Eelaya shifted her weight, slightly turning her right palm on a sphere controller as if caressing it. It was her natural reaction whenever she wanted to tilt the Miner-XV she was piloting--preparing for the motion--and no matter how many years she has been flying this massive piece of metal, she never lost this movement of her body.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead after some which already left her face. Everything was red hot, But it wasn't the distant sun, which only provided Martians with 20 degrees tops. The volcano beneath her radiated such immense heat that the air-conditioner of the cockpit along with her suit's climate control didn't suffice to overcome it completely.
From the corner of her eyes, the ship of Ameer was advancing slowly towards a giant red circular rupture at the center of the mountain--Alba Mons--carefully avoiding any ridge or blazing rock which shot at it from the flowing magma beneath. The Miner-XV was probably the only craft on Mars that could come this close to the red burbling lava and not malfunction right away. It was a heavy-duty brown rectangular metallic monster with one purpose only--extraction. No windows. No openings. Just the crude armor and a giant succulent carver at the dead center of it. The peak of efficiency.
"I'm going in." Ameer's voice was calm as stone as it boomed over the comms.
He was about to start his run near the epicenter. He always took the greater risk, knowing it would provide with the most mass of Arbium crystals, and thus the larger chunk of the payment they will receive for this run. Their week in the mining-base just begun and they already managed to gather the quota, but it didn't mean they could stop. The team would get the pay for this run by the amount of crystals and metals they extract--diminishing their debt to the corporation by a nudge and getting them closer to parole.
Eelaya raised her eyes from the control-panel and looked around. All the ships were there. Plutus and Balius were mining the edges of the rupture with her, and Cron returning from the base after a drop of his cargo.
"Don't burn yourself this time." Eelaya said.
"Ye. It's ya turn to pay for the bev, man." Said Plutus.
"Ey. Ey. Ya keeping tabs now, Plut?" Ameer said.
"Ye. Well. I look dis way," Plut said "I just want to pass me time here on dis ship, collecting dis metal and shiny crystals. Then. Go and magically turn dis crystals to the best solution for everything."
"For a guy ya size, ya speak a lot about drinking de bev." Balius said, followed with some laughter on the channel.
Eelaya smiled. The chatter was not professional, but it did lift everyone's spirits, and high-spirits always meant doing a better job. She thrust forward with her miner and came to a stop near the edges of the rip. Pressing a couple of hovering buttons on the control-panel, the ship rattled slightly, as the carvers worked. Red rocks were scattering in front of her when the laser cutters touched the lips of this grand mountain and sucked in the minerals inside the ship.
"I'm surprised you said something about sizes, Bal." Eelaya said after a long pause.
Bal was the only member of the team who preferred the drugs. Not moving his body enough to keep in-shape, he grew over the years to be a big man. Almost too big to be inside this cramped miner cockpit.
"Ooooo..." they all boomed in her ears. The comment was well placed.
This kind of conversation was a routine start of their week. No matter the circumstances--be it stormy, quiet or not--they always chose to poke each other with minute insults to light up the spirit.
The only member who always kept quiet was Cron. He was the serious type. Always stuck to the job, keeping his rock face and solid attitude to everything. Even when a storm struck them in the midst of the operation, he kept his cool and extracted most of his deposit before flying his miner to the hangar.
The rest weren't kittens in a dog's lair. They all were rigid and raised in one of the most brutal and violent places on Mars--the Miner's-Dome. Even the talkative Plut--who always came with a philosophic remark about their duties--was a man who can take care of his own.
Eelaya never felt a full part of the team. They accepted her as their own. They respected her knowledge and the fact she was caring for their well-being, checking for storms, seismic activity of the volcano and depositing the rocks, creating metals and crystals from them. But she always had the feeling she was not part of them. Not like Ameer and Bal, who were best buddies, or even Cron. It was the same feeling she had as a child, as if she was not a part of this world. As if something bigger was waiting for her out there. This feeling was stronger now. After all the hard work she pulled to gather enough credits and repay most of her debt, without wasting it on hanging out, clothes or stuff she won't need in a day's time.
Five more years, she thought.
The sol passed-by as quickly as it came, and the sun's light was getting dimmer. Gathering rocks from an active volcano was a mentally taxing job, making all their senses work together to prevent any mistake or accident. They needed the rest if they wanted to reach a higher quota tomorrow.
"Alright team." Eelaya said. "It's time to bolt. Good job everyone."
She turned her ship away from the volcano and scanned the horizon. The sun was setting, adding more red to the scenery and emphasizing the only hue of the planet. The mountain of Alba was not steep, it flowed west and downward with a gentle slope, reaching the more subtle plane of Arcadia Planitia. Their base was elevated from the ground with massive metallic columns, far enough to be safe from any eruption of Alba. It was a massive rectangle which provided them with air, food, water and a place to rest.
"See ya at the canteen." Plut said, his Miner zipping away and towards the base followed by the rest of the crew.
Only Cron and Eelaya remained, floated next to each other and locking gazes. Cron nodded and Eelaya shifted her gaze to the front. It was time to fulfill her other duties. She closed the helmet of her suit and shifted her left palm on the thruster sphere.
Being away from the stabbing eyes of the security officers, was the best method of keeping miners like them in-line--the illusion of freedom. They all knew the corporation kept tabs on their location, tracking any movement they did with their equipment and punishing the ones who tried to escape. But Eelaya used it for her own benefit.
Why escape when you can do much more?
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A/N - Hey again!
First, I wanted to thank you for depositing your life for a couple of minutes and step into my world.
I've decided to post most of my already rewritten work faster than once a week. Thus, I will post daily up until the point I'll reach my unfinished second-draft.
Enjoy a daily chapter for now :)
YOU ARE READING
Awakening
Science FictionEelaya lived through calamities her entire life. Born in the cruel streets of Undertown, Origin--what was once known as Earth, before it lost all its green. Raised beneath the lethal blanket of pollution and radiation. Sent as a slave to repay her...
