12224160 was born weak, compared to his siblings. While his body was almost twice as large as his fellow Betas in terms of girth, his joints didn't have the same range of motion due to his far thicker carapace.
And, most embarrassingly, he couldn't fly since he was far too heavy for his wings to lift.
It was known that each of Anoona's children, his siblings, was given things to make them unique, but 12224160 sometimes wondered why his mother made him so flawed.
The Bio-Web informed him that Anoona purposefully randomised certain parts of her offspring to promote diversity among them, and the Bio-Web also sent him a positive ping, letting him know that Anoona loved him all the same.
The Bio-Web, and Anoona by extension, decided to give him a name.
One that spoke to the potential he had and the strength he possessed.
Kuda.
He would embody the will to triumph and that determination to live that his ancient brother, 02, exemplified.
This was more than enough for Kuda, who carried out his duties in one of the many underground mines on the moon.
His job was to ensure the safety of all the Thetas who were harvesting the ice beneath the surface and transporting it to processing plants where the Gammas would distribute it after it was cleaned.
Kuda overheard a pair of the Thetas discussing the arena that was being built on Earth and walked over to them.
He may have been shorter than the giant Thetas, but it was they who lowered their heads in greeting as he approached.
"Pardon my interruption, but what do you make of the arena? Do you think it'll truly draw out the strength of us weaker Betas?" He softly asked because, of course, he had sought ways to increase his strength and prove himself.
"Of course. Mother said so, after all. 15789453 and I were just saying that big brother Thunder is probably gonna join in on the fun and make himself the centre of attention... Again." The Thera said, making his brother chuckle.
Kuda nodded before nodding at the two, allowing them to continue carving out chunks of ice with their hardened claws.
Kuda returned to his post and lost himself in his thoughts.
He, much like most of his siblings, admired Thunder.
It was hard to stand out among billions, and yet the Beta warrior made his voice known to all.
Others like Scalpel and Ivory were also well known, but their presence inspired fear and respect, rather than awe.
Kuda wanted to be like Thunder.
He wanted to be someone his siblings could look up to.
And so he wondered if he could go to the Arena himself.
When his shift ended, he made his way to the facility on the surface above the mine where he and his co-worker siblings lived.
There, he requested a meeting with his supervisor, who was a specialised Beta.
103125640 was tall, sleek and could run extremely fast, although it came at the cost of his mass, which made his carapace thinner and more brittle compared to his fellow Betas.
His body was lined with fins that made him more aerodynamic, and his carapace had a dark, gunmetal hue, which earned him the name Steelhawk.
"Yes, Kuda?" The supervisor asked while jacked into the console on his table.
"Sorry for disturbing, sir. I... I wanted to ask if I could be transferred to Earth."
Steelhawk raised his needle-sharp eyes to face his brother.
"The Arena?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Steelhawk had always felt his brother's insecurities, and while he tried to reassure the eager Beta, this seemed to the something Kuda would have to resolve within.
"You do know specialisation means you'll be more likely to be sent to the front lines, right?"
"Very much so, sir." Kuda nodded, making Steelhawk sigh.
"I don't know why mother didn't just make us mindless drones, but alright. I'll send a transfer request and you should have your answer in a week's time, but don't think that means you can slack off until then!" The supervisor softly snapped, making Kuda stand attentively.
"Yes, sir!" Kuda yipped before being dismissed.
He then made his way to his quarters, and unlike the Thetas who slept in pods, Betas had their own small rooms.
Kuda's room was an orderly place. He didn't need much and so didn't have much apart from what was completely necessary.
He sat on his bed and jacked into his personal Bio-Web interface console.
A pastime of his was going through the memories of those who helped Anoona assimilate the Earth, footage which any of Anoona's children had access to.
His favourite memories were those of Thunder.
He would watch how his big brother fought off hordes of ancient creatures and how Thunder came to brandish his great spear.
Unlike the war with the Newmen, this conflict was simply a competition between Anoona and the old Order of life.
It was survival of the fittest, and that made it more understandable to Kuda, who had yet to wrap his mind around the motives of the Newmen.
It didn't matter that they had once lived on Earth.
That didn't mean they could simply come after having abandoned it and claim it as theirs.
Anoona had earned the Earth.
That's what Kuda believed, and it was going to be up to the bravest of her children to march into the storm of violence to protect everyone else.
Kuda was determined to be among the braves for the sake of his mother and his siblings.
He wondered what form his specialisation would come in.
No one could tell beforehand because he would need to be pushed to his limits and then undergo metamorphosis to further tune into his skills.
A week eventually passed, and his transfer was approved.
He was born on Earth, so the trip felt like going back home.
He made his way to the Arena, a gargantuan coliseum made of Bio-Metal, and since he had already been registered as a combatant, he was allotted a room in the dorms behind the grand stage.
There he met his fellow Betas and even some Deltas who wanted to prove their worth.
There was a rumour that one of the tests involved facing a Gen 3 Beta, but it hadn't been confirmed, so Kuda focused on the main event.
The Gauntlet would take the form of six events that would be split into three types: three Environmental Endurance Tests, two Advanced Combat Sessions and a final series of duals among the best who remained.
As expected, Thunder had returned from the frontlines and announced the grand opening of the arena from the centre of the field, which was sixteen football fields large and lined with dynamic terrain.
[Welcome, brothers and sisters, to the Cerulean Gauntlet! I look forward to facing some of you in combat so that you may emerge among the best of Mother's children!]
Thunder raised his spear and called forth a bolt of lightning that would have otherwise fried whatever it touched, but he harnessed its energy and discharged it in a wave that covered the entire field.
This wasn't very fair. Kuda thought.