It was Iggy's lucky day. He could feel it.

Wiping the dust accumulating on the visor of his helmet, he tugged on the suspension cord connected to his mechanized harness. The faint whirs humming from the machine above him filled his ears, bringing him solace as he descended deep into the monstrous pit full of crystals and ore. His partner was somewhere above him, manning the rig responsible for keeping him alive.

Exhaling, Iggy surveyed the caverns—man-made and natural—below him.

Novr's southern hemisphere housed tons of mines to this one. Thousands of Hands like himself—sentient laborers bound by contract to serve the Noblus families of the Elysian Empiree—scoured the quarries from sunup till sundown. Digging, mining, scavenging. Bringing back whatever they could in exchange for a few credits.

Iggy continued his descent. Bioluminescent bugs floated through the hazy air, their neon glows mixing with the harsh, artificial light bars running along the craggy walls.

"Be careful down there!" Squok warned from above. His mining partner continued reeling Iggy downward.

He tightened his hands around his safety cord—the only thing keeping him from plummeting into the bottomless void below.

This particular dig site boasted several dozen hollowed-out levels, most already picked clean from decades of scouring for raw material. Rusted scaffolding ran along the edges of metal platforms sticking out from the various points throughout the saffron-colored rock faces. Shuddering rail tracks coiled throughout the entire mine, carrying carts full of raw material and the occasional miner. The bustling sounds of industry carried out around Iggy as he descended lower into the mine.

Salt was the desired mineral. Sure, crystals and the rarer ores could be found in the deeper levels, but Iggy never went down there. Too many stories of explosions from the noxious gases in the air and unstable surfaces swallowing miners whole kept him confined to the upper levels.

Besides, salt was both abundant and in demand. The empire and traders from all over the galaxy paid top dollar for it. A full sack would earn him at least a thousand credits. It would've been enough for dinner and his mother's medications—maybe even a pastry from that shop in town he always saw on his long, arduous walk back home.

He salivated at the thought of it.

Today was his day. He could feel it.

As he approached level twenty-seven, he grabbed the box hanging from his suit. He mashed the button, hoping the signal was transmitting. Seconds later, Squok finished lowering him. Once Iggy touched solid ground, he unclipped himself from his safety cord and exhaled.

"You sure you don't wanna go a little deeper?"

"I'm good here."

"Suit yourself. I sure could use the extra credits, though."

"How about you come down here and mine then?"

"You know I would if I could. My ankle's still messed up from last month."

Iggy rolled his eyes. That had been his partner's excuse for their couple of trips. Tetraks didn't even have ankles.

"This level hasn't been touched much," Iggy said as he journeyed into the wide tunnel ahead of him. "Should be able to get a decent yield today." Clicking on the twin flashlights on his helmet, he examined the area for any signs of salt deposits.

"You'd better hope so, Iggs."

His tools hung from the utility belt wrapped around his waist. More dust littered the foggy air as he delved deeper inside. Distant explosions shook the ground. Pebbles rained from the ceiling, clattering against his helmet before rolling down his shoulders. Gritting his teeth, he urged himself forward.

Thirty minutes and we go back up.

The mining company planted a few large charges throughout the mines in order to clear out more areas to excavate—all of which were scheduled to detonate sometime today. Everyone knew the site was already unstable, but when did that ever stop them? They would do anything for the credits.

Anybody would.

Iggy let out a deep breath and soldiered on. The air filtering through his helmet was getting thicker and warmer. Sweat beaded against his tawny skin. His stringy, black hair stuck to his forehead, the wet strands falling into his eyes.

The deeper he went into the tunnel, the hotter it got. Thirty minutes in there might've turned him into a bag of chips if he wasn't careful. He left his canteen upstairs; it wasn't like he could take his helmet off for a drink anyways.

He needed to find what he could and get out as soon as possible.

"See anything yet, Iggs?" Squok asked.

