This fictional story serves as the basis for Rated R’s Fall 2022 Collection titled APEX.  It is a conglomeration of sci-fi influences and inspiration, and follows the main character Apex Fortune, as she embarks on a covert operation to her home planet that she has been away from for nearly 20 years.  As a designer, I am fascinated by the sharpness and functionality of fashion in science fiction and video games; even the most minute details have purpose, and this philosophy reflects heavily in my personal approach to design.  The creation of this body of work has truly been a journey of evolution and discovery, allowing me to seamlessly blend elements of my heritage into my design aesthetic without compromising my overall vision.  

This is the first “chapter” in the APEX story, illustrated by artist @itsthefa.  Our Fall ’22 fashion show in November will follow Apex as she returns to her home planet.

Checking the twenty-second near sleepless night off on her mental calendar, Apex could no longer mask her frustration.  It wasn’t exactly surprising really, since it had been twenty-three days ago that she learned where her next operation would take her.  Not because she was afraid, but because it had been nineteen years since she had seen her home world.  Almost twenty years… she thought, with no contact, no family, and no idea why she left.  And to make matters worse, the nervousness she felt refused to settle, even in her dreams.  They weren't nightmares, but more like an automated reel of circulating images flashing by, recounting everything she could remember about her home world and the fateful day she was taken from everything she knew.  So many unanswered questions lay ahead; of which she was terrified, but also felt entitled to.

Her concentration was broken with a shrill cry from Mr. Bug who had tripled in size beside her, now nearly as big as she was.  She smiled at him as best she could, gave him a scratch behind the ear, and begrudgingly arose to give her body a good stretch.  She peered out the only ovoid window of her cabin; the sky was a light shade of plum fading into peach tones at the horizon.  The main star had yet to rise, giving her a fair amount of time to enjoy some fresh air before the surface temperature skyrocketed.  Apex shook her head in disapproval, wondering why anyone would want to settle on a planet in a binary system where “reasonable” temperature windows were so minute.  Heading towards her cabin door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mounted holo-display; her pale lavender skin subtly glowing in the low light of dawn, blended almost seamlessly with the sheer, prismatic hues of her oversized shirt.  With a thought, the sheer, crystalline fabric shrunk, separated, and glided over her skin and reformed into a basic training outfit.  Moving towards the door, she glanced back at Mr. Bug, his eyes twinkling dopishly as he vanished with a puff of gray smoke.  

Apex made her way down a short corridor of her starship the, SC Myrmidon, to the main habitation module.  Passing through a densely beaded curtain, she entered a large circular room named, for lack of a better term, “The Can.” Though numerous data screens and control panels lined its perimeter, almost every compartment, shelf, and flat surface was packed with hundreds of treasures from her adventures across the galaxy.  Exotic alien plants dimly lit by solar lamps, rare minerals, abundantly stocked herb compartments, colorful tapestries, and too many worthless trinkets to count.  At the center of the can was a cylindrical polycarbonate quartz chamber surrounded by an oasis of plant life.  At its base ran a large moat of water held together by an intricate lattice of dark crystals.  A thin elliptical window ran along the circumference of the glass chamber where it met the ceiling, and through it, the sky above cast an eerie purple light over the entire room.

As Apex approached him, he began feverishly pacing in anticipation.  Out of a dark brown glass jar she placed a handful of charcoal pellets into a colorful bowl above the control panel.  She then took a step back and gave Mr. Bug a questioning look.  Before she could blink, he vanished again, this time reappearing on her right shoulder.  He clumsily brushed his nose against hers, almost losing his balance in the process, and then teleported again to the ledge where his breakfast awaited.  Apex took a great deal of comfort in Mr. Bug’s routine.  It had been almost five years since she had rescued him from a shoddy band of critter pirates.  They were among the rarest creatures in the galaxy, hunted to near extinction because of their incredible abilities.  They could increase their physical mass and density at will, teleport short distances, and sense minute vibrations, even in the vacuum of space. A few days after successfully reuniting Mr. Bug with his family on a distant ash moon at the galaxy’s edge, she found him hiding mischievously in a storage compartment in the hangar bay of the Myrmidon, having covertly teleported back aboard the ship.  Though Apex was apprehensive at first, their bond grew quickly and turned out to be something she never knew she needed.  And the rest is history I guess, she thought as she watched him bury his face in his dish with glutinous delight.  

