The planet was hot, the work was hard, and Rhys was pretty sure that the people that he was working for were all completely insane.
He was exhausted, sweat trickling down his back underneath his heavy protective gear. He blinked as he emerged into the too-bright sunlight, taking off his helmet and looking around for the water supply.
He”d spent the entire week being worked to the bone, digging deep into Vasz”s soil, hunting for… for…
For whatever it was that the crew were after. No-one had actually bothered to tell him what it was.
Rhys slugged back lukewarm water, wetting his dusty throat, and frowned down at his day”s work: a small, hand-held canister. From the outside, it certainly didn”t look like anything special.
But down in the mining shafts, it was something else. There, he was surrounded by veins of the stuff, a green mineral. When he shone a light on it, it glowed back. It was like nothing he”d ever seen before on any spaceport or trade dock.
Whatever it was, the crew were clearly paranoid about the stuff. They handled it like it was fragile. He”d been given very strict instructions on how to mine around it, and how to extract it with the gentlest of handling. It took him a day of backbreaking work to carefully fill one small container.
Whatever this was, he hoped it was worth it.
Like Jak had promised Rhys, they were clearly going to be very rich when this haul was over… but they were also very nervous about something. Whenever Rhys wasn”t down in some miserable alien hole in the ground, he heard the rest of the crew arguing in furious whispers. Whether they had enough of the mineral yet, and whether they could call the job done and get moving…
Rhys had a healthy sense of self-preservation; he didn”t ask too many questions. It wasn”t his job to know what the stuff was, just to get it out of the ground and to the buyer at the end of the job. As long as the credits materialized, he didn”t care if the stuff was used for powering space stations, making weapons, or if it was some kind of freaky alien aphrodisiac — as long as he got paid, he”d keep digging.
Once he had his money, he”d start his new life. Somewhere from away from starports, or alien hellholes.
A little plot of land on some colony planet, like in the holovids. Somewhere he could be free from worrying about money every single damn day, free from people trying to exploit him, free from cramped quarters and recycled air.
Somewhere to call his own.
And maybe even someone to share it with him.
”Hey, don”t daydream on us!”
Jak was staring at him. The asshole was ready to yell at Rhys for anything that he thought he was doing wrong. That slimy fake friendliness he”d shown Rhys in the ship had rapidly disappeared the instant they”d landed.
Rhys bit back a curse. Even just getting some water was too much of a delay for the likes of these guys.
So much for an easy job.
Rhys wiped his mouth, and picked up his helmet again. Time to get back to business…
But the rest of the crew were converged by the ship, speaking in urgent whispers. As Rhys pretended to ready his helmet, he strained his ears, trying to catch what they were saying.
”That”s the last of that vein,” grunted Mal, their hard-nosed mining expert.
”...think that”s enough?” Lila said. For a medic, she sure was involved in the nuts and bolts of mining.
”Can”t be sure, we”ll have to check the calculations.”
”I don”t know, it seems light to me...”
Mal held up a hand, silencing them. ”We”re going to get every last gram we can. We”re not going to get a second chance at this.”
The others nodded grimly. Rhys burned with curiosity, but knew better than to ask for details.
He was just a pair of hands, after all. Rhys turned back to work—
It all happened so fast.
There was a yell from the other side of the clearing, a sudden movement — and before Rhys could even register what was happening, they were.
A pack of Borraq warriors, their horned heads swiveling as they sprinted towards the mine site.
Towards him.
Fuck! For a moment, he was frozen in panic, the world around him a dizzying whirl of noise and heat. Around him, people began to scream.
He needed to run, and fast.
But, stuck in his heavy mining gear, he couldn”t.
Desperately, he flung himself behind the nearest rock, his breath coming in frantic gasps. It was a pathetic scrap of cover, barely big enough to hide him, but it was the only lifeline in sight.
Rhys crouched low behind the meager shelter of the rock, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure the Borraq would hear it, and began to tear at his straps and fasteners. Scream, roars and gunfire erupted around him, filling the air.
He needed to get this heavy crap off! But the more desperate he got, the more his hands shook, and the clumsier he got. The protective equipment was meant to be put on and taken off by two people.
Where was everyone else? Why weren”t they helping him?
