Michael opened his eyes. It was around six in the morning. It was time to get up. He sat up in his bed, trying to get the tiredness out of his eyes. He switched his table lamp on. It was not much, but it was the only light in the apartment; after last month, the lamp got a defect. It was the wiring, not an easy fix. Still he was confident he could do it, should he have the materials. However, they were neither cheap, nor did he have permission to do so, and his landlord refused to fix it, despite him paying the rent every month on time. Such is the fate of the poor, he thought. Living in a small, one-room apartment, which only had space for one bed and one wardrobe. Both were bought used from the kind old woman from across the hall, who wanted to throw them out, in exchange for new ones. The same could be said about the induction hob, which he got from his workplace when someone brought it in to trade it in for a newer model. Not much, but at least he had something to make food with.

  Workplace... the electrical shop... he's going to be late!

  This train of thoughts made him spring out of bed immediately. He gathered his clothes and looked into the mirror of his wardrobe. He saw his long, dark hair and his face, which could use a shave, he thought. At least his body was muscular. He had no idea how, for he did not go to a gym, nor did he have a healthy diet. He usually had eaten fast food or sandwiches, for it was at least affordable and took no time at all. He liked to cook sometimes, though, coming up with new cheap recipes.

  Oh, well, it must be genetics, like his height. He quickly got dressed in his usual clothes, a pair of light blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a black hoodie over it. All of it paired with a very old, many times repaired shoe. On his way, he grabbed his bag and quickly put a dossier and a box full of dice in it.

  I can't wait to finally use these, he thought.

  'By guys, coming home late, so don't wait awake!' He said this to the plastic models on his shelf. There were numerous ones, but on top he put the bigger ones. They were walkers, two little and one big, with a skull-like mask as a face and a big "thermal cannon" and a chainsaw as weapons. Of course, they could not talk back, but they were his only company and most prized possessions. He took a big smile at them and left his home.

  Kurtgross was not a big city. It had a university, yes, but other than that, there was not much else. A few shops, a mall, and some bars. Otherwise, it was just like any stereotypical city in the country. Except for the fact that it was poorer than average. Everyone thought that having a big education facility would bring in the investors. They were wrong. No big factories or company headquarters were here. The nearest really big city was about a two hours car-ride away.

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  'A backwater town on a backwater planet,' thought Michael. That's what people from his favorite sci-fi universe, BattleAxe 15000, would say. He really liked this universe; whenever he had the time, he listened to lore videos, read about it, or built models from it. He had no idea why he liked it so much, but this was the only hobby he could really enjoy. It was dark, gritty, and sometimes downright disgusting; still, it captivated him. Especially the tales of the mysterious Knights of Steel, the ones on the top of his shelf. Big mechsuits, who are defenders of humanity and protectors of their civilization, but never interacting with them. But most important to him: giant robots with big weapons. Who wouldn't find that cool?

  On his way to work, he passed an arcade where he noticed a strange situation playing out. A group of boys was trying to get some chocolate out of a vending machine. The chocolate was stuck and would not fall down. The group tried to shake the machine, kick it so it would make the wanted nash finally theirs.

  'Come on, you piece of junk! Give me my snack!' He said.

  Please, don't hurt me, masters. I am sorry.

  That's what he thought the machine would say if it could talk. Sometimes he had these kinds of thoughts. Sometimes they even sounded real.

  Dropping another chocolate would help, he was thinking, while he passed the arcade. Suddenly, behind him, he heard one of the boys shout.

  'Hell yeah! It gave us an extra one!'

  He always had an affinity for machines. That was why the shop employed him. He was in charge of fixing any broken products the customers brought in. He liked that job; he always found it calming. And for him, the joy when a machine could work as intended again was one of the greatest things he could experience. In fact, that is why he was studying to be an engineer. He wanted not just to fix devices, but to help improve and invent them! He always dreamt of traveling the world, finding new problems, and making devices to solve them. To help humanity progress beyond what they think is possible. To save those who need a savior. As he thought that, he passed the campus itself. He stopped for a moment and looked at its walls, which were slowly coming apart, its decaying trees, and the broken window on the third floor. It was broken well before he came here, and he suspected it would be broken well after he left. All they did to "fix" it was to put duct tape a paper on it to somewhat stop the wind from flowing through this ancient building.

  One day. One day I will leave this place and find a job where I can really help people. He thought.

  It wasn't like this was the only broken-down building in the town; the roads themselves were full of cracks and patchings. That is, where they even attempted to fix them. Many parts of Kurtgross were not even tended to as the city's corrupt leaders would rather have the money in their pockets than fix the problems that could help everyone. Still, he hoped that one day it would change and a new leadership would be established, for the good of all.

  These thoughts were in the back of his mind while he rushed into the shop.