Countless souls have discovered the Truth, but very few have been able to do anything about it. Helena Q. Lisaulo, The 71st Akabo Elder
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Chapter One
Diegen sat atop a great dune of crimson sand, enduring the hot wind that blew from the East and the intense heat from the twin suns overhead. Unlike most species in the galaxy, Diegen was a Sa'nasi, a highly intelligent and adaptable feline race that evolved to survive extreme temperatures and harsh climates. Their thick, leathery paw pads and razor-sharp claws allowed them to navigate even the toughest terrain.
Diegen scratched an itch behind his ear with his foot and sighed contentedly. His best friend Holdar Svestas, another Sa'nasi with golden fur that stuck straight out like a porcupine, sat beside him and spat on the ground. "This planet is just a giant shithole filled with sand," he grumbled.
Diegen smirked. "Cheer up, buddy. I'll bet you a hundred Shard that our next dump is going to come out like sandpaper."
Ninety-five percent of Harenasa's geography consisted of desert terrain, including their forests. Although the Sa'nasi had colonized other planets centuries ago, their home planet was still a barren wasteland. But billions of Sa'nasi couldn't just abandon their homeworld, especially since there were abundant raw materials to extract.
Holdar rolled his eyes. "We're here to find the lost relic of Augustus Silver. Why do you think we're here?"
Diegen shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea."
Holdar pressed his paw against his forehead. "I signed us up for a job in Haven this week. Heisenken hired us to help process monster carcasses for the season."
Diegen frowned. "That sounds grimy. I get that we need the Shard, but if we keep taking whatever jobs come our way, we could end up scrubbing toilets in the royal palace."
Holdar smirked. "Nah, screw those nobles. I ain't cleaning no toilets at no palace. Toilets anywhere else, though, is 100% fair game. We've gotta take what gigs we can get. They're paying us a thousand Shard per day, plus bonuses if we go above the daily quota."
Diegen sighed. "Fine, I guess you can count me in."
Holdar pointed to a dust devil in the distance. "Our ride's almost here."
Diegen's eyes widened in horror as the dust devil approached. A pair of black, bulbous eyes became visible, followed by several wildly flapping antennae that resembled very long whiskers. Great thumps shook the ground as the creature's tail slapped against the sand, helping it to maintain balance on ten tall and spindly legs. Its back was covered in a forest of sharp quills that glinted in the twin suns.
"Oh no, you've gotta be kidding me," Diegen groaned.
"Oh yes," Holdar replied with a wicked grin.
A tremendous roar echoed from the approaching cloud of dust, and the hot wind picked up speed around Diegen and Holdar. As the cloud drew closer, they could make out a pair of black, bulbous eyes and several wildly flapping antennae resembling long whiskers. The creature's ten spindly legs thumped the ground, while its back bristled with spikes, except for a non-spiky area in the middle where passengers were riding.
The sand shrimp scaled the dune at an alarming pace, with most of the passengers appearing ill and some with handkerchiefs in their ears. The conductor, sporting a glittery pink outfit and enormous goggles, greeted Diegen and Holdar cheerily as the sand shrimp came to a sudden stop, burying them in a pile of sand.
"Ahoy! Welcome to the Shremxpress!" said the conductor, skipping down the carved stairs on the shrimp's side. "What an absolutely glorious day for travel it is. I have a booking for a Diegen Faerfeld and a Holdar Svestas. Would that be you two fine gentlemen?"
Diegen shook the sand out of his fur and grumbled, "Can't we get there another way?"
"You're always telling me that success is built on the shoulders of sacrifice," Holdar said, withdrawing a rusty portable personal construct from his fanny pack. "This time, it's just on the shoulders of a giant sand shrimp."
The portable personal construct, also known as the 'PPC,' was an essential piece of technology that used low-frequency waves to communicate wirelessly with the body's nervous system and connect the user to the Network. Holdar pressed his PPC against the conductor's machine, and Diegen followed suit.
Afterward, they took their seats among a group of Sa'nasi locals and inserted their claws into the passenger claw-holes on the sand shrimp's shell. The other passengers appeared motion-sick, and Diegen noted the numerous barf stains on the shell.
"Everyone got their claws in their holes? Going once...going twice...hold onto your fur!" shouted the conductor, who then hopped to the front of the shrimp and took the only chair. "Next destination: Haven. Hi-yah!"
