Fiction:Kaios Rising

''Kaios. A name. A legend. But once, it was just a dream...''

Kaios Rising
Our story begins much like many others, on a backwater planet somewhere in the great sea of stars and darkness we call the universe. The setting is the brutal world of Celest, a violent, storm-wracked world covered by dark, unforgiving seas and impenetrable mountains. It was a world of horrors and cruelties too many to name, where only the strong survive, and only the cunning thrive.

Every story needs a hero, and the hero of this story is Jaraan Kaios, a quiet, anonymous Cohan living out his life amid the storms and violence of his home. Kaios lived simply, with a small pelgo, a type of floating artificial island, moored off the coast of one of the larger settlements, Karav. An honest and hard-working soul, something very rare among his cutthroat race, Kaios eked out an existence fishing in the churning waters, and fixing machinery on the side. For much of his life, Kaios was the one singled out for persecution, not for any personal fault, but because he was the one victim his tormentors felt they could get away with. As such, Kaios' initial successes in education and employment quickly dropped off, their early lustre stripped bare to harsh reality. Never once did this phase him however. Instead, it fuelled his drive, became his motivation. The fires of hatred burned down to coals of contained rage, until an icy wind froze his soul with crystal intent.

The dissatisfied Kaios strove to improve, to succeed, to overtake the next man in line. Never once was this ruthless campaign fought on the personal level; it was mere business. As Kaios put it, some were meant for success, while others were meant help others succeed by their lack of success. Never was this more clear than when he engaged in the deadly, vicious world of jetbike racing. Above all, never was Kaios' drive to succeed tested than when he first began to race. With its no-holds-barred approach to high-speed violence, jetbike races killed dozens of hopefuls a week. It was only Kaios' insurmountable will to triumph that saw him finish his first race at all, when one of his engines took so much damage he risked it completely exploding if he applied too much power.

As Kaios' renown and wealth grew, so the interest in this young pup grew too. Many a time a low-life thug was payed a few credits to quietly kill Kaios in an alleyway, but quick thinking and razor cunning saw Kaios through. Many bounty hunters tried to take his life, that many ended up dead. And slowly but surely, gaining speed at every turn, Kaios began to take on the heads of Cohan society. Mob bosses, corrupt politicians and industry heads all quaked at the mention of Kaios' name, not because of any physical threat they perceived at the time, but because they knew that if Kaios wanted them dead, it was all but guaranteed to happen.

Life on the mean streets of Cohan taught Kaios one thing: even the most basic plan will overcome a blind assault, no matter how powerful the attack may be. The constant watch for a knife at his throat sharpened Kaios' mind, and the ever-present need to escape the plans of his enemies cultivated the ability to plan dozens of steps ahead. As Kaios' standing and material fortune massed upon itself, so did his strategic brilliance and inexhaustible cunning soar. It was this that would see the rise of a new era for Celest, an era of Kaios.