"Not yet—" A rock shelf boasting a set of thick, white lines stopped him in his tracks. "Actually...hold on. I think I got something." Retrieving his mechanical pick and plasma-powered rock-cutter, he went to work on the salt vein.

Crystals rained down onto the ground, their fractured surfaces reflecting the light pouring from his helmet. Before he knew it, he had a knee-length pile sitting before him. It was more than half a sack. Maybe even three-quarters of one.

His eyes lit up as he picked up a large chunk of salt. The coolness of the crystal seeped through his heavy gloves. He spotted specks of pink dotting the glossy rock. He grinned.

"Got some pure down here!" he shouted into his communicator.

"Easy, easy. You know these things are right in our ears, right?"

Ignoring his partner, he counted the crystals before tucking them into one of his burlap sacks.

"This has gotta be worth...at least three thousand credits. Maybe even four."

"Three thousand?" His partner kissed his teeth. "I knew I should've gone down today."

Iggy smirked. Today was his lucky day after all.

"Bag it up and get your scrawny butt back up here. We'll weigh it and report to the—"

Another explosion rocked his cave. He tensed, his eyes flickering upward. This one was a bit closer than the last. Pursing his lips, he checked the time via the faded interface built into his helmet's visor. The charges weren't set to go off for another twenty-five minutes. Why were they detonating so early? Shaking his head, he figured someone must've gotten the schedule mixed up.

"Alright, I'm coming back up."

He grabbed his bag of salt and pulled it behind him. Or, rather, tried to. It was heavier than he anticipated. A lot heavier. He had to use both arms just to move it through the dirt. Panting like a dog, he wished he would've listened to his mother when she told him to work out more. But between mining and taking care of her, he didn't have much time for himself.

After this score, he'd have enough credits to take a break for a few days. Maybe even a few weeks. He could finally take his mother into the city to see an actual doctor. Novr's sandstorms were getting worse, and her lungs weren't getting any better. Her medication only did so much.

"Er, you might wanna speed it up, Iggs," Squok told him. "The charges are going off."

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

"I'm telling you now, ain't I?"

Straining his muscles, Iggy willed himself to move faster. The bag wasn't getting any lighter. It was getting warmer inside his helmet, though. Sweat poured down his face, running into his eyes and pooling above his top lips. Fog swirled around him, partially obscuring his visor.

He pulled hard one last time as he approached the platform. Wrong move. His hands slipped off the bag, sending him toppling downward. All the oxygen fled his lungs after his back hit the hard ground. Wincing, he rubbed his aching spine. He expected a bruise in the morning.

"You alright?" Squok asked.

"I'm fine. Just gotta get the bag and we're good."

As he picked himself up, another explosion knocked him off his feet. This one was only a few levels above. Craning his neck, he watched as slabs of rock fell past him, dropping into the shadowy void below. More dust filled the air. Smoke billowed from the charge point above him. It painted the air black and choked him as the acrid fumes infiltrated through his cheap helmet's air filter.

Coughing, he got back to his feet for the second time.

He cursed himself for not buying a new respirator weeks ago.

All he had to do was get the bag, hook himself up to the safety cord, and get back to the surface. Simple enough. Once he did that, he could buy himself a whole new helmet.

He just needed to get back to the surface.

Nodding, he grabbed his sack of salt and staggered toward his hanging safety cord. Squok stood on the platform above, waiting to pull him up. As Iggy reached for his rope, the floor beneath him shifted like loose sand in an earthquake.

"What the—"

The scaffolding creaked. Loud groans from the decaying metal echoed through the chasm. A series of pops pierced his ears as he watched nuts and bolts explode from the rusty arms holding his platform up. The entire thing trembled under his feet, nearly throwing him into the void below. Grimacing, he grabbed hold of the railing next to him for dear life.

The bag of crystals left his hand.

Realizing his mistake, he lurched forward. It tumbled down the scaffolding as the entire thing unhitched from the rock wall. Sucking in a breath, Iggy grabbed onto the railing with both hands. His heart jumped into his mouth as his legs dangled.

