3 Chapter-3
After getting his clothes and hairstyle done, Aiden didn't delay any further and started walking towards the metro station.
As soon as he reached the metro station, he saw two escalators going underground. From one escalator, people were coming out, and on another one, people were going in.
Aiden took the escalator that was descending and reached the ticket counter.
There was a long line of passengers waiting in front of the counter, but the line cleared up pretty fast as the robots distributed the tickets.
When Aiden's turn came, the robot asked him, "[Where to, sir?]"
"4th Street," Aiden spoke.
"[That will be 10 Gems. Please tap your card on my screen to confirm your payment]," the robot spoke as its screen turned white, and a card-shaped figure appeared on it.
Aiden took out his card and tapped it on its screen.
"[Ticket has been sent to your smartwatch. Keep moving, please.]"
Aiden moved as his smartwatch buzzed with a message.
Aiden looked at his watch, and a holographic message popped up, "[Ticket to 4th Street x1]."
Aiden then moved towards one of the metros that was waiting for passengers to come on board.
Aiden entered inside the metro and took a seat.
The gates of the metro closed, and it started moving.
The metro trains now worked on a magnetic concept, saving time by 80%.
The train covered 60 km of distance in just 5 minutes.
Aiden walked out of the metro and scanned his ticket on the exit counter.
Taking the escalator, he exited the metro station and started moving towards the Harken Tech Center.
4th Street...
Known for its shady markets. If anything ever got stolen on Nexus Prime, you would find it here. Every thief on this planet sells his stolen goods here.
As soon as Aiden came out of the metro station, he saw many stalls, shops, and pushcart sellers selling different stuff.
"Everything under 20 Gems... Come buy... Come buy Everything under 20 Gems."
"90% sale. Everything on the stall for 5 Gems only, fixed price. 5 Gems only. Limited-time offer."
Aiden once bought a watch from here, and it stopped working in just 2 days, but when he came back to return it, the seller and his stall were both gone.
"Oi, young man. You look special." A sound came from behind.
"Hmmm...?" Aiden looked back and noticed an old lady wearing black and shady outfit, grabbing his coat from behind, her face not visible.
"I said you look special." The old lady repeated herself.
"Hahaha... Me, special? You must be kidding, lady, but if you are selling something, I don't want to buy it." Aiden said as he started walking again.
"Wait, young man." The old lady spoke.
"I said I am not interested in buying anything."
"I know what you said, but I haven't eaten for three days, son. Please buy this." She said as she took out a locket from her pocket and showed it to Aiden.
"What is this?" Aiden asked as he looked at the locket. It was pitch black and looked like a crystal.
"A good luck charm, it's made from a falling star." The old lady spoke.
"A good luck charm, huh...? Well, I will buy it. How much?" Aiden was a good guy; he didn't want to buy the charm, he just wanted to pay the lady for food.
"1000 Gems." The old lady spoke.
"What? Lady, are you kidding me?" Aiden shouted in surprise.
"No, son. The more you give, the more good luck you will get." The old lady spoke.
"Okay, okay. How about this, 200 Gems?" Aiden tried to bargain.
"999." The old lady spoke.
"Okay, 400 Gems. Last." Aiden spoke.
"998 Gems."
"700 Gems. I am not-"
"Deal." The old lady spoke before Aiden could complete his sentence.
'Fuck, she got me.' Aiden thought.
"Here, we will meet again. Son." The old lady gave the locket to Aiden and walked away.
"Wait, what about your money?" Aiden asked, but before he could say anything further, his smartwatch vibrated.
[Your account has been debited by 700 Galactic Gems]
"What?" Aiden immediately opened the message and tried to track its source.
[Date: Unknown]
[Time: Unknown]
[Paid to: Unknown]
[Tag No: Unknown]
"What nonsense is this?" Aiden thought in his mind as he let the matter go and put the locket in his pocket.
As Aiden passed through the streets, he saw many tech items being sold at the stalls.
Like a Portable Tent, a small 4x4 cm-sized cube that can transform into a portable tent anywhere. It's a good thing for campers, but no one does camping on Nexus; that's why 90% of the population present here is from other planets gathered to shop.
Even if you live on any other planet, you have to come to Nexus Prime if you want to buy something. That's why people from different planets often buy one year's worth of supplies in advance so that they don't have to come back for one year.
Aiden walked through the crowd and finally reached his destination.
A big building with a very shiny screen on it that said:
'HARKEN STELLARTECHS, CENTER NO. 466.'
"Here goes nothing," Aiden said as he entered inside.
As soon as he entered, he saw many people going here and there.
After looking around, he spotted a line of many counters where several clerks were sitting.
Aiden walked up to one counter and asked, "Excuse me?"
"Welcome to Harken StellarTechs. How can I help you, sir?" A girl around 20 years old was sitting behind the counter, wearing a red uniform.
"Hello, I would like to know about this," Aiden said as he handed the flyer to the lady.
"Oh, so you want to apply for the Planet Exploration Jobs, huh?" The lady asked.
"Yes," Aiden replied.
"Well, scan your smartwatch in front of the scanner," the lady said to Aiden.
Aiden did as he was told.
As soon as he scanned his smartwatch, everything about him appeared on the lady's computer screen.
"Mr. Aiden, you worked as a Miner for Harken Techs as a miner on Aurorium for the last 3 years, is that correct?" The lady asked.
"Yes."
"According to this information, you have been analyzed with Terminal SSD this month, and you still want to apply for this job?" The lady asked.
"Yes," Aiden replied with a sad face.
"Well, you are selected."
"What? Isn't there, like, any interview or something that I have to take before?" Aiden asked in confusion.
"No, sir. You have no parents, no friends, not even a partner. You have been analyzed with a terminal disease, and you worked as a miner on Aurorium.
You are the perfect candidate for the sample collector post. No worries if you die because you are about to die either way. No compensation will be given to anyone after your death because you don't have any relatives.
The company has ordered us to immediately accept candidates like you. Welcome aboard, sir." The lady spoke some harsh but true words.
Aiden didn't know what to do—be sad that what the lady said was true or be happy that he got the job.
"You will be the sample collecting helper, and your salary will be 175,000 Gems per day. Your next mission is in 1 hour; please report at space station no. 5 in 45 minutes. You can carry up to 10 kg weight with you on this journey.
I have sent information related to your latest mission on your smartwatch. Please do check it before going, and 1300 Gems will be deducted from your first salary for the space suit and other accessories we will provide you on this mission, but don't worry; it's just a one-time thing.
We welcome you to Harken StellarTechs. May you have a safe travel."
"Yes," Aiden said as he looked at his smartwatch and saw a holographic message on it.
[Mission: Planet X-7456]
