ESK is a sci-fi action story filled with both intrigue, mystery, death and multiple layers of details to chew through.

  This compendium will detail some information that can help certain contexts and references within the story, such as the Intergalactic Crisis, the Rebellion and a little bit about the trio of characters that we unravel the story through. There is a lot of stuff going on, especially in the first few chapters as the story is being set up - but the most critical point is: the story takes place after a year long corporate rebellion, with the characters having to secure their positions among the ashes.

  The Setting:

  This section is just about the setting, based in an indifferent galaxy, the story starts on the planet of Anagora. Anagora is divided into two sections, the surface: with floating islands and a built up ecumenopolis, and the Sub-Levels: carved out under cities layered on top of each other. Within the Sub-Levels are the deadzones, areas abandoned. Anagora is the capital of the nation's setting, the Grandé Republic, the successor to the old Empire. The Republic is essentially ran by the aristocracy from the empire, which still exists after the declaration of the new order, but the inner workings and the divisions of politics prime the Republic for the turbulent years ahead - as factions give rise to powerful strong men, and the very fabric of the nation is tested to its very constitution and core. Yet the setting is not so narrow, as in the wake of the galaxy's greatest struggle, a dozen nations vie for power with or against each other, with countless systems, confederations and planets playing the major powers off each other for their own gain. Nothing is certain, and in a galaxy so cruel, one may only rely on themselves in their quest for power - whatever the end goals may be.

  In the far north, the expansionist and authoritarian Theonars seek to delve south, bringing the harshness of the wilderness in the north galaxy to the core and beyond. In the south, the decadent and decaying Belsaran empire seeks to rebuild its glory from the days prior to the Intergalactic Crisis, and to sink their teeth in the blood of all whom they claim are their enemies, whether they follow their 'ideas' or not. Stuck in between are a collection of systems, nations and confederations, working to play each faction off of each other to maintain their serenity in this Concert of a Galaxy. All the while explorers, aliens and marauders roam the outer territories and beyond.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "The War"

  The "War" is a term typically referring to the Intergalactic Crisis, a period of a few decades of constant war within the galaxy, happening a generation or so prior to the start of the story, shaping the galaxy as Imperial Warlords fell, and a bloated Republic rose from its ashes. It's the "war before the story" type of war, except it was a five thousand sided war.

  The Shadow War & The Contract-Breaker's Rebellion:

  The Shadow War was a previous conflict within the criminal underworld that transpired several years prior to the main story's events, happening after the P-1 Incident caused chaos within the Grandé Republic. This Shadow War led to the Contract-Breaker's Rebellion, happening just a year prior to the events of the story, where one of the largest PMCs fractured in a rebellion against its directorship, leading to the founding of the AGENCY, led by our MC: Kazuki Izumi Geminorum-Ryzaku, who must survive in galaxy of cutthroat politics and blood thirsty criminals & mercs.

  The Characters:

  The main characters of the story are: Kazuki Izumi Geminorum-Ryzaku; "Archius Bar Lyst"; and Elizabeth Mary Celeste-Delmara. In layman's terms: they are friends.

  Kazuki is the son of the High Admiral and a defence contractor turned inventor, someone with many years experience in the world of mercenaries and crime, forced to by his injuries and an agreement made... over the dead ashes and burning remains of the P-1 Incident. He is a cybernetically 'enhanced' individual, with a state-of-the-art life support system built into him.

  Archius Bar Lyst is an intelligence specialist, the 'best friend' of Kazuki, his most loyal ally and spymaster, who always holds himself to a high facade, beneath a litany of spite and annoyances.

  Elizabeth Mary Celeste-Delmara is the daughter of fallen nobility, a self-made genius who wishes to rise above her current station and to make her family proud... both dead and alive. Her family has had a past with Kazuki, through bloodied past and crimson future: she allies with Kazuki to see her goals through.

  P-1 Incident:

  The P-1 Incident was one of the deadliest terror attacks in galactic history, with the highest death count of people in living memory within a single day. More of it will be detailed within the story due to its importance to the characters.