Date: April 7th, 2175 — 22:00
The day I was born probably wasn't important to anyone except my parents.
My name is Zane J. Black, and I was born on a planet called Z-12.
Z-12 wasn't a famous world or anything like that. It didn't have giant cities that stretched into the clouds or fleets of warships hovering over the atmosphere. It was mostly farmland—huge plains of crops that fed other planets across human space.
Most people who lived there were farmers, transport workers, or supply managers.
It was quiet.
Peaceful, even.
But even peaceful planets had soldiers.
Every agricultural world had at least one military base on it. The official reason was to protect the planet from pirates or hostile factions, but everyone knew the real reason too: when wars broke out, those bases provided troops.
My father was one of those troops.
His name was Samuel J. Black, and he was a Sergeant in the United Human Military. From what people told me later, he was pretty young for that rank—only 24 years old.
He wasn't originally from Z-12 either.
My dad came from the D Sector, which was known for being one of the most heavily militarized regions in human territory. That's where a lot of the big fleets were stationed and where many of the experienced soldiers came from.
Eventually he got reassigned to Z-12.
From what my mom used to say, he hated the transfer at first. Going from a busy military sector to a farming planet must've felt like being sent to the middle of nowhere.
But that changed once he met her.
My mom worked in the crop logistics office for one of the farming districts. She handled shipping records for food exports leaving the planet.
My dad met her during one of the base supply inspections.
Apparently he spent most of that inspection trying to flirt with her instead of doing his job.
At least that's the story my mom liked to tell.
A few years later they got married.
Then about a year and nine months after that, I was born.
Two years later my little sister Abby came along.
Not long after that, my parents bought a small farm out in the rural plains of Z-12.
That's where I grew up.
Our house sat in the middle of fields that stretched out forever. In the summer the wind would roll across the crops like waves in the ocean.
It was peaceful.
But my dad wasn't home very often.
Military work kept him busy. Sometimes he'd leave early in the morning and not come back until late at night. Other times he wouldn't show up for two or three days straight.
When he was home though, he made the most of it.
He'd take me out into the fields and teach me how to run without getting tired. Sometimes he showed me how to shoot using one of the old training rifles he had from the base.
Abby would usually sit nearby watching us.
She didn't really understand what we were doing most of the time, but she liked being included.
For a while, life stayed like that.
Simple.
Quiet.
Safe.
At least… that's what we thought.
Date: March 18th, 2191 — 07:00
BEEP BEEP BEEP
My alarm went off beside my bed like it was trying to start a fire.
"Alright, alright! I'm up!" I groaned while slapping the alarm until it shut up.
I sat there for a second trying to wake up.
Morning sunlight was already coming through the window.
After a moment I dragged myself out of bed and walked over to the closet. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and some sneakers before getting dressed.
Nothing special.
Just a normal day.
Or at least it should've been.
I walked into the living room and grabbed the remote.
The TV flickered to life.
A news channel was already on.
At first I wasn't really paying attention.
Then the reporter suddenly raised her voice.
"Breaking News! Ten military bases across planet Z-12 have been destroyed!"
My brain froze.
"What…?"
The broadcast switched to aerial footage.
Where one of the bases used to be there was now just a massive crater filled with smoke and wreckage.
Emergency crews were running everywhere trying to pull people from the rubble.
I felt my chest tighten.
"No… they can't mean…"
The camera zoomed closer to the wreckage.
Body bags were being carried out of what used to be the main barracks.
Names started appearing on the screen as victims were identified.
Then I saw it.
Samuel J. Black
My dad.
I couldn't move.
Behind me I suddenly heard my mom scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
I turned around.
She was standing in the hallway staring at the TV with tears already running down her face.
A few seconds later Abby came running down the stairs rubbing her eyes.
"Mommy? What's papa doing with those men?"
My mom dropped to her knees.
She tried to talk but the words kept breaking apart.
"H-Honey… he… he's d-dead…"
Abby looked confused at first.
Then she turned toward the TV.
She saw the body bags.
She saw my mom crying.
She saw me just standing there like an idiot who couldn't move.
That's when it hit her.
Her face twisted up and she started crying too.
The three of us stood there in the living room crying together while the news kept playing in the background.
That was the day everything changed.
And it was only the beginning.