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I wandered through the endless expanses of the desert. Behind me, footprints in the sand that the wind blew away. Ahead of me, an uncertain future. No one could guess where I came from or where I was going. I was searching for clarity, peace, and my inner center. The regeneration after my death in the Lazarus complex had thrown me off balance. My mind was in panic, reeling like a ship in a solar storm—aimless, driven by fragments of memory and fear. I couldn’t think clearly and couldn’t be of any help to my friends. First, I had to find my center before I could see a way to solve the dark secrets of ASD.

With great effort, I took off my boots and felt my feet sink into the soft, hot sand. A burning pain seized the soles of my feet and drove away the panic attacks. They made room for fresh thoughts. The ASD had mobilized everything and destroyed us. But they couldn’t keep their secrets – or could they? We had uncovered their secret experiments with Valakkar eggs, but there was still something else. We had found evidence of further secret experiments with Vanduul biofluid and a project called Hyperion at a place called Onyx. However, we had more questions than answers. It wasn’t over yet, and we had to assume we were being hunted.

After a long hike through the night, I reached the lake where I had been with Brubacker and Husky. The starry sky was reflected on the calm surface of the water. I sat down on the shore with the stars at my feet. The view of the starry lake brought me inner peace, but no answers to our questions. The only straw we had to clutch at was the Hockrow Agency, which had already hired me to gather information about Dr. Jorrit, the chief scientist at the ASD. But how could I contact Hockrow without leaving any traces and without being discovered by the ASD?

Slowly, the star Pyros cast its first light over the horizon. Shortly thereafter, it rose above the mountains behind the lake. A concentrated beam of light refracted off a peak and hit me squarely in the face. I squinted. That was it—that was the solution—a direct beam of energy—a directional message—with that, I could make contact without being detected or intercepted.

*

A few hours later, I arrived at Sunset Mesa to meet Gerald from the Rust Society. Gerald had eyes and ears everywhere, and I trusted him. The community center smelled of fresh food, and the hanging plants swayed gently in the breeze. We sat by a window overlooking the scrap yard.

“I’ve gotten myself into something,” I began. “Have you heard anything about someone looking for me or worse?”

“No. There’s a lot to hear. About things that are happening. People who are wanted or to be eliminated. But I haven’t heard your name. A lot revolves around the Frontier Fighters. It was quiet for a long time. Now it seems like something is coming our way again.”

“I’m not interested in the Frontier Fighters right now. I’ve got other problems to deal with. I have to go to Stanton, help some friends, and stay under the radar. Could you let me know if you hear anything related to me?”

“I have something you might like – communication devices, encrypted down to the last bit. We can use them to stay in touch without anyone finding out. They can only send a limited number of characters, but that should be enough.”

“That’s good. Can you give me several of the devices? And a crate of 120 cans of Rust. I want to bring someone a gift.”

The Rust was for Skallagrim, a second cousin of Kjeld’s. Raff and Kjeld had since written to me that they had made it out of Lazarus. They suggested meeting at the Deadlight, a hangar in Area 18 that Skallagrim had converted into a nightclub. I knew they didn’t sell Rust there and wanted to fill that gap.

Gerald and I went down the steps, sat down at the large table, and had dinner with the others. There was soup with fresh vegetables grown in Sunset Mesa. The freshly prepared food was a treat. It warmed not only my stomach but also my soul. New confidence sprouted within me. The courage not to remain silent and to expose the dark machinations of the corporations returned. It was time to leave for Stanton.

*

Two days later, I reached the planet ArcCorp in the Stanton system. The difference between this planet and Sunset Mesa, which blended harmoniously into its surroundings, was shocking. This planet was owned by the megacorporation ArcCorp and was completely covered by a city. Lights as far as the eye could see. Nothing remained of the planet’s original surface. The megacorporations subjugated not only humans – but also planets.

The door to Deadlight opened and standing in front of me was the broad-shouldered, bearded, tattooed Skallagrim. He wore a leather jacket with studs, spikes, and metal appliqués.

“Greetings, Zero.”

His deep, raspy voice boomed like thunder. Skallagrim was a fearsome sight. I handed him the box with the Rust, then he showed me around the club.

The Deadlight exceeded my expectations—I hadn’t expected that. Skallagrim had erected partition walls in the hangar, creating several areas. There was an entrance area, a bar, a lounge area, an arena for boxing matches, and a private area for confidential conversations. Everything was surprisingly cozy. The soft lighting and yellow walls created a warm atmosphere.

After Skallagrim showed me everything, we retired to the private area with Raff. Kjeld was busy in GrimHex and couldn’t come. We exchanged information about the events at the Lazarus complex and the data we had obtained. Neither of them knew anything about the whereabouts of Brubacker, Friedrich, Alaska, and Pike. After the four of them left for Stanton before me, we lost contact. I had no idea where they were and was seriously worried. Somehow, I had to find the four of them.

“I found something else in the data,” I continued. “ASD security forces are said to have brought test material obtained from the Vanduul corpses to decommissioned Onyx facilities in Stanton. I suspect these are old ASD facilities. However, there are supposed to be scavengers there. I want to contact the Hockrow Agency. Maybe they know more about the Onyx facilities.”

“Before we investigate the Onyx facilities, we should start with a reconnaissance mission,” Raff said thoughtfully. “We don’t want to run into another disaster like Lazarus. But we’ll have to discuss that with Kjeld.”

Then Skallagrim changed the subject.

“Zero, Kjeld told you about a deal, didn’t he?”

I looked at him questioningly.

“What deal do you mean?”

“We want to set up a pipeline between Nyx, Pyro, and Stanton,” he replied. “Rare items that are only available in Nyx and Pyro are to be brought to Stanton and sold here in Deadlight. We have people who can get the stuff in Nyx and Pyro, and we have the infrastructure and contacts to sell it here. What we need is a smuggler to bring the stuff here.”

“And that’s where I come in,” I added.

“That’s exactly what I had in mind. Would you be willing to do it? There’s a lot of money involved, and Kjeld wants to split the profits 50-50 with you.”

“What kind of things are we talking about?” I pressed.

“Weapons, clothes, toilet paper, …”

A loud, amused laugh escaped me. With toilet paper, Skallagrim was alluding to my first encounter with Kjeld. Back then, Kjeld had caught me with drugs in the toilet of my “White Rabbit” during an inspection.

“As long as it’s not human trafficking, I’m in.”

“No, no human trafficking. But maybe secretly bringing forces from TYR to Pyro.”

That sounded like a really good deal and a chance to revive my former successes in trade and smuggling. To be free and unbound again, and to help the free peoples in the process. But first, we had to expose the dark machinations of the ASD. I stood up and raised my can of Rust to toast.

“To business.”

Skallagrim and Raff clinked their cans.

“But now I have to go and contact the Hockrow Agency. After that, I’ll come to GrimHex. There we can discuss the next steps with Kjeld.”

*

A short time later, the White Rabbit was floating in orbit around the planet Microtech. The scanner dish was pointed directly at the city of New Babbage. I had reversed the polarity of the system to send a directional beam. I couldn’t contact the Hockrow Agency directly because I had met them through Marsden Analytics. However, I had worked with Marsden Analytics many times before and knew they would understand my message.

Contact me with the crypto at the frozen teddy bear overlooking the city.

Then, under cover of darkness, I flew to an island in the frozen lake near New Babbage. At the lookout point, I placed one of Gerald’s communication devices. I tapped the nose of the teddy bear sitting on one of the chairs. Some snow trickled down from it. Then I disappeared into the darkness of the night with the “White Rabbit.”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)