“For you, maybe.” My nose wrinkled. The thought of all that physical training made me cringe. “I can’t believe you’re going to become one of them.” A word to encompass all those who worked for the church that doubled as our government.

“Wasn’t it old Gregory who said, if you can’t beat them, join them?” Cosmic offered the old adage, but I shook my head.

“I can’t.”

We argued a bit more, but, in the end, my sisters left on a Xemplar cruiser to start new lives while I remained behind, my real reason for staying not something I’d ever shared for fear they would mock me, with reason.

Me, possibly the most agnostic person on the planet, had a vision. One that compelled me to stay.

It didn’t come in a dream or because I’d taken drugs—as if I’d waste my hard-earned credits on something so foolish. My vision occurred not long after my mother got sick.

After our father died, she’d worked extra hard in the factory, and it ruined her health. The day she died—in so much pain she begged us to end it—I was overcome with grief. Wanting to be alone, I’d grabbed my hoverboard—a dented old thing I’d patched so many times that not an original part remained—and zipped for the outskirts of the city. Although, city might be too kind a word for the hovels clustered at the base of Mount Glii, a towering mound of rock where the less destitute—AKA those that didn’t have to work themselves to the bone—carved themselves literal homes. Must be nice to have a safe place to huddle when one of the many sandstorms struck. The violent winds pummeled the flimsy walls of our home and, despite sealing every gap we could find, covered everything in a layer of silt.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to flee my grief, zooming past the city’s edge, ignoring the road to the mines that constantly needed clearing from sifting sand. I headed for the wide-open space on the horizon, angling for the moon that never moved, its orbit perfectly matched to the planet.

The hard-packed ground, covered in cracks, blew dust as I passed. Almost nothing lived out there. No plants, and very few animals. Small lizards and some insects were all that could survive. So why had Humans chosen to settle on Fasolet? Because of the many ores and minerals that could be mined.

My mom and dad had been born there. And their parents, too. At times I resented them for not leaving. For not even trying to find us a better home. I planned to leave soon as I could afford a ticket, which, at my current rate of earnings, would be a year or more unless I could get hired aboard one of the cargo ships.

The horizon began to shimmer, an ominous sign. A storm arose, and I slowed my hoverboard, casting my gaze around for somewhere I could take shelter. A hump to my left showed promise, the squarish rock jutting from the ground pitted and cracked.

I hunched down by it, drawing my scarf over my mouth, my protective goggles still snug. As I waited for the storm to pass—and to hopefully not scour my flesh from my bones—I noticed a symbol, barely visible. A double cross sitting atop an infinity flowing loop. My gloved fingers reached out to trace it, and it illuminated!

But that wasn’t the most shocking part. A grinding noise had me standing to see the center of the rocky square had opened. I clambered on top to glance at the hole and noticed stairs going down. Down into what?

Gusts of wind, the prelude to the coming boiling sandstorm, tugged at my clothes. I had to get cover. Before I could weigh the pros and cons, I went down the stairs, barely registering that the dim little lights illuminated just enough to notice another sigil on the wall. With the wind screaming and sand silting, I pushed it. Only as the grinding stone door closed did I wonder at my actions. What if I couldn’t get out?

Guess I’d find out once the storm passed. I could only faintly hear it as it roared over my hiding spot. A place that intrigued and frightened. What had I discovered?

With slow steps, I descended, and the lights embedded in the walls lit to guide my path. Fancy. In our house, we used foul-smelling candles or smoky oils, since electricity was so dear. We saved it for our food replicator, the only thing that kept us from starving.

The staircase wound around a few times before depositing me in a small chamber with a single closed door. A stone bench, carved out of the wall, had hooks above, one still holding a tattered cloak that crumbled into rotted pieces when I touched it. How long had it been since anyone had visited this place?

The door took some tugging before it creaked open, the air that wafted forth musty and malodorous. My jaw dropped as I stepped inside and a light overhead illuminated the space, a large furnished room with a few dark archways leading to more spaces. I marveled at the lack of dust. Being sealed must have kept it clean.

The wall to my left had been carved with shelves and held books as well as objects that drew the eye. Rather than touch, I explored. The cushions on the two oversize chairs remained intact, and I sat on one and sighed at the luxury. Much better than a folded blanket.

The wall opposite the library had a counter, also chiseled from the rock, with niches over and under it that still held jars and cans. Metal cans! The type you heard about in stories and scoffed. Food came from replicators, or, when that broke or you couldn’t afford the electricity, from the rodents you hunted, skinned, and cooked. As a bonus, it took only four rat pelts to make a set of gloves.

A table of metal with matching chairs had me crouching to finger the seams joining the parts together. Given the tight fit to get in, either there used to be a larger entrance at one time, or the pieces had been welded together inside the cave.

Of the three archways, I chose the one closest to the books and immediately stumbled backwards.

I’d located the previous owner.

The desiccated remains lay in a bed, the corpse on its back, hands crossed over its midsection, the skin leathery and stretched taut. No signs of foul play, just someone who’d lain down to sleep and never woke up. A peek around the bedroom showed hooks that might have once held garments judging by the piles of dust below them. Only one item survived the test of time, the material oddly shiny. I removed my glove to stroke a cloak made of leather, and I didn’t mean a bunch of tiny rodent bodies sewn together. Whatever beast had been used must have been large since the only stitching was on the hems. More impressive, the fact it showed no signs of decay.

