The scene shows an old man sitting at the end of the middle dinner table. He was sitting down eating with his family, he wasn't smiling just looking and calm. While the family eats and chat. The cameras zooms into his eyes... then shows another scene and a young boy...
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The year was 256,791 A.D. Humanity had spread so far across the stars that galaxies themselves bore the banners of the United Nations of Earth. Trillions of worlds thrived under its guidance, their skies shielded by technology that could endure black holes, their armies armed with tactics capable of defying even narrative reality itself. And yet, no matter how far they advanced, the foundation of their civilization remained the same: duty, faith, and sacrifice.
On the edge of the Juno Sector, a colony star system in the Milky Way Galaxy of the planet Eryndor Prime, carved from the wilderness of a once-hostile world, a transport shuttle roared through the upper atmosphere. Packed inside were hundreds of fresh recruits — boys barely turned men, young women who had volunteered, each one about to face the furnace of the UNE military boot camp.
⸻
Woo Jin's Arrival
Woo Jin sat stiffly against the cold metal bench, his pulse thrumming as the shuttle rattled through turbulence. Eighteen years old, a descendent of old Earth's Korea, he still felt like the ink on his graduation papers hadn't even dried. The UNE required every male citizen to serve, but for him, it wasn't just obligation — it was legacy. His grandfather had fought in the Leviathan Front a century ago, and his father had defended the colonies against the Fourth Eldritch Incursion.
Now it was his turn.
He stole a glance around the cabin. All kinds of recruits sat shoulder to shoulder — tall, broad-shouldered farmers from agricultural colonies; wiry, street-smart kids from megacities carved into the sides of Eternity Trees; scholars who had traded textbooks for rifles. Each carried a different look: some nervous like him, others grinning with cocky bravado, and a few already asleep like war was just another shift waiting to start.
⸻
The Weight of the UNE
Through the shuttle's view-screen, Woo Jin caught a glimpse of Fortress Camp Genesis sprawled across the valley below. It wasn't just a boot camp — it was a small city, armored walls stretching kilometers wide, training grounds that shimmered with holographic landscapes, and massive barracks that could house ten thousand soldiers at once. In the center stood a monolithic spire etched with the UNE emblem — a cross of light encircled by wings and stars.
The AI voice filled the shuttle:
"Attention recruits. Prepare for atmospheric docking. From this moment forward, you are soldiers of the United Nations of Earth Marines. Fear is natural. Faith is essential. Duty is eternal."
The recruits stiffened. Woo Jin gripped the strap above his head, whispering a silent prayer his grandmother had taught him: "Guide me, Lord, through fire and frost. Let me not falter when my brothers fall."
⸻
The First Orders
The shuttle slammed into the docking bay with a metallic thud. The hatch hissed open, and immediately the recruits were assaulted by the bark of a voice that could've shattered glass.
"MOVE, RECRUITS! MOVE LIKE THE GALAXY DEPENDS ON IT — BECAUSE IT DOES!"
Drill Sergeants, clad in sleek UNE exo-armor, their visors glowing like burning suns, stormed into the shuttle. Their presence alone made Woo Jin's throat dry. These weren't just instructors — each one had survived wars on scales most recruits couldn't imagine.
The recruits stumbled out in a flood, bags slung over their shoulders. Woo Jin fell into formation, boots clattering against the steel floor. The sergeant paced before them, scanning with an AI visor that read heartbeats, stress levels, even soul resonance potential. Woo Jin swallowed hard, realizing there was no way to hide his nerves — the UNE could see through him.
"Welcome to Genesis," the sergeant growled. "Your lives as civilians end today. Out there in the void, millions of species sharpen their fangs against us. You want to live soft? You'll die soft. You want to live hard? Maybe you'll live long enough to see your grandchildren pray for you. The United Nations of Earth does not breed cowards."
———
As the recruits are required to shave their head, as fresh recruits.
As the recruits marched toward the barracks, Woo Jin found himself next to a tall, muscular boy with a shaved head who smirked like this was all a game.
"Name's Raul," the boy said, barely whispering as the sergeant's back was turned. "You look like you're about to puke, man."
Woo Jin forced a laugh, his voice cracking. "Woo Jin. Just... nervous, I guess."
"Good. Means you're alive." Raul grinned. "Stick with me, rookie. We'll survive this hellhole together."
