I've been working on this for a few years now since my college days. It's evolved a lot since its inception, but I have a pretty firm grasp on what I want it to be now. It's certainly challenging my command of the english language, I'll say that much
I've always been a massive sci-fi fan, and I've always been obsessed with space. My goal was to create a brand-new, original universe set approximately 200,000 years into the future. Anyway, that's enough of my nattering, please feel free to read and comment/criticise at your leisure. It's my first time posting my work publically, so be gentle
Age of Oblivion.
Prologue.
Faster than any normal man could stride, the monster ran. He raced over the fields basking in the first light of dawn; wound his way through the scorched, smoking craters that spoke of a terrible battle fought not long ago. Never faltering, never slowing. His desire to escape pushed him on, an unbreakable will of iron that had withstood months of imprisonment as shadowy faces in high seats debated over what to do with him. Despite his extraordinary speed his pursuers were not too far behind, riding on machines to match his every step. The monster pushed his incredible physique to the absolute limit, running as though buoyed by the wind itself. Never stopping, never hesitating. Feet found ground over and over, each stride taking him ten metres closer to his destination. The ocean ahead drew closer, but he was not there just yet. He heard voices behind his shoulder, soldiers yelled in hoarse tones for him to stop, audible even over the dull roar of their engines. He had no weapons of his own; his existing escape plan had been accelerated thanks to certain outside factors; he had learned what was going to happen here through the loose tongues of guards, and he did not want to be around when the time came. He wore only the clothes assigned to him by his captors, his feet were bare, and he had been fed just enough to keep him alive for several months. Despite these handicaps he remained the single most dangerous life form on the entire planet. There was also one vital object he had managed to procure that could prove to be his salvation. The monster was counting the seconds before the warning shots started. Two over the shoulder to begin with; they would start shooting to kill any moment. The first bolt screamed past his ear with a crackling hiss, broiling the air around it before dissipating with a scarlet flash. He did not flinch. The second drew even closer, fired with clockwork predictability by the fools who doggedly chased him. Still he gave no reaction. His augmented brain calculated several thousand variables in an instant readying for the third shot, aimed this time squarely between his shoulder blades. With the merest hint of effort, he threw his massive frame into the sky when the bolt was but a few metres from contact. It passed harmlessly beneath him as he ascended, eyes still fixed determinedly at the ocean before him; he was almost there. Now the pursuers fired without restraint, STAVO bolts of red and purple flying past him without once touching him. He came crashing back down to the ground, and without once breaking his stride leapt again, this time horizontally from the edge of the pearl-white cliffs. His body assumed the most aerodynamic shape possible to slice through the air and in seconds he splashed into the freezing water below, the force of his dive taking him deep beneath the surface. He could survive for many minutes without the need to breath – an ability he now employed to its fullest extent. He swam with all his might away from the soldiers, now standing at the very edge of the cliff, cursing and shooting fruitlessly at the ocean in hopes of striking him. For several hours, he did nothing but swim, periodically surfacing to take a single breath and then disappearing beneath the azure waves. Time passed and he came up for another breath, this time becoming aware of the thundering of planetside energy cannons. He turned around and trod water for a moment, analysing the unfolding battle against the newcomers breaching atmosphere. It was clear The Enemy would not be denied this time; when they claimed victory the entire surface of the planet would be incinerated, just as countless others before it. Sure enough, as he reached the edge of another landmass, he looked across the ocean and saw in the distance a swarm of asymmetrical black vessels descend above the facility he had recently escaped from. It was as though the sky wept ink as more and more of the Enemy fleet began to emerge, hungering for destruction. They unleashed a withering barrage on the area surrounding the facility that had until recently been his prison. If his pursuers had survived the initial attack, there was no doubt they would now be fleeing for their lives, for the final phase of the battle was beginning. The few remaining defense turrets flung green bolts of energy desperately into the sky, but it was in vain - it was always in vain. The Monster gazed expressionlessly at the ensuing frenzy of the battle for a moment, only moving his eyes now and then to take stock of the increasing numbers of ships now appearing, looming in the sky. An ominous shadow had descended upon the dawn-kissed clouds, as the sheer number of objects in orbit began to blot out the very light of the star itself. He turned back to his escape, and soon reached the small atoll he had been aiming for.
