Chapter 1:
TEKTONIK
“Three hundred million years ago, the mass continent of Pangea shattered - breaking the earth into five roughly, equal pieces. As their planet fractured, humanity scrambled across the cosmos, in search of a new home. Now, three hundred million years later, after voyaging across the entirety of the universe, humanity still can’t shake the feeling that they don’t belong. With an infinite trail of broken stars and enslaved galaxies in their wake, every man, woman and child, is living in fear of their neighbour, realising that the only thing remaining unconquered, is themselves.”
- from “As broken, descend now and sleep.” by Hykar Vakriostrad, 2024 AD.
***
SC-1089V hurled through the Taxxium zone at the speed of light. The spacecraft had recently begun its journey after sitting idly for forty million years. It had been stationary for so long, several small moons had navigated their way into its surrounding orbit, such was the size of the sleeping vessel – it had its own gravity. Those moons were floating aimlessly now, a few lifetimes behind us.
Upon the SC-1089V sat one billion people. Half of those were civilians, a quarter were engineers and the rest, were already dead. That wasn’t strictly accurate though, some of us – a mere one thousand men, had been chosen, to be soldiers.
I was no exception, I lived and breathed for Valric, despite my strength. I would never be chosen to captain a squad and I would never be chosen to exert the will of the weak and powerless. Valric abhorred me, as he abhorred The Triumph, but he needed me for the world he dreamt of creating – even if he couldn’t understand that himself. I have vowed to lend him my power, until the time comes that our enemies permit us to breed the weakness that he envisions for us.
The Taxxium zone would allow no such weakness. It was a bitter, cold graveyard of burnt-out stars and skeleton planets. No human could live here yet, within this wasteland, something remained – something inhuman.
It had sensed us, of this, I was sure. I knew Valric would kneel, as he always must but I could not allow the risk that such prostration would create.
As I stood up from my perch within the barracks of the SC-1089V, Captain Esteorica quickly attended my side.
“Comrade, must you be so foolish?” She leaned in close, furiously whispering in my ear, “Your eyes betray your intentions, must you disgrace this squad with another filthy victory?”
She was a tall, slender woman, probably descended from the old central continent if her physical attributes were anything to go off. Her mousy brown hair had been shaved aggressively short, a trophy from a hard-fought battle, well-lost. I remember the victors face as if it were yesterday, the way he cried as he ran the clippers over her head, ashamed by his overwhelming strength. Valric had rewarded Esteorica greatly for her outstanding defeat, he made her captain.
“Please, wait!” she begged, grabbing my arm as I went to walk away, “Valric has such high hopes for you, you could be the best of us.”
I pushed her away and headed towards the exit hatch on the upper-most level of the spacecraft. Whilst Valric and I shared the same goal, our methods of attainment were far too differing. He thought it best to let the future run its natural course, for continuous defeat gave us control and kept us pure. I swore by a different path, I would create the life we both dreamt of with my own two hands – no matter how dirty they had to get.
With those disgusting hands of mine, I turned the wheel on escape hatch NORTH01, opening the door to the outside. As I floated further into the inky darkness, the familiar burning sensation in my lungs brought me a strange comfort. To think that only a mere seventy million years ago, human bodies required specialist equipment to breathe in space. What primitive times we used to live in, I’m thankful that evolution ran its due course – despite the protests of Valric.
I could sense it again but closer now. It could only be one thing, The Dredd of Taxxium. Here at last, to swallow us whole. Out of the murky black, the beast presented itself.
It was a grey leviathan, armoured in ice and despair. If there were solid ground beneath my feet, I would’ve taken a step back in fear. Its features were sunken so deeply into its face that I could not meet the creature’s eyes, but I knew, it was already seeing me die.
That poor beast, so sure of itself. Completely unaware that I had negated its gaze. I could not be afraid, not yet – that was Valric’s way. I would not show weakness until I was the strongest one left, in the entire universe.
