It has been three weeks since the distress signal was received from Clizora by the Andromeda Republic.” Said Senator Sior. She, along with several members of the Republic’s core government were in a briefing at her office at the capital world of Wortanna.

Sior was a middle-aged female Zorbezian, tall slender humanoid aliens that resemble walking-sticks. On average they are 3 meters tall and can live up to 120 years. They have maroon skin and have a distinct x-shaped bone structure on their backs. Because of this they are sometimes referred to as Crossbones by other alien species, but the Zorbezians take that offensively.

Next to Sior was a bald young man with dark skin and wore a light armored blue vest.

“Well, it looks like your biggest fear has finally become a reality.” He said.

Senator Sior glanced at the man. “Unfortunately what you said is very true, Bryce Kiness. We thought we defeated the Zeta Empire in the Andromeda War 30 years ago, but it appears remnants are still out there.”

“I was told the remnants retreated into uncharted space; the area is so unpredictable and dangerous that most ships that venture too deep never return.” Said Bryce.

An old man with a white beard stepped in. The man wore a red and black Republic Navy uniform. He was the Republic’s highest ranked admiral, Amadeus Drake.

“I lead our ships to battle against the Zeta Empire.” The Admiral said. “In my experience the Empire could outlast anything we threw at them. We once bombarded a base on a planet occupied by them with capital ships using Superion Wave Canons, which in case you didn't know, were the most powerful artillery we had at the time. When we sent an army of troops into the area, they were caught off guard by hundreds of Zeta Troopers that survived and had the strength to fight. With the aid of our Nova Hawk Bombers, we were able to win the battle, but at a very high cost.”

“I don’t remember much of the war when I was little; the war ended by the time I was 4. Luckily the planet I lived in at the time wasn’t too affected by it, because it was on the other side of the galaxy from where the Zeta Empire was located.” Said Bryce.

Bryce Kiness had a simple life growing up, and his father was a veteran of the Andromeda War, and often told him stories of the battles he fought. One day however, Bryce’s father tragically committed suicide because of constantly experiencing post-traumatic-stress-disorder over the years. Bryce attempted to join the Republic’s army, but it did not work out. So, he became a bounty hunter instead. He worked for the Republic’s government capturing or assassinating crime lords and ring leaders of gangs across the galaxy but retired three years ago.

“I understand you have retired from bounty hunting, but the galaxy needs people like you more than ever.” Said Sior.

“But like you said, I am no longer a bounty hunter, and so what do I have to do with any of this?” Bryce asked.

“Bounty hunters and mercenaries played a huge role on both sides of the Andromeda War. You’re a very skilled assassin, but I don’t want you to go after any crime lords or ring leaders; I want you to find and kill whoever is leading the Zeta Empire’s remnants.” Sior explained. “I will pay you and your friend, Agnar Reise, an immense amount of money.”

Agnar is an obsidile; a race of reptile-like aliens that don’t have a tail, stand 2.4 meters tall, and have dark tan skin. They have naturally bulky bodies, short but sharp claws, small yellow eyes, an immensely durable hide, and have a powerful bite force that is strong enough to crush solid titanium with relative ease.

He is a heavy weapons specialist and likes to wear grey heavy armor to go with his monstrous minigun that he upgraded overtime which fires blue plasma bolts at 80,000 rounds per minute. Even though he prefers to mow down his enemies with his minigun, he also carries a large mace for close combat. Obsidilian culture is big on challenges, competition, and hunting. They are native to the mountainous planet of Aemula, and once waged war on neighboring planets hundreds of years before the Andromeda War, but since then remained peaceful.

“Agnar? He would probably use that money to upgrade his gun into something crazier than it already is!” Bryce said. “Either that or buy more upgrades to our ship, the Yorik Stellar.

“You’re going to need every possible grade to your ships and weapons, Bryce.” Said Admiral Drake. “Why else would we have given the latest state of the art weapons and shields for that ship of yours?”

Agnar did not go to the meeting with Bryce, but rather stayed by the Yorik Stellar and helped the engineers install new canons to the ship. Many years ago, while Bryce was on a mission and was at Aemula, his ship was shot down by pirates. After crash landing onto the planet’s surface, Agnar investigated the crash site and met Bryce. Together with the help of Agnar’s tribe, the ship was quickly repaired, and they got revenge on the pirates after they came searching for Bryce.

Bryce thanked them for their help, and he developed a powerful friendship with Agnar. The chief of Agnar’s tribe allowed them to leave the planet to assist Bryce in his career. When the two of them returned to Wortanna, people were blown away by the story they told, and they were approved by the Republic to work together on missions.

“If we were to go out there, I think it would be good if we start by investigating the remains of Clizora. I will have Agnar prep up the Yorik Stellar as soon as the installments are finished.” Said Bryce.