"Now. How do you know my brother?"

"It's a long story." Christian looked up, "To put it shortly, I found myself locked up sharing a cell next to your brother. I could barely make out his face, but you look precisely like him."

Ryan yawned, "Do I really look that old?" and he stretched, "It's getting late. We don't know each other very well but you can sleep outside."

He made some weird movements with his hand, moving a stone slab that was a few feet away from him outside.

Ryan then pointed, "Part of why you're approaching me must be because of my abilities. If you want to learn, show me you're dedicated."

As the cold of the night reached its peak, and the winds blew unceasingly, Christian laid down on the stone pillow. His life had been completely thrown into the mix, yet why did he feel so free? It was euphoric thinking about it. His fate, though it seemed out of reach, moved ever closer to his hands, where he could finally grasp it.

He shivered and hugged himself. Maybe freedom was all he ever wanted. Even though he was good at coding, was that all there was to his purpose? He ignored it for far too long, but his work felt unfulfilling. Hunched over, bleeding red eyes, fingers cramping up. The only satisfactory part of his life were his dreams, even those drifted away from him given enough time.

A feeling took root in Christian's heart and wouldn't budge. He knew that in order to do what he truly wanted, he'd have to get off this god-forsaken slave planet and struggle his way into liberty.

It was as if a warm blanket was draped over him. At least in this moment, all the uneasiness and uncertainty he felt about his future faded away. He had learned to trust in himself.

...

The rays from the fiery red sun hovering above MP-17 woke Christian up. His back hurt from another night of sleeping on rocks, and his neck didn't like how hard the slab he laid on was. Christian got up and knocked on the walls, "Did I pass your first test?"

"Not even close," Ryan sighed and stretched his way out of bed, "You did what nearly everyone on MP-17 does- sleep outside. And be careful, just because I don't have a door doesn't mean you can knock on those flimsy walls I put up."

He walked outside his cave and turned to the right in one swift motion, leaving Christian behind. And of course, Christian followed, "Ryan, wait! Where are you going?"

Ryan didn't turn his head, "To meet my quota, where else?"

Stunned by his own stupidity, Christian didn't say anything as he trailed along the rocky path heading towards the mines. Lining up orderly, dozens of workers split into two lines. The line on the left was filled by skinny weaklings who would mine the ores outside of the cave. The right, a polar opposite, composed of men with wide shoulders and bulging muscles.

As luck would have it, Ryan fell into the right line, forcing Christian to do the same. Though Ryan wasn't particularly big or even seemed strong, he still had his powers. Christian was left line material, not right. He picked up a pickaxe from the barrel, awkwardly holding it like a kid with a heavy new toy, chasing after Ryan.