Dune

Chapter 1:
The Blurry Path

It all began as a childhood dream I’ve held dear ever since I can remember. I wanted to become a warrior, one of those mighty galaxy guardians I saw on T.V. with their fancy laser guns and powerful swords that were able to cut a person in half by only touching them. I was a 6-year-old orphan from Lumen, a small planet from the Phasma Galaxy. I lived in an orphanage with many other boys who had been abandoned, found or rescued from other planets. By that time, the “Black War” was taking place. The government of Phasma and the government from Invenio Galaxy were fighting over the control of one big planet that had been discovered in between both galaxies.

The planet was known as Confinium meaning “border” in Latin. This planet was said to be twice as big as the main cities from both galaxies.

The war seemed to be endless. People left off to war and never came back. Due the major loss of warriors, fourteen year old boys were being drafted by the army and were meant to serve until they turned sixty years old unless they died or if the war ended before.

The government had turned cold and merciless. Regular citizens were being sent off to battle and they never came back, leaving their families behind. Those who couldn’t afford a home were sent to small planets with the others who ran the same luck. Those days of happiness, laughs and fun were over when I finally turned 14. That day, they woke me up early. They had told me to pack up the night before. I, along with other twenty-four boys boarded a ship which was going to take us to Aetherius, the planet where one of the military bases was settled at.

It was a long trip, I wasn’t aware of what was going on, yet, I knew I was going to be sent off to military training somewhere away from Lumen. I didn’t know anybody and the boys in the ship were too scared to talk. I wasn’t exactly terrified but I was feeling very nervous to know that was about to undergo a big impact in my life which would change me for the years to come.

When we finally landed on the new world, I got my belongings together and walked towards the door of the ship along with the others. They let the gates down and we were able to walk off. I saw that white enormous building in front of us, surrounded by military men in their black-silver suits carrying mechanical guns and highly advanced sword-like weapons. I didn’t know if this was a dream come true, or a nightmare about to begin.

We all walked slowly towards the entrance of the building, they told us to throw our belonging to a pile while they inspected us. They checked us one by one on our weight, our senses and our health. Those officers were leading us to our base which they called “The novice training building”. It was a big stadium-like ground surrounded by dormitories. Each one of us had to share a room with a partner. They partnered me up with somebody who didn’t seem to be very excited about it but instead, he looked disturbed.

The next morning we were to finally begin our military service.

It’s been eleven years since that day and today I am an Army General. I am feared by many and well-known all around the galaxy and even on most of the enemy’s territories. I lead troops to victory and had never had to taste the defeat.

I am the one who has advanced the most and gained the most respect of all the ones from my generation. I am General Aren Deshler, and today I had just won another battle at Nuveh, one of the most powerful military bases in Invenio Galaxy.

As I got off my ship, I saw my clothes and body were covered in the enemy’s blood. I walked in front of my army while thousands of people clapped and cheered, but to us, war had become part of ourselves. We did not feel anymore, I felt neither happiness nor joy. I cried dry tears and walked through the crowd emotionlessly.

Tonight there’s a very important dinner at the Central Government House, we are welcoming the troops from Titania, one of our planets whose military has barely risen. I am the one who’s supposed to give the welcoming speech so I have to be prompt.

I went back to the base I lived in and took a nap before showering and getting dressed up for the dinner.

As I walked out my room towards the stairs I saw how many of my mates stared at me giving me smiles and thumbs up. That is when I had begun to realize I was proud I made it back alive. When I fought for the very first time in my life, back to the seventh month since I had come to Aetherius, all I worried about was to save myself. As monotonous years passed and I killed enemy soldiers one after another, my heart began to harden and eventually became numb. I began to worry less about my safety and more about doing my job. I had begun to love to kill.

When I finally reached the Central Government House, several reporters approached to me and started asking questions about my experience. I did not feel like answering a thing so I walked off avoiding their cameras.

I sat down on the front table where I was supposed to be, I took out the paper I was going to read and tried to memorize it once again. They served me fine wine as I waited for the ceremony to begin.

After a couple of minutes, the General from Titania, Hannor Denman, entered the room followed by ten of his soldiers. I knew I was supposed to go and give him a handshake but I was too tired so I pretended I didn’t notice him.

One of my companions went up to me and told me I was being solicited. What a shame they saw me…

I rose from my seat and walked towards them. General Denman was a 40-year old man, well built and mean-looking. Once I got to talk to him in person I realized how easy he was to get along with.

“So you’re an army general? Amazing! Who would’ve guessed from a thin and good looking young boy?” he said to me with enthusiasm. I giggled as I took a cigarette out of my pocket and offered him one. He nodded and said he was fine.

I laughed inside as I saw how one of my superiors discreetly told me to put the cigarette away but instead I lighted it up and exhaled the smoke at his face and walked back to my seat. I’m sure my superior apologized to the General for me.

The time had come they announced the speech I was going to give. They introduced me as I stood up and walked up the stairs of the stage. After the clapping stopped I began to read the paper I had written. I wasn’t paying much attention to what I was saying but, instead, I began to look around at whoever had attended.

