Morale was low among the miners. The cramped cage contained the workers like a beast holding a limp creature in its jowls. As they reached the bottom of the shaft, they exited through the grille and stood fumbling as they linked up.

The Spice mines of Tebaar were run by criminal overlords. Dark entities that controlled the illegal running of spice from system to system. Down in the mines, workers wore breath masks as there was no oxygen in the tunnels. The guards forced the miners to work in total blindness. The workers would pick with their fingers for hours on end. In order to be safe, and not get lost they roped themselves together under the watchful infra-red goggled eyes of the guards.

One young man amongst the huddled group, was Kyp Durron. A nervous jumpy kid that was always determined to get on the good side of life, but in this he had been doomed to disappointment. At a very young age, Kyp's parents had been assassinated by a group of thugs working for the overlords. Kyp had been taken away and put in a crummy orphanage run by criminals. At sixteen, when they thought Kyp was strong enough to work in the spice mines, they chucked him down there. Now at twenty, Kyp was sick and tired of the work. Eight hour shifts in the tunnels twice a day and two hour breaks.

Now, as they proceded down to the hover train, Kyp wondered what it was like back up at the surface. The tunnels were deep, twenty thousand feet or so down from the ground but the train was only twenty feet under or so. Kyp sighed. It was a truly repulsive life.

At this time, something happened that would change Kyp's life forever. A loud explosion rang through the tunnels just as the train was turning the bend. Rubble fell and Kyp knew no more as his world went black.

When Kyp came to, he focused his vision and looked about him. His roving eyes caught something and he stared. Death stared him straight back in the face. What he saw was a wreckage, with blood, gore and limbs that had long lost their owners. All the other workers dead, but he was alive! He noticed that everything seemed to glow, as if reflecting, he looked up and saw a crack in the ceiling. Of light. He threw a rock and the crack widened until climbing on the overturned train he could reach the hole and pull himself up...

On the other end was daylight. Daylight he had not seen in years. He cast a steely glare at the sky. He saw the mountains miles away where it was raining. He saw the beautiful wasteland around him. Truly beautiful. He carefully released the catch on his mask and it fell to the floor. He then kicked it into the hole. He felt the sun warm his back and a smile flickered across his face, as he set off to the hills.

Zenda 02