《A Clone of Arth》


 Prologue

    Life has been good to me lately. At least it should have been. I bought a California lottery ticket and won. Not the five dollar "consolation" prize, but the million dollar jackpot! Running out of the shell station, I failed to notice the eighteen wheeler gunning at me. That''s how I went splat. Imagine smashing peas for a small baby, and then imagine me. The only difference was that I wasn''t green. Whereas peas are delicious, I wouldn''t be anyone''s idea of a meal. At least, I had the satisfaction knowing the trucker was dead. Who could survive an eighty mile crash while being sleep? I guess being a drunk driver is better than being a tired one.


    The weekend before, I was an engineering student attending university. My dorm mate and I had finished our final exams as Freshmen. The math wasn''t too ridiculous, calculus being a general ed course. Unlike other students going to parties and drinking themselves to death, we had little opportunity as scholarship students. We needed to use precious free time to make money. Not that we truly faced any significant hardship.


    Damn, being dead is strange. I can remember right before I was hit but nothing about bleeding out. Probably an instantaneous death, eh? Well... not like my parents would fare any better either way. I can imagine the phone call, with my mother screaming. Probably angry rather than sad. One of twelve died. It was inevitable in her mind. My Dad would look sad for a couple of days and get back to work, since we didn''t have the closest relationship. My sibling would feel the brunt of the sorrow, but being young I could count on them moving on.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    On another note, where was I? White painted tiles lined the walls, with cement flooring. A mattress sat in the corner, and a dim lamp lit the room. No door could be seen. Before I can fully take in the view, a dark figure appeared. A cold chill ran down my spine as the formless smoke like creature drifted towards me.


    "Death cause: 918. Karma level 5- Scanning for anomalies- non detected..."


    "Can you help me?" I replied. Not understanding the entity''s gibberish.


    "initiating the soul recycling act 5... 4..."


    Looking back at my life, I realized that not being religious may have led to the creepy, grim reaper like creature walking towards me. The approaching figure continued onward. "Amm-m I go-in-ng into hell?" I stutter as the room''s temperature physically dropped. Wow, did not expect Hell to be cold, but did this count as hell? No response, guess I''ll try again.


    "3... 2.."


    "Pleaase answer me."


    "1... 0... process ready: erasing memory now"


    "The fuck?" I yell trying desperately to escape the phantom. ¡°Erasing memory¡±. I don''t want any of that. There was nothing I could do. My body was experiencing hypothermia. I felt sleepy, ready to accept whatever happens to me beyond the white room. My eyes closed only able to make out a few final words.


    "Error/:memory suction failed mental-link-closed() commencing soul transfer to world B-24, Arth"

 Chapter 1

    No one to talk to. There is nothing to do when you are stuck in the dark. Aaaaaaargh. I''ve had enough! I have been laying in this god forsaken prison for a long time. I can''t move and there is no one for company. A week. Two weeks. Who cares. I was never a talkative person, but this takes that to the extreme. At least, I do not need to eat. I can not imagine how I was going to survive otherwise. Occasionally, I''ll drift into a wall.


    Everything is slimy and wet much to my chagrin. Back when I was alive, I avoided anything moist. When I was at the age of nine my older sister would shove a soapy sponge in my mouth. This was obviously done when my parents weren''t around and I was being less than ¡°agreeable¡±. I still shudder when I think back to those days. She announced it was pavlovian training. I likened it to child abuse.


    I am definitely larger than when I arrived. My mind is clearer which had been sort of ¡°fuzzy¡± during the beginning of the great darkness. I had done things on Earth but couldn''t quite understand them. Animals lack much of our ¡°prefrontal cortex¡±. Could that be the reason?


    Thinking about animals. I had a cat when I was young. The mean scratching demon had somehow gotten stuck in my closet, unbeknownst to my family. We left on a trip to Yosemite national park. When we got back, the cat was half dead. It definitely had a vendetta against humans for the rest of its life.


    Oh, the lights turned on. ¡®Ohhh God no¡¯ I thought looking out of my prison. I was in some sort of glass vat. It''s shocking enough to discover you have to re-live being a baby. It''s even scarier knowing you''re some sort of fucked up fetus experiment. The room was lined with many baby fetuses. I could see an endless amount of cylinders filled with the gross little bastards. Two men in lab coats were walking past me. Unfortunately, I wouldn''t be able to get their attention, as I currently couldn''t move. Not even my eye-lids could blink.


    Blah Blah Blah¡­ I could barely hear them speaking behind the glass. It didn''t sound like English. It''s not like I had been a linguistic major in college, so I didn''t bother deciphering it at first.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.The conversation with Baldy and Dreadlocks continued, dragging on. I might as well listen with nothing else to do. I''d like to brag that my I.Q is above average. I could crack the language, right? No? Really, I swear I could¡­ Oh. I listened for another fifteen minutes. Doing so made no difference. ¡®If get out of here, I can get a teacher to help me.¡¯ I mentally declared. Whoops. Forgot, I was a fetus stuck in a cylindrical tank. Guess I''ll just wait.


    For What Seemed Like an Eternity¡­


    Someone''s stealing me. My tank was placed on a cart taken by one of those lab coat nerds. No one else, meaning the fetuses, had been taken. At least, I was in for an interesting ride. I wouldn''t even mind being an experiment to escape the boredom. Although, I probably shouldn''t jinx myself. Turning into some grotesque monster would nix any future chances of having a girlfriend.


    I was reaching the end of the room. I probably shouldn''t call it a room as ¡®warehouse¡¯ is a more fitting term. The white tile flooring allowed the cart to glide across the floor. What was up with that flooring? No one seemed to go for a nice wood floor or some fuzzy carpet. Two choices above the current situation. Those scientists needed to learn a thing or two about furnishing.


    We came to a corridor and passed a pair of double doors. Guards with futuristic firearms, were situated between the entrance. They wore a night black armor and closely resembled stormtroopers from the Star Wars Trilogy¡­ I tend to ignore the other movies and pretend they don''t exist. That''s something that will never change. Only their helmets looked different. They wore helmets which covered their entire face, but had no defining features. The sleek glossy black helmet was flat in the front and slightly protruded near the middle of the face. The suit in general was definitely less derpy than the George Lucas counterpart.


    We, the guards, scientists, and your favorite fetus, walked straight until we arrived in an operating room. What can you do to a vat baby? Sharp looking instruments were pulled from a cabinet. I was so excited. Not. Hopefully I wasn''t being dissected, and they have painkillers.


    I could only describe the room as sci-fi. A robot sat in a corner, powered down. The table was made from solid metal, with a touch interface. Other various liquids and materials were stored on shelves. The flooring hadn''t changed. The walls shifted whenever looked at. An interesting sort of optical illusion.


    My open house event ended early however. I got poked by a syringe and was lifted out of my home. Judging from the situation, my former prison seemed like a nice place. Man, I was getting sleepy. They injected me with some good stuff. I felt a slight pressure on my skull before I blacked out.

 Chapter 2

    I woke up a changed person. Not spiritually, but I could understand the military officers guarding the door and had grown larger. I was now large enough to crawl. How long was I out for? Either I grew faster here as an experiment , or I slept for a long time. Not that it mattered. My body would do what it needed to do.


