After a while, I went back and reread my stories, and then I realised how childish they were. Despite me having planned massive story arcs, backstory and technological advances and levels, apparently, my writing is still horrible. It's bloody obvious I haven't thought through how I should start to tell the story.

The problem with it is that it was originally conceived as a television series of sorts. Within this series itself, it was planned somewhat for half-hour episodes, not the normal one hour shows that normal sci-fi shows tended to extend to. In this manner, it was much like anime. In fact, it was meant to be animated realistically via 3D. (When you're young, you dream a little less realistically.)

Thinking about it now, it's probably far more appropriate to think of it as more of an anime-style project. After a while of going nowhere, I then decided that I should start writing it out as a set of short sections, with the aim of completing an entire book by the end of my university life – which is what I did try to do on the blog.

The problem was that since I originally conceived it as a show, I couldn't get it out of my mind that it was a TV show of sorts. As a result, my writing suffered, from both my inexperience and the fact that I visualised it as a show.

How large was I actually planning the project? Believe it or not, I planned for the long-run story arc to run over five seasons. After that, I intended to conclude the greater Fantasy of War arc (which is actually meant to run over several movies or miniseries, but this is the only running TV series) with two 2-hour miniseries episodes. Sounds really ambitious, no?

And funnily enough, the Fantasy of War as it is now is actually 2 seasons shorter compared to when it was originally conceived. If you've actually bothered to read it, you would've noticed the medical vessel seems kind of pointless – since Cass and Kanya almost instantly get a transfer to a military-class ship, the Aegis.

Originally, Harrison was a main character too, especially since the show was actually supposed to run on the medical vessel for one season, and then Kanya was to get a transfer and then meet Cass on the Aegis. Now, I've cut that part of the story for simplicity's sake. The fact that Kanya and Harrison start off in the story in the medical vessel is important (even after the story cut). It's also important point that Cass was originally on the ship.

What else is important? The fact that there is no war to speak of in the first season, merely a buildup of one, as well as important facts of what happened from several previous wars in the FoW universe.

Despite being in a familiar room, it felt disjointed to him. He could not recall why he was in this room. He found himself asking the strangest question: “Where am I?”. He began to scan the room. He could see a data terminal nearby. There was something on it. It was what he wanted. He got out the bed and immediately grabbed it.

It was a small little thing. A form of watch, to be exact. The back of the object read:

PDD
Kanya Methodius

“Kanya?”, he thought. “Is that my name?”

He searches his memories for a recollection of his name. He recalls being called that, and how ridiculous a name he thought it was then.

He puts on the PDD. It tells him that it is the 29th of April, 3031. He knows the situation he is in now. He now recalls why he is here. He was in a training accident more than a year ago. However, his memory tells him that accident was yesterday. He checks his PDD for recent recordings and photos. He finds that his PDD is completely devoid of such things. He still has other pieces of information (such as contact details) on it, however. His PDD has obviously been updated in the past year. He sees strange new menu items such as “Locator” and “Ping”.

He opens up the Locator application. He sees that he is within a medical care unit room within a Medical Vessel owned by the TRi. He heads for the door with the intention of looking for someone. He leaves his room and follows the map on his PDD to find the medical care office. He finds a room – “Chief Medical Officer – Harrison”. He wonders why there is no one around the medical unit. He opens the door.

He finds a man busy doing some typing. The man looks up and gets a little startled. “You're awake!”

Kanya is puzzled by his reaction.

“You haven't been responding to any treatment we've been giving you since the accident. And now, you are bloody awake and walking around in the middle of the night!”

“What?”

“You aren't a ghost or spirit or something, right? It's way past midnight, I might be seeing things.”

“I assure you that you are not. What the hell is going on?”

“Well, er, let me pull up your file, Kanya.”

Harrison reaches out to the display and suddenly a file on Kanya opens.

“You see, you've been in a coma-like state ever since the accident, if you remember. Some newbie pilot rammed straight into you during landing. For some odd reason or another, you refused to come out of the coma even after several different treatments, even newer ones. At some point, you were moved into this unit for looking after. If you looked around, this particular unit on this vessel specialises in comatose patients and the rooms around you are similar. Usually people are only put here when their families have given up on waiting for them to heal on colonies. Research puts heavily regulated environments like on a medical ship as ideal for comatose patients to recover. And you're just another piece of walking proof. It still is rare though. But recovery time on ships is still a good amount higher than on planets.”

Kanya is speechless at the information Harrison is feeding him.

“I suggest you do go back to your own room and sleep. I'll arrange something of a checkup tomorrow to make sure you're all OK, even if the vitals here on my screen say so. For now, it's the middle of the night. No urgency – you've been somewhat dead for a year anyway.”

“We'd lose because we'd only man half of the ship. The Arltian Alliance refuses to allow us to hire their people from the bordering planets. We may have the money, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't have enough men to use that money. I've got to go now. Time to report this to the rest of the fleet.”