I raised my right arm above my head…
“Heavenly body! Purveyor of tides! Anoint me your champion, Selene!”
The space around my being suddenly blazed in a turquoise light. My body, plated in shimmering silver, energised itself in a frightening power. In my right hand, I held a claymore of pure moonlight, the mystical sword – “Cynthia’s fang”. Strapped to my left arm, a polished disc of whitened rock, the ever-withstanding shield – “Mene”.
I lowered my right arm, pointing my sword straight at the beast. From the cavernous hole that was The Dredd of Taxxium’s mouth, a booming voice reverberated across space. If it were not for this power that shielded me, I am certain that my eardrums would have exploded.
“INSIGNIFICANT BOY. I AM THE DREDD OF TAXXIUM. I CAN SMELL VALRIC UPON YOU. RUN BACK TO YOUR CRAVEN MASTER. I WILL CONSUME YOUR WHITE FLAGS AND SURRENDER CRIES. ALL FREEZE BEFORE THE DREDD.”
As it spoke, I could feel the atmosphere grow colder. Certainly, if I took much longer to act, I would certainly freeze here and die.
“VALRIC IS NOTHING MORE THAN A JUMPED-UP SHIPWRIGHT. HE KNOWS NOTHING OF POWER. HE IS NO TRUE LEADER. HIS INFAMOUS VESSEL. THE SHIP WITH ITS OWN GRAVITY. EVEN THE MOONS HAVE DESERTED HIM NOW. THE END OF VALRIC IS NIGH.”
Just like that, my fear was gone. For a beast such as this, to be so obviously shaken by Valric… The Dredd of Taxxium feared the man, who had been defeated one million times before. Valric, he was without despair.
The only thing that could scare him, was me.
“Beast, I am known as Illuminant. Whilst your fear of Valric honours me, I shall be your opponent today.”
I closed my eyes, focusing on locating the gravitational energy being expelled by The Dredd. As I found it, I allowed it to sweep me into his orbit. Now, from this distance, I could move freely through the surrounding space.
As I prepared for battle, I remembered the teachings of Valric, taught to me all those years ago.
“A great warrior fights hard, thriving within the fair contest. They must always lose in the skirmish, for victory only brings shame and ego – the greatest bane of mankind. Finally, a warrior must never kill another or die in battle, for the dead can never lose another battle and we fight, to be defeated.”
I’m sorry Valric. I’ve never been one for long drawn-out battles or giving my opponent a fair chance. I try not to lose my battles and when I win, I make sure that I will never be challenged to a re-match.
The space in front of me had fashioned itself into a corridor of ice. I could feel my skin wanting to crack in the face of this freezing cold.
“Your words before were sharp but mostly true Dredd however, you were wrong about one very important thing.”
With a flourish of Cynthia’s fang, a deep rumbling fills the air. A split-second later, several moons seemingly materialise out of nowhere, orbiting the space surrounding The Dredd of Taxxium and I.
“The ship might be large Dredd, but the moons swear no fealty to Valric or his mechanical beast. I alone, am their master!”
I level my sword at the beasts vast, gaping maw.
“Vagrant Moon, Congregation!”
The moons fly inwards towards the Dredd at Mach speed. With no escape, The Dredd of Taxxium is pulverised – exploding into chunks of ice and grey flesh. Staining the moons of the divine Selene a deep crimson.
As if it were alive, behind me, the SC-1089 lets out a metallic, painful groan. It truly is a shame I suppose, ancient beasts are so close to extinction, to slay such an endangered species is a crime against nature.
There are bigger concerns though. That beast, its efficacy of speech, Its knowledge of Valric… It was no wild animal; it had been tamed. Its master must still be nearby.
That problem could wait though, I can’t let myself drift too far away from the ship for risk of being lost to its gravity. Furthermore, I’m sure Valric and the rest of the crew just witnessed my victory. I’m sure he’s very displeased.
Good, it’s been a while since we’ve spoken
and I have so much I need to say.
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