Starscape Odyssey: Harmony Falls

Chapter One -.-..

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

The alarm rang like a siren, and was promptly hit off the bedside table. Marco Hochi rose up from his bed in a flash, a huge grin on his face. Today was the day. The day he was going to join the Space Force Collective! He got dressed and brushed his teeth, almost tumbling down the stairs in glee.

As he got downstairs, his mom was cooking up what looked like a buffet. She turned around, tears welling in her eyes.

"Come on mom, don't be sad!" Marco exclaimed, "It's only gonna be a few months!"

"I know...but I'm so proud of you! I bet if your father was here he'd be so proud of you!" She beamed. Marco chuckled, hugging her.

"He was the best member in the whole force...I don't think I can ever live up to him-" Marco replied, looking up at a large picture of a man wearing medals stretching across his whole chest. His dad was a living legend, but he had never returned from his mission.

"Now eat up! Remember to pack your underwear!" His mom exclaimed.

"MOM!" He yelled.

"What, so you're gonna be buck-nude in space?" His mom asked jokingly, "I love you honey."

"I love you too mom..." Marco said, smiling. He checked his watch, then jumped up.

"I'm gonna be late! I gotta get Kira and Cory!" He exclaimed. He hugged his mom one more time, and ran off.

The streets of Japan were bustling with life, as usual. Marco loved the city, from the moment he and his mom had to be transferred. Floating, holographic billboards littered the sky, and the streets were cleaner than ever due to the new patrol bots. Astronoma had really changed lives.

Marco rushed down an alleyway, accidentally knocking down a trash can from how excited he was. There, he passed a group of homeless men, and threw them a 40 dollar bill.

"Hey hey, why so generous today Marco?" One asked.

"It's the big day, Mr. Brigg! I'm gonna be a CAPTAIN!" He yelled, running down the alley. Mr. Brigg chuckled

"He's a good kid..."

Marco made it to a tucked away street, where his two best friends were waiting for him.

"Where have you been? You're 47 seconds later than we expected!" Kira asked, adjusting her beanie. When Kira was 4, she accidentally got into a permanent hair dye accident that turned her hair bright pink. Marco and Cory would often tease her for it.

"Take it easy, K. Look at the guy, he looks like he just ran a marathon." Cory replied. Cory was more of the voice of reason of the group. He also pretty much dominated Kira and Marco in anything sport related.

"You have no idea..." Marco huffed, "Now let's go! Orientation starts in 10 minutes!"

The 3 ran down the streets, cutting corners as fast as they could. Eventually, they made it to the tallest building in the whole of Japan, the Beacon, with two minutes to spare. After some quick high-fives, they gathered around the crowd of people. A holographic pre-recording began playing, and everyone cheered.

"Welcome, young explorers! My name is Dr. Lambaugh, founder of Astronoma Inc. At the time you'll be watching this, this corporation has been running for almost 100 years now!" The recording said. At this, there was another round of applause.

"You're all watching this because you were accepted into an honorary course to travel throughout the vast void of space. When I was just 15 years old, space always fascinated me. That's why, in my college years, I perfected the first ever spaceship that could travel through different systems in just a snap! The Vestibule 1! With this, the boundaries became limitless. Astronoma has developed bases spanning all throughout space, bringing back all the amazing technology we've found. And we discovered something else too. LIFE. On that day, humanity realized that we are not alone. We've perfected communications through all levels of the universe, and communicating with our allies is as easy as taking a step. However...not everyone was as welcoming...as you are aware, 50 years ago Astronoma got caught in a Civil War between an alien organization named the Union- We lost many brave men in those battles. But alas, that is not the worst out there. Humanity discovered beasts called Hybrids. How they work is a mystery to us even today. They're parasites, who infect bodies, killing them or turning them into monsters...our life's work at Astronoma has been to learn. And we will not rest until we learn how to rid ourselves of these monsters. We will not stop until we learn how to end this war. Just as I build all of this from nothing, passing it onto my son, and his son, YOU are all the future of Astronoma. And one day, you will be the ones to conquer the race of monsters, and end this war, creating peace and prosperity throughout every galaxy. Astronoma...reach beyond the imaginable."

The volunteers roared with cheers and applause, and so did Marco, Kira and Cory. With this, a patrol droid signaled the groups to a large list.

"You will each be assigned your space force. Each force must consist of a Captain, researcher, navigator, pilot, gunman, detective, mechanic and medic. Please meet with your assigned group." The droid said in a monotone voice. The trio checked the list, and were ecstatic to see they were all in the same force.

"Wow, I was worried for a second!" Marco exclaimed.

"Come on, let's meet with the others." Cory said. They walked towards a group of people, where a tall, blonde guy turned around to face them.

"Welcome! I'm Thomas Lyn, I'm the Pilot of the group!" Thomas welcomed, "Captain, it's a pleasure."

"Nice to meet ya! This is Kira Charlon, navigator, and Cory Sears, gunman." Marco introduced. A girl with long, black hair walked towards them.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Thomas' sister, Ari." She said, holding her hand out.

"Sister?" Marco asked, eyeing their incredibly different hair colors.

"Adopted." She replied. Thomas grinned, hugging her tightly.

"But she's a proper member of the family, so I bully her nonetheless!" He exclaimed.

"I'm gonna be the medic of the group. Over there is Leo, he's the mechanic. John, our detective, and Ayer, our researcher" The three waved from a distance.

As they walked down the halls, they were told to enter a room. As they did, the door closed and everything turned dark, until a light illuminated to show a holographic face on the wall.

"Greetings, Space Force 37. I am Carrie, your crew's AI system." The face said.

"Cooool! I'm Mar-" Marco began.

"I have already been scanned to know every bit of information about you all. Haha, just kidding. That would be a dangerous reach of corporate power. But in all seriousness, Your names and professions have already been inserted in my vast database. I will give you information and new planets, and give you assistance through tough situations. I have also attached myself to your devices and spacesuit comm systems."

Marco turned to the others with a grin.

"She's cool!"

"Your first mission is a supply run on the planet Myganos, on a cluster system with several small moons. The planet is filled with large mountains, but there are also clustered forests of huge planets that can devour you alive."

"Not creepy at all-" Leo muttered.

"Space force 114 has been set up there for several months now, scouting on patterns on Uniontrade routes. You will be given 10 crates of food, water and necessary supplies to deliver to them. Now, if each of you would stand on your designated transport pods, you will be transported to your Alpha base in 5 seconds." Carrie finished.

The group all stood on different pods that had their names put on them. As they did, they got sealed off with tinted glass. After a short countdown, Marco's stomach felt like it was being lifted for a nanosecond. His head rushed and he felt he had been in the world's shortest coma. He heard a ding, and the doors opened.

Marco couldn't believe his eyes. They were in a gigantic, metal room. On the side, there were special kinds of energetic doors that ships could pass through. On the other side, there was space. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Many men were working on touchpads, ships were boarding and leaving. The squad looked in awe as a large ship was brought in front of them, with the numbers 37 on it. The squad noticed they were all in their corresponding uniforms, which must have been put on during the transportation. They boarded the ship, and each got in their specific spots.

"First stop of Space force 37...Myagnos!" Thomas exclaimed. The ship lifted up, and left the space station. Marco, Kira and Cory gazed out as Earth became nothing but a tiny speck.

"Strap in everyone...this is the fun part." Thomas said. He flipped a few levels, and the ship sped off, getting surrounded by a rainbow-like swirl. Marco's dream had officially started...