Chapter 4
The final wave of trade ships landed on B-11 before winter arrived. Hundreds of thousands of miners emerged out of every cavern and village on the planet and headed towards Central Rift Valley. At the top of the canyon that stretched on for thousands of miles were deflector shields, set up by the merchants that came from all across Ignitis, that shone with ever-changing patches of light. The shields acted as a harbour, effectively staving off sandstorms and any geomagnetic interference that might sweep across B-11.
The foremen held thick stacks of paperwork in their hands. These were records of the Energy Units that the miners have accrued. Those whose names were called came forward to collect their record. With their sheet in hand, they were able to enter the marketplace and trade with the merchants.
Opal ran down the rift valley, collected his sheet, and examined the records.
“Hey! This isn’t right!” Opal shouted with rage. “I should have at least 150,000 Energy Units. Why did I get such a huge deduction?”
Several other foremen came over and raised their voices, “What’s the matter! Hey! I’m talking to you over there!”
Opal took a half step back when the foremen simply stared at him coldly, prompting him to quickly put away his records, and the small disturbance subsided just like that. Opal swallowed his anger as he turned and headed towards the marketplace.
“What happened?” Lektor stood in an obscure spot near the edge of the marketplace, his face concealed under the hood of his cloak. Yet even so, the tall, handsome man stuck out among the crowd. Quite a few miners looked curiously at him as they passed by.
“They used ore quality as an excuse and took 30,000 Energy Units from me!” Opal said.
Lektor nodded, walking with him side-by-side as they entered the market where people were crammed into one another. Opal’s anger had yet to fully recede. The only thought that consumed his mind was, how could they? They took more from him this year than they did last year. A hundred and fifty thousand Energy Units might have been enough to supply the fuel that Lektor’s ship needed. He simply couldn’t fathom why they had taken such a large sum from him.
“Opal,” Lektor called out to him suddenly.
Opal gave him a questioning look.[1]
“Show restraint. You will need to become stronger in order to rebel and to fight.”
Opal fell quiet. He nodded after a moment and conceded with a sigh.
In the bustling marketplace, the miners locked horns with the merchants and haggled over just a few Energy Units until both parties were red in the face. The merchants would boast of selling the finest fabrics, accessories, man-made ornamental gems, and cutlery from across Ignitis.
They were just cheap things on the average planet where trade was commonplace. Low-quality wholesale goods. Yet across the Star Gate on a mining planet that had barely anything, these items could easily be sold at extortionate prices that cheated the miners of a full year’s worth of money earned with their sweat, blood, and lives.
“Not a Unit less!” The merchant raised his voice. “Look, this is flower wine from Viridisia!”[2]
The bottle clinked as he tapped on it and continued in a fury. “This glass bottle alone is worth 700 Energy Units! I’m only charging you 1000 for the wine with the bottle! What more do you want? This is the stuff that aristocrats in the Empire drink!”
The merchants around them looked on with mockery at the ignorant miners. Locke turned to ask one of his friends, “Do you want it? We should try a bottle.”
“Sip it in the winter and your noses will be filled with the scent of plants from Viridisia!” The merchant stated. “It’s all labelled, look carefully. A thousand a bottle. Not a Unit less.”
“They’re one of the cheapest grass beers from Viridisia, worth only three Credits a bottle at the local bars. The merchants swapped the bottles and put on their own printed labels,” Lektor said.
“What are Credits?”
Lektor explained, “A thousand years ago, one Credit was worth one Energy Unit. Ever since the collapse of the Interstellar Trade Union Energy Collective, Energy Units have become more valuable than ever before. The exchange rate has increased to six Credits to one Energy Units in recent years.”
“It’s a scam. I’ve got to warn them.”
“Locke! I need to tell you something!” By the time Opal squeezed past the crowds, Locke and his friends had already purchased a few bottles of the alcohol. “Opal, you want some?” Locke asked.
“Oh. Actually, I was just about to tell you that this wine is pretty good,” Opal said with resignation.