The time to escape the doomed world had now come, for he knew what was coming in a matter of moments. The latest super-weapon, dreamed up in some clandestine lab, would inevitably be deployed as soon as it became clear all hope for the system had been lost, and his existence would come to a permanent and violent end. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide, and pushed his extended index finger to the very back of his throat. His body convulsed and he dropped to his knees. His finely tuned physiology did not succumb easily, so it took him several attempts to regurgitate fully. After taking a moment to recover, he had what he needed in his hand; a small, metallic device hastily stolen from the first guard whose neck he had splintered like a twig. He quickly manipulated the tiny screen on the device, and closed his eyes as a shimmering haze surrounded him, tunnelling his existence through the fabric of reality, to an awaiting shuttle high in orbit of the stricken planet.
All at once, the echoing roars surrounding him diminished, replaced by the gentle hum of the shuttle’s onboard systems. He allowed himself time to reflect on his success; despite the hasty execution of his escape, he had procured an Arcdrive-equipped shuttle and enough reserve energy to fly for almost a Sol-standard year without the need to refuel. It had taken many weeks of planning and manipulating, but he had finally escaped with his life, and he was quite sure nobody would follow him, especially considering the events about to unfold. A glance at the sight below him confirmed the true extent of the situation; countless, tiny pinpricks milling about above the shimmering world. An ocean of cruelly formed dreadnoughts hung in the void, flanked by tens of thousands of smaller, faster strike craft. It was all at once an impossible, terrifying, beautiful scene.
As if on cue, his early warning system activated and the cockpit window automatically darkened by several shades; he didn’t even need to look round to know what had happened. The preliminary shockwave from the system's collapsing star had already started racing towards the besieged planet, and The Monster decided he had thoroughly outstayed his welcome in this part of the cosmos. With surgical deftness, he keyed in co-ordinates far away from the system, somewhere that he knew would ensure his safety for some time. The failures of his old masters would be rectified. They had been weak - too weak to do what needed to be done to defeat The Enemy. He could hear the siren of destiny calling to him; to take up arms and resurge against the hated adversary. The arcdrive completed its charging cycle, and instantly translated the molecular pattern of the small vessel to the higher geometries of space-time. The Monster made good on his escape at velocities incomprehensible to the mind, to face the new age that awaited him.
I've always been a massive sci-fi fan, and I've always been obsessed with space. My goal was to create a brand-new, original universe set approximately 200,000 years into the future. Anyway, that's enough of my nattering, please feel free to read and comment/criticise at your leisure. It's my first time posting my work publically, so be gentle
Age of Oblivion.
Prologue.
Faster than any normal man could stride, the monster ran. He raced over the fields basking in the first light of dawn; wound his way through the scorched, smoking craters that spoke of a terrible battle fought not long ago. Never faltering, never slowing. His desire to escape pushed him on, an unbreakable will of iron that had withstood months of imprisonment as shadowy faces in high seats debated over what to do with him. Despite his extraordinary speed his pursuers were not too far behind, riding on machines to match his every step. The monster pushed his incredible physique to the absolute limit, running as though buoyed by the wind itself. Never stopping, never hesitating. Feet found ground over and over, each stride taking him ten metres closer to his destination. The ocean ahead drew closer, but he was not there just yet. He heard voices behind his shoulder, soldiers yelled in hoarse tones for him to stop, audible even over the dull roar of their engines. He had no weapons of his own; his existing escape plan had been accelerated thanks to certain outside factors; he had learned what was going to happen here through the loose tongues of guards, and he did not want to be around when the time came. He wore only the clothes assigned to him by his captors, his feet were bare, and he had been fed just enough to keep him alive for several months. Despite these handicaps he remained the single most dangerous life form on the entire planet. There was also one vital object he had managed to procure that could prove to be his salvation. The monster was counting the seconds before the warning shots started. Two over the shoulder to begin with; they would start shooting to kill any moment. The first bolt screamed past his ear with a crackling hiss, broiling the air around it before dissipating with a scarlet flash. He did not flinch. The second drew even closer, fired with clockwork predictability by the fools who doggedly chased him. Still he gave no reaction. His augmented brain calculated several thousand variables in an instant readying for the third shot, aimed this time squarely between his shoulder blades. With the merest hint of effort, he threw his massive frame into the sky when the bolt was but a few metres from contact. It