The guards had given him the package and an address, then pushed him through a gateway without bothering to tell him the name of the planet he was sent to. He had considered going to the closest spaceport and just leaving, but he didn’t want to carry around this thing... A black box that would only open for the recipient. A common enough practice that made it nearly impossible to steal. All it took was a sample of the person’s DNA that would then be coded into an alundil container.

Halden could have tossed it away, but what would it cost him to just drop it off and then run?

Of course, running wasn’t an option either. They knew his name. His address. His employer. His friends and family. No, they had him on a leash. He didn’t like it, but denial wouldn’t help.

His wristpad told him he was on Domnach, some ten thousand light years away from Bernice. He skipped the detailed report to pull up a map of the city. The sooner he got this done, the better.

There were no walkways here—at least, none that he could see—and he had no glider. Thankfully, his destination was not too far. A ten-minute walk, at most.

As he started off, he wondered about this world. It seemed peaceful enough, though the streets were oddly empty for a city this size. Understanding came quickly, however, when it started to rain. Not water. Rocks. As large as his fists. Wherever they hit the ground, they would burst into flames. Halden ran to the dubious safety of a roofed alley. Dubious because the roof had holes where some larger boulders had come through. He pressed himself against the wall, his heart pounding.

What was this place?

While he waited for a respite, he read a more detailed report on this world. It was an old colony with four moons. The locals had mined those moons for alundil and other precious metals, but they had taken it a bit too far. When they noticed the satellites were becoming unstable, all operations had halted, but it was too late. Large chunks of the satellites now regularly showered down on Domnach. They broke off into smaller pieces when they reached the atmosphere. Those moons were made of a peculiar rock that, upon heating, became volatile. By the time it reached the ground, it was as effective as a bomb.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He could tell the shower was over when people started showing up in the streets.

Casting wary glances toward the sky, he headed out. A few minutes later, he found his destination. He rang at the door and waited.

A woman opened it, wearing the uniform of a servant.

“Hello. I have a package for...” He frowned as he looked at his wristpad. “Esde Bharmi.”

“I will take it to her, thank you.”

His instructions did not state he was to deliver it in person, so he was content to be rid of it and move on. He nodded as he handed the black box to the woman, then turned and walked away.

He was a few feet away when he heard a resounding boom behind him. Turning, he saw smoke rising from the house he had just visited.

Though his first instinct was to rush back to see if he could help, he stopped himself short. This couldn’t be a coincidence. He didn’t believe in coincidences. This was him. He had done this.

He stumbled to the nearest wall and slumped against it, staring at the flames and at the crowd forming around the house.

What had he done?

No, no, no...

This was not on him. No more than Lucy’s death was on Rees. These people, whoever they were, were playing games with him—and with other people’s lives.

They had used him like a tool. That was all he was to them. What other heinous acts would they have him commit?

He needed a way out.

For a second, he considered telling the visor. But that was not an option, was it? He would have to admit knowing the truth about Lucy’s death, and that would not be good. Not good at all.

He shook his head and started off again, heading back toward the gateway.

To find a way out, he needed more information. He needed to know who he was up against. Who was behind Nuj? Who was pulling the strings?

He’d figure it out, one way or another.