I got fired today. My boss didn't even look me in the eye, just sent a data file to my outdated 1st gen computer and said, "Cutbacks." Like my existence was a rounding error. I didn't argue. What was the point? Out here on Caelion, work's hard to find and harder to keep. So I did what any reasonable, unemployed idiot would do: I drank. Hard. By midnight, I couldn't feel my face, and my last memory was typing something into my old console with the confidence of a man who thought he had a plan. I didn't. I really didn't.
I couldn't even see, my eyes practically closed, and I felt half-asleep. It was almost midnight. I'd drunk too much over the last few hours, my legs wobbling and shaking beneath me. I collapsed into the chair. Without thinking, I started typing, with no idea what I was writing, but I already knew I would regret it later.
My writing came to an end. I clicked the final key. My eyes shut, and I fell asleep.
"Ugh…" I mumbled in a half-asleep voice.
I looked up and saw my reflection in the mirror. I looked up and caught my reflection in the cracked mirror.
I groaned as I woke up, barely lifting my head.
I glanced at the cracked mirror in the corner of my room. My reflection stared back: 22-year-old, blue skin, tired eyes, and two short horns just barely poking through the mess of blue-red hair on my head. I'm Seci, one of many humanoid species in the Empire, though not exactly the most respected. My name? My name is Aeris. Aeris Vael.
Our horns are part of who we are. Every Seci is born with at least one. The more horns you have, and the bigger they are, the more potential you're believed to hold. Some say it's connected to intelligence, others to power or influence. Whatever the truth, the Empire buys into it. Those with big, proud horns get treated better. Me? Mine are the size of twigs and usually hidden under my hair. No one's ever expected much from me.
We Seci come from old, rich traditions, rituals, oral histories, horn-shaping ceremonies, but out here in the slums of Sector C, tradition doesn't mean much when you're broke and jobless. Culture gets pushed aside for survival.
Still staring at myself, I thought about the bigger picture. The VoidBound empire is massive, filled with millions of solar systems like mine, but one thing is always clear:
Humans are at the top.
They built the VoidBound Empire. They lead the government, command the fleets, own the corporations. They're smarter and stronger and they know it. The only thing holding them back is their shorter lifespan. They're the ones who write the rules, and the rest of us just try to survive under them.
Below humans, or equal to the humans depending on the country, are the other important races: royalty in other empires, countries, nations, and kingdoms. In some nations, you don't have to be human or humanoid, those places are more equal than the VoudBound empire but they have less safety, strength, structure, technology, and many moe things.
Below humans are the rest of us: the humanoid species, like the Seci, spread across the galaxy. We may share a few features with them, two arms, two legs, similar builds, but that doesn't mean we're treated the same. We're the workers, the underclass, the ones doing the hard jobs in forgotten systems like Frostonia.
BUZZ!
A loud notification shook my phone. I dashed over to check what it was for, I don't get notifications that often.
"This isn't good," I said, this time fearfully.
I'd made a website, a delivery website. How was I even going to deliver the things? I was broke and unemployed.
I tried to recall what happened. I was drunk. I didn't mean to make this. I didn't want to make it.
"I should return this…" I said, checking my phone to see how many orders had come in, there was only one but that was enough to change my mind, one is better than none. "On second thought… I should just deliver what they want. Then we'll all be happy."
I had one hundred rock coins in my account before the money was sent. My apartment rent is thirty rock coins, just enough to last three months.
The currency of the Empire I live in, the VoidBound Empire, follows a strict order: rock coin, copper coin, silver coin, gold coin, platinum coin, lesser credit, low credit, medium credit, high credit, and finally, the imperial credit. Each tier is worth a thousand of the one before it. A thousand copper coins make a silver coin, a thousand silver coins make a gold coin, and so on. Most people never see anything beyond coins. Credits, especially imperial ones, are for the powerful.
I live in a low-tier solar system, far from the capital of the Empire. My system, Frostonia, has three planets: Exet, a large, rocky world scorched by our twin suns, Fret and Kepl, it's the closest to the stars; Prote, a massive, frozen ocean planet battered by storms that last for centuries, the farthest out; and Caelion, a dusty, sandstorm-covered world where seventy percent of the population in this solar system lives. The other two are mined for resources, and only miners, fishers, and other types of primary-sector workers live there.
Frostonia sits on the outskirts of the VoidBound Empire, far from the wealthy Core Worlds. It's a pretty poor solar system. If war ever breaks out with one of the other empires or kingdoms, we'll be the first to die.
Anyway, I should get started on the website thing. I don't want to get any bad reviews. I clicked on the website, and it was just an empty white screen. At the top, it said, "Type in your order," and at the bottom, it had a button to confirm it. AI would automatically edit the price too. It was really simple. I went to the list of orders. I could only see one. I had gained 750 rock coins from that order. What was the order?
