A Falling Star

[Blaze Devall]

Blaze Devall was born into a perfect world. Loving parents who were well off enough to secure him a good future. Likely to follow their footsteps as scientists exploring the edges of the known universe, hoping to uncover the mysteries of those who came before. A good life. And then in a single day it all changed.

Blaze was 6 when it happened, the year 792. While traveling through Gamma in search of Artifacts the Zoner research vessel the family resided on was attacked. The attacker was a
young Corsair, delirious and starved after being unable to fulfill the requirements of his trial. Not having yet discovered the presence of the nomads or the AI, the ship was not outfitted for combat and was quickly disabled by its unintelligible attacker. With no Zoner ships within range or even other Corsairs to restrain their wayward companion the family was left to his mercy. Boarding the ship the Corsair was quickly able to locate the room where the small family had taken cover, easily overpowering the meager defense they presented. While the family had originated in Liberty, this Corsair was Cretan born. The rugged harsh life of Crete breeds equally harsh men and this was the only advantage it took for the young Corsair to overwhelm their defenses. Blaze could only watch hidden nearby as his parents were butchered in front of him. Eventually the Corsair had his fill and left, never knowing of the child who had barely escaped his grasp. While only intended to last for two weeks without resupply, the ships provisions would prove quite long-lasting when reduced from a crew of three to a crew of one. The ship would drift for over a month before being found by a group of Zoners hoping for easy salvage.

Twelve years passed. It was 804, the Nomad war had come and gone.

Through a mixture of charity and selling off what remained of his families possessions Blaze would manage to make his way back to Liberty. Despite going through years of therapy to deal with what he'd been through his innocence had been lost forever. The great illusion had been shattered. While making it most of the way through high school he would be unable to finish and had to drop out, ending up as one of many young people stuck working a dead end job. No education meant no opportunity, no future. It was during this time that he first learned of the Xeno movement and their struggle for recognition. After hearing of their cause and their purpose Blaze would find himself filled with passion. Here was a group that fought for more than itself, for the downtrodden. For the people. Rally after rally he cried for justice, screamed for equality. Eventually his dedication gave rise to recognition, soon being invited to join the group formally. It was during his first outing to learn what the group was really about that he would understand just what he'd gotten himself into.

The group he was with told him that a gaggle of Rogues had landed nearby, intent on peddling their nefarious product to the locals. Having seen what happens to those who had given up and accepted their position at the bottom as permanent Blaze understood better than most what Cardamine could do to a person. The makeshift militia assaulted the Rogues at their freighter, heavy fighting ensued. At the end of it Blaze found himself the lone survivor. Being the newest recruit he was tasked with bringing up the rear, saving his life when a Rogue decided to end his life and the lives of his attackers with a grenade. In the process of checking for survivors it was then that Blaze learned the dark truth of the Xenos. Kneeling beside the leader of the group they would both look at each other, the true mortality of the wounds sustained an unspoken understanding between them. To Blaze's surprise the instructions were not to destroy the drugs, but to deliver them. Disgusted at learning that the cause he had supported for so long was at the end of the day willing to use such deplorable methods to bring about change immediately destroyed his faith in the movement. Boarding the freighter Blaze would set course, first off the planet and then out of the system. He'd heard rumors of a group surfacing, one with goals and the means to make them reality. One with unshakable dignity and resolve. He did not know where they were, only that they were. It would be his first encounter with a group he would come to know and love, even call his comrades. It was his first encounter with the Hellfire Legion.
The year was 810.