The Rho Story - Introduction
THE RHO STORY
Cycle: 6229
Location: Tanlesawn, Rho
Three cycles ago…
Arkisti stood in the middle of the empty courtyard, blank eyes shifting slightly to observe the rising sun. He was the only one left. Popped balloons and abandoned sweets littered the ground around him and the trunk he sat on. The words of his now former headmaster kept replaying through his head.
“Well, according to our records, your parents are still alive.”
“Then why aren’t they here?”
“I suppose they just don’t want you.” The two of them stood in silence for a while. “We can no longer offer you shelter here but seeing as you’re a Rhoarian citizen, I’d feel horrible leaving you empty-handed.” The unusually young headmaster reached into his pocket, took out 100 credits, and handed it to the boy. “Best of luck to you.” Struggling to get the words organized in his head, Arkisti barely managed to blurt them out before the headmaster got out of earshot.
“Do you at least have an address?”
“Address? I believe they live in one of the Rhoarian colonies of Omega. They work as traders.”
“Do you have a name?”
“The father has the same name as yours.”
Rubbing the two 50 credit coins between his fingers, Arkisti eyed his trunk. Well, I sure can’t bring all of this with me. Taking out his main school bag, he shoved some clothes, a picture of his squad, and some food he grabbed from the mess hall inside of it and took his first steps of existence out into the world.