Chapter 2: Forward

Sayne began to contemplate his own existence. Was he asleep, awake, or dead? Either way his vision was filled with total darkness. Slowly feeling came back to him. He felt around to get to know his surroundings. He was on a cot. What the hell! ...

Sayne rubbed his aching head feeling how long his hair was. He hadn't had a haircut or shower in at least 3 months....

Sayne very quickly realized his last thought and jolted upward. He was quickly awarded with a feeling far worse than with whiplash. Sayne grasped his skull and yelled in pain. As he yelled his vision began slowly coming back to him. He saw a blur, then a light, and then finally an overhead lamp which held it. Sayne, now with full sight of the room, knew he was in a clinic. Sayne was almost fully awakened, when a door burst open, and five men quickly rushed to him. Before the boy could move then men had quickly overcame him. For several reasons Sayne tried to struggle. After short moments of struggling he felt a needle penetrate his right arm. This caused his vision gaining process to reverse and his vision fell to the darkness yet again...

Sayne awoke the following day without a headache, but with a relentless burning in his stomach instead. Sayne's mind was now more aware of his situation so he called out for someone. A single man poked his head through the doorway. The man, obviously a doctor, hesitantly made his way to the cot. The two stared at each other a long while until the man grinned and said, "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine." Sayne replied. "Where am I what happened?"

"There is no cause for alarm, Sayne, you will regain your strength as well as your memory. As for your location... you are in a military clinic on board the Norad II, Alpha Squadron's lead battle cruiser.

Alpha Squad? Sayne thought. Where and he heard that before? Sayne temporarily pushed the thought aside and asked, "How do you know my name?"

"Your friend Bren told me." The man said.

Sayne smiled knowing his companion was ok. He now fully remembered what had happened. The journey through space was harsh for Sayne and Bren. They carelessly wasted their rations leaving them vulnerable to starvation. One day Bren became greatly sick and he was forced to give his share to her. As she grew strong he grew weak. One day he just didn't wake up...

Sayne was pulled from his thoughts when the doctor spoke to him again, "General Duke has requested to have you in his presence." The man said.

The doctor helped Sayne off the cot and into a wheelchair. His muscles were too weak for him to walk. "I'll be right back." The man said. "I am going to send a message to Duke letting him know we're coming. Oh... and... You take a shower if you want." Sayne wheeled him self over to a mirror, and it took no longer than a second for him to realize he looked like shit! He had bags under his eyes despite his coma, and his hair was overgrown. "Damn... I smell like a horses ass!" Sayne remarked.

Sayne hobbled to his feet and made his way slowly to the shower.

When he had finished the shower, the doctor was waiting with a tray of food. "Eat up!" he laughed. "You look like a skinny ass."

"And doctor..." Sayne said. "...You just a damn retard."

The doctor frowned then laughed at the boy's sudden change in mood. "Wait until you see the captain he is one fat ass bitch!"

Sayne ate on the way to the bridge, savoring every bite. He longed to sleep again, but he had to speak with the Duke. When they arrived to the bridge Sayne's ears were on the verge of exploding from the doctor's ramblings. Sayne could see that's no further than ten feet away was a tall burly man, who wore several medals on his uniform. This was obviously the captain. On seeing their arrival Duke paced towards them, his eyes never leaving Sayne's stare. When the figure stopped before them, the doctor saluted the general and was awarded with permission to leave. The doctor obeyed, dashing nervously from the bridge.

Duke shifted his focus to Sayne now. "What is your name, boy?"

"Sayne Johnson, Sir." Sayne mumbled.

"Yes... I see... Greetings Sayne, I am General Edmund Duke, Captain and Commander or the Alpha Squadron. This ship on which you are aboard is the Norad II. It originated from Tarsonis, a major human home world. We left from Chau Sara a day ago...the planet...was destroyed..."

Duke told Sayne about how he had received a distress signal from Chau Sara, and when he arrived all there was to see was a dead lava stained wasteland...

"So boy... Where are you from, the girl couldn't remember when I first spoke to her."

Sayne paused. "My planet suffered the same fate as Chau Sara." Sayne said. "I come from the foundation planet... Earth..."

When Sayne had finished his story. Duke summoned one of his bridge officers to send Sayne to a room. "Hmmm... how about the room where his friend is? I am sure they will have a lot to talk about."

Duke's words sunk peacefully into Sayne's heart. When they arrived at the room the officer politely knocked at the door.

"Who is it" came a voice inside.

" I am Lieutenant Patterson, and I have a visitor for you."

"Come in." said the voice faintly.

When the door slid up Sayne could see the beautiful figure of Bren sitting in a chair in the far corner. She was starring at the floor. "Er..." Sayne said.

Upon hearing Sayne's voice, Bren leaped from the chair and flung her arms around Sayne, crying as she spoke, "Sayne finally you have come to me! Oh thank you Sayne! This is the beast birthday present ever..."

"Birthday?" Sayne asked.

"Yes I turned fifteen today...as did you five weeks ago!"

This just added to his stress, but he was always happy to see his friend as happy as could be. "Guess what?" Bren said.

"What?"

"I got a cake! Come sit down lets celebrate...forget our troubles for the night." The officer took his leave, and Sayne and Bren sat at a table both smiling. Bren cut the cake carving them each a piece. They ate their food quickly, but by the end of the meal Sayne felt as if he were to collapse at any moment. Then he saw her, Bren in all her beauty starring at him. Her face was now a grin rather than a heart-warming smile. Her eyes now flashing a sexy glare in which Sayne could not look away from. In the Same moment their lips met, and they embraced each other. For a long while, they stayed like that, but finally after much regret, the pulled each other away from each other.

"Good night." They said to each other.

Sayne and Bren traveled with Duke and his nifty battalion of fighters to Mar Sara. There they learned more of the pestilence and infestation of the Zerg alien race. The Zerg, of course, was not responsible for the space assaults on terran planets. The terran was the name given to the human that were exiled long ago from ever returning to earth. In time, though, the human exiles were capable of producing a secure and safe home. The new side of galaxy seemed secure...for a little while. The race responsible for many for destroying many planets from space was the Protoss. Being noble and higher than the Zerg, the Protoss believed that it was their destiny, as being the first-born, to stop the infestation and insure the destruction of the Zerg race at all or any costs. This conflict being as ancient as human time now puts the terran race in the harsh and unforgiving middle. And they will they will stray there for a very long time...

NEXT CHAPTER: Sayne and Bren are forced to go separate ways/ Sayne gets a best friend/ Sayne Joins Delta squadron in hope of finding Bren...