As Mr. Bug crunched noisily away, Apex took a seat below him in front of the comm display.  She aimlessly scrolled through galactic media channels absentmindedly, not paying much attention to the headlines rapidly flashing by.  She still couldn’t calm the nervousness she felt and was frustrated that it was affecting her so much.  She was excited to see her beloved home world again, but she couldn’t help feeling angry, rejected, and abandoned.  And, on top of that, she was completely clueless as to who to direct these feelings towards.  After all this time had passed, what would she recognize?  Were her parents alive?  Were they responsible for sending her away? And if they weren’t, why hadn’t they come looking?  Her memories of them were faint, but they were ones overflowing with joy and kindness.  Looking back, Apex was certain that they cared for her.

And it wasn’t like she was unhappy, or ungrateful.  Her life thus far hadn’t exactly been easy, but it also hadn’t been without reward.  It may not have been her childhood dream to live aboard a starship at the age of 3, start intense combat training at 5, and then on to become a highly sought after and successful assassin by 15.  But she’d had some incredible adventures and made some great friends along the way.  She continued to stare blankly at the screen for a few minutes until her focus was thrust back to reality with the sharp, rapid clang of metal footsteps behind her.  Apex swiveled around to find TCD-38, her Tactical Combat Droid and caretaker, holding a tray with a steaming cup of herbal tea and a bowl of fresh piccolo berries.

“Morning Tea, MisFortune,” TCD-38 said rather stoically as she placed the tray atop the console adjacent to where Apex was seated.  Her dimly lit, optical sensors began to brighten and twinkle a vibrant shade of pink as she scanned Apex’s vitals. “Oh my, you may need a second cup,” she said pointedly in reference to the elevated level of cortisol she detected.

“Wow, good morning to you too, Teeci,” Apex said dryly as she glanced at her reflection in the central chamber.  Her eyes were noticeably dry and sunken in.

“My scans indicate that, for you, it indeed is not a ‘good’ morning.  Maybe some fresh air?”  

Apex stood and stretched again.  She added a heaping spoonful of piccolo berries to her tea and sipped at it slowly, closing her eyes and letting the sweet citrus tang spread warmth throughout her body.  “Thanks Teeci,” Apex said with renewed energy.  

Teeci, who towered nearly two feet over Apex’s slender frame looked almost menacing in the dim light.  Her large metallic torso was triangular in shape and housed Cevanti’s most advanced AI robotics system and tactical combat training database. The housing sat atop a circular rotor connected to two disproportionately thin legs.  Her feet were wide and wedge-shaped, with a raised three-pronged stabilizer at each heel.  She wasn’t the prettiest robot in the galaxy, but she was the closest thing Apex had to a mother now.  Though she was sometimes harsh and unforgiving, she provided Apex with everything she ever needed and protected her fiercely.  In recent years, she seemed to be developing traits very uncharacteristic of a tactical combat driod.  She primarily assumed the role of the Myrmidon’s custodian and keeper, providing meals, maintaining cleanliness, and monitoring the ships diagnostics, in addition to running Apex’s strictly regimented training schedule.  She was often quick to point out bad behavior and her retorts were beginning to border on sarcastic.  Though Apex was unfamiliar with Cevanti robotics, she knew of the technological superiority of her home planet and that all tactical level droids were impervious to program alteration, making identifying a systems breach quite a challenge.  Teeci, however, refused to address any notions of this and was always very tight lipped about the past, especially when Cevanti was concerned.  Whatever it was, Apex had come to enjoy her emotionless eccentricity. 

“You should go now, you don’t have much time,” Teeci pointed out, as she turned and headed back towards the galley.

