It was almost midnight when I heard the knock.
Not a casual knock. Not a neighbor knock.
Three slow raps, sharp and deliberate, against the metal hatch of the shelter I'd claimed. Too steady to be a scavenger. Too calm to be a junkrat.
I rolled off the floor silently, rebar pipe gripped in one hand.
"Who is it?" I asked.
Silence.
I crept to the hatch, didn't open it, just pressed my ear to the cold rusted steel.
Still nothing.
Until—
"Heard you've been making… trades, Kai."
My blood ran cold.
No system alert. No trade ping. Just a voice that knew my name and what I'd been doing. Which was impossible. The system didn't broadcast anything locally—no one in Sector 9 even knew interstellar trade existed.
"Wrong person," I called back.
A dry chuckle.
"Funny. Mira says otherwise."
Damn. Mira.
I should've known someone would squeeze her for info. Sector 9 might be a slum, but secrets didn't last long here.
"You got credits?" I bluffed. "I'll trade info."
Another chuckle.
"No. I've got something better."
That's when the hatch started glowing.
Dim, faint, but unmistakably charged—with tech far beyond anything Sector 9 had. I backed away fast.
[System Warning: Unknown energy source detected. Recommend relocation.]
The glow pulsed once more and vanished. When I opened the hatch two minutes later—pipe in hand—the alley was empty.
Only a symbol remained.
Scorched into the dust with perfect precision:
🔻
A triangle. The same shape as my Encrypted Trade Chip.
I didn't sleep that night.
I kept the rebar beside me, interface open, watching the numbers like they might vanish.
This system—this gift—wasn't just rare.
It was known.
Maybe not by the people here, but by others. Traders. Brokers. Or worse—those who'd been rejected by it.
I checked the system again, just for reassurance.
[EEP Rank: 2]Trades: 4/10Next Unlock: Rank 3 – Decryption, Archive Access
I was still safe. But only barely.
The only way out was up.
Morning in Sector 9 was always the same: smoke, heat, and the heavy stench of recycled exhaust.
I made my way toward the flooded tech pit near the border wall—one of the few places not overrun with scavengers. Most thought it was radioactive. Dangerous.
They weren't wrong.
But I had a system now. I could afford to risk it.
I used my analysis scan like a laser, skimming the edges of submerged machines.
Old Earth drones. Shattered solar collectors. A floating, half-melted security bot.
[Analyzing…]– Status: Degraded Combat Unit (Tier 1)– Trade Value: 1.2 – 2.1 C.U.– Radiation Risk: Moderate
Worth Uploading? Yes
Worth the risk.
I hooked the bot with a rusted cable, yanked it to the bank, and uploaded it.
Chime.
[Item Uploaded][Trade Offers Pending…]
Two minutes later, the ping hit.
[Incoming D.T.R.]– Sender: Borix'Xa of Zurr Tal Consortium– Requested Item: "Tier 1 Combat Bot Shell"– Offered: 2.0 C.U. + 1x Refurbished Drone Eye (Tier 1 Tech)
Accept Trade?
A Tier 1 drone eye. Not junk. Tech.
I accepted.
[+2.0 C.U. received][Item Received: Refurbished Drone Eye][EEP Rank Progress: 5/10]
I grinned for the first time in days.
One step closer.
On my way back, I passed Mira's stall. She was already packing up, glancing nervously at the alley.
She caught my eye.
"I didn't say anything," she hissed. "I swear, Kai."
"Then how did he know?"
Mira bit her lip.
"Because others are watching. You're not invisible anymore."
I handed her 0.5 C.U. "For info next time," I said. "And your silence."
She nodded.
But I saw the fear in her eyes. Not of me.
Of what was coming.
That night, back in my shelter, I checked my inventory.
The Drone Eye was sleek—possibly upgradable. Not useful for defense yet, but maybe for surveillance. Something I'd definitely need soon.
The Encrypted Chip pulsed again. Almost… impatiently.
I scanned the Trade Logs. I'd seen something odd earlier—an offer from a system-flagged realm. I dug deeper and found it again.
[Trade Offer: Pending Classification]– Realm: Unknown (Outside Catalog)– Offer: 1x "Map Fragment – Nether Spiral"– In exchange for: "Any Earth-Origin Object"
Accept?
A map fragment? From a realm outside the known systems?
The system couldn't verify the location. Meaning it was off-grid. Hidden. Dangerous.
I stared at the offer.
My hand hovered over accept… but paused.
Not yet.
I'd save this trade for when I was ready.
For when I wasn't alone and hunted.
Because one thing was clear now—
This system wasn't just rare.
It was a warzone in disguise.
And I had just taken the first step into it.
Status Panel
Cosmic Units (C.U.): 10.9
Earth Credits: 1.0
EEP Rank: 2 (Trader)
Trades Completed: 5/10
Notable Items:– Encrypted Trade Chip (Rank 3 Required)– Cultural Archive Key (Rank 3 Required)– Refurbished Drone Eye (Tier 1)– Hidden Realm Trade Offer: "Map Fragment – Nether Spiral"
📌 Author's Note:
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— S.A.