passed harmlessly beneath him as he ascended, eyes still fixed determinedly at the ocean before him; he was almost there. Now the pursuers fired without restraint, STAVO bolts of red and purple flying past him without once touching him. He came crashing back down to the ground, and without once breaking his stride leapt again, this time horizontally from the edge of the pearl-white cliffs. His body assumed the most aerodynamic shape possible to slice through the air and in seconds he splashed into the freezing water below, the force of his dive taking him deep beneath the surface. He could survive for many minutes without the need to breath – an ability he now employed to its fullest extent. He swam with all his might away from the soldiers, now standing at the very edge of the cliff, cursing and shooting fruitlessly at the ocean in hopes of striking him. For several hours, he did nothing but swim, periodically surfacing to take a single breath and then disappearing beneath the azure waves. Time passed and he came up for another breath, this time becoming aware of the thundering of planetside energy cannons. He turned around and trod water for a moment, analysing the unfolding battle against the newcomers breaching atmosphere. It was clear The Enemy would not be denied this time; when they claimed victory the entire surface of the planet would be incinerated, just as countless others before it. Sure enough, as he reached the edge of another landmass, he looked across the ocean and saw in the distance a swarm of asymmetrical black vessels descend above the facility he had recently escaped from. It was as though the sky wept ink as more and more of the Enemy fleet began to emerge, hungering for destruction. They unleashed a withering barrage on the area surrounding the facility that had until recently been his prison. If his pursuers had survived the initial attack, there was no doubt they would now be fleeing for their lives, for the final phase of the battle was beginning. The few remaining defense turrets flung green bolts of energy desperately into the sky, but it was in vain - it was always in vain. The Monster gazed expressionlessly at the ensuing frenzy of the battle for a moment, only moving his eyes now and then to take stock of the increasing numbers of ships now appearing, looming in the sky. An ominous shadow had descended upon the dawn-kissed clouds, as the sheer number of objects in orbit began to blot out the very light of the star itself. He turned back to his escape, and soon reached the small atoll he had been aiming for.
The time to escape the doomed world had now come, for he knew what was coming in a matter of moments. The latest super-weapon, dreamed up in some clandestine lab, would inevitably be deployed as soon as it became clear all hope for the system had been lost, and his existence would come to a permanent and violent end. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide, and pushed his extended index finger to the very back of his throat. His body convulsed and he dropped to his knees. His finely tuned physiology did not succumb easily, so it took him several attempts to regurgitate fully. After taking a moment to recover, he had what he needed in his hand; a small, metallic device hastily stolen from the first guard whose neck he had splintered like a twig. He quickly manipulated the tiny screen on the device, and closed his eyes as a shimmering haze surrounded him, tunnelling his existence through the fabric of reality, to an awaiting shuttle high in orbit of the stricken planet.
All at once, the echoing roars surrounding him diminished, replaced by the gentle hum of the shuttle’s onboard systems. He allowed himself time to reflect on his success; despite the hasty execution of his escape, he had procured an Arcdrive-equipped shuttle and enough reserve energy to fly for almost a Sol-standard year without the need to refuel. It had taken many weeks of planning and manipulating, but he had finally escaped with his life, and he was quite sure nobody would follow him, especially considering the events about to unfold. A glance at the sight below him confirmed the true extent of the situation; countless, tiny pinpricks milling about above the shimmering world. An ocean of cruelly formed dreadnoughts hung in the void, flanked by tens of thousands of smaller, faster strike craft. It was all at once an impossible, terrifying, beautiful scene.
As if on cue, his early warning system activated and the cockpit window automatically darkened by several shades; he didn’t even need to look round to know what had happened. The preliminary shockwave from the system's collapsing star had already started racing towards the besieged planet, and The Monster decided he had thoroughly outstayed his welcome in this part of the cosmos. With surgical deftness, he keyed in co-ordinates far away from the system, somewhere that he knew would ensure his safety for some time. The failures of his old masters would be rectified. They had been weak - too weak to do what needed to be done to defeat The Enemy. He could hear the siren of destiny calling to him; to take up arms and resurge against the hated adversary. The arcdrive completed its charging cycle, and instantly translated the molecular pattern of the small vessel to the higher geometries of space-time. The Monster made good on his escape at velocities incomprehensible to the mind, to face the new age that awaited him.
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