Chapter 2

After a hurried rest, the internal timekeeping system Misar had installed in his body notified him through spasms that his sleeping hours were over. Another day was beginning on the mining planet Basalto.

He went to the bathroom and rinsed his face, hoping to wash away his pessimistic expression. Although the time system ensured that he felt no physical fatigue upon waking, his soul was certainly exhausted.

Shirt, jacket, trousers, left boot, right boot. Always in that order. The process of putting on his uniform for another workday had become a familiar ritual in his life. When he had first begun working as a miner, he felt a certain satisfaction in preparing himself to face the world as someone “useful” — a consequence of imperial propaganda — but as time passed, he gradually developed an inexplicable aversion to the rough sensation of the boots when he put them on.

He always tried to be punctual at the ascension platform because of how quickly it filled up.

Misar was far from being the youngest miner. In fact, many of his coworkers were his contemporaries, and some were even younger. Despite this, he never sought any closeness beyond that of an acquaintance with any of them. Not out of stubbornness or resignation, but because of a blind — perhaps even slightly naïve — conviction that one day he would leave that place. That perhaps someday, even if far in the future, he would no longer have to wake up cursing his “race” and his life.

In the Maratori Empire everything was divided into two clear strata: the cordonant population, or “Citizens,” and the non-cordonant population, also called “primios.” Although both enjoyed the basic rights of subsistence, some possessed them as an innate right, while the others earned them with the sweat of their brows.

Cordonance was described in the book written by Malec as: “The evolutionary gift acquired in order to achieve symbiosis with the Hak’Zel.” Essentially, cordonators were two small spherical organs located at the height of the trapezius muscles. Their function in the body was to silicify it and make the symbiosis process tolerable.

During the era of the first unions, countless experimental symbiosis attempts were conducted, most of which resulted in the host’s death. However, because of the constant siliceous poisoning suffered by the early subjects, their bodies eventually developed the cordonators as an evolutionary response to such a harsh biological invasion.

Humans born with cordonance had the privilege — and the right — to decide what they wanted to become. Doors were open to them in politics, the military, research, scientific innovation, or any prestigious intellectual field. The galaxy and its splendor belonged to them simply because they were compatible with the Hak’Zel.

On the other hand, those who were not blessed with the gift of cordonance were forced to earn their right to land and survival through heavy labor on mining planets and in factories — in other words, any occupation that required brute force.

Once the ascension platform reached ground level, a horde of miners was released into the rail lanes that led toward the lush basaltic mines. Misar hoisted a heavy drill onto his shoulders and set off along his usual path toward the mine.

After a relatively short journey from the train station to the mining complex, he arrived at the mine assigned to his block. Suddenly, a familiar voice caught him by surprise.

— Misar! My friend, my everything, my beast. How are you? — Bar greeted him enthusiastically at the cave entrance.

— Hello, Bar. Good. I’m good. — Misar replied without interest.

— Why the long face? Didn’t you have breakfast? — he asked as he approached and wrapped his arm around Misar’s neck.

— This is my usual face. Are you drunk again?

— No, not today. And I don’t understand the apathy, my friend. I just saw you looking sad and wanted to know why.

— Well, whatever. Can I ask why this sudden closeness? If you want to borrow money, I don’t have any.

— Ha! I’m glad you asked, and no, it’s not that — Bar regained his lively tone. — You see, I heard from a very reliable informant that the reason there’s been so much imperial activity on this miserable planet is because one of the imperial research laboratories is being relocated. That’s why they moved the whole complex to KayCor.

— Yeah? — Misar asked uncertainly.

— Well, the thing is that a band of smugglers is offering a juicy reward for a three-dimensional photograph of a special shipment. Nothing less than 250,000 credits. That’s more than five times what you can make in a year, you know?

— Okay… What are you implying?

— Don’t take it the wrong way, my friend. The reason I’m sharing this little secret with you is because… I don’t know, I wanted to thank you for the other day. You know, the cargo and all that.

— It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.

Misar distrusted Bar’s words, for he knew very well his criminal cunning and insatiable greed. He felt that the proposal hid something beneath it.

— No, no, I insist. This job was offered to me, but I thought of you, my friend. What do you say? A young man like you wouldn’t mind a juicy extra payment, eh? Of course, I’ll take 30%, for the information — I suppose you understand, right? But that’s just symbolic, you know. I’m sure an ambitious youngster like you wouldn’t let this opportunity pass. — Bar whispered into Misar’s ear.

— Nah, I refuse. — Misar replied bluntly as he pushed the old miner away.

— WHAT? You refuse? — he said with a mixture of astonishment and displeasure.

Bar was left hanging in his persuasive attempt while Misar calmly walked toward one of the mine carts.

— Obviously I refuse. Do you have any idea what the Empire would do to me if this went wrong? Besides, I don’t need those credits. I know my salary here is close to misery, but I’m not desperate right now. I’d rather keep living on my lousy wage than risk having one of those imperial beasts rip my guts out through my mouth. — He climbed onto the cart and pressed the start button; a countdown from thirty began to sound. — So unfortunately, I have to refuse, Bar.