Rhapsody Shade

Born on a far off planet called Zoa; home to a species known as the Vulkus. Rhapsody’s life had been a simple one that most children could expect to go through. The Vulkus were a Zoanthropic race not too dissimilar to the Zoanthropes of Earth. However, while the Earth variants were typically more animalistic, the Vulkus race had more physically in common with the standard human. The Vulkus featured animal traits such as ears, claws, tails, and fangs; but for the most part, were human. Finer traits such as hand and foot padding, features upon the skin, scales, or gills, were all determined by how strong the blood of the individual was within their specific family.

Three subspecies of Vulkus exist upon Zoa; the Mammalian, the Reptilian, and the Amphibious. Rhapsody belonged to the Mammalian subspecies of Vulkus; and as the name implied, she featured the animal traits of a feline. Much was the case with the majority of her tribe, with the only interaction with the other two subspecies being in the form of travelers and traders.

Rhapsody had been a bit of an exception to this understanding however; for while she exhibited the traditional characteristics of her feline lineage, she featured something else as well. On the day of her birth, this defect was quickly apparent; as upon her back, were two small, brownish-yellow bird wings.

Such would be the first of Rhapsody’s trials in life, one of which that would be out of her control; as after a heated discussion between the physician involved, her parents would agree to the decision that the wings should be removed before they could grow so as to avoid any future discrimination from the fellow children. Unfortunately, the process would prove ineffectual, as within mere days, the wings would regrow. Her parents would make the attempt to remove them several more times in the years that would follow; inevitably giving up as the wings continued to grow back faster, with fuller plumage and more resistance to the surgeon's devices.

In the childhood years of Rhapsody’s life, she would experience intense bullying; with only a single friend to have for support. The bullying would progress, becoming worse as time went on; only slowing down as Rhapsody reached her teen years and dismissed herself from school. From then on, tension amongst her peers would soften as each grew into their own; with Rhapsody included in this transition thanks to her efforts and training in an attempt to join the village guard.

There was one however who simply never changed, that of a young lion named Aiden; a large man with an even larger ego.

Aiden’s actions would continue on the path of bullying, even when those around him began to move on and abandon their prejudice. His constant berations served to hold Rhapsody back, causing her friend Kitsu to continuously come to her aid. As time went on however, Aiden would one day turn his attention to Kitsu, causing an accident to occur, one that would nearly cost Kitsu her life.

Seeing her beloved friends life in danger however, Rhapsody would overcome the inhibitions that have held her back for so long. She would spread her wings and for the first time in her life, at the age of seventeen, she would take flight; recusing her friend from the perils she faced. With this new conviction, Rhapsody would finally stand up to Aiden; and though the lion was much larger, Rhapsody’s diligent training would see her stand victorious against the man. Never again would Rhapsody allow herself nor another to come to harm due to such bullying, and over time, even Aiden would finally mature and see the error of his ways.

From her late teen years to her adult years, Rhapsody would succeed in her task of joining the village guard; eventually becoming the head of the guard, with Aiden following in her path, albeit at a lagged rate. Upon her twenty-fourth year, Rhapsody would be taken in by the village shaman; an individual regarded as the guardian of the village. It was with the Shaman that she would learn to harness magic, going on to depart from her position as head guard to become the next village shaman.

Only a year into her shamanic training however, conflict would arise once more; this time, in the form of a missing villager.

The planet of Zoa was very much an underdeveloped planet; with no basic technologies like even a steam powered device, let alone any space faring devices. The planet was still in the early ages of a civilization, and with many of the sub species requiring clean and specific environments to survive; even the thought of technological progression was dismissed if it harmed the environment in any way.

Due to this level of progression, the whole of the planet; specifically those of Rhapsody’s village, had been wholly unaware of the space faring band of mercenaries who had taken up residence in the nearby mountains.

These mercenaries were of an uncouth sort, using the underdeveloped world to hide from prying eyes as they smuggled illegal spices throughout the galaxy. Though a high ranking Arcosian leader had set about and stopping this ring of villains, the group had managed to evade his police force at every turn.

It was unclear for exactly how long the mercenaries had been using Zoa as a base, but it was certain that they might have remained unnoticed for many more years to come; if not for a stray villager coming across them in the mountains while in search of medicinal herbs.

