Slingers (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 1)

Prolouge

Let's face it, humans haven't always been seen as the most generous of species. When we see a place where we want to live, we burn what was already there to the ground, build up something new, and when that's all used up, we move on to the next place and repeat. But, as everyone knew but seemed to ignore, we would eventually run out of places to burn. And that's exactly what happened. The planet was doomed. We were about to drive ourselves into extinction. We had taken too much from Earth. And she was too weak. So, we left. The biggest evacuation in history, with everyone leaving Earth on giant space carriers. We left our old planet behind to find new ones. It took a while, but we eventually did. We used our new technology, known as World Shapers, devices that could change the very geography of planets themselves. Using these, we built new homes, and with that came the GDF. The Galactic Defence Federation brought together the survivors of the exodus, and gave humanity a new shelter under their dictatorship. They promised peace and prosperity, which was soon disrupted by those who wanted to embrace the purity of Wild Space. Their numbers grew, and they formed the Resistance against the regime. Conflicts between them raged, pockmarking planets with battles. But this was overshadowed by a new discovery, one that made history. On a desolate planet, explorers found a giant carving known as the Tablet, which was decorated with a map of the galaxy, and on several planets, a symbol. The beings that left this Tablet were dubbed "The Markers", and the subsequent translations revealed the existence of several artifacts, known as "Dorado Pieces", (taken from the Old Spanish for gold) artifacts, that, when assembled, would unlock a mystical power. Whoever unlocked those artifacts could either give it back to the Markers, and become rich beyond their wildest dreams, or take the power for themselves, and become the most powerful being in the universe. Needless to say, the draw was pretty intense. Those who weren't battling immediately set out to find the treasure. Several explorers flew away, little to none came back, and those who did were worse for wear. Space was dangerous, and eventually the legend of the treasure became just that, a legend. But there are those out there who still believe...