Chapter 1
Luca:
The mines never smell like anything good, but today the stench of crushed rock and sweat from the hundreds of burly men feels sharper than usual. I wipe my brow, smearing a streak of dust across my forehead, and adjust the straps of my pack. Another haul of Jewels waiting to be loaded, another day closer to cadet school. One more day like this, and maybe I’ll finally be free of the tunnels.
I crouch down, prying a cluster of sparkling shards loose from the rock face. Light glints off the gems like tiny stars, and I can’t help but stare for a second too long. Jewels aren’t just rocks—they’re currency, the key to leaving this miserable rock and floating among the stars. Most miners treat them like tools, but I always think about what they could mean: freedom, adventure, a ticket off this forsaken planet.
The tunnels are alive with the hum of machinery and murmurs of other miners. Lower class, we all stay close to the mechanic station, which happens to be in the most dangerous part of Orbit City. No one cares much if someone gets hurt down here; it’s just part of the job. You learn to be fast, smart, and lucky—or you don’t come back at all.
I’m halfway through loading another crate when I hear it—a sound that makes my chest tighten. A faint scratching echoing from the deeper tunnel, it’s familiar, we all know that sound. My hands freeze mid-lift, heart thumping. I glance around. The other miners go on with their work, oblivious, but I know something is wrong.
The first scream tears through the mine before I can finish my thought. A miner ahead of me stumbles back, clutching his arm, eyes wide in terror. I barely have time to react before the creatures emerge. Alien monsters, slick black carapaces glinting under the mining lights, eyes like molten glass. They’re fast, too fast, and they don’t care about anything but attacking us.
Panic grips the tunnel. Screams bounce off the walls, machinery screeching as miners scramble while guards run to protect the ones that are still alive.
I run, heart hammering, dodging a claw that slashes across the rock near my shoulder. That’s when I feel it—a strange, wet pressure along my arm. Did I just get hurt? Is that blood? the thought rushes through my mind.
The feeling creeps up my skin like ice and fire at the same time. I yelp, swatting it away, but there’s nothing there. What the hell…?
I barely have time to think as another monster lunges. My reflexes kick in—duck, sidestep, grab the nearest gem shard as a makeshift weapon. The world becomes a blur of claws, sparks, and screams. And then, just as suddenly as it starts, it’s over. The creatures retreat deeper into the tunnel, leaving chaos and injured miners in their wake.
I stand there, chest heaving, arm tingling. The pressure hasn’t gone away. If anything, it feels like I’ve suddenly developed a fever. My breath catches, but I dismiss it. Just adrenaline. Just stress. Nothing more.
The supervisor arrives a few minutes later, calm but sharp-eyed. He surveys the mess, then looks at me. “Luca. You’re fine, but stay off the job for a while. Don’t want to deal with another payout from the top.”
I frown, frustration heating me up. I could still work! I could still mine! But I don’t argue. In this company, saying no is the same as saying goodbye. I nod and hoist my pack, heading toward the shuttle that will take me back to the orbital city.
The ride up is quiet. I stare out the viewport, watching the jagged mountains and tunnels shrink beneath me, feeling a strange warmth coil low in my stomach. A tingle runs through my limbs, subtle but insistent, making my fingers twitch against the seat. I flex them, trying to shake it off. Just stress. Just adrenaline—or maybe my fever that hasn’t gone away?
The planet drops away beneath us, glittering Jewels catching the light one last time, and I press my forehead to the glass. Cadet school. Space. Adventure. Freedom.9
