CHAPTER 1

THE INCEPTION

................As the Drafty mysterious wind blows over the desert lands and moves towards the highlands then settles in the bay of the Maladan river has always been a mystery to me. It's a way nature shows her unpredictably because it should normally move in the opposite direction away from the mountains not towards it.

Then again this seen as a message by some, others say it's a sign that 'the ones' above are looking upon us. Whatever the concept no one here ever believes it will make a difference in their lives or see it as a threat.

But since I was born and could understand the oddness of this 'wind' it never sat well with me. I've always been told I'm too curious for my own good by my friends family and seem to be spaced out half of the time as if I'm waiting for the world to change to what I want it to be.

I should have realized back then how naive and dimwitted i was but as they often say here.. 'When you stand under a coconut tree long enough .it's fruit will fall'.
What i didn't grasp with my immature fresh eyed perspective was the fruit could also fall on your head and yes in an unsuspecting turn of events .....A boorish awakening was rising in the horizon.

My grandmother whom we all call Nan often told me when she could manage to visit once a year that if you look and listen closely to the wind, it just might take you where you want to go. Of course that was before she just burst out laughing and said  'Sounds magical and adventurous doesn't it?' as she grabs my hand and smiles with a sorrowful lost look in her eye. ' But not worry my dear,' in her raspy aged voice 'Nothing big ever happens to us here in Abaurch...We are always protected '

At this point I'm looking at her and frowning with my 'YEAH RIGHT' expression but i quickly cover it up, politely smile and nod at her trying not to hurt her feelings.
Mom always says she was odd even before grand pa met her and it seemed to just increase when he passed on; but really when you see some of the stuff she does it's either wondrous or just loony.....I decided maybe she's just a bit of both.
I took it upon myself when i was little four years of age to protect Nan because of two reasons: one the obvious explanation was she's old and misses my grand dad and possibly why she's acting a bit off and two she's my favorite grand parent and I seem to her favorite too so there was no way I would tell my family she's speaking 'crazy 'again They might actually lock her up in the Doriam.

For you outlanders unaware of this bizarre area; Doriam is an institute 'hospital' used to help treat and preserve the mentally challenged or patients who need psychiatric help. They have the grit to say on their brochure as their slogan 'Have that long awaited retreat and finally relax your mind'. I don't know about you but that doesn't ease my mind at all it sounds like a 'Trip' where you won't return like they are basically saying if you read between the lines in that trusting creepy smiling face and robotic unfeeling voice on the prompters for all the announcements ''If you're tired of the crazy person in your home not to worry bring him here to Doriam and we will get  rid of him/ her for you at no cost. ''

Had this been a normal place I would have already spoken three years ago when she talked in a dazed manner about the reckoning happening soon but because we are family Nan has to be protected. I have seen and heard stories of how people who go there never return and how experiments are done Plus when the patients finally are released if they survive after two years they seem to be normal but act more like mummies and robots combined as though they can't remember who or what they are they start the memory process again often forgetting their own family members.

For instance the earliest public episode in my memory almost had Uncle Izri - a greedy egotistical imp of a man whom i have the misfortune of being related to, often spotted with red protruding eyes, a big belly, sweaty constantly and reeking of old spices which he applies on enough to kill a herd of *Blafariffs; wanted her committed so he could finally have her home and land; at that time I didn't want my family to take my playmate away (sure there were other children i played with but none quite told stories like she did). So I acted like the incident she caused was my fault-

It all begun one peaceful warm mid morning in the month of the last cycle of the first moon, the division chair was moving about in our neighboring doing his usual door to door sweeps while trying to gain votes from the people , he's policy was either by force or peacefully he would get his way. The Noble Octavian Mallow the 3rd was his title and name, we all had to stand up on attention and say hail Octavian when ever he was approaching.
To me it was natural and normal at that age so I never questioned it but unfortunately to Nan she despised the man so when he entered our house she put needles in the cushion of his sit and when he sat down well ...He was very outraged and demanded to know who was responsible. At that time I was laughing my head off because he jumped up so quickly knocking his knee on the floating platform surface table spilling my mum's freshly made coffee and scones on the ground, hopped on one leg, tripped on the carpet and the fish tank on the stand feel with the entirety of it's contents on his head. He demanded punishment to the perpetrator as he was leaving the house.

