Ian had spent the day working with Nora, the engineer aboard the U.S.F. (United Space Federation) Guilty Sin. The day before he had been with Jeff, the cook, in the morning and spend the afternoon with James in the lab. He never really enjoyed working one job. It wasn’t his calling. He was really just the go to guy for odd jobs aboard the ship. He had already been aboard for 6 months and made quite a name for himself in that time period, the captain himself had taken notice, which was uncommon in a ship so large.
After hours of labor in the engine room, helping to repair one of the gravity drives for the ship, he was finally ready for some sleep. Some real R&R . He hadn’t gotten much recently due to the huge influx of requests he was getting from various members of the crew. The whole ship was in an uproar due to entry into an unexplored solar system that no one had any record of before now. The first planet on their stop wasn’t far, maybe 3 more hours of travel and he was assigned to the team that would be landing. The captain had decided to name it Degnali with the designation (34282). The fact that Ian was going down to the planet really gave an idea of how useful the captain found him aboard the ship. He would be accompanying the captain himself along with a few research officers and some of the ships militia.
4 and a half hours later, Ian was sitting aboard a smaller craft that would be used as the base of operations for the duration of their stay on the new planet. their mission was to gather soil and rock samples and to examine the planet for possible inhabitation. the trip to the planet only took a few minutes even though it felt like hours aboard the small ship. the expedition was scheduled to last a week in order to maximize the potential gain in a journey to the surface.
on the 4th day of the expedition a strange crystal was discovered and taken back for research due to it’s strange properties and abnormal light sequences. after numerous tests and studies it was determined that the crystal held immense power and could potentially be used as an energy source for the ship and seeing how Ian was the only one with mechanical experience that was on the expedition, he was asked to install it into the Lander’s core system to see how it would react.
As Ian touched the crystal he could feel the power radiating through the fabric of his gloves, with such uncontrollable power there was no way the ship could contain it without blowing the entire grid. he gently placed it back on the table and removed the gloves. “i’m not sure this is such a good idea” he told the captain, leaning back against the table as he spoke. he felt the slight shift of weight on the table as the crystal fell and he quickly reached out to catch it before it hit the ground. it was only as he got a firm grip on the crystal that he really felt the power and realized his mistake.
The power felt like a river of frozen water and ice as it tore through his veins, empowering him. the pain was so intense he could feel himself fading until all that was left was darkness. “i must have passed out..” he thought to himself, glancing around at the black void he was floating weightlessly in.
”welcome, Ian. my name is Lupus and beginning now I shall be your partner. i do apologize for the pain you are feeling.. i am scanning your mind, discovering who has awakened me” a rich, booming voice spoke in the darkness. it was a woman’s voice, strong and firm as it spoke but also calming and gentle.
”you shall do. you shall become the next great archon of gravity, my dear child. don’t dissapoint me. i will be watching your progress” Ian could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke, almost as if she was taunting him in some way.
it was days before Ian woke up, his body covered in sweat and the group of researchers were crowded around him as if he was a new specimen in the lab. “what happened” he groaned, rubbing his head to try and numb some of the pain. it all came back to him in a flash, the crystal, the voice, the pain. it was all too much “what is going on” he mumbled softly, almost unsure of his own body. “what happened to the crystal?” one of the scientists stepped forward and offered him a glass of water that he gladly accepted. “it seems that when you touched that crystal it’s power was absorbed by your body and the crystal itself crumbled. in coordination with the crumbling crystal, those gauntlets and boots appeared on you” the scientist explained pointing out the weapons Ian had yet to take notice of. this was all a little much for Ian after the intense pain of the crystal and he quickly laid back down, staring up at the ceiling to try and calm down from the shock
”It was not a dream, dear one. i am a part of you now, just like you will forever be a part of this universe. you are special, Ian. you have been chosen”