There! A flurry of movement across the mining site caught his eye—
The rest of the crew were abandoning the site, fleeing towards the jungle. ”Jak!” Rhys shouted over the din. ”Lila! Get me out of this!”
Jak met his gaze for the briefest of moments, the grizzled man”s expression twisted with a snarl.
Then he turned and fled with the others, leaving Rhys trapped on the wrong side of the operation.
Abandoning him to the Borraq without looking back.
Rhys watched in stunned disbelief as the crew rapidly disappeared into the trees. A surge of hot betrayal rose in his chest, mingling with the icy tendrils of fear already gripping him.
”Hey!” The cry finally tore from his lips, desperate and pleading. ”Don”t leave me!”
But his words were swallowed up by gunfire and the roars of the Borraq, dispatching the last of anyone else stupid enough to stay.
Rhys was utterly alone, with nowhere to run, and no one coming to his aid.
He shrank back against the rock, his mind reeling. How could they do this? Just abandon him without a second thought? He knew the crew were a rough bunch, up to something underhanded, but he never imagined they would be so utterly merciless.
But he didn”t have time to feel betrayed.
There was the sound of heavy footsteps coming his way.
The Borraq were closing in on him.
Rhys yanked at the fastenings of his gear, frantic. The heavy mining pack on his back slipped as he tried to wriggle out of the straps; the weight dropped, savagely yanking his shoulder. Pain blossomed in stars behind his eyes, but it was nothing compared to what was waiting for him if he didn”t get away right the hell now.
He was going to die here, on the hellhole that was Vasz. He”d never get his money, never get his paradise, never have a chance to really live—
A thick, calloused hand seized him by the back of his protective suit and wrenched him up.
The Borraq who grabbed him was massive, a wall of muscle and golden skin. His presence alone seemed to suck the air from the scorching environment. Two sharp horns arched above a frowning face, and intense green eyes bore into Rhys with a glare that felt like it could tear right through his soul.
Without a word, the Borraq held him, his grip firm and unyielding. Rhys didn”t know anything about Borraq, but he knew this had to be someone important, someone dangerous.
And from the look in the golden-skinned alien”s eyes, he knew that this Borraq hated him.
The Borraq pressed his blade against Rhys”s throat. Despite the heat, a bead of cold sweat trickled down his neck underneath his suit.
Rhys had been an afterthought his whole existence, kicked around between quarters and jobs and space stations. He”d always dreamed of a good life — but he wasn”t the right sort of person for a happily ever after.
He was just… space trash.
He was nothing.
It was finally time to stop kidding himself.
Rhys glared up at the towering Borraq. ”Go on, then!” he shouted, his voice cracking with rage and desperation. ”Just get it over with!”
The Borraq”s piercing eyes narrowed… but he made no move. Rhys bared his teeth in a snarl, his shoulders heaving with each ragged breath.
”My own people left me for dead,” he spat. A single tear traced its way down his dirt-streaked cheek. ”So what are you waiting for? Do it!”
The Borraq studied the human before him, his expression unreadable. The sounds of the rest of the skirmish seemed to fade into the distance, the two of them locked in a silent standoff.
Rhys held the Borraq”s gaze, his jaw clenched tightly. Then, something flickered in his eyes — the barest hint of something unknowable.
The Borraq leader slowly lowered his weapon.
Rhys”s breath caught in his throat, disbelief washing over him. Was he... being spared?
The Borraq gave a curt nod to his warriors. In a flurry of movement, Rhys found his heavy equipment stripped from him, and his hands bound tightly behind his back. He was hauled to his feet, the fight temporarily draining from his body as the adrenaline ebbed.
He had been spared... but why?! Rhys eyed the Borraq warriors warily, his mind spinning. What did these aliens have planned for him? Were they going to take him captive? Interrogate him?
The thought sent a shiver of dread down his spine, his earlier bravado faltering. He had screamed defiance at death itself, but now that his life was being prolonged, a hundred new horrors blossomed in his mind.
The group of Borraq looked over the mine site, the rest of the humans either dead or escaped. Then the leader gave a nod, his horns shining in the light of double suns, and they all began to withdraw — taking Rhys with them.
Rhys could only stumble along, his head spinning with unanswered questions. He had been ready to die, had stared into the face of oblivion…
And now he found himself being led into the unknown heart of the Borraq world.