Chapter 1: The Beginning

My name is Rebarr Sympa. Strange name, I know, considering I was born on December 28th, 2099. I’m human, 6’3”, jet black hair. Got a chiseled body, all things considered.

The reason for that?

No fucking clue.

I’m lazy as hell. Half the time, I can’t even be bothered to get up. The other half, well, I do enjoy the outdoors, so I go out whenever possible, or, basically, when I feel like it.

I live in Canada, way up north, in a small town, basically on the verge of becoming a city. Quite peaceful, but there are dangers you would have to watch out for.

I’ve got this ... issue? Calamity? Problem-that-will-kill-me-one-day? I don’t fucking know. Anyway, I can’t seem to stay out of situations that are unfair to innocent people. Goddess knows I’ve been in enough trouble before.

Oh, and I’m only 16, on the verge of becoming 17, and I’ve been through this steaming mountain of dogshit.

Totally unfair, right?

I’ve got my younger sister, and my mother with me for my driver’s license test, which I was doing with them in the backseat of the testing car, as well as the actual instructor in the passenger seat next to me. Suddenly, I felt quite nauseous, and hit the brakes, not realising that I had stopped in the middle of a semi-heavy traffic intersection.

I look to my right, seeing nothing. ‘Strange.’ I thought. Then, I look to my left...

SCRRREEEECH!!

CRUNCH!!

I’m thrown around like a ragdoll, so is my sister, my mom, and the driving instructor. There’s a loud crack, and the instructor is dead instantly. I’m definitely injured, but I can’t tell how badly. I grab my sister’s hand, and as darkness swirls in front of my eyes, I’m met with the most sorrowful sight ever.

My mother’s eyes. Lifeless. Cold. Dark.

She’s ... gone.

Darkness claims me.
Then, the dreams started...

I hear indistinct voices, talking about me and my sister. One voice becomes clear, as if right next to me.

“Rebarr Sympa, you are special. When you wake up, you will be 1500 years in the future. Do not fear, however. There is a certain destiny that calls out to you and your sister, and if you follow the correct path, you will be stronger than ever.”

The voice is eerie, strange, then fades away.

A different voice, noticeably female, fills the silence.

“You sweet child, long have we watched you grow and gain strength. There is a prophecy about you. You must know what it entails before you move on.”

Her voice drifts off...

An elderly voice, once again, female, speaks up.

“‘Beware the Hunter, the Seeker, and the Princess of Frost. Upon the molten planet’s core, do not fear for the lore. For with the hidden blade within your grasp, friend and foe shall be given a task.

“‘And with a love that burns so bright, do not fear for the light. The Star shall light your way, for to get to the end, you will have to pay.

“‘Blood. Tears. And Spirit. Offer these to the gods, and they will guide your way. But should you delve, down the dark, you will travel, alone, and stark.’”

It was silent for a long moment.

“The Unclaimed Throne has remained empty. Mainly because it could not be found. Partly because humankind has forgotten to explore the deep reaches of space.” The first voice states.

“Aye, and what mankind has forgotten is that the throne will only accept the true king. And there is only one family line in any timeline we know of, and that is your’s. The Sympa family line.” A voice with an old Scottih accent said.

I was a bit confused, to put it mildly.

“So, what you’re saying is that a long time ago, my family was royalty?” I asked.
“Yes, child,” Elderly Lady voice said. “That is what we are saying. And know this: You are the rightful king. Should you ascend the throne, you will dominate the galaxy, for millennia to come.”

“The King is immortal, in the sense that he does not age or catch disease. You have abilities, very powerful ones. Richard will tell you more about those later. Right now, you need to rest.” This from the original voice.

I blacked out...

As I dreamed, I saw visions.

A human man, dressed in heavy, but elegant armor. A clawed crown resting on his head...

Caves deep underground. So deep that there are rivers of molten rock flowing throughout the surrounding stone, like veins...

An enormous lake of lava. An island in the middle. The vision zooms towards it...

A sundered sword, glowing slightly, pulsing with faint energy. My eyes are drawn towards it...

My eyes snapped open, and I take a deep, shuddering breath. My lungs feel like they’re on fire, and I start coughing. Someone starts rubbing my back, and I spin to see who it is.

I relax, breathing a sigh of relief. “Hello, Jacquelyn.” I say.

“Hello, Rebarr,” My sister replies. “Do you know what happened?”

