This was my first formal piece of writing. I started it two years ago, which is why there are ten more chapters ready to be posted after this one. :p That is also why the language might be more baisc than some of my other works in progress. I will be uploading another chapter every week until I run out of them or don't get them finished in time. Please give me honest feedback about this so that I can imporve my writing skills. I originally posted this on and hope to be able to better myself even more with Thank you and enjoy.
ps. I do not own any part of the sierra or relic company and I am making no profit form any of this work. This is purely something written to show my love of the homeworld series.
In the First time, the Great Hyperspace Core was found. With it, came the gift of Interstellar travel and the Outer-Rim trade routes were established, uniting the galaxy in peace.
Four thousand years passed, before the Second core was discovered on a desert planet. Pain and bloodshed flowed in its wake, but the exiles returned to their Homeworld...Hiigara.
A young woman led them across the galaxy, and it is she who will lead them again. Her name is Karan Sjet.
This is the story of The End Time. We know this, because the Third Core has been found.
Under the dark influence of this core, the Taiidan has risen under a new leader. A Vaygr Warrior-lord named Makaan. He has proclaimed himself the 'Sajuuk-Khar,' the Chosen one.
Many systems have already fallen under his shadow and his eyes are set upon Hiigara.
Deep inside the Great derelict at Tanis, constriction of a new Mothership is underway, 'The Pride of Hiigara.' Once more, the exiles will face the coming darkness.
One of these exiles now stands at the forefront of this evil tide... and he must face it, or be swept away by its flood...
Chapter 1
It was dark within Sara base. Very little light crept through the tired, dusty window slits. The orbital base had moved around the dark side of Herra and was orbiting in space between the planet and its Icy moon Gladier. Most of the crews and pilots of the station were resting, preparing for their continued drills by the light of the next day. Those who remained awake were there to monitor the station from the bridge. Only one pilot lay awake that night. He was Kayjan, a pilot of the Soban Kiith (Ancient clan). He sat on the edge of his bed, peering into what seemed like eternal space, watching, waiting. He didn't even know why he was waiting or what he was waiting for. An instinct in his dormant psyche just told him that there was something important about to happen. He didn't know when, he didn't know what, just something. He sat and watched the stars move in the heavens. He thought that he was watching for the Vaygr. He knew that their strike would come within the next few months. He just wanted to make sense of it all. Why there had to be so many senseless wars. What were they fighting over?
He sat there in a room of fourteen people, including him. He knew that even though he was of the same rank as all of them that he would never fit in. He always tried to talk to them all, especially the other six in his strike group, but he didn't get on very well with most of the pilots from either squadron. The only two people who possibly understood him were his superior, Lieutenant Carter and his best friend Colin Paktu. He in fact didn't fit in with the others because of how his skills surpassed theirs, yet he always insisted it was because he was a person that few could even warm up to. This only fuelled his bitterness for himself. Despite what he had achieved in his life he didn't feel that it was enough. He had become a pilot of high regard; he was young, handsome and intelligent. Yet, he was not strong of will and always felt insecure. He wanted to know why he couldn't have the most important thing to him, someone to love. He had reached the point where his whole life was centred on this one pursuit. Despite everything he was told, how it wasn't the right time, how he should further his career, how it was not fitting to do so while still being a pilot of the Hiigaran fleet, he still focused solely on having what he saw as a purpose. "Look at me!" he said to himself inside his head, "I am twenty four and I have never known a relationship with anyone. I have never had any real friends, just temporary ones and I have never felt the warm touch of love's hand. It just hurts so much now that I can't stand it any more."
