In a faraway place in space, the captain of a secret rebel ship received a message that all mankind would fall to the Evil Domain if he did not locate the Sacred Ring of Vorgon. The ring was last seen on Htrae, a once beautiful planet now reduced to a radioactive ruin after its greedy governments had waged terrible wars with armies of cloned cyborg super soldiers.
 
Captain Lance Goodman pushed his blonde hair off his forehead and rubbed his two-day growth of beard. It was going to be tough, but with his loyal crew, he thought he might just be able to pull it off. Lance knew about tough; he’d learned from years of fighting against the Domain.

Celeste's gown drifted across the steel plate cobblestones as she ran deeper into the courtyard looking for her one and only love. Her heart pounded and the excitement was felt throughout her body. For this was no ordinary love, it was forbidden.

She saw him leaning in the shadowy corner, under the hovering basket of a cherry tree. On ancient earth, where her family line traced back, they signified death and suddenly she feared he called her here to end to their love.

By the time Aiethalynne-Bethe reached the tavern, the sun had gone down. She sighed breathily and ran a hand through her fragrant, multicolored hair.

"We're here," piped a tiny voice.

Aiethalynne-Bethe glanced at the plum-sized purple fairy squid that had ridden on her shoulder during the long walk to the tavern. It had insisted that she come here tonight. She knew better than to second-guess Caellimar'ii. It was rarely wrong.

Carson’s dead. So is Briggs. It’s only me and Charlie left alive. I don’t know how much longer we can take it. The storms have been raging for days. We’re nearly buried in this cave. First, it was the sunset, clear, cool and red. Then the snow. Giant red crystals which came faster and faster. We made it here to this cave. Funny, but none of us remembered the cave when we first arrive here in this valley.