Castle Mechta Barracks, 2060

The bulbous heads of lunar children poked over the walls surrounding the training fields for the Royal Guard of the Crown. This clear breach of security was overlooked as a matter of tradition. When the harvest was done for the day in the surrounding eternal summer young boys deeply comitted to the prospect of causing as much trouble as possible want to make sure they are playing soldier correctly.

In their eyes the men who marched and performed combat exercizes were not real. The halls of the Castle Mechta were lined with myths wrapped in royal dress. Many of the boys who watched were already a full head taller than these guardsmen, but they seemed to occupy so much space. They had all heard tale of criminals in far off places who were unable even to pierce the skin of these monsterous men.

Combat drills were their favorite. Unarmed or armed with clubs they struck each other hard enough to careen across the field. They swung weighted sticks that no mere man could lift, and bounded yards at a time to fall upon their prey. Surely, the weakest among them could break the strongest man from the moon in half without so much as a thought.

Kojo Pierce, translucent shield in hand, was batting away his sparring partner. He was told that one of his fellow guardsmen was as strong as six to ten enraged lunar rioters. Not that he would have to worry about that at the castle. Life was good, if dull, and he had to go out of his way to keep his mind alive during the long hours of standing at attention in front of the gates.

Oddly, he'd been promoted after proving an able marksman on the Wall, protecting the vast network of steam engine trains which rode in and out from under the castle crater. It was gruelling under the constant sun, but he'd learned quick to lead a target and shoot to wound. As a reward for his quality work, he'd been promoted to stand still for long hours and never have to touch a rifle again.

The club wrapped in fome struck him in the chest, knocking him back about 5 meters as he struggled to right himself and catch his breath. he landed inelegantly, was unable to stop the backward momentum, and skipped like a rock on a still pond before planting his shield and feet into the dirt. That had been happening a lot, lately. Losing sight of his surroundings.

Kujo looked up at the young terrors watching them on the distant wall, and envied them their inisght.