Prelude

Somewhere in time…

Somewhen in space…

The CS01, an intergalactic cargo starship, hurtles through the cosmos at near-light speed.  Its hull bears the lines of an older design—sturdy, angular, and battle-worn in silhouette—yet every plate is tuned, every system humming with quiet precision.  From its engines streams a brilliant trail of blue energy, painting a path across the star-studded void.  Though somewhat dated by galactic standards, the vessel remains a pristine workhorse: a smuggler’s craft, built to endure and endure quietly.

Moose awoke to the gentle hiss of hydraulics as the susan bed unsealed, releasing a breath of recycled air that tasted faintly of ozone.  The morning chime—soft at first, then building into an insistent rhythm—echoed through the small cabin.  His hand found the control without thought, silencing it before it could reach its full pitch.

He sat up slowly, emerald eyes adjusting to the low light.  The ship’s ambient glow pulsed faintly along the seams of the cabin walls, a heartbeat in metal.  Swinging his legs over the edge, he slipped his feet into a pair of well-worn sandals, waiting for him like old companions on the cold floor.  The trench coat he favored hung neatly on a hook nearby, his backpack beneath it, always ready.

Another day.

Moose laced his shoes with slow precision, the motions half habit, half armor against the silence of the cabin.  His eyes fell to the small black leather Bible resting where he’d left it, spine worn smooth by countless hands before his own.  He lifted it with care, thumb brushing the snap closure, the ribbon marker spilling like a thin stream of blood across the gold-leafed edge.

It opened easily, as though the book itself had grown used to this ritual.  The verse greeted him like an old friend, the words etched not just on the page but somewhere deeper.

Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”