Hello everybody! For those of you who think that the story's title sounds familiar, it's most likely for you that it is. This is just me remaking what little I had on the original version of this. The first one was way too cluttered in terms of paragraphs and overly detailed to the point where the story kind of began to become a snooze with little to no effort. As such, I've taken it upon myself to start rewriting this story along with a few others that I'm thinking of rewriting. For those of you who don't like the thought that I'm rewriting, just think of it this way; I'm making it better for you all to read at an easier form.

Anyway, I hope that you all like this story as much as I had writing it. That also includes the rewriting of this and most of my other stories. Even though they are mostly the same thing, there are some new tidbits added into it that require some thinking so that it does not contradict with the rest of the story and all that other good stuff. Boy, do I like a good challenge with this.

Don't forget to leave a review for this story after you're done reading. They are always very helpful in driving me to write better and get the stories out to you. And I also pay attention to any of the suggestions that you have and take them into consideration when I write the next chapter. So go ahead and review away everybody. Until the next update on any of my stories!


Prologue

History has a funny yet amazing way of leaving its mark within the immense and never-ending stretch of space called time. Some are made through simple acts of nature that people simply cannot tell when or where they might happen; violent earthquakes and devastating volcanic eruptions are prime examples of such occurrences. Others are made by the acts of people themselves participating in events, both amazing and heinous alike, and accomplishing amazing achievements that have once thought to be only a myth or just plain impossible to achieve. Clearly, no other kind of marks could leave such an impression in the minds of people that they can be remembered years after they first occurred.

Since we are busy embarking on the subject of history, we will be concentrating on the achievements made by people and what it is that they have managed to excel in because of it. We will start off in a place where the unknown is but a raging constant, a place where great fear is the main trigger for the intensive intrigue of discovering what is hidden within the darkness of the greatly feared unknown. Naturally, we are talking about the last frontier in the entirety of our universe that has yet to be successfully explored down to every little detail, thus hiding many secrets just waiting to be discovered.

Within the deepest depths of the darkness in the sky that we all over the years have unanimously agreed to call outer space, there lie many different universes and systems just waiting for people to discover and walk upon one of their many planets for the very first time. All it needs for it to be officially discovered are the most innovative and influential minds to come together and create a means for people to brave the many potential elements of danger that lurk within the murky darkness illuminated only by the many stars that signify the many hidden and unexplored planets. Such a feat ever happening could only be considered as nothing more than wishful thinking on the hands of innovative thinkers thinking beyond the barrier that separates the impossible from the world of possible. Such thoughts have always been looked down upon by the simple fact that the resources to make such thinking possible is hardly in abundance nor was current technology in such an advanced state to even allow the bases of those ideas to be taken in to effect.

It is within this immense sea of undiscovered life where such a feat, the ability to give the impossible thoughts of planetary and intergalactic space travel the form of the possible, has already been successfully achieved, if not for only the areas surrounding its own home system. The hopes and dreams of many scientists from years long past have finally been realized through the constant determination of others wanting to make those thoughts into a reality. And as the years drag on with hopes and ambitions of building onto the original plans that made the thought of cross-universal and planetary travel possible, the society held within this system have continued to successfully travel to and discover new planets. The name of this amazing planetary system that has managed to produce these many major advances in planetary and universal transportation is known as the Lylat System.

The Lylat System houses a good number of diverse and life-supporting planets whose inhabitants, all of them with differing intelligence levels and consisting of many differing species spanning from fox to bird, live both regular and productive lives. Some of them are merely inhabited solely for the sake of creating a suitable society; others are merely seen as unique and have bases set upon them in order to further study the many things housed on them. Regardless how the planets are classified as, the main governmental body that controls how all the planets are maintained continue to try and discover others outside of their immediate view and knowledge. And with the great technology they have exuded in order to get this far, the discovery of new planets is far from impossible.

This planetary system hidden somewhere within the black starry sea filled to the brim with the unknown is considered to be one of the earliest, if not possibly the first system, to ever be created by the undying patience of time along with the aid of the people living in it. The people of this system have even considered the possibility that they were the only source of living life within the inky blackness that held more mysteries than they could account for in their home system. Unfortunately, they have not been able to make any contact with any possible worlds outside of their home planetary system due to their lagging status in their current research, so they have nothing to really back up their hypothesis. Despite that, many have already decided to believe this unproven scientific opinion as an undisputable fact simply because nobody has been able to provide any evidence against it.

The idea that they were the only planetary system out of potential millions that has life in it, however, has only been considered to be the absolute truth for no more than a few years. As such, everybody feels that there is a lot of room to try to disprove this fact; this is especially so since the thought of actually making contact with a different planetary system is still very possible once the lag finally passed on by. For now though, evidence collected from well over a century's worth of countless data and strenuous research seems to hold up against multiple scrutiny brought up whenever new planets are discovered and holds promise in continuing to do so in the many more years to come.

