The forest was blanketed by a thick fog, giving the giant leaves a deep emerald hue. Beads of clear water covered the leaves, making them look as if they were coated in tiny jewels. The droplets went flying as Kei unceremoniously pushed a platter-sized leaf out of her path, uninterested in the mundane details of her environment. Grumbling angrily to herself, she trudged through the muggy forest. Soaked in sweat and rain, her charcoal-grey bodysuit stuck to her uncomfortably. Grabbing a chunk of wet fabric near her neck, she tried to release some of the unbearable heat trapped beneath the dark material. Slung over her shoulder was a slightly rusted, military-grade sniper rifle. The large weapon made navigating the thick forest even more challenging. In the distance, an unseen bird sent out a sharp whistle.

“Just another routine perimeter check,” mumbled Kei in a mocking tone. She paused for a minute, slipping a crisp, white tracking device from her pocket. “Only a hundred feet or so, but I’ll probably walk right past it. I can’t see a thing in this filthy undergrowth.” She continued through the forest, swatting at the luminescent blue flies circling her head. A distant gunshot rang out, silencing the alien wildlife. Immediately, she ducked down, her golden eyes scanning the mist-covered forest for a sign of life. She gripped the strap of her gun tightly. She heard shouts echoing through the dense green overgrowth. She backed into the shelter of a fallen log, pressing herself against the mossy bark. For several seconds, the only noise was the sound of Kei’s rapid breathing. Then more gunshots shattered the quiet, and someone came barreling through the jungle. The dark figure came into her view, but was taken down by a bullet. He collapsed onto the forest floor and was swallowed by the undergrowth. Kei stared at the body, her golden eyes filled with terror. A powerful hand grabbed her arm and spun her around. Kei stared into a pale, freckled face.

“Lux?” she said to her comrade. “What happened?” Lux’s red hair stuck to his head, flattened by the heavy moisture.

“The rebels . . . we need to go back to command,” Lux said. Without waiting for a response, he grasped her thin arm and began pulling her through the wall of leaves. Kei trusted Lux more than any of the other volunteers on Darwin II. Unlike the others, Lux was not only a comrade, but also a friend. She fondly remembered back to her first day on the alien planet.

As a child, Kei had grown up on Earth, only hearing snippets of information about Darwin II. She would eagerly wait for the Universal News report each day she came home from school, craving every fragment of knowledge about the alien world. Unlike many other planets in the Milky Way, Darwin II was strikingly similar to Earth. The shelves of her room were lined with action figures of bizarre alien animals, some of which weren’t that different from the fauna of her home planet. Ever since her youth, Kei endeavored to visit the alien world. Eventually, she joined the Neo-Terra Military Corps, the branch of the army given the task of guarding Earth’s interstellar colonies.

The instant she stepped off the space shuttle, Kei’s heart had leapt with joy. Her eyes absorbed every minute detail of Darwin II. But soon, her childhood fantasies were abruptly torn to pieces by a harsh reality of human nature. The instant Kei’s eyes settled on the strip mine, her heart crumbled. Heavy, rusted machines ripped the ancient trees from their roots and crushed countless species beneath their wheels. They vomited acrid, oily smoke into the air, clogging up the pristine lavender skies of Darwin II.
That night, Kei sat in one of the remaining trees on the outskirts of the compound. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and into her mouth, but she was too distraught to notice. She watched Darwin II’s white sun set through a veil of dark hair. Then, someone put an arm around her shoulder. She instantly recoiled, her teeth bared into a snarl. She turned to see a skinny, pallid boy from her recruit class. His snow-colored skin was dotted with freckles and he looked at her through soft green eyes, the shade of sea glass. He jumped back a little, startled by her venomous glare.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” Kei roared, enraged that someone saw her in this state.
