"What type of tower is it?"
I turn to Dorian, giving him a small shrug.
"I'm not totally sure but it seems quite old and on the brink of collapse. I think it's an old watchtower or something."
Elias looks at me, his lips curling into a smile.
"If it's an old watchtower, it should have some good loot inside."
I give him a firm nod.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. We'll need to be careful though, a building that big and obvious has probably already gained a few occupiers."
Theodore flashes me a grand smile and pats my back.
"What a great find! Im glad I made this deal with you. All four of us should go after breakfast, we can leave Hank, Ava, and Layla here to watch the base."
Zane shakes his head.
"Im all for the idea, but let's not rush in blindly. What are we gonna do if people already live there?"
Dorian gives him a little nudge with his elbow.
"If people already live there, I doubt they'll notice if a few things go missing" he says, releasing a small chuckle.
"Already resorting back to thievery?" Theodore chimes in.
"Cmon old man, we're all thieves and criminals, we might as well embrace our true nature."
Hearing his words, Theodore scratches his beard.
"What do you think Achilles?" Elias asks.
I release a sigh, brushing back my oily hair.
"We should scout the place first, maybe moving in at sun set under the cover of the zombies. If there are people, we should try our best to rob them without getting caught, and if there isn't, we can just loot the place, maybe leaving a few people behind to claim the tower."
Theodore nods his head.
"Not a bad plan, but I don't know if we have the man power to do that. Our group is quite small. First, we should just see if anyone occupies it, then we can decide what to do."
The rest of the men nod in agreement.
"Well then, we've got to prepare." I say, turning towards the men. "We've got a long day ahead of us."
...
Leaving the treehouse, Dorian, Elias, and I all carry stuffed backpacks and sacks filled with food, water, and other equipment we might need. Zane on the other carries a machete in his left hand, along with Hanks old revolver in his right. He stands with me in front of the group, helping lead us through the forest.
Theodore, like usual carries his old rifle and staggers behind the group, watching our flank.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Dorian asks, stepping over a fallen log.
I sigh.
"Yes, according to my map, we're only a few miles away."
"A few miles is still a long distance." Elias chimes in.
I ignore him, continuing to direct Zane as he hacks at the vegetation with his machete.
Honestly, I'm quite jealous. That treehouse was as big as a mansion and held so much loot! I can't help but sulk,
"Our ancestors used to walk tens of miles everyday." Theodore comments, scanning our surroundings.
"Yeah, but those ancestors lived thousands of years ago." Dorian retorts, following us through the undergrowth.
Zane stops for a moment, looking back at the men.
"All of you from the Aeperium's central planets are weak. You're lucky that you're smart. Back on my planet, at the Aeperium's border, we were attacked by alien hordes every month. Our entire population is trained to defend against them."
I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms as I listen to his words.
"Your from the border planets?"
He looks at me, his pride evident in his expression.
"That's right, you couldn't tell based off my looks? I thought it was uncommon for people like me to be found near the Aeperium's core."
I give him an innocent and curious look as I attempt to learn more about my new allies.
"I wouldn't know. Im not from the Aeperium."
"Really?" Zane asks as he goes back to chopping away at the vegetation.
"Yeah, I'm from the republic of Terra. I was taken as a prisoner."
"No way." Dorian says. "Were you a soldier?"
I take a moment to look back at him. I needed to make my story look believable, but also line up with what I told John.
"I was drafted." I respond, releasing an exaggerated sigh. "They took me from my home, armed me and sent me off to war. I was eventually captured once the Aeperium took Desolux, bringing me here."
Zane looks at me, his expression filled with a mix of complex emotions. I can't tell if he feels sympathy, anger, nor disdain.
"I was taken prisoner here after attempting to dodge the Aeperium's draft."
Elias gives him a curious look.
"Isn't the penalty for that death, why would you do that?"
"It's supposed to be, but luckily for me, the chancellor decided to hold his 'freedom games,' and chose me as a competitor. Our people are tuff, but we've long been used as weapons of war. Our race's genetics are perfect for battle. We are large, strong, and capable, yet we never receive any of the profits. When my clan received word of the draft, we went into hiding. We were sick of fighting. We are people to. We are human to. We are not some blind soldiers men like you all can order around. We have emotions, values and even pride."
I give Zane a nod of understanding as we continue down an old trail. Zane's story wasn't uncommon. Even years ago, before we ever took to the stars, humanity was separated by race and skin color. Now isn't much different, but with markings rather than the color of people's skin.
"What about you Elias?" I ask, trying my best to act natural.
"Hmmm, well my parents died when I was very young. They didn't have much money, and I didn't really have any other family. It didn't take long for debt to come and reclaim the house, leaving me broke and homeless. Fast forward a few years on the streets, I joined a small street gang and resorted to a life of crime. I would rob, steal, pickpocket, and even kill. I was doing well, but then one morning I heard a knock on apartment door. Opening it, I found the police. Someone from the gang snitched, outing the rest of us to the cops, resulting in me being sent here to participate in-whatever the fuck this is."
I bob my head as I listen to his story. It was much like Johns.
Elias turns, giving Dorian a pressing look.
After a while, he finally opened up.
"Fine, since we're all talking about our origins, I grew up in an old run down orphanage on a small moon of a random uninhabited planet. Like Elias, I was very poor. The orphanage would try it's best, but it was hard for it to raise money. Everyone else in the orphanage was like family to me. All the workers, volunteers, and even the children. I hated seeing them starve. At dawn, I'd sneak out the orphanage and explore the neighborhood. I'd look for empty houses, easy targets to steal from. I felt like that one hero, what was his name?"
"Robin hood?" I ask, interested in his story.
"Yeah, him. I loved returning with food and seeing the smiles on my friends faces. One day however, I snuck in to a home, thinking that it was empty. Next thing I know, this large man comes stumbling down the stairs, finding me in his kitchen. He attacked me, and I defended myself, taking a knife from his knife block and thrusting it into his neck. After that, I returned back to the orphanage, only to found by the caretakers covered in blood. After that, I was sent to prison for many years, until I was recently transferred onto this ship. Now, i'm here."
The group is silent. His story hits deep. He's a peasant, yet even I, a vicar's son seem to have sympathy for him.
My eyes drift back to the only person left. Old man Theodore.
he looks at us, his expression seemingly full of suspicion.
"Will you tell us about yourself?" Elias asks, breaking the silence
The old man sighs as he scratches his white beard.
"No, it is my story to tell, and now is not the time. Look up, we're here."