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MidReal Story
The Young Commander's Burden
Scenario:It’s the year 2183, almost over 113 since humanity discovered ancient alien technology hidden within the moon and allowed us to travel throughout the galaxy meeting other alien races. I’m the youngest commander in Humanity’s Space Force only being 23 years old I’ve suffered a lot in my past to become the man I am today. I’ve been assigned a special mission by the Galactic Council, (consisting of 4 aliens and 1 human) which if I’m successful in I’ll be granted the status of space ops which will allow me free reign to do whatever on mission and go into restricted space without repercussions but there was more to this mission than meets the eye.
Create my version of this story
Sera Lin
ship's lead engineer, close friend to Ethan, short with vibrant blue hair, resourceful and witty.
Thalos Vex
alien diplomat on board, ally to Ethan in official matters, tall with iridescent skin, wise and diplomatic.
Ethan Drake
young space commander, relationships with crewmates, athletic build with sharp features, determined and secretive.
Chapter 1
I was the youngest space commander in the history of Humanity’s Space Force.I’d been given my own ship, the Aegis, and a crew of some of the best men and women in the galaxy.We were on our way to a critical mission for the Galactic Council, and I couldn’t have been more proud.The Aegis was a sleek, fast ship with a crew that could take on any challenge.We’d been through training together, and we’d come out stronger than ever.I had no doubt that we would succeed in our mission.But there was something else I hadn’t told them.Something that only I knew.Something that would change everything if they found out.I glanced around at my crew as we sat in the mess hall, eating dinner together before we reached our destination.
It was hard to believe that it had only been a few years since I’d graduated from the Academy.
I was only twenty-three, but I’d already achieved so much.
And today, I led my crew on one of the most important missions in human history, authorized by none other than the Galactic Council itself.
The Aegis is an amazing ship, cutting-edge and designed for speed and stealth above all else.
My crew were some of the best humans—and aliens—from across the galaxy, brought together for just this purpose.
We’d trained together for weeks before setting out on this mission, and I trusted them with my life.
I couldn’t have asked for a better team.
And even though I was young, and new to command, I knew that they would follow me no matter what.
After all, we’d spent months together training for this—and winning against every other team in Space Force who thought they could take us down.
It was hard not to be proud of everything we’d accomplished so far—despite being so new to this whole thing.
But there was something about this mission that made it different from any training scenario or expedition we’d ever been on before.
This time…it was personal.
Years ago, alien aggressors had come to Earth under the guise of diplomacy—and they’d killed my family right in front of me when I was just a kid.
I’d grown up thinking that peace could be won through diplomacy, but I’d learned the hard way that sometimes you had to fight for it.
That sometimes you had to make your enemies pay for what they’d done—no matter the cost or how long it took you to do it.
And after spending years training at the Academy—and working my way up through the ranks of Space Force—I finally had a chance to right those wrongs.
We all rose quickly from our seats in the mess hall, leaving our food behind as we headed out to face whatever threat awaited us.
"Looks like it's showtime," I said as we ran down the hallway toward the bridge.
The crew replied with nods and murmurs of agreement as we hurried along, ready to face whatever came our way.
We had all trained for this moment, and I knew that they were more than capable of handling anything that might happen.
After all, I trusted them with my life—and the lives of everyone else on board this ship.
As we reached the bridge and settled into our stations, Thalos Vex stepped onto the deck from his adjoining office space.
Thalos was an alien diplomat sent by the Council to help us make first contact with the target species we were supposed to meet during this mission.
He wouldn’t be participating in the actual negotiations or mission, for that matter—his role was purely to observe and offer advice if we needed it during first contact with a new species. I'd worked with him before on another mission involving his people—a mission that earned me praise from the Council and the title of hero but one that also left a bad taste in my mouth for reasons I couldn't explain even to myself.
For now though, he was just another member of my crew—one who I trusted to help us get the job done right when our lives were on the line and everything came down to this moment
Sera Lin was my best friend and confidante; we'd known each other for years, ever since we were kids, and there was no one else on board who could make me smile like her.
She had a quick wit and a resourcefulness that helped get us out of more than one tight spot on our missions together—not to mention an offbeat sense of humor that made her good company when things got tough.
Suddenly she appeared in the doorway leading from the mess hall into the rest of the ship; her vibrant blue hair stood out against the predominantly gold decor of this part of the Aegis, which we'd designed to help our alien crew members feel more at home while they were aboard with us.
"Hey, guys," she said cheerfully, "sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything good?"
Thalos glanced up from his plate and gave her a nod of greeting, though I could see him grimacing slightly at the sight of her hair—it was a lot more relaxed than it had been on our last mission, but it still made him uncomfortable sometimes, especially when Sera did something crazy with it like dying it bright blue or pink in the middle of the night, just to annoy him.
