Chapter 1: Chapter 1

     "Too early for this..." I raised a poorly wrapped cigarette to my mouth and lit it with a beat-up silver lighter. I took a deep puff to wake myself up. The lights of my apartment came on when I clapped my hands. That feature cost a lot of money to build into my place, but it was worth it. 

     There was nothing of note in the apartment. A kitchen island, a counter with various foodstuffs, a cheap television on the wall, and a couch. With someone sitting on it?

     "The earlier, the better, right, Gin? Gives you a headstart over your rivals," my most trusted information broker, Brill, was sitting on my couch as if he owned it.

     I ran a hand through my unkempt hair, "How did you get in here? I don't recall giving you a key."    

     "I bought the passcode off a random scumbag in a back alley," A laugh accompanied Brill's statement, "Anyway, I had a feeling you'd visit me today, but I have the info of a lifetime. I knew you'd want to hear it immediately, so I came over." 

     "Oh?" a cloud of smoke escaped my smiling mouth, "I forgive you even though you broke into my home. Let's hear this oh-so-great info." 

     Brill looked at a window with the blinds drawn. "Morons at the weather channel said we'd have sun for the first time in three years today, but all a lie. Clouds dominate the sky. It makes you sad. Living life without those beautiful, warm rays of sunshine." 

     "I see enough sun in my travels. Info, please." I took a seat on the thin fabric of the gray couch. The springs inside the cushion had long since broken. 

     "Ever heard of the lost planet of Gan?" Brill looked at me with glittering green eyes.

     "Of course!" I nearly jumped up at the mention of Gan, "Every treasure hunter from here to the edge of the universe has heard of it! A planet with cities of gold and diamond. Beautiful forests filled to the brim with delicious fruits and exotic animals! The sun is always out, yet the temperature never exceeds a perfect sixty degrees Fahrenheit! A planet that makes heaven itself look pitiful!"

     Another deep laugh escaped Brill, "Dial down the enthusiasm. Do you know the story about how it disappeared, Gin?"

     "Yeah. A series of supernovas knocked it out of its supposed orbit and killed the local species," I took another deep puff of my cigarette, "The story sounds like a load of crap, though." 

     "It probably is. But that doesn't matter. Now, getting more specific, do you know the legend of the Sword of Ganhelm?"

     My annoyance grew as Brill brought up topics that didn't interest me. I wanted the fame and glory of finding Gan, not some sword, "Yep. Sword owned by the king of Gan. Made of metal so tough it could cut through plasma shields and had a magic barrier preventing those with unclean hearts from wielding it. Get to the point. Do you have information about Gan's location?"

     "Nope!" Brill exclaimed with too much joy, "Gan is likely just space dust, but the Sword of Ganhelm isn't! I know where you can find the first clue to its whereabouts."

     "Oh..." masking my disappointment was hard. 'Well, at least I can sell the sword,' I thought idly. "Where is it?" 

     Most people would probably laugh at Brill if he told this to them, but I knew Brill. He was rarely wrong. If he said he knew where the Sword of Ganhelm was, then as far as I was concerned, he knew where it was. 

     "You don't want to know the story about it? Why it survived while Gan didn't?" Brill asked with a tilt of his head.

     "Fine... Tell me the story," I sat back down.

     "Supposedly, the inhabitants of Gan knew their doom was nigh, but they wanted to help the universe in the future. So they said up an elaborate treasure hunt meant to test the morality of someone. If they were pure of heart, they would be allowed to have the Sword of Ganhelm and become a guardian of peace!" Brill explained in a giddy tone. 

     "Uh-huh..." my disinterest was through the roof. "Where can I find the first clue?"

     "Haven," Brill said as if it was nothing.

     My cigarette fell from my now wide-open mouth, "Haven?! That cesspool of scumbags?" I crushed the still-burning cigarette beneath my boot.

     "Yep. You had better bring some firepower if you want to survive. Go to Haven and find the third city. Bye!" Just like that, Brill jumped up and fled my apartment while I sat with a slack jaw.

     "Not Haven again..." I squeezed out. The last time I visited, I nearly got shot, stabbed, poisoned, and thrown off a cliff because I may have stolen something from a crimelord. 

     Sighing as I grabbed a remote and switched on the television, I began to plan how I'd reach Haven. 

     The television showed what I wanted to see the least, news about the demon war. Though it sounds like a serious matter, I doubt it is anything more than a farce. 

     The 'war' had been going on since I was a child. At this point, I believe it is a made-up crisis used by the Interplanetary Beafelm Empire to justify its over-militarization, which it used to deter the people from rebelling. 

     I have never seen a demon in all my adventures over twenty-four years. Even when I snuck into so-called demon territory, there weren't any. I and many others believe that they never existed in the first place. Just another lie fabricated by the Empire. 

