Chapter 1: A Young Man From Ferron

A Strife-Filled Start

Lucian Briggs was born in the city of Tram on Asura in the Ferron system in 2921. Once a system referred to as the “blood coursing through [the Empire’s] veins” by historian Ariel Rutte, by the time Lucian was born, Ferron was a shell of its former self. Depleted mines, low profits, the departure of Shubin Interstellar from multiple sites around the system, and more led to the downfall of Ferron, and, as a result, many families in the system were struggling to make ends meet. This included the Briggs family.

Lucian was the son of Marcus and Joanna Briggs and the oldest of three siblings: a younger brother, David, and a younger sister, Serene. A very industrial family, Marcus had worked for various mining and construction operations over the years, and Joanna had found work in the offices of many of the same companies. However, as more and more companies left Ferron, so did the jobs, and by the time of Lucian’s 6th birthday, both his mother and father were unemployed and desperately picking up any odd job they could find.

When he turned 14, Lucian began taking jobs on freighter ships passing through the system. Most of his wages went to help his struggling parents keep the family afloat. Although Lucian’s parents repeatedly told him it wasn’t necessary and that they could make ends meet if he stayed home, Lucian had witnessed his family’s living conditions continue to deteriorate and, having been raised by a hard-working family, was determined to help pull his own weight.

—

Lucian’s first job was on the freighter Big Kahuna, a large MISC Hull C model, on a trip from Ferron to Stanton, then Stanton to Terra, and then Terra back to Ferron. And so began Lucian’s journeys. He would begin work on a freighter coming to Asura and would work on said freighter until its eventual return to Ferron or until he could find another freighter working its way back. Lucian found time to pursue his own education between shifts, at spaceports along the way, or while travelling through the blackness of space.

By the age of 18, Lucian had travelled across the Empire, deep into Xi’an and Banu space, become proficient in both the Banu and Xi’an languages and even ventured to lawless frontiers like the Nyx and Pyro systems. These journeys remained largely a secret to his parents until the day Lucian’s life would change forever.

—

It was July 14th, and Lucian was working aboard the Drake Caterpillar, Enduring Star. The crew of the Star had garnered a reputation around the system as a rough-around-the-edges, no-nonsense crew, and they were hauling a cargo of liquors to a station in the Croshaw system. Lucian himself had earned the reputation of being a hard-working, low-maintenance worker, and the captain of the Enduring Star was all too happy to offer Lucian a job, provided he could “Keep your mouth shut and not get in the way.” This was an all-too-common experience amongst freighter captains who didn’t want to hire workers who couldn’t fend for themselves or function without being told what to do, so Lucian thought nothing of it.

Boarding the ship, Lucian quickly got to work, performing maintenance checks all across the ship, working from front to back. They were mid-trip between Angeli and Vann, and Lucian was in the engine room of the Star when the ship suddenly exited Quantum Jump. What added to the confusion was the almost immediate sound of engines roaring by the hull.

Lucian quickly left the engine room and headed to the bridge of the ship, praying they weren’t about to come under pirate attack. As he progressed through the ship, the Enduring Star was eerily quiet until the sound of the ship’s cargo bay doors being opened echoed through the hallway. Finding the bridge to be empty, Lucian quickly retreated, grabbed his gear, and entered the catwalk of the cargo hold.

From the catwalk, another ship was clearly visible. It was a Crusader Mercury Star Runner, its cargo bay open, and the crew were using tractor beams to transfer as much of the cargo of the Star into the new ship. The captain of the Enduring Star, Simon Vance, was chatting with what appeared to be the captain of the newcomer ship, and they were organizing the transfer. With shock, Lucian realized what was happening. Lucian had worked for a few smugglers over the years and found it was best to just keep his head down and his nose clean. “Don’t ask too many questions” had become his unofficial motto. However, outright piracy from the crew he was working for was something entirely new and something Lucian wasn’t ready to become a part of.

To make matters worse, as Lucian slowly returned to the engine room, panicking, below him, he overheard two crew members discussing the “trap” they were preparing. Once the transfer had been completed, a distress signal would be broadcast, and both the Star Runner and the Enduring Star would hold up any ship attempting a “rescue.”

Lucian battled within himself on what to do. He wasn’t a fool and knew better than to speak out against Simon. That would just earn him a quick trip into space without a helmet. He should just go back to the engine room, keep his head down, his mouth shut, and get off the ship as soon as possible, he decided.

However, as he tried to calmly return to his duties, he couldn’t help but think of his family and how, if he was on the soon-to-be-oncoming freighter, he would hope someone would warn them ahead of time. Groaning within himself, Lucian tried to come up with a plan. He determined that his safest bet was to attempt to contact the UEE Advocacy in the system and report the pirates before their plan could be carried out. Heading back to the upper deck of the ship, Lucian entered the server room on board the Caterpillar. His mind racing, Lucian hastily and clumsily began attempting to broadcast his warning and contact the UEE Advocacy.

He was mid-message when he was caught.

—

Moments before Lucian was sent out into the void of space, the entire ship rocked with an explosion. Seizing his chance, Lucian broke free of his captors and ran to his gear as explosions continued to rock the ship. He heard the turrets open fire and the roar of engines as The Enduring Star maneuvered away from whatever ship was attacking them.

Strapping on his helmet and running to the lift, bullets ringing down the corridors of the ship, Lucian ejected himself, de-pressurizing the ship and causing even more chaos for the crew as he himself rocketed past the hull. The full reality of the situation hit him as he witnessed a Banu Merchantman standing out proudly against the darkness of space and watched as the Banu escort fighters viciously attacked the small pirate band. It appears the “freighter” had brought friends.

Quickly realizing they had bitten off more than they could chew, the pirates were attempting to make a getaway. In a glorious explosion, the Cutlass Black was reduced to scrap, followed by a Drake Buccaneer and an Aegis Gladius, and as one of the engines of The Enduring Star was blown off, the Drake Caterpillar escaped, quantum jumping away to an unknown location, a smouldering shell of its former self. Leaving behind hunks of hull and the vast majority of its cargo, the pirates were utterly routed.

It was with a momentary smile Lucian realized the pirate plan had been foiled, but immediately afterwards, it was the horror that Lucian was about to be left stranded in space that awoke him to his terrifying reality. Attempting to hail any of the returning Banu fighters as they returned to the Merchantman, Lucian realized that no one knew he was there. Or so he thought.

One Banu pilot, ____ had been passing under The Enduring Star when Lucian had exited via the lift and watched as he and one of the crew members chasing him had been unceremoniously sucked out of the ship. And so, as Lucian sat floating in space, terrified of his reality, a Banu Defender appeared behind him. Graciously lowering the ramp, Lucian thankfully clambered inside and was taken aboard the fighter.