His satchel tumbled into the abyss, his score going with it. Gone forever.

A lump of panic formed at the base of his throat.

"Forget it!" Squok yelled in his ear. "The level's not stable! Get back up here!"

Easier said than done.

As he reached up for his safety cable, he blanched. The platform he stood on had slid down a few meters. His rope dangled above him, a few feet out of his reach. It teased him as if he were a cat trying to catch a thread of yarn. The lump in his throat swelled until it felt like he swallowed a boulder.

"What're you waiting for, Iggs!?!"

"I...I can't reach it."

"What do you mean you can't reach it?"

"I can't!"

Tears brimmed in his eyes. His heart wanted to jump out of his ribcage. With his hands shaking more than the platform he stood on, he whipped his head around. There had to be another way up.

Maybe if he could climb back to the tunnel...

Another charge went off. The explosion rattled his ears. Distant sirens blared through the air, their red lights strobing through the dust clouds swirling above. Rocks crumbled from above, dropping onto the scaffolding he clung onto for dear life. Smoke spread across the ever-darkening sky. The surface had been swallowed up by the carnage. A shaky breath left his lips as his grip on the railing slipped.

He closed his eyes.

Then he fell.

#

Iggy's mouth was full of dirt, dust, and blood.

His head shot up from the ground as if he'd been resuscitated. Nothing but darkness met his wide eyes as he searched around him.

Where am I?

His first thought was that he'd died. The endless black void surrounding him was the afterlife. As a child, he grew up believing the plane of existence beyond there's looked like an infinite green pasture glowing with sunlight and peace. That's what his people—the Arigorii, native of the planet Yensari in the Outer Rim—believed.

However, this was not that.

He didn't know where he was, but he did know one thing—death shouldn't have hurt this much.

Groaning, he glanced down at his legs. A boulder sat on top of his ankle. Most of his lower leg had gone numb, but he could feel a wet, sticky substance coating his skin. The good news was that his leg wasn't broken. The bad news was he couldn't move it at all. He wasn't sure if that was any better.

Inhaling the humid air venting through his helmet's cracked visor, he switched on his flashlight. The twin lights flickered on, dispelling the shadows enveloping him.

He had fallen onto another level of the mines. Since the drop hadn't killed him, it must've been relatively close to his original mining point. Grimacing, he reached for his utility belt. His pickaxe was bent beyond repair, but his plasma-cutter survived the fall. He freed the tool from his waist and leaned forward, holding the plume of burning azure light against the rock pinning his leg down.

Sparks jumped onto his visor, blinding him as he cut away at the rock. Fumes from the smoke in the air slithered down his throat, stinging his lungs. He blinked away tears and worked to free his leg. It only took him a few minutes to carve out a hole big enough for his ankle to slip out from the boulder. As he shined the light pouring from his helmet on his ankle, he nearly threw up. The dark blue leg of his jumpsuit had been ripped open, revealing a bleeding gash underneath.

A wave of pain slammed into him. His head spun and silver dots peppered his already blurry vision. Coughing up a few clouds of dust, he whipped his head around. The sirens blaring in the distance continue relaying throughout the mines. He could barely make out the strobe of red lights through the smoke hanging in the air.

With the cracks riddling his helmet's visor and his respirator being little more than a useless piece of scrap metal, it wouldn't be long before the toxic atmosphere of Novr's subterranean levels made his face explode.

Iggy exhaled deeply.

I gotta get out of here.

Wincing, he carefully brought himself back to his feet. Well, foot. His left peg wasn't doing much else but existing.

"Squok?" Iggy croaked. He pressed his finger to the button on the side of his helmet. "Squok, can you hear me?"

All he got in response was shrill feedback.

Great. Comm's busted.

Today had gone from amazing to dreadful in the span of five minutes. His heart ached at the memory of his bag of salts tumbling into the void. Shaking his head, he pushed it out of his mind. All that mattered now was escaping the mines alive.

