by Ian Alexio
Miner Discovery
Ian Alexio
Published by Ian Alexio, 2020.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
MINER DISCOVERY
First edition. June 30, 2020.
Copyright © 2020 Ian Alexio.
Written by Ian Alexio.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Miner Discovery
Sign up for Ian Alexio's Mailing List
About the Author
Editor: Dr. Vonda from www.FirstEditing.com
Cover Design: Jared Lipscomb
jaredlipscomb.artstation.com
Holo-pad Journal Entry 01
Think-Type initiated.
Radiating white light flooded the scape of stars. It was like a vast nebular aurora borealis amidst the bright blackness of space. The bulk of the light was white, but every color of the light spectrum could be seen beaming out from the center of this gargantuan phenomenon. The brilliance of it all overwhelmed my viewport. The gleaming rip in the cosmos enthralled me. I can hardly think of any words to depict what I was in the presence of. This had to be what the gates of heaven looked like. I was still light years away, but this is the closest I have ever been to a white hole. For years the idea of white holes was only theoretical. The realization of inter-dimensional travel is what lead to the discovery of the first one. It truly is a thing of immense beauty. The white hole was far grander, far brighter than we had initially calculated them to be. A relatively rare occurrence this side of the universe, nowhere near the same abundance as black holes. The reason white holes hadn't been discovered until after dimensional warp technology had been developed was because the nearest white hole to earth at the time was still a couple of superclusters away. From Earth's point of view, far off white holes were indistinguishable from supernovas, quasars or any other massive form of gamma radiating bodies, but hop on over to a supercluster inhabited by a white hole and you can see it as plain as day, or at least as a large patch of day in the night sky. Even with the naked eye, white holes are pretty discernible from stars at such a range. To put it simply, if you don't know if you're looking at a white hole or not, then you have never seen a white hole before. Of course with new discoveries brings new opportunities. Travel to white hole star clusters was soon established, A new era dawned on humankind. A gold rush on an intergalactic scale, so to speak. The Race for Matter. The worlds formed by the white hole were phenomenal. They consisted of matter unheard of by our mother galaxy. New elements, new physical properties. Our periodic table was vastly incomplete. Space Mining quickly became all the rage, the new rock star job of the universe. The title of Space Miner was coveted by many. To be a miner meant to be respected by all. Fame, fortune, power, and respect were all words synonymous with the Space Mining moniker. But like any profession, this is not so with everyone clawing their way up in the industry.
I will finally get the chance to test my hand at mining the stars. An opportunity to deal in other types of rocks than the ones I'm currently dealing. No matter the world, I can always find someone in need of the stuff I'm peddling. Providing narcotics to hard-working miners in need of a quick fix to get through the grueling demands of the job can be a sweet gig. Too bad it's not like twentieth-century earth. You used to make a killing pushing drugs when they were illegal. Nowadays, I'd be lucky to make some pocket change, and it may lead me to mingle with the high rollers of the mining community. Learn the ins and outs of this industry. If I can link up with the right connects, schmooze the right people, maybe I could someday end up as a high profile miner, mining in the big leagues.
I signed on to work with a company called Quartermaine Space Mining, QSM seems honest enough for a commercial mining op. I'm curious to see what they'll have to offer. I heard they're small time, but at least I'll get a taste of the space mining business. Imagine that, who would have thought that me, Jesse Peete, a lowly drug peddler, would finally get my chance mining for rare and undiscovered treasure among the stars.
All the workers that I've talked to so far all say that we're just going to find slag working with QSM, mediocre minerals from the new elemental charts. Everyone says the real money is in the private sector. But anything can happen. I've heard stories of people making favorable finds in less dangerous zones like the ones licensed to QSM. You don't always need the latest hardware or go digging around in the unexplorables to make the big hauls. I wonder what will be the first piece of rare matter that I'll find, will it be a fat hunk of Keycrite or a Vibronyx stone, maybe I'll get my hands on some QuantaQuartz, That would be Crush!
