1 - Kai Oltrander
The planet Solanio was like many planets in the Outer Sections of the Silan Galaxy, in a way. Not too guarded by the powers that rule it on paper, but large sections are ruled by either independent parties or criminal syndicates
In one of the small towns of this planet, lived the Oltrander family; A small, quaint family of four, that became three, that became two. Kai was in his room, slowly waking up to the sound of music, he slowly got up, sorting his hair to a state less shaggy then what he woke with, preparing for the day, he put on a simple black shirt, navy blue pants, brown boots, and a red and gray jacket.
As he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he was called by his Aunt, "Kai! My leg's acting up, Again!" Kai sighed as he went upstairs to check on Aunt Magnerva Oltrander, as he walked up to her a few things raced around in his mind, His 19th birthday yesterday, for one, along with that offer that the old man, Quin Tronqvist, gave to travel with him off world. "How bad is it, Aunt Magnie?" Magnie slowly got out of bed, trying not to make the cybernetic leg act up again. "I gotta get back to the shop for this leg." Magnie as she slowly got up, with the help of a nearby walking cane, looked over at Kai, recognizing the conflicted look on his face.
"Thinking about Quin's offer?" Kai looked to her aunt as she spoke up. "Yeah.. I just don't know what to.." He shrugged his shoulders. "Do." Magnie nodded at that indecisiveness Kai had before him, walking with him down to the kitchen.
"Ultimately, you are your own person. It's okay to not know what to do at your age, If you want to stay here and help me, that's fine. If you want to join Quin on his journey out of here, that's fine." Kai rolled his eyes. She was right of course, but that's now what he was conflicted over. It was Indecision, not uncertainty of the future. "I... i know. I just don't know whether to stay here or not. I just don't know whether to go with Quin or stay here." Magnie nodded as she pondered that revelation. "Hmm.. I think you should go with Quin. I'll get this leg fixed, that and i won't go anywhere else, I'm fine here." Kai smiled at the confidence in that statement, the stability in it.
"When did Quin say to meet you if you accepted that offer again?" Magnie quickly asked as she finished eating breakfast. Kai upon hearing that question, looked at the holographic clock on the table. "Oh, an hour from now... I should probably go to meet him." Kai's eyes widened at another realization, It completely slipped his mind. "Shit! The Autodroid, i completely forgot! I have to go, Aunt Magnie!" Magnie gave a hearty chuckle at that as Kai bolted out of the house through the door. "Was gonna mention it sooner or later. Stay well, Kai!"
Kai ran down from his home, situated on a small hill, and descended into the local, bustling town, New J'Karros. As he rushed through the town, waving quickly and bumping into townsfolk, he eventually rushed into the town's Market District, slowing down to read which sign indicated where the Autodroid would be. "Where... is... it.. Hardlen's Steak Burgers, no.. Popnos Family Rugs, no.. Recruitment Center, no.. Raklee's Autos, That one!"
Kai rushed into Raklee's Autos, where a large, thin yet Slug-like body was shuffling in the back of the store, until the ringing of the door signaling Kai's entrance alerted him. "Ah! Ah, one sec, stranger!" It spoke out with a metallic, grating voice. "On earth do you mean 'Stranger'?" The thin slug let out a massive laugh as he recognized the voice as Kai Oltrander. "Ah-ha! Kai, my boy! How are you?" Kai sighed at the Szajin gesturing widely at the young man. "I'm doing well enough, Rak. Do you have the Autodroid?" Rak let out a rather worried sigh at that question.
"W-well.. Yes.. But there was a bit of an issue during shipping. Nothing TOO major, mind you. Just a small dent in the chestpiece..." Kai raised an eyebrow at that statement, Rak was obsessed with quality, yes, but surely this wasn't just it." Rak stayed silent for a few seconds before his face lit up with what Kai could only guess was an idea on how to resolve his assumed dilemma. "Ah, I'll make it up to you! How about a free Autodroid, on the house! Lesser quality, but regardless!" Kai raised an eyebrow at that. He must have been itching to get rid of it, might as well humor him. "Let me see them."
Rak shuffled around back to the back of the shop, and out came a Metallic Humanoid Body, primarily gray in color with a few Purple stripes of paint around the arms and chest, with one single black dot on the head. The scuff in the chestpiece of the Autodroid wasn't inconsiderate, but it was small enough to guarantee no harm to internal systems. "This is the JS-85 Model that you ordered. This, is the free one..." Another autodroid rolled out or rather, flew out. It was a smaller thing, if Kai had to guess it was designed to be an assistant on a starship, maybe?
"What's its model? Doesn't look too recent.." Rak shook his head at that statement in agreement. "It's a WN-73. 29 years out of date. It crashed into the delivery shuttle alongside a couple of... Well, i don't have time to get into the nitty details. Do you want the extra or not?" Kai put his hand to his chin for a moment. This was an old model, by the looks of it. But, he was on his way out of the planet, if it's just him and Quin, something programmed to help will most likely be useful. "I'll take it. If nothing else, it can help Quin and i when we leave Solanio." Rak gave a metallic guffaw at the comment. "Very well then, my friend, it's yours!" Kai waved at Rak as he exited his shop. "Right.. up next, i have to tell Quin.. Where did he say he lived again..?"
