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Two years…

Two years since the day Earth went to war with the Settlement Defense Front of Mars after the latter tried to stage a carefully-executed plan to destroy the former's defenders, the United Nations Space Alliance, and to conquer the planet. However, thanks to a brave group of individuals, the SDF was weakened to the point that it cannot mount anymore offensive operations.

With the end of the what can be considered as a one-day war, Earth began to rebuild from the ashes. The fleet that was destroyed almost completely above Geneva was slowly being rebuilt with the introduction of a single Admiral-class space warfare carrier and a single Zulu-class guided missile destroyer. The cities that suffered heavy damage were being rebuilt at a steady pace, though a few buildings chose to remain in their damaged states to serve as a reminder. And with the recovery of classified research data from the SDF, the military began to develop and field weapons that will allow them to defend and respond much more quickly.

To those that had felt the impact of the war, it seemed that things are going back to normal.

(Brooklyn, New York - May 15, 0700 hrs.)

The alarm clock began to let out a somewhat unbearable noise that tried to convince the person sleeping to get up at a quick pace. He blindly moved his left hand as he tried to find the clock without the aid of his eyes. After a few seconds, his hand finally managed to get a feel on the snooze button and it was pressed to stop the alarm until the next day comes.

The man's name was Mathis Durand, a young operative for the Solar Associated Treaty Organization's Naval Special Operations Task Force. Four days earlier, he began his two-week break from duty. This provided him sense of relaxation and to get away from some of the extreme conditions such as the vacuum of space.

"...mmmmmmmmm…." He slightly groaned due to the routine effects of his sleep as he mainly sleeps for seven hours. Mathis emerged from his blanket and stretched his arms to start his day. A yawn later complemented it.

From that point forward, his clothes was changed to a white shirt and brown, checkered-patterned shorts. In the kitchen, eggs, ham, fresh vegetables, and bread were prepared for a combo breakfast of ham and egg omelette, complemented by toasted bread. Less than 30 minutes were spent preparing the food and after completing them, he was rewarded with a warm drink of orange juice.

As he began eating them, his television was turned on for the daily news. In the middle of the program, a lengthy talk regarding today's trends were ongoing. All he could hear for the moment was a interesting dosage of commentary.

Then, the phone rang that got his attention. Without haste, he got hold of it before answering. "Hello?"

"Yo Mat, got yourself some beauty sleep?" His friend answered with a playful tone.

"Hey, Rick." The young man responded. "It's been a while since I've last heard your voice."

"And you are keeping the same old you even after you've first joined SpecOps. That's some fine shit out there."

"Alright, tell me what you are doing here."

"I was about to ask you if you want to have some coffee at ten, Times Square. It's already my day off today, so I'm free to see you." Rick proposed. "Plus, I might ask if you did something during your time in the military."

"Hehehe…." A sarcastic laugh came from Mathis. He switched to his serious personality. "Very funny, Rick. I ain't going to disclose the more important parts to anyone outside me and my colleagues. But coffee...I'm fine with that."

"Okay, coffee it is. See ya, Mat."

"Got it." The call ended and he lowered the phone.

Almost immediately after, the news section was broadcasted. A new discovery by astronomers would create a big buzz among the crowd and potential for travel there would slowly begin to build.

"...the International Space Agency has confirmed the existence of a single, Earth-like planet within the Elysia star system, bringing hope to the international space community that extraterrestrial life outside our own system could be found…"

"A new Earth-like planet, eh?" Mathis uttered with some interest.

After eating, the television was turned off to conserve electricity despite the prevailing usage of renewable energy sources. He began to take a shower in preparation for his meeting with Rick.

(Times Square - 1004 hrs.)

The man known as Rick to his friends was growing slightly impatient and uncomfortable due to Mathis unable to appear before the planned time. Hoping to attract him much more easily, he took off his sunglasses to reveal his brown eyes and sat at one of the round, white tables outside while under a shade of an colorful umbrella.

"Damn, where is he?" He muttered while turning his head in left and right.

Then, a wave was within his sight. The person doing that was wearing a black jacket and pants in similar color. Relieved, he had finally saw Mathis coming. "Mat." He returned a wave.

"Sorry if I'm late. Traffic caught up with me on the way here." Mathis apologized.

"No need to worry. The good thing is that you are here." Rick responded while downplaying the delay. He patted Mathis' left shoulder. "I did not order yet, so we're good."

"What are you having?"

"Iced coffee. It's getting a bit hot outside."

"You know that you are in a shade, right?" Mathis shook his head.

"I know, but it feels relaxing every once in a while."

"Then, I'll get the same thing as well. The jacket's caused some sweat to soil my shirt a bit." The two began to head inside to make their order. Suddenly, his phone began to ring and vibrate that indicate a call was attempted. "Excuse me."

"Take the time you need." Rick nodded before Mathis left to find a nearby spot where few people could interrupt his conversation.

When he pulled out his smartphone, the caller's name was revealed to be Norman Walsh, Mathis' superior in the military. He wasted no time answering it.

"Cap, what's up?" Mathis opened the conversation.

"Listen, command needs us right away. Things are about to turn weird." Walsh informed.

"What do you mean by "weird," sir?" Mathis felt confused. "I don't get it."

"Command will tell us everything once we assemble. Time to regroup is at 2200 hrs. in Geneva HQ."

"Affirmative, sir. I'll be there." Mathis complied.

"See you later, Mathis." The call ended and Mathis put his phone back. Disappointed due to the recent developments, he began to return to Rick to apologize.

He opened the door leading inside and saw Rick being last on the line. "Rick, sorry if I have to go. Command just told me to return to duty in a short while."

"Hey, don't worry. You have my back even before SetDef showed up." Rick accepted his apology. "Let's grab the drinks before you leave. I can't just let my buddy be lonely."

"I appreciate it." Mathis' mood brightened.

The two queued and waited for them to be attened. Fortunately for Mathis, it was quick enough that he and Mathis managed to stand at the counter in a short amount of time. The operative ordered Iced Latte while his friend ordered Iced Americano. After waiting, their drinks were received and they proceeded to head outside where Mathis will say his farewells.

"Well, I better get going." Mathis turned his head towards Rick and the two shook hands.

"Give 'em hell, Mat...and live to tell about it." Rick responded happily.

"If I could come back alive, this would be the only thing that I could say."

"But you told me that…" Rick pointed out his hypocrisy.

"I know, just joking." Mathis chuckled.

"Same as always." Rick gave him another tap. Mathis then left for his upcoming mission.

A/N: I have to apologize for the delay in the previous crossover but if you think that this is good for you, I appreciate it since I'm gaining some experience making sure that the stories make sense enough. As well, if you have some ideas, let me know.