His Majesty's Guardsman

On a bright summer morning, residents of the European part of Russia saw in the sky a terrifyingly huge silhouette of a star cruiser—and by evening the entire country listened, holding its breath, to the president’s address regarding contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. After the first negotiations, humanity gained a unique opportunity to touch technologies that outpace the development of our civilization by an order of magnitude. But new partners give nothing for free—and soon transports loaded with mercenaries rise from the surface of the planet to work and serve in the Septicolian Empire, weakened by numerous conflicts.

On one of the ships, yesterday’s student Andrey Stenin leaves the planet—having signed a contract with a trading corporation. “Sten,” as the record in his identifier now says.