Crimson Dawn

They left him waiting in the cold all day in front of an iron gate. It wasn’t until he threw the stone through the bars that he caught the attention of the workers inside. Just like the old man had advised, he waited until a small crowd gathered around the gate. Then, with the simple words "I know where you can find more," he set his fate in motion. A group of scientists arrived at the outpost by late afternoon. While they set up a makeshift lab to test the stone, trying—and failing—to identify it as any known element, the station overseer handed the boy a glass of water and some food through the gate.

"Where did you find that little orb, boy?" The overseer’s voice was calm, but there was an edge of urgency beneath it.

Lex was so thirsty, he finished the water before answering. "In the mines, of course," he said, breathing heavily.

"Yes, but where exactly? What spot?" the overseer pressed.

"I’ll tell you when I’m on board the LEVIATHAN," Lex shot back.

The man looked down at the ground, his fingers stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The LEVIATHAN won’t be landing in Bancarduu for another two years. Don’t you think by then we’ll have searched every inch of the mines and found your precious little spot? You’ll be long gone by then."

Lex clenched the protein bar tightly in his hand. "I think you’ve been searching for that thing for over sixty years already, and you’re not gonna find it without me in the next few years either. I also think the Black Orb's valuable enough for you to forget about waiting two years and have the LEVIATHAN come here just for this."

"You really believe that?" the overseer asked, half-smiling.

"Yeah. Gotta believe in something, right?"

Later that night, Lex was startled awake by the sound of the gate creaking open. In the blinding floodlights, the same corporate official stood, this time with a strangely polite tone. "Please stand up," he said. The word please caught Lex off guard—it was hardly ever heard on the prison moon, and corporate employees probably never used it when talking to convicts.

Lex stood up, walked through the gate and followed the man. "Where we goin'?" he asked.

"To the next shuttle," the official responded flatly. He pressed his thumb to a door scanner, and the airlock slid open. After several minutes of walking through a tube-like corridor, they arrived at an underground rail station bustling with corporate workers. Amid the crowd, the man said, "A cargo ship from Cetos Five launched last night. It’ll arrive here at the station in ten days. You’ll take the rail to the spaceport, where further instructions will be given. You’ll get a room and meals while you wait. Safe travels."

******

It was June 23, 2668. The boy had been staring at the date on the digital wall calendar for quite some time, lounging cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with Tayus's welding goggles—his hands calloused but clean. Every now and then, his eyes drifted back to the date. He had endured two years in exile. Now, freshly showered and shaved, he lay on a foam mattress covered in velvet. A few hours earlier, they'd cut his hair—not just buzzed it off like they used to. He now had a proper haircut, short sides and a neat side part. He'd thought about heading to the staff cafeteria for a snack, but it was already too late for that.

At 2:00 p.m., they came to get him, escorting him across a platform deep inside the mountain. At the eastern end, next to a communications tower, there was a small medical facility, which he entered. The room was divided into sections by sliding glass walls, and in the surgical area, a high-tech robotic arm hovered over the operating table. Lex walked into the adjoining area, where a doctor put him through a thorough checkup. It was the first medical examination of his life. Afterward, the petite woman stood beside the boy, who was impatiently lying on the exam table. Even standing, she was a full head shorter than he was. She then drew up a syringe and placed the vial back on the table.

"There's nothing wrong with me," the boy said.

She gently folded his ear back. "I need to remove your tracker. Just hold still for me, please." She slid the needle into the skin between his ear and the small tracking device. Then, she briefly left the room, and when she returned, she stood right behind him.

"Did you feel anything?" she asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "But my tongue feels all numb. Is that normal?"

"Perfectly normal. Now, lie flat on your stomach."

He did as she told. The procedure took less than five minutes. When it was done, he sat up and spotted the blood-smeared tracker with its loose screws lying in a petri dish. He reached up and touched the bandage on the back of his head. His eyelid drooped slightly from the anesthesia, and the doctor assured him, in response to his question, that it was completely normal and would wear off in a few hours. She returned holding a medical device that looked a lot like a gun.

"Now I just need to implant your ID chip under the skin. Give me your right arm, please."

"But I'm left-handed."

"That's nice. Now give me your right arm." She pressed on the back of his hand until she found the right spot. Carefully lining up the device, she inserted a thin metal tube into his skin and pulled the trigger.

The boy winced, but only a little.

"Congratulations. You’re now officially a citizen of Vega Prime. Of course, you still need to be officially pardoned so you can fully feel like one, but as far as I know, Miss Thandros herself will be handling that. And there’s one more thing I’ve heard, though it’s only a rumor: Apparently, Miss Thandros was over the moon about your discovery. So much so, she wants to personally thank you."

The boy stared at the doctor, saying nothing.

"Don’t get your hopes up just yet," she added. "A rumor’s a rumor until it’s proven true. But if it is, it’s a huge honor for you. Very few of us have ever seen Miss Thandros in person." She smiled warmly, like she truly believed he deserved the honor after everything he’d been through. Then, in one smooth motion, she peeled off her disposable gloves and tossed them into the waste bin. As she left the room, she called back, "You're free to go. You’re in good health and ready to start a new life."