     "Our troops on the southern frontlines have pushed back the demons once more! The war gets nearer to the end with each passing day," the newscaster said in a tone like he had a gun put to his head and got told to sound happy. 

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     How many times had I heard this same thing said? The only thing that changed in that statement was which front it was. Sometimes it was the northern front. Other times it was the eastern one, and so on. 

     Everything the newscaster stated was probably a lie fabricated to make the government look good. That's what happens the government controls the media. 

     The only thing keeping me from turning off the television was my desire for some background noise. I didn't bother changing the channel because I wouldn't be paying much attention to whatever the person on the screen said.   

     I tapped the wall next to the television twice, and it opened up, revealing a rack of rifles and pistols of various makes. "Which to choose..." I ran a hand over each weapon's smooth, black and blue frame as I tried to reach a decision. 

     "Definitely the Tian-mark X," I mumbled as I grabbed a rifle. The mark X had a high fire rate, being able to fire a thousand one hundred rounds per minute. 

     It had low recoil, excellent accuracy, and a magazine of fifty rounds. The one pitfall was maintaining it was difficult and expensive. But despite that, it was a favorite of mine. 

     I also grabbed a random pistol in a holster and wrapped it around my waist before slinging the Mark X's sling over my arm. And, to finish my preparations, I grabbed a matt black hexagon and strapped it to my chest. 

     It was a combat exosuit that could envelop your body in armor that could take an artillery shell and keep its wearer alive, albeit with severe injuries. I got it in one of my luckiest adventures. I found a crashed and abandoned Beafelm warship with seventy suits. I sold the other sixty-nine but kept this one for myself. I figured it might be handy. 

     Ready for the adventure, I raced to the nearby spaceport and keyed up my forearm-mounted comms device. "Clint, fire up the ship!"

     An angry robotic voice responded, "My name is Flint. FLINT! Would it kill you to get it right for once?" 

     I switched off my comms before Flint started yelling a stream of profanities so long it stretched from one side of the universe to the next. As Brill said, the sky was covered in gray clouds, making the whole world feel depressing. 

     The air was stale and felt like it was burning my lungs. But that was nothing new on my over-industrialized homeworld. There are more weapons manufacturing plants on this planet than I can count. But that ultimately worked in my favor as it made it easy to steal, er, 'borrow' some weapons. 

     The towering gray buildings around me bothered me. Each and everyone was the same color, same height, and same shape. Only the names plastered on the front differentiated the identical structures. 

     The uniformity of buildings was what bothered me. It served as a reminder of how much the government regulated everything. From where you were allowed to own a home to how much food you could buy in a week. 

     There were even regulations about how many miles you could drive in a month. If you passed the limit, the government would shut down your vehicle until next month. The Beafelm Empire had access powered by electricity, so they could spy on their populace as much as they wanted. If you showed any sign of dissent, you would be found dead in an alleyway within a week.

     This amount of control got on my nerves. Humans deserve freedom. While there should be some rules, the Beafelm Empire had overstepped its bounds. My hate of all the regulations drove me to become a treasure hunter. The freedom it gave me was all I needed. 

     Ow! A sharp pain flew through my forehead. I had run right into the door of a spaceport bay. Great job, Gin; you're a genius. I opened the door and a greeted by a flying wrench. 

     Fortunately, I ducked before it hit me and scrambled toward the bay that held my ship. I had no idea who threw the wrench. And it wasn't worth turning around to find out. I'd rather flee. 

     I hastily entered the code for the door to my bay. The door cracked open enough to get through, so I slipped through. 

     My ship (named the 'please don't shoot me III) sat in the middle of the bay. Its back entrance was open, and a small blue orb was afloat near it. "Hi, Clink. I'm starting up the ship, so better get in now!"  

     "F-L-I-N-T! FLINT! Not Clink!" the orb yelled as it followed me into the ship.

     Flint is an old AI I found while searching for gold. I accidentally turned him on, and now he claims I'm his master. His computing and hacking abilities and access to star charts are handy, so I just rolled with it. It wasn't until later I learned how much of an attitude he could have.

     The engine's ignition sequences turned on. Clint had a remote connection to my ship. He could turn it so long as he was within three miles of it. 

     I took the Tian rifle off my back, set it near the piloting console, and took a seat in the pilot's seat. "Set course for Haven."

     "Aren't you wanted by Haven's local crimelords? Are you sure going there is a good idea?" Clint's shell glinted with every word he said. 

     "Going to Haven is perhaps one of the worst ideas I've ever had! But we are doing it anyway. For fame and profit!" I shouted while pumping my fist in the air.

     "At least you realize how stupid this idea is. I've gotten permission from airspace control to breach orbit," Clint flew to and fro, checking the ship's systems while speaking, "I'll take us to the nearest Leap Ring." 

     "Go for it. I will be taking a nap," I reclined the seat and closed my eyes as I spoke. Sleep quickly overtook me. 

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