To the Citizens of Earth

The year is 3068 on planet Pledian. That is located in the galaxy Zargon which would make it the year 2106 on Earth. My name is Max.

Two years ago there was a revolution on one of our three closest neighboring planets. One is a hydro-planet (Plartisian) where we have placed a treatment plant for our own planets water supply; this was not affected by the war. Another is rich in precious metals (Cryoniplian) where we have also placed a mine to help our government afford to trade with other worlds in our system; this planet was eventually lost to the rebels. The final neighbor (where the revolution actually took place) is a prison colony for white collar criminals (PX12). It is really more of a resort than a prison, and no one ever gave a thought to having trouble from the inmates there. All of the problematic inmates are sent to an unoccupied system that is so far away that by the time they got there (if they survived the lengthy trip) they would be too old to ever make the trip back.

Our failure to properly respect the fact that these people are still criminals is where we failed. Had we taken more safety measures we would not be in this position. Now we are in negotiations with our own banished citizens to save our economic health. The Rebels hold our monetary reserves, not for their own gain, but are threatening to destroy them altogether if the judiciary figures responsible for their imprisonment aren’t handed over. Some of these people are high powered members of our government, and not likely to surrender themselves under any circumstances. These people have escape plans. It is the regular citizens (like me) who face starvation, invasion from other worlds and ultimately death due to the failure of those figures to turn themselves over.

There is one thing that makes me unique among my people. Ninety-eight percent of our population is passive. This is genetically engineered. We have determined throughout history that world peace will never happen unless it is assisted by science. We keep only two percent of our people armed and trained for defense against other worlds. To that end, we have very few violent criminal acts (which are perpetrated by the occasional rouge soldier). In fact our last violent crime was committed almost ten years ago. Back on point, I am responsible for tactical training of every member of our defensive corps. I am the only individual who holds the license or knowledge to prepare or combat what our military knows.

The rebels have given us a twelve hour deadline to meet their demands. We are to make delivery to Cryoniplian where the Rebels have openly moved their aggressive force. They are comfortable moving all of their fighters here because this planet is their hostage, and because they control what you would recognize as a type of fusion bomb. The only difference is that if they set this bomb off, it is big enough to turn this entire planet into vapor. My dilemma is trying to devise a Counter-Rebellion to take Cryoniplian back. The problem I face is that my government will not assist me in any attempt to re-take the planet. I will truly be on my own.

That is why I have directed this to the people of Earth. You are either the “problematic” inmates banished from our planet, or the descendants of those inmates (your constant abduction stories are the result of mind erasing failures). I don’t know if there is a single person among you who still cares, but if you have received this communication…it means that I have failed. Your true home has been lost to the Rebels, and there is no telling what has become of it now.

The Assault

“I hope no one picked up my trail.” Max had infiltrated planet Cryoniplian’s atmosphere. His anti-detection monitor had not alerted him which means that no electronics equipment had picked him up. As long as no one had actually spotted him by eye, then he could still count on the element of surprise. He would need that and perhaps a small miracle to deactivate the device before being caught and killed.

Max set off toward the complex to the East. Lucky for him he used to train his recruits here two generations ago. He could not afford to lose any time, but before he got too far from his transport, he stopped to check his PDU (personal defense unit). You might view it as a suit, but it is really more of a vehicle. The unit is designed to serve three purposes. The first is camouflage. The unit adapts to its surroundings and becomes virtually invisible. The second is armor. The unit can fully protect its occupant from every type of munitions developed to date. The third is stamina. The unit will take whatever force exerted by its occupant and multiply it by 100. This means that if you expend the energy to lift one pound, the unit will lift a 100 pound object. This allows for more intense fighting, and longer periods of marching. Therefore we have no need to develop assault vehicles. We just arm our foot soldier with a cannon and send him (or her) marching.

Finally, Max reached complex. He had approx. two hours before the device would detonate. Max monitored the guard movements for about fifteen minutes. “I am surprised at the remedial approach to security” Max thought to himself as he watched the patrol pattern form. Then just as he was about to move in, he saw it. There was an automated robot on the roof armed with an electromagnetic cannon. “That would be inconvenient” Max new that he would not be seriously harmed by the cannon thanks to his PDU, but since it was made out of metal alloys, he would be displaced, and there is no telling where he would end up, or how badly the suits camouflage feature would be damaged. Max quietly loaded one round into his .308 sniper rifle. Max knew that no one had used such a primitive weapon as a firearm in almost 100 years, but he was counting on the accuracy factor as well as no one recognizing the loud annunciation from the weapons muzzle. Max took careful aim at the robots access panel and fired the shot. The robot made no moves, and there was no way for Max to know if his round had disabled the robot, but no one else could tell either. Max waited for a moment while everyone scrambled into action, then in the chaos he slipped in a doorway not six inches from a guard.

Once inside, Max activated his blueprint display and began trying to locate the device. “Two doors down and to the left; that’s where I would put it.” Just as he turned the corner, Max walked right into another guard. In a single continuous movement Max gouged the man’s eye, stepped right through the man’s knee and placed him in a reverse headlock and crushed his neck. Suddenly the man’s partner rounded another corner and ran right at Max. Max caught the man behind the neck and head butted the guy’s nose flush with the rest of his face. Max then trapped the man’s right arm under his left and shoved the man’s head back with his right palm. Max ran directly toward a wall forcing the man backward and then without warning brought his elbow around and knocked the man’s Adams apple halfway around the man’s neck.

“Hope nobody misses them.” Max took a quick right hand turn through a doorway, and there in front of him was the device. Max quickly switched displays to his bomb blueprint. He reached to cut the green wire when he realized, “There is no disarm on this. They never intended to turn it off. Well, they didn’t plan on me.”

Suddenly, Max felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck followed by tunnel vision. Finally, everything went dark, and Max lapsed into unconsciousness and dreamed.

“Corporal Myles” the nurse called. A man grasped the Corporal’s arm and led him from the waiting room into an observation room where he restrained the Corporal to the table. There was a panel of high ranking military personnel seated in front of the table. Then a General began to speak.

“Let the record show that on this twenty-first day of May in the year of our lord two thousand and three, Corporal Myles is being court-martialed for the murders of three members of his unit. Doctor, please explain to me why I should not have a firing squad formed right outside of this building for this man.”

“Sir, Corporal Myles is suffering from the worst case of dementia I have ever seen. He is not living in our reality. His crimes are not crimes. They are courageous acts performed by a good soldier. The circumstances just didn’t occur in our reality.” Max Myles had been a decorated soldier with eight years of meritorious service. No one could understand what had caused him to fire upon the roof sentry and to break the necks of the two soldiers assigned to fire watch in his barracks. It just hadn’t made any sense.

“I don’t buy that Psych. mumbo-jumbo Doctor. This man killed three of this country’s soldiers without provocation. We sentence this man to be hanged by the neck until he is dead.”

Corporal Max Myles was led to the gallows. He was offered a hood, but refused. The trap door was sprung, and Max felt the Earth drop from underneath him…suddenly, Max woke up!