Emperor Mekbaal III reigned over the Xothek Empire, a galactic domain located 200 million light-years from the planet Astashica. This vast empire was ruled by one million kings, each sovereign over their respective planets but all sworn to the supremacy of the Emperor. For countless eons, the Xothek Galaxy enjoyed an uneasy peace — until King Xil'rath, consumed by ambition, challenged Mekbaal III for the throne.
The Xothek were master geneticists and strategists. They had perfected the Azurevat cataclysmic missile — a weapon capable of obliterating entire continents. Thousands of these devastating missiles were deployed aboard their formidable space warships. When civil war erupted, it consumed the entire Xothek Galaxy. Kings turned on kings, forming fragile alliances and breaking them just as quickly. Battles raged across countless worlds; entire star systems fell. In the chaos, the unstoppable power of the Azurevat missiles turned planets to rubble.
Eventually, the galaxy itself succumbed to annihilation — collapsing into a massive retrograde black hole that devoured every remnant of Xothek civilization.
But moments before this final collapse, six Asemeri chieftains — Cosmus, Val'katl, Salgar, Gorak, Uxnall, and Meiannia — united in desperation. They hijacked the Defiance Vanguard, a mighty Xothek space battle cruiser, as it lay grounded on planet Asemeri for resupply. Foreseeing the impending doom, Chieftain Cosmus orchestrated the evacuation, rallying millions of their kin, along with livestock, tools, and relics, into the ship's massive holds.
As the Defiance Vanguard rose into low orbit, it came under relentless fire from nearby Xothek warships. But the cruiser's reinforced energy barriers held firm. Its plasma cannons retaliated, cutting down the enemy with brutal efficiency.
Knowing they needed to escape the dying galaxy, the Asemeri reprogrammed one of the ship's Azurevat missiles, amplifying its destructive power tenfold. The detonation ripped open a wormhole in spacetime. Guided by force barriers and reinforced by further controlled Azurevat detonations, the Defiance Vanguard navigated the unstable Rosen-Einstein bridge — a desperate passage into the unknown.
Three days later, the battered ship emerged in an uncharted galaxy near a habitable region. There, after exhaustive searching, they discovered a strange yet perfectly terraformed world — Astashica. Covered in dense subtropical rainforests and sustained by ancient weather-controlling Xalaks and an orbiting network of artificial satellites that glowed like stars, this planet offered a chance at survival.
The Defiance Vanguard descended, searing a 25-mile radius of forest to ash as it landed near the equator. Around the colossal ship, the Asemeri built their new capital: New Asemeri. From there, they expanded across the planet, conquering the native, primitive kingdoms they encountered. For three centuries, the Asemeri — beings who blended human and Xothek lineage — transformed Astashica into their dominion.
They brought with them not just people but entire legacies: Formicron mechas, starships, livestock, plants, and seeds, all catalogued within the Defiance Vanguard's XENOVIS system — an ark of their lost world. Some Asemeri lived up to 700 years; others interbred with human slaves, the Temsek, producing the Asemtek, a caste who were mostly free.
The Boy of Verdantis Nexus
Generations later, in the fertile village of Verdantis Nexus, a young farm boy named Tlandar Varn — descendant of Chieftain Val'katl — tended his family's cattle. Life was harsh yet peaceful, until the day marauders from the Ixtiel Dominion struck. These opportunistic raiders preyed on weaker dominions, plundering villages, slaughtering families, and taking slaves.
As Tlandar herded cattle, he spotted the skimmers approaching on the horizon. The raid began in fire and blood. His father, Kaelis Varn, had always warned him this day would come — and they had prepared to defend their land. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw next.
In the chaos, a shimmering figure appeared before him: a woman of ethereal beauty, with flowing white hair, a luminous gown, and a radiant orb in her hand. She spoke:
"Tlandar Varn…"
Startled, he asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the spirit of Astashica," she said. "I need your help. You have been chosen to lead the fight against the Asemeri overlords who are destroying this world. If nothing is done, they will soon unleash the Azurevat cataclysmic power again — and all will be lost."
Tlandar's heart pounded. "The marauders are attacking my family! I must save them!"
"These marauders are but a shadow of the true threat. The Asemeri will soon bring this continent to its knees. Act now, valiant one. Take my shield and protect your world — or fall with it."
"I'm just a farm boy," Tlandar protested. "I have no combat training. I don't want to fight in any war!"
"You will not stand alone. Meet Akashma Xil'ha, my Valkyrie. She will guide you to your destiny. Now go — save your family. But know this: when the time comes, you must follow her. Because I have chosen you."
The vision faded. From the shadows, Akashma Xil'ha revealed herself, her cloaking device disengaging.
Tlandar raced to his family farmhouse, defending his loved ones alongside his father. They held the marauders at bay for a time, but more raiders poured in, burning the farm and slaughtering villagers. Kaelis Varn led his family to safety aboard a Verdan-class transport ship, vanishing into the skies toward New Asemeri as Verdantis Nexus fell to fire and ruin.
In the ashes of his village, Tlandar's path was set. The spirit of Astashica had chosen its protector — and his war for the soul of this world was only beginning.