Here it is, my Sci-fi story. And the really cool bit is, I got A+ on this

Willpower

"Soldier! What do you think you're doing?" Rob rounded on the newcomer, who remained silent. "Soldier, do you want to be court-marshalled? Answer a superior officer! Who are you?" The newcomer scuffed their boot-covered feet.

"S-sir... I mean, sir," his voice dropped from squeaky to low, but Rob ignored it, leaving it for contemplation later. "Sir, I'm new. Name's Ethan… Ethan King, sir. Was told to go on patrol with your unit, sir." Rob nodded to the soldier before switched his helmet's comm link to only be heard in the newcomer's helmet.

"Don't screw around with me, Ethan. Do as you're ordered and we'll deal with your identity when we get back. Stick close to Corporal Travis and don't shoot anything unless you're told. You better know how to use that blaster you're holding, soldier." Ethan King nodded and moved to where Corporal Joe Travis was standing. Rob switched his comm back to everyone and told them all to move forward. They crept through the dead lands.



The patrol was uneventful. Ethan King obeyed orders, Corporal Joe Travis watched him and Sergeant Rob Lascin and his patrol didn't meet anything unusual. The landscape hadn't changed and there had been no rogue movements. General Sean Xars would be happy.

They got back to the city and entered the air lock. The patrol walked through the next air lock and into their locker room to de-gear. Ethan lagged behind and Rob and Joe frogged marched him in once the rest had left.

"So, who are you really?" Rob growled at Ethan once he had removed his helmet. Ethan tried to look nonchalant and muttered that he was Ethan King.

"Yeah, and I'm the President. Remove your helmet, soldier."

Ethan stuttered. "Don't make us do it for you," Joe warned. Ethan's hands very slowly crept to his helmet.
"Let's go, Private." Rob stared fixedly at him as he raised his helmet.

Bright red hair fell down.



A week had passed.
Faith Xars looked up from the holographic imager she was repairing into the face of her History teacher.
It was not a pretty sigh.

"Faith..."
"Sir?" Why do they always have to do this, Faith pondered, you've got my attention, so finish your damn sentence!
"Faith, can you tell me what is happening today?"
"The supply ship is coming, sir."
"Good. Now can you tell me what starship you will be spending the next year on from Augustine?"
"The Willpower, sir." She was already counting down the days.
"Well done. Now then, what have we just been discussing in this History lesson, Faith?"

Busted. She had a vague idea and tried to extrapolate it in her mind at lightning speed.
"Ahhh... The History of the Earth, sir. The year 1969, first man on the moon with the year," Faith quickly interpreted her friend Michael's sign language of the year, "2169, first luxury space liner. We were comparing them, seeing how far people had come in 200 years, sir."



"You deserve a medal, Faith. I know you weren't paying attention in there, how in a zillitroid did you get that right?" Michael patted Faith on the back and congratulated her. Faith just wanted Augustine to come so she could get away.

Her thoughts were cut short, however, by the appearance of Rob outside the school. This just didn't seem to be her day.

"Sergeant." She nodded to him, noticing his military issued SpeederBike-L12 behind him.
"Don't say a word, Faith. Joe and I have been covering for 'Ethan's' little visit last week, now it's your turn." Rob whispered in her ear, Faith fought hard to remain calm. "I know you're just a female, but I'm not your father, I know that girls might just have some talent after all. The Ethan stunt was incredibly dangerous and I don't ever want to see it done again, you could have gotten my entire patrol and yourself killed! But..." Rob paused, "But Ethan King needs to report to Corporal Travis at 1800."



The squad turned and stared. Ethan saluted Joe.
"Private." Joe nodded to him. "Welcome to the graveyard shift. We go on patrol of sector 3, quadrant 4 at 2300. We'll be back at 0100. Our shift ends at 0600. This is a long shift today, which is why we're starting at 2200 not 0000. Supply ship's coming, they need extra men on. I see you've already geared up, Private. I'm about to go do it," Joe Travis winked, "I'll fill you in then." Ethan nodded and Joe went to put on his armour. Rob arrived.

On the private channel, Rob said, "You know how to hack in, right?"



The wires crossed. Ethan King sat at a computer terminal he should never have seen, let alone know of. Faith used the hacker alias 'Feuille' and shut down the security web.

She had a vague felling she shouldn't be doing this. She overruled it with the memory of the day rule 225 had come in.

"Advance stage A." She whispered into her comm link and watched on her screen as the tiny green lights showed up where Joe planted the microchips as he crept.

Faith blanked her mind of emotions. She must not fail. Only one man shall die tonight.



Rob felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He approached the laser gate and waited for Faith's confirmation. When it came he crept further forward, signalling to his half of the handpicked team he and Joe had chosen.

Faith guided them through the maze of the dome that was the Army Barracks. From one of the vantage-points he'd had he'd been able to see the main dome of the city, locking the oxygen and people in, from another the Dead Lands, what was left outside. The lack of plants and water a chilling reminder of what people had done.

Faith shut down the next barrier and he motioned for the team to move forward. His little assassins crept into the bowels of society.



"Hold your positions. ETA 3.2minutes. Arm weapons and wait for the order." Rob strained his ears to hear Faith's voice, awaiting the countdown. As soon as the ETA was under a minute he would have to give the call. He couldn't wait.

"2:49... 2:27... 2:15... 2:07, 06, 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 2min ETA." Joe armed his blaster and checked his team's positions. All was prepared. He was nervous, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"ETA 1:30... 1:15... 1:08, 07, 06, 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 1min ETA. On Rob's mark." Faith's hand trembled slightly at the terminal.
"Fire at will, boys. If you have the shot, take it. We are aiming to kill. Don't get caught in any cross-fire and only aim for the target." Rob raised his rifle, flicked the safety and stared into the sight.
"Elevator door will open in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Door open. He's turning the corner now. He's the one on the right, boys."

The target rounded the corner. Rob saw his shot. He fired. The 'bullet' carved its way through the air.



Anthea didn't know what happened. One minute she was chatting away, the next her partner was on the ground oozing blood.

She tried to do everything at once. She went to grab her phaser, stop her partner bleeding and raise the alarm in one go. With a phaser that was missing it's power coupling and transformer, and Faith stopping any alarm that tried to go out of that block, the only productive thing she could have done was stop the bleeding. Instead, she turned and ran back to the elevator Faith had jammed on that level.

The little assassins crawled back into the repair and access tunnels, Rob shutting them behind him.

Down on the ground, Major Sean Xars groaned softly. Then he died.



Augustine arrived. Sergeant-Major Rob Lascin took his newly adopted daughter, Faith Xars, to the docking bay.

The Willpower was majestic. It was huge. Faith fell in love immediately. Rob gently led her to customs.

“I got you something, kid.” Rob handed her a micro disc.
“What is it?”
“Hacker codes. More than you could imagine. Alpha Century is a hacker’s dream.” He winked, “Have fun, kid.”

Faith felt her life was just beginning. The Willpower lifted off the ground. Faith looked out over the domes and wastelands, all that was left of Earth.

She giggled. “Goodbye, father.”