The company transport module I'm on is now nearing its destination. Dig site, Copia, an asteroid the size of a small moon, that lay in orbit just on the outskirts of the Empyrean system. A giant geode filled with new materials waiting to be dug up. I have to end this journal entry for now. We are arriving at our destination, and I want my Holo-pad to have a full charge upon landing. I can already feel the ship beginning to lose altitude. Next will come the free fall which makes some people sick but not me; I love the rush of G's, the butterflies in my stomach as we reach maximum V. It's exhilarating, the drop happens at a rate faster than sound. Then the deceleration burn kicks in right before the ship abruptly crash-lands, touching down in the rocky crust. I'm about to arrive at my first dig site. From this point on, I'm an official Space Miner.
Holo-pad Journal Entry 02
Think-Type initiated.
It's been days since I had time to collect my thoughts on my Holo-pad. Almost immediately after landing on this rock, I've been immensely busy. I didn't even have a chance to unpack any of my things yet. The enrollment process involved filling out tons of forms and then a brief but mandatory training orientation. It was part company workshop and part boot camp. Getting adjusted to life on Copia has been grueling. Work shifts run anywhere from 16-hour days on the lite side to a 72-hour stretch when pulling over time. There is a scheduled sleep period every so often to ensure proper sleep patterns. We spend a lot of time underground here so it is necessary to have sleep times planned out for those who can't adjust to the lack of sunlight. For most of us who utilize our time a little more wisely usually wind up treating this sleep time like the weekend. Good thing I packed some uppers. Stimulants are in high demand here. In no time I made friends, and It wasn't long before I got to know practically everyone, especially anyone of importance. My boss at QSM, for instance, gives me priority shifts cause of the amphetamines I supply him.
I've never seen such a wide diversity of hominids all in one place. It was a surprise to see the interesting ways the human species had deviated from its humble beginnings back on earth. All the differences were subtle, but it always got me thinking about what environment would have encouraged such altered features. Mining gear was the main attire but everyone had ostentatious ways of decorating themselves, a way to stand out. I thought my tats and piercings were elaborate, but they're fairly bland in comparison. I've never seen such an eclectic mix of body mods and eccentric garnishing before.
The living quarters are small ragtag villages that are overcrowded but steadily expanding. All the work sites and most of the shantytowns are underneath Copia's surface. Even above ground, it is dark; dust clouds from the digging in addition to a locked orbit that keeps this rock pretty dark. These so-called miner towns are a small percentage of the mining area. For the most part, the cities are subterranean, and the miners here have become quite adept at living underground. Because more than 75% of our time is working, the cities seem to blend into the bedrock of various dig sites. The cities are one with the excavation. Perpetual life in a series of tunnels and caver
ns; most workers hardly have a reason to visit the surface part of the city. I for one like hanging around the surface every now and then, especially when new fortune seekers show up. It's good to see new faces in such a small work intensive environment.
These worker towns never sleep, all hustle and bustle. The advertising they have here is horrendously persistent. The streets, rooftops, and even the cave entrances are littered with sponsors and billboards, both material signage as well as holographic vids with commercials broadcasting on high repeat. I had an arduous fight configuring my Holo-pad so the advertisements couldn't hack my system. I guess everyone has something invested in what we do here. The computer factories and part shops are scattered throughout the towns. The white hole's material boom sparked abundant advancements in computing technology. Moors Law quadrupled, and the computer industry skyrocketed both metaphorically and literally. Increasing computing power vastly aided the new age of space travel, blazing the way for a lucrative life for many in space. To date, many new types of metals have been discovered, and more are still being found. Computer engineers will pay good money to be the first to utilize the properties of these new finds. A common miner's saying is
"Any metal you find is worth its weight,
But if the metal is new, you get to set the rate."
The talk about earning potential here is legit. The amount of profit one could take home is overwhelming. The catch is, all the money made here cannot be sent off this rock until you physically leave with it. Also, this environment is such a tight-knit community, it doesn't have much crime. It's like a small town where everybody knows everybody. The laws on this rock do a fantastic job at discouraging fraudulent activity, Any crime committed here almost always involve a punishment of earnings being confiscated. That includes rare materials found. Any crime anyone could think to do here is just not worth the effort. You can say that our naturally inherited greed is what prevents people from committing criminal offenses on Copia. In truth, you don't have to be here relatively long to make a comparable fortune legally. I, of course, work for QSM who already has its hands in my pockets, yeah they only take a small cut, but they can also drastically affect my bottom line if they see fit.
