Metal hitting rock produced a deafening sound that echoed through the cavern, reverberating off the walls like a battle cry. Caelum Voss winced at the noise, his ears ringing as he swung a pickaxe, shattering a black and gray ore.
Suddenly, a low growl cut through the silence, causing Caelum to freeze in his tracks. He strained his eyes to pierce the blackness ahead, searching for any sign of movement. Another growl, closer this time, sent a chill down his spine.
"Who goes there?" he called out, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.
Suddenly two hands wrapped around Caelum's shoulders. "Cay, I'm so tired please carry me back up."
Caelum grunted, his annoyance palpable as he forcefully yanked the hands off his shoulders.
"Jarek, you bloody bastard. You scared me witless. I thought we were in for another cave-in or something worse," he chided, though relief crept in at the corners of his sharp tone. Caelum stole a glance at Jarek, observing the exhaustion etched on his friend's face, sweat and grit forming a thick layer of grime.
He softened his tone a little, "You look absolutely spent, Jarek. What's up?" His curiosity piqued as to why his friend was so drained today.
Jarek managed a sheepish grin, his warm brown eyes reflecting gratitude even in the dim light of the cavern. "Take a look at this beauty!"
He presented a large rough-hewn rock in his hands with a dramatic flourish. Veins of shimmering ore ran through it like liquid silver under the dim light of their lantern.
Caelum couldn't resist cracking a smile at Jarek's enthusiasm, the tension easing from his shoulders. "Well, at least your luck makes up for your lack of stamina," he remarked, clapping Jarek on the back.
While Caelum carefully packed the equipment, he couldn't help but reflect on how much he relied on Jarek for morale support down in the hellish mine. How would he have managed without him?
These thoughts lingered as they made their ascent back to the surface, the blinding lights sending rays of gold into the otherwise dark mine. Caelum rubbed his eyes to adjust to the sandy wind as they approached the exit, guarded by stoic figures ensuring smooth mining operations and no theft.
Caelum and Jarek drifted past stoic guards whose gazes were empty as the void. They entered a sprawling chamber dominated by rows upon rows of counters, each overseen by figures clad in stark white jumpsuits known simply as Managers. The air was thick with an unspoken gloom, the kind that clings to your skin like grey clouds of unhappiness.
As they approached their designated counter, Caelum's eyes fixated on the man behind it—an embodiment of gluttony. The corpulent manager sat ensconced behind his fortress of paperwork and digital screens, seemingly melded to his ergonomic throne.
Caelum pondered whether this man had ever tasted sweat or soil under his nails, or if his existence was confined to the cushioned prison before him. He found it deeply unsettling—the thought that such men thrived on the exploitation of countless lives, their fortunes built upon the broken backs and spirits of the lower class.
In this exploitation, individuals like Caelum were nothing more than cogs in an immense machine; not directly coerced into slavery but he might as well have been out of necessity. They mined not by choice but to stave off starvation and for the chance to live another day. The council ensured just enough payment to live, yet always hungry and cold.
Caelum's thoughts were dark as they engaged with the indifferent manager, who observed them with the detachment of a scientist examining specimens. Their exchange was mechanical: the clink of ore weighed on a metal scale, the click of keys, the beep of wrist-mounted identification scanners. The light above their counter turned red.
"Your earnings for today are 60 credits," came the manager's disembodied voice from a static-filled speaker embedded in the plastic divider. The screen dinged, and the light turned green, signaling their dismissal.
Without a word, they turned away, Caelum balled his fist till his knuckles turned white.
"Bloody hell, Cay, I don't think I can afford to eat this week," Jarek lamented as they began the arduous walk home. "At least we got paid something," he added in a half-hearted attempt at optimism.
Caelum's gaze flicked over to his friend. "We can buy some drebb, and have a few credits left over." he reassured.
A tense silence settled between them, the weight of hunger and exhaustion heavy on their minds.
Drebb was a synthetic grey sludge that was mass produced by the council as food. It had basically no flavor and barely any nutritional value but it was cheap.
It was one of the only foods available to the lower class citizens in the galaxy. The planet they were on was called Valtara. It was a mining planet for ore extraction. The 'Council' that governed Valtara was basically a vassal for the great Steller Dominion. Steller Dominion is a Imperialist interstellar government with multiple royal families governing different planets across the galaxy.