The JS and WN units were silent while following Kai, he turned around and decided to examine the Autodroids. Everything was fine with them, but they both had a removeable stud attached to their backs. "Great, Restrainers." Kai sighed as he spotted them, he didn't have anything capable of prying them off. He'd probably have to ask Quin to help take them off. As he travelled to further outskirts of the town beyond the marketplace, a single small well-kept shack would be present as the only building amongst the outskirts, surrounded by trees. As Kai approached the door of the shack, an elderly looking bearded man wearing a dirty, light tunic, brown pants, black shoes and a long, brown hooded robe carrying a basket filled with vegetables. "Ah, Quin! Gardening?"
"Last harvest here. I'm finding a ship and pilot later today. Did you ever consider my offer to go with me?" Kai nodded, but he gestured at the autodroids. "Yeah, but this is a bit more immediate. I picked up the autodroids from Raklee's, they came with restrainers, is there a chance you can take them off?" Quin gave a cheery smile before nodding as he gestured for Kai to get the door. "I can help you take them off, but first i want to give you a gift. Can you get the door?" Kai nodded as he opened the door for him, The two autodroids right behind them both as they entered the house. After walking to the kitchen, Quin put the basket of crops onto the counter, before walking into the central room, and opening up a small chest in one of the room's corners.
"This..." Kai looked over at Quin as he bustled through the chest. "This was your father's, before he gave it to me..." There was a tinge of pain, of suffering, in his voice as he grabbed onto the hilt of the sheathed dagger, before handing it off to Kai. "He wanted you to have it when you were old enough. Before you were born, He had this made for you. It is a Hydrus Blade." Quin handed the dagger to Kai, who pulled the dagger from the sheath. "Gee.. This thing- I don't know much about blade-making, but this thing is beautiful. This was for me?" Quin nodded as he showed his own Hydrus Blade, his sheath kept on his belt.
"Every hydrus blade is normally composed of a special metallic alloy, and hand-crafted by the owner. Each blade is designed to look like a dagger," Quin said calmly, as he held the unsheathed dagger's blade to the side and clicked a small, almost unnoticeable button on the hilt, extending the blade's length to a longsword's length, while glowing a sagely green. "But can extend in size, and glow when extended. You try." Kai nodded, before stepping away a couple of paces from Quin, he carefully examined his masterfully crafted hilt, designed with what looked like an engraving of a heart into a part of the hilt. In the center of that heart, was the button to extend the blade.
As Kai pressed it, carefully, to not hurt Quin or the Autodroids, The blade extended, equally as well-crafted as the rest of the Blade, as it finished extending into its full length, the blade glowed with a magical Indigo around the blade. As kai looked at this with awe, he sheathed it back into a dagger, before being handed a leather holster for it by Quin. As he attached the holster to his belt, and sheathed the dagger, a question started to form in his mind. "Quin, do you know what happened to my father? If he loved me enough to make this for me, then why isn't he here then?" Quin stood silent, before walking to an old armchair and sitting down, caught off guard by the question, evidently. "I.. i do know what happened to him." Kai raised an eyebrow at that comment, walking over to sit in a chair next to Quin. "I'm sorry if it brings up any problems, but i just want to know." Quin looked over at him as tears began to form around his wrinkled face.
"Your Father, Kazan Oltrander... He is still alive in the galaxy, but he has been misguided for years.. He believes you are dead, and that he killed you, while still in the womb." Quin took a deep breath, before getting up from his chair, walking to the kitchen and grabbing a vegetable, a carrot, from the basket and began to wash it. "It was the end of the Hundred and One skirmishes. I was on my way home and i got a message from Kaz, he wanted to speak to me on a metal refinery station, in the Hazion Belt.
The man i faced there..." Quin took a deep breath before unholstering his dagger to cut the washed carrot. Kai had gotten up and moved into the kitchen while listening to the story, nodding along intently. "He was almost unrecognizable. I.. i failed him, that day. I couldn't see that he was being manipulated by darker forces until i was too late. Last i heard he went by Lord Achorel, A Sarkari slave to evil, in The Dynastic Empyreum." Quin nodded as he finished cutting the carrot, and put one of the cut pieces into his mouth, beginning to chew. Kai nodded at this revelation, slowly processing it, as he slowly grabbed a piece of carrot, as he bit into it, it was oddly chewy, yet still tasted like a normal carrot. As the two men both finished their carrot pieces, Kai had his answer, but wanted one more question answered. "You said 'Sarkari', I haven't heard much of them, but was Kaz always apart of that group?" Quin shook his head gently, as he moved back over into the main room, gathering important things for easier transportation later. "No. Kazan and i were members of the Zan'Dell, specifically we were amongst its Vanguards, people trained to use Hydrus Blades and our abilities as Star-Hearts in battle to defend others. But i can explain that later, hopefully. Have you decided?" Kai nodded his head, ready to make a promise that would most likely change his life. "I do. I want to become a Vanguard, like you and my father, and i want to save him."
