The main stellar capital of Astralon, called Nexus, was a true metropolis of the future that seemed to surpass the boundaries of imagination. With a fusion of advanced technology and an aesthetic that evoked the landscapes of Tokyo, Shanghai (Pudong), and New York, Nexus gleamed with neon lights, a city that never slept, where the sky looked like an electric sea of vibrant colors. The streets were a symphony of movement, with flying cars gliding smoothly, powered by antigravity technologies. Below, floating walkways between skyscrapers allowed pedestrians and beings from different planets to move seamlessly, as if an invisible flow guided them through a synchronized system of pulsating energy.
The giant holographic screens that covered the sides of the buildings projected advertisements and three-dimensional images that interacted with passersby. Holograms of creatures, events, and even landscapes of distant worlds floated in stunning detail, as if the entire universe could be seen at a glance. At night, the sky of Nexus sparkled with artificial lights that seemed to compete with the stars, creating a landscape that was both alien and incredibly familiar.
Small autonomous robots, similar to drones, flew over the avenues, monitoring traffic flow and assisting with the city's daily operations. The artificial intelligence that coordinated Nexus was so advanced that many beings didn't even notice its presence. It was integrated into every aspect of life, from communication to climate control, keeping the city in perfect harmony, regardless of atmospheric variations on the planet.
For Pierre, walking through Nexus was like traversing a living dream. The streets were filled with beings of all kinds, each with such distinct characteristics that they seemed to belong to different realities. Some of these creatures were delicately beautiful and ethereal, with fine features and pointed ears that seemed to pick up more than just sounds, perhaps even emotions and energies around them. Their faces were serene, as if they were always connected to something greater, perhaps the very nature of the cosmos. They moved with grace, their long robes floating as if gravity did not bind them.
Other beings had a reptilian appearance, with metallic-scaled skin that gleamed under the neon lights. Their eyes shone fiercely, always alert, like hunters ready for any challenge. Their muscular forms were covered by a rigid skin, and their hands, with long fingers and sharp claws, seemed designed for both battles and surviving hostile environments.
There were also creatures deeply connected to the earth and the natural world, their bodies covered in moss and roots that slowly moved as they breathed. These creatures seemed to carry with them the power of vegetation and the natural cycles; their eyes held a wise and distant glow, as if they carried the knowledge of ancient eras. They seemed perfectly in tune with the natural environments that surrounded them, even in such a technologically advanced city.
Among these figures, other hybrid beings walked, with bodies that were half-organic, half-mechanical. Their cybernetic arms and legs functioned with cold precision, and their artificial eyes could analyze the environment in ways humans could never perceive. These beings, part technology, part living organism, seemed to represent the pinnacle of the fusion between biology and science.
With each step, Pierre was confronted with the incredible diversity of life forms that Nexus housed. He saw not only physical differences; he felt that each of these species carried within them a unique essence, a distinct way of existing in the cosmos. Some beings moved silently, their bodies emitting internal lights that pulsed as they interacted with the environment. Others floated lightly, as if gravity was a suggestion rather than a rule.
As he observed this incredible diversity, Pierre felt a growing unease. Although he was a scholar of the past, he was now facing a future that challenged his previous understandings of life. He knew that to move forward, he would need to let go of old certainties and plunge into the unknown, where fear and curiosity intertwined.
Lady Peyton walked beside him, her steps calm yet determined, a reflection of the confidence she carried. She had been Pierre’s rock from the very beginning, always present, even when he doubted himself. Her gaze now was fixed on the horizon, as if she too was navigating the depths of her own thoughts.
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— Pierre, are you ready? — she asked, her voice filled with patience but also urgency. They had been through a lot together, and she could sense the internal conflict brewing within him.
Pierre hesitated for a moment, still absorbing everything around him. His legs, for an instant, seemed to want to retreat, as if his mind wasn’t fully prepared for what was coming. But Lady Peyton’s gaze anchored him. There was a security in her presence that made him feel that, despite the unknown ahead, he wasn’t alone.
— What? — he murmured, as if snapping out of a trance.
She gently touched his arm, a simple gesture but one filled with meaning. We’ll go together, Pierre. There’s no turning back.
The warmth of that touch brought him back. He knew he wasn’t alone in this journey. And with one last breath, he took the step forward, aware that the future awaited him.