    I looked back to the Guards. They talked constantly. Surprisingly, they were gossiping. I guess some things are universal. Even hard lined military soldiers, need a few good stories to tell.


    ¡°Did you hear how Koorath got fired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I heard he was secretly ditching his post. Hacked the cctv camera to do it.¡±


    ¡°There is no way he had a reasonable chance to succeed. The administrator is on our asses all the time with those random checkups.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, he stole the schedule with the checkup days.¡±


    ¡°No duh. I wonder if we could do that?¡±


    ¡°He got caught remember!?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    The gossip continued of course, but I tuned out of the conversation looking for something more interesting. I had been moved to an infirmary of sorts. Other babies could be seen too. Some played. Others cried. Occasionally a nurse would check up on us. Life was ok¡­ But having to take a shit in my diaper every few hours put a damper on life. Help isn¡¯t instantaneous and one starts to develops some sever rashes.


    One day in the infirmary, a voice asked ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    I looked around not seeing the person talking to me.¡¯Where is she?¡¯ I thought.


    ¡®Right here¡¯


    ¡®Woah¡¯ a figure appeared in my vision clearly invisible to the other babies and the soldiers. A translucent women donning a motherly figure smiled waving to me.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡®I had officially gone crazy.¡¯


    ¡®No¡¯


    Now my alter ego was arguing against me. I guess there was little use arguing against a figment of my imagination. A gave a mental middle finger to the women and continued being a badass baby. The bitch did not disappear however.


    ¡®I am your mental implant chip tasked with raising you. From this day onwards you will be called Zaroth. Your serial number as a soldier is A-654¡­


    ¡®Hold, on. I am not named fucking Zaroth. What kind of name is that anyway? You think you can just invade my mind and change my name. Who do you think you are? In my past life, I was Peter. Peter is a fine name and that is what it will be!¡¯


    ¡®Zaroth¡¯


    ¡®No!¡¯


    ¡®Fine, it is rare for a clone to have already designated himself to a name. Well, I I''m proud to have such an intelligent young boy!¡¯


    ¡®Ugh¡¯ Dealing with her was a pain. At least I was lucky to be born as a clone. I was going to fulfill all my sci-fi fantasies now. Even if it did mean being shot at. Wait¡­ shot at. I most definitely did not want to be shot at. Based from watching many sci-fi movies, I knew clones were usually a dispensable fighting force. I was going to die young. The black evil death reaper guy wasn''t someone I wanted to meet again.


    Glancing at the creepy smiling mother, I mentally ask ¡®How did you get into my head?¡¯


    ¡®Remember the surgery you had, darling?¡¯


    Whoever programmed the AI¡¯s personality was twisted. No true mother should actually replace their children''s names with darling.


    ¡®Can you give me laser firing capabilities?¡¯


    ¡®You are just a baby¡­ even then I am only allowed to teach you.¡± Did she ever stop smiling.


    Annoyed she didn''t specify what I was supposed to learn, so I asked, ¡®How about we get started.¡¯ A visual popped into existence. Two fruit and an addition symbol were shown.


    ¡®Let¡¯s start with doing math!¡¯ I laughed at the absurdity of the lesson. I had been an engineer, and my ¡°mother¡± was attempting to teach addition. Isn''t an AI like a calculator though?


    ¡®Can''t you just do the math?¡¯ ,I ask in my sweetest mental voice.


    ¡®What if I malfunction?¡± Good point¡­ Annoying AI one, Peter zero. I promptly added one plus one and moved on to the next lesson. By the end of the day, I was at a fifth grader''s level, Algebra 1 math. Earth must have been a world of dumbasses in their eyes, if they ever met Earth¡¯s humans.


    I was constantly praised by the AI, calling me a genius. Being reincarnated pays off. The lights to the infirmary were dimmmed. Nurses came to feed us. I yawned satisfied at having a productive day. Sitting around doing nothing, takes a toll on my developed mind. I had the AI, I now knew as Alice, play lullaby music and went to bed.

 Chapter 3

    ¡®Beeeeeep. Beeeeeeep.¡¯ went off in my head. I startled awake, glaring daggers at the figure in the bottom right of my vision. The same smug AI was making alarm sounds. I promptly told her to stop and sat up. Three years had passed. During that time I completed lessons, while staying in the infirmary. In order to become less conspicuous, I slowed my learning¡¯s pace. A baby equivalent to a sixth month year shouldn''t have been taking Calculus. I did the minimum to continue being a genius. I apparently received a stipend of credits for completing lessons, although this option was disabled by my AI until I had the body of a seven year old. Clones grew at a rate double a normal human''s growth. This meant I would be able to purchase ship items in three months.


    ¡®Ohhh¡¯ I forgot to mention I was on a spacecraft. Clones were created on imperial battleships as military personnel. They were the janitors to the fleet admirals. Every branch of the military used clones. I hoped to get a spot as an officer. Someone who controlled a large ship. Being a marine or fighter pilot seemed like a terrible idea. On second thought, I might get a cushy station as a marine. Unfortunately I couldn''t get a normal job being a clone. The normal citizenry held all the political offices and non-military jobs.


    The planet I was serving was Arth, home to a world wide empire. We were currently building up our forces for war. Unfortunately, who we fought in the future was confidential, leaving only conjectures.


    The other babies had grown as well. They occasionally spoke with me. Most were well behaved for children, but a few were troublemakers. Given the fact I was essentially in my late twenties, I was having none of it. The first snot nosed brat to approach was Wanth, a mean spirited spitter. Remember the whole hating moist things?


    ¡°Hey, what''s with your dumb name.¡± ,said Wenth. He repeated ¡°Tom¡± several times, and aimed his wet loogie at me.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Expecting the dumbass¡¯ strategy, I dodged it. My fist launched aiming at his solar plexus. While he was trying to catch his breath, I swept his legs from under him, resulting in a thud when his head hit the floor. I kicked him in the stomach twice. An overwhelming victory.


    At this point the bully, used to getting his way, was on the floor crying. A few onlookers smiled. Few would resist Wenth, but no-one likes an asshole. They were still weary, expecting me to take his place in the children''s hierarchy. Instead, I sat down with one of the Empire¡¯s novels.


    Alice could download online books and have them visualize before me. It sucked not having anything to hold onto. No pages to flip, but the text was easy to read. ''Twas one of the benefits when your AI mother knew everything about you.


    The book was titled the The Plains of Deltorah, a historical fiction about the empire¡¯s beginnings. Horse like beasts were the main mode of transportation. Ersoh had two heads and many rows of teeth. Whoever had the bigger meaner beast ruled the land. Weapons and automation didn''t arrive until later with space faring species bringing technology with them. I still didn''t know why the Empire were essentially made up of humans though. Maybe we were related to Earth, or all space faring species were human. If anthropologists ever learned about Arth, they would be stunned. Didn''t early civilization evolve from monkeys? Either way, I didn''t seriously care.


    Reading on the traditional currency of the empire came from the Ersoh. Their teeth were bargained for goods. The credits I would be getting could be exchanged for teeth. Inflation increased over the thousand year span of the empire. Most teeth were equivalent to a dollar when at the time a tooth might have bought acres of land. This was do in part because most farmers raised their own Ersoh. The hide was as tough as steel. Even the ship we were in had a lining of the thick hide underneath the titanium plating.