“I was just trying to help,” sputtered the red-headed boy. Then he sighed and said: “I saw you when you came off the shuttle. How you were so excited to explore Darwin II. Then you saw the mine—the destruction of your dream— and your heart was torn to bits.” Kei still leered at him, but he continued anyway. “I know because I was the same way. I desperately wanted to go . . . eh . . . come to Darwin II since I was a little kid. But then I saw how we—humans, I mean—were destroying this place, just like our home world.” His melancholy gaze rested on his hands, which were folded in his lap. A silence stretched between them, only interrupted by the soft music of nocturnal insects. In the dark forest below, Kei spied little neon blue lights, like the fireflies on Earth. Kei remembered them from one of her old copies of Basic Zoology of Darwin II. The tiny nighttime bugs are called Luzdenoche beetles, or simply luz bugs. What captured Kei’s curiosity with luz bugs was that they only appeared on nights when the sky was clear, with no moon or clouds to obscure the countless, glittering stars. This behavior made the luz bugs a bit of a biological anomaly—something humans couldn’t explain. The thought made a tiny smile appear on Kei’s face.
“So what now?” Kei said, wiping away the tears from her puffy eyes. “Do we just do their dirty work?” The red-headed boy nodded sadly.
“What else? We can’t go home, we’re already here.” He said, not looking up.
“I’m Kei,” Kei said, a pitiful smile crossing her dark face.
“I’m Lux,” said the red-headed boy, returning her smile.
From that day on, Lux and Kei had stuck together. They became hardened to the devastation of the new world around them. The Neo-Terra Corps kept them both busy, and the days started to smear together. The days then stretched into months and finally years. Now, Kei’s recruit class had been on Darwin II for two years. With every passing hour, the rainforests on Darwin II were increasingly devoured by the voracious machines of the humans.
A gunshot pulled Kei from her thoughts. She was trailing behind Lux, her dark hair plastered to her face and shoulders.
“Dive!” cried Lux. Kei tried to twist out of the way, but to no avail. Red-hot pain spread up her leg like wildfire. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming in agony. “Kei!” said Lux, his sea-green eyes filled with concern.
“I’m fine!” snapped Kei. She struggled to her feet, but her wounded leg buckled under her weight. With a yelp, she fell back to the drenched earth. Lux’s eyes were trained on her calf, and the color was drained from his face. Kei followed his gaze, and she almost fainted at the sight of her leg. A massive gash was ripped across her leg, and dark, fetid blood was pouring from the cut. “It’s just a graze,” Kei said, forcing her breakfast to stay down. She dug her nails into the wet soil, desperately compelling herself to stay conscious. The yelling was coming closer with every passing second.
“You need help—” started Lux.
“Go back to command!” snarled Kei. “That’s an order!” Clutching her bleeding leg, she dragged herself under the shade of a large green leaf, its edges gilded with dark purple. Lux shook his head and started toward her. “AN ORDER!” Kei yelled. But then her golden eyes softened. “I’ll be fine. Someone needs to tell command that we lost the west tower. You know that we’d be both be killed if you tried to drag me five miles back to the compound.”
“Kei . . . ” Lux started, his gaze falling to the undergrowth.
“This way, we both have a chance of surviving. Honestly,” Kei said, smiling. Lux returned her smile and dashed off into the thick jungle as another gunshot flew past them. Kei watched him run off and then pressed herself up against a tree trunk. She tried in vain to become as small as possible, but her rifle made it difficult. Thick, black mud caked her body and worked its way into the oozing laceration on her leg. A bright green millipede slithered across her foot, making her skin crawl. She felt light-headed as the noise of heavy footsteps came closer. Kei grasped the strap of her rifle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She didn’t have the opportunity to shoot, and any noise would reveal her location.
Burning droplets of sweat ran down her face. Kei could see dark figures through the massive leaves. They moved through the fog like specters—unnatural patches of shadow amidst the white, grey, and green. Her hands began to shake violently, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stifle a sob. A rebel bent down to inspect the damp forest floor—scrutinizing what was undoubtedly her and Lux’s footprints. Kei urged herself to become smaller, trying in vain to become one with the tree trunk she was pushed up against. Her whole body was trembling, and she closed her eyes to steady herself. She pressed her face against the teal moss that covered the tree trunk, breathing in its earthy scent. Be calm Kei told herself, driving her fingers into the plush, turquoise moss. Be calm.
Gruff, angry shouting exploded in the forest near Kei. Her glimmering golden eyes burst open, and she turned to see a mammoth figure walking toward her. Agonizing, gut-wrenching thoughts raced through her head. No. I can’t die. Not yet. Not now! She fumbled with her rifle, her jewel-like eyes riveted on her approaching doom. By the time Kei took aim, the muscular figure was upon her. His amber eyes burned with hatred, and an ugly scar crossed his face. Grabbing her hair, he viciously wretched Kei out from beneath the enormous leaf. He sent a well-aimed fist hurdling right toward one of Kei’s glittering eyes. Unimaginable pain shot through Kei’s skull, and she let out a strangled animal cry. Her attacker tore her rifle from her grip.
