Myles Vylumnar
No gods, no masters
CHAPTER I
ACT I, WON SHASOT (Orbit)
Myles Vylumnar
War.
War never changes.
It was the dead of night. Rummaging through the forests, eyes peering at every corner. Creatures, tall in stature yet cautious by nature. No, these were not creatures. They were people. People plagued by thousands of years of constant warfare and battle, unbeknownst to the light of the galaxy. Darkness shrouded the gloomy forests. All was silent before a single screech, a battlecry. Before long, blaster fire lit up the night sky, burning past trees and into the flesh of pale skin. Yes, they were warriors. Their purpose was to fight. And fight, they did. Massacre in the blind woods, blood spilling on the soft earth. The sight was horrific. Screams filled the air, steel clashing with bone.
And then I woke up.
It was an odd dream, to say the least. It left me with a cold sweat, but I thought nothing of it at the time. However, something felt odd. It was a feeling I'd felt many times before, yet I could never distinguish what it really was. It beckoned for me, demanding my presence. I figured I'd had enough of this crap and shook it off.
I got up and left my quarters to find some food. Damn, I was hungry. I checked in the fridge for some eggs, but it turned out to be empty. That goddamn bastard Kaz, always eating our karking food. I had to remind myself to dump his beer supply out the airlock. Near the back of the fridge I found some leftover Gorba melts. Figured I'd just throw it in the microwave and enjoy a nice meal.
Mmm, warm Gorba melts.
I tried to relax for the moment. I had a free day today. Maybe I'd take another job, but was that really my entire life at this point? One job after the other, just to fill the quota. Spending my earnings on the necessities and hoarding the rest. It wasn't even fun anymore, really. After all these years, you have to wonder if this is all my life would really amount to. You keep going and going, but at some point it has to end.
Somehow.
I sighed in discontent. Then again, when have I ever been content with my life? Never. Maybe when I was younger, a lot younger. But that was long before I even knew the meaning of the word. Sometimes I wonder if I even know it now, or if I ever will. To know happiness, joy... These were rarities. Hard things to come by, only lasting for brief moments before it all slips away, and you fall back into a downward spiral. What does it mean to be content?
But maybe I was just getting carried away in my thoughts again. I had a habit of doing that. Rule of thumb is to not think about the pain, and you won't feel it. Anyway, I carried on with my day. Still, the feeling from when I woke up lingered. Over time it only nagged at me to the point where it was difficult to ignore. Kaz went on about his usual day; drinking, sleeping, smelling like rotten flowers. I didn't even know how he smelled such a way. It was as if his Toydarian blood clashed with his trailer-trash lifestyle. I, on the other hand, was left feeling... discontent.
Maybe I needed to go out for a bit.
"I'm gonna head out for a while. Stay around and watch the ship, will ya?"
"Okay, whatever..." Kaz replied in his usual groggy tone.
"And don't start drinking while you're working on the engine again. You remember what happened last time..."
Not long after I was sitting in the cockpit of my starfighter. I'd gone through a lot with this fighter; from my childhood until now. Firing up the engines, I heard that sweet purr as I took off into the dark void of space. I had no real destination, yet I drifted along. That's what I was, that's what I am: A Drifter.
The feeling came back to me, and still I could not describe it. It made me feel.. angry, sad, and scared, yet at the same time it gave me hope. Though it was no more than a feeling. Or so I thought. I found myself unconsciously entering coordinates into my hyperdrive. By the time I snapped out of my trance-like state I'd already jumped.
Karking hell...
Hopefully I wouldn't get lost again. I came upon a dark, forested planet. It was strange, a faint calling emanating from below. It seemed I was in uncharted space, because this system wasn't documented on any starmaps. Why was I here? And how did I get these coordinates?
I shrugged it off and brought my ship to the planet below.
Word Count: 797
Total: 797