Apex finished her tea and stepped towards the central glass chamber.  Dozen’s of brightly colored aquatic creatures floated joyously about its outer layer.  A Jellyhead gracefully drifted by, its one huge yellow-green eye, magnified through the curvature of the glass, fixated on Apex’s gaze until it was hidden by its mass of trailing tentacles.  She pressed her hand firmly against the cold surface and the inner chamber lit up and initialized its biometric security scan.  Its brilliant white light filled the can and the floating creatures cast odd, moving shadows everywhere.  Upon identification, an array of illuminated touch-sensitive controls appeared on the glass surface along with a massive selection of weapons, armor, suit configurations.  Apex punched in a few commands  and knelt down.  The water in the crystal moat was still as she submerged her right hand below the glassy surface.  Instantaneously, tiny black threads started to form around her fingertips and began gliding like black liquid tendrils up her forearms.  As they rose they became thicker, circling her bicep, and traveling up and around to her opposing shoulder, and eventually settling into a solid but pliable, web-like formation draped around her neck. This Exomatter, or Xoma, as it was more commonly called, was a peculiar substance.  Created through complex genetic manipulation of native algae and advanced nanotechnology, Xoma represented the pinnacle of Cevantian biosynthetic engineering.  The genetic structure of the algae itself allowed for near infinite levels of compaction and expansion and by fusing it with nanotechnology, Cevanti science created a semi-animate, malleable substance that could assume and an endless amount of configurations instantaneously. 

Apex focused her senses on the Xoma, manipulating it psionically.  Once again, it became liquid in nature and began to snake around her body, pieces split off from the whole, weaving itself into intricate, knotted rings fitted tightly around her wrists, ankles and neck.  Admittedly, her senses had been a little off lately, and she didn’t feel the need to burden herself with a complex configuration.  She knew that, for the most part, the people of her home world all possessed the innate ability to psionically manipulate and control organic matter through skin to skin contact.  While the extent of physical manifestation varied between individuals, she always knew the level or her ability was well beyond normal.  What she didn’t know was why.

She headed aft, passing Teeci, who was routinely calibrating the ships’ reactor.  Giving her a courteous nod, Apex opened the rear airlock and headed out onto the rocky terrain.  As she surveyed the barren landscape, she scoffed at the desolate planet again, wondering why Teeci had chosen this particular system.  We could have waited anywhere. Like literally anywhere. she thought to herself as she scanned a nearby ridge.  Her ship was docked on a low lying cliff over looking the capital city of Numa, which was mostly contained within a large subterranean canyon.  Numerous lights from other docked ships dotted the opposing side of the canyon, emulating the quickly fading starry sky and huge conical rock formations rose above the Myrmidon’s port side, and continued along the canyon’s edge as far as the eye could see.  The planet was called Egorth, thrid of six orbiting the binary star system ITX-593, and the scene could not have been farther from that of Cevanti.  Apex began to climb a shallow outcropping of rocks, and as she ascended, her thoughts began to drift through memories of home.

Cevanti Prime really was as different from her current surroundings as was physically possible.  It was lush, fertile, and temperate.  Every inch of the planet was teeming with the life of over 12 million species.  Its oceans were pure and crystalline, its forests were brilliantly colored, and even its highest peaks maintained healthy, abundant ecosystems.  More importantly, her race had achieved what most civilizations in the galaxy fail to do: exceed the bounds of technological advancement without compromising their home planet’s vitality.  Cevantian rule extended throughout the system, having successfully terraformed and colonized every habitable world long ago.  Though Apex had never ventured beyond the boundaries of the capital, she knew that each planet was as lush and beautiful as her own.

