"Welcome back to Carsonville Radio. The weather is perfect for the start of the harvest season."

- First of Maximum Messis

The sky was bright blue as the southern mesas gleamed with joy at the feeling of warmth as the early morning water cascading down their weathered faces. The clouds were light and fluffy, casting shadows unto the surface of the world as if they believed themselves mighty. They believed what they truly knew incorrect, as man found itself on this small rock floating without care in the void of space. There, man has learned to build and mold their societies into the land, preventing any disasters that could cause pain and strife...

A pain that they had no need for.

"It's been a few years since Earth colonized our little Shiloh," Daniel said, looking out of the vehicle's window. He brushed his brown hair back and wiped the sweat from his porcelain forehead.

"And since the ArcheTECHt Core started making its home here," Michael added frustratedly, turning the wheel and the car onto the Mesa Freeway.

"And every other colonized planet in the galaxy," he muttered again, quickly tapping the wheel with his large, pale hands.

"The day is perfect!" Brian exclaimed, jumping up in the front passenger seat. "We should totally open the roof today!" Michael tapped Brian on the shoulder with his left side as he continued driving with his right.

"Not today. The leftover rain will get in from the mesa-arch formations."

"Dude! Don't you want some of the fresh air? Earth wasn't as clean as this. You should enjoy it!"

Michael sighed, grabbing the steering wheel and looking down, shaking his head.

"Ask Dan if he wants to," Michael said, scratching the brown stubble on his chin. Brian turned around as quick as he could, grabbing the seat for support.

"You want the top down?" he asked, attempting to make puppy eyes with his brown eyes.

"It'd be a waste not to have it open on a day like this," Daniel said. Brian turned back around and clenched his fists, jumping up and down. Michael rolled his bright, blue eyes and pressed a bright button next to his steering wheel.

The top of the car started to slide backwards into the trunk, revealing the beautiful mesa archways hanging over the highway. The sun's rays shined into the gleaming raindrops holding on to the clay. The sky was blue, and the clouds were few.

Daniel grabbed the back of the driver side seat, ignoring the protests from the larger and more fearsome Michael and looked into the sky wide-eyed and smiling.

"It's so beautiful!" he yelled, breathing in the fresh air. "No wonder our grandparents moved here thirty years ago!"

Michael eyed the rear-view mirror and smirked, whipping his short, blonde hair back and forth as he shook his head before centering his attention back onto the road. As Daniel and Brian continued to stare wide-eyed into the sky, Michael quietly elbowed Brian in the side to get his attention.

"We should tell Daniel the real reason why our grandparents moved here," Michael whispered. Brian sighed, sticking his sneakers on the dashboard and folded his arms behind his head.

"Do you realize what that would do to him?" Brian asked, not even giving Michael a look. "Let him enjoy this and figure out the truth on his own. What harm could that do?"

"That's what I'm afraid of, Brian," Michael said, driving off the freeway and onto the trio's exit. "I'm afraid that it will devastate him."

"But what if⎯"

"Guys..." Daniel said, scaring the sense into Michael and Brian. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," Michael said, pressing the button by his steering wheel, causing the canopy to cover the car. Brian dropped his feet from the dashboard and grabbed his seat, turning around.

"We're just talking about how beautiful it is outside," Brian assured, smiling. "And guess who is working outside with his family today?" The car stopped in front of a large farmhouse with two people standing outside, waving.

"You are," Brian said, kicking Daniel out of the car and slamming the door.

"We'll see you at the festival today!" Michael yelled, waving his hand out the window. As quick as they pushed Daniel out of the car was as quick as they drove off, kicking up dust in Daniel's eyes. He turned around only with a pat on the back and his dad saying, "Let's get to work."

Hours upon hours were spent harvesting Daniel's family's large plot of land, spanning more than six square kilometers, but because of the new harvesting vehicles they obtained just the year before, they finished in no time at all. However, due to the harsh midday sun, Daniel just couldn't take it anymore.

I can't wait until my friends come back to pick me up for the festival, he thought to himself.

Feeling quite lightheaded after riding a machine that did the work itself all day, somehow, Daniel felt ill. How had he felt ill if he had done no work whatsoever? There is little to no answer to that question. Daniel would always ask himself why, as no one else seems to have that problem, but he always disregards it as some sort of hypochondriac paranoia. He isn't that weak, and he knows that.

