THE SPACE REQUIEM PART ONE : GENESIS

Tristan arrived at his next location, Planet Veritas. His ship silently circled the planet, getting closer and closer to its destination. Though traveling to different planets was something Tristan was accustomed to, the sight of Aminus, now known as Veritas 342, provided a strange comfort. The planet glowed under the light of its two suns, a mix of saffron yellow and sunset orange, all engulfed in a wine-red hue. Suddenly, a loud claxon went off as a transmission came into the ship.

"Trespasser, this is Veritian territory. You have two minutes to turn back now or we will open fire," a voice shouted through the speaker. Four ships appeared from behind, their cannons ready to fire. Tristan's ship began bleeping rapidly as the ships targeted him.

"One second, don't fire," Tristan said frantically, searching his watch for something. He found it. "Clearance code 5341. I have permission to land under the authority of the League of Veritas."

The ships slowly backed away. "Permission granted. Be quicker next time, or I might just open fire," a spiteful voice from one of the ships said. They flew past quickly, the promise of bloodshed seemingly their only entertainment. Despite its importance to the League, Veritas 342 was a very uneventful planet. Tristan approached the atmosphere slowly to avoid burning up his ship. He landed a good distance away from the nearest city to avoid attention.

Tristan activated landing mode from the control panel. Metal legs extended from beneath the ship, providing stability on the unstable ground. Tristan headed to the middle of his ship to grab his gear. First, he took some explosive devices, then his Mark 14 Edio-Gun from its charging port. This gun, black with a midnight blue streak along the barrel, had been passed down to him. Though outclassed by newer technology, Tristan valued it for sentimental reasons and his skill made it more a tool than a weapon. He also grabbed a rope, then his main weapon: a dark black blade, also passed down to him. Blade combat had seen a resurgence due to technology that disabled guns. Many of the universe's strongest beings used weapons, notably Raas the Crusader.

Tristan equipped his gun in a leg holster and sheathed the blade on his back. Next, he took a small canister of teal pills, shaped like tiny balls. He donned a long black coat and black boots. Veritas 342's atmosphere was full of sand particles due to its desert surface, so Tristan put on eye-protecting goggles and a face wrap. He opened the ship's doors and lowered the platform, stepping out to take in his surroundings.

The sky was a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, and Tristan's eyes took time to adjust to the bright light. The ground was a firm mixture of brown and wine red, sand everywhere, with a large desert surrounding the mountainous terrain around the city of Dankop. This planet, formerly known as Aminus, had been taken over by the League of Veritas in a 120-year siege led by Raas the Crusader. It is believed Raas is not one person but many trained warriors who conquer planets , Raas claims it is for a greater good.

The ground under Tristan's boots shifted slightly as he walked across the desert. He wore black boots, black cargo pants, and a black compression top, his long black duster coat flowing in the wind. Behind his goggles and mask was a young yet mature-looking face, with dark mocha-coloured eyes and medium-length black hair styled messily. He had a fair complexion. After 30 minutes of walking through the scorching desert, his feet met rocky ground instead of sand. He climbed a cliff and saw it: high up in the mountains, the city of Dankop.

Filled with large spiralling buildings made of materials extracted from the planet, the city practically touched the sky. The cylindrical towers were all combined together. As Tristan walked through the city, he noticed food stalls and clothes shops around him. A man was slow cooking a wild Morf, a local desert animal. Tristan hadn't imagined the city thriving this way. Built into the red cliffs, the city had three entrances from the front and sides, with heights accessible by lowering platforms. A local band was playing traditional Aminus music. Despite the desert conditions, the city had no shortage of water due to universal trade, exchanging precious metals and gems for millions of Liters of water from other planets. This allowed the people of Dankop to live healthy lives, though this was before Veritian intervention.