"I'm getting sick of that slop, Cay," Jarek spat out, breaking the silence.
"It's not exactly my favorite thing to eat either, Jarek," Caelum replied with a sigh.
As they walked through slums, the sun disappeared behind the horizon, its last rays stretching out across the sky in a desperate attempt to keep the encroaching darkness at bay.
Caelum and Jarek found themselves in a narrow alleyway, the buildings on either side seemingly reaching up into the heavens. Neon lights illuminating signs cast an eerie glow onto the cracked concrete. A foul stench of urine and garbage hung in the air, mixing with the acrid smell of cigarette smoke.
They passed by groups of people huddled together in corners around a metal barrel with fire, their faces hidden beneath tattered hoods and scarves. All this was very usual in the slums. They followed their daily path and soon reached a rusting steel door at the end of the alleyway.
They entered the cramped hallway leading to a set of stairs and a rickety elevator. They stepped into the elevator, which lurched and creaked as it ascended. The door opened with a groan, revealing a dimly lit hallway with flickering lights. The walls were made of corrugated metal panels that had seen better days, and the floor was covered with a thin layer of dust and grime.
This was what the boys called home for over four years. They had been very fortunate to stumble across this while being homeless out in the cold. The hallway led to a small room with two mattresses and a few blankets stacked in the corner. There wasn't much furniture, just a table with two chairs.
Caelum had tampered the piping in the old building to steal water from the building next to it. Jarek had scavenged all the furniture and other essentials from dumps.
Caelum went to the cupboard and began preparing food for them. The kitchen was a small nook with a tiny broken stove, a fridge that was also perpetually broken, and a sink which thankfully worked.
Caelum tossed a plastic paste of drebb to Jarek. "Eat up," he said as he twisted off the cap and squeezed some into his mouth. The bland, salty taste was familiar on his tongue as he ate the paste. He watched Jarek grimace as he swallowed a mouthful of the sludge, before pushing his own meal away with disgust."Never gets better eh?" Caelum said with a laugh.
"You could say that," Jarek replied with a chuckle.
After their meagre meal, they sat in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. The day's exhaustion finally caught up to them. Jarek's eyes grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. Caelum watched Jarek sleep peacefully for a few moments. He stood up and took the empty cups to the kitchen.
After their meager meal, they sat in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. The day's exhaustion finally caught up to them. Jarek's eyes grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. Caelum watched Jarek sleep peacefully for a few moments. He stood up and took the empty cups to the kitchen.
Before lying down, Caelum decided to wash his hands. He went to the small, grimy bathroom adjacent to the kitchen. The flickering light overhead cast eerie shadows on the walls. He turned on the faucet, which sputtered and coughed before releasing a trickle of cold water. As he scrubbed his hands, he glanced up and saw his reflection in the cracked mirror above the sink.
Despite the dirt and grime that clung to his skin, his striking features were undeniable. Long, black hair framed his face, falling in waves over his shoulders. His sharp, silver eyes gleamed with an intensity that belied his exhaustion. Even in this rundown, dimly lit bathroom, Caelum's handsome visage was apparent. He looked at himself for a moment, weariness in his gaze.
He splashed some water on his face, attempting to wash away the fatigue and dirt. The cold water was refreshing, and he took a deep breath, feeling a bit more awake. Satisfied, he dried his hands on a threadbare towel hanging nearby and returned to his mattress, lying down beside Jarek
The night was cold, and the air smelled like smoke. The whole of Valtara was covered by a perpetual haze of smog, thanks to the pollution from the factories that the council had made. They were the main employers for the citizens of Valtara and provided them with a basic commision on ores that kept most of the population from starving. But the wages were low, and many had to resort to stealing or selling their bodies just to survive.
It also due to the fact that the council had to pay the Stellar Dominion to stay a royal colony. The Stellar Dominion was the single interstellar government and had a strict policy of keeping planets that it's vassals controlled under control. The royal family of Valtara were little more than puppets for the Dominion, paying huge fees to keep their titles. The only ones who benefited from this arrangement was the Dominion and royals of Valtara. The citizens were left to rot.
The streets were filled with people walking around, trying to find work or a place to sleep for the night. Some were begging for food, while others were trying to sell whatever they had managed to find that day. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and dirt, mixed with the faint stench of urine and vomit. It was a common sight, but no less sad.