“Die, Terra Corps scum,” he growled, aiming Kei’s deteriorated weapon at her own head.
“Hey! Stop!” cried someone from the group of rebels. Through her unmaimed eye, Kei saw someone come forward and restrain her attacker, whispering to him in a hushed tone. She clenched her teeth, primal rage building up inside her. No longer was her body trembling with fear, but with an uncontrollable fury, raring to be released on her assailant. She slipped a small, grey knife from her back pocket. With fiery adrenaline coursing through her veins, Kei lunged at the rebel, driving her lethal blade into his lower back. He sent out a shrill scream and seized Kei’s dark hair, but she drove the filthy fingernails of her free hand into his dark flesh.
“Get this damn girl off me!” exclaimed the scar-faced rebel, trying to push Kei away. It took several strong pairs of hands to rip her from the muscular man. As they dragged her away, she spat a mouthful of putrid blood in his face. Kei kicked, screamed, bit, spat, and swore; but it was no use. She was simply not powerful enough to fight four people. A tall, mousy-haired man yanked the little knife from her blood-soaked hand—the same man that had held back her assailant from murdering her. The same man who had saved her life.
“Well, you’re armed to the teeth, aren’t you?” he said as he calmly examined the dripping knife. He looked at her with glowing, violet eyes. Kei went stiff. This man was disturbingly similar looking to Lux. Other than the differing eye and hair colors, the two could be brothers. They both had the same thin, but muscular, body structure. They had the same fair, freckled skin. The man, noticing how Kei was examining him, gave her a confused look. “My name is Ollie Mang. I am a leader of the DLF, or Darwin II Liberation Front,” said the pale man, extending a hand to Kei.
“Oh, so you have a fancy name now?” snarled Kei, breaking free of her trance. She stared directly into Ollie’s radiant, purple eyes, refusing to be the first to break eye contact. Ollie withdrew his hand, looking slightly hurt. The expression reminded her of Lux. Even though she felt tears forming, she still maintained her eye contact. Finally, Ollie turned away from her, clenching his teeth.
“Let’s go back to base. The Terra Corps will be swarming over this place like maggots in a few minutes,” said Ollie, in a commanding tone. He glanced at Kei. “Eran, bring her back to the base too,” said Ollie, addressing the scar-faced rebel.
“Are you insane?” said Eran, looking over at Kei, his amber eyes wide like a scared animal’s. “She almost killed me! If I weren’t wearing the vest, I’d be dead! DEAD!”
“I thought rebels weren’t scared of death,” Kei sneered, relishing Eran’s fear.
“Well, then you obviously don’t know anything about us,” said Ollie, coldly. “Jaria, you bring her.” Instantly, a tan woman with a dirty-blonde braid took hold of Kei’s arm. Kei was shocked by the woman’s powerful grip. Jaria looked at Kei with sharp, colorless eyes. A pigment surgery gone wrong thought Kei, noting how Jaria seemed to lack any trace of an iris. Without a word, the rebels began to sprint at breakneck speed through the mist-shrouded forest. Not even Eran, who was injured, lagged behind. After a while, Kei found it difficult to keep up with the rebels, but was dragged along by Jaria’s unrelenting grasp.
“How often do you do this?” gasped Kei. Jaria said nothing, and Kei rolled her golden eyes. Eventually, the fog was burned away by the bright afternoon light of Darwin II’s white sun. The ribbons of sunlight streaming through the forest canopy illuminated the glorious forest floor. Vivid flowers of every color, coaxed out by the daylight, covered the thick green vines and dotted the forest path. Wispy, clear butterflies drifted from blossom to blossom, their shadows creating little patches of rainbow light. Despite her situation, the sight of such unspoiled beauty made Kei smile.
The group trudged through the forest for several more hours. Kei felt her limbs turn to rubber, about to give way at any second. The last rays of white sunlight were being sapped from the pink horizon, and the lavender skies were giving way to the deep royal blue of nighttime. The environment had also changed: the forest had become less verdant and dense, and the black soil of the rainforest became rocky and hard. Through the tall, moss-choked trees, Kei saw the jagged peaks of the Mendel mountain range. Kei’s mouth dropped open at the sight of them. Ollie snickered at her expression, his vibrant purple eyes glowing in the fading light.
