"Dream... Not of what you are... But of what you want to be."
The Old World we once knew and loved is gone. Elders tell of a time when the earth was green with life, not gray with ashes. They say the rivers used to be good for drinking, but now they are poisoned. And people, like you and me, used to live in big, metal cities and sleep in towers that reached into the sky. It was all before they arrived, consuming it all.
Nobody really knows where they came from. Some people say it was another planet, others say another dimension. The first ships where treated like angels descending from the heavens, until they showed what they really came here for. Not peace, but war. The largest cities where the first to be taken by these... Exos. New York, London and Tokyo. All gone in the first few days. Then they moved on to the rest of the world, expanding their borders until nothing wasn't there's except for a few secluded areas, just like Oasis. Obviously our military didn't stand a chance, Exos destroyed every army on the face of the planet. Then they continued on, building giant factories to change the air we breathed and the water we drank. They wanted to make the world look more like home, so they did. We were forced to retreat to the highest mountains, where the air was better.
But we wouldn't let them beat us that easily, would we? With strong leaders, like Tsaro Platik and Kata Mansour, we resisted, and eventually made a few breakthroughs. We captured a few Exos, and started experimenting. Now, thanks to scientists like Kith Varo we know who they are, under their armor. We know what they're made of, and how their bodies work. Garu, the one eyed man, was even able to hijack one of their ships, and establish communication and trade between The Colonies. But the greatest achievement we made so far is Synergy.
One day, Professor Varo was working on an Exo brain, and he found something interesting. It was a nervous gland with a thin opening in it. It looked kind of like a computer drive and allowed the exchange of information with the outside world. This gland could have signals from someone else's brain transmitted to the alien through something they called a Psychic Link.
Basically, they put a helmet on your head that let's you control one of the Exos. And that's Synergy! This discovery triggered the hunt among our people, the Hunt for Pilots.
You see, not just anyone can Link. To Link, you need to have the right mind for it. Your nerves still need to be malleable, so the Exo can accept your brain waves. That's why children, around the time they reach puberty, are most likely to be pilots. And so, it became mandatory to test your child to see if they could become a Pilot. And those that could, well, they were drafted to fight off the Exos. Being a Pilot was no easy task though. When Linking, Pilots fall into a deep sleep and cannot be awakened from the outside. The only way to break the Link is from within. Some Pilots undergo so much trauma when Linked that they fall into a coma. And if your Exo dies, you die. But Pilots had the greatest masters on the planet who taught them how to focus, master one's mind and fight with your thoughts. Soon Pilots became a very popular way to fight. We even expanded our borders around the Everest, Fuji, Kilimanjaro and Saint Elias Colonies. Hopefully, with the arrival of more and more Pilots, we can push back even further.
Aliens, named Exos, have taken over the world. The Exos have terraformed the Earth to such a point that the air at sea level is not breathable by humans. The remnants of humanity has retreated to the peaks of mountains, where the air is much thinner and better to breath. They captured a few Exos and found a way to use the aliens as weapons to fight back by bonding an Exo brain to a child's with a Psychic Link. This process is called Synergy, and it requires the child to fall asleep and dream in order to master their Exo. Children who have the ability to achieve Synergy are called Pilots. The Colonies established on Mount Everest have begun mandatory recruitment of Pilots. This is their story.
The Old World we once knew and loved is gone. Elders tell of a time when the earth was green with life, not gray with ashes. They say the rivers used to be good for drinking, but now they are poisoned. And people, like you and me, used to live in big, metal cities and sleep in towers that reached into the sky. It was all before they arrived, consuming it all.
Nobody really knows where they came from. Some people say it was another planet, others say another dimension. The first ships where treated like angels descending from the heavens, until they showed what they really came here for. Not peace, but war. The largest cities where the first to be taken by these... Exos. New York, London and Tokyo. All gone in the first few days. Then they moved on to the rest of the world, expanding their borders until nothing wasn't there's except for a few secluded areas, just like Oasis. Obviously our military didn't stand a chance, Exos destroyed every army on the face of the planet. Then they continued on, building giant factories to change the air we breathed and the water we drank. They wanted to make the world look more like home, so they did. We were forced to retreat to the highest mountains, where the air was better.
But we wouldn't let them beat us that easily, would we? With strong leaders, like Tsaro Platik and Kata Mansour, we resisted, and eventually made a few breakthroughs. We captured a few Exos, and started experimenting. Now, thanks to scientists like Kith Varo we know who they are, under their armor. We know what they're made of, and how their bodies work. Garu, the one eyed man, was even able to hijack one of their ships, and establish communication and trade between The Colonies. But the greatest achievement we made so far is Synergy.
One day, Professor Varo was working on an Exo brain, and he found something interesting. It was a nervous gland with a thin opening in it. It looked kind of like a computer drive and allowed the exchange of information with the outside world. This gland could have signals from someone else's brain transmitted to the alien through something they called a Psychic Link.
Basically, they put a helmet on your head that let's you control one of the Exos. And that's Synergy! This discovery triggered the hunt among our people, the Hunt for Pilots.