On his other side, a lanky recruit with sharp glasses muttered under his breath, "Statistically speaking, only 62% of us make it through boot camp without permanent injury."
Woo Jin blinked. "...comforting."
As the night sky bled crimson with the system's twin suns, Woo Jin looked up at the UNE emblem glowing high above the camp walls. For the first time, he felt the weight of what it meant to be human in this age. A trillion worlds were watching. An eternity of enemies lurked beyond the stars.
And here he was — just one nervous eighteen-year-old — about to begin the path that would either forge him into steel... or break him into dust.
—————
The dawn on Fortress Camp Genesis didn't begin with sunlight. It began with the deafening roar of alarms.
"RECRUITS, TO THE FIELD! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
Woo Jin jolted upright from his bunk, half tangled in the stiff UNE-issue sheets. His body screamed for more sleep, but the second his boots hit the cold floor, a surge of adrenaline burned through him. Raul was already pulling him by the arm.
"Come on, Jin! You wanna be late on day one?!"
The flood of recruits spilled out of the barracks into the open training grounds. The valley air was cold, thin — engineered that way on purpose. The UNE always stacked conditions against you. No mercy, no shortcuts.
⸻
The First Gauntlet
Across the yard, a dozen drill sergeants waited. Their exo-armor gleamed with crimson visors, each step booming like thunder as their AI-augmented voices barked commands.
"Line up! Ten rows! Shoulder to shoulder, back straight, heads forward!"
Woo Jin scrambled into formation, chest heaving already from the sprint.
The head sergeant strode forward, his voice cutting the air like a blade:
"Today you are soft clay. By the end, you will be forged iron. By the wars to come, you will be unbreakable steel. If not—then you are ash, and ash has no place in the UNE."
Then it began.
"RUN!"
Hundreds of recruits surged forward into the dirt track. No warning, no pace calls — just chaos. Woo Jin's lungs flared instantly. His body begged him to slow, but Raul was beside him, grinning like this was nothing.
"Keep up, Jin! You stop, you die!"
They ran. And ran. And kept running. Hours felt like minutes and minutes felt like years. Some recruits stumbled, collapsing into the dirt — immediately swarmed by med-drones that injected stimulants straight into their veins and shoved them back on their feet.
There was no escape.
⸻
The Body's Breaking Point
After what felt like forever, the whistle blew. But rest wasn't granted.
Push-ups. Sit-ups. Burpees. Squats. Over and over, faster, harder, each drill sergeant walking through the rows like wolves stalking prey.
Woo Jin's arms shook violently, sweat streaming down his face, dripping into the dirt. His shoulders screamed, his breath turned into fire, but the commands never stopped.
"Lower! Faster! You think an alien beast will wait for you to catch your breath?!"
One recruit beside him collapsed fully, vomiting on the ground. The sergeant didn't even flinch.
"Good! Empty your guts now — means you've got more room for willpower!"
Woo Jin's mind screamed: I can't... I can't...
And yet his body kept moving. One more push-up. One more squat. One more ragged breath.
At some point, Raul grabbed Woo Jin's arm, yanking him up when he stumbled. "Don't you dare quit on me, Jin!" he barked, spittle flying.
On the other side, the lanky recruit with glasses — the one obsessed with statistics — was shaking violently. Woo Jin, half-conscious, shoved his shoulder under the boy's arm, helping him stay upright.
The boy croaked out, "Statistically... this is hell..."
Woo Jin almost laughed, even through the pain. "Shut up and keep moving."
For a split second, amidst the chaos, Woo Jin realized: this was what the UNE wanted. Not just soldiers. Brothers. People who bled together until no force in the galaxy could break them apart.
⸻
The Final Trial of the Day
The sun was already dipping below the valley walls when the whistle finally blew. Every recruit collapsed to their knees, gasping, coughing, some nearly unconscious. Woo Jin felt his entire body tremble like a dying star.
The head sergeant stood before them, arms crossed, visor glowing a furious red.
"This was day one. Your body hates you. Your soul curses you. Good. Get used to it. Because the enemies you'll face — the aliens, the cosmic horrors, the Eldritch, and yes even humans — they will not stop. They will devour you alive unless you are harder than their fangs. Remember this pain, recruits. Cherish it. Tomorrow will be worse."
