Creator1

Just as the asteroid had disappeared into the void of space, Tracy could see out of the front of the craft a small spec appear. They were all silent, the craft smelt of new seating, there was a soft red light that illuminated the area they were all cramped into. The consoles had light blue and orange glows and several maps. Jay appeared to be relaxed and the craft moved closer towards the spec, which was growing in size. Jay leaned forward, now not relaxed,

‘This is Agent Bird.’ Jay said, pulling down and donning a headset. He smiled.

‘It good to hear your voice too, Troy! We’re needing to board, we have two additional survivors.’ He pressed several buttons and there was a dull thud and groan as thrusters from behind the craft stopped and thrusters in front spurted to slow down their craft. One of the front thrusters turned off while the other one remained on, this rotated the craft around completely. They moved slowly now, the ship that had been a spec now dwarfed their craft, they were completely under the larger ship as they lifted up slightly into the small opening in the bottom of the ship.

Tracy watched as the darkness of space slipped out of her sight and was replaced by fluorescently lit blue gray walls, adorned with black and yellow caution stripes. As space disappeared, the floor closed beneath them and the craft landed, thudding to the hull of the ship. Everyone began to squirm in the craft.

‘We need to wait, the room hasn’t normalized yet.’ Jay commented.

The fluorescent white lights flashed green three times and Jay unstrapped himself and opened his hatch, pulling himself out quickly. He inhaled loudly through his nose and looked around triumphantly.

‘This is my home!’ he said joyfully.

All the members of the vessel were now standing upright and regaining feeling in their limbs after being cramped. The craft had severe scrapes on the bottom from their emergency jettison. There was also remnants of some of the crabs that had been smashed by the doors, it was a miracle they made it off the asteroid, and she knew it.

‘You’re relieved. You must debrief before breakfast.’ The bodyguard smiled, nodded, and shook Jay’s hand.

‘I’ll see you around, didn’t think we’d make it out of that one.’ He chuckled, releasing Jay’s hand, nodding at Tracy and Maddie, and walking out of the room they had just landed in.

‘Unfortunately, we will have to debrief immediately. Come with me.’

Jay began making his way out of the area in the opposite direction of bodyguard. This place was very different from the mining facilities, the doors opened for you here, the floors were pristine and Tracy could see a vague reflection of herself in the floors. People smiled and greeted them as they passed.

‘Why is nobody in a uniform or coveralls?’ Tracy asked.

‘There’s a dress code, but no uniforms.’ Tracy did not understand, nor did she try to.

They entered a room that had several chairs, a low coffee table, a globe, and the walls were lined with books. There was a warm, earthy, yet sweet aroma to this place. The room was foreign to Maddie and Tracy, they looked all around, only their heads moving on their necks. Jay walked over to one of the chairs, gesturing to it.

‘Please sit.’

The two women approached each chair separately, Maddie sat first. She sunk into the cushioned couch, letting out a slight groan. Her eyes rolled, she had never experienced a chair like this.

‘They’re normally metal and hard! You have to try this Tracy!’

Tracy sat down and also struggled to control her reaction. Sitting was never a comfort to them, always a necessity, a reprieve from backbreaking labor,

‘What?- Oh yes, yes, the chairs. All chairs are like this for us.’ Jay said nonchalantly as he read a stack of papers that was on the coffee table.

‘I have to go get someone before we get started. Do you want some coffee?’

‘What’s coffee?’

Jay paused from his reading to look up at them.

‘That’s right! Oh you have to have it! Let me make you some!’ he walked over to a small bookshelf where a device sat. jay pulled a glass jug with a handle filled with black liquid. He poured the liquid into cups, pouring what looked like a lot salt minerals into the cup. He brought the cups over to the table and set them down in front of them.

‘Not yet.’ Jay said returning to the bookshelf and grabbing another canister. He unscrewed the top and poured a thick white liquid into the cup, turning the concoction into a soft brown color, letting out the most pleasant aroma. Jay stirred the liquid and pushed the cups towards the ladies. He was smiling in anticipation, Tracy loudly slurped her coffee. She was taken aback by how good it tasted.

‘It’s so sweet! How does it taste sweet with all that salt?’ Maddie asked.

‘Sugar. It’s called sugar, we are only able to grow this on Earth and mars as far as we know.’

