I wonder what ship we'll be on?"
A young man with black and orange hair was walking down a wide, paved path with trees in neat rows on either side. His friends were walking with him, all of them wearing collared grey uniforms with their names on them.
"This is so strange. Are you nervous, Zero?" A young woman with blonde hair sighed, looking towards the high outdoor stage and stadium where they were headed.
"Yeah. I hope we end up on the same ship. It'd kinda suck if we didn't." Zero replied.
"You mean that you want you and Ren to be on the same ship so that you can keep dating." a cream-haired man said.
Zero shrugged. Ren blushed.
"Shut up Shinobu." the blonde said.
Shinobu chuckled as he and the others were joined by Kite, Eight, and Maru.
"Here we go." Zero said, lifting his chin slightly and changing his gait to a regular marching stride. The others fell automatically into a straight line behind him as they entered the area just in front of the stage and sat down in their assigned chairs.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to attend our senior class graduation ceremony today from the WBBA Space Academy. This year's class has shown themselves to be some of the best students we have ever had the pleasure of honoring with a graduation ceremony. Please enjoy the procession of graduates, after which we will announce starship assignments. Once the ceremony has ended, we hope you enjoy the refreshments laid out for you all in the main hall of the Academy. We request that you deactivate all communication devices, although recording of the ceremony is acceptable, as long as you ensure that you are not blocking the view of anybody behind you."
"This is going to be a long boring ceremony." Kite groaned quietly.
"It'll be over soon enough." Ren whispered. "We've worked for a few years to get here, the least we can do is enjoy it."
"I'll enjoy it when we get on a starship." Zero said.
Shinobu rolled his eyes. "Just pay attention, would you? The Director is about to speak."
All eyes turned back to the stage in front of them as a redheaded man stepped up to the podium.
"Please welcome Director Ryo Hagane of the WBBA Space Core." The man at the podium announced before stepping down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for attending today. Every year, I get the honor of-" Ryo was suddenly cut off as the stage beneath him exploded.
"Dad!" another redhead yelled, leaping from his seat and darting to the hole in the stage. Chaos broke out in the audience, most of which had already fled.
"Stay back, Gingka! I'll handle this!" a dark-skinned man exclaimed, jumping into the hole.
Gingka growled, but nodded and obeyed, stepping back from the edge of the hole. "Everyone stay calm." he called. The nearly-graduated cadets nodded at him, remaining in their seats, despite the tension created by the sudden attack.
"I need a unit here now!" Gingka called. Moments later, a practical army of WBBA Space Core agents flooded the room.
"Find the attackers!" Gingka ordered.
"Yes sir!" The agents replied in unison, spreading out.
Zero eyed the redhead curiously. He had met Gingka before, after the redhead had graduated at the top of his class the year before Zero and his friends had entered the Academy. Apparently the now-25-year-old had worked his way into some sort of command position over the last four years, considering that a squad of the WBBA elite had come in at his command, and that Commander Falcon had given him a direct order by name. All eyes were now on the gaping hole in the stage, the slightly nervous redhead pacing around the outside. Everyone was waiting for either the Director or Commander Falcon to reappear, but neither did.
"I need a search and rescue squad up here, now!" Gingka said after several minutes, before stepping over to the graduation announcer and telling him something. The man nodded and grabbed a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, due to the events that have just happened, the official ceremony has unfortunately been canceled. Graduating cadets can go to the main headquarters for their ship assignments and diplomas tomorrow morning. We request that you calmly and quietly exit the premises. Thank you."
"I hope the Director will be okay." Ren sighed as they exited the area.
Zero nodded. "They'll find whoever did this. The WBBA is good at that."
The others nodded in agreement.
The next morning, the group reported to the Space Corps Headquarters to get their ship assignments.
"Zero, wasn't it?"
"Huh?" Zero turned in surprise as Gingka stepped up next to him and the others.
"I don't forget faces easily." The redhead smiled. "I see you've graduated."
"Oh, yeah! Thanks for giving us that little push to get us in. Wouldn't have done it without you." Zero said, scratching the back of his head. "So, are you like, in charge of something now…? I saw you yesterday just, totally taking over control of everything!"
Gingka nodded slightly, a sad smile appearing on his face. "Yeah…"
"What's wrong?" Ren asked, tilting her head.