As Guardians of the Village; albeit still in-training, Rhapsody was quick to take it upon herself to go off in search of them. While Mammalian, Reptilian, and Amphibious subspecies of Vulkus were as common as nature itself; an Avion Vulkus had never before been encountered. Though there had always been rumors and myths; with many believing such Vulkus to be living in a far off land or even in the skies above on floating islands, none of these hypotheses had ever been proven. This gave the winged Rhapsody an incredible advantage in this search and rescue mission.

Within the same day she had set out, she had found the mercenaries base within the mountains. Having seen their numbers, she was reluctant to approach; though she had no reason for her basis, instinct told her they were bad news. Luckily for her, Aiden had managed to catch up to her; having tracked her via her scent while in his bestial form. He had disobeyed orders to follow her, but she would not berate him; instead feeling grateful to have backup if necessary.

As stealthily as she could, and with Aiden’s keen nose, the two would infiltrate the mercenary base and quickly come upon the villager who had been taken prisoner. Upon attempting to escape with their comrade however, the trio would be beset upon by the mercenaries and their leader.

After an ensuing fight, it would quickly become apparent to Rhapsody that they had bitten off more than they could chew. Even with Aiden in his bestial transformation, the mercenaries were simply too great in number; and their weapons too advanced for the two of them to handle. All would seem lost as the trio became cornered by a rock face; with Aiden requesting Rhapsody take their wounded ally to safety while he dealt with the villains. The plan seemed sound, but Rhapsody couldn’t bring herself to abandon the lion boy. While once he had been a bully and a nuisance, he had long since become a friend and rival.

With the mercenaries surrounding them, Rhapsody and Aiden resigned themselves to fight to their last breath; hiding their ally within the nearby foliage in the hopes of keeping him safe. Just as they readied for their final fight however, the sky would suddenly darken as a brisk wind ravaged the area.

Immediately, the mercenaries would scatter; well aware of what had taken them by surprise. Rhapsody and Aiden however, would simply stare up to the sky in awe with widened eyes of disbelief.

Was it a demon? A god?

To the two of them, it was akin to a grand magical beast like no other; to the rest of the universe, it was no more than an incredibly massive ship of Arcosian design. It was the police force tasked with stopping the band of mercenaries, and through skill and determination, they had finally caught up to their targets. From the massive ship, hundreds of peacekeepers and several dozen smaller ships would emerge; chasing down the mercenaries who attempted to flee deeper into the planet and stopping any ships attempting to leave.

While the mercenary band's main ship and leader would manage to escape, the group as a whole would suffer an incredible blow to their business this day; making it so illegal spice trading would see a significant drop in the future. The police force would take all of the remaining mercenaries on the planet into custody, as well as confiscate all of the technology they could find. All in the hopes of returning the underdeveloped planet back to the status quo; they were merely there to help, not take over. The governing of the planet and it’s future would be left up to the inhabitants themselves; such was the wish of the high ranking Arcosian who had formed the police force.

After the incredible encounter, the days would seem to return to normal once again; with Rhapsody continuing her training to become shaman. However, while the shaman had advised Rhapsody and Aiden both to forget what it was they saw; the intrigue and curiosity she felt was far too strong.

Rhapsody would return to the scene of the ordeal many days later; taking it upon herself to investigate in the hopes of learning more. These strange people had come from the sky above, from the stars; a concept that bewildered Rhapsody to no end.

How many more existed out there, living amongst the stars? What was the massive beast? Who were the starfarers?

These questions and more persisted in Rhapsody’s mind, and upon her investigation, she would stumble upon something that would lead her to the answers she sought. As deep within the mountains, Rhapsody would stumble upon a cave; the entrance of which had been blocked by massive rocks and an unnatural amount of vines. Though the police force had done a thorough job within the immediate area of the mercenaries base; whether it had been due to the primitive manner of deception, or because it was a great deal further away up the mountain, this one specific cave had been missed.

Pushing aside a rock, Rhapsody would squeeze her way through the narrow entrance and make her way within the cave. Unlike any other cave she had explored however, this cave immediately stood out. It’s walls were coated in a strange, shiny metal; something that seemed far superior than that of any sword or axe she had ever seen. Even the sword she wore upon her waist was meant to be of the village's highest quality; but paled as less than even a butter knife to the walls around her.

Out of curiosity, Rhapsody would strike at the walls as she would a boulder or tree; testing her blade and attempting to gauge the strength of these walls. Only for her sword to snap in half upon impact, leaving no marking upon the wall at all.

