Off
to starboard, the blinks of small cats eyes were stars an
unfathomable number of light years away. As the distance closed,
they grew in size or intensity. It wasn’t black out there not as
black
is meant to be. It’s a beautiful empty expanse with baubles called
planets sometimes surrounded by smaller bodies, significantly called
moons. I have seen deserts with more panorama than the space outside
the viewport. However, deserts end at civilisation, space never ends,
and for a human out in this limitless vacuum, it is hard to describe.
Space is clear of smog, heat and perspiration; because it is
numbingly cold and will boil your eyes in a heartbeat. The habitable
planets owe their atmosphere and ability to hold life to the
plasma/hydrogen/quron star in this quadrant. Now the Nemon has it off
the port side behind the gas giant we are currently orbiting.
The
Illurian adjusted his eye protectors as the plas-glass portal opaqued
to see-through status. The Consortium of three who currently
dominated Illuria appointed Leylink to assist specified trading
partners in obtaining certain minerals. The Nemon was a gesture of
Illuria’s need for other – more specific requirements, and
Leylink was to cement that partnership. At 2 meters, the Illurian
would touch the scales at 100k, as their bone structure wasn’t as
dense as on a high gravity planet. The white mane of hair fell from a
prominent, narrow skull more elongated than Earthers and the facial
structure – eyes/nose and mouth were closer to leonine in
perception. The narrow neck joined at the shoulders which being
extremely wide, reinforced the skeletal build. The arms were longer
with tapering fingers. Overall, the effect was human-like. An
Illurian in National dress was not unlike the regal and majestic
Maasai
people of Earth.
The
infinity of space still held him in thrall, even now, as he wondered
how deep and how far the racing gas clouds had come. Ahead, a single
planet blocked the flickering light from the distant stars and
brought him back to the current task. He was standing on the bridge
of the cruiser – The Nemon. It escorted the bulky Starmine as the
manoeuvring jets bumped it out of low orbit around the latest find; a
moon sized asteroid rich in metals - a rare find in this fragment of
space. Starmine entered the asteroids ionosphere and without breaking
trajectory downslided into the orbs gravity ring.
Squalls
of icy winds ripped at the gas clouds as they fled across the tundra.
The high wind chill froze any unprotected skin or machinery not
wrapped in plas-steel. The vacuum of space provided an eerie
silhouette to the ship falling in from orbit. The spherical silver
craft moved into the foreground against the star field as it sliced
through the pulsing wall of energy. The configuration of the bulbous
vehicle and the broken terrain merged for an instant.The
sleek plas-steel craft wavered, condensation wafted about its body.
The tundra was consistent, it was a blasted wasteland marked by
meteor strikes.
From
the middle nacelle of the engine housing a rod extended with owl-eye
sockets; as the rod extended, the owl-eyes opened, and a light too
bright for unshielded eyes, bored into the tundra below. Molten
cinders and steam exploded as the white hot lance speared into the
ground. Starmine settled further following the beam as the lance
bored deeper then shut down. Worker-robot craft separated from the
mother ship and white-hot lights swept back and forth, as they joined
in the assault; the grinding of mesh gears and searing heat swept the
area. The mother-ship sank to the surface as if exhausted after the
long flight.
Plas-mesh
supports sprang from the sides of the vehicle on thickened rods
stabilising the craft as it settled onto the undulating surface. Then
the reason for the large bulge in front of the Starminer became
apparent. The bulge opened splitting at the middle and large wheeled
vehicles roared down ramps onto the tundra. Massed troops with
weapons formed ranks and marched to the vehicles, while even stranger
craft hovered overhead. As the last of the mining machines ran onto
the escarpment, the landing ramp closed, allowing the behemoth to
return to an elliptical orbit.
The
ancillary thrusters decreased speed and the asteroid hunter turned as
if bearing into a lee wind, impossible in airless space. It continued
its gyration until it was forward of the primary goal; a signal was
then sent to the Nemon.
With
its forward momentum arrested Starmine sailed into position alongside
a structure forming in airless space. An opening appeared in the side
of Starmine opposite the elongated skeleton and several more
respirator clad figures appeared. Moving out from the ship, other
metal objects appeared and smaller tug ships towed the components
into parking stasis. The activity moved across the abyss as a
telescoped section of metal appeared through the doors. Unending, the
movement continued. Figures swarmed over it until a pattern emerged.
Smaller
carrier craft came into view and thrusters burned, turning the area
into a sea of stars. Curtains of bright lights erupted from the belly
of the behemoth as more objects appeared and wrestled into position
by the tugs, which then swarmed over the ballooning structure.
A
huge knitting needle of plas-steel passed through the centre emerging
from the other side. Carrier craft swarmed about to a plan. The tugs
moved about this silver globe attaching hawser lines. In concert,
they moved and the globe moved. Quickly thrusters engaged and in a
concentrated manoeuvre, the globe entered the atmosphere of the mass
that only hours ago had been a rogue asteroid.
‘As
soon as the Reclamator reaches the surface have those supports
plugged and we could start drilling within one day.’ The figure
spoke from the bridge of the Nemon, as he surveyed the orbiting steel
balloon that was slowly moving to the surface of the asteroid. The
tall stick-like Illurian watched as the ships thrusters jockeyed the
craft around the orb as the Earther joined him at the command
observation portal. ‘Where did you find this one?’ said the rich
throaty voice.
‘Out
by the nebula on the edge of the cleared zone; there may be another
in the area shortly.
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