Jay walked over to the door, ‘just enjoy that drink, I’ll be right back.’  As he left the door, one could hear him finding his person immediately.

‘Just the man I was looking for! We have to do a debrief about the- ‘ The door shut on Jay, shortly after it reopened and a short, slender, white haired man walked in. He had warm eyes and a harmless smile. He extended his hand to the ladies’ kissing Maddie’s and firmly shaking Tracy’s.

‘I’m so sorry about the tragic events that happened in your mining facility today. We’re here to help you. My name is G.’

‘G what?’ Tracy asked. G smiled patiently, ‘G is sufficient for you.’

Tracy looked desperately at Jay who nodded slightly at that answer.

‘I am the overseeing of this section of the ship, if you need anything during your time here, please let me know. After the debrief, you will all be seen by a doctor.’ G finished, sitting down in a third chair, there was only one left for Jay, who sat almost immediately.

‘There’s no easy way to put this.’ Jay began, ‘this is our third attempt at having a mining facility on this asteroid. We’ve had other facilities go dark like this as well.’

Everyone sat in silence, G’s beaming smile was projected at everyone as he turned his head to examine each person in the room intensely as Jay spoke.

‘We have experienced attacks by lifeforms that are not human on over 35 asteroids, moons, and planets at this point. Asteroid 8743 has been responsible for the destruction of three mining facilities, and over 430 souls.’

Tracy began to feel tears swell. The image of her crew being ripped in half, being dismembered by hundred of small crablike creatures crawled through her brain. She could hear the music, forever associated with something horrible, and the screams playing through her head. Her heart began to race, she was becoming frightened and angry.

‘430 souls?…’ Maddie sadly chimed in.

‘Yes, that’s correct, this asteroid has had the highest fatality rate, but other encounters per capita are not far behind.’ Jay carried on.

‘They knew and they still let us go… The mining company.’ Maddie droned on.

‘The mining company… it’s complicated… They know there are dangers attributed to this, but the specifics are generally not discussed. They know on certain missions, they likely won’t get their crews back, they ask for more to compensate, we pay it.’

Maddie silently cried. ‘They sent us here knowing we’d die?’

All three sat silently, G still radiating with a more muted smile touched the Maddie’s knee.

‘Perhaps we can take a brief walk?’ Maddie nodded, wiping her tears and standing up, leaving slowly with G.

‘Anyway,  Wilma, was probably the only person on that station that fully understood the risk. I have been working with her on these creature on this asteroid for over three Earth years.’

‘Wilma knew?..’ Tracy mumbled, ‘but she was miner, like me.’

‘She was, a real miner, but she also was an agent here. Her goal was never mining minerals for the government, he goal was to find those creatures, determine what they were, and if necessary, exterminate them.’ Jay concluded. Tracy sat in silence.

‘We will be sending you back to the Mining company, to which they will decide where your new outpost will be.’ He continued.

‘Where will Maddie go?’ Tracy weakly asked.

‘Oh Maddie will be fine, she doesn’t realize this, but she has a very successful uncle in politics on Earth. She will be sent to Earth to enjoy a life of excess and luxury that she cannot even comprehend.’

‘Jay… I don’t want to go back to the mining camps.’ Jay looked at Tracy, searching for words to say.

‘I want to go back, and kill those things that destroyed my life and my family.’ She concluded.

SIX MONTHS LATER

There was some commotion as Tracy entered the hangar bay door and made her way to the center of the room. She was escorted by two armed androids who followed slightly behind her. She approached a newly commissioned rover and climbed onto it, being slightly taller than the androids she looked out at the 60 something group in front of her.

‘All right! Listen up! You have a list of minerals we have to go out and get today! Customer is a government entity, contents of this mine will be concealed at their request. You will be followed by a separate rover, with android guards, they are here for general safety of the crews.’

‘Excuse me, what’s the need? I’ve only heard of protection crews for miners in active war zones, why here.’ A mining lead asked.

‘This is just a precaution. This facility has been successfully operating for over three years without a single incident. We do things a little differently here. Your job is to bring home minerals from out there and tell us if you see anything that’s not minerals.’

Tracy stepped down and was followed by her guards. She entered her very own Commander’s Quarters, she had this made the exact same as Wilma’s. Tracy looked out the large curved window, scanning the landscape for more of those creatures. She often hoped that one of the crews would find remains of her friends, but she knew that would never happen.