Red On Black

Chapter 1

Rehtaeh:

The year was 2052, her mother desperately wanted children, but her father was sterile. So they opted to get a donor and have an in vitro operation. They wanted strong children, the world was a harsh place and they wanted their children to thrive. Her father had hopes that his sons would follow in his footsteps and join the military or space programs. So they meticulously chose a donor; someone with a high IQ, better than average health, stamina, and physique. The donor selected was also similar in coloring, bone structure and size as her father, which would make it easier to avoid the inevitable questions about heritage and ancestry. It would also help him to avoid extra attention from the media. This was important since he was a high ranking military officer and was often in the media, relaying information put forth by the Company Rangers Intergalactic Research Division.

His wife had been moved into a top secret medical facility to ensure privacy and security. The fact that multiple births were predominant in her mother's family history, and the increased odds due to in vitro fertilization, meant that she would need a safe quiet place during her prenatal care. This was to ensure her health as well as the health of the babies. It wasn't long before the couple was informed that she was indeed carrying multiples. In 2053 the family was blessed with septuplets, seven babies all at one time. It was a very difficult pregnancy, followed by an extremely risky natural birth. Somehow, all of the children survived and her mother made it through the ordeal in good health. Six boys and one girl, their family was immediate and large and boisterous and loud.

Her father was a very strict military man. He insisted that his children be trained in a military style from a very young age. As soon as they could walk their training began. All of the children were expected to attend both physical and artistic development programs. The physical aspect was easy, every one of them were enrolled in a martial arts academy that taught several different types of hand to hand combat. When it came to the arts programs her father insisted that they be trained specifically in music. The children had different tastes. While her brothers chose piano, cello, violin, guitar, saxophone and trumpet, she had a hard time finding an instrument that she would commit to learning. She tried playing several instruments before she chose percussion. The drums specifically, she played with a punk rock band much to her father's chagrin, to appease him she also took classical vocal lessons. She also took art classes, she loved painting, drawing and writing. Her days were filled from the time she woke to the time she went to bed.

When the children turned five, they were enrolled and educated in the Alliance Military Cadet Program. They were all exemplary students all of them took the rankings at the top of their classes. The boys were outgoing and surrounded themselves with friends and their peers. She preferred being in her own mind rather than integrating into the social norms of her family and those outside of her family. She did not have many friends and rarely socialized with her classmates. Many of her teachers and mentors worried about her intensely anti-social behavior; it wasn't until her mid teen years that she was diagnosed with a severe sensory issue that kept her from being comfortable around other people.

She preferred hobbies such as painting and drawing as they helped her to release her inner thoughts without creating turmoil for those around her. To outsiders, she would come across as a beautiful diminutive wraith, but her brothers could attest that she was a fierce opponent in the sparring ring and she could quickly take them down in a match. Her quiet demeanor hid an intensely passionate side, she was not afraid to voice her opinions or defend her views, yet she was open minded and held a deep respect for others. On top of this she was smart, to the point that she excelled in her education and earned scholarships from every post-secondary facility she applied to.

Her father pressured his children into selecting the Galactic Military University, which offered the best military training. They all chose fields of study that would take up to twelve years to master. They all completed their studies by the age of twenty-four, eight years early. They were all over-achievers and competitive to a fault. None of them liked being left behind or allowed failure, they had to be the best of the best. Like their musical choices, the boys all chose different fields of study; Medicine, Physics and Galactic Mapping, Engineering, Architecture, Physics and Political Law.