Bomber: The Enlightening
White Hero hadn't slept all night. Why should he have? His mind was infected with questions. The young Bomber known as White Hero had been through a myriad of things. He had saved Planet Bomber from Altair's terrifying reign with the Omni Cube. He had saved the Bomber Nebula from the Garadan Empire, which in turn allowed the Bombers to expand outward and prosper on the planets that made up the core structure of the Nebula.
Well, most of the planets. The Dragon Clan was well known as the most notorious and dangerous gang in the Nebula. Every other gang may as well have been considered harmless street punks in comparison to what the Dragon Clan were capable of. Even stranger was the fact that the strong emergence of the Dragon Clan had caused other gang activity to diminish to such an extent that even petty vandalism was becoming rare. White Hero and the rest of the Bombers knew never to breach the edges of the Serene Region. It was simply too risky and too detrimental to everything the Bombers had. Mazone and beyond were off limits.
Yet through all of the trials and tribulations, White Hero had always preferred to be called Bomberman. To him, it was a much more simple and comfortable nickname.
A voice floated in through his window, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yo! Bomberman! You coming down? It starts in twenty minutes!"
Bomberman peered through his open window to find his best friend Red Honor down on his lawn. Though there were other red Bombers, Red had been given the distinguished honor of being called "Red Honor" through his hard work in the Bomber Elite Guard. Though he was a new recruit, he had done a lot of work in helping crackdown on illegal activities both on Planet Bomber and on the Primus Star. After earning a medal of recognition from King Boro on Primus, Red had been given his exclusive name. Commander Nitros had personally named him, making the name that much more honorable.
"I'm heading down now. Trust me, I don't aim to miss this anymore than you do. It's kept me up all night!" Bomberman shouted down.
"You and me both! I'm either nervous, excited, or both!"
Red was talking about the briefing at Bomber Base. The Guard had been promising a briefing to all who wanted to attend. An open briefing like this was rare, since the guard usually kept quiet about matters. Bomberman of course had always been allowed into the briefings, but this was Red's first. Red had always been busy on duty with the Guard, but now he was finally going to be able to attend a briefing. Not to mention an extremely important one such as this.
Ever since Gold 1 had been discovered by Bomber Base's observatories, a major wave of theories and gossip enveloped Planet Bomber. Now, hopefully some answers would be disclosed as to what exactly the Guard's plans were. All anybody knew was that the Guard planned to load up the Genesis and head outside the Serene Region to explore the new planet. This fact alone caused extreme unrest on Planet Bomber. Hopefully that unrest would be eased a bit with this briefing.
Bomberman met Red on his lawn and they headed for the nearby canal. Planet Bomber's towns and cities had canal systems with boats to help transport people around. The larger cities had busses, but for the capital city of Expith, canals and bikes were the main source of transportation. The city was old and historic, and had a different kind of charm. Some Bombers had cars, but most preferred to use the bikes or the boats. Bomberman and Red barely caught a boat as it was preparing to leave. Hurrying aboard, the found their seats and eagerly awaited the eventual arrival at Expith's main plaza.
"Why do you live so damn out of the way anyway?" Red asked Bomberman.
"I like living near the edge of the forests. It has a certain peace you can't replicate anywhere else. Besides, after everything I've been through that peace is much needed on certain days of the week."
"I've thought about moving out near the forests. With my duties in the Guard however, it's more prudent to live closer to the Base. But man, one day I'll live out there."
"I'll save you a plot. Count on it."
"Speaking of plot, what do you think the Guard is plotting? Leaving the Serene Region is risky, even for a new planet."
"I've been wondering that myself. You'd think after getting brainwashed by the Garadan Empire, Nitros would be the last guy that would want to venture outside the Serene Region. I never did understand his brain, but he seems to be fit to command the Guard."
"He's a hell of a commander. He's steadfast; whether or not that's a good thing is anyone's guess. He watches our backs though, and we have his."
"Seems to work out just fine. I'm really curious as to what the Guard has to say about Gold 1."
"Hopefully they tell us it's made out of real gold. Otherwise I personally can't find a good reason to venture out there to explore it."
"We'll find out soon enough. Looks like we're here."
The boat glided up to the main dock leading to Expith's main plaza. As they disembarked, the Bombers hurried off the boat and through the busy plaza. Obviously they weren't the only ones interested in the briefing, as damn near the whole city had turned out for this. As they neared the checkpoints leading to the base, they discovered a massive line winding well into the plaza. There seemed to be no end in sight. They spotted a friend, Blue Trooper, on guard duty.
"Bomberman! Red! Over here!" he yelled out.
As they ran up to him, he seemed to be in quite the rush to locate the two.
"Commander Nitros wants you two in the front row for this one. Follow me and we'll get you guys past these lines in a hurry. Let's be quick, though."
They didn't ask questions as they followed Blue through the lines and into the Trooper Headquarters building. Following Blue closely, they made their way past more troopers. Some were resting and some were preparing to go on guard duty outside. They arrived at one of the escalators servicing the inner core of the base, which contained the main briefing center. A guard at the base of the escalator stopped them.
