Chronicle of the Unknown Sector. (#Wattys2015)

Part 1: The boy who'd become a symbol.

'Either we're alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are just as terrifying' - Arthur C. Clarke.

Since man first discovered the power of rockets and dreamt of soaring beyond the stars. One question of being alone kept lingering within our minds. Come 2784 or as some refer to as "A.S.C 12" (After space colonisation), the answer to that question was we weren't alone after all.

Earth, once beautiful with vast blue oceans and green-land. Now sat as nothing but a wasteland husk of it's former self, scarred by the "Tri-power" war that lasted an entire decade. The aftermath left the people of Earth to scatter into the stars, one of these humans who'd be the last to be born on the dying planet was Pablo Modoon and this is his story.

For years he and his parents spent travelling among the stars in another war, not a war of troops and survival. But one of equality for the decade of war between Humanity, the Lu'iar and Psyoni had created the so called "Half-breed" which were seen as abominations to their races.

Salindre Forgen, Pablo's mother wouldn't stand for such and began a system-wide campaign to have the mixed races seen as people. With the war having left fragile ties between governments and councils, this meant the risk of another war with more bloodshed in many ways, both for and against this liberty act.

By the time A.S.C 17 had come around, Pablo's life would be forever changed on his fifth birthday. During a protest for Half-breeds rights was in the process of being broke up by the Galactic Congress Military forces of Humanity. None could foresee as what'd follow in it's wake.

The roaring crowds and soldiers were silenced as dark ion storms grew whilst covering the area around with a thick smog. Bio-spores landed that hatched into scaled horrific monsters ranging from an average sized human to twenty feet tall. The following hours became a massacre of both the Human soldiers and Half-breed sympathisers, as the little boy watched it happen right before him.

One of the scaled beasts tore his parents asunder, leaving chucks of gory flesh as they were devoured whilst blood gushed onto his face leaving him stunned. All he could do was simply staring blankly in panic at his now red hands, completely immobile until a soldier hauled him away to an evac-ship.

Despite being one of the few survivors, the traumatised boy was to be sentenced for his parents crimes. An action which even some of the soldiers questioned, but dared not to defy the board of directors. Growing up inside a prison surrounded by murderers, pirates, slavers and all vile scum among the stars. The boy was tried time and time again, as savage combat brawls often ended in the boy tearing off an ear or breaking another man's bone.

The guards were equally frightened and impressed by the lads ability in combat that they'd make up a lie to the warden, feeling empathetic of why he'd been locked up to begin with. The worst for Pablo wasn't among the inmates however, for the lingering memory of his parents death haunted him each night. As he'd toss and turn, curling up and jolting about at air before finally awakening with a cold sweat.

Five years on, the boys appearance had changed dramatically from the once innocent admiring green eyed lad with silky smooth skin. Had now been replaced by a young man with bloodshot swamp core eyes, with skin rougher then an asteroid. Marked by the scars and burns that littered him from the numerous brawls of his prison upbringing.

The day of his tenth birthday, Pablo was shackled up with powerful magnets at his wrists and magnetic boots around his feet. The thudding of magnets to metallic floor caused other inmates to stare at him as he headed to the Wardens office.

Inside the office along with the guards who'd brought him and the Warden, stood a Military drafter who just gazed at him. As Pablo was secured in place preventing all movements, his deathly stare striking most at first glance. The drafter presented a form of conscription, not just for the regular troops but for the elite O.S.T.D (Orbital, Shock, Tactics, Division).