.png)
Morgan's life began like all Frodarians: alone, swimming in a life-capsule. When a Frodarian is first hatched from their birth pod they have gills but no lungs. It takes most Frodarians two to four weeks to develop lungs and shed their fins, which are replaced by webbed hands and feet. Morgan was hatched on Dystro, a desert planet in the Frodar System. Dystro only has a few trading towns–besides the settlements established by the United Republic (for the purpose of drilling for gysodium) after Frodar was colonized. Morgan was hatched in the biggest of the towns, a place called Kyron Junction. Her parents moved to Kyron Junction before the system was colonized by the United Republic to take advantage of tax-free commerce, being one of many Frodarian families fleeing the harsh conditions of their homeworld Fycondra. They opened a tavern in Kyron Junction, serving patrons that came through the town to trade goods or as a way stop to another sector of the Frontier Systems. It was a lucrative business, until a band of raiders came through the town and burned down the tavern, along with many other buildings throughout Kyron Junction. Morgan's parents died in the fire, but in sifting through the rubble of the tavern, a Frodarian trader named Keat came across Morgan's life-capsule. It had been charred by the fire, but Morgan was still alive inside. Keat took Morgan into his care, raising the child as his own.
Before the United Republic colonized the Frodar System, it was a haven for raiders, smugglers, slavers, and pirates. Other than Fydeema, there were no inhabited planets in the system when people began migrating into this sector of the Frontier Systems, and the Flywardians of Fydeema were a private people, who had not yet learned the art of space travel. This meant that law and order could only be found among larger settlements, where local volunteer militias could be established. Growing up in this environment, Morgan was easily allured–much to the chagrin of her protector Keat–into the smuggling trade. Kyron Junction was the perfect settlement–situated as it was near the edge of the system–for an upstart smuggler to began a new business. Morgan was soon dealing in illegal wears, trading with patrons coming through the system looking for goods not available in the Rim or Central Systems. In such a line of business, it wasn't long before Morgan came in contact with the famed pirate captain Rogarus. Rogarus and his crew controlled a large swath of the Frodar System, with established bases of operation on several planets, including Fydeema. Captain Rogarus saw promise in the young Morgan, and invited her to join his crew. Seduced by the chance to leave Dystro, and excited to see what else the worlds offered, Morgan agreed. Keat was sad to see Morgan leave. He was left alone to run his trading business in Kyron Junction, but every so often he would find a sack of notes on his doorstep and he would know that Morgan had visited, leaving him a small thank you for all he had done for her.
Photo Cred: @bunbunpaaa
Do you want to find out more about the world of the Bright Abyss Series? If YES then be sure to pick up a copy of the first book in the series The Bright Abyss. You can find it by following the link here: The Bright Abyss. You can also get a free download of my short story The First Encounter, a Bright Abyss story, by signing up for my email list below!