Beginnings: Christina Hawken
Joseph T. S.
My name is Christina Hawken. I like to sing...[STATIC] play piano. I like to wr...[STATIC] If you're human you may know me as... [STATIC] Chr... Gri... [AUDIO/VIDEO CUT]
I was born in planet Ilithya, in the majestic capital city of Ishtar. Beautiful fields, castles, along with tall thick-glass buildings, hills, and a beautiful countryside. The landscape is peaceful, colourful and wonderful, of course! It reminds you of the clean air around and the balance between nature and technology as well as order. You can really call the whole planet a home. A very calm place, like it is all around the planet. People help each other here. There is healthy competition in sports and athletism but everything else is more about taking care of each other, but also learning how to be independent as well. We're all a family here.
I was raised with many other girls in Telesphorus Medical's Child Care Center. Coming from the best medical producer in the planet, it was a great place to grow up. We had classes early in the mornings, several physical education exercises and social exercises, learning about emotional control and its influence on our performance. I still remember those tiring hours of PE, then the pleasant time for relaxation in our Emotional Control class, learning how to control powerful emotions and when to let them free. However, this planet always filled me with joy but my favorite places were always best for me. I went to the flower fields, the golden plains, or the grasslands to play with my friends or just by myself to take some air and clear my mind.
It was all joy and bliss. I jumped around, trying to improve my agility and flexibility but then I would just drop to the grass and look at the beautiful blue sky. But I am so full of energy. I take breaks and then I jump around, explore the wildlife, pet a few dogs, cats and even birds.
Suddenly, one day something woke up a strange curiosity in me when I was a pre-teen. A ship had crashed near one of the fields I used to go to. Three people got out of the ship and one of them approached me. They wore helmets with strange reflective visors that didn't let me see their faces. I could only see my puzzled face looking at them.
The one who approached me seemed tall, like an adult, but when he took his helmet off his face looked really young. Soft and clean skin. What left me perplexed were the scars on his face, yet he smiled as if he was proud of them.
-Where do you come from?-I asked.
-We're from here, kiddo. We just saved the planet, again!-He gasped with satisfaction.
-Saved it? Why? What happened, mister?-I asked, overtaken by my curiosity.
-A "Cupid Arrow". Those things really scare us when they strike. Love can be painful sometimes and we have to just... clear it up if it just doesn't work.
I couldn't understand. They were fighting love. Why? Why would they fight such beautiful feeling?
It didn't make any sense to me. I was raised taught that love was a perfect feeling, something that should be handled with care, not destroyed.
But when I entered the Ilithian Military Academy by choice, I realized it wasn't love what was being a threat, it was those who were misusing it for selfish purposes.
The Academy
My first day was insane. I had very little time to get ready and I was immediately taken directly into training exercises. I was assigned to Sierra Squad, a very good squad of five cadets, three girls and two boys, now four girls counting me.
-Wincott, up front!-My team leader, Kara LaPointe, shouted, organizing us.-Hawken, get the necklace, I'll cover you!
In the simulators, we were assigned several missions with basic tasks like recovering objects, holding position, getting civvies into extraction points, escorting, and etcetera.
