2 Chapter 1: Departures; Beginnings

I adjusted the tight collar of my military uniform as I stood aimlessly within the newly constructed space elevator. It had only been three years since the annexation of my planet by an alien empire calling themselves the Deisolaeic or the Holy Empire of Sol. Though they had added our planet into their territory, we were left largely autonomous by the lord that they had appointed to be the ruler. The Soleans were a spacefaring race and held little interest in the matters of surface worlds; however, they did impose two concrete rules for us to follow, the first being that a military recruitment center be erected in the capital and along with it, a space elevator and the second being that all spacefaring vessels be allocated to the lord. In essence, our annexation was little more than a planetary blockade without the use of military presence.

The elevator gradually slowed to a halt as the doors slid open, revealing a rather busy orbital station that really looked more like a mall. An assortment of shops lined the long walkway which led to the docking bays. Most of the shops sold souvenirs or small treats and snacks that were only available at our planet. Ever since our planet had been annexed by the Empire, interplanetary traffic had become an everyday occurrence.

As I made my way down the walkway towards the departure bay, I noticed that the majority of the passerby had fixed their eyes upon me. Conscious of their gazes, I lowered my head slightly as if to appear smaller, but the action only managed to draw more attention towards me. The reason for this was almost certainly due to my military uniform, a garment rarely seen in this sector of space, if at all. Other than the fact that it was Solean garb, the uniform itself was rather decorative and ornate. The fabric was pure white with some sort of silver thread interwoven into it, giving it a sparkling sheen as I moved around in it. Upon my left shoulder was an ornate golden epaulette known as a raudrec which displayed my rank of cadet. That was probably the piece which drew the most attention.

While I suffocated in the attention I was drawing, I slumped against a pillar near the gates of the departure bay, hoping that it would hide me from most of the curious looks and give me a brief respite. A member of the Solean military was supposed to come and pick me up in front of the gates, but it seems that I had arrived rather early. After taking a quick glance at my fragarec – a wrist mounted device capable of producing holograms – I closed my eyes for a quick rest. It would be another fifteen minutes until my escort was supposed to arrive.

Finally away from the constant gazes of strangers, I began to feel slightly nervous. This planet below me was all I had ever known since I've grown up. In fact, I realized that this was the first time I've actually been up in space, a realization that filled me with both exhilaration and anxiousness simultaneously. Though I volunteered for the military, my primary purpose was actually to experience flying through space upon a ship. That had always been my dream even as a child. Come to think of it, I had never actually seen a Solean in person, though I've heard various rumours with the more far-fetched ones saying that they were the product of some ancient humans experimenting with genetic modification. This rumour no doubt came from the Soleans' emphasis on gene purity and I couldn't help but wonder if it were true. After all they did look very much like us, only far more graceful and beautiful.

"Auryn!" A loud voice abruptly broke me free from my fanciful thoughts. I opened my eyes to a boy my age, standing just a few inches taller than me. It was my childhood friend, Van Drokin. He was rather well-built and had a defined physique which he made no attempt in hiding with his tight fitting shirt which highlighted the muscles of his upper body. His face could be considered rather attractive by certain girls.

I smiled as I took his outstretched hand into mine, standing awkwardly as he proceeded to wrap his other arm around me and slap me on the back heartily. I winced with each of his blows. After a good couple of seconds, he finally stepped back and inspected me with a goofy grin.

"Auryn!" Van called my name again. "It's good to see you, man! Damn, how long has it been? Two months? Three?" He asked.

"Two." I replied "It doesn't seem like you missed me very much if you can barely remember how long we've been apart." I said with a smile.

Van laughed. "Shoot! You got me. We were all celebrating after you finally left," he joked.

I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "You guys hated me that much?"

Van gave me a smile which faded quickly. He gazed at me with a serious look in the eyes and there was a moment of silence between us.

"So you're really leaving, huh?" He asked with a somber tone.

I merely nodded. There wasn't much to say. It had always been my dream to be aboard a spaceship and this was the quickest and most efficient way to reach my goal. I had even spent two months studying the Solean dialect in the language school within the recruitment center and attempted to cram as much vocabulary as my brain could handle. Luckily, the military jargon was rather brief and a majority of their units of measurement were almost identical to ours.

