[sachmo]

To say life on Gissen was hard would be an understatement. Rafe Lindsey felt like he knew that better than anyone in the galaxy.
Rafe worked in the mines here on Gissen, which was the same work he had done back on Cherek. The work was hard, and moderately dangerous, but if you knew what you were doing you would be ok. Rafe knew what he was doing when it came to mining, which was probably why Invexus had recruited him so heavily. His bonus package had been substantial: a large cash bonus, a furnished apartment, and three weeks of paid vacation per year. Rafe had been sure that his life was on the upswing.
When they arrived on Gissen and began mining, he wasn’t as confident about his life choice. The entire surface of the planet was covered with a thick, fast growing purple vegetation that had to be cut back before the mining machines could even begin to work. So the miners had to patrol the perimeter of the site with cutters, constantly clearing the area so that the machines could do their work. It was a long, tiring struggle.
Once the mines were dug, they began work. Gissen was very rich in minerals. Soon the planet was churning out massive quantities of essential mineral, and their production soon surpassed even Cherek's. There were difficulties, though. The vegetation from the surface had to constantly be cut back from the mines, or within hours the entire mine would be covered, making work impossible. Also, the increased supply also created increased demand, and so the mines were working at a constant fever pace. This pace resulted in a larger amount of accidents, and mining accidents were often fatal. So in the year that Rafe had been on Gissen, he had worked harder than he ever had in his life, come face to face with death on more than one occasion, and when he did get some time to himself, there weren’t many entertainment option available. Rafe knew when he was licked, and he decided he would transfer back to Cherek.
He was almost immediately informed by the home office that he was “essential personnel” to the mining operations on Gissen and so his request for transfer was denied. Rafe was stuck on Gissen, at least until he was no longer deemed essential.
On night while he was out letting off some steam, a friend of his introduced him to Glide. That night, he forgot all of his troubles. The Glide took away his pain and loneliness. He spent the entire evening at his friend’s apartment, smiling and babbling while his brain chased after dreams. He awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and cheerful.
That day he could not stop thinking about the night before. As the hours mounted and his body grew weary, a small voice in his brain informed him that if he could get his hands on some Glide, he would be able to relax totally after work.
That night as soon as he left work, he went out to find his friend and to buy some Glide. When he caught up with his buddy, he was disappointed to find that his friend no longer had any to spare, but that he could probably head down to the space station and buy some there. Apparently, ship crewmen were the best source for the drug.
He made his way down to the spaceport, and the small voice in his head became more insistent that he feed it some Glide. He wasn’t sure exactly how to go about buying the drug, but he must have telegraphed his intentions well enough because soon a dirty, nervous looking ship crewman came over to him.
“What do you want, dirtmover?” the crewman asked.
“I want some Glide. I was told I might be able to find some here,” Rafe answered dumbly.
The crewman smiled. “Of course you do. Are you corporate security?”
Rafe’s eyebrows shot up. “What? No, of course not!”
The crewman looked around and grabbed Rafe by the arm, pulling him into a public restroom.
“Hey! What are you doing? Let go!” Rafe protested.
“Shut up, dirtmover. We can’t do this in the street. Glide ain’t exactly legal, you know?”
Rafe shook his head.
“Actually, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, maybe news ain’t got out here yet, but if they catch you with this stuff, they will lock you up and throw away the key.”
Rafe started to walk away, but that voice was screaming now. Screaming for the Glide.
“Give it to me anyway.”
The crewman laughed. “Lemme see the credit stick.”
Rafe handed over his stick, and the crewman ran it.
“Good. It’s twenty credits for a gram.”
“Twenty? Are you kidding?” Rafe squawked.
“That’s the price, squab. Take it or leave it.”
The voice told him to TAKE IT AND GO.
“Fine. Give me a gram.”
Rafe transferred the credits to the crewman’s stick, pocketed the Glide, and went home. He began to think about what the crewman said about it being illegal and started to keep an eye out for Security Details. The voice told him not to worry.
Back at his apartment, Rafe spent the evening laying on his bed, babbling to himself and drooling. His brain took him back to Cherek, where his folks were, and Janice. Janice teased him a bit before going to bed with him, and they made love all-night and talked until the morning. It was the best night of his life.
He awoke to the sound of the com unit buzzing. He glanced over at the clock. He was two hours late for his shift down at the mine. Panicked, he answered the com unit call.
The face of his foreman appeared.
“Lindsey! Damn it, boy, you look like ****! Are you sick or something?”
Rafe feigned a cough; thankful for the out his boss had given him.
“Yes sir. I must have slept thru my alarm. I meant to call you, but I must have slept in. I’m sorry sir…I can be there in thirty minutes…” and at this point he feigned another coughing fit.
The face on the com unit frowned.
“Nah, stay home. I don’t want you to get the crew sick. Just remember to call me next time. I though you were dead.” The foreman flashed him the briefest of smiles.
“Yes sir. Have a good day.”
The screen went dead.
Rafe ran into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He must not have slept very well because his eyes were sunken into his head and his skin was very pale. He felt tired, not at all like he had after the first time he had taken Glide.
Maybe I took too much, he though, or maybe I took it too late at night and didn’t rest long enough.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m off for the day,” he told his reflection, “maybe I can get some chores done.”
Just then, the voice in his head started telling him that maybe another trip back home might not be such a bad thing. He tried to ignore it, but it only came back louder this time, and this time it came back with Janice’s voice, calling him and begging him to come to bed and make love. He grabbed the Last dose of Glide and wolfed it down, falling back on the bed. He closed his eyes and stars exploded as his mind flew across space and time, finally coming to rest next to his love, Janice. She turned to kiss him again….

Once month later, an Invexus Security Detail found the body of Rafe Lindsey in a pile of trash. He was dressed in rags, and was obviously malnourished. An autopsy would later show the cause of death as Glide Syndrome, which was where the brain basically shut down, trapping the user in a dreamlike reality while the body slowly shut itself down, eventually killing the user when their heart stopped beating or the brain forgot to keep the lungs going. It was brought about by repeated Glide overdoses. Deaths from Glide Syndrome were usually very easy to diagnose, because the victims always died with a smile on their faces.