Staggering forward, he searched for an exit.

The tunnel ahead of him was deeper than usual for a lower level. Lights ran through the ceiling like wires, flickering as the ground continued to shudder. Metal studs built into the sides of the wall let him know a forcefield should've been barring him from entering. Iggy figured the grid must've gone down during the explosions.

He wondered how many others had been stranded throughout the mines, caught off guard by the mining company's failure to follow their own schedule and evacuation procedures.

If he made it out, he was going to give them a piece of his mind.

At least, he would in his head. Aside from his mother and mining partner, he rarely spoke to anyone on the desert planet he called home. He kept his head down, opting to spend his time and efforts hustling for credits in the mines before returning to his sick his mother. Causing trouble wasn't in his nature. It wasn't in any Arigorii's nature. Besides, he'd seen what the Elysian soldiers did to those who stepped out of line.

He steered clear of them like it was his job.

Limping and sweating like a leaky faucet, Iggy continued down the tunnel. The deeper he went, the less sure of himself he got. The walls gradually shifted from rocks studded with glimmering crystals to metal plates adorned with deep grooves and glowing lines. A massive door with a symbol of crisscrossing lines over three crescent moons pressed into the center waited for him at the end.

That symbol... He'd seen it before, in a buried memory from his childhood on his homeworld of Yensari. His mother's laugh rang out in his ears. He saw his father's warm smile. The gears in his head turned as he tried to recall where exactly he'd seen it before.

His eyes widened.

His father's amulet—the one he left behind all those cycles ago. It bore the same insignia as the one on the door. But why? And how? He never knew what it meant, and he never got the chance to ask the man before he went missing seven cycles ago. He was only ten cycles old then.

Ignoring the pain flaring up in his leg, he cautiously approached the door.

Something told him to turn back, but that wasn't an option. The only way out was through this door. It had to be. Groaning, he propped himself up against the wall. A keypad jutted out from the rock below his arms. He squinted at the numbers. There were nine of them and they were coded in Galactic Standard—the most common language in the galaxy.

Using his helmet's flashlights, he examined the buttons for fingerprints or wear from overuse. Dust covered every single one. They hadn't been used in cycles. He didn't even know how long the password would be. How could he possibly find any of that out? He let out a frustrated yell before smacking his fist into the door. The loud clang echoed in his ears.

C'mon, Iggy, think. Think.

All the other doors throughout the mine used a six-number sequence. This one likely used the same. With an exasperated shake of his head, he began inputting whatever combination of numbers he could think of.

He did that for what felt like hours.

More noxious gas from within the cave tunnel entered through the cracks in his visor. He could feel his face starting to swell and his eyes blurring with stinging tears. Biting the inside of his cheek, he continued to type random combinations into the keypad.

C'mon, c'mon...

As his trembling fingers hovered over the metal box, he stopped. An idea popped into his head.

It was a shot in the dark, but a shot, nonetheless.

A bitter taste filled his mouth. The usually purified flavor of the oxygen from his respirator was gone. He sucked in a breath and held it. He was running out of time.

He quickly pressed the date of his father's birthday into the keypad and hoped for the best.

Nothing happened.

Defeat flooded through him the raging rivers on Ocenis. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rested his helmet on the doors. The walls continued to shake as more explosions rocked the mines. Pebbles rained down on him from the ceiling before clattering to the ground.

That was his final idea. He had nothing left.

The only thing on his mind was his mother.

If he died, there would be no one to take care of her. He clenched his hands into fists. After his father disappeared, he vowed to protect her. But now he couldn't even do that.

Tears spilled down his hot face.

A set of mechanical whirs sounded in his ears. His eyes snapped open. The door's keypad lit up green for a split second. Pressurized air rushed out from the minuscule gap between the twin metal barriers in front of him.

They opened, revealing a small, cluttered room.

Lungs burning and face wet with tears of relief, Iggy quickly tumbled inside and let the doors slide closed behind him.