Prolog
It was dark as in a tomb in the narrow tunnel far under ground.
The men worked hard and rarely took a break to fulfill the quota and receive their meager wages.
The ore was precious and so they had little choice but to work down here, digging one tunnel after the other into the mountain until they were exhausted and quar rying the valuable material out of the rock.
The man was hungry and tired, his face and shabby clothes covered in dirt and dust.
He could take a short break and take a deep breath. In the light of the dim lanterns he looked over at his comrades.
One of the buddies stuck the pick into the red rock. A boulder with a shimmering substance erupted from the wall and he tossed it to the others in the large pile.
A rumble above them boded no good.
A large rock broke loose from the roof of the tunnel and just missed him.
"We have to see that we're going to finish this gear soon", he told the others, "the mountain is unstable and we've already lost so many good men."
"As long as we don't come out of the mountain empty-handed, we'll have to keep going here", replied another. His voice sounded exhausted and bitter.
Another boulder fell on them, hitting the man's leg, who cried out in pain.
A buddy rushed to his aid. The leg did not look good and blood soaked the worker's trousers.
"Hold on! The shift will be over in an hour and we'll be relieved!"
At that moment, the rumbling in the mountain grew louder until it turned into a deafening roar.
"We have to get out of here", he shouted loudly, "right away!"
And then the mountain collapsed on them and it got dark around them.
Departure into the Unknown
It was unbearably hot in the city. Summer had come in full force and the sun beat down on us relentlessly.
There was no refuge even in the shadows of the sky scrapers. The garbage smelled terribly and when the garbage trucks hadn't made their rounds for a few weeks, the air was filled with a penetrating stench that was almost unbearable.
The best thing to do was stay at home, keep the doors and windows closed and wait patiently until night fell and you could venture out onto the streets again with out collapsing with heat stroke.
But even in the shadow of darkness, life was not safe. Gangs roamed the streets, looking for useful things to sell on the black market for a lot of money, and cha sing down anyone who looked like they had good sales.
Many people lost their jobs as the economy collapsed. The few large corporations that were still doing good business had enriched themselves from the misery of the people and had invested their money in the deve lop ment of technologies that were of no use to anyone here on Earth.
I too had been looking for work for months. Before the collapse I had made a good living, tending the parks and the roof gardens over the penthouses of the skyscrapers.
The skyscrapers soared into the sky like sharp-edged monoliths of superiority. They were symbols of wealth and power, yet they were both oppressive and mena cing. On the upper floors, off the ground, reigned privileged elite who amassed the world's wealth, while the masses below lived in confinement and darkness.
Now the last green had withered from the heat and drought. The green areas had disappeared, no trees, no plants could survive in the open air.
Instead, endless street canyons stretched out, criss crossed by a tangle of highways and rail systems. The noise of machinery and vehicles filled the air, poun ding in ears and choking any form of silence.
Pollution was omnipresent. Dense clouds of smog hung over the houses, only allowing the sun to appear as a pale image of itself. Every breath felt like a puff of noxious smoke filling my lungs and making me cough.
In the better parts, people scurried by in hurry, their faces expressionless, their eyes blank. They were slaves of modern times, caught in a web of technology and consumption. The quest for progress had alienated them from life's simple pleasures. The natural beauty of our world had given way to an artificial glow created by the blinding billboards and neon lights of adver tising.
Like every week, like thousands of job seekers, I struggled to the unemployment office and waited in long lines to find work for at least a few hours in order to be able to afford the next meal.
I had long since given up hope of finding a suitable spot, but there was simply no need for landscape gar deners.
But that day everything changed. When it was finally my turn and I asked the slightly annoyed gentleman at the employment agency whether positions as a garde ner had become vacant in the meantime, he gave me a big look.
"Are you location independent?" he asked me.
"Well, I've never worked remotely before", I replied, surprised.
"The company 'Terra 2' is desperately looking for em ployees with your qualifications and experience", he explained, "it's about a land development project on Onrion. The pay is above average; you could leave this misery behind and start all over again."
