Nova Korrin has been mining ores and minerals in the Aetherian Heights for six months. The vast mountain range is located at the northern pole of Lyrion, a medium-sized moon orbiting about 384,400 kilometers away from its host planet. The ores and minerals of the mountains were vital to the economies of the Kingdoms of Arcadia Nova and its rival Zephyra. The two nations were embroiled in a decades-long war after Zephyra declared independence from Arcadia Nova.
She thoughtlessly hacked away at the ores and minerals, as if on autopilot. Her face was covered in soot and her shoulders were tired. The helmet on her head and its flashlight illuminated the spot she hacked away at, considering that the dim lamps on the walls did not help at all. Her hair was tied into a bun under that helmet for practical reasons. The ores and minerals that had loosened and fallen out of the stone, she picked up and placed into a wheelbarrow.
The conditions in the mountains were frigid and life bleak. Nova had been stuck there, mining ores and minerals to support the war effort for her home country of Arcadia Nova. She did not want to do this. She did not want to be there.
The monotonous environment gnawed at her psyche. The caves were blue. The lamps used to light the caves were blue. The bluish-white snow outside was all that could be seen. It was wake up, eat breakfast, mine, mine, mine, lunch break, mine, mine, mine, dinner break, and sleep, in that order. The days seemed to pass by so fast and yet so slow simultaneously. It didn't make sense. The mental strain was astounding. Many times, she thought about giving up. Many times, she thought about taking her place with Aetheria in death.
She had been wheeling out the last wheelbarrow of ores and minerals when the foreman blew the whistle and announced it was lunchtime. She sighed deeply as the other workers headed toward the dining hall. When she entered the dining hall, she removed her gloves, put them in her pockets, and blew into her clasped hands. The heater in this place was always a nice relief. She removed her scarf and stuffed that into her pockets as she got in line for lunch. Today was synth-stew. It was a hearty and protein-rich stew made of synth-meat (basically just lab-made meat) and vegetables, served with a side of nutrient wafers for a burst of energy.
She sat alone with her food at an empty corner table. She ate slowly and stared pensively out the window. The land was barren, the only thing she could see were the ice dunes in the distance and a little bit of the Gelus Forest.
When lunch ended she continued the monotonous cycle once again. She hacked away at the stone with her pickaxe in hand. Clack, clack, clack, crack! She placed the mined ore or mineral into her wheelbarrow and moved on to the next section. Clack, clack, clack, crack! Then into the wheelbarrow. This continued until the foreman announced that it was dinner time. Then there was an announcement.
"Next shift will be your last time in this hellhole!" the foreman said. "Finish your dinners and get a good night's rest! The plane ride back to Caia Caeilia will be after dinner!"
Nova finished her dinner and headed to the lodges. She grabbed the things she needed for the showers in her sleeping quarters and then headed in that direction. In the showers, there were, unsurprisingly, already a good number of women using the showers and changing into different clothing. The musty and humid air of the showers immediately assaulted her senses as she found a bench and grabbed the stuff she needed to shower. She placed the rest into a locker and locked it with a combination code and off she went to the shower. There were lines of showers that featured a bunch of naked women and also the option of showering in one of five private showers. She took the last of the vacant private showers and showered.
After she got dressed after her shower, she headed back to her sleeping quarters. She placed the dirty clothes on the ground and the stuff she used for the shower in the closet. She slumped onto the bed with a mighty sigh and tucked herself in the blanket. She lay there in deep thought for a few minutes, and then, just before going to sleep, she pulled out a small and wrinkled picture of a young boy of age eight with brown hair and brown eyes. The name of "Kestral" was
"Just wait for me a little longer, son," she said softly. "We will be united once again."
She kissed the picture, placed it back into her pocket, and went to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
The Lost One
Science FictionA woman is stranded in the freezing and unforgiving Gelus Forest after a plane crash kills everyone. Now she must survive the forest and make her way east to the Serpent River, her hope for rescue and reunification with the civilized world.
