The Black Shard: Part II
The Black Shard is a story about two lovers who must survive their way of life by illegally mining in space. They hope to make billions of dollars in one lucky run, but find that there is something else out on the rocks aside from a few precious metals.
The Black Shard: Part I - https://theprose.com/post/323367/the-black-shard-part-i
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The Black Shard: Part II
Hoitt and Jennifer walk into the exiting chamber of the ship. Jennifer pressed the exit button on the hallway to her right. The door behind them slammed down with a hiss.
Inside Hoitt’s helmet, the computer began exiting procedures: “Prepare for the exit into space. All systems are green. Depressurizing chamber.”
The air around them hissed as the ventilation sucked it out of the chamber. The computer continued: “Extending exit chamber beyond rotational gravity sphere.”
The white chamber walls rumbled and shook. Hoitt felt his weight melting away like he was suddenly underwater. Now it was only magnetic boots gluing them to the cold metal floor.
“Just like being in one big ocean,” Hoitt thought.
The computer continued its operation: “Opening exit in 5 seconds. Five, Four…” As it counted down, Jennifer said: “Want to make it a race?”
“Only if I win something when I beat you,” Hoitt responded.
The exit door opened quick and silent. Ahead, in the void of space, were several thousand asteroids ripe for the picking.
“Let’s look for the asteroid with a big haul first,” Hoitt said.
However, Jennifer was already on the edge of the exit. She jumped headfirst into space, and said: “First one to the nearest asteroid wins, you overthinking lunk!”
Hoitt sighed but laughed aloud after seeing that Jennifer was fiddling with her glove, trying to get her propulsion pack online. He lined himself up at the exit door, and jumped, feeling his boots tugging lightly at his feet as he did so.
He tapped a button on his left glove. His onboard computer hailed him inside the helmet: “Automatic Propulsion Activated. Target - Nearest object.”
The jets at his back came alive, and Hoitt smoothly glided past Jennifer toward the asteroid field.
“No fair!” Jennifer yelled.
Hoitt laughed. He imagined what he would win when they got back into the ship.
“That’s why it pays to know your equipment before you use it,” He quipped.
Before long, Hoitt’s onboard systems guided him to a smaller asteroid-- the size of a large building. It was colored gray in several gradients, with specks of light flickering on the surface.
Hoitt thought it looked like snow, aside from the various craters that littered the area. He was close to landing. “No magnetic surface detected. Activating boot picks. Please be cautious,” The computer said. Hoitt felt the vibrations near the base of his feet, where the metal picks inside his boots exposed themselves.
“Jennifer, I’m about to touch down. Where are you?” Hoitt asked.
“I had to program my systems to follow you. I’m on my way.” She responded.
“And here, I thought you’d beat me to it. What we’re you saying before, something about an overthinking lunk?” He jested. Hoitt really wanted to rub it in.
“Fuck you, Hoitt,” She said. Hoitt only laughed.
Hoitt had landed inside a van-sized crater. He felt heat near his head as the propulsion system pointed its jets upward to ground him on the asteroid. Hoitt used that downward pressure to thrust his boots into the ground. His computer notified him: “Placement stabilized. Shutting off propulsion.”
Hoitt’s propulsion pack shut off, and he found himself safely standing on the crater.
He looked up and saw that Jennifer was about a minute from landing in one of the other craters.
Hoitt held up his left hand: “Computer, activate mining pick,” He commanded. A steel rod slightly ejected from the side of his propulsion pack. Hoitt grasped for it and pulled it the rest of the way out. He felt the button on the metal rod, pushed down, and the rod automatically configured the top into the shape of a mining pick.
Hoitt used the pick to slowly get himself out of the crater. He took one step at a time, allowing his boots to spike into and out of the rock to hold himself in place. He was taught to mine with two feet on the ground at all times. “Too many people hurrying themselves towards death,” He thought.
“Have you landed?” Hoitt called to Jennifer.
Jennifer gave the affirmative, and Hoitt saw the top of her helmet as she emerged from one of the other craters.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Hoitt said.
She slowly walked closer with her pick before saying: “Oh, yeah, you too. Wanna catch up, maybe go on a date?”
They laughed. Hoitt looked up and spotted his ship in the distance.
He saw the sizeable gravitational sphere slowing down considerably. The exit chamber Hoitt and Jennifer came from looked like a small pole at this distance. Connecting to the protruding exit chamber, were several small white compartments that comprised the guts of Hoitt’s ship. The cockpit, the cabin and changing room, adjoining hallways, and cargo bay. The cargo bay was the most substantial part of the vessel, easily dwarfing the cabin by at least four times its size. The gravitational spheres slowed to a halt, partially blocking Hoitt’s view of the innards of his ship.
On them, he read his ship’s name: “The Weasel’s Hoard.” Hoitt loved watching his ship go into standby mode.
“Stop eye-fucking the damn ship, and start mining you idiot,” Jessica said, laughing.
She pulled her digital planner from her suit and was studying it, possibly the instructions that Hoitt had sent her. “So, we’re looking at a potential for 30% gold, 40% silver, and 6% plat?” She asked, sounding impressed.
“Keep in mind that the buyer I got this data from isn’t the most reliable sort. Even if the numbers are half as reliable, it’s still a good haul.” Hoitt said.
“We’ll have to verify the numbers then,” Jennifer replied. She continued: “Computer, conduct a scan of the asteroid.”
“Conducting scan,” It responded.
Hoitt looked back up at the ship. After a short time, a red laser originating from the cockpit silently penetrated the asteroid some hundreds of feet from their location.
It cycled from digging to studying its outer surface. Whenever Hoitt’s ship scanned, it harmlessly passed over both of them as it processed the contents of the asteroid. Where ever the ship dug, Hoitt saw rocks ejecting violently into space.
“Scanning. Please wait,” The computer said continuously.
Hoitt took the time to get his planner from the pouch on his left thigh.
“You know, before that race you lost, we could’ve scanned for a better asteroid. This one might be a dud.” He said to Jennifer.
Jennifer tapped a few things into her planner and said: “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have to eat any more of my words. It looks good for Gold. 15% and climbing!”
“That’s great!” Hoitt responded. He looked at the data and found the asteroid was rich with metals.
“Wait,” Hoitt said, pausing: “I see something else.”
“What is that?” Jennifer asked.
The computer interrupted them: “Scanning complete. The asteroid is made of --24.33% Gold, 11.45% Silver, 1.22% Platinum, 0.66% Diamond matter. The rest is irrelevant material.” Hoitt’s eyes went wide. He looked at Jennifer, who was already looking at him.
The computer continued: “Please note: One anomaly detected.”
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The Black Shard: Part III - https://theprose.com/post/323912/the-black-shard-part-iii