First he turned to look at the poster next to his bed. It was of a Grey Wolf, the animal that he had always admired. He always kept it as a sort of spirit guide, one that he could confess his sins to. Then he looked over to the bed across the cabin and there she was...Niaba...the girl of his dreams, the girl of his heart. She was more beautiful to him than anyone else he had ever laid eyes upon. He still dreamed of her. On lonely nights, when he felt the whole world was against him, he would still pretend that she cared about how he really felt. He would see himself holding her in his arms, hugging her, loving her, keeping her close to his heart. He sometimes even, just for a brief moment, used to believe that his dreams were real and that this would really happen one day, but in his heart he always knew that this was never true and that he would always be alone.
He continued to sit there staring at her. He wanted to cry but he held back his pain. He knew that Sajuuk (Ancient God) was watching him and that he could not show weakness before him. He began to compare himself to her. He used to think he had to justify why he loved her and why he was not good enough for her. He saw her as beautiful when he thought he was not, he saw her as intelligent which he believed himself not to be and he saw hope in her heart while he knew he had none. He sighed and looked away, staring back down at his cold feet on the floor. He spent most of his time in deep thought these days. He would contemplate things that were, things that are and things that might be. So much seemed to pass through his mind all at once. He always seemed to be aware of the actions around him, even when he didn't take it all in.
Suddenly, Kayjan turned his head to the porthole as a beam of light crept slowly into his vision. The reflection of the second Sun of Herra off the surface of the Icy moon Gladier was beginning to work its way into the darkness of the room and because of how large it seemed, being so close in orbit to the station, was such a powerful light that Kayjan had to squint at first so he could focus his eyes. He peered at the thick, jagged layer of ice that covered the rough, rocky layer of the moon. It still seemed odd to him, the sight of such a strange phenomena. It was still unexplained why a moon of rock was covered in a layer of ice while the other moon and planets in the system were made of gas or valuable mineral.
He continued to ponder this thought as the light crept into the darkest reaches of the room. Before long the room seemed to be as light as if it were day. Kayjan stood up and crept quietly into the Restroom adjacent to the bunks to get a drink of water. He felt as if that room had become too stuffy with the light that had consumed it. He turned the tap of one of the sinks on and drank a few mouthfuls of water. He then began to fill the basin with cold water.
He then looked out of the room's porthole at the Moon again. It had an icy, blue glow to it now and despite its ominous appeal, it reminded him of Niaba. She was only in the next room to him, but until then she felt so far away. He could see her beautiful blue eyes in the shades of colour in the moon. Then he shook his head. He told himself to stop thinking of her. Why would see want to be with him? There were so many better people for her to choose from. Besides, she was a Naabal (Pacifist kith), and he was a Sobani (Warrior Kiith). Those Kiiths just wouldn't mix. A pacifist clan that ended the Heresy Wars of our Ancestors and a clan that was founded only to live for war. There couldn't be a more unsuitable mix. That was her full name... Niaba of Kiith Naabal. That also reflected his title... Kayjan of Kiith Soban. (Kiiths are ancient clans dating back to the time of Exile, when the Hiigarans were stranded on the desert world Karak.) That caused many questions to this day, Why a Naabal, who live for unity and peace, was a fighter pilot. He did know however, that he would never be close enough to her to find out. If only he had stayed with his parents in Kiith Sjet (Scientific Kiith). They had both left Kiith Soban because it was in their code to insist that parents leave the kiith to raise a child. Then he had to go and rejoin the Kiith to uphold his honour he thought. If he had stayed with his parents he could have travelled the galaxy and been to places that others only dream of. However, there was only one place he dreamed of going... Hiigara.
He had never even seen his Homeworld. He had never felt its breeze in his hair or its water against his skin. He had only ever known deep-space orbital stations, steel and iron and the life of a soldier. But that was the path he chose. He would only dishonour himself to leave now. It would seem weak if after all these years of training and rigorous rehabilitation into military procedure, and in the face of battle to abandon his post and leave his Kiith. He was afraid to die... but he feared more the mark he would leave on his bloodline if he did not defend what was rightfully his. He did not want to dishonour the memories of his family line. Generations before him had joined the ranks of the Sobani and had fought for their honour. He still remembered what his parents told him when he was young.
