I was your average kid on the Inner Sector of 5th Quadrant. Young, clueless, and hard headed. Since the fall of The Corintine Empire and the end of the relentless war, things were quite frankly a mess. My home planet of Theraine had been beaten senseless by Corintine troops for years on end, considering the planet was home to numerous rebel affiliations. I had always wanted to be a rebel. To fight for a cause, to die with a purpose. It was all so very grandiose to me at the time. Sadly enough, the war had ended before I had even reached the age qualifications. The name I was given at birth was Peyton Revio, but as far as I can remember, everyone ended up calling me Pey. I was only 17 years of age at the time of the fall of The Empire. Later, I would turn 18 in the upcoming months ahead of me.
This was what I had been waiting for my entire life. But it’s all useless at this point. War’s over, Empire has fallen, and well, what now? I had spent every minute of my life preparing to become a rebel and to fight out there on the battlefield. I had nothing growing up. No money, no opportunities, and not much of a place to call home. I’m a “drifter” of sorts. I’ve roamed from place to place as it suited me, always looking for something better than yesterday. I finally realized what I was missing at some point down the line: purpose. That’s why I wanted to be a rebel. So if I did end up dying and giving up my miserable life, at least it would have been for something. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy those Imperial bastards are done with. I just wish I could have played a hand in the equation.
So now, here I am. A 17 year old nobody in the middle of the 3rd most populated Quadrant on the planet. 5th Quadrant is divided into multiple Sections, some being in the Inner Sector and some in the Outer Sector. I just so happened to live and roam in one of the worst Sections in the entire Quadrant: Section 13. This Section is on the Inner Sector of the city, and is home to some of the worst people you could probably find on this planet, in particular. Criminals, thugs, gamblers, pimps, drunks, and Xero addicts.
Xero is the base compound of multiple drugs found in the city, including Xerophene, Xeramine, Xerafin, Xeronex, and others. I have always stayed far away from those psychos, thank God for that. I may be a nobody, but I could never resort to that level of stupidity. Xero is what runs 5th Quadrant, even in the sections you least expect it to. I’ve seen it myself during my roams of the city. A nice looking guy, sitting impatiently waiting at a bus stop. A random guy gives him a good shake of the hand out of nowhere. Surely nothing suspicious, right? I’ve even heard news of politicians reportedly being caught with stuff like that. Wouldn’t surprise me. Even with the fall of The Empire, nothing around here is really going to change for the better.
Now that The Uprising is over, we are still picking up the pieces of the shattered mess of our planet. That means: new politicians, new legislation, and more B.S. As I was walking back to where I crash every night, I heard the announcement alert chime in the streets of the section. A news video popped up on a nearby holoscreen. It was the new Chief Chairman of the planet: Vaunce Heirway. I stopped for a second to catch what he was saying. He was looking real sharp in his fancy suit and tie, pretty smug too. I had enough of his inauguration speech and decided to keep walking. As I turned to keep going on my way, that’s when it hit me. Literally, I bumped into a man standing right beside me. I was shook, considering I never even noticed him standing next to me.
“Peyton Revio?” He asked.
Who’s asking? I ordered.
The tall man dressed in black then opened his trench coat in the dim dusk of the evening. No wonder I didn’t notice him. From his coat, he pulled out the insignia of something I recognized instantly: The Rebellion.
The war is over. What does The Rebellion want to do with me?!