However, before leaving the galactic terminal, Pierre went through a series of highly advanced security scans and analyses. He knew that in the future, these checks would become even more rigorous, using artificial intelligence devices and facial recognition capable of detecting even the slightest irregularity.
As he approached the service counter, he felt a shiver down his spine as he remembered the forged documents he had used to get there. He was sweating profusely, imagining that he could be discovered at any moment. His heart raced as the thought of his disguise as an "Orc" being exposed crept into his mind.
But to his relief, the security team at the Galactic Terminal was extremely professional and didn’t raise any suspicion about his identity. The universe’s most advanced systems had let him pass undetected. Pierre let out a heavy sigh of relief as he and Lady Peyton walked toward the boarding platform.
The transport awaiting them was a futuristic vehicle, sleek and aerodynamic, with a transparent cover. Powered by an unknown energy source, it was fully autonomous. There was no driver, only a friendly android guiding the passengers, explaining the control panel and how to select their destinations. During the journey, the urban landscape seemed to transform before Pierre’s eyes, with the help of augmented reality technologies that revealed the hidden beauties of Nexus.
When they arrived at their destination, the vehicle stopped smoothly, without any tremor, at the disembarkation platform. Pierre, however, couldn’t stop thinking about the efficiency and impressive technological advancement of the transport.
Two days later…
Pierre sat at the end of a pier, dangling his bare feet in the crystal-clear water of one of Nexus’s countless beaches. The tranquility was almost surreal. Small exotic fish swam around his feet, nibbling at his toes, and he let out a soft laugh, a rare moment of peace amidst his turbulent mind.
His long red hair, with platinum blonde highlights, flowed in the wind, almost reaching his waist. He was handsome, but he never cared much about his appearance. He had grown up amidst the dust of the excavations in Saqqara, Egypt, where his archaeologist uncle worked. There, he had deeply immersed himself in the history of Egyptian civilization, fascinated by ancient texts and artifacts. But now, he was no longer on Earth, nor in his own time. He needed to find new challenges to adapt to the new technological reality.
Despite Nexus seeming like a paradise, with more than 400 idyllic beaches, for Pierre, the reality was quite different. He was living a lie, disguised as an Orc, a race that was not welcome in the Zerg galaxy. It was Lady Crarina’s poisoned gift, sending him far away, but far didn’t mean safe.
The Orcs were despised, and Pierre understood why. They were existential predators, a fierce species that multiplied quickly, living in an insatiable quest for food and vital energy. The Orcs’ home galaxy, once fertile, was now devastated, a desert of resources that had led to the creation of an insatiable hunger in their race. It was this hunger, both physical and existential, that had turned them into a threat.
Hunger was everything that mattered to the Orcs, and their primal desire to consume knew no bounds. Their colonies expanded in search of energy, consuming entire planets in just a few years. Each cell in their bodies was connected to ancient currents of cosmic energy, which allowed them to travel through space with bursts of teleportation and plasma leashes. Once they reached their destinations, they destroyed the local biosphere to feed, enslaving native species and devouring resources until the planet was depleted. It was no wonder they were seen as cosmic predators, feared and hated by entire civilizations.
Even in times of peace, as now, relations between Orcs and other species were fragile. Their predatory nature and their ability to reproduce quickly made them too dangerous to trust. Furthermore, by mixing with other races, the Orcs lost part of their identity, creating hybrids that were even more unpredictable and, often, more powerful than the original Orcs. This only increased the fear and prejudice surrounding them.
The situation wasn’t even more tragic only because of the Pact of Peace, a diplomatic alliance orchestrated by the Dragons, a mysterious and powerful species that governed intergalactic peace. They had forced the galaxies to sign a truce, demanding that all species, including the feared Orcs and Zergs, respect the terms of coexistence, at least temporarily. Even so, prejudice against the Orcs persisted. The pact had sealed the peace, but not the hearts and minds of those who feared them.
Pierre touched his long hair, an automatic reflex of his disguise. He was a false Orc, a mask that protected him but also kept him trapped in an identity that brought more danger than safety. He didn’t know if he could continue living with this farce, but it was necessary. Survival required sacrifices, and he was fully aware that Lady Crarina had given him more than just a disguise—she had given him a burden he would have to carry for an indeterminate amount of time.
As he reflected on all this, the neural communicator buzzed, a gentle pulse at his temple. The technology allowed him to communicate perfectly, overcoming the language barriers that once limited him from his surroundings. But despite the ease of the technology, the weight of his situation kept him anchored in a far darker reality.