While the loss of her sword was disappointing, this only served to intrigue her further, causing her to wonder what other strange mysteries this chasm was to hold. Delving deeper into the cave, the tunnel would become dark; only thanks to her animal traits was she able to see slightly in the dark, but this only allowed her to realize she had entered a rather massive room deep within the cave. She had already walked for what felt like an hour, and though it had initially seemed like the tunnel would have no end; this room was the final stop.

Moving within cautiously, Rhapsody could make out the silhouette of several things within; all of which were unfamiliar to her however. They seemed like round rocks, but upon touching one of them, she found them to be metal as well as another substance she was unfamiliar with. Her antics would lead to her moving her hand upon a particular spot on the device; causing it to open up.

Though she was unaware of the name, it was in fact, a space pod; one of several that the mercenaries had likely intended to use for an emergency escape, but never had the chance to.

Initially, Rhapsody was hesitant; panicked by the sounds and lights now emanating from the device. She took a defensive position a distance away, but after waiting for what she believed to be a dangerous creature to make its move for over several minutes; she would finally step out from her hiding place.

What was it? Why didn’t it move or speak?

Cautiously, Rhapsody would approach; staring down the pod, unblinking. In this darkened space, the open pod with its many lights looked like the maw of a magical beast. The red seat within looked akin to a tongue, and Rhapsody wasn’t about to be the beast's dinner. With her snap sword in hand, she thought to take the beast by surprise; and with a leap, would quickly be within it’s maw, with her sword slicing clean through its throat!

Only for Rhapsody to find… It led nowhere?

There was no maw, and there was no tongue; though the fabric seemed of high quality, it felt no different than that of the leather pelts the guards of her tribe wore.

Rhapsody’s racing heart would slow as she calmed down, taking another look at the area and the strange device she now sat within. It had been an interesting and somewhat scary journey; but one with a lackluster conclusion. There was nothing left to explore, and though a metal ball that could illuminate the dark seemed novel; a torch could do the same, and only required wood and oils.

Rhapsody would fall back into the seat of the pod with a heavy sigh of both relief, and annoyance. There was no danger, but also no reward; she wondered if the old shaman was right, and that she should simply forget about the beings that had come from the stars. She laughed a bit at how immature she had been to even take this small adventure, but wanted to bring Aiden back here so that he could carry this metal ball back to the village. It was certain to attract attention, especially at night considering the lights it displayed were far more bright and beautiful than any torch could make.

As Rhapsody thought of this, she would stretch out within the pod; finding the seat incredibly comfortable, even with the small cut she’d made in it with her sword. Her legs and wings would unknowingly push and press against touchpad buttons within the pod however, activating its systems without warning that Rhapsody could understand.

“ACTIVATING AUTO NAVIGATION-”

“Wha-!?”

Suddenly, the whole of the room would illuminate as light above would flash on; painting the area while with a blinding light that momentarily dazed Rhapsody.

“Who goes th-!?!”

Before she even had the chance to regain her composure, let alone exit the pod; the door of the pod would quickly snap shut, having registered a user sitting safely within.

“COORDINATES SET, LAUNCH COMMENCING-”

With that, the pod would begin to float, while the wall before the pods would open up; revealing a previously hidden hole in the side of the mountain. As Rhapsody’s vision began to return, she would reach out before her in an attempt to escape; only for her hand to touch the glass upon the door, an unfamiliar transparent material to her.

“What is-?”

“LAUNCHING-”

With the sound of the robotic, female voice once more interrupting her; the pod would jettison out of the mountainside at an incredible speed, throwing Rhapsody back into her seat as it broke free of the planet's atmosphere and careened out into space.

The light of day had suddenly become the dark of night, with space travel being a complete mystery to Rhapsody. Panicked, she was unsure of how to escape the device that threatened to kidnap her; banging on the glass of the pod in an attempt to break free.

“ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVAL, FOURTEEN CYCLES- ACTIVATING HIBERNATION MODE-”

“Release me, creature!!”

Rhapsody would draw her sword once more, with the small area of the pod working against her. Her attempt to escape would be in vain however, as before she could make a single strike, a strange mist would fill the pod; overtaking her senses, and causing her to immediately drift into a deep slumber, a slumber like no other.

It was from here that Rhapsody’s story would begin; unknowingly jettisoned from her home world into the greater universe. What would be next for the girl would be anyone's guess, all that was certain, is she was sure to encounter a far greater adventure than she ever could have dreamed of...