I decided to submit my story in small parts. Hopefully the length will not scare readers away anymore!

This is the beginning introduction and the first 'chapter' referred to as Zone 1 Act 1 (unintentional sonic reference) of my science fiction adventure story. In summary, a high-priority object is stolen upon delivery by an infamous thief. It is by no means a solid and complete as I plan to add on as required, hence my comments in red. Enjoy!

And yes, the submission preview image was meant to catch you attention. It is the result of a day’s struggle with Corel Paint. I hope it worked!

Comments and critiques welcomed!


Prologue
Emptiness. Nothing as far as the eye can see. An ever-stretching void known as space, sparkled with tiny stars and distant rock masses. But yet, life manages to sprout in this bleak nothingness.

A glorious, ancient race, one that long predates humanity and any other race, by thousands of years, who lived on what we presume a ‘paradise’ planet, by the name of Solarion. But, this is no more than an idealistic children’s story, passed down from the wise in an attempt to settle the young. Apparently, this race cared more about others then themselves, a feat quite unimaginable by present minds. They evolved very quickly, as they never had religion wars slowing them down. They never believed in a greater power, which makes some believe that they might have even considered themselves gods!
They eventually decided they should not live on the surface, as their actions may disrupt the delicate ecosystem on the surface, but relocate high in the sky, and deep underground. And so they did. Nearly everything this race set their mind to, they accomplished. Although over the years, a growing distinction was seen between the earth and the sky people. Those in the sky were more in touch with the environment; those living underground were viewed as being more isolated, and delved greatly into philosophy in their spare time. So much so, that they began to think of an end to paradise, and opposition to all that is created, in order for balance to exist.
So, the story goes that these beings had unique ability to ‘create’ thoughts and ideas into a physical form, which allowed them such quick development. And when a large group gathered with similar ideas of an anti-existence, a manifestation of that idea was formed, a god by our standards, but a tool for them, to reshape their reality. The beings in the sky had to counteract, and soon enough all out war was started, not in the realms of the beings, but on the surface of the planet where creatures lived without external forces, and some even go to the length to say all life in the universe originated from Solarion.
Knowing they had destroyed what they vowed to protect, the sky beings came to a conclusion. They will sacrifice their planet, and all who inhabit it, in order to lock up the manifestation, before it extends its grasp on the universe. A self-sacrifice for the many younger worlds they observed, and hopefully they will not make the same mistake. And in doing so, they believed they would lock away the ‘evil’ for eternity...

...but as we all know, eternity does not last long.

Year 2780
Space exploration yielded the discovery of the fabled planet Solarion, now a barren wasteland. A few years later archaeological excavation begins.

Year 2799
A crystal was excavated from the site, with unique energy readings. After recording observation and nanoimagery, the artefact is sent to the industrial planet of Altus Primus, via space freighter, for closer examination at the Novaco Institute of Research and Technology.

Zone 1, Act 1
Fenrir Wulfe, an eager, young pilot, was given this assignment. For him, it was just another delivery...

Altus Primus is the closest planet to the star in the Altus system, closely trailed by Altus Duos and Altus Trios. All three are young rock planets, Altus Primus being the only one with a breathable atmosphere. A relatively small planet, Altus Primus has a large core for its size, with a thick mineral rich crust, leaving little room for the mantel. Originally a mining colony of the Raxion Consortium, Altus Primus gained its independence in a peaceful agreement in year 2462, paving a path for great advances in its future.
From space, Altus Primus doesn’t look much of a friendly place, a maroon sphere of thick gases, and dark billowing clouds. A single city resides on the planet, clearly visible from outer space. Altrium, as it has become known, is the capital city of Altus Primus, a bustling metropolis of traders, pilots, diplomats and nearly any other profession you can think up. If one was to look at Altrium from an aerial perspective, they would first notice the massive starport located at the center of the city. Surrounding the starport are tall buildings, some nearly y three kilometres tall, homes of the wealthy and prestigious. Many of these buildings are coated with reflective plates as to carry the already weak sunlight to the sublevels. A second dominant ‘ring’ is noticeable, bordering the first, with buildings nearly as tall, though not as glamorous. These belong to the typical citizen or a variety of public services. Lastly, the outermost ring is a collection of low level mining facilities and refineries, some dating back to the original mining colony. Many of these have been abandoned; pursuing vaster mineral deposits further out, and are now taken up by a variety of crime lords and lesser bandits. ((Yes I will tend to stray off topic to explain surroundings. It’s always fun to add history and lore))

A dull grey medium freighter looms into view, just outside of Altus Primus air space. Aboard, a young Fenrir Wulfe gracefully guides the ship within sensor range. His eager voice breaks the silence as he speaks into the comm. channel.
“This is Pilot Wulfe of AP Freighter 1135, requesting permission to land.”
"You just made it, any longer and this shipment would have been late," answers a male voice through the static-filled commlink, sounding old and tired.
"Don't worry yourself, I always arrive on time," says Fenrir.
"Only a month after work and you think you can handle anything... Scan completed, access has been granted. You are cleared to land at port C5-A," replies the voice, with such a tone that you can bet he is rolling his eyes.
"Roger that, entering atmosphere now", Fenrir says, now concentrating on landing the ship without causing any serious damage.

((Some sort of intermission of the ship flying down and docking))
The moment the ship landed, and power to the engines was cut, a group of armed city officers surrounded the ship. The armoured security of Altrium, wearing complex suits of modern nanotechnology. They were feared just as much as they were looked up to for protection. They gathered around the lower loading ramp of the transport, awaiting the escort the delivery to the research building.
Inside, Fenrir climbs down to the lower cargo bay. He goes up to a large metal crate, enters a quick key combination and watches as cold air rolls down the sides of the container. A strong pink glow from inside the sub-zero container lights up the rather gloomy room. Peering inside, he feels relieved to see the crystal made it through, unharmed and undamaged. Now his mind strayed to the amount of money he will earn from this delivery...
As he began to close the lid of the container, he heard the sudden cocking of a rifle and cold metal pressed against the fur on the back of his head.
"Don’t move,” said a voice firmly. “Hand over the crystal and you get to live a day longer."
Hesitating at first from absolute shock, Fenrir quickly recovered and began reaching inside the metal crate. As his paws touched the crystal, he was surprised to notice it wasn’t cold at all, despite the frigid temperatures within. Lifting the crystal above his head, he managed to catch a glimpse of the bandit in the smooth reflective surface of the large jewel.
"Thank you, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you!" says the voice in a rather confident tone. With sudden speed, the thief whacks Fenrir on the back of his head with the butt end of the shotgun-like rifle, knocking Fenrir out, onto the floor.
The escort outside began to wonder what may be taking the pilot so long to emerge. Just then, the loading ramp emerges, and out flies tiny canister spewing think smoke onto the entire landing pad. A shadowy figure is seen dashing away, into the larger starport complex. The recovering security reorganize themselves and open fire on the fleeing target, who is now too far for accurate reach.
The figure runs through crowds of busy citizens, quickly seeking the fastest way out of the current level of the starport. ((I may add more detail to his escape if required)) He ran through various levels of the tall city, finally reaching an ally between two metallic structures. A mechanized dumpster, overflowing with scraps of various metal alloys and electronic components is the only object visible. Busy streets and skyways can be seen at the far end of alley. The sound of a police siren can be heard; no doubt a few security probes were on the lookout for him.
Set back on the amount of security on this one crystal, he decides to return once the fuss dies down. Hiding the crystal behind the dumpster he whispers to it, "Don’t worry, I'll be back for you soon," before leaping away to the lower levels.