Read Smuggler’s Run — Chapter 1: Echoes Before the Fall
Read the complete first chapter of Smuggler’s Run.
Chapter 1: Echoes Before the Fall
Date: March 17, 2385
Location: Blackhall Tower – Private Residential Tier, Level 44
POV: Kesto Ryven
The war was getting closer.
Even in the insulated hush of Blackhall Tower, Kesto could hear it — the distant, muffled rumble of orbital detonations. The tower’s atmospheric shields still held, for now, but every faint tremor in the floor reminded him they wouldn’t hold forever. The air had that brittle taste of charged ozone and scorched insulation, a chemical edge that clung to the back of the throat.
The smart-glass windows were dimmed to blunt the glow of burning towers across the city, but enough light leaked through to fracture the skyline into jagged silhouettes. Somewhere out there, a ship died in orbit — he could feel the low vibration run through the bones of the tower, a dull thud beneath the skin.
Kesto sat on the edge of his bed, coat unzipped, the faint hum of his holocomm casting a cold ring of light in front of him. Three miniature figures hovered above the projection plate: his daughters and his wife.
Mira, the eldest, stood tall for her age, hand clamped around her little sister’s as if holding her still could keep her safe. Lysi clutched a worn plush toy to her chest, her wide eyes drinking in every shadow behind him. In Thalia’s arms, their baby son — Solan — lay wrapped in a grey sling, one cheek pressed into her collarbone, half-asleep.
“Daddy, are you okay?” Mira’s voice was tight, a thread pulled too far.
“I’m fine,” Kesto answered, voice level and unhurried, every syllable deliberate. “The fighting’s far from here. You’re safe.”
Thalia’s voice followed, softer but edged with a wary undertone. “We are watching the warships. They are close to the capital district now… many are falling into low orbit.”
Kesto’s jaw flexed once before he exhaled through his nose. “It’s under control.”
A tremor rolled through the tower — stronger than the last. Light strips overhead flickered.
The sound came next: a deep, concussive roar that seemed to rattle the air itself. Somewhere far above, steel screamed as a shockwave clawed through the tower’s inner shell. The holocomm image shimmered and warped, static crawling across their faces.
“What was that?!” Mira’s voice cracked.
“I don’t know,” Kesto began, “Stay in the shelter, all of you. Don’t go outside. I’ll—”
The family feed blinked out. A second channel seized the connection, overriding everything.
Kesto’s neural interface sharpened with sudden clarity as Lucien Vale’s encrypted command burst through the comm layer.
“Kesto.”
“Sir.”
“Go to Vault Theta-1. Retrieve Aurelis. Do not engage with anyone. Deliver it to Vault Theta-13. Personally.”
“Understood, Mr Vale.”
The channel went dead.
Kesto blinked once, and the image of his family reappeared — more static now, frame edges bleeding away. Mira and Lysi stared anxiously. Thalia’s face remained composed but unreadable, her grip tightening subtly around the sling.
“Daddy—what’s happening there?” Mira asked again.
He lowered himself to eye level with the projection, the emergency lighting behind him strobing faintly against the wall.
“I have to go,” he said, voice quieter now, but anchored. “You’ll be safe. I promise. I love you. I’ll see you soon.”
“Promise?” Lysi’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Promise.”
He lingered a moment longer. The infant stirred, one small hand lifting toward the light, reaching for something he couldn’t hold.
Kesto reached out, his fingertips brushing the cold projection glow.
Then he cut the call.
Silence reclaimed the room.
He rose, crossed the wall recess, and withdrew the containment case. The seals hissed faintly as it closed in his grip. Coat zipped. Weapon checked beneath his ribs — a simple motion, neither hurried nor hesitant.
Another tremor. Harder.
Dust drifted from the ceiling seams, fine white motes catching the faint light before settling on the polished floor like snow.
Kesto stepped into the corridor without looking back.
End of Chapter 1