Secrets of the Dust

In the dimly lit caverns of the smallest Dust mine Jax had ever seen, he hid behind a pillar. The shadows of the miners stretched long in front of them giving him plenty of time to make himself scarce. This is going to be the easiest job ever. As the miners passed, Jax left the sanctuary of the shadows silently, moving quickly he made his way to the store room, following the map he'd memorized before arriving.

Pathetic! The lock to the storeroom—the most secure place in this so-called mine, a mine for the most expensive substance in the known universe—was a simple 4-phase dimensional lock. Tricky for the layman, but Jax had been breaking these for years. Casually pulling out his lockpicks, he made short work of it. He’d have to return to this backwater planet sometime if this was what passed for security. Opening the door and slipping inside, he activated his HUD to take inventory.

The usual. Piles of ledgers, a measuring bay with empty containers on one side and a lovely selection of full containers of Dust on the other. It was a moderate haul, barely 100 grams by the looks of it. The street value of that 100 grams was more than 70 years of salary for a working man on his home planet. Working quickly, he pocketed the Dust and looked around to see if he had missed anything. There usually was something - and there it is, a fake wall panel. His HUD was indispensable for this job. He’d overheard some military people talking about it in a bar one night. It sounded interesting, so he did what he did best and walked away with the most advanced prototype HUD system he’d ever heard of: a 6-dimensional quantum projection HUD. Not that he knew what that meant, but it certainly helped him with his profession immensely.

Opening the hidden wall panel, Jax was not disappointed. At least 500 more grams of Dust! But there was something else in the back, a hidden compartment within. His HUD was pulling his attention to it, highlighting the opening mechanism clearly. With practiced ease, he pulled out his lockpicks and got to work. Within moments, he was in.

What the heck is it? He thought. It looked like a necklace but unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It almost hurt to look at. The edges seemed to blur and blend together, moving and remaining stationary at the same time, almost holographic yet undeniably real. Jax picked it up, and the strange sensation he felt when he first saw it intensified.

What the heck is this thing? His eyes were drawn deeper into it. The closer he looked, the more complexity he saw, but the complexity held a simple beauty. Every thought racing through Jax’s mind about the object seemed to be contradicted. It was both stationary and in motion, complex yet simple. The alien symbols skated across its surface, dancing in a multi-dimensional display that defied his understanding.

The vibration he felt from the object seemed to resonate with something deep inside him, pulling him in further. It was ancient, and the strange alien symbols flickering across its surface hinted at a technology far beyond his comprehension. The more he observed, the more he was drawn into its enigmatic allure. The object’s presence was overwhelming, a paradox of simplicity and complexity, stability and movement. It was as if it existed in multiple dimensions, each revealing itself the deeper he looked.

Jax couldn’t tear his eyes away. The object’s beauty was mesmerizing, its complexity fascinating, and its vibration almost hypnotic. Every aspect of it beckoned him to explore further, to uncover its secrets. Holding it in his hands, he felt a connection, a pull that was impossible to resist. This was no ordinary find; it was something extraordinary, something that could change everything.

Resisting the urge to look at it anymore he tore his eyes away and stuffed it into his pocket. He could feel it in there, beckoning him to observe it again. Oh he would, but for now it was time to get out of here.

Putting everything back the way it was, He scooped up some dirt off the floor to put in one of the empty containers and replace the first container he took, refitted the secret compartment and closed up the wall panel, slipping outside he reattached the lock and made his way back to his ship. Even with the worst security ever, his thoughts were so much on the object in his pocket he barely kept out of sight. Eventually he made his way back to the Whisper. Wispering Eclipse was his ships actual name, but he just called it Whisper. It was quiet and sleek and fit him perfectly.

Securing his cargo, he checked his sensors. The escape route is clear, time to punch it! As he leaves his hiding place he keeps his HUD up. Can't be too careful. Once he was out of the atmosphere and had his course plotted he let Whipser take over. It was time to check out his haul.

Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Jax pulled out one of the containers of Dust. This mysterious substance was the lifeblood of modern civilization, powering everything from starships to personal devices. No one knew exactly what Dust was or how it worked. It seemed almost magical, defying the laws of physics. Alchemists, or artificers as they were now called, were the only ones who could manipulate Dust to create the advanced technologies that made interstellar travel possible.

Jax marveled at the shimmering, almost ethereal quality of the Dust. It seemed to pulse with an inner light, a reminder of its unfathomable power. As he examined it, his thoughts wandered to the artificer he was scheduled to meet. These individuals were shrouded in mystery, their knowledge of Dust bordering on the arcane. They were revered and feared in equal measure, capable of wondrous creations and devastating weapons. They guarded their secrets well. You had to be a member of the guild to learn anything and entry was nigh on impossible without the right connections.

He couldn’t help but ponder the nature of Dust. How had such a substance come to be? Was it a natural phenomenon, or did it have some otherworldly origin? The questions were endless, and the answers elusive. All he knew was that Dust was valuable, and it was his ticket to a better life. His contact, an artificer named Kael, was one of the best in the business. If anyone could unlock the secrets of the strange object he’d found, it would be Kael.

Jax felt a mix of anticipation and trepidation as he thought about their impending meeting. This haul was significant, but the object… the object was something else entirely. It could be worth a fortune or it could be dangerous. He had no way of knowing, but he trusted Kael’s expertise.

As Whisper sped through the void of space, Jax prepared himself for the rendezvous. The Dust and the enigmatic object held the promise of wealth and discovery. Whatever lay ahead, he was ready to face it.