The recruits groaned, a mixture of fear and pride burning in their exhausted eyes. Woo Jin clenched his fists, his chest still heaving, but somewhere deep inside, beneath all the fear, a small ember began to glow.
He wasn't ash. Not yet.
—————
The blaring sirens erupted at 0400 hours sharp.
Woo Jin's eyes snapped open, bloodshot and aching. His entire body screamed from yesterday's punishment — muscles stiff, joints burning, lungs still raw. But there was no time to groan, no time to rest. The barracks' AI-voice bellowed overhead:
"Recruits! Rise and form up! You have thirty seconds or you are dead men walking!"
The metal floor shuddered as boots slammed down all around him. Raul yanked him up from his bunk. "MOVE, Jin! Thirty seconds means fifteen in their language!"
Woo Jin stumbled into his uniform, strapping his boots with trembling fingers, sprinting with the flood of recruits out into the predawn chill. The sky was still ink-black, only the faint shimmer of the colony's moons casting light over the valley.
⸻
The 4 A.M. Grind
The recruits lined up in rows, their breaths fogging in the cold air. Then came the voice — that drill sergeant's thunderous bark, amplified by his exo-armor's AI speaker:
"GOOD MORNING, YOU SOFT-BODIED CIVILIANS!"
"WELCOME TO 0400 HOURS — THE HOUR WHEN MARINES ARE BORN AND COWARDS DIE!"
Woo Jin's heart hammered. His legs already ached before the run even started.
"RUN!"
Hundreds of recruits bolted forward into the dirt track, boots pounding in unison. This time, the sergeants ran with them, armored giants keeping pace effortlessly. Their glowing visors glared like demon eyes in the dark, shouting at anyone who faltered.
"COME ON! YOU ARE UNE MARINES!"
"THE GALAXY DOESN'T SLEEP AND NEITHER DO YOU!"
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"
Woo Jin's lungs burned, every step agony — but he kept his pace, refusing to fall behind Raul's steady stride.
⸻
The Furnace Continues
By the time the run ended, most recruits collapsed to their knees, but rest was a fantasy.
"DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!"
The field turned into a sea of push-ups. Woo Jin's arms shook violently, his chest hammering into the dirt again and again. Sweat pooled beneath him, freezing instantly in the night air.
"FASTER! FASTER!"
"YOUR ENEMY DOESN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO BREATHE!"
"LOUDER, RECRUITS! SCREAM WITH YOUR LUNGS!"
The recruits shouted through gritted teeth as they pushed. Raul roared like a beast, encouraging those beside him. Woo Jin's voice cracked, but he forced out a yell with every rep:
"ONE! TWO! THREE!"
Then came squats. Burpees. Mountain climbs. Endless drills until the stars above faded and the first orange light of dawn crept across the camp.
⸻
The UNE Spirit
The sergeant finally halted them, standing tall in the rising sun, his crimson visor reflecting fire.
"LOOK AT YOURSELVES! YOU'RE BREAKING, YOU'RE SHAKING, YOU'RE BLEEDING! GOOD!"
"BECAUSE MARINES ARE NOT BORN IN COMFORT. THEY ARE BORN IN PAIN. THEY ARE BORN IN FIRE. AND THE FIRE IS ONLY BEGINNING!"
He scanned their rows, visor flickering as his AI tallied vitals. Woo Jin swore the sergeant's voice dropped lower, like he was speaking directly to his soul:
"You are UNE Marines now. Remember this. The galaxy fears us for a reason."
The recruits, exhausted and trembling, roared back in unison. Woo Jin's throat tore with the sound, but for the first time, his voice didn't shake.
"HOO-RAH!"
The sound thundered across the valley.
—————
By noon, the sun blazed over Fortress Camp Genesis. Sweat still clung to Woo Jin's uniform from the morning drills, his muscles screaming from endless runs and push-ups. But there was no time to rest — the recruits were marched in perfect formation toward a wide, fortified field surrounded by targeting drones and alloy barricades.
It was the UNE gun range.
Rows of weapon racks gleamed under the light — sleek black rifles, sidearms, shotguns, and heavier support weapons. Unlike the crude guns of humanity's past, these were designed with a blend of ballistic precision and energy projection, each one paired with AI-assisted targeting systems built into the UNE visor helmets.
The recruits lined up. The air was tense, buzzing with anticipation. For some, this was their first time holding a weapon.
The head drill sergeant stomped forward, his crimson visor glowing like a burning coal.
