"While working on my cyber-eye, I notice that my spas-12 was pretty badly damaged. I take it outside, where I line up a few empty bottles as a make-shift shooting range. I fire the first shot, and the barrel completly breaks off, rendering the gun useless. I silently curse to myself, then realize it was probably a good thing, since it was pretty much useless against anything with armour thicker than a strand of hair. I try to sell the scraps to a recycleing centre and get a nice 40KI. I visit a friend that is a clerk at a gun-store. After a round of negotiations, I manage to take a long-range plasma rifle (it's 2396 after all) that acts basically like a high-caliber sniper rifle, only without recoil and far more damaging, along with a scope, a cool paint-job and enough ammo to last pretty long. I take it out to the shooting range to try it out, I have to say, I'm a pretty good marksman, the rifle shot out a blueish purple, glowing blob of super-heated gas that apperantly was held togheter by a bunch of gravitons. The whole thing costed me about 75KI."

"After Kiliari visited me and told me about the house dome, I invite him into my lab and sketch some basic designs for the house, he seemed happy with one, and we agreed to begin work tomorrow.

After that, I went to a science exhibit, where I showed some other scientists and researchers my robotic engineering skills. After a pretty suspense robot-building contest, along with a trivia contest, I won the 2nd best prize for nano-robotics and bio-engineering along with 1st for nuclear physics. F**k yeah. Along with 3 sweet trophies, I got 350KI for my skills. While on my way home, I take a cheap, 2KI encyclopedia about the races of the cosmos. It looked pretty well-made, and the guy selling it said he wrote it himself, so I rummage through my pocket and give him another 10KI, for the effort.

While looking through, I researched some species I've never heard before.

-Joolians: A species of scaley, odd-looking, vaguely-humanoid reptiles that are seen as the greatest warriors of the cosmos. Their kingdom spans across one system a few hundread years away from the Terran System, along with a few colonies in other Solar Systems. They possess regenerative properties, along with heat-vision and strength 10x greater than an ordinary human.

-Harridans: A winged, humanoid species whose skin is absolutely covered in armour. They, without their set of armour, are extremely fragile. They are seen as a greatly advanced species, with great advancements in the fields of quantum physics and biology. Thankfully, they have peacefull relations with Terra and the Moon, because they could steamroll us any time with their army. They have an Empire that is thought to span multiple galaxies, including ours.

-Wraiths: A sub-species of the harridans, they have some odd growths on their head, with 2 glowing speheres that help the creatures teleport wherever they wish within a 500 meter space, how this happenes is still a mystery. The spheres appear to be filled with liquid and are very fragile.

-Terphilions: A reptilian species with 2 very large and powerfull jaws that can smash through up to 6 meters of steel. They are 2x bigger than an avarage car and are able to swim, walk and even fly with their large wings, albeit very short distances. They live on Mars, and other planets with excess carbon in their atmosphere.

-Sabilionze: A muscular and tall species that live in extreme environments, due to their very thick and well-insulated skin. They are seen as the brutes of the univerese, since their IQ isn't particalrly high. They live on planets with extreme temperatures, such as Venus or Pluto, along with others across the Solar System.

-Scrabilions: A deep-dwelling species that lives mostly underground. Due to this, little is known about them.

-Ikrien: A species with greenish skin, moth-like wings and 2 large antennas on ttheir head. They have diluted pupils when in contact with incresead levels of oxygen, like on our planet, and will die from oxygen intoxication upon a few weeks of exposion."

"Kiliari chose a pretty nice location in the suburbs, a few blocks away from my house, thus it was pretty easy to take the materials there. One the first day, I, Kiliari and Laggy (Lagnadium), along with some construction crew built a pretty nice bedroom, the kitchen and laid the foundations for the main foyer. I offered Kiliari the option to sleep at my house while the construction was happening, so he wouldn't have to pay to rent.

