By David C. Daoust
At one time, there were two successful detergent companies within the Trade Consortium. One was ‘Dewie’, known for its wide range of ‘dew’ scented detergents. The other was called ‘O-factor’, for that pleasing olfactory experience. For years, these two companies were in steep competition with each other. They were in a constant battle for the top; for the most sales, for the most consumers of their cloth cleaning products.
It was found early on, that people tend to stick with the brand they are used to. For the most part this was chalked up to people just being used to their own scent. Because, after a time, people get used to the way they smell. In fact, their brains were wired this way on a primal level; the ability to ignore your own odor, helped to pick up on strange or possibly dangerous, odors that may be a threat.
These companies found, that the more of the population that used their specific brand, the more it spread to those around them.
The companies sunk their Coin into finding out why.
It was discovered this was largely based on people’s adverse reaction to the different scents, usually within the close quarters of the City-stations. People, who used the same detergent, all had the ability to block that odor out. Yet when someone with a different detergent arrived, they were forced to smell it. This adverse reaction, eventually led to large groups of people using the same product, all in the hopes of not being treated like the ‘smelly guy’. It was an example of the majority, pressuring the few, into conforming to the rest of society.
Ultimately, these companies found they had ‘Peer Pressure’ on their side.
These populations formed distinct boundaries for the companies. Dewie simply did not sell in O-factor dominant Stations or Living Quarters. Nor vice versa, would O-factor sell in Dewies. The two companies eventually found themselves in deadlock, unable to gain anymore ground.
That is until O-factor discovered a little ‘harmless’ chemical compound that, when mixed with their product, altered the experience of those that were already accustomed to the opposing brand. Not only did this smell seem more appealing to those that used Dewie, it also made Dewie smell horribly awful to O-factor consumers.
Little by little, O-factor, began sending free samples out with this new ‘secret ingredient’– targeting Dewie customers. O-factor mysteriously dropped their prices to staggering levels, no one could resist. The more that switched to O-factor, the worse the rest of society smelled to them, and thus the more others felt the pressure to change.
Dewie was eventually crushed under the weight of demand for O-factor.
Very rarely did anyone use Dewie anymore, no one really knew why.
Except of course, if you found you were allergic to the ‘Secret Ingredient’ of O-factor.
Like Henry Bogs was.
Henry spent his entire life, separated from the rest of society. He never really understood why. Didn’t matter where he was or what he tried to do, people treated him as though he was ground zero of a stink bomb.
He washed and scrubbed, wasted money on doctors and specialists, yet nothing changed. He thought maybe his sense of smell was damaged; in fact, he was convinced this is what it was. Never knowing that Dewie brand detergent, which was the only other option on the market, was repugnant to all those that used O-factor.
It made him feel small, it made him angry. Until he convinced himself, it was all a ploy to make him less than he was meant to be. He was born tall and strong. He convinced himself they were jealous. So jealous, all of society bent their will, all to make him less, or just feel small. The smaller he felt, the bigger he got– the angrier he got.
Henry Bogs lived with anger in his heart.
Henry could not keep a job. The amount of times he was asked to leave, staggered him. His inability to find a place in society, made it imperative that he make his own money.
It started with muggings, profits of which were used for reckless gambling on star speeder races. It was not long until the muggings landed him in the Stockade, where he spent a good portion of his adult life—this altered him forever.
Henry did well behind bars. His odor got him in fight after fight. He could handle himself though, and with each new fight, he only got better at it. This constant battling kept many at bay. Even got him a private cell in a whole new wing of the prison. Which to those in the new wing, that did not know why he got this special treatment, elevated him in their eyes. They assumed he was a big shot, crime lord or some such thing. He took advantage of their ignorance. His taste for gambling shifted to taking bets, rather than placing them.
This was a job he handled well, and when he was released from prison, he continued on this route.
Eventually, he scraped together enough Coin for a larger investment. He owned a fairly cheap Inn on the crime ridden City-station, Alpha Prime. The small bullet-proof booth, which he sat within, was sealed air tight, so his smell was never an issue for those that rented their rooms from him. And those he employed– were in no position to ask him to leave.
The problem, of course, was the crippling loneliness that permeated his existence. He found himself living deep, deep within depression. This, mixed with his anger filled heart, led to a tendency for delusion.
It was here, here that he discovered Emanuel Grady and the Chantry of the True Night.
Everything changed with the Chantry, some of it sheer coincidence. O-factor came out with a hypoallergenic version of their product. Without ever learning the true source of his problem, he switched, just for the cheaper price. While O-factor did raise their price back with the success of the new ‘secret ingredient’ marketing scheme, Dewie focused on selling their product to the elite upper classes, pretty much relying on slander of O-factor, ‘being for the Crag Dwellers’. This allowed them to jack their price up, all to raise their value in the eyes of the super rich. Henry never liked having to pay more for detergent, though he always considered it the least of his problems.
The two things, joining the Chantry and switching to O-factor, happened in quick succession. To Henry, he found his faith. First and foremost- the hate dissipated from his heart.
Henry Bogs put everything into the Chantry. When Emanuel called for his followers to join him on Twin Crown, Henry was the first to move his business to the small desert moon. A move he barely survived financially and he only sank further and further into the red as the years on Twin Crown passed.
Needless to say, Henry Bogs started to doubt his faith. He even started to blame his faith. And when everything fell, that fate filled morning, all before noon, Henry Bogs turned on the only man he’d ever put his faith in.
It was Henry’s knife that slit the throat of the community leader. And when the light of day winked out, and the skies went black, Henry Bogs thought he’d shattered existence with his deed. In his eyes, the very heavens had vanished; he doubted all reality.
The first thing he did was drag the body of Emanuel Grady to a Medical Bay. Crying and begging for forgiveness, for some miracle to take back what he had done. He pushed the lifeless form onto the Medical Bed.
There was no power.
There was no power anywhere on the moon, unknown to Henry, the Ion Wave had done its job.
From here Henry cried out for justice, for the law to take him. His life and hope and faith all shattered, Sheriff Dunn took him into custody.
The seemingly lifeless body of Emanuel Grady was left in the medical bay… on that powerless medical bed, as the rest of the population began to sort through the chaos that was their life.
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