"LISTEN UP, RECRUITS! A MARINE WITHOUT A RIFLE IS A CORPSE IN WAITING. OUT THERE, THE ENEMY WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU TO THINK, TO AIM, OR TO BE BRAVE. YOU MOVE, YOU SHOOT, YOU KILL — OR YOU DIE. SIMPLE AS THAT."
He raised a gauntleted hand, signaling.
"GABRIEL! FRONT AND CENTER!"
⸻
The Demonstration
A tall veteran stepped out from the instructors' line. His armor was scarred and weathered, one shoulder pad painted with a red cross — proof of real campaigns fought in the void. He moved with calm, terrifying precision, his visor dim compared to the others.
Gabriel stood before the recruits, lifted an AR-90K pulse rifle from the rack, and without a single wasted motion, shouldered it.
The drill sergeant barked:
"SHOW THESE WHELPS HOW IT'S DONE."
Targets sprang up across the field — humanoid silhouettes, some darting side to side, others popping from cover.
Without hesitation, Gabriel unleashed controlled bursts. Thum-thum-thum! Each target lit up with clean, center-mass hits. Then, with one fluid motion, he dropped the rifle, pulled his sidearm from his thigh holster, and finished the last five targets with surgical headshots.
Silence. Then the sergeant's voice cracked through the air like lightning.
"REMEMBER THIS, RECRUITS! SWITCHING TO YOUR PISTOL IS FASTER THAN RELOADING! THAT SPLIT SECOND CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU BREATHING OR YOUR BODY FLOATING IN THE VOID!"
The recruits murmured in awe. Raul muttered beside Woo Jin, "Damn... I want to be that guy."
Woo Jin just swallowed, his palms sweating. Can I even hold a rifle straight?
The instructor then explains that the AR-90k are standard UNE military rifles, "Remember! This rifle is the standard UNE Military armed forces rifles! The AR-90k! This will be your life support! This will be your comrade when defending yourself! This will be your vessel forever! It shoots FTL+ Quantum Cosmic Energy Bullets, 55 round mags! And do not! Go around blasting it and wasting ammo like a moron!"
⸻
First Contact With Steel
The sergeant turned, pointing straight at the rows of recruits.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE READY? PICK UP YOUR WEAPONS. LET'S FIND OUT."
Woo Jin's hands trembled as he reached for the AR-90K. The gun was heavy, colder than he expected, humming faintly with its power core. He could feel the weight of responsibility in its grip.
The visor display in his helmet flickered to life, syncing instantly with the weapon. A digital reticle glowed faintly across the field of moving targets.
"READY!" the sergeant barked.
Targets sprang up. The gunfire roared like thunder as hundreds of recruits opened up. Woo Jin squeezed the trigger — the recoil slammed into his shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. His first shots went wide, missing completely.
"STEADY YOUR BREATH, RECRUIT! CONTROL THE BURST!"
He adjusted, gritted his teeth, fired again. Thum-thum-thum. This time, one target fell. Then another. His reticle locked more smoothly as his visor's AI adapted to his shaky rhythm.
A surge of pride flickered in his chest. He wasn't Gabriel, not even close — but he wasn't helpless either.
⸻
The drill sergeant's voice boomed over the chaos:
"THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. BY THE END OF THIS CAMP, YOU WON'T JUST BE HOLDING RIFLES. YOU'LL BE HOLDING THE FATE OF HUMANITY. GET USED TO IT, MARINES!"
Woo Jin fired again, his heart pounding with every shot. For the first time, through the sweat, fear, and exhaustion, he felt something else stir inside him.
"Now! For your second hand! Your pistol! The G-40k it shoots the same cosmic quantum plasma bullets! But it has 12 rounds per mag! Now switch to your pistols!"
The recruits did and aimed at the locked target, they fired at will... easier than shooting the AR-90k of course.
"Good! Now I want you all to learn how to throw a damn grenade and a flash bang! Gabriel! Show these girls how it's done!"
Gabriel wasted no time and demonstrated how it's done. The timing and how far it should be thrown.
The recruits were stunned by this, — so now it will be their turn next.
"Alright you maggots! Now it's your turn!!!"
So the recruits did it, only a couple turns per try with every instructor with them. Woo Jin's turn and he did it! Inside of him felt...
Excitement.
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To be Continued...