CHAPTER ONE.
the art of being caught red handed.
THIS WILL BE A STORY TOLD FOR CENTURIES, that's what Mars Argo's father had said around twenty years ago, gathered by all of the members of the Life Alliance. Soldiers, diplomats, medics, engineers, people from all walks of life and every race known to the Andromeda Galaxy had listened to his pre-battle speech where he assured them that people were going to die on either side, as they had done the previous battles before, but that their sacrifices would not be forgotten. And, he wasn't wrong, as the names of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to end the Damning War were printed in books that were owned by almost everyone in the galaxy.
His name, however, was plastered on the concrete statues that decorated the pavilion in Central, and portraits that hung on the walls of every Council building among the planets. And, even along the wall in Ceren's School of Science and Technology that happened to be directly across the classroom she and the rest of her class were currently standing in. It wasn't really much of a traditional classroom, but rather a big room rid of any desks or chairs to leave enough space for the large anti-gravity chamber in the middle. The wall with the door was made out of glass, leaving the expansive corridor visible to anyone inside, as well as the Damning War memorial on it. Mars usually tried to avoid it at all costs, not only because of the emotions it would trigger, but she also hated being spotted near it and seeing the realization fall upon her fellow classmates' faces when they put two and two together. Being the daughter of a fallen war hero was not what it was chalked up to be.
Today, though, was different, as it always was once a year. The voices of her classmates whispering about their current lesson and their teacher nitpicking at them were tuned out, almost sounding muffled in the girl's ears as she stared at the memorial. It was pretty, no argument there, with it's neat calligraphy that read The Damning War at the top, and the shiny, golden frames around the pictures of important figures that had a strong influence on the war and the Alliance. Among the portraits was Elder Elayne Juno, a few people in uniform (she assumed they were high ranking military officials), and the five members of the Silver Wolf, which included her father, the proclaimed leader of said group. However, the one difference in the photos was the date written beneath them, or, the lack of a date under any of them but her father's.
2055 - 2092
This will be a story told for centuries, he had said, or, that's what the books said he said. Everytime Mars would look at that plaque, those numbers, she would get so frustrated she usually opted to skip her classes. Her father was not dead, he was missing, but apparently only to her. The thought of no one else believing he might still be alive, even just an inkling of the idea, infuriated her. It must've been noticeable then, because she was only jerked out of her deep thoughts by a gentle hand suddenly gripping her wrist.
" Ceren to Mars, " She turned her head sharply, finding the face of KP staring right back at her, a concerned look creased on his face as he raised an eyebrow to silently question her.
She blinked at him, and inched back as she pulled her wrist from his hand. She shook her head dismissively in response, knowing all too well that wasn't a good enough reply for her friend, but it was all he was going to get. He didn't really need an explanation, though, he had been present everytime she zoned out like that. His eyes followed her previous stare at the memorial and he visibly frowned before straightening back to his full, towering height and looking back to the lesson.
Mars readjusted, crossing her arms across her chest as she glanced over at the paper he clutched tightly in his fist, a C written in thick red pen at the top of it. She didn't comment on it, knowing full well that KP had been struggling recently in school, this class particularly. It was odd, ever since Mars had known him he had never gotten anything lower than an A and he was known to be a bit of a know-it-all. The sudden poor performance in Virtual Flight Mechanics seemed to come out of nowhere for the boy who had always been at the top of the class. Mars would be lying if she said she wasn't worried for him; it was KP's dream to become a pilot, it always has been since they were little, and she knew how much that dream meant to him.

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Mars Argo & the Silver Wolf [original]
Science FictionWhat remains of the human race has migrated to the planet Ceren of the Andromeda Galaxy following a nuclear war that eradicated all inhabitable places on Earth, living amongst twelve other species of aliens. Several decades into humans - adapted lat...