To be honest, feeling ill was the least of his worries right now. As of now, Daniel was more concerned about everyone forgetting his birthday! Today was his twenty-first birthday, and he is finally old enough to enlist in the military. His whole colony was poor, and his family was no exception. They weren't dirt poor, per sé, but they were poor enough not to be able to get off-world. Realizing this when he was little, Daniel vowed to join the military, more specifically, the KOTEGH (Kō-têh), or better known as the Knights of the Earth's Glorious Hand.

KOTEGH was the TUOH (To-you-oh), or The Union of Humanity's special military regiment in charge of galactic peace keeping and scientific research. It was made up of numerous guilds, each with their own agenda. It was hard to join KOTEGH, however, as you would have to be recommended by a current member and have a minimum military rank of sergeant. The achievement of sergeant is the easiest of the two, as the current members had accomplished great things. The satisfaction of joining the military was only given to signees that were twenty-one years of age.

To Daniel's satisfaction, he is technically twenty-one today, but no one has recognized his feat of survival. If only everyone would idolize this day as well as him being inducted into the military would he be fully satisfied.

He digressed, however, as no one seemed to care that it was his birthday.

They'll care, he thought to himself. Once I join the military, then they'll care.

He disregarded his previous train of thought, as no one would ever give a damn about him joining the military. He⎯

"We're back!" Brian yelled, slapping the side of the car.

"Get in the car so we can leave!" Michael yelled angrily. In hindsight, he wasn't the most easy-going person in Daniel's little trio of friends.

Dan smiled and ran towards them, jumping into the back seat of the car as they drove off. Brian turned around the passenger side seat and smiled maniacally.

"She may be there," he said. Daniel's eyes opened wide.

By "she", Brian means the love of Daniel's short, twenty-one-year life span. She hasn't noticed him forever, as far as he knows. He's known her since they were both four years old or so. It mattered, as far as he was concerned.

"I heard that she isn't going to be joining the military like her father," Michael said. Daniel's heart sank a little.

"Yeah," Brian said. "She's going to the SO to be a news reporter."

"You mean the System of Origin?" Daniel asked.

"No," Michael said, "He meant sex offender. YES! He meant System of Origin." Brian chuckled.

"Wow..." Daniel muttered. "Thanks guys..."

As soon as that very brash comment was uttered from Michael's lips, the car swerved into a parking spot off of the fair ground. Twenty meters from their own parking spot was the entrance way, spiked into the dusty and rather sandy ground. Three ribbons of red, gold, and blue were draped from the entrance way sign that read, "Shiloh Fair". Each ribbon signified the main trio of celestial objects that Earth colonized first, before reaching outwards throughout the galaxy: Mars, Venus, and Saturn's moon Europa. They also signified courage, leadership, and valor, something KOTEGH exemplified.

"Brian..." Michael muttered as Daniel plastered himself onto the window of the car.

"I got this," Brian said as he got out of the car and opened Daniel's door. He subsequently fell onto the ground and scrambled to his feet.

"We're at the fair!" Daniel yelled happily.

"Restrain him while I go park," Michael said to Brian. "You know where he is going to go."

"Relax!" Brian yelled, waving his hand. "He won't leave until I⎯"

"You lost him!" Michael groaned. Brian slapped his face and wiped down.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

***

Daniel must've been so excited to join the military that he was first in line at the booth.

Maybe first in line is a little too complimentary.

He was the only one at the booth. He was very sure that he is the only one in the history of Shiloh that ever wanted to be recruited to the military.

"You want to join the military, son?!" the recruiter yelled. He flexed the muscles in his throat as he unnecessarily yelled.

"Yes, sir."

"What's your name, son?!"

"Daniel Young," Daniel stuttered. The recruiter looked him straight in the eye, delving into his very soul. After a while of tension between Daniel and the recruiter, the recruiter's veins in his neck relaxed, allowing Daniel a sigh of relief.

"Dan!" someone yelled from a distance away. He turned to find Brian and Michael finally catching up to him.

"What the hell, man?!" Michael yelled.

"You know what you are getting into?!" Brian yelled, grabbing Daniel's shirt collar and shaking him back and forth. "You may get killed or worse if you join the military!"

"Son?" the recruiter asked.

"Don't leave us!" Brian yelled. Michael stared at him.

"Son?" the recruiter asked a little louder.

"Please!"

"I don't know what your deal is, son, but show this man some respect!" the recruiter yelled as Michael dragged Brian back. "He is now officially part of the military!" Daniel's eyes opened wide.

"When should I report in, sir?" Daniel asked with giddy anticipation.

"Report in to the Carsonville Municipal Building at oh-eight hundred hours, soldier!" Brian gasped.

"You are now a TUOH soldier!"