“We aren’t climbing over those, right?” said Kei, her eyes still glued to the imposing mountains.
“No, luckily,” laughed Ollie. “Is this your first time seeing them?”
“Yes. The Terra Corps soldiers need to stay within a twenty-mile range of the official Neo-Terra Corps compound,” said Kei. “Well, except for the Elite Corps and the CEOs from Earth. They can go wherever they want.”
“Yeah . . . ” Ollie said, his gaze falling to the path ahead. The pink sunlight was drained from the sky as they reached the base of the mountain, replaced by a glittering fabric of stars. Beneath the shadowy canopy of the distant forest, Kei spied some luz bugs. They danced on the tranquil nighttime breeze, like little blue stars snatched from the cosmos. Like always, they made Kei smile and reminded her of why she came to Darwin II. If I survive this, maybe I’ll get a luz bug tattoo she thought, as she followed the rebels through a stone doorway.
The rebels traveled through a crudely cut mountain tunnel. The yellow, fluorescent light bulbs that lit the tunnel flickered weakly, threatening to go out. As they went deeper into the stone, Kei felt her nose start going numb with cold. After a while, the rebels spilled out of the tunnel and finally stopped running. Kei collapsed on the frigid cave floor. They were in a massive cave, easily large enough to hold the compound. Swarms of people were gathered in clusters, exchanging papers or looking over complex equipment. The stone of the caves were an extraordinary jade color—the soothing color reminded Kei of Lux’s sea-glass eyes. She felt a pang in her chest as she thought of him.
“Here we are!” said Ollie, panting. “The DLF Headquarters. We usually just call it ‘The Cave’ though.” He smiled at Kei.
“Wait . . . the rebel base is in the Mendel Mountains?” exclaimed Kei, sitting up. “Is that safe? I always heard that the Mendel Mountains were prone to earthquakes.” She looked at Ollie, confounded.
“Yeah, well, look at this.” He patted one of the green walls. “It’s an incredibly dense mineral called ‘verdenite’. It’s similar to jade on our planet, but much tougher. It basically protects us from earthquakes,” he said, winking at Kei. Kei rolled her glimmering eyes.
“Why are you showing me this?” questioned Kei, curiosity getting the better of her. “I’m your enemy, remember?” Ollie shrugged.
“Well, we kinda kidnapped you, so you didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Plus, we want you to help us,” said the mousy-haired man.
“Wait, what?” cried Kei. “What do you mean—”
“Speaking of which,” Ollie said, cutting her off. “I need to take you to the big boss: Captain AJ.” Without waiting for a response, Ollie clasped her arm and pulled her through a series of twisted green tunnels. Eventually, they entered a huge, dome-like room lined with screens. A light green table, carved from the verdenite, rested in the center of the room. Looking at the crisp pictures on the screens, Kei saw that they were images of the Terra Corps compound, the various guard towers, and the numerous strip mines on Darwin II—active even in the darkness. Kei didn’t recognize some of the places in the footage, such as a chemical plant puking orange toxins into a pristine teal ocean. Ollie pulled Kei, who was totally captivated by the screens, over to the green table. A heavy woman with snow-white hair was watching them intently. She had a deep tan and a navy-blue eye patch covering her left eye.
“You finally caught one, eh?” she said, looking Kei over with her one good eye. “I’m Captain AJ, leader of the Darwin II Liberation Front. By the way, I can lend you an extra eye patch if you need one,” she said, gesturing to Kei’s black eye. Kei lifted her hand and touched the wound gingerly. It still stung a bit, but Kei was gradually regaining her sight.
“You rebels must be pretty desperate if you need help from a Neo-Terra soldier,” said Kei, coldly. Ollie and AJ exchanged looks.
“I don’t think you understand,” said Ollie, looking at Kei with his steady purple eyes. “We’re trying to save this planet.”
“What? But, what?” Kei clutched the side of the table for support. The green room started spinning before her eyes. Ollie grabbed her arm to steady her.
“If you need proof,” he said, “look around. Your government and the corporations from our home planet are exploiting Darwin II’s natural resources, with a complete disregard for the rich animal and plant life here.”