"Blue. White. Red. Nitros is expecting you. Be advised you all will be in the front row for a reason, as Nitros is expected to fully include your services in the mission."
"I think we're ready. Nothing about Nitros takes me by surprise anymore." Bomberman wisely replied.
They passed the guard and boarded the escalator. As they road up they looked down to see the lines of people going through metal detectors and boarding elevators to the upper levels of the base in order to access the seating balconies up there. More escalators past the elevators were clogged with people. This was one hell of a turnout.
They arrived at the top and were ushered through the massive doors into the main briefing room. They made their way down the aisle and took their seats. A smartly dressed podium stood in front of a massive screen displaying Gold 1 for all to see. It was an intriguing planet, with a thick, swirling golden atmosphere. One had to wonder just what it concealed.
Bomberman glanced around at the turnout. The room had been expanded significantly since the guard had increased recruiting. The lower levels were filled with troops and local dignitaries, while the upper balconies were reserved for the general public. The hum of excitement filled the room as Captain Blast stepped up to the podium to speak. He always had been one of the toughest Captains in the guard, and it wasn't until recently Nitros promoted him to the most senior Captain position. He adjusted his medals on his uniform before he spoke boomingly.
"Members of the Bomber Elite Guard and citizens of Expith, presenting the distinguished High Commander Nitros!"
The applause was deafening as Nitros stepped up to the podium. Clad in his blue armor, he stood proud before the massive contingent of Bombers assembled before him. It was hard to tell if the applause was for him, or due to the anticipation of the briefing to come.
"As you all know by now, the Bomber Elite Guard has acquired a persistent interest in a planet simply dubbed Gold 1. We have no official name for it yet, and we hope to discover more of it's origins upon further exploration. As many of you have heard, the current plan is to fully equip the Genesis and use it to reach the planet."
This was nothing new. The crowd anticipated a new update on the project.
"The plan has not changed. We have the best flight crew on Planet Bomber ready to take to the heavens. I know there have been worries over breaching the Serene Region, as well as worries over the Dragon Clan. I can assure you that we fully believe the Dragon Clan will not move out to stop us. Their ships have not been sighted in quite some time and it appears that most of their activity on Mazone has gone dormant for the most part."
Nitros glanced over at Bomberman and Red.
"White Hero, Red Honor, please stand."
They were quick to comply and anticipated what was coming next.
"Here are two of the best Bombers to ever grace this planet. We all know of White and Red's services and accomplishments toward the mission of peace and integrity. This is why I've chosen these two to help lead our efforts in discovering all that Gold 1 has to offer."
What assignments could Nitros have for them?
"If you choose to accept, I would like you both to help secure the serene region. White, go to Primus and make sure the Kingdom of Primus is safe. The Knights are great warriors, but I wouldn't mind giving them a little extra cover just to be safe. Red, head to Kanatia and make sure our mining operations are secure. Once we know for certain the Serene Region is secure, the Genesis can move out and begin the trip to Gold 1. Do you accept these missions?"
Bomberman glanced at the crowd, eagerly anticipating his answer.
"I don't know what lies beneath Gold 1's atmosphere and to be honest it intimidates even me. But if it means our sacred Nebula has the opportunity to further it's development, I'll do everything in my power to assure it's safety and integrity." Bomberman said, mostly triumphantly.
"What the hell. I'll go. I need a vacation." Red responded.
The crowd acknowledged and commended their dedication with cheers and applause. The briefing wasn't over yet.
"I now present Professor Ein to further explain the scientific aspects of the planet we know so far"
Professor Ein was greeted with the same enthusiasm that Nitros received from the crowd. His white lab coat looked stunningly clean, and his thick glasses and gray beard completed what was a typical expectation for a professor to resemble.
"Gold 1 is comprised of what appears to be several different gasses making up a complex atmosphere. The variances in the gold coloring lead us to believe there are several different gases involved. Notice that the atmosphere swirls, indicating a strong possibility that there is a flow of some kind beneath it. It could be air, or it could be something else. This is a pretty good indication that the planet does indeed have a solid crust and very inhabitable atmosphere. With the Genesis, we can find out what lies below that atmosphere and, if conditions permit, possibly set foot on Gold 1." Ein said.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"That isn't all. Earlier this week we received a strange transmission from the vicinity of Gold 1. This gives us almost irrefutable evidence that there is some kind of presence on or near the planet. If we can get the speakers going, you'll hear what I am referring to."
The speakers in the hall came on as Professor Ein adjusted knobs on his equipment. At first, all that could be heard was a garbled noise. As Ein made more adjustments, it became much clearer. It was a solitary word.
"Arumeus."
That was it. The word sounded as if it was spoken by many voices at once. The entire room was silent until Nitros spoke up again.
"This is one of many reasons we plan on going to Gold 1. Something is out there, and we aim to find out what it is. It could be friend, or it could be foe. Time will tell. This briefing is adjourned. For now."
The odd and uncomfortable silence slowly gave way to curious chatter as everyone filed out of the briefing room. Bomberman and Red looked at each other in awe.
What the hell had they all just heard?