Diegen closed his eyes and tried not to curse as sand engulfed his body and the shell quivered with the vibration of a small earthquake.
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A few hours later, the duo reached their destination, the Shremxpress station at the edge of Haven. As the passengers disembarked from the train, the conductor attempted to assist them one-by-one, but a few of them stumbled on the stairs and landed on the soft landing-pad below. Fortunately, being of a feline species, they all landed gracefully on their feet.
Diegen spoke up cheerily, "We haven't been here since we were children, have we?" He spotted a digital advertisement on the wall, promoting fried shrimp for only 88 Shard a plate, and joked, "Maybe we should hit up a shrimp place for lunch. What do you say?"
"Shhh," Holdar interrupted, putting a paw on Diegen's mouth. Despite his golden fur, which had lost its former perkiness and now looked like mulch, he appeared to be feeling unwell. "Please don't talk about food right now."
Diegen shrugged. "Well, it serves you right for putting us through that nightmare."
Suddenly, one of the mechanical suits guarding the check-in counter let out a loud hiss of steam. The open cockpit model stood on two mechanical legs and had two U-shaped claws in place of hands. The Empire crest adorned its side and forehead, gleaming in all its regal red and gold.
"Isn't it overkill to have that sort of thing at a border checkpoint?" Holdar asked, noticing the heavily armored suit.
"They take their security pretty seriously," Diegen remarked.
Finally, it was their turn to check in. The two of them tapped their PPCs against a device on the counter, and their personal information appeared on the screen in front of them.
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Name Diegen Faerfeld Species Sa'nasi Gender Male Age 25 Residence 9228 No. 3 Road, Lower Districts, Harenasa Occupation Freelancer Notes Clear for Entry
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Name Holdar Svestas Species Sa'nasi Gender Male Age 25 Residence 7888 No. 3 Road, Lower Districts, Harenasa Occupation Freelancer Notes Clear for Entry
—
It was mandatory for any citizen of the Harenasian Empire who was traveling between districts to register wherever they would be staying. PPCs were even configured so that unless one completed their registration, their access to the Network would be cut off, and their PPC wallet would be blacklisted for all vendors in the area.
As Diegen and Holdar made their way towards the exit of the building, an alarm blared behind them. It appeared that one of the families who had been traveling on the Shremxpress was being blocked from entry.
“Sir, you are not authorized to enter Haven,” Diegen heard the guard say to the father. “It says here that you are banned from interdistrict travel for having a social credit score of below 0. Your current balance is -25.”
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“There must be some mistake,” the father said. “I did nothing that could’ve dropped my credit that low. Check it again, please. You’ll see!”
The guard glanced at the screen beside him and punched a few keys. “I’m looking at the public ledger now, and it says that you were docked 50 credits yesterday for failing to pay your rent at… 17912 on No. 8 Road, Lower Districts.”
“Huh? No, you don’t understand. I cancelled my lease on that place. That has to be a mistake in the system-”
Pssssssssht.
The father shrank back as the guard’s mechanical suit let out a hiss of steam.
“There’s nothing I can do for you. You can contact your local Branch Office to see if they can reverse the changes, or you can purchase credits from the open market. Your wife and children may proceed into Haven by themselves, if they so choose, but you yourself will have to go back.”
The father rubbed the back of his head with a troubled expression on his face, as his wife looked at him with concern with their two children at her sides. The children were certainly too young to understand what was going on, but either the guard’s suit scared them, or they could read the atmosphere, because they began to cry in earnest.
“Poor guy,” Holdar whispered. “That’s terrible. Not to mention that social credits are pretty expensive these days.”
Diegen saw that the kids’ clothing was dirty and torn, as were the parents’. Sewn onto those clothes were multiple patches that had clearly been used to try and prolong them for as long as possible. Diegen doubted the family had the money to spare. Unfortunately, this was a tale as common as sand in the Harenasian Empire.
“Let’s just get out of here,” he said, heading towards the exit.
“Eh? Ah, right.” Holdar hurried to catch up with him. He started talking again once they were outside and out of earshot from other people. “What a nasty situation to be in, huh? I know that kind of thing happens all the time, but watching it happen really is sad.”
“Yep,” Diegen said distractedly.
“Ahhhhh, it’s good to finally get back on solid ground though,” Holdar said, stretching his legs with his rear pointed high towards the sky. “We’d better get going. The orientation’s supposed to take place at the Heisenken headquarters near the Northern Gate this afternoon.”