“I heard that the cost of a travel pass plus a spaceship ticket has gone up to 800,000 Energy Units this year,” Locke commented. “How much did you manage to save?”
Opal scratched his head, then then waved his hands to dismiss the idea. “I’m not planning to buy a ticket.”
Lektor had gone off somewhere so Opal decided to take his time browsing the market. The winters here could get very cold and he needed to buy a battery to ensure that he wouldn’t freeze. He also wanted to purchase some holographic e-zines to help pass the long winter. Or maybe some video games—Predator II and Expedition of the Ancient Tombs sounded good. These games were apparently very old, but they were fun to play. And very expensive.
A gaming console cost 8000 Energy Units, while the game microchips cost 2000 each.
“This one just came out this year. Interstellar Romance Cultivation!”[3] The owner began hollering when he saw that there was potential business. “Get a copy. It’s all uncensored. You definitely won’t regret it!”
Opal flipped through the game chip brochure. When the coldest period of winter arrived, taking a step outdoors meant freezing to death. Lektor would have to move back in with him from the caves.
But Lektor knew a lot of things and chatting with him by the furnace on cold winter nights didn’t sound like a bad idea. He could use the money for something else. After some deliberation, Opal decided to pass up on buying the games.
“Anya!” Opal called to a girl standing in the distance.
The girl named Anya turned around with a brilliant smile on her face, bright like a flower blossoming in the shadowy depth of the canyon.
“What’cha buying?” Opal asked.
“This gem…is really pretty. But it’s 400 Energy Units.”
Opal dipped his head and took a look. Lots of girls were gathered in front of the stall. They were daughters of miners who walked for long distances everyday to fetch and carry water, and kneaded dough to make bread for the foremen. Some even went with the men to work in the mines underground.
“It really is pretty,” Opal thought about the bracelet that Lektor wore. It was also a very nice-looking bracelet.
“Opal.” A girl with dark complexion nudged at him. “Aren’t you going to get it for Anya?”
Opal spent some time browsing while the girls made fun of him until his face began flushing from the teasing. He started awkwardly, “We…um, there’s nothing going on between us.”
Anya coyly burst into giggles. “Stop bullying him. He doesn’t know anything.”
When it came to love, Opal did know a thing or two. He had experienced the hazy budding of romantic feelings when he had been younger, though it hadn’t been directed at anyone specific. His birth was the result of the love between his mother and father. Love was the ever-fixed law of the universe that drove the creation of life. The elders often said that when the time was right, life would come to fruition, giving birth to the next generation. Maybe he too would experience it someday.
But the reality was that many families that work in the mines have lived on this planet for generations and have been extracting ores going back a hundred years. Their offspring would one day become miners also.
Opal picked a bracelet and decided to give it to Lektor. A memorabilia for when he would one day leave.
He quickly realized that it wasn’t quite polite to buy just this one. “I’ll buy one for you, Anya. Which one do you like?” He offered.
Anya smiled. “Thank you very much.”
Opal and Anya ended up with a metal bracelet each. Opal put his away and continued to roam the marketplace. By now, the crowd had grown in size. Anya had gone elsewhere and Lektor was still nowhere in sight. Opal decided that he would purchase some overwintering supplies—some alcohol, things with a bit of sugar, flour, meat, and vitamin pills. And batteries.
He let his mind wander for a moment in front of the gem stall, mentally calculating how much money he would have to spend.
“Don’t buy these.” Lektor had turned up without him realizing.
“What?”
“These aren’t gemstones. They’re mass-produced cheap synthetics.”
Opal’s heart sank. He had only just bought a bracelet from the same stall. Lektor no doubt wouldn’t want it, he thought, then smiled. “Do you want some alcohol?”
“I don’t drink the alcohol they sell here. Don’t waste your money.”
“What about holographic video games?”
Lektor eyed the direction that he was pointing at and, after pondering for a moment, responded, “I have no need for them. Ask the man over there if he has any textbooks on the basics of the universe.”
