The sky over the resource planet was stained a dark red by smoke and dust, the colonial army’s mining machines rumbling loudly, the surface scarred with craters from explosions. Evan Carter piloted a supply ship, slowly landing at a temporary camp. He jumped out of the hatch, toolbox in hand, frowning as he looked around—the camp had fewer soldiers than expected, the atmosphere eerily calm, like the stillness before a storm. He muttered under his breath, “Why is this place so quiet?” He touched his pocket; the blue stone he’d picked up at the edge of the mining zone was still there, rough but faintly glowing. He thought of polishing it into a bracelet for Rebecca, a small warmth spreading in his heart.
He spoke into the radio, “Command, this is Carter. Supplies delivered, but what’s going on here?” A few seconds of silence followed, then a faint voice responded, “Fix the mining machine as planned and withdraw—don’t ask questions.” Evan turned off the radio, his frown deepening. This mission had felt off from the start. The coordinates were precise, like they were meant for a bombing, and the supply list was missing fuel tanks. He walked toward a broken mining machine, opened the control panel, and muttered, “This power line was cut—it’s not a malfunction.” A chill ran through him. Someone wants me to stay here?
Meanwhile, at Federation Corp’s tech department, Derek sat at workstation, manipulating a 3D map of the resource planet that displayed a deep mineral vein worth ten billion star credits. He was executing a plan: altering Evan’s mission coordinates to lead him to an explosive core in the mineral vein. Victor needed the ore, but mining required detonating the energy core—a high-risk task. Derek chose to sacrifice Evan, who had a simple background, and no connections, making him the perfect target. Derek tampered with the coordinates, removed safety warnings, and planted a lock program to ensure Evan couldn’t escape after reaching the core, then submitted falsified “desertion evidence” to Victor.
Derek leaned back in the chair. Evan, that big fool, honest as an ox—perfect to take the fall. Once the vein is opened, the boss will be pleased, I’ll get promoted, and who’ll dare say I’m useless? He turned off the screen, humming a tune as he walked out, already planning how to take credit with Victor.
On the resource planet, after fixing the mining machine, Evan received new orders. A cold voice came through the radio, “Carter, there’s a malfunctioning energy node in the core of the mining zone—go fix it. Coordinates sent.” Evan frowned. “The core? That’s not a mining machine’s job, is it?” But the order was non-negotiable, so he grabbed his toolbox and headed to the designated location. As he walked, he touched the blue stone in his pocket, murmuring, “Rebecca, I’ll definitely make you that bracelet when I get back.” He didn’t notice that the coordinates led to a deeply buried energy core, surrounded by sensor-activated explosives set by the colonial army.
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Reaching the depths of the vein, Evan opened the core’s hatch, revealing a tangle of wires and a blinking device. He froze. This isn’t a repair—it’s a detonator! He realized something was wrong and turned to leave, but the radio crackled with a final order, “Carter, you’re charged with desertion. Surrender.” At the same time, the roar of engines echoed in the distance as a squad of colonial army fighters swooped down. He dropped the toolbox and ran toward the supply ship, only to find the hatch remotely locked. He drew his pulse gun, turned, and sprinted toward the ruins, his fingers gripping the blue stone tightly, muttering through gritted teeth, “Rebecca… I’m sorry…”
A cannon blast knocked him over, the explosion’s roar swallowing everything. In his fading consciousness, he used his last strength to stuff the stone into the inner pocket of his protective suit, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. At least… I’ll leave you something to remember me by… He collapsed in a pool of blood, the blue stone, now stained red, resting silently on his chest.
A few hours later, Rebecca Shaw received a message at Federation Corp: “Evan Carter, mission failed, suspected of desertion, killed by colonial army.” She stared at the screen, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold her coffee cup. Desertion? Evan would never do that! Did those bastards make a mistake, or… She stood abruptly, rushing to the tech department, but found only an empty workstation. Derek had long since slipped away, leaving her alone, staring at the screen in a daze.
A miner who escaped from the resource planet secretly found Rebecca, handing her a torn inner pocket from a protective suit, inside which was a blood-stained blue stone. He said quietly, “Carter asked me to give this to you before he died—said it was… material for a bracelet.” Rebecca took the stone, her fingers trembling, tears finally sliding down her face. Evan, even in your last moments, you were thinking of me… She knew this wasn’t an accident—someone had set him up. But who? Or was it someone higher up? She clenched her jaw, her eyes red with tears. I have to find out.
