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After spending a long time deep in the desert, I returned to Sunset Mesa. I helped the settlers there with repairs and supply flights. Pipes had to be repaired and fuses replaced. The desert planet Monox was merciless. The sand gnawed at everything like a hungry rodent.

One evening, I met Gerald at the community center. We sat in a seating area in front of the fireplace. The fire crackled, and the smell of burning wood hung in the air. I opened a can of Rust. The twist-off cap squeaked. Then I sank deep into the seat cushions and put my feet up on the low table. Gerald did the same.

“Zero, I haven’t had a chance to ask you how your trip to the desert was.”

“Relaxing. It was a journey into the past and into myself. I found my center, abandoned settlements, and great places where I could imagine building a hut.”

“Do you want to settle down?”

“That’s not my way. I still have too much restlessness in me.”

“I understand. I can’t settle down either.”

A piece of wood fell over in the fire. Sparks flew into the air. Gerald paused to think. Then he continued.

“And how was the Clipper?”

“The spaceship has been a reliable home. The sickbay on board was also helpful. I got hurt during the honorable hunt for Valakkaren.”

“You found Valakkare?”

“Yes, south of Sunset Mesa. A sand desert begins after the mountains. There were lots of them there.”

I put the can of Rust to my lips. The alcohol burned my throat. I had to cough.

“Say, Gerald, some settlers are growing the Pingala plant under difficult conditions. I found some growing wild.”

“Where?”

“At the north pole of Monox.”

“Remember that place. It might be helpful someday.”

“And then I found and mined some gemstones. Now I just need someone to buy them.”

“You won’t find anyone in Pyro. You’ll have to go to Stanton.”

I hummed thoughtfully. “And you really don’t want to buy the components I salvaged from the stranded ship?”

“No. But you can dispose of them at the scrap yard.”

“All right, then I guess I’ll really have to head to Stanton.”

“If you do, you could do me a favor. We’re a little short-staffed at the Rust Society right now. There’s a delivery that needs to go to Stanton—the pickup location isn’t exactly safe. But we’ll give you an inconspicuous ship for the pickup.”

*

The next day, I entered a hangar at the Patch City space station to pick up the inconspicuous ship. It was difficult to make out what was standing there in the semi-darkness. The shape was unusual, atypical for a spaceship. I squinted and moved closer. It looked like a large bird of prey. In the dim light of the spotlights, a curved back supported by two wings glistened. Fascinated, I stopped in my tracks—no, that couldn’t be. Standing before me was an Esperia Prowler Utility, a replica of the Tevarin cargo ship. From the outside, it was anything but inconspicuous.

I boarded and entered a red-lit interior. It was spartan, functional—no kitchen, no bed—the signature of the alien Tevarin clearly recognizable. The ship had only one purpose—to transport cargo and small troops to the combat zone. There were no windows, not even in the cockpit. I took my seat in the pilot’s seat and started the systems. The view outside unfolded like a mosaic in front of me. A glance at the instruments revealed its true inconspicuousness. The Prowler was a stealth ship. I had also equipped my White Rabbit with stealth components, but it couldn’t compete with this ship. The Prowler was almost invisible – only when it was a few kilometers away could it be detected by sensors.

The hangar doors opened with a roar. Together with the inconspicuous bird of prey, I left the space station.

After a long flight across the Pyro system, I left the quantum tunnel and found myself in the middle of asteroids. To my right, I saw the gloomy, gray planet Terminus, and in front of me, the space station Ruin Station. It floated in the asteroid belt like a menacing monument to violence.

Ruin Station had had many different owners over the years, and there were regular fights, even on the space station itself. Currently, the Rough&Ready gang controlled the station. It felt good to be able to approach unnoticed. Once I was sure there was no danger from outside, I landed in a hangar.

The hangar elevator door squeaked pitifully as it opened hesitantly. I took a step into the station and looked around. Fires burned in large metal boxes, and trash and debris lay everywhere. Ruin Station was just as run-down as all the other space stations in the Pyro system. After the mining company Pyrotechnic Amalgamated left the Pyro system, the space stations were taken over by gangs. Since then, no more money had been invested in maintenance.

I climbed a dirty staircase to reach the entrance to the main area of the station. A gigantic Gatling gun dominated the passageway. In front of it, a woman’s body was chained to a metal beam. She was barely clothed.

“What in the name of the Prophet…” I said at the sight and froze. I had seen a lot of suffering lately, but this…

Then I heard footsteps beside me. A guard stepped up beside me.

“That’s Amelia Boyd. She’s finally been taken out.”

Amelia Boyd was the leader of the Frontier Fighters, who had attacked everything and everyone. Under the name Slicers, they also brought chaos and violence to the Stanton System. The settlers on Monox, where I had lived for a while, had also been the target of senseless attacks.

The inhabitants of Pyro had solved the problem with the Frontier Fighters in their own way. Brubacker would have found that reprehensible. I didn’t presume to judge. Pyro was different, it wasn’t part of the UEE, it was lawless – the rules of the gangs prevailed.

“Hmmmm,” I grumbled to the guard and walked to the market at Ruin Station.

Determined, I plunged into the hustle and bustle. Vendors loudly touted their wares. Crooked neon signs flickered above makeshift stalls. It smelled of sweat, grease, and burnt rats being grilled over fire pits. This was where I was supposed to meet my contact. I still had no idea which delivery I was supposed to pick up or where.