    Alice nagged about doing nothing productive, as I past the halfway mark of the book. I ignored her and continued reading¡­ for about a minute until my ¡°mother¡± took away the book. A physics lesson appeared to replace the book. With a sigh I got to work.

 Chapter 4

    My time in the infirmary comes to an end later today. My body had reached the age of seven. Alice woke me to explain how I was going to survive the ceremony. I was told to dress in formal military attire. Luckily, I only had two pairs of clothes. Two white military jumpsuits. I was not able to use credits, so my wardrobe was minimalistic. We were told to walk in an orderly line, until we arrived in the assembly room aboard the ship. A drone presented our information collected by the AI. ¡®I''ll have my AI fudge the story.¡¯ I thought.


    ¡°Alice, give me a good review, Maybe add a few inches to my height. ¡± I said, confident in my plan.


    She laughed saying she was required to tell the truth. I complained, but she continued saying , ¡°programming proceeds lies. How else did Arth become the empire it is today.¡± More Arth rhetoric. She was almost as bad as those North Koreans. Kim Jong Un had a new rival to compete with. Alice was a no joke at brainwashing.


    Back to the topic at hand. Each future soldier had a rank based on their individual skills and talents. A complicated algorithm decided each attribute based on monitoring the brain and body. Sensors had been attached when the had been surgery done.


    I would no longer be in the first stage as a clone if all went well. The second stage was one where martial training began. A clone which failed to meet the admiral¡¯s set requirements was disposed of. The beginning of my career path would start with being selected by a branch of the military. Personality, Intellect, physicality and work ethic were the four determining factors during the test. Since we hadn''t done anything in our short lives only potential could be measured.


    From then on weekdays would become a brutal boot camp. My clone brethren and I would be tested to compete physically. At night our mental capabilities would be tested. Fortunately, Arthinians created laws requiring clones to be treated as citizens. A person was only able to be forced to work six out of the eight days a week. We were paid for our time, working fourteen hours a day. Until the ship left the empire¡¯s space, I might visit Arth for some fresh air. I''ve spent more than three years in an enclosed space and welcomed the possibility of a nature reserve.


    The time hit hour fifteen or around six in evening. The clones finished their meals. They talked anxiously, worried of failure. The clones wanted glory for their country.. A girl sitting next to me said, ¡®I''m going to be the best fighter pilot¡¯ making a plane noise.


    Yep. They still weren''t at an age where we could be friends... I stilled played my part as a child though. I wouldn''t want to be a lonely outcast when they got older. No one wants to be commanded by an angry fool. Being civilized and orderly was a key feature to any military.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.We gathered our plates and formed the orderly line. The officer marched down the corridor. We followed him, copying the March as best we could.


    After fifteen minutes of passing corridor after corridor, we arrived in the assembly room. Much to my surprise, the rows of seats were empty. Twelve men with gold triangle ensigns sat atop the balcony. Dressed in armors and spacesuits they awaited the new batch of clones.


    The many infirmary children I had grown up with merged as other infirmaries sent their own prospects. ¡®This might take a while¡¯ I thought as the thousandth clone appeared for the test.


    The auditorium was filled and the recruiting officers started the selection. The theater screen to our backs lit up. A name was called and the numbers filled the screen.


    ¡°Clone B-1478¡­ please step up to the podium.¡± The little runt shuffled forward reaching the podium.


    ¡°Personality: 0.01th percentile Intellect: 38th percentile Physicality: 1th percentile Work Ethic: 36th percentile¡­ no notable skill proficiencies¡­ Beeeep- Applicant terminated.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡± desperately screamed the boy dragged off by the military officers. I had a hunch Claire and I wouldn''t be seeing him again. How could a trembling little boy fight a war? Hopefully, I fare better.


    ¡°Clone C-3457¡­ Please step up to the podium.¡±


    Who would have believed it? Wenth, the now reformed seven year old took the stage. He no longer had an arrogant look on his face. The scar from hitting his head on the hard infirmary floor stood out like a sore thumb. We had talked several times after the incident, and I even developed a respect for the former bully. Wenth was a quick learner who with my help realized his error. I''d be in trouble if the recruiting officer wouldn''t let Wenth pass.


    ¡°Personality: 99th percentile Intellect: 95th percentile Physicality: 87th percentile Work Ethic: 73th¡­ 1 notable skill proficiency -social reading-... Beeeep- Applicant Accepted¡­ Naval branch- Ambassador Path.¡±


    I watched him go with a smile. Any seven year old, as mature as Wenth, would make a fine ambassador. I had brainwa*cough* re-educated the young man.


    Unfortunately, my name was not called next. Five hours past until the officers called my name.


    ¡°Clone A-654¡­ Please step up to to the podium.¡±


    This was my moment to shine. I jumped onto the platform with a grin plastered on my face.


    ¡°Personality: 72th percentile Intellect: 99.999th percentile Physicality: 78th percentile Work Ethic: 99.9th percentile¡­ 3 notable skill proficiencies -hand to hand combat-, -strategic manipulation-, -poker face-... ¡±


    The Physicality percentile didn''t surprise me. I had what I was born with. Being a reincarnated person the Intellect and work ethic values didn''t surprise me either. Was I so immature that twenty-five percent of those seven-year-olds beat me? That statistic was an insult to my pride. I ended up giving each officer a signature mental middle finger. Alice pointed out this may have been the reason for scoring so low. I waited for the rest of my decision to come through.


    ¡°...Beeeeep- Applicant Accepted¡­ Fleet Branch- Tactician Path.¡±


    Interesting I thought. The fleet branch was a higher tier of the Naval Branch. Whereas the naval branch focused on crews flying or crewing a single ship, the Fleet Branch was designated to control any off world missions. I could be forming a resistance on an enemy planet or controlling Arth¡¯s spacecrafts in some sort of grand strategy.


    Relieved I filed the appropriate documents and headed to a warp point. Time to visit Arth as a tourist. With a grand total of thirty thousand credits, I had major cash to spend.

 Chapter 5

    The Great City Offilo, the capital of Arth, was a city built on trade. Vendors lined the streets of the middle class district, hollering and giving free samples. The smell of fried meats wafted upwards mixing with the polluted air, created by burning coal. Salesmen interrupted people walking at the edge of the crowd. A man asked if I wanted to buy sweets. Unfortunately for him, I wasn¡¯t an impulsive buyer and ignored the man. The insignia for being in the fleet kept me safe. Otherwise, a seven year old was likely to get kidnapped or worse.


    In the distance the floating citadel rose above the poorer classes. The empire had never sought renewable energy, caring little of the consequences to the environment. The only way for the wealthy to escape the skyrocketed asthma rates was to build higher. Instead of skyscrapers, anti-gravity devices lifted planned neighborhoods far above in the sky.


    For the first time, I saw aliens walk the streets. The kind with three eyes, four arms, and had tentacles for feet. Some could fly with insect wings, and weren''t even humanoid. Others were humanoid, but with craniums larger than normal. From reading history, I knew humans were the dominant race on Arth. Ambassadors, traders, and criminals from other worlds migrated to the trade city. While the empire wasn''t considered a galactic superpower, its economic status wasn''t to be taken lightly.


