The sky over Karvess was the color of rust. Thick, swirling dust clouds hung low over the scrap fields, coating everything in a layer of fine, red powder. Jagged heaps of broken metal stretched as far as the eye could see, the discarded bones of an age long past.
Somewhere in the middle of it all, a boy named Grant sat atop a gutted transport hull, staring up at the vastness above.
"Same old sky," he muttered, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. "Same old nothing."
It had been six years since he'd been left to fend for himself, abandoned in this wasteland of shattered starships and forgotten tech. Six years of scraping by, salvaging parts to trade for food, dodging scavengers meaner and hungrier than he was.
But today was different.
Today, his life would change forever.
A sharp hum filled the air, making the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His hands, buried in the exposed circuitry of a wrecked cockpit, tingled as the old display flickered to life.
Then, a voice spoke.
-System activated-
Hello, user. I am the Star Navigator System. I am at your service.
Grant froze. His heart hammered against his ribs. This wasn’t just any old ship AI. Star Navigators were rumored to be relics of the Pre-Imperial Era, capable of piloting ships faster and smarter than any modern system.
This... this could be his way out.
"Star Navigator System?" Grant echoed, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, a slow grin spread across his face.
"Huh, maybe I can get into the Academy with this... Or even, create an army!"
The screen pulsed with light, scanning him, assessing. Somewhere in its code, something shifted, acknowledging him as its new pilot.
And just like that, Grant's future stretched wide before him—wider than the skies, wider than the stars themselves.