I would say the most problematic thing to deal with on Copia are the aggressive suitors. Everybody is always looking for a companion for their sparse moments away from the grind. Constantly you have to be prepared to be hit on by any or everyone. I guess this could also be a good thing if you're feeling lonely. But I have some high aspirations and little time for romantic socializing. I came here to make some cash and exit ASAP. Of course, the attention is kinda nice at times.
As for the work we do here, glamorous it is not. It is physically demanding and dirty as hell. Besides the dirt and grime, there are also the new kinds of dirt and grime. Not all material's created by the white hole is a precious commodity. I don't even wanna talk about the bugs. Soooo many different types of bugs. At least I have not seen any giant man-eating bugs that are so prevalent in space lore. Speaking of disgusting things, I noticed the most peculiar little man the other day. I first saw him in the mess hall. My first impression of him was appalling. He was revolting. I frequently see him eating bugs and a disgusting paste-like substance. Watching him is a good way to lose my appetite. I hope he's not employed at QSM. I'd hate to have to work with him in such close quarters. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be one of those Man-eating bugs rumored to terrorizes space.
Holo-pad Journal Entry 03
Think-Type initiated.
Once while I was people watching in the mess hall, I came across that crazy bug eating guy again. I've asked around about him, heard he goes by the name, Eeone, He's a lot weirder than I thought. Just by looking at him I get the sense something's off about him. For one thing, everyone here has some sort of body mod or fancy adornments, but not him. Is he trying to alienate himself from everybody else? No Tattoos, piercings, prosthetics, laser paint, gene splicings, 3D printed hairstyles, foreign Jewelry or anything to show his individuality. Why wouldn't anyone want to decorate themselves? It's how we are unique. Also, Eeone must not have ever heard of anti-aging products, He's so wrinkly, he looks like a troglodyte. I can't tell his age, he does seem to be more spry than what his looks would suggest. Once He walked by me, and I noticed he smells really bad. I think he wears the same outfit every day. I mean, I don't think he ever washes that thing, or himself for that matter. He is short and spindly like he's sick or something. Eeone always has an aloof demeanor, like he's daydreaming about who knows what. I can't imagine the guy has a lot on his mind, he does eat bugs after all. Once while I watched him work, I observed him talking to himself. That's funny, the guy who wouldn't bother to talk to anybody else would have short, strange conversations with himself. What and oddball. He doesn't seem to be a competent space miner either. I've noticed that he doesn't bring in much of a haul. All I ever see him bringing in are diamonds. Diamonds! The most worthless rocks in this sector. You don't need to excavate a claim near a white hole to find diamonds, there are whole planets of the stuff. What is this guy thinking? He'd probably have better luck collecting rocks blindfolded. He has to be disgruntled. Yeah, I bet he's disgruntled. It's a good thing that weapons are banned on this site, he's probably the type to shoot up the place. According to the gossip about him, he's from some poverty-stricken desert planet. Some remote place called Gyooga I think. I've never heard of it, must be some backwater, podunk planet that hasn't made any noticeable contributions to the space race. Despite being talked about a lot, No one really has anything kind to say about him, I guess he's regarded as the resident basket case by most. The others have even thought up a clever nickname for Eeone; They call him Pee-on. Lol People could be cruel, but I have to say that guy does ask for it. I don't think he even wants friends to be honest. Besides the occasional business transactions, he keeps to himself which is never a good thing in a job like this. The more I see Eeone, the more pathetic he looks. I probably should feel sorry for the guy, but whenever I see him, he always finds a new way to gross me out. Once I saw him lick a disgusting patch of dirt that he mixed into that nasty paste he's always eating. Yuk. I wanted to vomit. Maybe he has some sort of mental disease. I did try to get to know the guy once. I approached him and just sat right next to him. It was like the poor fella didn't understand the concept of small talk. Regardless what I said to him, he wouldn't for the life of me engage in conversation. I even tried to pick his brain about mining and what got him into it, he would only say that his home world needs the resources, and that was it. He wouldn't elaborate no matter how much I probed the subject. He obviously didn't want my or anybody else's company. So I felt it best to leave him be. He's a real loner type, always by himself. Even off duty, he is always alone. I've never even seen him show the slightest hint of interest in any of the sexes. You can never tell what those asexual's motives are. How could you trust someone who doesn't have an orientation? Our sex drives are what drives us as a species. Our desires are what pushes us towards our dreams. Damn A-lonies! Can't trust em. Well, I gave him a chance, didn't I? You can't say that I didn't try to befriend the lil bugger. What was that saying, something about leading a horse to water? Speaking of which, another odd habit I've noticed about Eeone is that he is really frugal with water. He always drinks from a strange canteen.. He never seems to take more than a couple of sips at a time, as if he is rationing his water intake. How strange. Sure you have to pay for water here, but Copia doesn't have a shortage of the stuff, it's not like water's rare here. I've even seen him refill his canteen in the strangest places like from someone else's discarded drinking bottles or even the muddy puddles on the streets. What an idiot, has he not heard of drinking fountains or indoor plumbing? Who knows what kind of illnesses he catches from drinking such filth.
