Prelude

He waits.

It hasn't been long since he came out of the academy, the voices of his old teachers still fresh in memory. He was expected to get to work immediately, dispatching enemies of the empire for meager pay. But thanks to an old friend, veteran of hundreds of missions, he has escaped the drudgery. He is now holed up in a science station, devouring book after book, his mental horizons expanding with each orbit of the station around the sun.

He waits.

He picks up the next book. Although every fiber of his being yearns for the knowledge of warfare, he is patient, and selects another of the books aimed at expanding his mind. The time for martial arts, intricacies of ship mechanics, electronic equipment and starship mastery, will come. But for now..

He waits.