Life within the Cevanti Collective was strictly governed by principles that strongly supported a balanced relationship with the natural world.  Though densely populated and highly advanced, cities across the star system were as equally organic as they were metalloid; plant life and building structures were woven together in such way that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.  At first glance, it appeared as though nature and technology had formed an ancient symbiosis and the people lived a life of carefree leisure.  While somewhat true, to maintain ecological stability, Cevanti was ruled by uncompromising ecological laws.  Monetary systems were done away with long ago, and society worked in harmony to accomplish its goals.  Every person was well provided for under this doctrine of peaceful authoritarianism, but any individual, faction, or corporation that stepped outside the bounds of governing ethics, was promptly eliminated or executed.  Despite its rigidity, technological and cultural advancement flourished for centuries; individuality and creativity were highly encouraged only within the bounds of presiding edicts, provided that ideas helped to educate and propel the collective forward.   

Apex recalled her childhood love for the exotic fashion of her people; electric-neon silk, protective sheer cloaks, and luxurious floral gowns were just a few elements that left a lasting impression on her own sense of style.  As she continued to climb higher, her thoughts drifted on to her mother.  Though the years of absence distorted her face, Apex would always remember her sense of regality, standing ever so statuesque and always stealing focus from even the most magnificent of surroundings.  Her sense of style was impeccable and cohesive and her attention to details were unrivaled.  She was as immensely elegant and gracefully as she was kind, and whenever Apex thought of her, she felt those qualities in her soul.

At that very moment, the ground gave way under her left foot, the loose rocks falling a thousand feet, landing with an echoing thud as they bounced harmlessly off the Myrmidon’s armored hull.  She gripped the face of the rock wall with force and instinctively, three strings of Xoma shot out from the cuff on her left arm and wrapped around three different cones of rock.  Having stabilized her downward momentum, she recovered her sense of gravity, and with her right arm extended skyward, she reached out with the Xoma another 15 feet higher to tightly grip another large rock formation.  She quickly reeled herself higher, gained her footing, and sat down to rest on a small ledge. 

Apex wiped away the tears and quickly shook off the emotion.  As confused and angry at the situation as she was, she was even more so frustrated with herself.  She knew she was strong, and hated the thought of showing anything but.  She stood on the small ledge and grounded her footing.  With a deep, consuming breath, she leapt off the face of the cliff.  As she plummeted, she elongated her body into a vertical dive, and within seconds the frame of the Myrmidon was rapidly becoming clearer.  A second before impact, hundreds of Xoma cords shot out from her wrists and ankles in every direction, adhering to any tangible surface, gently halting her decent.  Apex landed gracefully on her feet to find Teeci waiting at the base of the Myrmidon’s extended boarding ramp, an encrypted comm device in hand.

“The time has come,” Teeci said with a heightened sense of urgency.  Apex froze upon approach, still unsure of what emotion to embrace, excitement or terror.  “Your agents have gained more that sufficient intel.  All starships systems are operating at peak efficiency, weapons and Xoma are fully replenished, and jump coordinates are calculated.  Hyperspace travel time will be 9.32 hours.  I will brief you in transit.  We launch at 07:10h.”

“Wait, that’s in like 10 minutes!” Apex exclaimed as she sped up the ramp, catching up to Teeci who had already reached its summit and was proceeding to initiate retraction.

“Well then I suggest you quickly exchange the dirt for game and put it on your face, or however the saying goes.” 

They both hurried through the ship to the can, Teeci continuing forward towards the bridge, and Apex hesitated and turned starboard into the washroom across her cabin.  Mr. Bug, startled from his sleep as the starships’ engines began to hum, hopped off his ledge and floated jauntily through the air for a few seconds before vanishing.  He reappeared atop Apex’s head, who, having washed her face thoroughly, was now riddled with nervousness.  Her hands were shaking as she reached for the soft, spongy cloth hanging on an ornate burnished hook to her left.  She pressed her damp face firmly into it and took a long assertive breath.  As she finished drying her face, she looked at Mr. Bug in the mirror above the basin, closed her eyes, and willed the rapid beat of her heart to slow.  The hum of the Myrmidon’s engines grew steadily louder and Mr. Bug vanished to investigate.  Apex took a few more slow breaths, opened her eyes, and stared deeply into her own reflection. We’re good, she assured herself before dashing out the door to meet Teeci on the bridge.