Opet and the Tales of Heroes

Chapter 1: November 21st, 2347

The long nonstop days of Aphadus have been a constant for Raavi as he stood outside New San Antonio's port. He stood with only the belongings needed for the short trip. The dim red star in the background was unending. The tidally locked planet was perhaps one of the few planets out there in the galaxy that could survive the relatively light radiation flares that this red dwarf star could give off. Life had been flourishing since the Milky Way Galaxy had been formed. Aphadus had been a miracle planet for the United World's Alliance. It was one of the few red dwarf exoplanets that had natural life evolve on it.

For Raavi, he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. The light oxygen content was something he was used to by now. If you ran, you risked passing out. His thoughts went to the fact that he knew where he was going. It was a place of wonder and suspicion. Stories circulated about the colony world of New Olympia. It was another red dwarf system of the United Worlds' Alliance.

"I can do this....." Raavi said to himself as he put his hand to his light beard. His slightly dark skin complexion was typical for the people of Aphadus. His family descended from India long ago of former Earth.

Raavi was dressed in his white and gray shirt. He wore a set of comfortable brown pants along with his favorite white sneakers. He wanted to dress comfortably, but he wondered if he needed to dress more formally.

"She told me to just come in this...." He reassured himself as he walked closer to the airport.

Raavi scanned his home planet one last time. The red dim sky was beautiful as always as it always produced a hue to the surrounding area. Not far was the great dome military base for the United Human Navy. It must have been one of the most massive domes to the colony itself as it was separated from the other domes of the city of New San Antonio. It was littered with weapon emplacements and doors that lined the entire structure. Not far from the gigantic dome was the great lake of purple colored water. The red skylight would turn the blue colored water to purple. It was a sight that made former Earth or the great colony of Cebravis look like nothing.

To some, it was an acquired taste. Many always considered Cebravis to be more beautiful. Aphadus had lakes rather than oceans. One side was still facing the star, while the other was in perpetual darkness and ice. The exoplanet was moderate in size. The gravity was less than Cebravis, while the oxygen content was seemingly less. For some, people wanted to have augmented lungs if you wanted to do regular exercise outside. Raavi, on the other hand, had been used to it. For many, the runners of Aphadus were better than most runners in the entire United Worlds Alliance.

For Raavi, he looked at the great mountains of Aphadus. It lined the distant landscape. The location of the great cities of Aphadus lined a specific place on the planet. With temperatures too hot on one side and too cold on the other, the only ideal location for a settlement was the area where the climate met in the middle. This was where the ice would melt and produce a series of lakes. Some called it "The Black Ring." It was a place where native plants evolved and grew on the planet. These plants starved for sunlight, and they adapted themselves to developing black leaves to gather as much available light as possible. On the other side of New San Antonio was one of these great black forests.

It was a peaceful world. Sure it had its typical media and events like any planet, but it was a place that was seemingly isolated. For the ones that enjoyed this world, it was quieter than many places. The domes were a necessity, though. Aphadus was standing next to a powder keg that could go off at any minute. While the star to Aphadus was calmer than most M-Type stars, there was always the fear that the star could send off a massive superflare. These flares were so intense that it could pummel the atmosphere, raise the surface temperature by a few degrees, and slam high amounts of radiation everywhere. If not careful, these superflares may produce radiation surges so high that it could even strip the planet's atmosphere. In order to receive adequate temperatures to support life, the world had to be very close to its star. Building codes were strict. All cities had to be constructed to ensure that the population inside could handle the radiation surge inside if a big one came. Aphadus might as well have been known as the dome world alongside the colonies of Batrice and Gillan.