So Opal went to ask. The owner responded, “Yup. This here. Are you looking to study? Watch any movies? Here’s a projector and a few microchips, all produced in the Republic. There’s also a compilation of Lejersen’s concert shows.”
No need for those, Lektor’s voice suddenly sounded in Opal’s mind. Just the textbooks.
Opal’s heart skipped a beat, and Lektor’s voice sounded in his head again. Don’t look back. Repeat after me.
“Just the textbooks,” Opal said.
“I don’t sell them separately. Who am I supposed to sell the projector to? They come as a set, 18,000 Energy Units in total.”
“Eighteen thousand?!” Opal exclaimed.
“No haggling,” the owner said, then proceeded to tend to another miner. “This is the dance party of the Prince of Opera! A compilation from 19035 AL. Interested in a copy? He’s far more beautiful than most women.”
Opal turned around and left the stall.
“Take the deal, but not the projector or the opera. Ask him if he has any newspapers. The newest ones. Papers from Coccina,” Lektor said.
Opal knitted his brows in confusion. “Why? The shows come with the set. Might as well take it.”
“No,” Lektor insisted.
Opal went back and bought everything that came with the textbooks. “Armann!” He called out.
Armann stood not too far away. “I’ll lend these to you. It’s got movies,” Opal said.
Opal handed the movies and operas along with the projector over to Armann, but kept the microchip textbook. Lektor took it and examined it in his hand. “It’s second-hand. A bit old, but it should work fine. You should be able to use it when you get back and place it in E7’s projector.”
“Why didn’t you want to keep Lejersen’s operas?”
Lektor’s tone was neutral when he spoke, “Lejersen is trouble. There was no point in keeping them. He will lure you in and make you drown in his voice. You’ll find out later. But for now, please come with me. I need your assistance.”
“How were you able to speak inside my head? What…sorta power is that?”
“Don’t ask too many questions. You’ll find out later….”
Opal and Lektor stood not too far from a stall. “Ask for the price. He has two small dark matter batteries,” Lektor instructed.
Opal walked over and made the inquiry. “Sir, how much are you selling this for?”
“Don’t touch. A hundred thousand Energy Units each. There’s about 150,000 unit’s worth of dark matter energy in each battery.”
Lektor’s voice echoed inside Opal’s head. Make a bargain. Ask him if he’d sell both for 80,000.
Opal was speechless.[4]
“How about the both of them for 80,000?” Opal asked, “They’re not worth that much.”
“You can’t be serious! There’s 300,000 Energy Units in total! Toss off if you’re not buying them!”
These batteries are extremely unstable.
Opal repeated, “These batteries are extremely unstable.”
“Even if they’re unstable they’d still be usable. Do you even know anything?” The owner countered.
You bought these from pirates, am I right?
When Opal repeated Lektor’s words, the owner’s expression changed completely. Opal continued to follow Lektor’s lead, “Dark matter energy is highly regulated. Besides, both of these are quite old. Let me guess…. These must have been dismantled by the interstellar pirates from some battleship.”
“But he charged me 120,000 for both!”
Opal continued to recite Lektor’s words. “You won’t be able to bring them further into Ignitis. Looking at the manufacturer serial number, these must have been from the battleship that sank near Speiroida.[5] Seems like they’re investigating the explosion that happened on the spacecraft. You might be caught the moment you return to the more central parts of Ignitis. There’s no need for that, right?”
The owner of the shop eyed him suspiciously. Opal went on, “Was it a pirate named Yroh who sold it to you?”
The owner’s face paled in a flash, his voice trembling as he spoke, “How did you know?”
Opal licked his lips and remained silent as he waited for further instructions. Lektor seemed to be thinking. “How about this. I’ll pay you the original price you bought these two for. Give them to me for 100,000[6] and they’ll be out of your hair. I don’t think you want to be caught up in unnecessary trouble.”
The owner was quiet for a moment so Opal went on, “You will be in danger if you bring these batteries back with you.”
“What do you need dark matter energy for?”