“I- I think so,” I say. “I was driving, and suddenly got nauseous. So I stopped, not realising that I had stopped in the middle of an intersection.” I had to take a deep breath and continue.

“Then, a truck crashed into us, and the instructor died, and...” I started sobbing uncontrollably.

“What happened, brother? Is mom... ?” Jackie couldn’t continue.

I nodded mutely. Jackie started crying as well. When we both got it out of our systems, I asked if she had seen the same vision I had. She nodded her head.

“Yes, I did,” She says. “I can’t believe that there are things like this. Prophecies, galaxy-wide dominions...”

“Yeah, same here,” I agree. “But we’re living with those things now. So we’ve got to go, and see what we’ve got to do to survive.”

I stood up, and helped pull Jackie up as well. Together, we opened the door, leading to wherever we had ended up.

When Jackie and I opened the door leading from the grey room, we were met with an interesting sight. ‘What the hell?’ I thought. ‘Surely not... ‘

But it was. We were on a floating walkway, with lines of glowing amber lights flowing in elegant curves embedded in the floor. There was no suspension that I could tell, and when I looked up, I yelped. There was just ... space. The darkness terrified me, so much that I didn’t look at anything else around me. Luckily there were no people around to see me.

Jackie giggled. “You’re such a wuss, brother. Look around you. It’s incredible! We’re in space! Like, on a space station!”

“Yeah, well, I’m absolutely terrified of heights, and you know this!” I grumbled. I did, however, look around in awe.

There were what could only be cargo freighters coming and going from the station. I got up and started to walk slowly down the path. As I got used to what I was seeing, Jackie had already ran down the walkway, giggling and laughing to herself. She’d come back every so often, and point out certain things that caught her eye. Suddenly, she stopped and hissed urgently for me to come over.

“Holy shit! Get over here! There’s an enormous ship! I think it might be abandoned!”

I rushed over, my fear of heights momentarily forgotten. I saw what she was talking about, and I stumbled to a stop, shocked. And that was when my first ability kicked in, I think. As I was looking at the ship, I was suddenly able to recognise what type of ship it was, where the weak points were, and weaponry.

Ship Status
Name: The Reaver
Size: 650 meters long, 350 meters wide, 225 meters high
Type: Battlecruiser
Power: 100/100%
Crew: None
Supplies: Restocking

Weapons
Forward:
Plasma Cannons
Stern:
Laser Cannons
Port:
Antimatter Missile Pod
Starboard:
Antimatter Missile Pod
Topdeck:
Mass Drivers X4, Railgun X6, AM Missile Pod X4

Point-Defense:
Sonic-Pulse Cannons

Shields:
Quantum-Flux Matrix Shielding X3

Engines:
Quantum-Flux Pulsar Engines

!ABANDONED!

“Holy Mother of Goddess! That’s a Battlecruiser! And you were right! It’s abandoned.” I stared at the ship numbly. It seemed to be staring at me, calling out to me. “Let’s go check it out!”

We went down to the ship, which, if I do say so myself, is pretty good looking. It has a predatory feel to it, but at the same time, looks elegant. As we approached the ship, I noticed a door opening in the side of it. We walked towards it, and a young lilting girl’s voice echoed throughout the ship.

“Welcome to your new ship, Your Highnesses!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Who the fuck are you?” My sister asked. “I am Reave, My Lady. I am the AI for this ship. But not just any AI. I’m unique in that I have a personality, as well as being sentient. If you need to go somewhere on the ship, just say, ‘Reave, Bridge’ or ‘Reave, Officer’s Lounge’ etc etc. The ship is completely automated, however, it just needed someone like you to come along.”

During the time Reave was talking, we had been transported to the bridge. It was, in a word, incredible. “What did you mean by ‘someone like us’?” I asked. “Royalty, My Lord. That is what you are, if I am not mistaken?” Reave replied. “Well, yes, but I didn’t know about that until about 3 hours ago. How did you know we were royalty anyway?” I asked.

“Well, to answer that, I would have to start the story from the beginning. So, I would recommend getting comfortable, perhaps in the Officer’s Lounge? If you want, I can teleport you both there.” Reave said. “Very well then.” I replied.

Suddenly we were in what I could only assume was the Officer’s Lounge. My sister and I sat down on a deep red couch in front of a large window, which portrayed the expanse of space. “Okay, then, may you give us the story?” Jackie asked. “Okay, here we go.” And so, Reave began her story.