At that moment Lady Elsie of the Wordensen Estate was passing by in her private expensive shuttle and burst out laughing at his misfortune. He often worshiped her and wanted to use her to gain aristocracy in the state so he could further look down on people but luckily the Lady was no fool. I was till laughing till i realized the seriousness of the penalty that Nan had done when an Agent was summoned. He wanted the criminal to be *electric-ted
As he demanded once again who the cause offense was I looked at Nan and she had pride and no regret in her eyes and was walking forward but we all knew what would happen once the Agents apprehended a person and one her age wouldn't survive. This act usually required a seeker present and a hearing but no one wanted to speak against Noble Octavian for fear of his wrath turning towards them. I in the moment felt a numbness come over me as I run towards the Noble, I clearly remember my mother's screams and shock as she tried to grab me back to her arms. I looked up to him and said in a tiny voice how sorry I was for leaving the pillow there, I simply forgot; then burst into tears.

All the rest was a blur to me luckily since I was an infant the punishment couldn't be carried out but I had to work and do chores at Noble Octavian's home for a week as an apology. I distinctly remember a sly smile appear on Nan's face as she winked at me when she realized what i did. My family all knew it was my Nan but having no proof couldn't do anything for fear of her unpredictable nature and temper. It frustrated Uncle Izri and his fish lipped wife the most because they had plans for her property and wanted to get rid of her so they argued among themselves loudly trying to find a solution in vain as they interrogated my privately trying to get me to confess before they were asked to leave.  Later that night after scolding from my mother and father, she quietly remained in the room and gave me a hug and whispered 'There's a lot more to you than people see 'I'm grateful for that' I felt like i had done the greatest thing in the world and we were inseparable every time she visited.

All this talk of my world and I realise that I got ahead of myself


To understand my life I have to introduce you to it. I do beg your pardon..........(Mother would have a fit if i forgot my manners).....So here goes.............



In this universe that the Creator known by many names and supposedly seen or heard from in the prehistoric times by the chosen few, decided to put us on; He separated a lot of this and beings and most of all places.........in my case on the galaxy Nervtim.

There are four planets in the Nervtim galaxy that controls the balance of the universe which are Exia, Kazcoon, Tronx and Fels. Nervtim is the center of the universe and people believe that the greatest and fifth planet Oristar at it's core ruled by the Sentinel are all gods or have supernatural powers to perform wonders.

My home and planet is Exia. We are a modernized, futuristic, well developed race governed and ruled by the Republic. The body in charge of enforcing the law are called Agents who are an elite group of individuals with tactical and military skills. My state Abaurch is one of the smallest and inferior ones among the six in Exia.

My name is Sky Fayton. I'm the second and last born of Amelia and Robert Fayton and only female born into it. The eldest my brother Eloff left home when i was five to discover the world and we only used to get images and samples or were he went but nothing comes anymore so we fear he is dead but neither of my parents talk about it.

My job in this God forsaken snippet place in the galaxy is a seeker- it may sound fancy to some and insignificant to others but it is what it is.Other than protecting Nan from any further episodes in public, I'm supposed to help find out things in the community.

We are divided into various groups all around the galaxy and our aim is to assist the Republic. We are help seek the justice the enforcers place. It isn't an easy task to help seeking justice for either the Agents or the people no matter which side you choose you always have a side against you.

It is unheard of for seekers to naturally appear or be born into our division and state they are usually deployed into Abaurch so when I turned eighteen and all of us seniors in high school had to go for the 'assortment' which is the republic's method of division and order in the society. The candidates do random tests to arrange them into various groups. For many years the Orderlies for the Seeker council used to come once and stay for the welcoming ceremony then leave immediately after because they all knew Abaurch never produced seekers. So you can imagine their shock when they were called back to our state to perform the Seeker test.
As I'm walking through the water park in the town square waiting to meet Nan from her routine market survey  I remember that day vividly like it is happening at this very moment. I sit on a park bench and fully engross in my memories..