“That doesn’t concern you. Think about it. I’ll return shortly.”
The owner called out to Opal as he was about to turn around. “I don’t need to think about it. You can take them.”
Opal took in a deep breath as Lektor’s voice rang in his head. Hold them carefully as they are extremely flammable. These are dangerous goods.
Opal bought the two batteries with 100,000 Energy Units and handed them over to Lektor. “Who’s Yroh? Do you know him?” He asked.
“Not at all. I was just prying into his thoughts and chanced upon this name.”
“You can know what other people are thinking about?”
“Only under certain conditions.”
“Like what?”
“Extreme fear, nerves, happiness, and anxiety. Basically I can read thoughts when emotions are being experienced intensely. He was already worried since he couldn’t take these two batteries with him. The only option was to get rid of them on B-11. It was a terrible deal for him from the start. But for us, luck was in our favour.”
A thought suddenly popped into Opal’s head. “Crap!”
Lektor stared at him. “I spent all my money on the batteries, but we still haven’t gotten any overwintering supplies yet!” Opal exclaimed.
Lektor brushed his worries off with a smile.[7] “What do we do?” Opal asked.
“Go collect your things and come stay with me at the cave,” Lektor said.
“But we’re going to starve to death if we don’t have food.”
“We’ll manage. Trust me.”
Opal thought about it. Lektor seemed like a dependable person. If he said so, then he must have thought of a solution. So he went back to his hut and packed his things. That night, an enormous trade ship lifted into the sky and cast a ray of light in the dark winter night on this mining planet, rendering it bright as day. It carried the foremen and merchants away from these poverty-stricken lands and headed to another planet for the winter.
“Apparently old man Crowe and his son spent 800,000 Energy Units and bought themselves each a ship ticket.” The miners chattered amongst themselves. “Who knew he had already saved up that much!”
Locke cut in, “Where can you go with 800,000? In the end, it’s just swapping for another planet to keep working in the mine. Stop thinking about it.”
“If you don’t buy a ticket now,” the miners countered, “then it’s just gonna get more expensive in a few years. Hey, Opal!”
Opal packed a bag and left his place. With his personal supplies in his bag and the mini robot E7 in his arms, he waved to his coworkers. “I’m gonna go stay in the caves out west for a few days.”
“You’re outta your mind! You’re gonna freeze to death!” Locke called out after him.
“I won’t. If it gets too cold, I’ll come back.”
“Don’t go! We’re preparing to overwinter. Let me take a look. You didn’t buy anything to eat? How are you supposed to survive the winter?”
Opal was walking backwards on his heels, smiling as he did so. “I’ll manage. Trust me.” He pointed a finger at Locke and left the village with E7 in tow, disappearing past the horizon.
Opal trekked against the sandstorm with increasing difficulty as the wind picked up. He was hit with a sudden gust of gale inside Crimson Sills that forced him to shut his eyes. “Meister—! Meister!” He called out with all his might.
Opal’s voice was nearly imperceptible in the wind, but Lektor had managed to hear him. He extended an arm and lifted Opal into one of the caves.
Opal hacked violently to get rid of the sand in his mouth. Two simple beds were laid out inside the cave. The shells of the dark matter batteries had been cracked open, their energy already completely drained.
“They’re empty?” Opal sounded surprised.
Lektor nodded. “How many days will the food and water last for?” he asked.
“Just under ten days.”
Lektor fell silent for a moment, then asked, “How many days will the sandstorm last?”
“It’ll probably clear up by tomorrow.”
“Rest up. I promise that you won’t starve or freeze to death this winter.”
Opal sat by the bed further inside the cave while Lektor inserted a microchip into the projetor on E7’s head.
“You can start studying now,” Lektor said.
A holographic light screen projected from E7 and Opal began teaching himself the basic knowledge taught at the United Interstellar Academy.
The process took five whole days. The chip was already a little worn by the time Opal finished going over the entire textbook. His mother had taught him some of the basic maths, mechanics, and chemistry that appeared in the textbook when she was still alive. But there were simply too many topics and they were covered in too broad of a scope. By the time he had finished, he could barely remember anything.
