THE SPACE REQUIEM PART ONE : GENESIS

The box's door swung open with a soft, metallic hiss, revealing its contents. Both Tristan and the Veniam stood in stunned silence as they processed the sight before them. Instead of a monstrous celestial, what lay within was a boy—seemingly no older than twelve. His hair was a dishevelled brown, and his skin was pale, framed by clothes that looked far too large for his small frame. The white garments were adorned with grey lines where the fabric was sewn together, giving them an odd, ill-fitting appearance.

The Veniams face twisted with anger and disbelief. "What? This can't be right!" he shouted, his voice cracking with frustration. "We risked everything for this?"

He pulled out his gun pointing it towards Tristan, the weight of betrayal and rage in his eyes. Tristan's instincts kicked in. He lunged at the Veniam, tackling him to the ground. A swift, hard knock to the head with his own gun rendered the man unconscious. Tristan stood over him, breathing heavily, his gun still raised, but his gaze shifting back to the boy.

The boy remained undisturbed, still asleep despite the chaos. Tristan felt a pang of guilt and decided to not kill. With a sigh, Tristan holstered his gun and moved towards the box.

As he began to close the box's door, the boy stirred. His violet eyes fluttered open, capturing Tristan's attention with their unusual colour. Startled, Tristan stepped back. The boy yawned, stretched, and slowly climbed out of the box. His eyes locked onto Tristan, filled with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

Without warning, the boy ran toward Tristan and wrapped his small arms around him in a hug. Tristan was taken aback, his heart clenching at the unexpected gesture. He awkwardly patted the boy's head, unsure of how to respond. The boy pulled away and looked around, his expression one of bewilderment.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tristan asked softly, crouching to meet the boy's gaze. "My name is Tristan. Do you have a name, kid?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged. He looked as though he was trying to communicate but couldn't find the words. Tristan's gaze drifted to the boy's neck, where a strange disk was embedded in his skin. It seemed to pulse faintly, and the boy was attempting to remove it with increasing desperation.

"Hey, don't do that," Tristan said urgently as he noticed the boy's pain. "You're going to hurt yourself. Let me help."

He gently took the boy's hands away from the disk and examined it closely. It was unlike anything he had ever seen—an intricate piece of technology embedded into the boy's skin. He tapped the buttons on his watch, summoning his ship with a sense of urgency.

As the ship descended and landed behind them, the boy looked up at it with wide, awe-filled eyes. "You ever seen a ship before?" Tristan asked, trying to keep the conversation light .

The boy nodded, his eyes still fixed on the descending vessel.

"Ever been on one?" Tristan inquired.

The boy shook his head. Tristan could see a mix of fear and excitement in his eyes. The boy seemed overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the ship and the situation unfolding around him.

The platform lowered, and Tristan led the boy onto it. They walked inside the ship, the boy's gaze darting around with fascination. Tristan had also grabbed the box.

The ship's engines roared to life as Tristan adjusted the controls, setting a course for the sector 5 gate and the distant planet Cosec. The boy, still disoriented from the chaos, stumbled and fell to the back of the ship with a resounding thud. Tristan's heart sank as he remembered he had neglected to strap the boy in. He hurried to the back, his face a mask of concern.