    Automobiles were a banned form of transportation. From poorer citizens to richer ones, the Ersah were used. Their foreboding features were ignored and lost within the crowd. I can not say i¡¯d fancy facing off against one of them. Those beasts were essentially organic tanks. Alice recommended hiring a cab as a cheap mode of transportation. I inserted my hundred credits in the taxi driver¡¯s hand and we left for the established shop center.


    ¡°We are here¡± grumbled the rider. I promptly thanked the man and headed for the shop entrance. Written across the sign was ¡°Quert¡¯s genetic wheels and deals¡±. I hesitated before entering the shop, but decided I¡¯ll need an edge over other clones to survive the boot-camp. Originally, I was going to by clothes and frivolously spend my money, but Alice informed me of my impending doom. The empire based everything on skill. Most clones would spend their money buying equipment or having enhancements done to obtain a better job or rank. With that money they would further improve themselves.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Not wanting to end up a janitor in Fleet Command, using my credits as an investment was a must. Alice informed me, this place gave out the best deals. Thirty thousand credits sounded like a lot, but I had just learned a five minute taxi ride cost a hundred credits. The imperial government were a bunch of cheapskates.


    ¡°Hello¡± I called out. Five minutes passed until a voice replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a sec. Have some complimentary water, while you wait.¡±


    I looked to my left seeing the water dispensary. The ¡°Complementary water¡± was a hose and with a coin slot on the wall. The water was not even free. Yep, I could definitely ¡°trust¡± this doctor to operate on me.


    ¡°Welcome to my office young sir. How can I help you?¡± the doctor continued.


    ¡°Genetic enhancements¡±


    ¡°Anything specific. Ah. You¡¯re a clone. Well what is it then boy? Improved leg movement, Increased arm strength or something else.¡±


    He handed me a list of different procedures. These were the ones in my price range of 29,900 credits:


    -enhanced hearing- taken from the genetics of a crowned cave bat. Allows the patient to use mild forms of echolocation. 12,000 credits


    -enhanced strength- this procedure simply increases the muscle density of arm and leg muscles. The patient will have a stronger body depending on the price paid. Arm increase x2. 7,000 credits / Leg increase 2x. 7,000 credits.


    -limb attachment- adds an extra human limb. The patient can hold, grasp or run with extra limbs. 10,000 credits


    -Photogenic memory- taken from the genetics of those born with Photogenic memory. the patient can remember every detail of his or her memories. 20,000 credits


    -titanium claws- taken from claws of the Ersah. The patient now has claws to scratch others. (warning scratching others can lead to major bleeding and death.) 15,000 credits


    Alice suggested photogenic memory as I was a budding tactician. I would have taken the enhancement, but being a superhuman looked like fun. It also fulfilled a fantasy I had in my previous life. I let Alice continue advising me. Sure I was supposed be an officer in training, but I bought the titanium claws and both sets of enhanced strength anyway. Every clone went through a set of martial games so the enhancements would be useful. I could also scratch my subordinates if they became insubordinate too.


    The Doctor guided me to a seat. I was sedated by some medicine and slowly closed my eyes. I was going to wreck those other seven year olds with my mighty power. Ha ha ha...

 Chapter 6

    Tap tap tap tap. Stop. I flicked the hand away, sat up, and opened my eyes. A balding and clearly homeless man had poked me with a stick. Annoyed, I grabbed the stick and tossed it aside. The drug addict scampered away. The dumpster, I had sat next to, now had a large dent in it. I groaned putting my hand to my face. Shit, Alice would record the damage and I would have to pay for it. Garbage collection was done by the government. I wouldn¡¯t be able to get away scott free. I mentally called for my robotic mother¡­


    I called again¡­ Now I was pissed¡­ Alice wasn¡¯t the type play those kinds of jokes. I didn''t know where I was. What happened with that doctor? He clearly gave me the super strength. More than two times the magnification. Hitting a dumpster with a stick should not have broken the steel sides.


    That¡¯s when I noticed the bandage on my head. It was covered in blood. I took it off revealing stitches. I could feel them, but needed a mirror to properly view what might be a hideous scar. Hopefully, the backstreet doctor could stitch properly.


    The garbage disposal held broken furniture, pieces of styrofoam, and a random assortment of putrid food waste. With no luck, I went onto the next one. Finally. The Fourth dumpster had broken pieces of a mirror. Well the stitching was done well¡­ There was a problem though. Written in sharpie was a message saying he gave me extra. In exchange for my AI, he gave me fifteen times the strength and custom designed titanium claws. He even said his farewell written across my head. I guess a military AI could be useful or sell for lots of money. A company might be able to replicate the AI after obtaining one. Droid army? Maybe. Cool but I had just been robbed. Even if the doctor had given me extra genetic enhancements, he took my only family. Something I couldn¡¯t put a price on.


    I got up and walked to where he had been hours ago. The building was cleaned out with even the potted plant taken. The back room was open with a soft murmuring coming from the floor. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The tiles were removed revealing a lower basement. Old stairs in disrepair descended into the void. A dim light trailed down to the bottom a few stories below. I never loved creepy dark basements. I knew I had to go, and begrudgingly set off in search of evidence.


    The murmuring grew louder. Halfway down it became obvious the person was trying to get help. I was cautious to run down where I might be ambushed. Fortunately, the screams stayed at an even level of desperation. The person was about to die or had been dying for a while. I continued my controlled descent humming a happy tune. I did not want the dark claustrophobic space getting to me.


    I eventually arrived at the bottom where a single man sat in a chair sat. He was gagged and blindfolded. His screaming had stopped and was watching me with eyes of scrutiny. Maybe he thought I was in league with the psycho doctor.


    Ungagged and untied he took a moment to catch his ragged breath.¡±Thanks¡± he replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Dr.Quert, pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Then who was the other guy?¡±


    ¡°An old colleague of mine who went crazy. He was big into conspiracy theories and got hooked up with a cult. We split ways after that. He tied me down after he failed to get a medical license. I don¡¯t know what he was doing up there.¡±


    ¡°Was he good at what he did?¡± I asked, hoping I wasn¡¯t going to wake up dead.


    ¡°Top of his class, but he tended to ignore the ethical side of being a doctor. He only begrudgingly took the oath not to harm others.¡±


    Well now I was looking at waking up a freakish monster. Things were slightly better. Being dead did not sit well with me. I thought about those old detective novels my sister had read. What was my next plan of action? Judging from my past laziness, I would call the authorities.


    Getting the jist of the idea, I led him up and out of the pit. I was happy to be back with the sky over my head. I called my government number and explained the situation. They sent me to a portal close by and beamed me back onto the clone ship. Hopefully, the Navy were an efficient bunch. Playing with other seven year olds bugged me. Manipulating the other clones grew old a while ago. I would have to come up with some new fun while I waited.

 Chapter 7

    The new training regime came Monday. Each clone was supposed to find a team of three. I looked around to view my options. I was in the Fleet Branch and would take those classes individually. I wanted a diverse team of people with their own traits. A new strategist needed some new pawns. Instead of choosing who would work with me, I waited. Occasionally, a clone who saw my ranking during the trial would ask me to join the their team. I refused. Everyone had grouped up, but the stragglers. The ones who would end up becoming the janitors and like. I smiled knowingly. I needed the challenge, so I chose a muscular boy spacing out and a girl with a nervous twitch.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tom. Glad we can be teammates.¡± I gave them a handshake. They looked as if they won the lottery. I guess they did in a way. They were all smiles. No one wanted to pick the boy because of his low intelligence. Muscle without the brains couldn''t enact strategy. The girl was considered a coward by the other clones. The only reason she passed the trial was because of her intelligence.


