It’s only been a couple months since landing back on Earth… what year is it again? 5142? God… time sure does fly when you're locked on a planet light years away from home, eh? The Original Great War started almost 3000 years ago, and the War on Auraxis almost 1500 years ago. And walking on Earth again… if almost feels like a different Planet. With tall these shiny new cities, and the Old War Scar known as the Dead Zone leaves a different mark on the Planet. And I can’t forget looking out of my telescope at night, seeing bright lights on the surface on The Moon, Mars, hell, even Jupiter's moons. Long before Humans went through the wormhole, Thomas Connery and his team terraformed a majority of the solar system… hard to believe Auraxis was the only planet the Expedition Fleet was able to terraform. What’s even worse, is the side effects of my wounds have started to set in. I’ve been gaining weight since returning to Earth, even though my house has a built in Gym, having no control over my legs puts a burden on my workout. Clearly, I haven’t gained 60 pounds overnight, but I've gained enough to notice. Also, the area just above my waist tends to get sore every now and then. The doctor gave me some pills and recommended massage therapy, but I think my body is finally feeling the aftermath of my almost fatal injury. But regardless of my pain, these past couple months haven’t been that bad. I’ve gotten used to this routine is quite uneventful. My 911 operator job has developed nicely, I’ve made quite a name for myself by getting through a nasty home invasion call… sadly, the occupants succumbed to their injuries in hospital soon after. Thankfully, the suspects were found two days later and are now spending life behind bars. Then there was a car crash call that ended in a deadly explosion just a week ago… a tanker truck carrying flammable bio energy got t boned by a car… and the wiring from the car’s solar panels caused the biomaterial to go up in flames… both drivers were caught in the blast… damn near cooked alive. Both calls I was able to keep my cool… remind me of the decaying Vanu Soldier I saw back on Auraxis when the nuke went off…. plus I got off the planet by the skin of my teeth, so I know a thing or two about suffering. Speaking of Auraxis, I’m surprised Earth did not start developing Re-Birthing tech, or any other major genetic tampering. I mean, sure, they got advanced medical practices for destroying Cancer, Aids, and other old world infections and viruses. Hell, they’ve even been able to rewrite broken or malfunctioning Chromosomes to reverse the effects of Autism and Down Syndrome. All these medical breakthroughs, and yet, people are still dying of old age… hell there still even is old age. Back before the Great War started and the Wormhole was first sighted, people dreamed of being able to reverse ageing and prevent death. But wandering the streets today, you still see seniors walking around. At least now they can live a few extra years without getting sick. Then there's people like me… the disabled. I heard Scientists have gotten close to a breakthrough in robotics that will allow for high strength alloy prosthetics connected to the person’s nerve network, allowing the fake libs to operate like normal, organic nerves would. The Prosthetics would sent a electric pulse though connected nerves that would match the pulse other limbs use, allowing for the Brain to pick it up and act accordingly. Myself, as well as other disabled in the city, are hoping for this new breakthrough to trigger and so we can get ourselves fixed up. As so I can finally get back into the fight.
Chapter 2: New Hope
Another day, more floating around… sitting up in my bed, I heaved a sigh. The pain has really gotten bad at this point, the doctors have upped me to stronger drugs and even medical cream to run on my waist. Regardless, I had to pull though it. I used my arms to swing myself from my bed to my hover chair, and started the power up process. I shifted my legs into position and activated the safety belts, strapping me in. Proceeding to the kitchen area, I turned the TV on the way by, and pulled out one of those protein breakfast shakes from my fridge. I checked out the news channel and found out serch teams in the Dead Zone have made an interesting discovery. These guys are specially trained military personnel who make frequent trips into the Dead Zone. Hell, I heard some of the New Republic vets joined up with them. Anyway, apparently search teams found a old Chinese Air Base, buried in years of toxic build up. Old War Jets, Weapons, and even some old documents were recovered and transported to facilities in Cera City, the closest city to the base location to be processed. Neat stuff… but the next story really spiked my interest… New Haven Scientists and Engineers have finally completed their brakethrough, and the first successful Private Beta Tester, one Allen Jones, have sparked a new area for the medical field. Followed by some advertisements and information on how to sign up for the Public Beta Tests…. Alas, my hopes rose. I felt a switch get turned on in my mood… I know exactly what I’m doing after my shift today. In my moment of excitement, I almost forgot to go to work… I quickly wrote all the info I could from the advertisement and made a dash for my car. I got to work about 5 minutes late, and as soon as I got to the operater’s office room, Mark gave me a look. “Not like you to be late.” He crossed his arms. “Sorry pal, just heard about the breakthrough in prosthetic enhancements, got caught up in excitement.” I explained. “Ah, that explains it. No worries, I can understand why you’d be eager about something like that. I can let one time slide.” Mark laughed. I nodded and got set up at my desk.
