5028

Furelle: Surillia Ra

Galactic Date 59:47:070 5027

The western lowlands of Furelle are something to be admired, if ever you have the chance. The water there sparkles a type of blue you could never imagine. Houses lined rivers that stretched into the woods behind our little town, and you could hardly walk ten feet without nearly being tripped by some group of kids running about. Women and men would walk the streets, exchanging in talk of the galactic markets, or the newest conflict between the Federation and the Republic. In all, our life was boring, but in a good way. It was boring in all the ways that you wanted a life to be. That is to say, we always knew what the next day had in store for us.

At the time, I was only 14, and I think I took some part of that for granted. Even looking back now, I can understand why. My parents were scavengers, plain and simple. Furelle was loaded with tech from its last war, so it wasn't exactly difficult to find a haul, pull out the good parts, and bring them back to sell. It wasn't exactly a glamorous job, but it put food on the table for us.

As I said, though, I always seemed to look for more. Oft one would find the kids of Surillia Ra around the waterfront, swimming about with the turtles and other fish of the sea. You might find others along the gold and white rocky mountain paths that seemed to stretch infinitely along the coast. The one place we were not to enter alone was the forest. It was there that you would find me, even after the multiple scoldings I'd received. You would always find the most interesting things in the forest, though, so how could I resist?

I remember the last day I entered those woods. It was a colder day, a sharp wind blowing through our town. Blackwater, our system's star, hung low by the horizon, threatening to dip almost as soon as it had risen, casting long shadows over the streets. My feet pattered along the wet ground as I ran through the town, leaving deep marks in the mud and dirt. A grin stretched across my face as water splashed up, staining the black canvas of my pants, leaving grimy prints across my legs. My destination wasn't far. A small household at the end of the block.

Stopping to catch my breath as I pulled up, I took a moment to take the home in. It was much the same as almost any home in the town. A whitish-gray portable colony house that had been put up years ago now. I didn't know when Surillia Ra had been settled, but it was long before I'd been around. Despite its similarities to all the surrounding homes, this one seemed to stand out. Plants imported from around the galaxy bloomed from within windows, searching their way out into the open air to find the sun. Seamless improvements had been added on, such as a fireplace and chimney that puffed smoke from its tip. I took a deep breath, knocked, and waited, tugging at my jacket, straightening my collar, trying to look the slightest bit presentable.

When the door slid open, a heavyset man stood in the way. A thick, black, caterpillar-like mustache hung over his mouth, tickling at his lip as he spoke, looking at me under bushy eyebrows.

"William." He said, his tone flat, almost disappointed, "What do you want?"

"Hello, Mr. Illani!" I said, trying to appear chipper and innocent. "I was just wondering if Maurel might be free for a few hours." He sighed, getting on one knee, his eyes meeting mine.

"Ortell..." he reached forward and straightened my collar. "You heading back out there?" He asked, eyeing the line of trees in the distance. With a smile on my face, I shook my head no, and he sighed. "Alright son, you know there's no need to lie to me." He stood up, limping back into the house. I ducked inside, bathed in an orange glow as candles lined the edges of the room, taking a seat on the plush couch just under the window. Brown furs were draped from the walls, and the room smelled of cinnamon. It was familiar, almost more than my own home at this point. Mr. Illani cupped his hands to his mouth, calling out.