After these five days, Lektor swapped the microchips. “These are some records and knowledge that belong to the Star Knights. I need you to promise to me to never mention to anyone what you are about to learn during this period, nor mention my name and identity.”
“I promise.”
Lektor didn’t say another word and switched on E7.
This time, the projector didn’t cast a holographic screen. Instead, the chip shot out two rays of light from the projection device and began scanning Opal’s pupils.
Beep, beep, beep. Countless pieces of knowledge and memories were inserted into his mind. Cosmic stellar charts, the science of atoms and particles, energy boosters, the principles behind navigating spacecrafts, the formation of blackholes and supernova explosions…. His head was spinning from the sheer amount of information.
After who knows how long, Opal stumbled outside. He clung onto the stones and emptied his stomach, retching loudly. It would seem that his brain was strongly aversive to the sudden acquisition of so much information. And forcefully implanted into his head at that.
The sound of clanging metal echoed as Lektor banged his tool against a piece of steel sheet, something that used to be part of the reinforcement structures in one of the abandoned mine he had picked up from who knows where.
“Rest for a bit if you’re feeling tired,” Lektor said.
“Is what’s on it true?”
Lektor nodded. Opal asked, “I can use this knowledge to fix my mom’s spaceship?”
“The contents inside are only the basic theories. I suggest that you hire an engineer later. You can learn a thing or two from them. There are no boundaries when it comes to the realm of knowledge, but it’s impossible for any one person to know everything. If you choose to give up some areas of knowledge, it can help you on your own path to becoming more specialized.”
Opal tried to recollect the principles and theories related to spacecrafts. There were indeed lots of things that he didn’t understand, but the computer inside spaceships had the ability to assist with repairs. Based on what he learned earlier, his mother’s ship only had issues with the large nuclear reactor, plus her stellar chart…. She had no navigation system! Was her stellar chart stolen? Or was it broken, which led to her being stranded on this planet?
Opal’s thoughts drifted to the stellar chart that Lektor had given him. Could he use that?
Lektor spoke when he tried to get up suddenly. “Sit down. You can take a stab at it later.”
Opal paced inside the cave, excited beyond words. The sky was pitch black. The wind howled as it raged on outside. He wanted to know more. He sat back down and put on his glasses.
Lektor didn’t bother lifting his head from his workpiece as he spoke once more. “There’s not much use in trying to forcefully gain knowledge. You lack the experience to master it. It’s best if you spend some time reflecting on your thoughts so that you don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
“Thank you, meister.”
Lektor grinned in response and nodded in acknowledgement. “What are you doing?” Opal asked.
“Forging a weapon.”
Opal watched his movements. Lektor’s upper body was bare. He dialed up the high temperature flames emanating from the nuclear reactor. The scorching heat made him sweat profusely and it cast a sheen on his muscles that painted them with an almost majestic beauty.
“The weapon core…. Where did you get it from?” Opal looked at the complex parts with amazement. Did Lektor craft all these by hand? Is that even possible?
Maybe these were dismantled from his spaceship? But where is his ship? Even the life pod is gone…. He recalled that the first time he met Lektor, he had only a bracelet around his wrist, nothing else.
“You’ll find out later.”
Opal had gotten used to receiving this sort of response as an answer and so did not inquire further. He lay down on the blanket and began thinking. The vast amount of knowledge he received in the past several days had an indescribable impact on his thinking. It was as though his soul had been shaken from its very core.
As though someone had finally opened his eyes and he could now see an expansive world and the vastness of the cosmos waiting.
Translator’s Notes:
Ivory Crescent 
Ahh thank you for the update!!! 👏
So Lektor is telepathic huh. 🤔
Opal finally learning stuff yeee can’t wait till he gets out of this godforsaken planet 😔
What an excellent method to gain knowledge!! Now Opal can expand his mind.
Thanks for the chapter!
Why do I feel like something bad might happen to Lektor 😅