A doorway in the bedroom led to a lavatory area with a round and smoothed column that went to mid-thigh with a hole in it for expelling bodily waste. Fancy compared to our bucket at home. A sink with a hole for draining sat beside it and, on the wall behind, a symbol I didn’t recognize: three squiggly lines one above the other. The strangest thing by far, though, was a box-like stall with a hole in the floor and a lever on the wall. I yanked it, of course, and squealed as liquid shot out of tiny holes in the ceiling of the stall.

Not just any liquid.

Water.

Gushing freely.

Clear when I cupped it in my hands.

Fresh tasting.

And it cost me nothing.

Being an arid planet, Fasolet placed a hefty price tag on fresh water, too high for us poor folk who recycled our piss and put out every container we owned when we had the rare rain event. We cleansed using a handheld laser that sometimes malfunctioned and singed the skin.

But this… this was the mythical shower with water. Something for the rich folk.

The other two openings in the cave led to a room with a plethora of tools and electronic items I didn’t recognize but almost made me drool. I did salivate when the last chamber proved to be a storage one, with more cans and jars, even sealed boxes of food. So much food. Me and my sisters wouldn’t have to starve!

I couldn’t wait to tell them about my surprising discovery. I’d head back to Glii soon as the storm abated, which, according to the noise still coming from the hatch at the top of the stairs, remained ongoing.

As I waited, I explored the items on the bookcase and frowned at the writing on the spines of the books. I recognized some of the letters, but the words were foreign. The objects proved more interesting. A glass globe that illuminated and had images constantly shifting, showing various planets, strange foliage, even spaceships. Another shelf held a dagger on a pedestal and, beside it, a metal disc that seemed rather plain but for the sigil that matched the one that opened the door to this place.

I plucked it from its perch with my bare hand and fell into a vision. A vision of a man smiling at me, in a place wildly beautiful with a blue sky and green strands underfoot instead of sand. I snapped out of that strange fugue a little discombobulated. What happened? Touching and stroking the disc didn’t make me see anything else, yet the memory of it remained clear, entrenched. And a secret.

My sisters never learned of my discovery because, upon my return they had already made arrangements to depart. Apparently, they’d only stuck around for my mother. Had assumed I’d leave with them. But I couldn’t. Not yet at least, because, according to the voice in my vision, If you leave before it’s time, you will regret it.

A decade later, with no new vision, no encouraging voice, and still toiling to make a living, I wished I’d fled with my sisters.

Chapter 1

Theo

Space travel bored, especially when stuck with two grossly enamored people who either worked, ate, slept, or fucked. Since I lacked any kind of knowledge when it came to fixing things, and Miles—the name of the AI and ship—did all the flying, that left me only eating or sleeping because I didn’t count self-pleasuring with my hand as fucking.

As time dragged with little to do, I wondered if I should have stayed aboard the Arcadia Nexus space station. Sure, the rebellion I’d foolishly started went sideways, what with them deciding to double-cross me and blow up the dome I—and all the other wealthy residents—lived in. However, being rich, I could have bribed my way out of trouble. Then again, had I remained on the space station, I would have missed out on the quest of a lifetime.

See, it turned out I’d not been the only one to come across some relics hinting at a god wiped out of existence by the Xemplar Church. My cousin, Dex, and the mercenary hired to kill him—now turned lover—had come across some artifacts as well and had embarked on a mission to discover the mystery behind them. To learn whether or not there’d been another deity before Xolomon, the god the Xemplars insisted—by force—that we worship.

Even before I’d come across the ancient disc and painting, I’d questioned the faith that had been rammed down my throat at every turn. Hence why I’d been a part of Heretic Genesis, a rebel group looking to overthrow the stifling church. I’d even cheered them on. After all, I would have benefited by no longer having to pay an unseemly number of credits to a government that did nothing for me.

Another reason I’d been so keen to explore what the artifacts meant was because of a vision. Touching a disc inscribed with a sigil—a double cross atop the infinity symbol—had bestowed upon me a vision of a woman. Beautiful, yet quite obviously not of the elite class—given her garb—kneeling in an orange and gold-hued wasteland along with an otherworldly voice saying, ‘Find her.’

Did it say why? No. Did touching the other discs give me another vision? No. Not me, at any rate. I should mention, other people who touched them saw different things. A planet that might have been long-lost Earth. A giant eye reflecting galaxies. Black holes surrounding a planet and somehow not swallowing it. Interestingly enough, no one who touched my disc mentioned a woman with red hair.

It should be noted, my cousin had four more discs, and when they were allowed to touch each other, they imparted a message: find more of the sigil inscribed discs. Apparently, doing so would show us the way. The way to what? My cousin wanted to find out.