Receiver: Desu
Receiver Profile Number: QXTZUYY
Delivery Location: Sector D, Gate number 26
Item Requested: Full set of mining equipment
Payment: 750 rock coins (Received)
Decline (return the money) or Accept
Sector D. The planet was split into five sectors: A, B, C, D, and E. Each sector served a different purpose. Sector A is for entertainment. Sector B is for business. Sector C is for living/residential areas. Sector D is for transport to other planets. Sector D is the furthest away from all the other sectors. I live in Sector C, so does the majority of the population, but to be specific, I live in the slums, the poor areas.
The receiver is probably rich. I must try my best to impress him, maybe make some connections here and there. Let's see. It costs about 300 rock coins to get to another sector and back. It's about 200 rock coins for a mining set. Overall, the price is about 300 rock coins. I make 250 rock coins. That's a lot for a person who lives in the slums of Sector C.
I ran out of my house, bought the equipment, and went straight to the nearest train station. This was going to be my first time on a train. I put the equipment into a cardboard box and wrote his name on it. At the train station, there were barely any people. People from the slums don't have a lot of money, so they can't get on trains.
Outside of the sectors, it's a barren wasteland, full of monsters and beasts ready to kill you. On the train, I thought to myself: in just one night, my fate had changed. Unemployed to self-employed. It might not be that much of an improvement now, but soon it will be.
The ride was bumpy, harsh, and the train was half broken down. Technically, no one in Frostonia is rich. The richest person has a full silver coin, which seems like a lot to me, but to people nearer to the capital, that's pocket change.
The train screeched to a sudden stop. The lights flickered and went dim. Outside, a low growl turned into loud snarls and scratching on the doors.
The heavy doors shook and cracked. Suddenly, they burst open and monsters poured inside.
There weren't many people on the train, only about a dozen. Most were tough workers like me, strong enough or skilled enough to afford the fare. The rich sat near the back with their bodyguards.
When the monsters attacked, everyone except the rich stood up to fight. The strong and skilled pulled out tools and weapons. The bodyguards moved forward to fight as well. The rich stayed back, protected.
I stood their stunned, heart pounding, holding nothing but hope. The fight was rough, metal clashing with claws, shouts filling the air but none injured or dead.
After a few minutes, the monsters lay dead. Everyone was breathing hard, shaken but alive. Outside, a small shuttle landed and robots came out. They scanned the mess and started cleaning up the bodies.
The train started moving again. The air was heavy with silence and fear, only the rich were speaking, they laughing and smilled, they were entertained.
In less than an hour, I had arrived at Sector D with a box full of mining equipment, and a mind full of worries, wondering what would happen if I mess it up.
I searched around for a while until looking for the delivery drop off area. I saw a sign in the corner of my eyes, the sign was big and glowing red, no one could miss it, on the sign it read out: DELIVERY DROP OFF AREA. I walked over to the sign and dropped it off.
I pulled out my phone and messaged the profile number letting them know the delivery was completed and left at Gate 26 drop off area.
Not even a minute after leaving, a hand landed firmly on my shoulder, freezing me in place. I didn't dare move.
"Hey, thanks for dropping off the package," a calm voice said, surprisingly young, maybe ten or so. The hand stayed on my shoulder. I'm pretty short, so this had to be the kid who placed the order.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw him, a kid. Why the hell would a kid need mining equipment? I opened my mouth to say something, but the words got stuck.
"Surprised?" he asked with a smirk. "Are you wondering why a kid like me needs mining gear? Is that it?"
I didn't say a word. Instead, I just blinked and looked away for a second, trying to make sense of the situation.
He didn't wait for an answer. "Yeah, thought so."
He was blond, with bright blue eyes and clear skin. But it wasn't just his age that caught my attention. The kid was half-human, half-Xeldroit. Both sides weren't to be messed with.
Xeldroits were similar to Seci, but stronger, and more respected. They had wings, anywhere from one to a hundred. The more wings you had, the stronger and more respected you were. Desu had more than fifty wings. I couldn't even count the exact number, they spread wide and impressive.
The kid stepped past me and grabbed the package.
"Let's see how you did," he said, glancing my way as he started unpacking.
I finally cleared my throat. "Look, I wasn't sure anyone would actually order from that mess I threw together."
Desu chuckled, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "Yeah, well, sometimes luck favors the desperate."
I shrugged, feeling a flicker of pride. "Desperation's a hell of a motivator."
He nodded, folding his arms while handing me a piece of paper. "If you're smart, and I think you are, you'll stick with this. Out here, work's gold. And maybe, just maybe, you'll get noticed by the right people."
"Right people, huh?" I muttered, eyes tracing the slip of paper in my hand.
"Yeah. People who can actually change your life." Desu winked. "You interested?"
I took a deep breath. "Maybe. But first, I gotta survive this planet."
Desu grinned. "Fair enough. But if you want a chance, call me."
He turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with a piece of paper, a coin, and a strange new hope.