Celestria Chronicles

THE FOUNDING OF FLAY-GX

In the year 4999, deep into the deprivation of Region 51 of Celestria, there was a solitary young man living in a run-down apartment. Grime coated the walls, mould clung to the doors like maggots on the bodies of the dead, and seats were collapsing and the insides pouring out. An old screen flashed awful bits of news at him, about Celestria's rich and famous getting together and breaking up, an attack on June5.87I off past Crorst, the same old same old. It seemed to him like nothing ever changed, regardless of what year they were in. The planet was getting ready to move into the sixth millennium, but who really gave a shit? Who really cared when a good 50% of the planet couldn't afford to pay the water bill half the time, and a good 10% of the population didn't even appear on the census. As far as he could see, no good at all.

          At his side, whilst he was dozing (not because he was tired, but because it was something to do that didn't involve having to pay for it), his Halo-Core buzzed at him. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to grow accustomed to the dark, with the bright blue blinking at him off to his right. He reached for it lazily, still trying to creep past the clawing fingers of sleep that tried to catch him again, drag him back to Never land. It was his friend, Destrous. He tapped for the face projection, and from the screen, Destrous' face emerged. His eyes were wide and he had a sly grin on his face.

'Zulgroth, you will never believe what we've found.' Zulgroth raised an eyebrow.

'Probably not, I don't know what you were looking for in the first place,' the young man replied to his friend.

'I can't tell you, but you have got to come and see this. Huntas, Brains and me will be waiting down by the K-Crow Killings Cafe, you remember there don't you?' Zulgroth squinted.

'Is that the one as you come off the magna, you go down past Flora's on the right, take the third left and it's on the corner there?'

'That's the one. Come quickly though, but make sure you're not being followed.' Zulgroth was still trying to comprehend what the hell his friend was on about, and then it clicked. They must have found somewhere. Somewhere safe and suitable for their needs.

'You don't mean, you mean you actually found somewhere?' He was excited now; he leapt to his feet with new-found anticipation and enthusiasm in his veins.

'We think so. Get here in half an hour, bring your Halo-Core, and a weapon as well. It may be slightly illegal what we're doing.' Zulgroth laughed at Destrous, he couldn't decide if he was being sarcastic or was just slightly nervous about the whole thing.

'It sounds like you've found a place for The Black Members to set up base, and we are The Black Members. If there's anything more illegal let me know about it and I'll walk to Kalvulseah now and slap magna-cuffs on my wrists myself.' Destrous chuckled; he had always admired Zulgroth, their natural born leader, and ended the conversation.

          Zulgroth went to the cupboard and extracted a bottle of cheap alcohol and put it to his lips. He tipped it up and took several swigs, draining half of the bottle there and then. Right now called for a celebration, if indeed it was what Destrous was saying was true. He had been wrong before, well not so much wrong as grossly overestimating his location scouting abilities. But this time the three others had found it together. This should be good; it was time to start something new.

          He put the bottle back, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Outside the window someone was playing some new techno, the beat pulsing through him like an electronic heartbeat. It seemed to pump him up, get him more excited than he already was. He went and put on his leather trench coat, deep black and glistening. He pulled on his black leather gloves, putting his black shoes on last. Every part about him was as deep as the darkest night in The Abyssal Cluster, save for his face, and even then he had a black facemask just ready below his chin to pull up, should anyone holler for him. He had been known to do the odd bit of breaking and entering, and had been forced to put a 12 year old in the hospital before, but it was only because she fucking shot at him! Although he hadn't been officially recognised as of yet, it was Celestria that he lived on, and he knew not to take too many chances. He grabbed his card to get back into the place, and his gun, an XF-46 Beta. He left the apartment in good spirits, for a criminal.