Xera

4|Bix

A wooden box was lowered deep into the desert sands. Within it, Oskgo of Raifye: husband to Xiabi and father of Bix. The lunar lung had finally taken him the day the race announcement was made. Bix had grappled with the realization all morning, before he finally ventured over to Solise's hut. She had helped to console him in the immediate aftermath. Cooking him the last Lerxo steak she had and busting out some Raiyfian alcohol she had found in her travels. It provided a nice break between his father's passing and the funeral service.

Solise stood next to Bix as family elders shoveled the sand back into the grave. It was a tradition in many families throughout Xera. If elders had outlived their descendants, they buried them. Oskgo's parents had him when they were quite young and had managed to live a life free of danger, on another planet. They were quite old now, probably not much longer before they'd be gone too. Oskgo had not intended to live on Raiyfe after his discharge. That decision was made for him by a failing craft that the kingdom had unloaded on him as a parting "gift." When the ship malfunctioned near Raiyfe's orbit (which it was only near due to faulty mapping systems), Oskgo made an emergency landing. Once Xiabi had given birth to Bix, Oskgo had already accepted his life on the planet.

Bix couldn't help but look at his elders and wonder if his father would still be alive, had he been on another planet. He shook the thoughts away. Lunar lung. Dad got it from work. Before he was ever here. This was true; the condition was known to develop very slowly over time. By the time those afflicted start to notice the side-effects, most medicines were of no value. Oskgo had actually held on much longer than most who discovered they were sick at his age. He was forty-seven cycles old when the diagnosis was delivered. He held on for four more cycles before his lungs became too constricted to draw breath.

Now, he lay in the ground. The suffering was over...for him. Bix was another story. He would depart for the academy at the end of the green season, leaving his mother alone in the home. His training would encompass five cycles before he would earn a craft to pilot. It would be five more before he'd earn enough leave to visit his mother again. He wondered what would become of Raiyfe by then. Would the expansion continue? Would he arrive to a thriving utopia or the same desolate rock that existed before? What would become of Solise? Would she still be here or will she have moved on to another place? He doubted it.

In all the time he had known her, she never once mentioned leaving the planet. Despite being somewhere she didn't like, she was comfortable in her routine. Furthermore, the thought of leaving Raiyfe seemed impossible to grasp before now. The closed-off nature of the planet didn't provide much hope for journeying elsewhere. Even with the boost in technology that had come with the race setup, Bix felt Solise wouldn't take advantage of it. At least she'll still be here when I come back. The thought hit Bix like a knife in the heart.

She stayed with him after the service concluded. They had broken off from Bix's family to take a walk through the wastes. Solise had only spoken to Oskgo a few times since she'd known Bix. Nevertheless, her empathy was apparent to Bix. She ended up spending the rest of the day with him. They rode the trains for the very first time. It was a bumpy ride that smelled of oil and sulfur. The shorter distances could be ridden for free. Separate "high-end" crafts existed for longer trips. Even the cheapest option was out of their price range.

They departed at Grinkubau and were shocked to find they could no longer recognize it. The rough-and-tumble outpost has been cleaned up beyond anything the two friends ever could've imagined. A stone path connected shiny buildings that housed new eateries and merchants that had been imported from Vawe. In the center of the outpost was a stone statue of King Matahae, who had ruled on Vawe in the early years of Oskgo's royal service. Bix was unsure of who currently bore the title of the "king of the wastes." His studies into the academy efforts had always been fairly phoned-in. His acceptance into the academy was assured by his father's legacy status. Therefore, the ins and outs of the kingdom and royal family seemed a waste of time.