"Nothing much," he replied, "just a few more rumors about our target species. I was trying to convince everyone it's not a good idea to assume they'll all be naked when we meet them, but no one seems to believe me."
Sera snorted and took a seat at the table next to him; she gave his shoulder a playful jab as she did so, causing him to wince again and glare at her.
"You're such an old fuddy-duddy," she said with a grin.
"I bet they are all running around naked over there. That's probably what all those extra legs are for—so they can wear leg warmers!"
She laughed at her own joke while the rest of us chuckled along with her; Sera had a way of bringing energy into the room whenever she joined us, and right now we needed that energy more than ever before.
Chapter 2
I felt the Aegis shudder beneath us as we all leaped to our feet, gripping the sides of the table to steady ourselves; for a moment I thought we were under attack, but then I realized that this was something else.
"Another engine calibration," I said with a sigh of relief.
"We should have expected that."
Thalos stared at me in confusion for a moment before he understood what I meant; then he broke into a laugh and shook his head.
"You're right," he said, "we should have known better. Forgive me—sometimes it's still difficult to get used to these new ships and their strange ways."
Sera chuckled, too, as the rest of us took our seats again around the table; meanwhile, Thalos sat back down next to her and began eating his dinner more quietly than before.
"That's probably just one of my ancestors rattling around down there in the engine room," I joked after a moment.
"They'll never forgive you for calling them 'strange,' Thalos."
"Hey, now," Sera said as she poked me in the side with her fork, "don't be too hard on the guy. I'm sure your ancestors are all lovely people—just as long as they don't mind a little bit of blue hair here and there. I bet they'll love me!"
She winked at me and took another bite of her dinner; there was a moment's pause while the rest of us went back to our own meals again before Sera spoke up once more.
"So … we're really going through with this?" she asked.
"We're going to dock at the Spaceport of New Orleans and meet with the Council about our mission tomorrow?"
"That's right," I said grimly.
"Tomorrow morning we'll be meeting with an official representative from the Galactic Council. They'll tell us everything we need to know about this mission and what's expected of us. In the meantime, you should make sure you've got enough clothes for a few days' stay on Earth because—"
I broke off suddenly as Sera jumped to her feet and gave me a mock salute; then she stretched dramatically and cracked her knuckles before grinning back down at me.
"Then let's go."
I stared up at her in surprise for a moment, and then I laughed and got to my feet too.
"No time like the present, I suppose."
Thalos stood up with us and began gathering up his dishes from the table; as he did so, he turned to Sera and gave her a polite smile.
"Sera, if you wouldn't mind accompanying me through the customs gates on Earth tomorrow morning? After all, it will be nice to have someone who speaks the language come along with me." "Sure thing, Thalos," she said with a wink.
"I'll make sure no one steals your luggage or tries to blow you up while we're there. I promise."
She held out her hand to help him pick up his dishes and carry them back to the kitchen area; meanwhile, I followed after them with my own dirty plates.
"Thank you," Thalos said as they went along.
"I'm sure that won't be necessary—as a member of the Galactic Council, I'm entitled to certain rights and protections when traveling among its member planets. But it's always nice to have an extra set of hands around, just in case."
Sera gave him a playful nudge with her elbow as they reached the entrance to the kitchen area and dumped their dishes in the sink together.
"Don't worry about it, big guy," she told him with a grin.
"Commander," Thalos said suddenly, interrupting our dinner conversation.
He had a thoughtful look on his face as he watched me across the table, and after a moment I noticed that Sera was looking at me too; her brow furrowed as she studied my expression.
"What is our mission?"
he asked.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer his question; then I glanced over at Sera before looking back at Thalos again.
For the past few days we'd been talking about all sorts of things during our meals together in the mess hall: sports, music, books, movies … anything to take our minds off our current situation.
But no one had brought up the real reason we were being sent to Earth by the Galactic Council—not yet.
The truth was that even I didn't know much about this mission; all I knew was that we were being sent to Earth to try and make peace with an alien species who had attacked us five years ago—a day that still haunted me in my nightmares.
The Council had chosen me specifically for this mission because I had been there during the attack and seen firsthand what these aliens were capable of.
They believed that my experience would be an asset when trying to negotiate for peace with them; but they didn't know about my own personal reasons for going along with their plan—my own reasons for wanting to go on this mission.
I kept telling myself that it wasn't just about revenge; it was about protecting our planet and our people from future attacks.
But deep down, I knew better.
I wanted to make them pay for what they'd done to us—to what they'd done to me.
So as I looked back at Thalos and considered his question, I decided not to tell him the truth.
I wasn't sure how I could explain it to him or Sera in a way that made sense; so instead, I just shook my head and said nothing.
Thalos watched me for a moment longer before nodding slowly and looking away again; meanwhile, Sera leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful expression on her face as she followed our conversation.
"Well," she said eventually with a shrug.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
