Prologue

The cracked and filthy glass of an old telescope reflected in the brilliance of the five visible moons that hovered over Fivald. "Ikae! Get down here right now!" The impatient voice of a woman called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Just a minute!" A boy called back, raising his burgundy eyes from the telescope.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs and the door slammed open to reveal a thin woman in clothes that were both too large for her small frame and torn. Her hair was cropped short and quite ragged, it was a dull blue color.

"Don't you tell me to hold on!" She said, grabbing him by the hair and dragging him towards the door.

"But I found something on Ashivar!" He cried out in pain and annoyance, pointing to the largest of the visible moons.

The woman glanced at it, "Oh?" She said simply, her voice hinting at sarcasm.

"See those fuzzy little structures?" He said more urgently, outlining a few by making circles with his fingers, "they're houses! And when I looked through dad's old telescope I saw people!"

"Impossible." The woman scoffed, "We all know that there isn't enough breathable air to sustain more life than the few animals that were documented several hundred years ago!"

"Then look for yourself." Ikae shoved the woman at the telescope, she merely stood there, "look!"

Finally she did, and with a cry of surprise, knocked the telescope out of the window, where it shattered in the streets below. Almost immediately the pieces were gone as huddled figures raced over them.

Ikae groaned and glared at her before racing down the stairs, "Where are you going now?!" The woman cried from the top of the stairs.

"I have to go tell the Honorable Board Members about my discovery!" He said simply before he was out the door and maneuvering his way through the streets.

It was hard to break through the throngs of people that crowded the streets. Occasionally he would have to dodge a groping hand, but in the end he stood in front of a set of tall iron gates that blocked off an immaculate and massive yard from the filthy streets. Looking upon it one would not think that it belonged in the city.

Inside he could barely make out the roofs of seven buildings- all spaced evenly from each other. Bushes lined the borders of each property, discerning each from the next. Six houses surrounded the seventh- that one being where the board members met each evening- although sometimes there were emergency meetings in between, especially during the civil war that ended barely four years before. Ikae shuddered when he thought back to those times, many people had yet to recover from the years of war that had pitched them into poverty. He shook his head to clear his mind as an older man in a brown uniform approached him, eyebrows quirked, "Is there any particular reason as to why you are here?" He asked.

"I need to speak with the Honorable Board Members!" Ikae said quickly, "please let me in to see them."

"And just what is so important that I should ignore my orders and allow you to pass onto this property?" He crossed his arms and set his feet firmly on the ground in a defiant way that mean that Ikae's chances of getting into the grounds was slim.

His gaze slipped to the gates, and he realized that the gaps between them were large enough for a small person to fit through- and if he put enough effort into it he could probably jump the fence. His gaze was calculating and the man became suspicious. "What're you thinking of, boy?" He questioned, his gaze narrowing as he took a step closer to Ikae.

Ikae saw his chance at once and dove past the man. He stumbled, pivoting his arms around trying to keep his balance, and latched onto the fence. A frown touched his lips the instant he realized that his head was too big for the gap. He cursed to himself as the other man approached him and his eyes roamed the ground, catching sight of a rock.

Quickly he dove to the ground, rolling on his shoulder as he grabbed the rock, before standing again. The man grabbed his shoulder and Ikae's body shook from the impact of his hand. He quickly brought the rock down onto the unsuspecting man's head.

Ikae moved out of the way just as the man fell and sighed with relief before dropping the rock and turning back to the gate, tugging himself up over it's length. I'm going to get in so much trouble for this... I wonder if they'll mind much once I tell them my story... he wondered as he slipped and fell to the other side with an 'oomph' of pain.

He stood up, wincing as he put weight onto his foot. "Damn..." He muttered, taking a limping step forward.

There were shouts nearby and Ikae blanched, looking around for a suitable place to hide. His only shelter was a tree, and he crouched behind it as best he could. Several more men in brown uniforms ran to the gate and opened it immediately.

While they tended to their wounded man, trying to get his story as well as fighting off the homeless that had rushed at the gate the minute it had happened, Ikae limped towards the center building. Grim determination filled his heart.