“Roughly 900 years ago, a seer was passing through the Casdian Federation, which was a small empire spanning no more than roughly two dozen star systems. Those star systems, however, were ridiculously rich in minerals. The Casdian’s protected those minerals fiercely, allowing limited to no trade for them. The seer had a sudden vision, about two teenagers, a brother and a sister. He learned that those two were the lost King and his sister, who the King loved and protected ferociously. The seer was traveling with an entourage, consisting of a complement of guards, his wife, daughter, and his best friend, an artist who specialized in portraits.”

Reave had to stop and slow down, she was getting too emotional.

“Anyway, the seer, who’s name is forgotten in time, asked his friend to get out his sketching kit, and draw what he described. He described you, Rebarr, along with you Jacquelyn. Perfect detail. In addition to the vision, he heard a prophecy. I cannot remember the exact details at this moment, but I’m sure I’ll remember at some point. Anyway, there was apparently a voice that told him that the Lost King of the Unclaimed Throne would appear in the year 3615, which is this year. The president of the Casdian Federation happened to hear about this, and decided to start construction of a ship suitable for the purposes of royalty. Sadly, the Casdian Federation disappeared about 450 years ago, but not before building this automated shipyard, dedicated to the Lost King prophesied to come. Ever since then, with the blueprints they uploaded to the shipyard, I have been built, bit by bit. The minerals all arrive here by automated freighter, and even then it’s still slow-going. The Casdian’s were unparalleled master engineers and shipbuilders. It’s a real shame they couldn’t see their masterpiece come to fruition.”

Reave sounded sad. I could sympathise, to be perfectly honest. “It sounds like the Casdian’s were good people.” Jackie said. I couldn’t have agreed more. “So how were you able to recognise us?” I asked.

“I was given the portrait of you and your sister. I can show you, if you would like? Oh, as well as you two being the only organic being on this station.” Reave replied. “Let’s see that portrait, Reave.” I said.

In less than the time it would take for you to say ‘squiggle deedoo’, the portrait was hovering in front of us. Both Jackie and I leaned forward, and then we both sat back, dumbfounded. It was definitely us, that’s for Goddess-damned sure. There was me, jet black hair, deep emerald green eyes, pale scar running down my face from my right temple down across my right eye, across the bridge of my nose, crossing the left side of my mouth, and ending on my lower left jaw. Toned torso, muscled arms and legs, and to top it off, an anachronistic helmet, with a clawed crown resting on it, underneath my right arm.

Standing to my left, was my sister. She was holding onto my arm, but she was in armor that was quite form-fitting. It seemed to be made of some metal that I didn’t recognise. She wasn’t wearing a helmet, however, so I could see her face. Long, flowing jet black hair, like me, a delicate nose, high cheekbones, and the same deep emerald green eyes that I had. I had never really noticed before, but Jackie was - is - quite beautiful.

“I look ... quite heroic, if I do say so myself.” I finally said. “I never noticed how gorgeous you are, Jackie.”

“Really? You really think I’m gorgeous, Rebarr?” She said while fingering her hair self-consciously. “Because I’m not sure about that...”

I stared at her incredulously. “You didn’t just say that, did you? Surely not.” I shook my head. “Of course you’re beautiful, sister.”

Reave cut in. “Sorry to cut this short, but we have an issue developing outside. There are pirates who have stumbled upon the station, and are heading towards it.”

“Do we have everything we need?” I asked. “Because if so, I’m ready to leave. However, is there something we can leave here, like a beacon, so we can find our way back here?”

“That won’t be necessary, actually. I’ve got the coordinates stored away in the databanks of the ship. We can always find our way back.” Reave replied. “Now, do you want me to attack the pirates, or should we utilize the cloak technology we have to get away?” I considered. “How many pirates are there?” There was a pause, the Reave said. “There are 4 ships, but it seems more are arriving. I would recommend caution, and use the cloak tech to get away.” I didn’t hesitate at all. “Then that is what we shall do. Reave, Bridge!”

I was teleported to the Bridge of the battlecruiser, where I sat in the command seat. As I sat down, a myriad of holographs appeared in front of me, and I selected the Helm function. As I started to steer the battlecruiser, I said, “Reave, turn on the cloak, please.” As Reave replied, Jackie popped onto the Bridge next to me. She went to the seat next to mine, which apparently was the XO’s seat. We soon left the station, and headed into deep space, with no plan, limited resources, and no friends.