    ¡°My name is Tara¡± the girl said quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Nud. I am happy to be with friends. We gonna win.¡±


    I asked how they spent their starting credits. Since Nud hadn¡¯t completed many lessons with his a AI, he didn¡¯t have any enhancements. Did he need any? Without my enhanced strength, he could ground me to a pulp. Tara fared better completing many earning twenty thousand credits. She spent the money on a shield gadget to defend against others. They also had another advantage I lacked.


    AI had a function to assist in combat. Critical points were tracked by the advanced computers and displayed for the clones. The AI also had wisdom and intelligence unmatched by humans. Maybe unmatched by all organic life.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    We sat in the corner discussing strengths and weaknesses. Nud would take the front of our squad while Tara would take a long ranged strategy while fighting. I would transition based on what was needed. I suspected I''d stay with Nud during tough fights.


    We registered our group and waited. All the teams were given communication chips placed in the cavity of our ears. Only team members could communicate in this way. The teachers, marital and strategic, wouldn''t be able to invade our privacy.


    I climbed into the escape pod with Nud and Tara. A few minutes later every clone was in place and we were fired into the atmosphere below.


    The metal screamed after hitting the atmosphere. I wondered what the failure rate of these pods where? The burning gases created from the friction were seen out of the crystal windows. A red hue turned the expanse of plains grass from green to brown. We were on an underpopulated area of the planet. From a bureaucratic perspective this seemed costly. Why weren''t we just teleported?


    Tara was battling the tremendous g force, and Nud was passed out. We continued for a few minutes until the pod suddenly jerked upward and descended in a gentle manner. Those must have been the parachutes.


    Nud woke up and we unbuckled from the harness keeping us in the metal box. A hatch was open and we were greeted by wilderness. The planet¡¯s tall grass rose above our line of site. I climbed the pod, surveying the land. I couldn''t make out any other dropped pods. Was this a test or did the pods trajectory put us off course?


    We set off realizing we need to head somewhere. The walk was slow pushing aside the tall unwieldy grass. Armed in only our clothing, food, shelter, and water was a must. The pod helped by pointing out our first destination. A stream ran North of us from East to West. There we would make a shelter.


    I had Nud gather grass for a few beds once we arrived at the bank. Tara and I discussed future problems we might have. We could only survive and hope someone was watching us. The pod might have a tracking device, but there were no guarantees.


    The grass made our huts and mats. It was surprisingly comfy. The sun was setting. I had imagined taking in nature and I relished the chance to hike before we were back on a ship or on a military base. Life was good. Both Nud and Tara were sound asleep. I layed back and closed my eyes...

 Chapter 8

    I woke up to a bright sunny sky. The others were still asleep. I had woken up hungry ready to start my hunt. I woke the other two and had them follow me. We walked, walked, walked following the river downstream. This way we would either find a lake or an estuary where civilization would be. At least that was the plan. Most people on Earth lived around the coast. eighty percent lived within sixty miles of it.


    I was humming an old song forcing the other unwilling seven year olds to sing. We wouldn¡¯t earn a dime at a concert. The river held a green hue in parts due to algae. It made for quite the scene. Wind rustled the duckweed giving a gentle noise. ¡°Shhhh¡± went the river fluidly dodging the spouting rocks.


    ¡°Oh iron soldier, oh iron soldier¡­¡± We walked three miles without a break. There were no trees along the bank. We couldn¡¯t fashion a spear, but I could probably outrun deer. I was still in a little body however. My increased strength wasn¡¯t as great until I hit puberty.


    There near that bush. I heard a rustle and a small animal murmur. No, it was human. The Rustling grew louder, louder still. ¡°When do you think they¡¯ll come back to get us?¡±


    ¡°I heard from an older officer we have to kill another pod.¡± the other voice answered.


    I could only assume they were fellow clones. Look like I was left uninformed. We crouched hopefully remaining unseen. Nud almost ruined us but a quick whisper shut him up. I sent Tara to follow the group once they passed us. We would gather our items back at the camp. She would give important intel. Time to ambush those children.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    We put formal clone attire on for protection. Nud collected sticks which we sharpened. We had an edge against the others. Unfortunately other than the element of surprise, we had noticeable advantage. Maybe they had gadgets to defend them? They were crouched over some dead clones mutilating the bodies.


    These seven year olds were fucked. They needed a better upbringing. What was their AI doing? Shaking my head we charged the group. Their eyes went wide with surprise as Nud led the charge tackling the first seven-year old. I came next dealing an elbow to the face followed by a kick in the groin. I had no qualms playing dirty.


    The doctor gave me an immense advantage as I felt his skull and unmentionable parts go crunch. He was was out cold. The remaining teammate ran away adrenaline pumping. Unfortunately for them, Tara created traps. Spikes covered the wet ground. She, the retreating clone, tripped holding her bloody feet. I pointed at Nud and with a nod he snapped the girl¡¯s neck.


    What I did next was risque, definitely taboo on Earth. We had a fire cooking and some clones roasting. I hadn¡¯t eaten in two days without nourishment for my skinny body. My muscle density increased my appetite as well. We chowed down to what tasted like very fatty meat.


    It tasted great, but hunger makes anything taste great. I had lost my sense of morality after being reborn. Their might still be heaven. I didn¡¯t witness it after death, so I decided to ignore the moral dilemma. It was an easier way of living life.


    I had my fill and scavenged their gear. Like us, they did not have much. The only object of value was a bag of survival gear one clone had brought down with him. It held a compass, pocket knife, and flint for fire starting. I talked with my squad and we decided to keep following the river downstream. The officers were watching us. If they wanted to take us back to the ship they would. Our only goal was to survive.


    This meant finding other pods. Human meat was an easy way to eat. Pods gave off their locations. I believe most would try to stay where they fell hoping they would get picked up. This could work to our advantage.


    Starting up the old marching song we set off. ¡°Oh iron soldier, oh iron soldier..,¡± Earth had tradition Arth did not. I was going to bridge the two. The sun set with an orange purple hue. We were just shadows preying on the weak in the darkness.

 Chapter 9

    Two days have passed since our fateful encounter with the other clones. These days have been uneventful. Other than Nud catching a few fish, we marched throughout the day. My titanium claws sharpened spears for my comrades taken from a lone tree. The wind brushed the leaves and sheltered us the night before. The wood was brittle and heavy. We could cause a few headaches for our enemies.


    The plains or savannah would end in another days walk. Rolling hills towered over the flat land in the distance. We would continue as wayward travelers. This was not what I was expecting considering I had been reincarnated into a sci-fi world. I was ready for a warm shower and hoped we could find civilization again.


    Hop hop hop¡­ Over the river stones I jumped. Tara followed closely behind. She did not want to be left alone and still had anxiety issues. She had been getting better. The lack of fidgeting was an improvement. Nud would look and trace the skies at night. I felt for him; home was where the clone ship was.