Hence, we headed for Fasolet, but not because we thought we might find more. This was a side quest that came about because of a little robot I’d massively overpaid for bearing the symbol. The robot wouldn’t turn on, but, apparently, Divine, my cousin’s mercenary lover, had a sister with a knack for fixing stuff. Maybe if we could get the robot to function again it could tell us about the sigil origins, or maybe even lead us to more discs.

Hopefully this robot would be more cooperative than the pair we had. My cousin’s ship, Miles, appeared to be part of the mystery, but refused to say anything about his past. I’d never met an AI that refused orders until Miles, whom you might have surmised, also bore the symbol, as did a tiny drone Divine found on Fasolet and named Whirly.

“Miles, since we’re only hours away, I think it’s time I learned more about this planet we’re going to. Its main export is gliatrum products, right?” An impenetrable material often used to make vaults and other items that required sturdiness. Although, it turned out Divine knew its weakness, and now I did, too, which could end up handy.

“Fasolet is a resource-rich planet, however, three-quarters of its surface is considered inhospitable as it is comprised of sand, hard-baked dirt, or rock.”

“I’m going to assume its climate is hot.”

“Very. With your fair skin, you’ll likely burn if exposed for long.”

I grimaced. A red complexion didn’t suit me. “Where do the people live if it’s so inhospitable?”

“The mountains. Once cleared of predators—”

“Dangerous predators, I assume?”

“To people, yes. The skorpios, insects with many legs, a hard carapace, and a stinger on their tail, enjoy ingesting soft flesh. But as mentioned, they’ve been eradicated from Mount Glii, where you’ll likely be staying during your visit.”

The image on the screen zoomed into said mountain, and I could see a winding road as well as domiciles built into the rock, with those closer to the top showing more extravagance in the shape of fancy doors and decorations, as opposed to those on the lower levels.

“Is there a class system?” Most places in the universe tended to separate the population based on importance and wealth.

“Yes. The upper class, including a Xemplar contingent, live on the upper levels of the mountain, with the most prestigious being closest to the top.”

“And the not so financially stable?” A more polite way of saying poor.

“Live at the base close to the mines and factories, where they work. Their domiciles tend to be made of scraps of metal or anything else that can be used to construct walls and a roof.”

“The companies that own the mines and factories don’t house them?”

I swear Miles dripped with disdain as he said, “That would affect their profit.” So did sickly and dead workers, but most corporations never figured that out. My father did and ran one of the most successful businesses in all the galaxies. A business I wouldn’t inherit, because I hated the idea of being stuck in an office all day. My sister, on the other hand, loved it.

I frowned and drummed my fingers on the armrest of the chair. “You mentioned about three-quarters of the planet being arid, what about the rest of it?”

“There is a singular saltwater ocean.”

“Any resorts?” Maybe we could turn our visit into a bit of a holiday.

“No. Swimming is not recommended as the waters are home to creatures who’ve proven difficult to exterminate. As for the jungles that spread from the shore—”

I interrupted. “Let me guess. Also hazardous to my health.”

“Fasolet is not a gentle planet.”

“Apparently,” I muttered. Explained a lot about Divine and her rough edge.

“Would you like to see more images of the surface?”

“Yes, please.” I added the last because being impolite to Miles led to cold showers and sometimes inedible food from the replicator.

The screen changed from Mount Glii to an aerial view of the planet. Orange and gold-hued with a dark blot that had to be the ocean.

As the image zoomed in and panned over the barren wasteland, I found myself tensing and leaning forward. Could it be? Was this the planet from my vision? Hard to be sure. Fasolet wasn’t the only world with a desert-like surface. However, I had to wonder if fate had ensured I’d end up here. Or had the voice guided my steps?

On a whim, I asked. “Do you have a picture of Divine’s sister, Nebula?”

“Negative.”

Not surprising. Then again, I doubted she was the woman in my vision. Divine had jet-black hair and her siblings likely did too.

Beep. Beep.

“Why is there an alarm?” I might be sitting in the captain’s seat, but I didn’t have the slightest clue how to fly or manage a ship.

“Asteroid field that shouldn’t be there,” Miles grumbled in his usual monotone, but I could tell he was annoyed. A gift of mine, reading people, even artificial ones.

“How does something like that happen?” I asked as the screen changed from Fasolet to the space outside the ship, where I saw us hurtling towards lots of big rocks.

“Most likely recently created by a meteor impact on a moon or planet in this sector. Taking evasive maneuvers.”

The view tilted, but I remained seated without issue as the motion didn’t affect anything on board. Never understood the technology that made that possible, but I bet my sister could explain it.

Dex came striding into the bridge followed by Divine, his hair standing on end, and her lips swollen. No need to ask what they’d been doing.

“Hey, coz. You’re just in time to watch Miles dodge asteroids like a champ.”

“Shield is up?” Dex asked Miles as we swapped spots.

“Of course, captain.” Definite disdain in that reply. Miles didn’t like anyone questioning his abilities.

“This is some dense debris. Why didn’t you go around?” Dex complained as his fingers flew over his holoscreen, reducing the view of the threat and popping up gauges and numbers.

“Because it would have delayed our arrival. I can navigate us through this.” Cocky computer, and he likely would have maneuvered us through without mishap but for one thing.

The energy barrier protecting the ship suddenly went down.