Fire in the Mist

Rain pelted the sea of smokey slated landscape of parts from a bygone era. Heaths of appliances to what once held actual sustenance; scavenged quantum cyborgs discarded by their more evolved successors; a city populated by garbage and the air annexed by the pungent lithium sulfur. By this time though, Max was already used to it. Your lungs become accustomed to the burning sensation in your chest that the sparse P22 masks can barely filter. Your skin varies depending on your exposure from hard and scaly to gaping worn pores from irritation. Very rarely one will come across a pristine human. Max met a human only once and they were from another colony on the neighbouring planet visiting to tour salvage sites across the planet. Making adverts for their colony stating that this planet was to be used as a recycling facility and that the people that worked here are patrons of planet Aurea. Their colony left ours over three centuries ago, promised to come back for them only never to be seen again… Until they came back to use their planet as a dumpster. Max’s late husband had only been to the Aurean colony once to make a delivery under the dull overseer, Ram Ake, whom was only appointed after a coup by a betraying opposition. Max’s husband, Nojah returned back from his trip, ‘It’s polished shit.’ he told Max matter-of-factly.

He told Max and other salvagers of how clean and seemingly empty the city was. Yet home to the grimmest politicians, elites and corporate heirs. He had been there for two nights planning with the guards, cleaners and corporate designers and plenty of other workers that chose to join under duress. Unfortunately, Nojah’s life ended after the western lithium battery plant near their settlement exploded, taking thousands of their comrades. Nojah informed Max and the team that if he dies Max should continue the mission to take over the Aurean Ship and take the settlers out to the planet. Max knew nothing about fighting and taking over ships. Just salvaging. He picked up the luminescent mirrored panel that glistened amongst the rubble. Max picked it up and held it to his face wondering where the years have gone. The smokey yellow clouds moved and curled above him and black figure darted through it as the sulphuric wisp of smog trailed behind it as it retarded to the horizon over the heath. Max put the panel in his sack and watched it as it descended. He ran over the heath and neared a cliff. Max knelt down and looked for the guard with the white ribbon under their sleeve of their navy uniform. Nojah told him it was an indication of allyship to the settlers. A masked captain came out and started yelling at the other guards and ordered them to start offloading the garbage to the southern region.

They started offloading the ship to their vehicles and then drove off. The captain took out a flashlight and flickered it to make a signal and exposed their white ribbon. Max radioed their settlement and told them to meet at the landing site in the southern region. He climbed down the side of the cliff and met with the captain. Soon after the settlers arrived in packs and started to load their stuff rushing onto the ship arguing and trampling onto each other. The ship quickly filled and families attempted to shove their children onto the ship shoving memorabilia into their palms. The caption urged Max to get on the ship near the cockpit and manage the crowd at the cargo bay. It was flooded over capacity and the settlers attempted to push others off after they started to ascend. Families were plummeting to their death from high altitudes. The Aurean guards arrived back to the landing site to find precipitating corpses and the VTVL ship darting off into the clouded gaseous atmosphere. The guards attempted to shoot the ship down with no success.

The settlers cheered and rejoiced as the captain shut the cargo bay’s doors and airlock. Max stood on the table amongst the settlers, “You are no better than the Aureans. Quick to stab your own kin in the back. You all should be ashamed.” The settlers quieted and murmured amongst each other until it fell silent until their wide eyes fell to Max. Max, taken aback by the sudden attention, scratched his head and looked around at the crowd. Nojah’s team moved through the crowd to the front and stood next to Max. The captain then put the ship into autopilot and stood next to Max on the table and placed his hand on his shoulder. Max looked out at the crowd and began to speak on the atrocities the Aureans have put them through. How they’re behaviour shouldn’t pave the way for future generations of their settlement that was discarded by our own like the Aurean had done to them. “From now on, we move as a unit! No one is discarded!” Max stepped down from the table and the crowd cheered in agreement. Nojah’s team assembled in the cockpit. Max plopped himself down in the chair and stared out into the darkness. Nojah’s team headed to their quarters and soon everyone was unwinding for the long trip ahead. The captain came and plopped himself beside Max stared at him as he started to fall asleep. He then pulled down his mask revealing his face and looked out to planet Aurea. “Onward to the polished shit.” He said grinning into the corner of his lips and kissed his now slumbering husband goodnight.