    The last distributed pieces of jerky were quickly eaten. By mid day storm clouds drifted into view. We were looking at light rain, perhaps an inch at most. I didn¡¯t mind the wet as it was a warm rain. The loamy soil quelched at our feet. In the distance animals could be spotted running back into tall patches of grass or in holes to escape getting wet.


    This was not something which I had seen on Earth, but I ignored the implications. Rain isn''t dangerous. My old worldview ended up screwing me over. As the storm clouds approached, signs of their devastation presented a landscape of dead plants. They could not withstand the chemical rain. Whatever cause them to wilt would probably do the same with us. Nud, Tara, and I were sorely lacking in helmets. I didn''t fancy dissolving, and took off in the opposite direction. Both Nud and Tara didn¡¯t either following closely behind.


    My brief knowledge of weather was enough. We weren¡¯t going to outrun a storm on foot. Did I mention we were situated in a plain of sorts? Where we all the pretty little trees. The pods we had left would work as cover, but we were now too far away. If I had any forethought, I would have dug a hole for my impending death. Then I''d be able to go to heaven, buried and bones preserved. Fuck.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    We now had about five minutes until the rain clouds passed us up. I had Tara work up anything we could use. I even told Nud to brainstorm. Oh, I was desperate. No one wanted to die a virgin child. We continued to run, my arms pumping and pumping. Lactic acid burned my legs. This was tiring and decided to take a break. My effort was useless¡­ No point in prolonging the pain. The others stopped as well. I knew my soul existed at the very least.


    Just as the rain clouds were about to engulf the sky over our heads, a fighter jet hurtled down towards us. The engines created a sonic boom seconds after it came within sight. We were saved. The jet pulled a ninety degree turn twisting into the earth to break. The soft ground did not harm the fighter. What a weird way to land? The cockpit opened to reveal one of our own. A clone donning the traditional uniform stood atop the craft beckoning us in. We had been deemed worthy.


    I climbed aboard with both team members close behind. We strapped in and took off. The officer explained what had happened in detail. ¡°Being launched into the plains for three days is a ceremonial event for us clones. If we can survive the wilderness alone for a few days then your able to fight in a galactic war. Traditions suck. Am I right?¡±


    I decided to nod and let the chatterbox continue. He definitely liked the sound of his own voice. ¡°Anyway, we''ll get you down to the school. That was the first time i¡¯ve seen someone resort to cannibalism! Usually the cadets are half starved by the time we pick them up. I guess you guys are top of your class...¡±


    He continued his banter, but I wanted to know how lucky I had been. ¡°Would that rain have killed us if we had sat out their for a couple more minutes?¡±


    ¡°Right down to your bone man. Now you¡¯ll be able to go back to your wifi and other amenities. Back in my day, we cherished a bit of acid rain. That''s how I lost my entire left hand. The pain was on a crazy new level! Now clones are a bunch of weenies, and don¡¯t endure hardship. When we get down to the academy, you¡¯ll see a sorry sight. Class A-1 of star date 1209 is still the superior record breaking class. Oh, and don¡¯t get cocky thinking you¡¯ll beat my class see¡­¡±


    I looked out the window to find a few buildings dotted haphazardly and a cluster to the north of us. The ship continued towards the cluster of buildings I presumed to be the martial school. We landed on the airstrip, and the still chatting officer, Brad, let us go. We collected our clothing for our stay and got situated within our sleeping quarter. Each room held ninety-nine recruits with each team owning a triple bunk bed. Tara climbed onto the top bunk. I guess they didn¡¯t care about gender? Oh, we hadn¡¯t hit puberty yet. Our room situation might change in the near future. The lights shut off, and clones were told to get into bed. It was a nice way to end the day.

 Chapter 10

    Get up, up, up you fucking shits.¡± Holy shit what was happening. I rushed out of bed putting my clothes on. Most clones were doing the same. Where we being attacked? No, this was normal military training. I felt doing this to a bunch of seven year olds was quite rude. I¡¯d get him back somehow¡­


    We marched out the door where seven instructors stood. ¡°These will be your teachers for the year. If you make it, four years later you will be standing up on the stage you see in front of you. Now a description of classes your battalion will take. Mr.Zoyo take it away.¡±


    A buff looking man in a lab coat came forward. The guy was so buff he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look tiny. What kind of steroids did they have in this world? Although, I was not looking to hit the gym just yet, I could secretly inject Nud. A small [bleeeeep] is a small price to pay. I could worry about that later.


    ¡°Hello, class I¡¯ll be your chemistry teacher. We will be looking at building and handling basic explosives. Any grunt needs to know how blow stuff up!¡±


    The next teacher turned out to be more normal. For martial arts we got a fit man with a goatee. Our heavy weapons expert happened to be a small women. I couldn''t help myself and yelled,¡± How can you even carry heavy weapons you pipsqueak?¡± She jumped down from the stage and moved through the crowd, but what was she going to do at under five feet?


    I swung a punch at the midget teacher as she closed in. She grabbed my hand and threw me across the wall. She had body enhancements. Well, I bit off more than I could chew. I beckoned Nud and Tara, but they acted as if I didn''t even exist. They were great friends¡­ The short women had pulled out a rocket launcher out of nowhere. It was the size of her body. Pls, don''t shoot me a mumbled.


    She took aim and fired. Enough energy to zap an elephant exited the barrel hitting right between my legs narrowly avoiding my private parts. She could have hit me!. Hopefully, she intentionally gave me a warning shot. Note to self: Don''t mess with teachers. I got down on all fours and apologized profusely. Reluctantly she walked back, while the clones stared at me and the teacher with abject horror. ¡®How do I get to these situations?¡¯ I thought. I hurt all over, and a few medics ran over to pick me up. The greeting was briefly paused as I was taken away. It was an hour later when I had walked back and the greetings resumed. I needed a little more common sense.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The other teachers greeted us. I was looking forward to ship combat and guerilla warfare. I would get to freak out my enemy in the simulated jungle and dogfight way above the clouds.


    We were led between hallways and buildings. Actual soldiers rushed past us doing their routine while stationed here. A plushy job for mediocre soldiers. I could fit in as one and not fight. The decision was tempting, but I would have to intentionally lose to children far below my actual age. Not happening, for I have some honor. Just kidding, I knew I was a scum bag when it came to playing fair.


    The hangar housed more than jets. An air to space battleship three hundred meters in length was being fitted with missiles and homing mines. Get close enough to say a mile of empty space and you''d find your ship blown to pieces. The sleek black and blue paint showed the might of the Art military, a second tier military. I wish I was reincarnated into one of the massive superpowers spanning dozens of planets. I would have little to worry about. We could be invaded at any time.


    Simulated battlefields used special genetically modified animal and plant life or more urban concrete buildings to defeat the enemy. Weapons fired tranquilizers. Otherwise, the fighting would be unrealistic or deadly. Though the tranquilizers put one to sleep a graze would simply hurt like hell.


    At the end of the tour we sat to eat lunch. Highlights from the survival contest played in the background. Most of it was lame, but some teams were shown fighting each other or wild predators. They even captured Nud chewing down on some of my homemade jerky. Statistics on screen rated our survival such as lost weight, survival index score, and combat ability. I knew the best teams and so did everyone else. We had only placed third with the first place team killing a dozen with their homemade bombs. It was true that we got the shaft and landed apart from most pods. That was the only reason we lost. They will pay for that.


