The Future is Broke, The Stars are Hungry

Im the author of the Broke Future Series! I've been wanting to share this with more people and I have been on Tumblr for a while mostly lurking. So I figured id go ahead and post it here!

Here are the links to the Royal Road posts:

Fringe Space Chronciles Volume 1 are the first stories I ever posted on Royal Road! Little rough around the edges since I was still working out the world and characterization. That said I really enjoyed working on them!

Bad Connection was a short I did for a writing contest. Didn't win, but i did write some Sci Fi horror. Pretty happy with this one. Even if my editor flaked on me so I had to rush through it to meet the deadline.

And here is Volume 2. The current series. Pretty happy with the first short, Dead Waves. Give it a read! Let me know what you think!

Early concept art I got from artist Blazbaros. These are both of Domitia back when Bellator leaned more into Sci Fantasy

I also loved 40k, and its esthetic influenced me tremendously and I really wanted to write something like it. Trouble was I could never get it right. Early drafts of Bellator felt disjointed or fanfictiony. Not in a bad way, it just felt too much like Warhammer.

Stuff like Boiler Plate sci fi and playing Cyberpunk 2077 really helped shape the way I wanted the setting to go. Eventually I ended reading Cormac McCarthy and that helped solidify my voice as an author and the feel of the world of Broke Future.

The name directly leads to setting. Its Broke. Money is scarce and people are desperate. You dont see clean angular ships, you see stolen freighters and retrofitted battle ships. Its also Broke morally. Governments meant to protect the people have sold out to Corpo powers or Pirate Kings. Democracy is a joke, the people know who really pulls the strings.

Planetary conditions: Fair. Terraformed. Lazarus Flora and Fauna. 

Local Conditions: Temps above 5* C, Wet

Hunt: Kai Varloo. NBW

Conditions: Dead or Alive, retrieval of Toak Tribal Blades

Reward: 5000 Scrip

Report:

Kai Varloo was a member of the Cassar Tribe, a Toak settlement on the nearby continent of Jasper. Varloo had murdered his blood brothers and stolen tribal blades in an attempt to curry favor with the rival Masaka Tribe. After being turned away Varloo sold his services near our region. 

We where approached by Elder Kaza who offered us a reward if we could bring Varloo’s head and the stolen blades. We where instructed on the proper storage and care for these blades and it was made clear to us that the blades were not to be cleaned as any blood on them would need to be cleaned off for ritual purposes. 

We began our investigation in the nearby settlement of Cryil, population 10,390. We were informed by the local sheriff that Varloo was wanted for other crimes including live stock theft, robbery, and the murder of several mercenaries operating for the Kingston Company. 

After we concluded our inquires in Cryil we where instructed to seek out the Manns Camp some twenty kilometers from the settlement. According to the sheriff Varloo had taken up job working security for the mining operation. 

When we arrived, the camp was under assault by a force of Necro-Drones. We destroyed twenty-three drones. The camp suffered five dead and twelve injured. When we inquired about Varloo’s where abouts, we were informed that he had died in one of the previous raids and his corpse had been stolen by Neco-Drones. We were able to recover all but one of the bone blades, the last one was still, presumably, in the possession of the individual making the necro-drones.

We tracked the necro-drones to a crashed ship some ten clicks north in a nearby depression. We determined that the vessel had once belonged to [REDACTED] company and when we investigated further with extreme caution. 

We later identified a RI (Real Intelligence) which had breached containment and secured control of the ship, including the Necro-Drone manufacturing module aboard the [REDACTED]. While my partner got our ship, the Providence, in position to preform a targeted strike, I recovered the head of Varloo and the last bone blade. The RI attempted to hack my armor but I was able to force a shutdown and march from the ship without power. 

My partner struck the ship in three separate strafing runs. The first utilizing ion cannons on high energy, which caused the hull to be breached across the aft side of the ship. A second strike with the same array caused an ammonia fire to start, lighting the engine bay on fire. The last strike was with a L-A1 Torpedo, with a delayed charge. The missile struck through the hull breach and denotated well within the vessel, causing the rest of the ship to fracture. 

We were compensated as listed above. 

ADENDUM:

Planetary conditions: Fair. Terraformed. Lazarus Flora and Fauna.

Local Conditions: Temps above 10* C, Dry

Job: Escort

Conditions: Act as armed escort for Client through local countryside

Reward: 500 scrib, Assorted Spare Parts, 5 kilos of dry food and 50 liters of filtered H20.

Report:

Father-Acquisitioner Kimble approached myself and my partner while docked at Dwellson refueling and doing maintenance. He hired us to be his escorts while he and his brothers explored a nearby ruin. They believed it belonged to the forgotten xenos population that might’ve inhabited Martinaze before it was terraformed. They provided transportation.

No threats were detected. Job ended after 3 cycles. We were compensated as listed above.

-----

Domitia watched the priests continue their procession through the barely visible ruins. They had revealed several structures and even a road made with hexagonal flag stones. Kimble led the procession, holding aloft an icon with a glass compartment in its center. Flanking him, monks swung censors billowing with smoke, create a sweet scent in the air.

"What non sense is this?"

Dell had joined her, leaping onto the Bellator's shoulder to get a better look.

"Said something about saving souls." Domitia answered.

"They're gonna save 'em with smoke?" Dell chuckled, "Suppose souls were even real, you think smoke would catch them?"

"Lots of strange things in the galaxy. Wouldn't be the strangest."

"Why do they care anyway? It ain't like these ruins belong to Konii or Humans."

"Think it had to do with their founder. Saint or something like that." Domitia explained, she wasn't a spiritual person but had a healthy respect for religion, "Supposedly, their God instructed them to pray for the souls of dead aliens. Especially the soul having ones. So that they may be saved and taken to paradise."

"Waste of good smelling insence if you ask me." Dell observed.

"Maybe. Although their is a bit of comfort in this." Domitia rationalized.

"You think so?"

"These people where lost to time. None remember them, and yet the priests pray for them. Guess that counts for something." Domitia said.