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It’s a first draft and only the start of a much larger story.

Chapter 1

1

Commander Kyvern was pleased. His vessel had remained idle near Quilljume’s sole and rather small satellite. His orders were to observe, gather intelligence on the races evolution as a species, their technological sophistication and most importantly, the status of their military capabilities. He, after two long cycles, had gathered enough intelligence to feel comfortable in returning home to Brayfyre. Master Jyesorm, Lord of the Nine Planets, Ruler of the Four Dimensions and ruling King of Brayfyre would be most pleased.

“Pilot Ashdom, it’s high time we return home. Lock in coordinates and bring us home.” As he said it, Kyvern looked about the main deck of his old yet tried and true Centurion. For fifty three years it had served him well and this mission would be his final trek through the stars. He was pleased it had been a success. Was pleased and honored and humbled to know that the intelligence he gathered would lead to the destruction and death of a race unworthy of sharing the same galaxy with his Master and Lord.

The stars stretched to long white lines. It was a sight he’d seen a thousand times over in his time aboard his Warship, Centurion yet it never got old. This time was no different. It was bold beautiful and bittersweet. He would, now and forever more, take great joy in his memories.

The light of the stars pulled in on themselves and the many burning balls of white-hot gas zipped past leaving behind – for the slightest of moments – pure blackness. Then home.

The nine planets of Jyesorm – as Master Jysorm’s collection was known – are: Yapslav, Bitrobe, Cellux, Xarium, Nyroue, Rettop, Aiton, Nietsnie and Klimm. Home for Commander Kyvern has called Xarium home for half his life. Xarium was and is to this day a military installation. It looked isolated sitting idle out in the deep black but only those in the know knew better. To those ignorant and bold it was a painful lesson to learn, and one they never recovered from. Xarium, though the smallest planet and by far the ugliest in Kyvern’s opinion being lumpy and pink, the ladder due to chemical emissions leftover from terraforming the planet two millennia ago, was by far the most sought after by enemy forces for obvious reasons: destroy it and the other eight planets would fall. It was the epitome of easier said than done. Many have tried and many have failed. Many more would undoubtedly follow suit.

“Initiating automated docking procedure,” Pilot Ashdom announced. To the untrained eye it would seem as though the Warship Centurion was rotating counterclockwise and steadily slowing to dock with nothing at all. Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. It was, and so were many other features of the mighty Brayfyre army. To say it was a Misique nest would be an understatement. Stretched out like the web of an interstellar Aranea were millions of docking ports for warships, battle cruisers, nitro-rammers, interstellar bombers, destroyers, wreckers, and loopers.