n Draxillion's Shadow: An Interview with Vexel, the Writher
In the devastated heart of Shaft Zone Draxillion, we meet Vexel, a Zyrrhk who lives off flux scraps and survives among militias and synthetic mist. This encounter reveals the raw reality of survival, trust, and clinging to hope in a sector where harmony is just a ghost.
Interviewer Garbik Flux So, uh, thanks for being here, Vexel. Can I ask... what kind of being are you, exactly?
Vexel Ha, classic opener. My kind calls itself Zyrrhk. We shift shape under stress, so ignore my tentacles-they're temporary and, uh, sometimes awkward.
Interviewer Garbik Flux That explains those... squishy stains on the floor. How did you end up in Shaft Zone Draxillion?
Vexel Shorted flux extractor, on Stardate 4419.299, busted route chart, and a brassy offer from a local energy broker. Been stuck here since, basically.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Stuck... How do you survive among all these militias and bots?
Vexel Survive, sure-just never smell like brewed kitelex-oil and yell 'Don't break me!' loud enough if you run into a warbot.
Interviewer Garbik Flux So what do you do all day in this chaos?
Vexel I scavenge leftover flux, patch hollowed-out data reefs. When hungry, I feed off electromagnetic pulse fields. Improvise or get dissolved, basically.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Do you miss your home planet?
Vexel Sometimes, but it was always freezing there, and administrative resets happened every hour. Here, it's sweaty, confusing, and... well... free.
Interviewer Garbik Flux What do you make of the constant battles down here?
Vexel Fights? Just comes with the fog, like condensation in the air. Nobody really wins-everyone just chases the next smoke-free second.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Have you made any friends here? Or... allies?
Vexel If you count the half-round grit rats, yes. Real friends? No. Trust is hard when anyone might flip sides or dissolve before you can blink a tentacle.
Interviewer Garbik Flux *Coughs through the haze* Does the smoke ever bother you?
Vexel Meh. The mist isn't toxic to me, just prickly. Rumblestorms are worse-they abrade my cells raw.
Interviewer Garbik Flux You sound a bit... angry. Are you alright?
Vexel Why wouldn’t I be? Have you ever tried paying tolls to three feuding militias at once, or sharing your output with a warbot that steals as soon as you blink?
Interviewer Garbik Flux That, uh, sounds complicated. Why not leave?
Vexel If it were that easy, I wouldn't be sitting next to a human reporter in a leaky shed full of smoldering fibers, would I? My kind can't travel through military wormgates without- uhm... never mind. Next question.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Sorry, that... eh, sorry. What do you hope to accomplish here in Draxillion?
Vexel Making it to Stardate 4422.300 would be something. Maybe I'll find a safe cluster someday-where flux is still pure and there aren't guns on every corner.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Anything you'd like to share with our readers?
Vexel Never come to Draxillion for fun. But if you want to learn what holding on really means, try slabbenflux. It crackles. Seriously.
Interviewer Garbik Flux Any regrets?
Vexel Everyone regrets something, but shaft zone Draxillion spits you out if you dwell on the past. You know, now that I think of it... maybe you could send a route map to the Bridging Fields for me?