It was a typical Monday and we were all cursing school and this dreadful assortment I know it may sound amazing but if you are thinking it was like Harry Potter with the lovely hat and the houses, don't this was reality and we didn't want to be branded for the rest of our lives because we weren't lucky to be born noble or in Oristar. Misha and Zoe my two friends decided it was the day we would skip and do it later even though there was a penalty but we preferred to do it in private not while the whole state watches and people start to auction you off for work it's so demeaning if you don't get a high position like a Medic or Analyst you were stuck with ground work like farming, repairs, disposal, literally all the jobs the other states cared nothing for.
We often got the lower jobs because the nobles were automatically analysts or medics even without training or specific candidates with powerful families went to politics. The rest of us the riffraff were given the worst. Don't get me wrong we didn't think we were above all the work we just hoped for a chance to choose even though we knew the mediator used to sort from Oristar was never wrong.
As we run into the shuttle moving in the opposite direction of school we smiled at on another happy that this one day we would be free. Misha was from a well off family and we expected him to be a medic at the least, I expected to be stuck in repairs like ten generations of my family and Zoe knew farming was her destiny. She was the only one among us who was comfortable with that choice because she loved farming. Misha wanted politics and I simply wanted nothing..........I wanted to be undefined.

We reached our usual spot my the old construction site and abandoned bay and started having a few laughs. Misha brought a capsule of alcohol for us to toast and convinced us to drink because according to his logic that still makes me laugh up till now 'if i'm going to given a life i can do nothing about i rather be a little buzzed to get through that.

Meanwhile a new deputy Orderly was hired that day for the ceremony and he wanted everyone present for the occasion so as to show a good example to his superiors. While we were having fun a search party was deployed for us and other students. By the time we decided to return at midday the Orderly had postponed the event to the next day and we were apprehended in our homes. Apparently our idea was a common one and in total fifteen students were absent.
The absentee students were punished as a penalty to sleep at school and tidy up for the event the next day and to add insult to injury we were to be picked first for the event. Misha and Zoe went before me and as we had known Misha became a medic and Zoe got farming. As I sat there thinking maybe I could run away like my brother who defied destiny and though he was wanted for disobeying the Republic the was happy 'Maybe I can' I secretly tried to convince myself but the armed guard at my shoulder holding my elbow was restricting my movements.

'Sky Fayton' said the name on the speaker. My heart started beating loudly and I felt all hope slowly draining as i neared the room were the assortment was performed. 'Step forward' i was ordered and I did maintaining eye contact with the speaker. 'So,' the Orderly said sneering 'you're among the little criminals, trying to defy us are you'
'I can see you are even from a family of criminals, isn't you brother on the run?'
Silence followed......'Answer me girl'. 'When do we start the test?' I ask 'Am i doing it now'. the orderly breathed deeply and clenched his jaw and mumbled very well it's not like your fate is any better and the n pressed a button.

All over a sudden the room went pitch black and I heard a metallic movement of machines then suddenly the ground disappeared from underneath me and I was falling.......

*
Blafariff - a species or creature with elephant, buffalo and tiger characteristics. They are both carnivores and herbivores and leave in the outskirts of the Alerisha river bordering the far sun hemisphere. They are strong creatures that attack when provoked and normally live in herds. Often hunt individually and when faced with this beast approach with caution. The skin is very valuable because it is used in manufacturing and it's meat is tasty and a delicacy thus rare and expensive to obtain because the blood of the Blafariff is poisonous to whoever tastes it even on the meat.
They are protected and reared by the savage natives of the Blue moon who settled by the river.

Electric-ted- this is a form of punishment performed by Agents of the Republic. I involves electrocution of the criminal's brain while awake and using the memories of the individual against them. A person is trapped within him/herself for the extent of the sentence. It is done as a capital punishment due to a severe crime or when a high ranking official has deemed it suitable with the seekers approval after a hearing.

                                                                                                                                                  PBNC