My words were flowing out my mouth for I had memorized them. I noticed one particular boy who seemed very nervous and unconfident. He was one of the ten soldiers Denman had brought with him. This one looked seventeen years old. He seemed to be the youngest of all.

He wasn’t paying attention, yet, he was looking around the place instead.

I finally went back to my speech and finished it. People clapped as I got off the stage. I was told to sit on the same table as the General and my superior.

“Very nice job up there, boy” Denman said to me. “You are one rebel but dedicated General! At first I thought to myself, what is this kid doing in such a high position? But you speak like a professional and from what I just heard you are one of the universe’s best Generals. You have me amazed!”

“Thank you, Sir.” I answered him. I reached for another cup of wine and drank it as I lighted up another cigarette. This time my superior did nothing about it.

“So General Deshler, when is our battle going to take place?” He asked me.

I looked up to him as I exhaled the smoke of my cigarette, “Two days from now. We need to get your armies used to the environment before we even take such a big step.”

“True, true” He nodded.

I noticed the young soldier was sitting on the same table as us. I started at him for a while until he realized I was looking. I gave him a cold look making him look away.

“Who is that?” I asked Denman as I pointed to the boy with my cup.

“That is Rander, my youngest soldier” he said between a laugh. “He’s stronger than he looks”

“As long as he is ready for battle, he’s welcome in the crew” I said waiting for Rander to give me an answer, but he looked away as if he hadn’t heard me.

That night after dinner I went back to my room at the military base. I shut the door behind me as I closed my eyes and tried to black my mind out. I began to fall into sleep unconsciously. I rested my head on the door and slowly began to slide down to the ground.

I looked at my hands as I closed my fist and moved my fingers around as if holding a gun. I had become a monster, someone who enjoys killing and being the cause of others’ suffering. I had begun to miss the smell of blood and the pleasure of watching the death of my enemies.

All I wanted was to go off to battle already, but I knew I had to control myself or else I would become heartless. I needed something else to focus my mind on before I could lose myself.

I took my hat off and let my hair down. I had combed it up in a pony tail for the dinner. I took off my coat and threw myself on my bed. I hadn’t been home for so long.

I fell into sleep at that moment and I had the strangest vision. I saw how I crawled on a field buried with corpses. I crawled, looking at the faces of each dead body, I was looking for someone.

I finally crawled up to someone who still remained to be alive and it seemed to be the one I was looking for. I grabbed his shoulder and turned his wounded body towards me. His face was a skull and his eyes were bleeding out. The mud began to suck me in and I fell into deep darkness.

My eyes opened wide suddenly, what had just happened didn’t feel like a dream nor a nightmare, but a foreshadowing. I never feel fright while battling, but this sight had even made my breath heavy and my body couldn’t stop shaking. It felt so real.

As soon as I woke up and internally kissed reality, I began to enter a blank state of mind. I felt weak and lost for the very fist time since that one day I left my home in planet Lumen.

I realized I wasn’t prepared to go back to war. I had entered the same stage I had experienced when I was fourteen years old, fear and lack of self-confidence.

I ran to the door involuntarily wishing there was somebody outside that I could talk to. As soon as I opened the door I threw myself out and crashed into someone who happened to be walking by. That someone was Rander, the young soldier I had met at the dinner.

I immediately pulled back my body since I had almost landed over him.

“Pardon me” I apologized.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, general” He answered as he slightly looked at me.

I felt no need to tell him what my problems were since he showed no interest in talking to me. He kept on hiding his eyes behind his short brown hair bangs. He delicately threw his multiple thin long braids to the back of his neck and smiled.

“Is everything alright?” he whispered to me.

I didn’t know if I should tell him what was going through my head since, perhaps, it was only a dream created by my haunting fears. Such insecurities I feared would bring down his point of view about me or maybe he would understand and make me feel better.

But either way, I was his general and I wanted to gain as much respect as possible from my soldiers. Considering this, my pride would stay up high and I would get the confidence in myself to continue fighting, killing and coming back home to be received with superiority from those who are afraid of me.

“Yeah” I sighted, “everything is fine”

Rander did not answer back to me, he only nodded and smiled as he turned around and walked down the stairs to the first story of the building.

I watched him until he disappeared from my sight. What had held me back?

As I walked back into my room and quietly closed the door after me I knew I needed someone in my life. Someone to worry about and someone that worries about me. The closest I’ve been to caring for somebody would be the only times I got to see women at the colonies we were commanded to destroy.

I threw myself in my bed as I went over my never ending thoughts. I remembered the time my troops and I invaded the planet Zahra where I met a girl whose house I entered in order to accomplish the elimination of all civilians. I tried to convince her to let me take her with me, but yet, she aimed a gun at me.

I asked her to put the gun down but then she shot the gun and missed. At that moment I killed her.

I stared at her corpse for at least five minutes admiring her beauty which now rested at my feet, lifeless.

That day I realized I had exterminated the one and only person I ever felt the desire to share my life with. Everybody since then was no more than a plague that I had to extinguish.