Project Eli - Part 1
Technology once helped man reach the stars, terraform and populate them.
Never ending numbers of planets, violently uprooted and wiped clean, repurposed for man. Changed for all eternity to support life. Although most pure lungs would burn and decay should they wander from the hab-blocks to breath the “fresh” air, the great habitation blocks blasted vented pure life air, cleaned and filtered through crafted systems, safe to breath. A golden age of exploration and colonization funded by the countless lives of ancient-Earth, man's only restraint, itself.
The uncontrolled expansion of the Golden Age of colonization soon ended, soon man had out grown the never ending expanse of space, questions of why no other sentient life had been found started to erode mans will and curiosity, further expansion of Rim territories was no longer a priority.
As mans hunger for knowledge diminished, Galactic trade soon slowed. Before long colonies would start to run low on many vital supplies of food, raw materials and new technologies. Wars erupted, man would return to what he knew best. Entire solar systems, only seeded with life not that long before became engulfed in war, colonies would vanish only to be resettled by victors, over and over this would occur. Only pure planets, those that had not required terraforming would stand the tides of war, their precious resources guarded by entire solar systems. Systems comprising of tens of crafted planets, all sending men of combat, in great planetary defense armies.
*BEEP*
Inter colony wars continued for unwritten centuries. Trade routes of ancient earth soon ceased *BEEP* history started to fade and with it teaching. The instinct to survive at any cost slowly became mans only will, the only instinct that mattered. Technology recessed, engineering and invention were soon just a part of a whispered history, muttered only by those who could remember. *CRACK* entire planets, once dedicated to manufacturing were soon silenced, no more would trade ships visit them, no more would they have precious goods to send, no more were they ever heard from.
*BEEP*
Of course a lot of this Dark History of the future of man is guess work, no records of the golden age of colonization any longer exist. Even if they did, you'd have to travel a Solar System to find someone who cared. none of this mattered.. Especially to Eli Glass, who was just waking. The salty taste of blood bringing him to his senses as the dark red life force of his, dribbled from a wound on his forehead.
*WARNING, COLLISION ALARM*
*WARNING, PURE LIFE IS VENTING, HULL DAMAGED*
His eyes sharply open, bright red and yellow lights reflecting off them, the piercing light stabbing at him, making him squint. His eyes dashed about in confusion, blurred by the thick liquid. Instinctively he wiped them with the gloved hand of his navigation suit, the rough worn leather irritated his face, but something lubricated the coarse texture, pulling his hand away he slowly focused on the liquid in his hand. The blood spurred his mind into action, something which he signified by jumping up out of his slouched position he had involuntary taken on the cockpit floor.
"Shit!"
He grasped the nearest hand grab that he could find, struggling to lift himself, his legs feeling heavier than he remembered. Suddenly, about half way through his somewhat embarrassing attempt at standing his legs became lighter, and then somewhat lighter more! The cockpit violently turned, the ceiling became floor, and Eli was once more slouched involuntarily. This time between a pure life vent and a tangle of mechanical veins that had protruded through what was once the ceiling earlier.
*WARNING, CRAFTED GRAVITY - OFFLINE*
"Shit!"
Eli struggled to collect himself and once more he attempted standing. A mighty fire suddenly passed the weakening cockpit window, it's crafted light was so bright that it would have blinded any pure eyes that dared to gaze upon it. The automatic light shielding provided by the armoured cockpit glass faded its light. "At least one damned crafted system still works" Eli thought to himself as the near blinding light filled the cockpit. A raider fighter flew overhead and in front of Eli's ship, it's pointed and sharp hull, covered in battle scars was shadowed by the great burst of light from its engines. Luckily such a small recon class ship had no rear facing weaponry. A relief from battle for even a moment would have had been a great reprieve for Eli, give him time to get his bearings, take control. However, as he was jerked head first into a wall courtesy of weapons fire, his last thought before that horrifying slam against the crafted armour wall was "Shit, there was more than one..."