You see, not just anyone can Link. To Link, you need to have the right mind for it. Your nerves still need to be malleable, so the Exo can accept your brain waves. That's why children, around the time they reach puberty, are most likely to be pilots. And so, it became mandatory to test your child to see if they could become a Pilot. And those that could, well, they were drafted to fight off the Exos. Being a Pilot was no easy task though. When Linking, Pilots fall into a deep sleep and cannot be awakened from the outside. The only way to break the Link is from within. Some Pilots undergo so much trauma when Linked that they fall into a coma. And if your Exo dies, you die. But Pilots had the greatest masters on the planet who taught them how to focus, master one's mind and fight with your thoughts. Soon Pilots became a very popular way to fight. We even expanded our borders around the Everest, Fuji, Kilimanjaro and Saint Elias Colonies. Hopefully, with the arrival of more and more Pilots, we can push back even further.
Dusk
Oasis, Everest Colonies, Mount Everest
Jan ran through the snowy streets of Oasis with his little paper dragon, his dusty blonde hair bouncing up and down. His friends Mik and Rainer followed close behind with their's. The boys had just visited the wise Master Shiniu, who taught them how to create the dragons. They where much too young to be taught the skills of Senso, the art of combat, so instead the Master occupied his time by teaching the young boys about patience, discipline and mastery of one's will.
"My dragon breathes fire on your dragon!" said Mik, flaunting his red paper dragon.
"Well mine flies high in the clouds where you can't catch him!" said Rainer, flying his blue dragon over Mik's head.
"Well my dragon shoots a lightning bolt at your dragon and then attacks Jan's dragon!" responded Mik. "Blam!"
"I can't stay and play, guys. Jan told his friends, folding his paper dragon and putting it into his pocket." I have to go home right now."
"Aw, that's ok, see ya around." Mik said.
"Yeah, see ya." said Rainer, running down the street with his paper dragon.
When Jan got to the hovel that he lived in, he opened the door very quietly, not to wake his parents.
"You understand, don't you?" an unfamiliar voice spoke from the small kitchen around the corner of the hall. Jan decided to hide behind the wall and listen to what they were saying.
"Yes, of course we do."
"What we're doing is for the greater good, for the bettering of our people, for the protection of future generations."
"But... I'm scared. What if he doesn't come back."
"Honey, listen. You know it's mandatory. Let's just give them what they want."
"Kep you know what happened to the last ones they took."
"Mom? Dad?" What's going on?" Jan stepped into the kitchen to see his parents and a strong looking soldier.
"Oh, Jan, you're back. I didn't expect you to be home so early."
"Who is he?"
"Jan," his father kneeled down before him, "do you remember that day we tested you? Well..." Jan's mother started to cry. "Well it looks like you've got what it takes."
"Jan Kittag, I need you to come with me." the soldier said.
"No, but, but I don't wanna go."
"I'm sorry, son. It's the rule. Don't make this hard."
"The soldier grabbed Jan's arm and started pulling him to the door. Jan resisted as much as possible but he was overwhelmed by the soldiers strength. The man pulled him onto the path before the hovel.
"Let me go!" He yelled repeatedly, "Mom! Dad!" meanwhile his parents where sobbing in the doorway as their son disappeared into the night sky. When would they see him again? Nobody could tell.
Oasis, Everest Colonies, Mount Everest
Jan ran through the snowy streets of Oasis with his little paper dragon, his dusty blonde hair bouncing up and down. His friends Mik and Rainer followed close behind with their's. The boys had just visited the wise Master Shiniu, who taught them how to create the dragons. They where much too young to be taught the skills of Senso, the art of combat, so instead the Master occupied his time by teaching the young boys about patience, discipline and mastery of one's will.
"My dragon breathes fire on your dragon!" said Mik, flaunting his red paper dragon.
"Well mine flies high in the clouds where you can't catch him!" said Rainer, flying his blue dragon over Mik's head.
"Well my dragon shoots a lightning bolt at your dragon and then attacks Jan's dragon!" responded Mik. "Blam!"
"I can't stay and play, guys. Jan told his friends, folding his paper dragon and putting it into his pocket." I have to go home right now."
"Aw, that's ok, see ya around." Mik said.
"Yeah, see ya." said Rainer, running down the street with his paper dragon.
When Jan got to the hovel that he lived in, he opened the door very quietly, not to wake his parents.
"You understand, don't you?" an unfamiliar voice spoke from the small kitchen around the corner of the hall. Jan decided to hide behind the wall and listen to what they were saying.
"Yes, of course we do."
"What we're doing is for the greater good, for the bettering of our people, for the protection of future generations."
"But... I'm scared. What if he doesn't come back."
"Honey, listen. You know it's mandatory. Let's just give them what they want."
"Kep you know what happened to the last ones they took."
"Mom? Dad?" What's going on?" Jan stepped into the kitchen to see his parents and a strong looking soldier.
"Oh, Jan, you're back. I didn't expect you to be home so early."
"Who is he?"
"Jan," his father kneeled down before him, "do you remember that day we tested you? Well..." Jan's mother started to cry. "Well it looks like you've got what it takes."
"Jan Kittag, I need you to come with me." the soldier said.
"No, but, but I don't wanna go."
"I'm sorry, son. It's the rule. Don't make this hard."
"The soldier grabbed Jan's arm and started pulling him to the door. Jan resisted as much as possible but he was overwhelmed by the soldiers strength. The man pulled him onto the path before the hovel.
"Let me go!" He yelled repeatedly, "Mom! Dad!" meanwhile his parents where sobbing in the doorway as their son disappeared into the night sky. When would they see him again? Nobody could tell.