Van bit his lip, a brief pause ensuing between us again before he continued. "I guess this was what you wanted all along though," he said as he nodded to himself. "But the Soleans are the ones who conquered our planet, and yet you voluntarily enlisted in their military forces." He paused to see if I would respond. I didn't. "You're the first person to actually go to their recruitment center, you know."

I smiled, a brief memory of my time attending the language school flashing in my mind. "Yeah. I noticed when I was the only one who was taking any of the language classes."

He smiled back sadly. "… You know, I came to see if I could try to change your mind, but it seems you're dead set on enlisting." He said after a brief pause. There was a look of sadness in his eyes. Of course, it was expected. We've known each other since we were children and we knew each all of other's secrets except for our browsing histories, of course.

I nodded again. There wasn't much to say. After all, I had already decided on leaving everything behind me.

Van took a step back, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "At least come and visit once in a while, alright? And bring back a hot Solean beauty while you're at it!" He joked.

I laughed. "I'll try Van, but no promises." I was about to say something, but a series of beeps from my fragarec had interrupted me. Quickly pressing one of the various buttons on the device, I silenced it. "It looks like I've got to head back to the gate now." I told him as I pushed myself off the pillar. "You'd best get back too."

Van nodded, a wistful look in his eyes as he turned around quickly. "I'll see you in a couple years, then." He said as he walked off briskly. It was strange for him to leave so abruptly. I had thought he would bear hug me to death before he left.

I took a brief glance at his back before I turned around and began making my way to the gate when a voice suddenly called out from behind me, causing me to pivot around once more.

"Auryn!" Van shouted. Surprisingly, there were tears streaming down his face that weren't there before. "I'll miss you, brother!"

I turned around fully to face him, raising a hand in farewell. There was no need to shout anything back. We both knew the emptiness that each of us felt within ourselves, as if we had lost a part of ourselves on this day. I felt something wet on my cheeks and I moved to quickly wipe away the tears that had flowed from my eyes against my will. Our last exchange was rather awkward at best, not even closely reminiscent of what our usual banter was like. I hated that.

As Van disappeared into the crowd of people within the station, I took a deep breath, wiping away the last of my tears as I turned around once more, trudging towards the gate of the departure bay. I arrived and looked around. It seemed my escort had not arrived yet, or if they had, they were still docking.

I took this moment to reflect on the path that I had chosen. I would most likely be stationed far away in some outer rim of the Empire's territory where they continuously expanded their sector of space. I would probably never be able to visit my home planet again. Once more, that empty feeling within me grew again, like a hole in my heart that slowly ate away at my being. It wouldn't be too late to call it quits now.

As if to prevent me from turning back, the gates slid open to reveal a young girl that looked to be my age. She stood only half a head shorter than me and walked with a stride that reminded me of a queen amongst her subjects. Her large and beautiful doe-like eyes were contrasted by the sharp focus and drive within them, and her gaze was set directly forwards like it was the only direction that she ever needed to look. As she walked, her long and straight hair - the color of silver moonlight upon a spider web - trailed behind her elegantly. The gates closed behind her while she stopped mid-stride, glancing around and clearly looking for someone. Her eyes fixed on me. The gaze of her crimson eyes seemed to set me on fire.

The girl began walking towards me with a purposeful stride. I took this chance to inspect her more closely as she rapidly approached my position. It seemed that she bore the same rank as me on her raudrec, but more interestingly, it was not golden like mine, but silver. She wore the same uniform as I did albeit more form fitting. The silver threads reflected the overhead lights as she walked, causing her clothes to glitter slightly. Now that she was closer, I could see that the uniform outlined her shapely figure rather nicely. Her wide hips and thin waist coupled with her almost unnaturally beautiful face would have made her extremely popular on Teuloc and though she was somewhat lacking in the chest department, the rest would have more than made up for it. This was the first time that I had thought a female in military uniform attractive. It was rather strange, but I liked the feeling.

Before I knew it, the girl was standing mere inches away from me. She leaned in close, causing me to blush. It seemed like she was inspecting me as a slight frown briefly marred her otherwise perfect face. Her small and thin rosy lips were pursed as she leaned back, inspecting me from head to toe.

In a blur of motion, she raised her right arm upwards with her hand balled into a fist. I flinched. She placed her fist to the left side of her chest in salute.

"You are Cadet Auryn Parnyr, correct? I am here on behalf of the Solean Navy to escort you to the transport ship Vaurhaut."