Shattered Skies Book 1: Embers (WIP)

Ch. 1: Salvage

Date: 3/17/2159

Location: Approaching Tellina System, Tertiary Asteroid Belt

"...marks the third anniversary of the devastating loss at the Battle of Terra. Millions come together in mourning..."

"...yet another corporation declares bankruptcy, citing post-war economic recession as the major contributing factor. This brings the number of bankrupt companies up to 16 since the end of..."

"...Vakkado protests enter their third week as residents demand action be taken against the Royal Aserati Empire regarding their claim on former terran systems. With periodic riots..."

"...militant group known as TerransFirst claims responsibility for another destroyed ship on the Terran-Aserati border. Warnings from the RAE "Jasvidi" order that the Republic either take control of the situation or they will enact a "swift and brutal" response..."

Walker hits the power button on the remote. The holographic view screen sputters briefly before fading away. Walker sighs, tossing the remote aside and falling backwards onto his bed. The news in recent years has taken a turn for the grim. Hearing about the wounded state of the nation often put his day off to a bad start. Yet he still watches it. Force of habit, perhaps?

Ever since Terra's destruction the Terran Republic has fallen into disarray. Terra was not only the seat of the government but a center of industry with many major orbital shipyards. Now though, it's just a monument to the greatest defeat in terran history.

Shortly after the battle, the Royal Aserati Empire demanded an unconditional surrender from the Republic. The reason why is up for debate. With the terran war machine now sizably weaker and the threat of more of their "singularity bombs" being deployed to other colonies, they were given no choice.

The stipulations were harsh. A huge chunk of terran space was seized, displacing billions of people. An enormous payment of resources was demanded, causing an economic crash. The effects of which have since only gotten worse. The military was cut by nearly three quarters, sending hundreds of warships to scrapyards and discharged the vast majority of their personnel. Among them was Walker himself.

The day his XO reported to him about Nova Squadron's dissolvement is one he remembers vividly. He remembers the mournful look of his XO as he handed him the datapad. The feeling of despair and anger that consumed him in that moment. It was in that moment he knew. The bugs had taken everything from him.

The only silver lining was that his experience as a pilot made him valuable in the workforce, jumping between jobs until eventually landing as a wreck salvager. The next two years were spent searching for wrecked or damaged ships adrift in space, acting as both salvage recovery and occasional search and rescue.

While not the worst job in the world, it's not what Walker wanted. He didn't go through flight academy to gather up chunks of broken ships so they could be melted down and used again. He misses the feeling of purpose he had. The feeling that he was contributing to something greater.

A soft, electronic chirping halts his train of thought. He turns to his nightstand, resting his gaze on the comm earpiece lying there. Blue lights strobes in half second intervals to indicate an incoming call. A small screen on its side displays a name, Jurril Val Hevetur. Walker grabs it, situating it on his left ear before taping the central button.

"Yes, Jurril?" He says to his Tir shipmate on the other end.

"Walker Risan. We are nearing the Tellina Tertiary Asteroid Belt. You are needed on the bridge." her reptilian voice hisses in his ear, using the dull, emotionless tone he's come to associate with her. It's not her fault, though. Tir who have to interact with other species undergo a reconditioning process to let them intermingle with the rest of the galaxy. Without it, the slightest deviation from Tir's frankly uncompromising social norms would send her into a violent frenzy.