After the sun went down, I went home. Literally a few minutes after I arrive, someone knocks at my door. Laggy wasn't home to respond, so I go.

Two men dressed all in special forces uniforms ask to come in. I let them, and they say that the nation is officially at war with one of its neighbours, and that they offered me to join the volunteer corps. They say they have been monitoring my activity and that I was fit to fight. Out of sheer panic, I say yes. Now I'm part of the army.
The next day I wake up at 4am in the morning, after someone knocks at my door. The same men enter and tell me to gear up for combat, jeez, no training, no nothing? I put on my gasmask, my trenchcoat, my army-issued boots (don't ask how I got them), my plasma rifle and my trusty fedora and go with them.

They load me up into a truck and apperantly we went to a border village. As soon as we left the safety of the truck, we were immidiatly shot-at. I rush to cover along with some other soldiers. I poke my head out over some rubble and notice a sniper in a large bell-tower, along with some other soldiers taking cover next to some parked cars.

I line up the sights on my rifle until it matches the guys head, then pull the trigger. After all the plasma cleared up, I saw the guy fall like a brick. One of the soldiers next to me gives me a pat on the back and a congratualation. I re-focus my sights on one of the guys behind a car, and pull the trigger again, this time I was less lucky. I hit one of the metal poles next to him. While I was reloading, the other soldiers in my platoon took out the enemies.

After the battle was over, a captain came up to me and congratualated me on my marksman skills. I barely understood a thing through his thick russian accent, but I did understand that he promoted me to Major Lieutenant. Jeez, we must be pretty desperate if we're promoting new recruits on their first day.

I phone Kiliari and try to inform him that I won't be able to do anything to help him on the house tomorrow, but he doesn't respond, did he come too? Well, one thing's certain: if I don't want to be shot for desertion, then I'll have to stay here for a few more days..."

"Finally the military corps. got around to giving us our unifroms, I had the one of a Volunteer Major Lieutenant. If you are wondering, the difference between ordinary Major Lieutenant and Volunteer Major Lieutenant is just that whenever they say your name, the higher ranks can just laugh at all the others and say that a volunteer beat them in performance... Yup. It wasn't the most captivating uniform either, just a cap with some goggles, a brown-ish green shirt, black pants and a long trenchcoat.

I haven't spoken with Kiliari, Laggy, or pretty much everyone I knew for about 3 days now, Kiliari won't respond to my phone-calls, video-transmittions and letters I send him, what's happening with this guy?

This morning our commander for the unit burst into our barracks and ringed the alarm, after a couple minutes of everyone shaking sleep out of their eyes and getting dressed up, we linned up in what should be a line (if you turned your head slightly to the left, squinted really hard and turned off the lights). The general told us to get our weapons and gear up for a siege, we're getting re-located to a village slightly closer to where I live, to interscept an enemy advance.

We boarded a hover-tank and went to the main battle site, where we got our first taste of actual modern combat. There were tanks and aircraft everywhere, shooting at eachother, infantry inside a few make-shift trenches that were all rushing at eachother, deserters retreating with weapons in one hand and dignity in the other...

After a fission bomb hit our tank, we evacuated out and rushed to the nearest cover, which, in my case was a statue. I pull out my trusty plasma rifle and line up the sights on some other poor guy that was unfortunate enough to be seen by me before anyone else. I pull the trigger the guy falls, leaving only red mist where he used to stay. Through the dust and smoke of the battlefield, 2 other allies of mine come out and hide behind the same statue I was. They very quickly introduce themselves and one of them rushes back into the fog of war, with the other offering to be my spotter.