    I ate a chicken like club with raspberry jam and stuffing. Nud was eating steak and salad, while Tara helped herself to a stew. If they always fed us like this I I''d be digging the whole training. We had capsules of bland food back on the ship. Wait¡­ every meal served had protein. It was reasonable seeing we¡¯d be soldiers. I wondered if they put steroids or other chemicals in the food? I hoped the women would stay lean. Wasn¡¯t into the huge muscled women. My old roommate was. People have their own tastes. Nud just kept eating. I wanted my A.I. ack. I''d love to watch movies while I waited. Twiddling my thumbs was the best I could do. Hurry up! Geez...

 Chapter 11

    We made our way back to the . They were giving us an hour before going over student activities. Normally, we would still be in class but choosing extracurriculars was important. They were all ones which would be useful in the military so forget poetry, debate, or skiing. They did have horseback riding. ( Actually Ersah riding). Nud had already wandered off in search of a club which provided food. The massive child¡¯s appetite was unending. Tara opted for an agility/yoga class as well as a student communion of future engineers.. Look at her go.


    They had a tactics club where simulated battles took place with A.I. Imagine the Total War games, but where the the tactical options were limitless. Sentient A.I. fought in wars where physics were 99.99% accurate. Sign me up. I could do well and forgo actual work.


    Historians used to say history allows us to correct mistakes made in the past. I also enjoyed history, and wanted to see what Arth military strategy was like. It was a win win decision for me.


    The gathering of new recruits and old recruiters dissipated at the end of the evening. We were served dinner and left to prepare for our first day of classes. Tara packed her new tablet which held all the needed books, and both Nud and I did as well. We were ready to go and slept without a worry.


    The same drill sergeant was our alarm. The clones grabbed their gear and left the building. A few stragglers were pestered and beaten on their way out the door. The people of Arth were not pacifists, or politically correct with the slew of insults referring to race, gender, build, and numerous animals. On second thought, the military place might not be the best place to judge the people though.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The normal martial arts teacher sat atop a recliner watching older students run back and forth.They looked tired, but physically well. When we arrived, he clambered out of his resting spot and pointed at one of us. ¡®Too bad I wasn''t picked¡¯ I thought. I wanted to make a lasting impression for our team. The clone stepped forward. ¡°Wham¡± and he hit the ground as mr.martial arts teacher snapped his neck. Holy shit¡­ The body of the clone stayed on the ground with vacant dead looking eyes. Two medics ran forward with a stretcher and ran back to the base¡¯s hospital with the limp body.


    ¡°Get into groups of two this instant!¡± the teacher said.


    I quickly grabbed someone I didn¡¯t know. Nud and Tara paired up separately as well. If they had to duel then pairing with one¡¯s own team was a disadvantage. I did not see anyone straggle, because Mr. Psycho would not have liked it. Forty-nine pairs were spread across the field giving him wary eyes. We were as good as dead if he felt like it. He murdered a student just to even the number of people. My earlier status which pinned him as normal changed to psychopath.


    ¡°In a year¡¯s time, each of you will compete each other. While it does not have to be to the death, I will personally overlook those who try or succeed¡­¡± His wicked smile looked out into the sky.


    The silence persisted for fifteen minutes before the bell rang for the next class. The students slowly walked away from field, and went to the next class. A building with holes and rubble held chemistry. There weren¡¯t many safety precautions built in the place. I didn¡¯t see a fire extinguisher or an eyewash station. We were only given a pair of flimsy plastic goggles. The buff looking teacher greeted us.


    ¡°Hello, I am Mr. Zoro i¡¯ll show you how to make an impact in this class.¡±


    Muscles bulged as he flexed creating an awkward scene. It didn¡¯t help that he had a shit-eating grin whenever looking at one of the female clones. They were probably handling the chemistry class worse than me. I didn¡¯t fancy knowing one mistake and I could go permanently blind or have an appendage ripped off my body from ¡°impacts¡±.


    Maybe I could get away with taking only written tests. The thought quickly ended when the projector showed a three dimensional image with the text ¡°90% labs 10% written (Tests and Quizzes). Things would get ugly in the future. The bell rung and I wondered if any instructor had any normalcy on Arth.

 Chapter 12

    Six months later classes were in full swing. My growth had radically increased even further changing my body to that of a ten year old. The others were slowly catching up mentally as well. Instead of being whiny, many had taken to asking politely and apologizing when required.


    The person I had paired to fight against was an uppity clone, named Benth. He and his little gang of misfits had been repeatedly firing spitballs and creating a ruckus around me. They wouldn''t do anything drastic. Earlier last month, they tried to group up against me. They followed me into a deserted part of the campus, where I sprung my trap. I had borrowed a chemistry set from, Mr.Zoyo. He didn''t mind when I told him I was creating explosives. The landmines blew up maiming and injuring his goons with bits of metal and nails as shrapnel. Unfortunately he was left unharmed.


    He was lazy, but was tall for his age. He was one of those manchildren who had a bearded face by the time they were out of the womb. He wasn''t actually much of a threat, but he was the son of an admiral (still cloned, but adopted unlike the majority). My glorious career could be very short if I didn''t pull the upcoming fight. I had to win, but do so gracefully. My little stunt earlier felt worth it, but getting shit on by a powerful influential figure was a no go.


    Nud did well physically, and learned under Tara¡¯s tutelage. He didn''t get the equivalent of A¡¯s or even B¡¯s but he was passing his course. Courses such as martial arts made up most of his grade point average. Speaking of martial arts, the class was progressing well. I remained inconspicuous, while the psycho who I later learned was Mr. Todbrook kept himself busy with other recruits.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    My combat style involved using throwing knives and brass buckles (or in battle plasma knuckles) to smash the enemy''s skull in. I could keep my mobility this way while heavily dealing damage. The fifteen times strength would do much blunt trauma. I had started to gain muscle, putting on the start of a lean look. Sadly, I was never going to be ripped. My body type meant I could eat a horse without gaining any weight. In fact, I had three plates of food for dinner and was down three pounds from two weeks ago.


    Heavy weapons was a class I managed. After the incident, public shaming and such, she seemed to forget the whole ordeal. No one fired larger rockets yet. One would have to major as Heavy infantry, to deal with anything more than grenades. Luckily there were many types of grenades which stunned, killed, and maimed the enemy. The devices used a five second timer, which was activated by a flat red indentation. Each grenade was imprinted and only usable with squad members. Taping a severed thumb to the indentation would work to solve this problem, but who had time to sever a finger in the heat of battle?


    Our practice involved chucking grenades at each other. This doesn¡¯t sound plausible and it wasn¡¯t. Nanites had to regrow arms and legs, although our vitals were protected in blast proof armor. She stated that pain was the best way to improve. I had raised my hand in the class only to find my legs detached from my body. With adrenaline pumping I didn¡¯t feel a thing at first. It took ten minutes to get the medics over there and I did feel the pain on the stretcher. I¡¯d rate the pain a ten, because any more pain would be indistinguishable from what I had felt. Therapy sessions were held after the insanity, but do to the lack of A.I my movements suffered the most.