“What about getting some shrimp for lunch first?” Diegen suggested.
“Seriously, is your stomach made of iron?”
“Yours is just made of sand,” Diegen said, chuckling a little. “I’m kidding. You said it was near the Northern Gate, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
Diegen sent a few mental commands to his PPC to request a ride from the local transportation company, and a trained Flappytus soon showed up. Flappyti were a flightless species of bird that possessed tiny wings and incredibly powerful but stumpy legs. They were the most commonly used vehicle for domestic transport within small cities and towns, on account of their ability to work long hours for very little overhead.
Diegen and Holdar hopped onto the saddle on the Flappytus’s back, and the bird rotated its neck 180 degrees to squawk at them with its flat, wide beak. This was standard Flappytus talk for ‘pay up’.
“It’s your turn, right?” Diegen looked at Holdar expectantly.
“Yeah, yeah,” Holdar said, scanning the square block of code tattooed onto the bird’s wide beak with his PPC.
“Sweet.” Diegen beamed and patted the bird’s beak. The Flappytus squawked one more time before speeding down the street, flapping its tiny wings as it did so.
Unlike the Lower Districts, which was quite dull and uninteresting, Haven was a area of heavy commercial, industrial, and military activity. The characteristic tall, concrete buildings of Haven were arranged in tight clusters of four-to-six buildings and separated by winding, narrow cobblestone roads. At this time of day, the roads were packed with traffic with Flappyti transporting Sa’nasi in every which way.
Despite both being outer districts of the Harenasian Empire's capital city, there was a stark difference between the Lower Districts and Haven. Haven was known for being a hub of activity for two-legged Sa'nasi, or Astrals as they were commonly referred to. These beings were known throughout the Andromeda galaxy as protectors of the people, and were highly respected for their strength, intelligence, and agility.
Holdar gazed longingly at a passing Astral in silver armor, his Hinoken longsword gleaming at his hip. "What I wouldn't give to become an Astral," he sighed.
Diegen chuckled. "Who wouldn't? They've got it all - respect, money, thumbs..."
"Not to mention a free ticket off this terrible planet," Holdar added.
Diegen shrugged. "It's a pipe dream for people like us, man."
Holdar bristled defensively. "We're young, smart, and strong. And I'm handsome enough for both of us!"
Diegen rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure there's more to becoming an Astral than looks, Holdar."
As they walked through Haven, they passed by several more Astrals. Holdar noted the high concentration of them in the area, and Diegen explained that it was likely due to the high rate of monster outbreaks in the nearby forest.
"Outbreaks" were a terrifying phenomenon in which monstrous creatures would appear seemingly out of nowhere, wreaking havoc and causing destruction. These occurrences were more deadly than any conflict or war in recorded history, and only areas designated as "Sanctuaries" by the Church of Seven Deities were safe.
The Northern Gate was enchanted to create one of these sanctuaries, and above it were stone carvings of four legendary Sa'nasi Astrals known as the Heroes of Harenasa. Augustus Silver was the only living member of the group, and he was rumored to be dealing with interplanetary threats using his abilities to control fire and lightning.
As they walked down the bustling pedestrian zone, Diegen and Holdar were struck by the sheer volume of activity around them. Shops lined the street, ranging from restaurants to weapons and armor shops, and Astrals and local Sa'nasi were bustling about, some dressed as mascots and handing out digital fliers, others carrying bags or packs filled with gear and supplies.
They even came across a pair of street performers dressed in traditional Harenasian garb, performing a rain dance. Diegen noticed that one of the performers had a prosthetic leg that appeared to need repair, but she continued to dance with it nonetheless.
Holdar whistled in amazement. "This place is incredible."
Diegen nodded. "Want to check out some of the shops before orientation?"
Holdar grinned. "Definitely."
They went from store to store, seeing what they had to offer. The foods were the standard, consisting mainly of crustacean and insectoid dishes, with some avian or mammalian meat dishes being offered in fancier restaurants. Being a carnivorous species, the staple food for Sa’nasi in these parts was an orange mash made from a genetically engineered locust that was designed to be fast breeding with a high food efficiency ratio.
They also discovered that smithies in these parts generally made equipment for Astrals, as they were the primary drivers of the local economy. Astrals earned money from the Capital by subjugating monsters, bought weapons and armor with that money, and, more importantly, required regular maintenance and repairs. These smithies then bought raw materials from mining companies to make more equipment and repairs.