He made it to the door and quickly opened it, stepping into the front hall and wiping the accumulated sweat from his brow while trying to catch his breath as well.

Which room... which room?! He thought breathlessly, opening door after door in failure.

Finally he came upon a large set of double doors, and when he pushed them open there sat six people- four men and two women- at a round table, papers scattered between them, some of them harboding photos that he could not make out from the doorway.

"Ishinae refuses to join our alliance. We have no choice but to prepare for the inevitable war at hand."

"There are rumors that-"

"Honorable Board Members!" He gasped out, stumbling into the room.

Six sets of eyes turned to him, not a one with a hint of friendliness. He felt himself falter, wondering if perhaps it had been a foolish idea to walk into the middle of their meeting. Perhaps it would have been wiser to wait outside. Either way he was in the room and had their full attention now. "I- I'm sorry for just barging in!" He bowed low, nearly losing his balance in the process, "I was just so excited about my discovery."

"What is it that you want?" The icy tone of Efferon cut through his explanation, her green eyes flashing.

"Ashivar- there are people living on Ashivar." Murmurs of disbelief ran through the group as Ikae spoke, "I swear it!" He said, tears forming in his eyes, "I would not lie to you."

"And how did you come to notice these... people?" Kijla questioned, his frown so low that it appeared it could fall off of his face at any moment, his expression terrified Ikae to the point that he couldn't even move.

"I could see the structures of their homes almost clearly. C-curiosity got the b-best of me and I took out my father's telescope to have a look. I could see the houses clearly and also I could see people- however faintly it was! Please, Honorable Board Members, look for yourselves if you do not believe me." The tears fell freely now, he was certain that he would be punished for interrupting.

"Loht," Taigi's low voice spoke up and the other man looked up.

"Sir?" He asked respectfully.

"Go to the astronomical tower on the third floor. Have them take a look at Ashivar. Report back immediately- if this boy has lied to us he will lose his tongue."

"Yes, of course, sir." He stood up quickly, nearly knocking his chair over, and ran past Ikae, who shook pitifully at the threat laid upon him.

He could no longer stand, instead he sank to the ground, fear running through him in waves. Please let them see it, please! he begged silently as the other five board members stared down at him.

It was nearly an hour later that Loht returned, several papers clutched in a white-knuckled grasp. These he tossed onto the table as soon as he reached it before sinking down into his chair. "The boy was right. The elder astronomers did not ever think to look at Ashivar- their attentions were always held elsewhere.

"What's most stunning are the people on that moon. They've been thought extinct for well over three hundred years." The others leaned forward in anticipation as Loht leaned across the table, as though telling some great secret. "They are Eservie."

"Impossible!" Hyte scoffed, pounding his fists on the table, succeeding only in knocking his cup to the floor.

The shattering of the cup brought on an uproar of conversation between the board members, and Ikae could only sag his shoulders in relief, he wouldn't be punished. “I propose that we send a ship up!” Byr's voice rose above her companions up, “The slave market will be set up soon- it's the perfect timing for this discovery!”

Ikae felt his heart fall, had he heard them right? “B-but the slave market's illegal!” He cried out in disbelief.

There was silence for a moment before the board members began to laugh uproariously, making him feel as though he were missing something. “So?” Loht cocked his head, “What does that matter?”

“It's against intergalactic laws!” Ikae burst out, what were they saying!?

“The people do not always follow the laws. And besides, the slave markets help to boost our economy.” Efferon said, pressing a small button in the center of the table nonchalantly.

“Boost the economy?!” Ikae felt as though his head would explode as the flurry of emotions rushed through him, “The people are poor and dying! The only thing you're boosting are your own estates. You don't even care about the people, do you?” Tears flooded his eyes again, why had he felt such a need to tell them? Why didn't he see that they didn't care about the people.

He didn't see the door opening and the group of guards that entered. All he knew was the feel of brief pain before darkness claimed him. The last thing he saw were the laughing faces of the board members. They didn't care.

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