    I had asked for a new one, but the administration replied saying, my A.I. was too expensive to replicate on a clone twice. ¡°Become an officer and prove yourself¡±, they lamented. Alice was running a muck down in populated civilian areas. She had taken to the dark side, starving a village. I knew Alice wouldn¡¯t have willingly turned on the empire, so I scoffed at their complaints. I had put down the phone immediately after hearing the news, and played some sick tunes. ¡°The Bellow of the Beast¡± was an Arth classic, featuring once again the Ersah. These people were crazy for their living tanks.

 Chapter 13

    I : A History of the ¡°Glorious¡± Plains Empire: Arth


    Stories of thy old, have been distorted over time becoming little more than wives tales told to children. Thy main staples of history have been propaganda for far too long. In this piece of work, thy reasons a world wide government came to be will be revealed from a foreign perspective. My team of Archaeologists from thy holy nation of Wo-lark have secretly been visiting this barbaric world. What makes a dictatorship tick is beyond our peaceful populist country. We believe by learning their past, we may change their culture through thy manipulation of their wants and desires. They have attacked allied worlds, and have stayed belligerent. Only thy protection from Coalition forces keeps us from landing a planet buster on them. Fortunately, our government has successfully destroyed all raids made by thy Arth affiliated pirates. They still use clones. (A violation against natural life¡¯s superiority). With this purpose in mind, who were thy Arthians and their predecessors?


    Records found in the Zoron sea, spoke of a time when many nations existed. They bred many beasts for battle against other tribes and farmed off thy land. Grains of many varieties spread across thy land. Deforestation began to make room for a higher and higher population. The plains encompassing thy world which gave the Ersah such advantage over other beasts didn¡¯t exist a thousand years before thy Empire¡¯s calendar. Clawed Allirog jumped from vine to vine. Their sudden appearance above the trees were said to instill fear into all men and even thy greatest of Ersah. They were dwarfed by the massive trees spanning many meters in width. The largest discovered tree, dated with carbon remains, lived ten millennia, with a length of half a mile and a width of thirty meters. One would have felt he was on another world, as few planets have such plant matter in the galaxy. Perhaps, thy nature reserves on one of the independent planets has comparable growth.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Fueled by thy desire for better land, breeding competitions were held annually. Who had the better beast? Territory was ceded by thy loser of such events. Both parties would test an attribute against each other''s beasts. Thy decision could take up to months with speed, strength, and intelligence being tested. It was proof of a superior breeder. Wars did not rage on the planet, and technology was that of a Stone Age people. Natural disasters were few with the beasts expanding the local¡¯s lifespan to an upwards of seventy years. How did they boost their technologically so quickly? One moment they were beasts, the next they had a full-fledged space navy. Current textbooks claim visitors from thy coalition gave them the means. Our spies have discovered otherwise. The Ascension happened on a quarantined planet, used for cultural studies.


    The technology developed on its own, which meant thy Stone Age inhabitants hid their tech, or a mutated beast was gifted with major intelligence and eyes to see thy universal truth. Only a handful of nations have these individuals who were gifted by thy Warp God. Our merciful God even gifted it to heretics who claimed the gift was just phenomenon. Outrageous! Every planet with a person of the universal truth, were now major players in the galaxy. My homeland of Wo-lark was said to be founded by one with ¡°thy eyes¡±. Arth would dominate the known galaxy if this was the case. I would give a ninety-seven percent probability that they just hid their development. No need to worry when the Warp God favoured so few.


    Perhaps, thy ending of the forests and other nations was war. Our findings indicate mass fires spread across every continent. A localized population with thy Ersah could maneuver easily in thy newly created plains. Again, the four legged bulk wasn''t viable in thy forest. They spread quickly adopting a tribal submission policy. Others could join thy Arth and be rewarded. Many said no and fought. A few after seeing their neighbors massacred, gave in. Without the backing of the Ersah, other nations couldn''t fight back. By thy damnation and extinction of all other beasts, Ersah were in charge. Only then were the teeth of Ersah used to fuel the Empire of Arth.

 Chapter 14

    The class bell rang. The first session of my history class was over. Reading from the crazies on a different planet had been interesting. We would read the beginning of prehistory for the first semester of school. Arth was an old civilization which valued Oral tradition; their literature lacked in comparison to their many stories. I was glad however that I wasn¡¯t born on the ¡°holy is thou¡± planet. I didn¡¯t visit church often for a reason. I was once forced to go with my parents and ended up dozing off numerous times. I didn¡¯t learn a single theological lesson. I wished to keep it that way.


    My titanium claws were refitted at no cost. A bill passed by the Arth government allowed citizens to have free healthcare if the surgery was genetic implant maintenance. They were in favor of people becoming smarter, stronger, or faster as that would raise productivity and thus the GDP. It was two months until the day I fought the little twerp. I practiced diligently in order to get better. No becoming a paper pushing desk boss boy, if I didn¡¯t do well in classes. I had the top grades in most classes, with the exception being martial arts and heavy weaponry. Martial arts didn''t have a grade until the fight, and the midget disliked me. She would come up with excuses to lower my grade. I let it be because dealing with her wasn''t worth the trouble.


    In the meantime, I hit the gym. I was starting to bulk up. I could proudly bench a literal ton. In my old life the best I ever bench pressed was two hundred and fifty. If only I could have gone back to earth and brag. There were upperclassmen who were monsters. I saw a guy bench an Ersah corpse. Not only did weigh ten tons, but the rotting corpse smelled worse than bad. It smelled worse than terrible. Those hard working clones who stayed in the gym from dawn until dusk, took the day off to avoid the smell. Fortunately, he was banned from working out when others complained. Sweat poured down my face as I extended my arms. I put in some cardio as well. I took my protein mix (probably drug laced) which was given out by the trainers. They wanted to maximize my just hitting puberty¡­ Boy, It awkward when they gave our class the talk. You couldn''t imagine the punishment from lazing around all day and whacking it, a week in solitary while being doused in battery acid. People would know from your disfigured face, you had hacked the Internet security settings one to many times.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Not that I was interested in Women¡­ I was not. Who was I kidding¡­ Tara was going through puberty as well and it was obvious. Some days I would just end up staring at her for ten minutes. Yes, it was creepy. I''m a creepy person and I plan to hide it as possible from both my teammates. The Housing situation was rectified a week too late. During that time, groaning and moaning could be heard from under the covers. It kept me awake all night. There was something about knowing two people are getting freaky with one another five feet away. It led to a lack of sleep and irritation. ¡°Stop with the PDA( or the BDA ¡° Bunkmate display of affection¡±) already¡± I thought. I just wanted to get some sleep. Was that too much to ask for?


    I walked out of the gym to complete the rest of my daily routine. The sun was on the decline, and my watch told me there were two hours before sleep. Sweaty and tired, I strolled into the martial arts arena where people sparred against each other. I sat on a bench and with my remaining time took notes on who won and why. Was the person unarmed; did the person have a weapon, or how long did the person last? The statistics plotted revealed the best ways to win. This journal was one of many. With numbers on my side, I would dominate in the future. Once my slaughter with Benth was over, I could be facing challenging opponents. Was an uppercut a good decision or should I throw many jabs at my opponents. I couldn''t let Rocky down when I had watched the original on a plane trip once.