Jordyn was shocked. Incredibly shocked. She had gotten a very secretive message, which only had five words.

THE LOST KING HAS COME

Jordyn stared at it for a moment, then started bustling about, getting prepared for a trip. A long trip. One she might not return from, but was excited to go on.

She was going to meet this King, and help him get his throne back.

Sarah was relaxing in her Jacuzzi. Her Uni-Cell dinged, indicating that she had gotten a message. She opened her eyes with a groan and turned on her device. Her eyes widened when she saw the contents.

THE LOST KING HAS COME

The Hunter felt the faint vibrations in the fabric of time. He grinned to himself.

‘Finally, you have arrived. I cannot wait to meet you, puny mortal!’

“So, where should we go, Reave?” I asked. She hummed as she thought. “Perhaps Denia? It’s a populated world, major trading one, as well. You can hire crew there, make contacts if need be. There is a woman there, just turned 16, I think, but she has unsurpassed skill when it comes to the tactical station. Her name is Jordyn. I don’t know where we can find her, however, I have reason to believe that she will come to us first. She has always had a fascination with battlecruisers. I think, what with this one quite different from other ships of similar size, that she will approach us, mainly out of curiosity.”

“Okay then, well, what else is there?” I asked. “Hmmm, well, let’s see, shall we?” Reave replied. She brought up a map of the Milky Way galaxy, and I was shocked to discover that there were so many different known alien species. “Denia belongs to a fledgling empire called the Oraski Empire. They are a peaceful folk. Then there is also the Buli Conglomerate. They are the ones to talk to for merchandise. Third, there is the Asria Hegemony. They are an avian type species. They are the ones to call on for fighters and bombers. Fourth, the Quekia. They are a quirky race of sentient sloths. They are supposed to be very wise, but in reality, they just spout nonsense. Finally, there is the Gruedar Federation. They are the descendents of the Casdian Federation. They excel in all forms of engineering and shipbuilding, although their prices are basically extortion.”

I thought about it. “What do you think, Jackie?” My sister smirked, saying, “Let’s go to Denia, brother. Can’t hurt, right?” I said to Reave, “Reave, can you set course to Denia? Thank you.”

“Sure thing! Setting it now.” She replied. “Aaand ... Set! It’ll take us 2 days to get there.” I grinned and thanked her, then turned to my sister. “So, what do you think of our ship? Pretty good, right?” I asked. “It sure is, yeah.” She said. “I honestly can’t wait to see the rest of the galaxy. I wonder what is out there, just waiting to be found.”

I was about to reply, when it suddenly occurred to me that I had subconsciously been looking for the human empire. “Reave? Where is the human empire?” I asked. She hesitated to reply. “Um, the human empire? That would be your empire, correct? Like, the one from when you were born?” She asked. “Yes, that one.” I couldn’t quite keep the irritation out of my voice. “Well, the thing is...” She sounded so nervous. “Um ... uhh, you see, it ... doesn’t exist anymore. They rose to power, then they started fighting each other in a massive civil war, and nearly wiped themselves out ... only a few remain. The person we’re going to see, Jordyn, is one of them. You two are of vital importance to the future of humanity.”

“Well, that’s certainly ... depressing.” I muttered under my breath. After that, we didn’t really talk about humans much more. The two days to get to Denia went past in a flash. When we arrived, we got clearance to approach docking bay 12. Out of all the ships here, ours was definitely the strangest. The banner for ‘my empire’ was displayed. The three dark purple circles, with glowing amber borders around each circle. Each circle was connected to each other by a line of dark red with more of that glowing amber border. Inside each circle were the letters RS.

“So, how do we find Jordyn?” Jackie asked. “We don’t.” Reave said. “She’ll come to us. And if I am not mistaken, here she is.”

There was a chime, so I told Reave to let her in and teleport her up to the bridge. A few seconds later, she appeared. I turned in my seat, to get a look at her. When she saw my face, she gasped, and suddenly fainted. I started to get up, but there was no need. A soft couch appeared out of nowhere, catching the unconscious girl. I sighed, as if I get this reaction all the time. “Oh, come on! Surely I’m not that bad!” I complained.