Black Warrior: Genesis

As directed by the aliens, I report to the CI. He's visibly upset.
The CI asks me, “Were you told about a work assignment?”
I carefully reply, “Yes sir, I was told only that there would be a work assignment and that you would provide me with what was needed for me to do the work assigned.”
The CI takes a deep breath, leans back and asks me, “Do you know what a live exercise is?”
“Yes sir, two military commands are set conflicting objectives. They each attempt to carry out a mutual training exercise and have to fight each other to try to achieve the conflicting goals set for them. Deaths aren't uncommon during a live exercise.”
The CI looks grim. He says, slowly, “You have been selected to take part in a live exercise. This was done over my objections. I don't believe that a student should start his military training with a live exercise. However, I have no choice and no real say in the matter. Neither do you. You can, in theory, reject the assignment. In my experience such a rejection will merely result in an even harder assignment. Your best bet, in my judgment, is to take the assignment.”
I look the CI in the eye and say, “I have already accepted the assignment. I arrived at the same conclusion you did. I have no choice in the matter, I must do the best I can with what I have now.”
The CI looks even grimmer. He says, “You not only have been selected to take part in a live exercise, you'll lead your team.”
“Who's to be on my team?”
The CI just shakes his head and looks even grimmer. He says, “There are two of them, ... mercenaries. I wouldn’t want either of them on my team. You got ‘em and no choice. ... It might be I can soften them up a bit for you ...?
I again look the CI in the eye, “I need your advice and your help to get the equipment I need, plus anything you can beg, borrow or steal, which might help me make a success of my first mission. I need the best the two mercenaries have to offer. The mercenaries I can handle. What can you tell me about the exercise?”
What the CI tells me shocks me in a way you would not believe.
My team is to conduct a raid on a village to retrieve an artifact. My team will have a limited time to find and acquire the artifact and to return to an exit point. The artifact is an egg, made of some stone like material and it supposedly has strange (magical?) powers.
I want to throw up.
If you grew up in a normal sort of way, presumably you see the egg in a grim stone castle, guarded by a fierce dragon with a beautiful maiden held captive.
Yeah, right dreamer!
Assuming that an egg of the type described to me exists, who created it and why does it exist? How did the mysterious egg get to the village? If some hero obtained the egg, why would he then abandon the valuable prize in a little village? If the aliens know where the egg is, why not send in an army to retrieve it? If the egg is held captive, what do those who hold the egg want for it? If the holders of the egg will destroy it if the army attacks, why would they not destroy it when my team attacks? If the holders of the egg can destroy an attacking army, why will they not destroy my team, when we attack? Why do I have a time limit in my efforts to recover the egg?
Literature has never been my strong suit. Of necessity, reality is my strong suit. The egg and the village are obviously constructs. They were created to provide a setting. A setting so that men can fight and die. Fight and die for what? An egg, even a magical egg? Not a chance. There's a reason that men have historically fought and died in such circumstances. The reason is called a circus. This isn't a modern circus with clowns and tricks. This is going to be a circus such as was used in the final days of the Fevellian Empire, to hold back the day of collapse a little while longer. The village is a stage set. We are gladiators, picked to man the circus. The game may be based upon make believe, alas the sweat, blood and death will be real.