Prologue – ‘A Change and a Passing’

For what had once been a rocky wasteland, Hi’Dreicas XI was a beautiful moon. Vast forests of differing tropics spread across the planetoid’s surface, covering the graceless rock with plants of species numbering in the hundreds of thousands. To any Sentient that may have seen the moon’s lustrous beauty, they would have thought it a paradise, and left it at that. But, as there is to all things, there was much more beneath the flowery façade then met the eye.

Literally.

Hi’Dreicas XI was a prison moon, a SMSI, or super-maximum-security instalment. Beneath the ferns and flowers lay a winding myriad of tunnels, halls, and cells, all bored out of the rock. The entire moon, save its barren core, was a dark and dismal trap, from which many that descended into its depths never escaped.

But to every rule, there are exceptions.

And if anyone had been paying close attention to one particular venting hatch on the moon’s surface, they would have noted that, to this specific rule, there were three.

Three Human fugitives.

- - -

A rugged male, clothed in an orange jumpsuit, emerged from the opened hatch. On his bald pate, a black ID tag existed, reading ‘I95J-6612’. Beads of sweat were visible on his lined face, but failed to disguise a deep scar on the right side, running just above his jawline. His eyebrows were black, and the shrewd, cutting eyes beneath were auburn. As the man got to his feet, firm muscles were outlined beneath the jumpsuit’s sleeves.

Behind the man, keeping his distance from the hot, rank steam that hissed from the open hatch, another male leaned against a tree. He also wore the jumpsuit, as well as an ID tag on his forehead. Like the scarred figure before him, no hair was visible on the man’s head. He had a wiry, lanky frame that was reflected in the man’s thin face. On his exposed forearm, from where the sleeve had been rolled away, lay an ugly open gash, red with blood that steadily oozed from the aperture. The man’s brown brows were solidly furrowed as he examined the wound with hazel eyes.

The scarred one held the vine-cloistered hatch open as the last of their party, a female, clambered out of the dank, steaming shaft. Her hair was a rich chestnut, roughly cropped just above shoulder-length. Deep sapphire eyes peered out at the thick, alien forest around her, and she, similarly equipped with ID tag and orange jumpsuit, began to get to her feet.

Straightening, she turned to her partner, stepped close to him, and planted a firm kiss on the man’s lips. Several seconds later, she released him, and smiled. “I told you that you had something coming, Marrow.”

The scarred one grinned wryly back, nodding smoothly at the women. “Glad it wasn’t somethin’ else.”

“After you nearly busted us in the duct by dropping your ‘driver, I would’ve slugged you if that guard hadn’t been listening.”

The wiry male waited nearby, coolly watching the two. A sardonic look played over his face. “If we don’t get movin’ soon, none of that will’ve made any difference.”

Marrow cracked his knuckles as in reply. “’Course you’re right, Darsen.”

“Obviously, Tyche.” Darsen left the tree and made his way over the pair. “What’s that hand tech you snatched tell us about the Pariah, Nav? Can it tell us where the ‘thorities put’er?”

Nav Petra pulled out a small Interactive ELP from a side pocket. Brushing aside a lock of her hair, she typed in a few commands on the screen before answering the lanky con. “It’s encrypted as I expected. Gimme a few seconds to hack through.”

Darsen shook his head irritably. “Nav, we only got a few seconds. The guards’ll be personally checking our cells any second now. That idiot I bribed won’t keep’em fooled for much longer.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Fila?” Nav replied sarcastically. “Just shut up and let me work.”

Fila Darsen continued to mutter however. “We were in that stupid shaft for at least twenty or thirty minutes-“

“Twenty-seven.” Tyche replied calmly. “And we’ve been in plenty worse places then that shaft.”

“I know…” Darsen replied absently as he picked at the gash on his arm. “It’s just this waitin’. Nav, what-“

“Just let’er work her magic.” Tyche interrupted again. “She’s a pro. We still got time before those alarms start howling.”

“Easy for you to say.” Darsen replied, scowling. He returned his gaze to the gash, muttering all the while.

A minute or two passed, peppered by several colourful curses from Petra as she worked the Electronic Literary Panel. The night sky began to whisper softly as a wind picked up, ruffling the thick foliage and breathing a cool, cloying scent of green upon the glade. Petra’s brows continued to furrow as she continued to hack into the prison tech, until-

“Finally.” She muttered, turning to the two mercs. “The Zactrian Pariah’s been impounded in a military hangar due west of here. Security looks not too bad, well… we’ve faced tougher before.”

“Like during the last two hours,” Darsen said dryly.

“Point taken,” Tyche said. “How far is it?”

“About forty-two GU’s.” Nav replied, her face even.

Darsen got up angrily. “Forty-two GU’s! There’ll be soldiers crawling all over this place before we’re even half that distance!”

Nav fixed him with a glare. “I know, Fila. Maybe if you shut up and quit complaining for once, we just might make it, hm?”

Tyche smiled quietly. He’d heard this sort of diatribe many times before, and knew that there was no end to it.

“C’mon, love. We’ll have plenty of time to chat once we’re off planet. Best we start moving.”

“Subtly put, Marrow,” Nav replied, her eyes meeting the rugged mercenary’s with a sparkle. “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

The three began to jog into the jungle, heading west. And, for the most part, glad that the oblivious soldiers beneath their feet couldn’t hear the never-ending grumbling of Fila Darsen.

Hello, reader! Thanks for reading, even if you didn't think too much of this first bit. I think it turned out alright though... Hope you continue.

And remember... I will return any reviews I get. So review!!

Kaion Vin - Yeah, I took down the character map. The intro has a purpose, as it foreshadows a bit... but I'll leave it at that. :P

Alankria - Thanks for your pointers. I made a few changes in accordance. :) I don't know if I'm going to merge the intro and ch1 though. It's not really an excerpt from a computer, or anything that would have been recorded. But I will definitely continue to think about it.