More recently, I found out that he doesn't have any sponsors, who in their right mind works without having sponsors. Of course, the company I work for has tons of sponsors supporting us, but eve
n the private sector has at least a few. How could this scraggly urchin not need sponsorship? I'm pretty sure he doesn't even have any formal mining training. Still, he must be privately funded cause he didn't arrive on a company transport like the rest of us company workers, or any of the big private ships that ferry in the elite miners. No, the ride he came in on is some beat up ole discontinued model, a hybrid digging mech with rudimentary flight capabilities called the Canary. He really should trade in that RocknRoll of yesteryear for a newer model. Something that doesn't look like it might fall apart at any moment. But enough about Pee-on. If I keep talking about him, I'm likely to have nightmares.
Holo-pad Journal Entry 04
Think-Type initiated.
Damn the Copia Sector! I've been working for months now and I have yet to bring in anything of real value. I found some Compresstun and a bit of Surprisium but nothing I could retire off of. I refuse to end up as some slag merchant. I need to strike it big. Lucky for me I think I'm about to get my big break. The most crush thing to happen on this miserable rock occurred when the Wroughtwilers came to Copia. What a surprise, Thee Wroughtwilers. Known for discovering a massive payload of Mjolnirite as well as mining a consistent supply of Cosmicoal. Their dig site is only a few caves away from my location. Wow, are they something to watch, the four of them are masters at moving terrain. They all pilot these massive RocknRolls called Crucible mechs. Ah, What I could do if I had one of those? The power I would have at my fingertips. Military grade RocknRolls are prohibited on this dig site, but whoever said that the crucible mechs were not designed for combat obviously never stood in the shadow of one of these metal monsters. True, they are not military issue and are not equipped with any ballistic armaments, but being built to tear through the crust of any planet, these masters of rock breaking are incredibly destructive. The chassis is comprised of a new heat impervious alloy called Hoarinium reinforced with another new metal that seems to get stronger under certain heating conditions called Lucifinite aka Satan's Steel. This mech can withstand molten earth just short of the mantel for extended periods. As its name implies, the heart of this mech is a burning core. Its power source is made of something called a Neutron Speck, which is essentially a miniature star. To say it was solar powered would be an understatement. Not only does the core energize this beast, but it can also emanate a controlled solar flare that can reduce nearly any substance in its path to a pliable mush. Making burrowing through rock as easy as scooping melting snow. Watching these mechanical workhorses reemerge from the molten depths, still glowing red hot from the heat their labor subjects them to is reminiscent of Titans, rising out of the fiery pits of Tartarus. Atlas may have carried the earth, but with one of these mechs, I would hold the Sun. Because the core that powers a behemoth such as this, is a micro star, constantly undergoing nuclear reactions, who's to say whether if the safety protocols being tampered with could result in a relatively micro nova explosion. I find it astonishing that no one classifies the Crucibles as weapons of supermassive destruction. The safety protocols being that the core is suspended in an incredibly powerful magnetic field encased in a hull made to withstand the heat generated by the mini-star, but in the event of a meltdown, the core can be drop out from the body where it melts its way down past the mantle. This is argued to be harmful to the environment but in truth, this never happens and even if it does, the only effects it is known to causes is increased volcanic activity elsewhere on the planet. And possibly short term disruption of the geomagnetic field. Which is punishable by a hefty fine and banishment from that particular location. I don't want to think about rental fees let alone the cost to own such a mech. Until I make it big, I'm stuck cracking stones with standard issued Exo-Legs, modified Shovelaxes, or minimal usage of a Pulsejack.