“It’s true. We can’t simply stand by and let Darwin II become the next Earth,” said AJ, looking around solemnly. “It disgusts me. This place doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to the native plants and animals. I am ashamed to call myself a human.”
“M-hm,” Ollie nodded in agreement, looking around at the screens. “We believe all humans—even us—should go back to Earth. Even if it’s overcrowded and filthy, it’s still our planet. It’s our home. That’s the goal of the DLF.” For a few moments, he looked sadly at the shimmering surface of the verdenite table.
“Anyway, we plan to send the Terra Corps a message,” continued AJ, a sad expression coming over her face. “We . . . want to bomb the Neo-Terra Corps compound, and we want you to help us.”
“What?” screamed Kei, slamming her fist against the table. “You want to end the death of this planet by creating more death? By killing all the innocents in the compound?” Kei’s golden eyes were consumed by anger.
“That’s not even the worst part,” muttered Ollie, his eyes trained on the table.
“It . . . would be a suicide mission,” sighed AJ. Kei gaped at the white-haired woman. “It’s the only way we can send them a message. We have no heavy machinery to wage war, and that would be counterproductive, anyway, since it would destroy the rainforest.” AJ looked at Kei grimly.
“How can you even think of that?” roared Kei. “What’s wrong with you? You’re no better than a common terrorist!”
“Wait. Hear me out, Kei. We would give them fair warning—a week in advance, or more. We want to destroy the facilities, not hurt the people,” AJ continued.
“So where do I come in?” said Kei.
“We . . . ” AJ said hesitantly, looking over at Ollie. “We want you to be the suicide bomber.” Kei was stunned.
“You’d be perfect, really,” said AJ. “They recognize you. You could go into the compound unnoticed. We would inject an explosive compound into your blood and detonate you once you’re inside the main buildings. And you wouldn’t be alone . . . ” AJ glanced over at Ollie, whose violet eyes had lost their cheerful glow.
“Ollie?” asked Kei.
“Yes,” said Ollie, in a frosty tone. “I have no family back on Earth. I have no skills. I am willing to die for what I believe in.”
“But we also needed someone who could get into the compound. Also, we will be forced to kill you if you refuse to participate,” said AJ. Kei looked at the screens—at the machines rending the thick black soil; the filthy, rusted pipes belching orange and black smoke into the night sky; and the brilliantly bright toxins oozing into the water and earth.
“So I’m dead either way?” said Kei.
AJ nodded sadly. “I’m sorry, comrade,” she said.
“I find that hard to believe,” spat Kei. “I’ll do your dirty work. I’ll be your bomber, as long as I can see Lux one last time.” AJ looked over at Ollie, who shrugged. “His name is Lux Terre-Mere. He was in the same recruit class as me. You should be able to find his file, considering you seem to know about everything that’s going on!” Kei gestured to the sea of screens before them.
“We will fulfill your wish,” said AJ. “The DLF appreciates your sacrifice, comrade. Think of it this way: you will be saving an entire planet.” Kei stared at her coolly, her golden eyes dulled by hatred and anger.
“Hey, AJ, why don’t you volunteer?” snarled Kei. AJ averted her gaze, and Kei noticed that the plump woman was trembling a little. “I still have a long life to live. I’m only 22. What about you, AJ?” Kei grinned at her darkly.
“Dismissed!” AJ commanded, in a firm voice, though Kei saw she was still shaking a little bit.
Before leaving the screen-filled room, Kei turned to AJ, her radiant golden eyes burning into the old woman. In a dead, flat tone, she said simply:
“Are you afraid to die?”

One month later…

As Lux ascended the steps to the shuttle, he looked out at Darwin II for one last time, his sea-green eyes coming to rest on the crater that was once the Terra Corps compound. It would be the final shuttle to the leave the alien planet—the Darwin II Liberation Front had gotten their wish. But at what cost? He thought, choking back tears. Finally, he turned away from the planet, and continued up to the cool, metallic door of the shuttle. But as he rested his hand on the door handle, he saw a beautiful luz bug drifting through the breeze. It was such a particular color: gold. In all his years on Darwin II, he had only seen blue and, on occasion, purple luz bugs. And never in broad daylight. He watched the gorgeous creature waft through the air, and finally come to land on his left hand—the last place Kei had touched.