Chapter 1
Mara
“I can’t get anything on the television.”
Mara looked over at her father who lay in the hospital bed, tubes connected to him, and monitors beeping. This was the second time he had to be hospitalized in the last six months for Stellar Degenerative Carcinoma. There were four stages and he was currently in the second stage. There was only one known cure for the disease—Quantum Cellular Reset Therapy. The problem was it was expensive.
They had to sell their house and share a one bedroom apartment to pay for the already extensive hospital bills. Mara quit college and took on two jobs. They were just starting to save a little when he had the second relapse. Things weren’t looking good for them.
“Let me see the remote,” she offered, reaching out a hand.
He gave it to her reluctantly, then settled back in the thin cushions.
“I hear you’ve been giving the nurses a hard time.”
He snorted. “They keep me in this damn gown, my ass hangs out every time I have to go to the bathroom.”
She had to bite back at the smile. “I didn’t think you were that modest.”
“Just too cold to be going around in next to nothing. There! No, go back to the other channel.”
Mara did what he asked. Then she placed the remote on the side table.
“This is a re-run.”
“I know, but I love this show.”
“Me too.”
They sat and watched together.
“Greetings, sentient beings across the galaxy.”
The host’s voice carries across a thousand star system, smooth and perfectly measured.
“Welcome to the One Hundred and Thirty-Fourth Galactic Survivor Games.”
The holo-feed ignites—winds tearing across desert plains, competitors stumbling, rising, fighting. A planet spins slowly in the void.
“This is where the strongest, the boldest, and the desperate come to test their mettle.”
A brief pause. Anticipation tightens.
“Here, victory is rewarded, and lives can be changed forever for those found worthy.”
The camera cuts to shadowed figures standing at their drop points, breath fogging the air.
“But remember the creed of the Games…”
The host’s voice lowers.
“Survival is earned… not guaranteed.”
The words linger, heavy and final.
“Only one competitor will claim the prize. Endurance, adaptability, and the will to survive will decide who stays.”
Music swells. The sandy world fills the screen.
