The Iron Star

Chapter I - Marigold

"450 years ago, Her Majesty, Gaia, was set ablaze. When the sea walls burst and the land scorched, human civilization as it had been known, vanished. Spacefaring observers watched in awe as our homeworld transformed from Paradise to Chaos.

However, as She began to cool, as if by miracle, humanity crawled out from its architectural reefs. Her withered body began to sprout life once more. From the ashes of Paradise we began to rebuild our communities, and, furthermore, our home.

Today, we stand on the brink of a new age. The crust we now walk upon has returned life to us. Generations thought lost have been found. Gods long dead have been renewed. From the battered coastlines of Europe to the sunken cities of Asia, humanity's torch has been rekindled."

Angel Marigold stood atop a podium before a sea of faces. Her words echoed through the ruins of the plaza, out into the surrounding forest. She'd been told by the historically astute of her community that this place had once been a magnificent parkland embraced by a sprawling urban landscape. The city hosts a vibrant and bustling crowd, one for all peoples. But those were Paradisian times. The Chaos ravished Frisco, stripping away its colours and tearing down its walls. And, once the Chaos had subsided, a veil of fog shrouded the metropolis.

The return of the first Friscans back to their ancestors' ravaged city brought to Frisco new life. A body of makeshift housing was constructed on the Paradisian ruins with the grand park as its beating heart. Marigold became somewhat of a local hero, aiding in the establishment of a governmental body and overseeing a large portion of the reconstruction. The stability allowed the settlement to expand its influence over increasingly larger portions of the city, reclaiming it from darkness. Eventually also, the community decided it would name itself after the Paradisian city on the ghost of which they stood. With this, the veil of Frisco had been lifted.

Since then, her bumbling community had grown tenfold. And as she concluded her speech and thanked her people, the 3000-odd mass burst into a celebratory applause. They had just elected their first president.

Marigold donned a royal solar cape, powering her rusted night vision glasses and scrappy energy weapon holster. Her glasses had become somewhat of an icon in Frisco, the faded golden rims decorated with outstretching sunbeams and the lenses tinted green. After digging around in the wiring of the mystical object, she'd discovered that they likely once contained an AI construct, but only an empty chip slot remained now.

Within a few hours she found herself walking the dimly lit streets of her city, stepping over rubble as she went. There weren't many places in the immediate settlement that were this unkempt, but she lived on the Outskirts. Her area was in line to become the basis for a new district. At least that was the plan until the House began squabbling over whether or not the resources would be better spent on a robotic army to counteract that of the neighbouring Silicon Empire. Perhaps now that she was president, she could order the construction of her own suburb. A playful smile grew on her face as the thought crossed her mind.

The building didn't appear particularly impressive. The half heartedly repaired townhouse didn't exactly compare to the Paradisian skyscrapers of the old world. Originally blue, the house had been painted pastel yellow with a pale white trim. In fact, its colour scheme was the only distinctly observable thing about this house. Fresh paint was a rarity in California, and most houses in Frisco were painted with a mismatch of colours. In any case, it made for a colourful city. Its roof was decorated with an array of solar panels, all linked by a tattered red wire to an exposed battery sitting just beside the front door. She'd specifically asked for the reconstruction crew to leave as much odd plant growth as possible, thus its yellow walls were cuddled by a family of luscious green vines. 

Marigold walked up the front steps and pushed aside the purple patterned fabric. As she hung up her solar cape next to the doorway, a small plump ball of fluff leapt from the workbench dividing the room. She knelt down before the mass and ran her hand through its soft black hair, causing it to emit a rumbling noise.

"Aw, hey baby" she smiled, raising her pitch.

Standing up, she made her way to the workbench and grabbed the red rusty watering can that sat atop it. Marigold orbited the room, watering hanging and potted plants as she passed by. The room was filled with them and she'd begun to work out the most efficient order to water them in. Some dangled from the roof while others sat on the walls coated in tables and racks of strange trinkets and fairy lights. With just a tiny amount of water left, she filled up the metal bowl tucked away under the workbench. Along the side of it was a crudely written inscription of her beloved friend's name: "ONYX". He trotted over and began to slurp up the liquid. Marigold placed the watering can aside and, after unequipping them, placed her holster and glasses on the workbench. She yawned as she grabbed a handful of nuts from a jar on one of the benches and picked at them for a few minutes. And with that, she climbed into her hammock, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.