"Long before our time, one of your ancestors, Lieutenant Gerath Soban fought for our freedom. He was one of the crew of the Great Mothership and was a pilot in an Interceptor Squadron called the Black Falcons. He was the pilot who finally defeated the Taiidan Emperor by flying his ship into the core of the Taiidan Mothership and destroying her. What remains of his ship is in the Museum of Candesh, in the capital city New Tiir on Hiigara, your home..." He still remembered every word. He would always think of his Forefather Gerath. Whenever he felt like giving up or if something were too much for him to bear, he would think of him and remember that his blood must bear the same courage and honour as his once did.
Kayjan suddenly sprung back into life. He turned quickly and shut off the tap a drop before the sink would have overflowed. "Whew" he said wiping his forehead in relief. He pulled the plug out for a few seconds before replacing it. He then stood directly in front of the basin, put his hands on either side, lifted his head back and then dunked it in. He intended to refresh himself and wake up a bit, but instead suddenly felt tired all and struggled to keep his eyes open. He felt darkness come over him. Then voices began speaking to him, dozens at once. More and more voices joined in and the words were quiet and muffled but were growing louder and louder. They became more distort the louder they got and more voices kept arising. They became so loud that they were causing his eardrums to pound. They got louder and louder until suddenly, they stopped. Everything dropped into silence. Then he saw an image, like a window drawing closer to him. The image contained a picture of sands. A desert. He realised that it was the sands of Karak before him yet it seemed almost fictional as the image was in black and white. Even though night had apparently arrived some time before, he could feel the heat of the planet on his face. He didn't understand what was going on. He watched as a distant vehicle made its way across the sands toward a small village, lit in the evening dim. The vehicle left a trail of dust far, far behind it. Slowly the image moved upwards until Kayjan was looking up at the Karakian night's sky. The view began flying foreword into space, through an asteroid belt and into the depth of space. As this was happening he heard a single voice. It was the clearest thing he had ever heard so far. It spoke with such clear words and he could feel it speaking directly to him.
"Long ago you returned from exile," it began. Now an image of a bustling Star-port replaced the image before. Then it changed to a picture of A Construction base. It was damaged and it was shattering in intense explosions across its hull. The voice came again.
"But now, fate will not be so kind." The image changed to what looked like a planetary base where crews where transport ships were making a hasty launch into orbit. Then it changed again to the surface of a planet where Kayjan saw fire being exchanged between the surface and orbit. Shells were causing blinding flashes everywhere when the voice spoke again. "Your enemies thirst for victory." A blinding flash appeared, covering everything. The image then transferred to a picture of the Galaxy that Kayjan knew all to well. He saw the familiar image of the Galactic core, a constant supernova, surrounded by its thick shroud of dust clouds as a large explosion grew outwards in the distance and large resonating shock waves grew outwards from it as the voice spoke for the final time...
"Your struggle has only just begun..." The image slowly dissipated and Kayjan found himself suddenly with an urge to inhale. He pulled his head out of the basin at lightning speed and took in a huge gasp of air. He pulled his head out so fast that he fell backwards onto the floor. He lay there sprawled out on the floor for a few seconds with his eyes shut just gasping and trying to normalize his breathing. He then opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling. "What happened?" he said in a whisper. He sat up and said to himself "How long was I out?" He clambered to the window and he froze as he pieced together the answer to his question. The moon of Gladier had moved beyond sight as the station had orbited on around Herra. It must have been at least half an hour that he had been out if not more, but how?
He shifted back to the basin and took a handful of water before splashing it on his face. He then stared into his reflection in the mirror. As the gears in his mind turned, Kayjan shook with fear. He didn't want to accept what he had seen; yet he knew that he had to.
He could piece together some of clues as to what was said. He said to himself in a heavy whisper "I don't know what it all means, but I know that in due time... I will."