"Onrion? Where is Onrion?" I asked helplessly. I actu ally knew geography quite well, but Onrion told me nothing. Probably some small town in the pro vince.
"The planet Onrion lies between Castor and Pollux", he explained to me, "it has ideal conditions for settle ment. There is a land development project of the inter stellar federation. Humanoids, aliens and intelligent robots work together there, but the federation doesn't want to leave the creative tasks to aliens or androids."
Now I had to swallow. It wasn't an easy decision. I would leave my whole life behind and start into the unknown, not knowing what awaited me there.
But it was a chance to escape the stench of the city and start over.
And I didn't have anyone here except for a handful of friends. Ever since Richard, that dumbass, broke up with me, I've been living alone.
It was an opportunity and I had no better idea what to do.
"When can I start?" I asked quickly.
"In six weeks", replied the clerk, "The flight leaves next week Tuesday. The first destination is the space station T3R6X, where you will be prepared for the journey through hyperspace. From there the trans porter of 'Terra 2' will take off ten days later. If you sign here, you will receive the information pack and the contract tomorrow and you can pack your things."
"Great", I replied, "how is the climate there?"
"Fantastic", he replied, "I'd be happy if I could live there too. But don't take too much with you - every thing is taken care of."
"Wonderful", I smiled, "then my job search was finally successful after all."
"I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck!"
* * *
I cleared out my household and packed a few be longings and memorabilia in a suitcase. It wasn't much and I gave most of the things from my apartment to my friends.
A car was waiting for me in front of the house at the day of my departure. The driver put my suitcase away and wrinkled his nose.
"It wasn't a bad area before", he recalled, "but there's hardly anything left of it."
The shuttle flight to the space station was not very different from the flights on Earth. Only the equip ment was more comfortable, but I had never been able to afford one of the expensive flights in the higher classes. And of course the view was mesmerizing. The Earth looked fascinating through the round windows and quickly became smaller.
After a few hours of flight, we arrived at the space station - a majestic structure of steel and technology floating in infinite space. The outer hull of the space station shimmered silver in the soft starlight.
As I stepped through the massive floodgates, I was greeted by an impressive atmosphere. There was a hustle and bustle all around me. People in futuristic suits and astronaut uniforms rushed past me while holograms and screens presented vital information and data.
Thorsten Kandinsky, the project manager of 'Terra 2', awaited us in the large hall at the entrance and wel comed us.
"Welcome to T3R6X", he said to us in a calm, slightly arrogant tone and eyed the newcomers critically; "our androids will accompany you to your quarters in a mo ment. We'll meet at 1600 Earth time for a first brie fing."
One of the robots came up to me and her synthetic voice sounded much more sympathetic.
"Please follow me. I will take you to your quarters and show you the most important facilities of the station. As long as you are on T3R6X, you will live on deck B in apartment B23."
The station's main corridor stretched in two directions, and I could only guess at the station's vast length. The walls reflected the dim light from the overhead lights. Paintings and photographs were placed here and there to add some color and life to the space.
We passed different sections of the space station. There were laboratories where scientists conducted experiments to gain new knowledge about the uni verse. In the living areas one could hear the low hum of entertainment systems and the laughter of people relaxing after their long day at work.
The space station canteen was a bustling place where people from all corners of the galaxy came together to eat, mingle, and share their experiences. The smell of freshly prepared food filled the air as the chefs pre sen ted their culinary creations.
The central control rooms were the heart of the space station. Here experts sat in front of a huge control panel and monitored all systems and processes. The screens showed streams of data, maps of space and live images of distant planets and galaxies.
The viewing platforms were the highlight of the tour. From here you had a breathtaking view of the vastness of the universe. The huge windows gave a view of the twinkling stars, the majestic planets and the infinite darkness of space. It was a feeling of peace and awe at the same time.
The space station was a masterpiece of engineering and humanity. A symbol of
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Bildmaterialien: Jenni Eales
Cover: Jenni Eales
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.08.2023
ISBN: 978-3-7554-4868-6
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