I accept and get miself comfy in my new sniper's nest, with the guy having his binoculars and telling me where the targets are, I line up my sights and 3 more unfortunates fall in a haze of red. Right as we were celebrating our 4th hit, a hover-tank  smashes through one of the walls of a house and opens fire at the statue where we were hidding, we quickly dodge and get out of the way of the proton blast of the tank. I was lucky enough to escape un-harmed, but my spotter was struck by a piece shrapnel and was downed for good. I take off, then lower my cap in respect and run to another place for cover, that's when through my ear-piece thousands of cheers and yelling nearly turn me deaf. That's when I hear my commander congradulate us for pushing away the enemy's advance, before the same man who we met at the statue came up to me and asked where his friend was... Crap...

I apologize and point him towards the body of his former friend, he runs to him, and then I couldn't help myself but look away. I feel a tear coming from my eye, before I choke it back and walk away from the soldier mourning over the loss of his friend. War is Hell...

Our commander was sitting inside his tent at the outskirts of the battle, drinking whisky and eating caviar while we were out there risking our lives to protect his fat arse. I fell rage going through me, but I control myself, greet him, then take a seat along with the other Lieutenants, where he offered us some whisky for our troubles. I politely refuse and tell him that I don't drink. He tells us that all volunteers will leave in 3 days, since a cease-fire will also be made.

Great, only 3 more days to spend in this Hellhole..."

Kikkin, let's let people that even have some goofier stories here, otherwise it's just going to be only us here forever n' ever n' ever.

"As I travel back to the barracks in the same tank we came to the battlefield (only that it had a huge hole on the side of it) I notice a guy that seems slightly off to me, must have be the fact that he had a robotic arm that looked alot like Kiliari's one. It seemed strange, but I thought nothing of it, since me and Kiliari obviously weren't the only ones to have robotic parts implanted into us.

I went to my bed in the barracks we were in and collapse onto the matress, I was tired, but I couldn't sleep. I rise up and look around, looks like nobody can sleep after what they saw. I take this moment to take off my goggles and trenchcoat, and the guy in front of my bed does the same. I get a glance at his face, it looked oddly familiar and... KILIARI!

So that's why you've been silent all along, eh? I say to him.

I had to work on the house that you so RUDELY abondoned me on! He says back.

I sigh in relief that he's ok, then ask about Laggy.

Laggy who?

Lagnadium the cyborg!

Oh, that guy,  haven't heard of him, he probably went to catch pigeons or something.
Well, I have no clue what Laggy's doing, but that doesn't matter right now, at least I found my friend. One of the soldiers in the same barracks as us takes out a bottle of rum from his backpack and a few shot-glasses and says:

Well, now that you have finally reunited with your boyfriend, we can celebrate! Actually, I don't really care, I just want an excuse to get hammered! He says, before pouring a full glass and chuging it in one throw.

I was mad that he was so rude, but then again, RUM! I told the captain I don't drink, but hey, number one: I didn't die yet and number two: I finally found Kiliari, so it was worth a celebratory drink, right?

No, we aren't boyfriends, dumby, just friends. Now, you aren't going to have all that rum for yourself, right? I say, before grabbing a glass and handing it over to him. Kiliari does the same, along with about half of the unit.

Sheesh, I make one joke and you get all emotional about it. Also, I thought you said you don't drink to the captain right? He says to me, before pouring me and Kiliari some rum and handing it to us.

Are you questioning orders from a superior, cadet? I joke to him, then point to the volunteer recruit badge on his uniform.

Yeah, like anyone actually cares about those. When you're on the battlefield, the enemy doesn't care whether you're a general, or a recruit, they're still going to shoot you. Says Kiliari, while sipping from his glass.

Well, right now we aren't on the battlefield, we're in the barracks, and I order this guy to give me my damn glass already! I joke to him yet again.

Wait, wait, jeez, I have to be careful with this, you wouldn't want me to slip and waste some good rum, right? He says.

He hands me my glass and we celebrate the fact that tomorrow we're finally going back home... After all that, I blacked out from all the rum. It was a great night, and now I've made some new drinking buddies: Kiliari, Jack (the guy who poured me the rum) and Victor (a fellow Romanian, who I had some fun chanting the Romanian Anthem while we were drunk)."