Colony Corruption
Kareem Rahman
CHAPTER 1
"Engulfed in flame
and submerging down to hell.
His Integrity will remain
This he will not sell"
Sceptor, the golden child of the outer colonies, was, at this very moment, anything but. Engulfed in flame and hot rock, the smell of ash and death sat heavily in the air. To the north of the colony, scenic canyons lay below a burning ocean. In the heart of the settlement itself, Its people, once happy and idealistic, under the new found freedom of colony life; now flee for their very lives.
Qaurith haymeck, a drifter from settled worlds, does not run away with the others, unable to ignore the pain left in the disasters wake. Aiding those in danger, as readily as he would save his own family, he played the savior, the hero.
“Help!”
To many of its fleeing colonist, it was a sound as insignificant and inaudible as a dying insect, but not one they will ever forget. Neither they, nor anyone else fleeing that day, had the luxury of such compassion when death was so near. It was in a way, better to save those who stood a better chance. To Qaurith, the sound was clear and the action required, simple.
The crying girl under the collapsed building conjured up a dire and fatalistic scene. At first Qaurith thought that it was the remnants of the girl who layed under the collapsed entrance; then he saw that it was the girl herself, though so bruised and still she seemed more corpse than person.
“Damn it”
The girl looked up at him, her face like red-stained paper.
“Where’s - mommy” her words came in gasps.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to get out of here. C’mon, we’re gonna get out of here and everything’s gonna be okay.” His voice was stern, reassuring, as one speaks to a close friend in trouble.
The drifter, with a muttered exclamation of effort, grabbed the rubble above her. With a single, heavy motion, he lifted, digging his heels into the dirt. For Qaurith, a wanderer who relied on very few, the girl was a mirror of his youth, and of his current predicament. Since he was twelve years old, he scavanged for his needs. And from that age up through adulthood, there was one constant principle in every instance, that of self reliance. But this was not his desire. This was the life that was thrown upon him. Qaurith’s life was harsh, and the girl should not suffer it.
Movement of the rubble made him turn his head to the girl, reassuring her of his progress. But time was running short. Smoke grew thick in the air of the settlement. The radiating surface of lava flowed closer and In its path buildings burned so hot that he could feel the heat. No colonists passed them.
The drifter lifted harder and watched the rubble. At last it moved. Cupping lightly, he grabbed the girl and carried her to the transports with one arm. Ahead of him he saw rising against the sky, a herd of ships. He cursed, hoping he’d not be too late.
In this moment, the prosperous colony of Sceptor was anything but
CHAPTER 2 - COMING SOON