Despite the ability to travel to different worlds and explore what it is that they had to offer, people have yet to find a way to help them travel beyond the boundaries of their planetary system and into others possibly lying in wait for them to explore. The reason that this is so is mainly because they have not created technology strong enough to penetrate past the boundaries of the furthest planet they have discovered. This, in turn, forced people to not explore the unexplored without some kind of rough galaxy map in fear that they might end up losing communication and getting lost with no way back home. From this apparent disadvantage, however, came an answer that researchers have been trying to obtain for the longest of times; where does the outer boundary of the Lylat System officially begin? Seeing that it would take quite a while before they could effectively extend the reaches of their ships or power up their galactic telescopes, they agreed to place the boundaries of their system a few thousand miles away from the last discovered and viewable planet.

As the years continue to pass by after the groundbreaking discovery and creation of planetary travel, planets that have been recently discovered and confirmed to be a part of the Lylat System have been given official names. These planets are those that have been discovered before the calling off of further planetary searches that then shifted their primary attention towards discovering ways to look beyond their limits before blindly travelling outside of their maps. All of them had different characteristics unique to them from either being completely barren with the inability to sustain any kind of life to being completely covered in water and aquatic life with not even a single spit of dry land in sight.

For places that were inhabitable or had the chance to be so with a bit of scientific help, people have decided to colonize on them and create a sustainable society. Amazingly, none of the discovered planets seemed to have had any signs of life on them apart from the animals that called the planet their home before they appeared. There was one planet situated along the edges of the planetary system, however, that seemed to be the sole exception to all the others. The people chose to not inhabit it since intelligent life was already present. They felt it wrong to just take over a land already occupied by others despite having races completely different from what they had knowledge of.

One of the most well-known planets that is housed within the Lylat System, and the only one believed to have housed any forms of intelligent life before the discovery of planetary travel, is known as Corneria. This wondrously bountiful planet is home to the system's great metropolis where the knowledge that made the hopes and dreams of interplanetary travel made its first steps to becoming a reality, Corneria City. In essence, it is considered by many to be the mother planet that has given birth to their planetary system's very existence through its many steadfast beliefs and great tenacity.

Besides the metropolis filled with tall buildings that housed many thriving businesses and apartments that made it to be considered as the most technologically and scientifically advanced of all the Lylatian planets, it also hosts a wondrous countryside and other smaller cities that are scattered all over the planet. It lays host to a grand ecosystem with advances in agricultural science helping to keep the delicate balance in check. However, many from other Lylatian planets who only heard of Corneria by name automatically think mainly of the grand city mainly because of the city's great reputation of performing great contributions to much of what science has managed to create and discover over the many years.

Another feat that the planet is well known for is the army academy and base that is stationed within the heart of the metropolis, a station with a general considered to be second in power only to the president of the grand city itself. In essence, the general acts as the vice-president of sorts for Corneria while being the head commander for most of the Lylat System's military forces with only a few planets allowed to command their own army. This was done so that all planets would have to refer back to Corneria in the case of a planetary widespread attack that has potential to spread to other neighboring planets like a vicious infection travelling from one host to the next.

From the Cornerian Military Academy come soldiers well trained in the art of planetary protection, both on planets' surfaces and the space occupying the outside of all the planets' atmospheres. It also serves as a military school for young teenagers, a secondary function that goes in accordance with a regular school curriculum plus some military teachings added in. Both programs give their students weapons training for fighting hostiles on planet surfaces; they are taught how to fly up-to-date state-of-the-art high tech fighter jets known as Arwings, specialized jets that can fly in both outer space and within the atmosphere of planets with equal ease. This, of course, is more widely taught with military graduates and upcoming army men. These amazing ships are personally placed under each pilot owner's name for their personal use and for taking care of any space pirates travelling around and plundering other helpless ships that happen to cross their paths. With these planes at their disposal, the army can now send small groups of people to investigate a possible disturbance rather than prepping a rather large ship that carried more than they actually needed.

Although Arwings are usually defined as a technological military staple in the Cornerian Army, other styles with technology that is completely different from the standard issue army version have become accessible to the general public. Even the different planets went ahead and created their own version regardless if they have any affiliation with the Cornelian Military. Naturally, all of these different ships were closely monitored by the army so that they can be sure that they were not made with materials that could possibly be used to instigate a war. That was the only condition they set for all of the planets who wanted to go ahead with the idea, and a vast majority agreed with the proposition. For those who refused to go along with the plan, they committed to the next best idea and went about obtaining ships from other planets through trade for their goods.

