First of all, let's say that Altarion's going to be a typical sci-fi saga, following all the "space opera" standards: starships, alien races, unexplored planets, psychic abilities, threatening powers and so on. We could say that it is something between Heinlein/Van Vogt's novels and Leiji Matsumoto's cartoons. At least, that's what we intended to do. Obviously we're illustrators, not physicists, so we preferred to drop scientific plausibility and concentrate on the exotic and mysterious sides of space exploration. At the same time, even when describing a mostly hi-tech society, we would gladly avoid all cyberpunk interferences. That's a kind of fiction that I find rather boring and restrictive, with rare exceptions.

I wrote the first episode with Mauro Maltoni, a good Italian sci-fi writer who also worked together with Marco Patrito before the Sinkha project. I'm also working on a four-parts series, American comics size, about the birth of Jan Kemeny's mercenary team. Its title will be Atlantis as it's named after the submarine city in which the story is set. First part will be freely readable in the "comics" section, we'll think about the rest when it's finished.

The story

Year 10.428 of the Second Imperial Age. Galactic Empire is in turmoil. Due to some inexplicable events, rumours about Emperor Shaix's death begin to spread through the Altarion Council. Some say that the Immortal Emperor's place was taken by an "intelligent" hologram a long time before. This belief gets stronger among the rulers of many imperial districts, stirring up rebellions and interstellar wars. The Empire seems to be on the verge of ruin.

In the city of Akenshure, capital of the Anthiran realm, Crown Princess Helystyal is getting engaged with Ravaril Nilcrane, heir to the throne of Firenne. All of her relatives, including the whole royal family of Theitor, gathered at the royal palace. The night before the reception, Helyss and her cousin Zadra met Shaix himself in a strange dream, in which they saw also a green-haired woman and a puzzling little girl who seemed to know things unknown even by the Council.
The morning after - during the party - the child, whose name's Inanna, gets to the palace in person and asks Queen Tyelene to lead an expedition in search of the true Emperor. Being not persuaded, Tyelene and the Theitian royal family reject Inanna's plea, but their daughters take the opportunity to avoid arranged marriages and run away into space with the child.

Meanwhile, mercenary captain Jan Kemeny is bargaining over a dangerous job with the green-haired girl, Amneris Dartmoore. She wants to get on Caleta, a small planet inhabited by a rebellious people but also covered with First Age ruins. By chance, that planet was also chosen by Inanna as the first stage of her voyage with Helyss and Zadra. So they're bound to meet... And to clash.

From this point we'll deal with anti-imperial revolts, court plottings, ancient legends and space battles. And finally the real threat will be revealed: a mysterious and powerful individual whose followers are determined to destroy the Altarion Empire.