WIP
This is a work in progress, and is still in the wrough. i realize that there are errors in it and that the prologue does not flow smoothly, and ask for no comments on such. again, this is a WIP. thank you.
PROLOGUE
Seikua was not a peaceful planet. Far from it. For many years, civil war had ravaged its surface. The Motan race of "dinoids"--a nickname given to them by the scarce human populace of the planet, because of their dinosaur-like characteristics, though they walked on two legs like a human--had finally broken into all out war, after a political and moral degradation that had taken place for a score of years. A small faction of renegades had slowly risen in power during the last few years, until they finally believed themselves strong enough to oppose the corrupt council that had ruled Seikua for so long.
The renegades proved more of a challenge than the Council had realized, and were soon forced to take more extreme measures in attempts to subdue them. Soon all out civil war raged upon the once peaceful planet, destroying the lives of the citizens of the many smaller cities that dotted the planet, as they were either forced into service by the Council, or killed off if they refused. Many that refused and managed to escape ended up under the protection of the renegades, or fighting for them. Those that did not either wandered off into the wilderness to try to escape the fighting, or traveled to nearby cities to try to rebuild what they had.
Our story begins with one such individual, Zeva, a female dinoid, who wandered into the wilderness after escaping, and eluding the Council's troops.
STORY
Raindrops dripped from the leaves of an Acai plant as a light rain misted a sleeping forest. Everything was silent except for the sounds of the raindrops and the occasional low rumblings off in the distance. A lone female dinoid lay under the protective branches of a nearby cluster of bushes. Her scales, as well as what little clothing still covered her body, were wet from the rain. She stirred, rustling leaves and snapping twigs underneath her. Her movements jarred loose thousands of water droplets that clung to the foliage around her, showering her in cold water. She woke with a start, surveying the immediate area around her for any signs of danger. Her right hand slipped to a saber that lay next to her. Silent she laid, muscles tensed, eyes darting, searching for any sign of danger. When she was convinced there was none, she relaxed, brushing a nearby branch, again showering her with cold water. She laughed to herself as she realized what had woken her. She peered through the canopy above her, observing the dark rainclouds overhead.
This is going to be a wonderful day to travel. She thought to herself. It was the rainy season in the Aiaka Valley. It was not uncommon for there to be weeks upon weeks of rain at a time. In some places, this caused major flooding.
She grabbed the saber next to her by the hilt, pulling it from its leather sheath. The blade was as black as the night sky and etched with red letters and symbols. It had belonged to her father. Only two days prior, she had watched as he was gunned down right in front of her. The Council's soldiers had come to their peaceful neighborhood and ransacked it, grabbing everyone that would agree to fight for them. Those who resisted, or flat out refused, were executed without question. Such was the fate of her father. He had been an old war veteran, who at one time had served proudly under the Council. As time went on, he began to disagree with more and more of the Council's proceedings, until he resigned his title and went into hiding with his family. He had been branded as a supporter of the Renegades ever since. She was only twelve then, but old enough to understand why her father had uprooted them from their comfortable life in Iscaba, one of Seiku's major cities.
She had had a good life there. She was one of the more popular kids in school. She was sweet, and went out of her way to help those she cared about. She wasn't snobby like a lot of the other popular kids her age, which was why she was liked. Her father had had a high-paying job serving under the Council, and her mother stayed at home, doing what mothers do. Then one day her father came running through the door, told them to grab whatever they wanted to keep, loaded them into their vehicle, and drove out of the city. They drove for days, being careful to stay away from the major highways, sticking primarily to the back roads. These roads had been rarely traveled since the construction of the major freeways was completed. Only those that lived in the numerous small towns ringing the major cities lived there, and they rarely ventured from their small cites. One of these towns would not be their destination, however; they were destined for a place far outside the watchful eyes of the Council.
Eventually, they stopped in Akiana, a peaceful riverside village set deep into a dense forest. When they had arrived, she had protested to living in such "primitive" conditions, but she soon grew to love the place. She made many new friends during her time there. On her sixteenth birthday, her father decided that it was time to teach her how to defend herself. He taught her how to use various types of weapons, ranging from the standard assault rifle, to a sword, even martial arts. Under his tutelage, she became a fierce fighter, just like her father.
On her eighteenth birthday, her father had given her the assault rifle that he had used during his service. It was a great weapon that had seen many battles, and killed just as many foes. Having been a General in the Council's army, he was allowed certain privileges, and had used these to modify his weapon to his personal tastes.
It was also that day, that he had entrusted his daughter with his trusty saber, which she now held in her hands. It was this weapon that had saved his life so many times; that had saved her life two days ago.
Two days....
Two days ago, the Council's soldiers had found their remote village. Her father had always said that they would eventually find them, that there was no place safe from their reach, only he had not expected them to find their location so soon.
"Run!" he had told them. "Run, or they'll kill you too! Run while you can still get away!"
At first, mother had insisted that they stay and fight, that they could all escape if they worked together, but father had refused, arguing that they were more likely to all die if they didn't split up. He promised them that, if he made it out, he would come find them. No sooner had he finished his sentence, the front door was smashed in. He grabbed one of his laser rifles and began shooting.
"Run dammit! Get out of here!" he had shouted over his shoulder as laser beams and bullets hit the walls around him. His daughter was frozen, unable to take her eyes off of her father. Her mother shouted in her ears and pulled on her, but she could not hear nor feel any of it; all she could see was the image of her father fighting for them. She watched as he again turned around, and shouted at them to leave, waving his hand toward the back door. When he turned back, one of the soldiers had run up to him while he was distracted, and punched him across the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Pulling on her with all her might, her mother finally managed to snap her daughter out of her daze and pull her to the back door. Her mother had grabbed the weapons that her husband had given to their daughter.
As her mother pulled her out the door, she watched her dazed father look up at one of the soldiers standing over him. He raised his left arm in an attempt to ward off another blow. The soldier raised his weapon to her father's head, a sinister laugh emanating from his helmet. Before the soldier pulled the trigger, her father looked over at her, and smiled, mouthing the words "I love you."
She couldn't bear to look anymore. Eyes filled with tears, she ran out the back door with her mother. She heard the crack of the soldier's weapon, then shouts as he issued orders. More tears clouded her vision as she hung onto her mother's arm. Fear and hatred welled up inside her as she and her mother continued their mad dash for the tree line, her saber on her hip, and rifle on her back.
They were roughly fifty feet or so from the tree-line when she heard another weapon fire. Her mother went down. She screamed and slid to a stop, sprinting back to her mother. She saw another soldier crouched with what looked to be a sniper rifle in his hands. She checked on her mother, but there was nothing she could do. She had died before she had even hit the ground. Casting a venomous look back at her parents' murderers, she took her rifle from her back. Aiming down the site the way her father had taught her to, she aimed at the soldier holding the sniper rifle. Slowly, she squeezed the trigger. A trio of red-hot laser beams shot from the barrel, hitting the soldier square in the head, cutting straight through his helmet, killing him instantly. His limp body dropped to the ground. She was stunned momentarily by the power of the weapon. She recovered quickly however, and ran back toward the tree-line. The soldiers opened fire on her, but were not so accurate at such a long distance.
She burst through the foliage. The branches ripped and tore at her clothing as she raced on, tears streaming from her eyes and a myriad of emotions filling her.
_ Now all I have to do is evade those soldiers; easier said than done._ She thought.