Gingka sighed. "I'm here to change my registered position… Commander Falcon was found… Dead… In the rubble yesterday… My dad's injured, but he'll be alright."
"That affects your position? How?" Shinobu asked.
"The Commander had sorta taken me under his wing… He was planning on retiring soon, and he needed to train his… Replacement… Now that he's gone, I'm being put in charge of his ship." Gingka sighed. "It's a huge responsibility, but Falcon apparently thought I was ready for it, and had already arranged for the switch to be made when he retired, which wasn't supposed to be for another couple of years, but…" the redhead shrugged. "Apparently it's happening early. I've gotta catch a shuttle as well. Lots of work to do, mostly peacekeeping."
"Well, good luck then." Zero said, extending his hand.
Gingka smiled and took it. "You too. Perhaps someday we'll meet among the stars. I believe you were all assigned to the Infinity."
Zero and the others grinned. "Awesome! Hey, isn't that the flagship?"
Gingka shook his head. "No. It's the second-highest ranked ship though. Congratulations and good luck."
"You too." Zero said.
Gingka smiled slightly, nodded, and turned to walk away.
"And… Commander…?" Zero said.
"Hmm?" Gingka turned, stiffening slightly at the sound of the title that was now his.
"Be careful. You know the saying… Beware the Eye of the Storm. It's dangerous, whatever it is."
Gingka nodded solemnly. "Same to you. Be careful out there. The universe is a big place and you never really know just what you'll encounter." he said quietly before turning and striding towards the landing pad outside.
"Think we'll ever see him again?" Kite asked.
"Who knows? Like he said, the universe is a big place." Zero sighed.
"Hey guys…" Eight grinned. "What if we found the Eye of the Storm and defeated it?"
"We'd be like, heroes." Zero said quietly, then grinned. "Let's try it!"
"Sounds good to me." Kite chuckled.
"But nobody's ever seen it and lived, to our knowledge." Ren said.
"I-I have…" A whisper came from the back of the group.
"Maru? You've seen it?!" the others gasped at the pink-haired girl, a mechanical child prodigy who had graduated with them, despite only being 14.
She nodded. "Several years ago… I was very young, but… The village I was living in at the time, no, the entire planet, was under heavy attack… My family was trying to escape our burning home… Then it came…"
The others leaned in slightly, the air around them seeming to thicken just at the mention of the enigma that seemed to plague the universe.
"The Eye of the Storm… I don't remember the details because I was so young, but… It was huge… It practically blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over everything. And it was black. Jet black, the darkest I've ever seen… It rained destruction on everything… Fire… Death." Maru sighed.
"And you survived?!" the others whispered in awe.
"I don't know how, but I did." Maru sighed. "I escaped the planet the next day on a WBBA refugee ship… But I saw it there too… Lurking in the darkness of space… Its eye gleaming in the light reflecting off the planet… Swirling… Almost hypnotic. It still plagues my nightmares to this day, even though that was twelve years ago…"
"What about your parents…?"
"There… Wasn't room for them on the ship…" Maru whispered. "They sent me on, saying they'd be with me again soon and that everything would be okay…"
"I'm sorry…" Zero whispered.
"It's alright." Maru sighed. "But I do know that the Eye is not something to be underestimated or… Dealt with lightly. I don't think we should go against it, at least not alone."
The others nodded.
"Last boarding call for crew members of the Infinity, please report to Shuttle Bay 2, heading for the Space Dock." a voice said over the intercom.
"Whoa, we'd better hurry!" Zero and the others ran for the named area.
"Landing bay clear. Starship Pegasus now departing." a voice said.
"There he goes." Zero said, turning and looking out the window as a small, sleek silver ship lifted off the ground, flew smoothly down the runway, and curved upwards into the sky.
"And there's our ride." Ren pointed out an archway with a glowing number two above it.
"Let's go!" Zero ran excitedly towards the doorway, scanning his ID tag on the scanner to open the door before he and his friends straightened and strode through. Only one thought was in their minds, as the four years of intensive training they had gone through ran through their minds on repeat.
At last… The years of waiting are over. After all of the training, all of the tests, we're actually here. We're about to go into space, most of us for the first time. Anything could happen. We're setting off to see new worlds, the stars, and maybe… To defeat the Eye of the Storm itself. Whatever it is, it had better watch out, because the crew members of the Infinity are going to take it down.