When these commercial ships are compared with the Arwings, the army-issued jets have state-of-the-art weaponry that can shoot out plasma shots, some of them two at a time, at differing strengths and also have the ability to be charged up in order to cause more damage. They also have a sturdier exterior that allow it to be better protected from air along with an identification reader so that other members of the military could see who was riding inside it and vocally communicate with them. The engine was also specially designed to withstand sudden changes in power and allowed the rider to make sudden brakes and speed up with little to no sudden choking action from the sudden movements. And in terms of the hardware within arm's reach of the driver inside the cockpit, they are lined with machinery that allowed the driver to perform all kinds of things from conversing with others near them regardless if they are friend or foe to having a greater fuel capacity allowing them to commit to long-term space travel. Overall, the military issued Arwing is outfitted with the most recent advancements in space technology and is built to withstand the great punishment it would most likely face in both battle and interplanetary travel.

A standard commercial-issued Arwing widely marketed towards the general public on the other hand is created with technology deemed by both the army and Cornerian officials to be suitable for civilian usage. In other words, it means that it has been toned down to the point where civilians could be easily discerned from members of the army. And just like the army's version, these jets have identification readers in it that allow other aircrafts, including other jets and huge travel ships alike, to see who was riding inside it and who the aircraft was registered under. However, only members of the military are allowed to take a look at the data and talk to the pilot without any kind of restriction while other civilians need permission from the rider themselves to see the identification and speak with them.

The defensive exterior is slightly weaker than the military's jets because they are not originally meant to be used for war purposes or other kinds of long heavy fighting. As such, the weapons system is just above half the fighting capabilities than that of the military version. Most are usually used for marketing purposes, transporting goods from one planet to another and thus acting as a self-employed delivery service for those with no personal access to planetary travel. Some just buy them for the heck of it so they can explore what it is that outer space has to offer. Others also choose to race other people in either the pitch black skies of space or in the skies of a planet, a sport that is considered to be so dangerous that it has been deemed illegal when not performed during and in a legally licensed racing event.

Because of these huge design differences between the two aircrafts, it comes to no surprise that the military Arwings are quite superior to their commercial counterparts and greatly admired by those with no affiliation to the military. This is also because the Cornerian Army placed a heavy restriction on what the commercial ships can be outfitted with so as to keep the noticeable boundary between army and civilian while in space clear. Many agree with their line of reasoning, but there are a few who do not have the same mindset and would do anything to get only the best for their ships.

As such, space pirates or regular people who want to try and spruce up their jets for the sake of wanting to look cool install military grade weaponry and refine the outer hull of their ship to make it just as powerful under the eyes of the law. And with the illegal installation of military grade equipment comes smuggling groups smuggling parts right from military Arwings when they have the chance or managing to actually create them from scratch. Obviously, this is a feat not easily accomplished considering that they do not have the original blueprints kept safe within the Cornerian Military to work with in the beginning.

Despite this being a dangerous form of illegal business that stretches all the way into the planetary black market, the smuggling of parts proves to be a very lucrative business for your everyday average smuggler. Thanks to these criminal acts, however, the military are kept busy chasing after pirates wreaking havoc all over outer space and taking care of thieves and those with illegal jet enhancements when they could instead be busy monitoring potential planetary attacks. While they admit the priority for catching these criminals is not as high as protecting the air space, they say that they want to send a message to any would-be criminals that they will not condone such behavior.

Before all these pirates and smugglers came to become a part of everyday life and society, the Cornerian Army was originally created for the main purpose of policing the Lylat System when the ability to travel to other planets first became possible. It was created with the original intent to keep the intergalactic travelers safe from any natural dangers and protect them from others who wished to incur harm upon them. In other words, it was created as a way to keep peace and order all over the Lylat System in the form of interplanetary police that then had the right to enter a particular planet's territory if they felt it necessary.

Since the day it has first taken off, the Cornerian Army has transformed into the main body of the entire planetary system's police force and branched off from just keeping their attention on just guarding all of space. In response to this, they offered their militaristic power to those who requested it while limiting and eliminating any unnecessary powers so as to not have them be seen as an organization whose only intent was to take control of everything. The leaders and generals of the army have also made themselves politically known towards the general public and always hold monthly announcements to update them on any given situation to retain the delicate trust between army and civilian. In turn, they strive to maintain the greatest of trust between them and the general public that they have so sworn to serve and protect and have been rewarded with both great respect and even funding from private corporations whenever they needed funding.

As one of the many ways to try and keep the delicate yet powerful trust between the civilians and military intact, the army do not personally draft whoever it is that they want to have join their army and academy. The only time and reason they would do so is in the event of a wide-scale attack on one or more planets. Rather, they allowed men and women to freely apply to become members of the army and allow their children to become students of the military academy, better known as the Cornerian Military Academy, to receive both military training that progresses as they grow older along with an education that a regular school would provide. The children were allowed to leave for the academy with their parents' permission at any point of the year or continue through until they were of the age where they would have graduated from civilian high school. The only difference between the two types of schooling was that the military school and training required payment annually for basic military training whereas civilian schools were free, but most saw the cost more than reasonable when it came to both the price and how children really wanted to attend.