Chapter 3: New Future
As soon as my shift ended, I got in my car and went straight to the Hospital that I originally recovered from. I already saw Ads for this new Prosthetic breakthrough all over the city, and the hospital is no different. I made it to the main desk and hit the service buzzer. “Hello, how can I help you?” One of the desk people walked up. “Hey, I’m interested in the Prosthetic Program beta.” I explained. “Actually, you're in luck, the representative was just about to leave, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to talk to you. CanI just get your name, please?” The attendant asked, pulling out a notepad and pen. “Jet Sunstrider.” I answered. She froze for a minute. “Oh, the New Republic Commander! I see… just wait a moment.” She sturddured a bit and walked off… I rolled my eyes… more unnecessary attention. After a couple minutes, a man in a well kept black suite walked up to me. “Hello there, Jason Matterson, representative for Supernova Robotics. It’s a honor to meet you in person, Commander Sunstrider. Your army’s War Stories have left a big mark on the city.” Jason shook my hand vigorously. His skin like leather. “Please, spare me the praise, I’m not looking for any more attention. I wish to talk business, mainly getting me of this chair and back on my feet.” I explained. “Of course, follow me to the office I’ve been borrowing.” Jason chuckled and lead me down the halls into a roomy office complete with basic medical equipment. “Alright, so what has sparked your interest so badly, eh?” Jason asked. “Well, it’s really just the chance to get back to Auraxis. As it’s nice to see Earth again, I came back under the assumption that I’d be able to return to the front lines, to keep the dream of New Earth alive. I want to see humanity officially settle down on a new planet. I’m a soldier, and as nice as everyone’s been, I belong on the battlefield. But most importantly, I wanna make sure that Tomas Connery’s life was not lost in vein. That man risked everything to get us to Auraxis, and I’ll be damned if I let all of that dream come tumbling down.” I explained. “I see, you got nobel goals Sunstrider. Here's the deal, I need to take a sizeable blood sample to take back to Supernova’s lab. There, out science team will be able to run it through simulations to make sure you're body won't reject the prosthetics. If everything checks out, we’ll get you on the waiting list for the surgery. But if we see a problem, you might have to go on Immunosuppressants prior to the surgery.” Jason explained. “Wait… Immunosuppressants? But it’s robotics.” I rubbed my chin. “Ah, but you see, the prosthesis also include chemicals in the wiring that will be attached to your nerves so they can properly communicate with your brain. Amd if you're Immune System attacks these chemicals, then it will have terrible long term side effects.” Jason took out a tablet device and showed me a small animation that visualizes the possible immune response. “Okay… what about cost?” I asked. “Yes, the big question. Thanks to modern science, this surgery is relatively cheap. Two Thousand per limb, and Supernova Robotics will cover the cost for any Immunosuppressants necessary.” Jason handed me a document explaining the whole modern science portion of it. “So, for me, it would be four thousand.” I said. “Exactly!” Jason replied. “Anyway, I just need to take that blood sample, oh, and you're email, so you can get your results.” Jason took out a needle. I rolled my sleeve up and allowed him to take the sample. I also wrote down my email on Jason’s notepad with my name. “Alright, all good. Expect you're results within 2-3 days.” Jason explained, shaking my hand again. I nodded and exited the hospital. Four thousand… I get one thousand every 2 months as part of the city’s veteran support plan, that all New Republic soldiers get, and I get paid about 2,500 a month…. Let’s see… quick math… that leaves me at 7000… damn, I can actually cover it myself. Modern science does make things cheaper. Regardless, before I got in my car, I noticed Jax left me a couple messages. I mute my phone as I'm working so I can maintain focus. I decided to call him. “Hey, you spamming me now? Like I told you, I’m fine.” I told im after he picked up. “Sorry, it’s just not like you to be late. What’s going on? You got distracted at the NR Bar again?” Jax asked. “No, no… I stopped by the hospital to check out that new Prosthetic program.” I explained. “Oh, really... “ Jax trailed off. “Oh, don't even pretend to be surprised, you know me, and I know you. If you were in my shoes you probably would of skipped work to check it out.” I commented. “I would not!” Jax sounded offendied. “Anyway, It turns out I can even afford it myself. They just need to run some tests. And I’m gonna do it, no matter that anyone says.” I put my foot down. “Yeah yeah, it’s your body anyway. Hell, I’m sure the rest of the NR will be excited to see you get on your feet again.” Jax explained. “Yeah… anyway I'll see ya at home.” I hung up and got in my car.
