From small quercons | Part One: a great honor.

It’s such an honor. To be chosen by your family, but also to compete in the planet’s biggest competition.

The anticipation has been killing me. Our family is not wealthy, but we wanted to support the defense effort. It’s so important that the planet pulls together in time, whenever that time may be.

It’s just incredible to think; one day, you are going about your day as standard, and with one news bulletin, the future of the entire planet is at stake by way of something that we don’t even know what. The info has been kept classified for now, but a coalition of independent scientists has accessed it and verified that Serra’s very existence would be under threat at some point in the not-so-distant future. That is enough for me.

The call to arms was made.

Our family pulled together. We are a surprisingly close-knit bunch; uncles, aunts, and cousins from both sides. We may not number many, and we had to dip into a few savings pots, but we gathered enough Credits to fund a few of the purple munitions crates. Those, combined with the basic Champion’s Tools accessed by all, should be a good foundation to build on.

However, to have the best chance of the Sage of Serra coming from this family, we decided that only one of us should actually compete in the Grand Tournament. This was my grandpa’s idea, and he is a wise Serran.

Being a pretty “normal,” I guess, Cyborg family, we are not as strong as Raxar, as athletic as Dal’Ra, or as logical as Virtuals, so we need an edge. While many Serrans might see us as too unruly to coordinate, for us, we aren’t necessarily what we appear to be. The family will form a team full of coaches, scouts, and strategists that will support the person chosen to compete. After all, teamwork allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.

A shortlist list was drawn up based on who wanted to compete and our obvious skillsets. Unfortunately, this meant we had to deny some the chance to even be considered. I felt bad for my cousin, but we all voted and agreed on the process and the eventual shortlist. She is just too good an analyst; we need her dedicated to looking at the numbers behind all the other Grand Tournament battles, looking at which Champion’s Tools will keep us competitive.

There are similar roles for everyone; my uncle is a chef, so nutrition is his strength, my cousin is a social butterfly and will make a great spy, and my mother is a wonderful abstract thinker, so will head up the strategy team. There is an important job for everyone.

To decide which of us would actually compete from the shortlist, we basically played an extended combination of traditional strategy-based games for days on end. We think that strategy, flexibility, resourcefulness, and inventiveness will beat purely physical traits in the long run. Amazingly, I was chosen.

It’s such an honor. To be chosen by your family, but also to compete in the planet’s biggest competition. 12 billion Serrans, 12 billion sets of eyes. I’m trying not to think about any of the potential trappings of Fame that may come with any wins. Anyway, at the moment, we are such small fry compared to others with warehouses full of munitions crates. Those people are already so Fame-ous, but we will be even more Fame-ous for our skill!

I wonder how many crates those Fame-ous Serrans will open. They could open just a fraction and still have opened more than we will ever own. We aren’t jealous, though. We are proud of those Serrans who have been able to support the defense effort in that way, and when it comes to competing out there in the Arena Dome, we will be equals.

This is why the anticipation has been really getting to me recently. There are rumors that the Crate Unlocking Event is coming soon. As I will be competing, the family transferred all the crates to me, so I will be the one to open them.

We have decided to open a quarter of our crates at the moment. However, this may change as we aren’t sure about the exact procedure yet. Council of the Six has said that it will announce and explain everything in due course and that no one will miss out. I trust them. Having governed in peace for so long, with all the very distinct Factions and groups on Serra, I believe them when they say they have a plan to defend Serra and save the planet.

It’s strange. I have never kept a diary before, but with all the excitement building up inside me, I need somewhere to share it, and now seemed like as good a time as any. I’m sure I won’t be good at keeping a diary, but I will try. Looking back a year or two from now on the record of these momentous events as they happened, all my thoughts and feelings laid bare, our family’s story. It will be quite something.

I guess that is all for now, dear Diary. I will write soon.