The Sungil: Ancient Relics

Chapter 2: Ominous Allies

Starlight-5, a massive center for trade floating in the void of space. It was a relatively new installment in the network of trade hubs scattered throughout the galaxy, but it was by far one of the largest. The station is known for its complete autonomy from any single governing body. Funded by free traders and guarded by a fleet of hired ships, Starlight-5 was to be a safe haven.

The imposing installation was made up of three titanic ring segments that were connected on alternating sides. Each ring could house hundreds of millions of beings and countless tonnes of supplies, goods, and machinery. Starlight-5 was a marvel of modern Starbase construction and a gem of the southern core of the galaxy. Conveniently located at the tip of the Grand Sungil Empires reaches in the west were the Foaxen trading clans could easily sell their goods and pick up new merchandise to exchange with the smaller territories that made their home in the west safely out of the Sungils zone of interest.

But as of the past few years the station has acquired another unexpected advantage in its location. With the recent wars between the humans of the UEEC and the Sungil, Starlight-5 was in the middle of contested territory. This allowed the traders to circumvent the Sungils strict no-trade policy with the humans, seeing as their fleets were occupied and unable to pressure the station.

War wasn't all profit though. With the destruction of so many worlds in the conflict and the aggression of both sides, many now homeless citizens of the galaxy looked for a place to escape to away from the conflict. At first the rush of refugees was seen an a nuisance by the corporate clans that ran the station and they turned them away. But after only a few months of operations the number of refugee ships hovering just out of range of the station had grown to a dangerous amount as the displaced threatened to overrun the station with sheer numbers in desperation.

With that threat hovering over them, a plan was made. A section of the lower ring originally built to house frigates for unloading and repairs was emptied and a tent city was erected. It quickly filled to capacity, forcing the refugees to get creative. Shacks made of scrap were built, the catwalks along the hangar ceilings were built onto to add even more space, and the floors were ripped up and burrowed into. After only a cycle of being inhabited, the lower levels had taken on a life of their own as a seedy hole away from the horrors of war...

The gentle hum of machinery that was always present onboard Starlight-5 was now like a deafening roar to Tellin as he sat crouched in the darkness, just outside the storage room he needed to be in. Crouched in shadow and leaning in as far as he could, the little brown Sungil swiped his furry white mane away from his ears as he tried desperately to listen in on the conversation of the two Gilded Claw guards. But the noises of Starlight-5 that he usually never even noticed were making this quite difficult, only catching a few words from the humans over its monotone din.

"I don't.... have... doing this stupid..." Tellin barely heard one of them grumble. He'd never get a grasp on what was going on if he couldn't hear them. Gathering his courage, he peeked his head around the corner slowly to get a view on them and hopefully hear better. The room was a long rectangle with rows of crates set up with walkways between them. Along the walls were shelves that reached the ceiling, bins with labels too small for Tellin to read from this distance were neatly sorted along the racks. The two guards were seated at a table with an overturned crate spilling a pile of shining silver scrap onto the floor next to them. They wore the standard mismatch of armor and clothes from the three species that made up the ranks of the pirate faction Gilded Claws. Sungil style Sode on their shoulders, Ragduurn clothe fashioned into a cloak or scarf, and the tactical clothing of humans. Tellin knew that it wasn't these specific things that made a Gilded Claw uniform but the act of wearing three different components from the three founder species. Both of them also had human weapons holstered on their hips.