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My work has taken me to the cursed planet of Sarindar. Perhaps your mothers have told you stories of Sarindar. Well, they are all true. This is an evil place. Or, at least, it was.

Our government did not think it was ever a cursed land, but that those were simply stories to frighten children such as yourself. They told us that we were to come to this home of evil and construct machines that will mine the planet. There is an element here that is called chimerium. Supposedly, harvesting this element will make our government rich. I suppose that is so, but I doubt that I will see any of those riches. Our wages are above standard, but nothing compared to what the government will reap from our labors. That is, it seems, the way of things—and it is worth it, perhaps, to make sure that you and all your brothers and sisters have a better life.

It has been worth it for other reasons, too. I have seen things that I thought I would never live to see.

When I was your age, my father and mothers told me many stories to both frighten and excite me—no doubt your mothers are doing likewise. Perhaps they have told you of the monster shii, or of the sañuul that can lift curses and bring the light.

I have seen both these things.

In order to explain how I have seen these things, I must first tell you about Commander Gomez. She was sent by the Federation. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about them, too. The evil empire who fought us three ages ago and demolished our fleet. To be honest, my son, when I heard that they were sending someone from that foul nation, I almost quit. I only did not because I knew that I would be blacklisted from this kind of work—not only would the government never hire me, but neither would anyone else. I have my family to think of. So I stayed.

Our last supervisor was a good man by the name of Nalag. At least, he was a good man when we first came here. He had every intention of making this project work. He was a sensible man, who had a good plan for the machine we are building. He was also a calm, well-adjusted man, who always kept his beard short and neatly braided.

By the time he quit, he was a wreck. He screamed constantly. His beard had become a long, tangled mess that he didn’t even bother to braid. He talked to himself.

Sarindar had destroyed him.

I feared that it would destroy all of us. And then, then the government informed us that Nalag would be replaced by someone from the Federation.

Worse, a woman from the Federation. For a woman to supervise a man’s work is absurd. But I remembered you, my son, and the rest of the family, and I persevered.

When Commander Gomez arrived, she immediately set about destroying Nalag’s work. This offended me even more than her presence. She spit on the work of a good man. It was not Nalag’s fault that this place is cursed, and his methods were good and fair.

Then she did something truly astounding.

She fixed the load-lifters.

You see, my son, the load-lifters were the true embodiment of the curse of Sarindar. They would not work. We tried everything we could to fix them, but still they would not work.

The woman had not been here an entire day before she solved the problem of the load-lifters. Since she worked her magic, they have consistently worked. My assistant, J’Roh, called her “Sañuul” after that, and I was half-tempted to go along with it.

But I could not. She was still a woman, still from the Federation, and still spitting on the memory of the noble Nalag. This was made worse when she tried to use her Federation trickery on the workers, who staged a simple protest.

All that, however, changed today.

I know what you are thinking right now. “When is he going to tell me about the monster shii?” Patience, my son.

Two days ago, four men were attacked in their sleep by a creature that one of them described as a monster shii.

Yes, that’s right. It is real.

I can see your mothers now. They are all probably reading this and making disapproving sounds about how Kejahna is filling his son’s head with insane stories.

And perhaps the two men