CHAPTER ONE: THE SHELTER

A cracking of lightning. The powerful god lands at the temple gates, he draws his hands, forming an orb and filling it with energy, and he blasts the gates. Inside, a battle between the gods and sentinels of Endock rages on. Sounds of metals clashing, fire consumes the temple grounds, his entrance caused the fight to seize for a moment. A sentinel comes charging at him, the god grabs him by the head strangling him to death.

Suddenly, the ground starts shaking, and out of the ground emerges the god, Throne. The sentinels were struck out of balance, and he ferociously grabbed two sentinels by the waist and crushed their bones. He grabbed his axe from his back and joined the fight.

The gods laid waste to the temple of Krusant. They forced their way forward to the heart, killing anything in their path, man or beast. The gods were about to face an unexpected kind of mortal. In front of them stood a sentinel armed with two swords, they were amused. The god-leader, Pairus commands Omar'a, a brute to kill the sentinel.

He smirks and engages the sentinel in a fight, he raises his arm to pound the sentinel but he dodges. This was no ordinary sentinel, trained in the way of Zuan. The sentinel attempts to stab Omar'a but he was fast, he punches the sentinel from behind sending him against a pillar. Omar'a rushes towards him but he rolls over. The Sentinel lands a kick to the god's face, he slides far enough to avoid the god's fist. Omar'a enraged, summoned a hammer, forming from the air and he sends it right at him, crossing his swords Omar'a quickly sways it to the sentinel's rib. Dazed, the god uppercuts the sentinel sending him flying through the air.

Omar'a picks the sentinel by the leg and swings him to his back. Omar'a entered the sacred chambers where the other gods were. There, Lord Pairus was torturing a high priest, pulling his leg and ripping him apart. He grabs a miniature statue of Omar'a and tossed it to him. They both laughed, Omar'a pressed a finger against the sentinel's chest. He tries to remove the helmet on the sentinel but it didn't work, he gets frustrated and throws him across the room.

Inside his armor, the sentinel was sending a distress beacon.

THREE WEEKS EARLIER

DAY ONE.

The inhabitants of Endock had fled to Morach, a planet on the outskirts of the Morin star system. The sentinels had reduced in numbers since the first massacre.

General Hutch Kitson, has planned an expedition to Krusant. In a conference room were seven chairs, each for the masters of the military. He sits in the middle chair, elevated higher than the others. With his helmet placed on the right arm of the chair, hand held his hand with his elbows resting on the arms.

A sentinel walks in, General Hutch stands, and the sentinel bows to his knee before the council.

"Captain Jacobs, your show of bravery at the temple has earned you the full trust of the council. The people are grateful for your loyalty..." General Hutch pauses, as he walks down Jacobs, collecting a tablet and handing it over to him. " ... you and your team are to go on a mission to Krusant, the scientists have been able to trace the location of an artifact. They believe that it will help us have an edge in the war."

" Our people have always been feared by thousands of worlds, Captain. We cannot afford to lose this war, you know what it means if we do..." Jacobs nods his head as Lieutenant General Bizmah spoke "... It is dire to our existence."

" Your team has the strategic combination of everything the mission needs. You are to go to an Outpost on Mount Griffin. There, we suspect is the location of the artifact believed to be made by the Old Lords of Endock." General Hutch adds.

Jacobs was leaving the room when General Hutch said a gut-wrenching statement.

"And oh! bring back a souvenir."

He knew what exactly it meant, the words kept echoing in his mind as he left the room.

DAY TWO.

Jacobs was prepping for the mission when Brooks entered his tent. The young sentinel has been a brother to Jacobs since they were kids, and Brooks looked up to him. He stood straight with his chin up and saluted Jacobs.

"I heard we have a mission, Captain"

"Put your hand down Brooks, and stop with the formalities."

"I don't want the Colonel to see me off character" he laughed.

"Well..." Jacobs clicks his tongue"... he is training the recruits."

" Quibs said the ship is ready and umm, Jeno is at the encampment burial grounds"

" Since last night?"

"Yes"

"I'll get him. Tell the team to meet me at the ground for a briefing."

Brooks walks out. Jacobs wore his armor and stares at his helmet, it has been almost a year since the first massacre but he remembers it like it happened yesterday. He could still hear the wailing people and the ashes that fell from the sky. The helmet was a reminder of the constant struggle for balance like the engravings on it. It was made of Grania, a rear metal found only on a moon orbiting Farland. With a crest of the sentinels carved at the back of the helmet and on the front was a pattern, a double crossing of lines intersecting in the middle with irregular curves protruding at the top and bottom of the intersection. The carving was painted with gold, while the helmet was coated in silver. The helmet covered the whole face, innovated in advanced technology, which allowed for a great range of features.

The armor was also made of Grania and golden lines are drawn on it. This was a common feature for all the sentinels, except on the helmet where the carvings were distinct from one another in pattern and color according to the squadron and rank of the sentinel.