I was born in Caille, that wonderful city of my ancestors, on Luminaire the shiny jewel in my people’s crown. I wish I could tell you a story of glitzy ballrooms and high fashion, but the truth is that not all of the Seitaredes descendant families were as fortunate as some and the Seitaredes de Detrigue were worse off than most. Mine was a poor family, surviving only on the charity of the state. Our living accommodations were not an opulent palace by the sea; they were a 350 m2 apartment in a government managed housing project on the outskirts of the industrial district. I didn’t attend world renowned schools staffed with the best and brightest in pedagoguery; I went to a series of public schools filled with a mixture of about 15% idealistic young teachers and 85% jaded and bored ex-young idealist. My first job was not some cushy internship with a large and storied corporation; it was dancing my way out of my second-hand clothes on a grimy stage every night for hours at a time. I worked at three different clubs, often having to keep a series of appointments in my head as I rushed around the city to my next gig. This isn’t a story of failure and degradation though. I rose above my past through hard work and dedication. I split my time between gigs, school, and volunteering at various federally run homeless shelters.
I think the homeless shelters were the part of my life that most affected my outlook. Here I was drowning myself in pity at my fate while others would have fought tooth and nail to have that which I was denigrating in my own private melancholy. So, I decided to stop wallowing in despair and instead aim for the stars, feeling that even if I did not attain them I would still reach the heavens. I buckled down at school and started being even more careful with my funds. After six long years of study and scrimping I finally braved the entrance exam for the Federal Navy Academy. I passed with a respectable score, but nothing to write home about. It was then that my name came in handy for the first time, it just so happened that the committee chair of the scholarship board was bit of a history buff with a romantic view of the bygone days of royalty.
He called me in for an interview after seeing my name, but really all he wanted to do was talk about my family history. Thankfully, my grandmother had made it the work of her golden years to pass on every single boring minutia of “The Family”. I sat through the “interview” answering all of his prying questions. The whole time I was distracted thinking that I had seen this man before, and this was the second bit of good luck that helped me on my way. This wonderfully high ranking officer and politician was a semi-regular at one of the clubs where I worked. Well, the rest is not hard to figure out on your own, I came out of the office with a full ride to the Capsuleer Program for the Federal Navy Academy. I am not sure if I am cut out for the life of a Navy Pilot, but worse case scenario I jump ship for a private corporation once I am in space.
Woody Detrigue 