shadowlance

In the year 2138 sun-link founded by Elon Zuckerberg unveils the first hyperdrive capable of folding space, the range only limited by the energy we can currently provide it, along side this they also unveil the long mythical cryo- freeze and demonstrate the capability to  revive someone from stasis with two long term volunteers  having been frozen for the last year before unveiling, with these inventions humanity’s rise into the universe is set, the last few superpowers of the world band together and take control of the technology putting an end to strife and monopoly, they form a world government, and begin work on the first long range colony ships to map the stars humanity has marked to potentially have the golden ratio( the ability for human life to thrive) this marks the start of our journey, a graduate of the university of expansion, at 17 years old Conan Steel is one of the first in a batch of a new age of education, training  in all sciences and engineering that one may require in a colonization effort( to a small degree), but majoring in asset management , a designation given to the study of leadership, combat skills and management, only 10 others given this course per colony ship in the hopes the role will be irrelevant in there lifetime outside of the scope of being project leaders.

The spaceport bustling, the din of people shouting the hub hub of workers prepping the last atmospheric heavy cargo ship for its trip up to Atlantis voyager the colony ship preparing for departure to alpha centuri the smell of old age motors and the buzz of heavy electric trucks mixing in a haze the din of it all enough to drive one to deafness, standing in the colonist boarding zone Conan was glad for the earplugs handily given out at the security gates, it was amazing to see so much open space 30 miles of open area where the ships where loaded, the stacks and the mega city’s of earth a stark contrast to this concrete covered airport, overpopulation in the billions making resources scarce and the completion for these colonist expeditions woefully high.


9 hours before cryo sleep he thought to himself, two years if everything goes to plan, two years and we should be at our first target, preliminary drone jumps showing the green light for a golden zone planet, he had prepared for this since the age of 2, targeted learning and gene optimization programs funded by the government for those who’s parents had contributed to the initial invention of the hyperdrive or cryo sleep, other inventions and tools needed by the colonists also receiving this honour in the years building up to the first ships departure, many lashed out at the idea of being built for a purpose unable to decide there fate, Conan relished in it, a born leader and a desperate desire to head to the stars, his father had been a military scientist on the team that had finalized the stimulants and medicines needed to revive someone after cryo freeze, with a majority contribution his extended family all given the honour of joining colony ships if they proved there aptitude, by no means had this made competition for slots any less fierce just gave an edge, a foot in the door so to speak and he had earned his, his mother and father had left on centuri probe 2, a ship designed to land on the surface and begin to build mega factories and habitations for the main colony wave, he had earned his spot on that ship too but had decided to complete his studies in the asset management course, only gaining a chance at this program due to the nature of his family’s military background and the skills he had demonstrated growing up, it was designed foremost as a leadership course and secondly to give the ability to train an army to be a combat asset if the need arose, so far humanity had not stumbled on to what we deem sentient alien life, but it was deemed only a matter of time, humanity had decided to be prepared

A cocktail of drugs coursing icily in my veins I felt myself fade from the world

Table of Until Death we Serve

Table of contents

Volume 1