The story is being rewritten yet again at this point. Expect it to happen until kingdom come. I decided that this way of writing is awful – and it's most certainly headed in the wrong direction. I think that I've put in the sideplots too many too early, and I'm confusing readers more than I am attracting their interest to read more. Of course, arguably – this whole story is actually a sideplot to a much larger one.

Kanya might be looking at a rename, although Erse and Pandora will probably stick. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who the main characters are in the story now does it?

I think my methods of furthering the story are wrong. I think I've been trying too hard to further the story by summary, instead of writing in detail what I should be writing about. Expect the first chapter in a rewritten PDF form some time in the future.

He then turns to Cassandra. “Nice to meet you. Sorry to cut your meeting short, but there are pressing matters, especially regarding the security situation in this section of space. I have news for you too. I believe a friend of yours is in medical. I highly suggest you go see him in the meantime. Erse will take a while to get back.”

She thanks him and follows his advice, finding her way to the infirmary aboard the Aegis.

She obviously finds Kanya there, now conscious.

“He is lacking some of his short term memory. He doesn't quite remember what happened in the last 24 hours, but he seems to be getting some strange flashbacks. It's possible he got some kind of attack and somehow found his way on the ship, looking from his medical history,” the doctor there elaborated.

(This is a little short I know, but bear with it until my brain returns to full operating function.)

“You want me to transfer to your ship, correct?” Cassandra replied.

“Your guess is correct. I am unsure as to the reason you have been kept on the MV2904 but I have been pulling strings to find out. However, it might be unsafe if you remain outside my sphere of influence as I go deeper into matter. The main reason I have come is to recruit you.”

“I am honoured, but what do you mean pulling strings? And why should you care about me?”

“You see, there have been a few rather peculiar occurences regarding certain people who stand out because of their outstanding skills. Often, they find themselves in circumstances not unlike the ones you have been in. Contrary to popular belief, my supposedly random recruitment is not random at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have been picking up whoever I can without raising too much suspicion in the process. They know what I have been doing, and they know that I am on to them. While a matter like this might seem trivial to a person like me, the issue spreads far deeper than you know. I cannot go over the details and I cannot give you any information for reasons you already know.”

“Understood.”

“So, will you accept my offer and be the leader of one of the fighter squadrons of the Aegis? I have been waiting a long time for an opening to offer to you.”

“I have been stuck on that junk ship for a long time. I'll take the job.”

“Good.”

A member of the Aegis staff suddenly walks in. He has news.

The voice was Pandora's. She had somehow gotten a hold of him. Kanya suddenly blanked out for a short while.

“You're not supposed to be on this ship. Moreover, you were heading for places even most crew of the Aegis aren't supposed to go near.”

Kanya was speechless.

“Don't you have any excuse for entering when you were unauthorised?”

He had no words to say. He was still in shock of being discovered.

“Your abilities are recovering far quicker than I expected. It looks like I need to bring forward the schedule a little bit. Either way, I can't have you remembering anything within this region of time.”

She takes out a syringe and suddenly jabs him with it.

“You don't remember who I am to you yet. You will remember in time. Hopefully, the next time we meet, you will remember who I really am, what I am doing, for what reason I'm doing it. And for your sake, don't go using your abilities unchecked by reason. If you ran into someone other than me, chances are you would have been terminated on the spot. After all, no one on this ship knows you. Not yet at least.”

She removes the syringe, and stabs him with what appears to be a needle.

“Unfortunately, I cannot have you recover too quickly. That would ruin my plan and put you in unnecessary danger. You have much to learn before I can allow you to roam freely without supervision.”

She removes the needle. Not long after, Kanya falls to the ground. She takes out her PDD.

“I need a medical team at the position I'm calling from. A crew member from the MV2904 somehow wandered in and collapsed here.”

“What is this person doing on the Aegis?”

“Who knows? I think he somehow got cleared through the doors. Must have been a glitch or something.”

“Why would he come here?”

“Probably got lost. Just hurry up and send a team here. I have things to attend to.”

As he was leaving the cafeteria, he saw Cassandra return from the surface. She immediately left in the opposite direction, not noticing Kanya. He followed her to another door. She cleared the security and entered. Kanya was curious. He immediately tried to follow her, but to no avail.

The door rejected his clearance. He thought he should go back. If it was something above his clearance, he probably shouldn't know. He swung his hand past the scanner for the heck of it. It suddenly cleared him. He didn't know what happened, but he continued onward. At each locked door, a mere swing of his hand at the reader was adequate for opening the doors.

An unexplainable phenomena, but Kanya believed someone was leading him to something. He had lost sight of Cassandra. He realised where he was: the Aegis. He continues walking one of the corridors. He could not explain it, but he knew where he had to go. The layout of the ship wasn't foreign to him.

A voice from behind him beckoned. “It's about time you stop.” The voice was familiar. He began to run, he knew he shouldn't get caught. He sped forward as fast as he could.

