The Colors of War: White

“Humanity, a species characterized by love, anger, greed, creativity, and curiosity” were words my father not only spoke but deeply believed, as my mother conveyed to me. Like many individuals of our generation, my brother and I did not have the opportunity to grow up with our father. I was merely four years old when my mother, holding my newborn brother, received the somber news of my father’s passing from two uniformed men. My parents’ initial encounter occurred during their youth, amidst their respective contributions to the Colonial Sol Alliance’s protracted conflict with the United Earth Frontier. My mother, a distinguished scientist, specialized in the advancement of FTL technology, while my father served as a dedicated squad leader within the marine corps. Their marriage transpired six months subsequent to their meeting, and I was born eighteen months thereafter. On the day of his demise, my father, who had attained the rank of platoon sergeant, was deployed to a CSA colony on Venus to facilitate evacuation efforts during an assault by UEF forces. He and the remaining members of his platoon voluntarily sacrificed themselves to afford the surviving colonists sufficient time to board the final vessel, an endeavor that proved successful. In 3142, following five decades of conflict, both factions ratified a treaty to unify under the Sol System Alliance, thereby concluding what was designated the Reunification War. With the establishment of this newfound peace, the SSA initiated a new colonization program to expand beyond our system. Two decades thereafter, the colony ship Mayflower became the inaugural vessel to embark on the mission to colonize humanity’s first exoplanet. As a 25-year-old Sergeant in the marines, I was assigned to one of the three escort ships for this mission, which is scheduled to commence its next phase upon our arrival in two days.