From those who attended and graduated from the Cornerian Military Academy, some choose to stay and offer the knowledge given to them as a service towards the army; others leave to live a civilian life on various planets with the teachings of the military running through their veins. Some even go ahead and sign up to be a minuteman so that they could live their lives as regular civilians while still being able to serve their home when called to action. No matter what path they choose to take, they shall always have their knowledge from their time at the academy backing them and granting them protection from any dangers.

However, there were two young and adventurous people, along with another whom they befriended outside of the military academy and who knew how to expertly fight with a commercial Arwing, who decided to take the minuteman position up to the next level. What they had in mind was that they would lead the life of an ordinary citizen while offering their army services to the Cornerian Army when requested. The only major difference between being a minuteman and their proposal was that they would only help them out if they felt that the incentive for them to do so was appealing enough to them. In other words, they decided to create their own mercenary company and offer the skills that they were taught by the army academy to the army itself for a price as a way of living. It was a thought that was unheard of, but these three had the souls of adventurers that did not like the feel of being restricted in where they wanted to travel to and loved their galaxy enough that they want to protect it from those who wish to instill chaos upon it.

Despite initial thoughts that the army would turn down their one-of-a-kind proposal without a second thought, they caught them by surprise by agreeing to the proposal of hiring the skills of mercenaries whom they once taught in their academy and paying them for their services. Their reason for doing so was because the two military men were well trusted and graduated within the top five percent of their class while the civilian had a spotless track record. The only catch they placed before agreeing with the partners-on-call idea was that they will always be on call in case something came up, with the exception of working with another Corneria-affiliated army, regardless of whatever personal matters they were currently attending to. This basically meant that their loyalties were to only be with the Cornerian Army and no non-Cornerian military or private party without prior arrangements.

Take note that this particular part of Lylatian history is but only a newborn compared to other historic milestones previously described before any mention of this. To be quite accurate, the mercenary group that was formed from two military graduates and a self-taught air jet fighter had lasted just a bit over two decades before the leader passed the ownership of the group to his son, the second generation that is now running the mercenary group with an entirely different group behind him. Unfortunately, the passing on of the company from father to son was something that should have happened years away from now, but it was something that was pushed forward many years earlier due to terrible and unforeseeable events. However, that little bit of detail delves far off from our topic and would require a completely different line of attention altogether. For now, let us just leave it at the fact that a new generation of this mercenary group is now being led by the founder's son, a young man who had just graduated from the Cornerian Military Academy himself and is being showed the ropes by one of the members of the original group.

This is where the facts of the past recorded in countless history books fade away like a memory best forgotten, and the continuation and recording of the present day blossoms like a new spring flower seeing the light of day for the first time. The Cornerian Military Academy still exists within the middle of the still flourishing Corneria City, and the city itself is still running as strong as it was when it first came to be with the same military enrollment rules in effect. The Arwings that they have are still in use with a few adjustments and enhancements made to it along the way while the commercial version had a few approved enhancements added on to it. The worlds that have been discovered before the ban on further searching that is still in effect to this day have been thoroughly researched on with some now having towns and cities while others that did not are either left alone or now have science buildings on them in order to better understand why they are the way they are.

Despite the Lylat System still growing and advancing further than anybody could have thought possible on a technological scale, some consider this day and age to be the moment where they have reached the golden age of technology. This claim, of course, is nothing but an exaggeration and something that most regular civilians say since scientists along with the aid of the military are still working on a better telescope that will help them penetrate the outer boundaries of their system and allow them to sneak a peek at what lies in wait for them outside. In other words, the claim is basically a way to reflect their proudness at how far they have managed to get from since the beginning of the Lylat System.

In other words, history is continuously being forged and shaped into a definite form through the flames of destiny even as you are reading this very passage. It is on a constant path of creation that can neither be stopped nor instigated. The only thing we can really do with it is facilitate its course and dictate what it is that it will do for our society and the future of our lives. All we can do as it unfolds is ask questions regarding the unfolding events and events that have yet come to light such as, "What kind of new invention or innovative idea will the scientists of today will come up with in an attempt to better out lives and discover things from a place once thought to be unable to be explored with nothing worthwhile to find?" As it was with all the things that made the past an important part of history, only time and the tenacious wiles of today's generation of innovative thinkers will be able to provide us and future generations with the answer, an answer that will always remain unknown until it decides to make itself known to everybody in our beloved home, the Lylat System.