“Where did Cassandra go anyway?” Kanya asked.

“Where else could she go? Deep into the darkest depths of the Nakamura shopping district, to never return until ordered to,” Harrison joked.

“Hmph.”

“Oh yeah, you haven't gotten a paycheck yet. I'll lend you some money if you need it. I'll just take it out of your paycheck later. I do still have jurisdiction over your money. Heh.”

“I'll just borrow some and go off.”

“Go ahead. Just remember to keep track of time and come back when your PDD tells you to. We have an important visitor coming onboard the ship later.”

With that, Kanya dashes off into one of the stores. He doesn't have much of a wardrobe besides his several sets of uniform. He has plenty of things to buy.

Meanwhile, Cassandra is sitting in a small cafe. Her PDD shows a shopping list, with half of it ticked and coloured green. She then notices that she has a new message.

2:00pm

The message was short, but she had been told of the meaning before this. She had about an hour and a half before it came. It meant that she would have to leave after her short meal at the cafe.

***

Nakamura is a human colonized planet. It is located within the Dekaten System nearby its own trade gate. It has five orbital stations with shuttle services to the main cities on the surface of the planet.

The planet has been used mainly for agricultural and mining purposes, as well as residential areas for those who prefer planet-based settlements. It was found already ready for human habitation. There was no terraforming involved with this planet. Hence, massive amount of care has been taken to ensure that human settlement would not affect the ecosystem too much.

It orbits a small star, roughly the size of the original Earth's sun, from a slightly further distance. Hence, the meteorological system of the planet is slightly different from the original Earth, and this somehow, made it suitable for growing modern crops that have been engineered by the GMTi.

It is currently considered to be under the control of the TRi, although the TRi does not use its influence and allows Nakamura to flourish without corporate control. This, in turn, makes it rather attractive to traders and refugees from other parts of the universe.

***

Pandora is walking down a corridor. The interior of the Aegis is noticeably newer and more advanced than the MV2904. She stops at part of the wall. She removes her PDD and visibly activating a few buttons. A doorway opens in front of her.

All that is ahead of her is darkness. She walks in and the wall section returns to where it was.

“Well, Pandora. What do you have to report?” a hologram in the room appeared and spoke.

“We would also like a status report on the specimen known as Kanya Methodius.”

“He must be ready before he is moved onto one of our ships.”

“The Kirkor is extremely important. Should the specimen fail to operate as an ordinary pilot, we expect you to take full responsibility.”

Pandora, immediately replied, “It wasn't my idea to start this experiment to begin with.” She points towards one of 28 holograms in the room.

The hologram immediately replies, “It's true I suggested it, but you carried it out.”

“His abilities are still present, so it would follow that his skills should be as well.”

“Enough. Pandora, give us your report. We Gifted have no time to continue this pointless banter.”

“The pirates we hired to protect the ship and its valuable cargo was being attacked by an unknown fleet. From my analysis of the recordings given to me, I am quite certain the ships were rented from one of the more war oriented colonies in Ryzak Alliance. It will be impossible to determine who ordered who to attack the ship. I have sent some false intelligence through specfic channels. I believe we can expect a massive assault on the Aegis when we enter Arltian space.”

“The Kirkor will be ready to assist the Aegis in the battle.”

“Thank you, Jon. I can only hope that it will not be necessary,” Pandora replied.

“And what of Kanya?” another asked.

“You already know.” Jonathan replies. “He will continue to be trained by Cassandra before being transferred over to my ship.”

Pandora continues to elaborate, “I have not been able to perform my duties regarding him, but I believe that an opportunity will come within the next 24 hours.”

“Good. We await the good news.”

“This conversation is to be kept secret from Erse. She will know nothing of this experiment and plan. She was always one to oppose our more radical projects.”

Pandora nods in agreement as the entire room darkens as holograms dissipate. She smiles as she leaves the room. Everything is going according to plan.

“Kanya, what are you doing? Stop holding back.”

Everyone's attention got pulled towards Kanya's kill count. It was half one of the rookies.

“I'll stop holding back if you will do the same, Pandora.”

“Deal.”

It wasn't long before the three experienced pilots began to gain kills many times greater than any of the two rookies. They had finally realised that they had a long way to go before being able to challenge any of these elite pilots.

“How in the world did you guys manage to rack up those kills so quickly?”

“Probably experience in high speed battle combined with plenty of talent,” Cassandra replied.

Pandora quickly stated, “We're due to arrive at Nakamura soon. The announcement should come any…”

An announcement interrupted Pandora. “We are due to arrive at Nakamura within the next half hour. We will dock with the orbital station. From there, you will be able to take shuttle services down to the surface. We will be meeting the Aegis later, for which all crew are expected to be on board. A schedule will be downloaded to your PDDs which you will be expected to keep.”

“OK, so the announcement beat me to it. Let's get ready to leave for the surface. It's bad to be cooped up in a ship for too long.”