Chapter 4: First Step to Freedom
I booked the whole next month off work to prepare myself for this. Yesterday, I got the report back from the robotic company, and they did not find any compilations with my sample. And of course, news spread quickly of my surgery date. The Republican Hotspot, or the bar that was renamed due to NR popularity was crammed with eager veterans. All of this just because I was gonna get my legs back… image what bringing a battle hardened Commander will do for ya. Backing me up the most, of course, was the Terran Murder Squad. Axx, Mich, and Devil we always at the front lines of any crowd. “Alright, alright… listen everyone… as much as I enjoy life back on Earth, most of you know me… I’m a man of action. And you damn straight if you think my first action with my legs back will be to reform the army, and find a way back to Auraxis. Because I’ll be honest, we left the planet in a hurry… and honestly, we failed in our mission to bring peace to Humanity… but I refuse to sit back as people are still suffering!” I finished my pre-surgery speech. The hospital already had me in one of those gowns and in a bed. All the soldiers cheered as I was wheeled away into the surgery wing. As the shouting died down, the doctors wheeled me into the surgery room, and started hooking all the vital monitors on me. Then, all tall dude in a bright blue apron walked up besides the bed. “Alright, Mr. Sunstrider, I’m Dr. Murad. We talked a couple weeks prior to this, correct” He explained. “That sounds about right, Doc.” I nodded. “Very well, ready to get this started?” Dr. Murad pulled gloves over his hands. “Hell yes, I’m done being chair ridden.” I laughed. “Alright, I’m gonna hook you up the anesthetic, and before you know it, you’ll wake up with a new set of legs.” I felt the poke in my hand as the doctor injected the anesthetic needle… and I started to get sleepy… flashbacks of past battles blurring together before the world went dark.
When I woke up, I was in the recovery wing. And before I knew it, I was swarmed by my friends. After taking a couple minutes to get out of the anesthetic hangover, the Doctors disconnected me from all the fancy medical equipment. I slowly sat up in my bed, and swung my legs around. Speaking off, I looked down to the lower half of my body, checking out my new limbs. Solid white, molded to look like natural limbs. I gave them a couple taps, felt like plastic, but knowing the era we are in, I’m sure it was some fancy combination of materials yo make them strong, lightweight, waterproof, etc. When I first tried standing up, I almost fell flat on my face if it wasn't for Devil and Axx catching me. Surprisingly, I got the hang of it within a matter of minutes… still wasn't perfect. Gonna take a bit of training to get assumed to it. I just can’t wait for all the “first day with your new feet?” jokes. As I was taking laps around the hospital, I heard shouting from outside. “What the…”? Mich asked. “Only one way to find out…” I mumbled. We all stormed the exit, and down the stairs… only I tripped halfway down and landed on my side. But when I stood up, I saw bystanders looking and pointing up to the sky…. What were they looking at? I giant, spiraling black dot in the sky… the Wormhole. I felt a smile grow on my face, The Return to Auraxis is at hand.