The most common weapon sold in these parts was the standard Hinoken longsword, but even a single blade had a price-tag of over 100,000 Shard. That meant that with a typical salary of 400 Shard per day, it would take the average Sa’nasi almost a year to save enough to afford one Hinoken. In contrast, an Astral working for a private company could easily earn ten times that amount, and afford a blade in a month.
Diegen and Holdar also came upon an exotic pet store that sold creatures such as blue sand shrimp babies, which seemed to love diving into the sand and jumping out of it as they moved, in contrast to their normal pink counterparts that typically liked to stay above sand. These sand shrimp babies were about the size of Diegen’s claw, which boggled him because they had just ridden a gigantic adult sand shrimp earlier that day.
“Look, I think some Astrals are coming back from a monster subjugation quest,” Holdar said, pointing to the gate, which was slowly opening. Even from several hundred meters away, they could hear the cheers of the crowd that had gathered around the entrance. A group of Astrals came through the gate riding Armored Flatypi, which was dragging a towering monster carcass behind them. Diegen couldn’t quite make out what it looked like, but it was something reptilian with wings. The leading Astral in the group seemed to say something to the crowd, who then began to cheer even louder.
“Ooo, that’s what I’m talking about,” Holdar said. “Just imagine it, Dieg. If we were Astrals, that would be us. A duo of Astrals, returning valiantly after slaying a horde of monsters, protecting the common folk. The women would go bonkers wild.”
“I’m pretty sure that last bit’s the only part you actually care about.”
“Maybe so, but- oh crap, look at the time. We gotta go. The orientation is supposed to start in an hour. Can you look up where we need to go from here?” Holdar said in a panicked tone.
“Sure, it’s called Heisenken, right?” Diegen quickly commanded his PPC to bring up a map leading to ‘Heisenken, Main Offices’. The map appeared inside a small, blue, translucent window at the corner of his vision. This type of heads-up display was one of the best features of modern-day PPCs, enabling one to visualize maps, videos, web pages, and more with a single thought.
“It says it’s this way.”
The map led them a little way down the pedestrian zone, where it turned sharply and steered them into a nearly deserted, narrow alleyway. It was far too narrow for a Flappytus, but it was just wide enough for the two of them to fit through. The path winded left and right for several revolutions, and Diegen couldn’t help but wonder if this really was the right way. The path just led on and on, with several smaller, even narrower paths forking every which way.
The area seemed to be residential as they encountered strangers who came out of unmarked doors randomly along the path. They had to perform a few awkward juggles to get past the residents on account of how narrow the path was. As a result, almost thirty minutes passed before they reached the final stretch of alley, at least, according to the map.
“Do you smell that?” Holdar asked, wrinkling his nose.
“Yup.”
A distinct, metallic smell began to permeate the air, and it seemed to get stronger as they got to the end of the path.
When they finally emerged into a clearing, they arrived in an open courtyard surrounded by office buildings and a single old, dilapidated building at the far end. However, what caught their attention immediately were the small mountains of what could not be anything but dead, half-rotting, monster carcasses, piled up like towers in front of that old building.
All sorts of monsters, ranging from insectoid giants to vicious-looking reptiles to amorphous blobs, were in various states of death. Some had been split down the middle and others had been riddled with holes. They had then been impaled on top of each other on steel spikes like someone was trying to create the world’s greatest monster rotisserie stick.
If that wasn’t enough, blood caked the entire pedway leading to the building, which itself had been splattered with blood on its gray walls. This included a worn-down sign that hung crookedly above the doorway, where it was written, ‘Heisenken HQ’.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Holdar asked, looking skeptical.
Diegen frowned. “That’s what the map says.”
“Is it just me, or are you also getting weird vibes from this place?”
“Whatever could you possibly mean? Are you perhaps talking about the fact that it looks like a bloodbath, or are you referring to the fact that we seem to be completely alone in what should be one of the most popular areas in the district, in the middle of said bloodbath?”
“Yeah, that.”
As they approached the entrance, a voice asked from right behind them, making them nearly jump out of their skin. They spun around to come face-to-face with a middle-aged Sa’nasi Astral wearing a striped dress-shirt and carrying a bloody chainsaw on his back. He was grinning and leaning forward towards them, far too close for their personal comfort.
“Can I help you boys?” he asked in a casual tone.