The Scapegoat: a Capricorn Adventure

Mars Part 5

Peyton was pleased to be able to escape the dome the next morning and pilot her way out to the asteroids, where she could stop and chat with Jed. Despite the constant clunking of mining machinery, the lump of rock where he was stationed seemed peaceful.

"What's new on Mars?" Jed asked. Even the slightest piece of gossip was entertaining out in space.

Peyton shrugged, reluctant to bring unpleasant topics to light. "Just a revival of Capricornism," she admitted. "It's depressing to listen to!"

Jed shrugged. "What a bummer," he said. He sounded mildly sympathetic, but was inclined to intellectualise, rather than empathise. "But since you're not a Capricorn - can't you just ignore the rubbish?"

"I'm sensitive," Peyton hedged. It was a Pisces quality that she felt safe admitting.

"Of course you are!" Jed sounded convinced by her logic.

Peyton gazed at the adorable curve of Jed's nose. She suspected that she was more attracted to Jed, than Jed was to her, but she schooled her heart to wait in the hopes that he would catch up to her in the emotional stakes. 

"Jed..." she began.

They were interrupted by a screeching, grinding sound from the mining plant, and Jed leapt to his feet. Grabbing his hard hat, he raced into the tunnel.

"Something is wrong," he cried. 

Peyton snatched up a spare hat hanging from a peg and followed, despite the warning sign saying 'Authorised Personnel Only.' Jed reached the machine and was struggling to throw back the leavers that controlled the heavy gears. 

"I need to slow the machine down," he panted.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the asteroid seemed to be groaning under her feet. Peyton prayed that the mining machine had not discovered a fault line, and triggered an earthquake. She added her strength to Jed's, throwing all her weight against the lever.  It felt as though they were manually pushing back an avalanche of rubble, but finally the mining machine shuddered to a halt. 

Jed had leaned hard against the apparatus during his effort, and the mechanism had caught hold of the ties of his space coverall. It had sucked the material in until the mining technician was trapped against the machine.

"Run over to the bench and fetch a knife," he ordered.

Peyton hastened to obey. The knife was large and sharp, but it took her some minutes to saw through the strong ties of the coverall.

"It is lucky you weren't alone," Peyton remarked. 

"That would not have been fun," Jed remarked dolefully.  "I would have been trapped until the end of the month, when my relief arrives."

This was the first Peyton had heard about a change of shift. "Are you going somewhere?" she gasped.

"No!" Jed laughed. "But I am occasionally allowed a holiday. Working out here is like being on duty twenty-four hours a day."

"I see."

" When I knock off for the evening, and switch the machine to auto - there is no one to talk to," Jed confided. "I've viewed all the vid-files in the data-bank several times."

"It hardly seems safe," Peyton said. "You ought to be assigned out here in pairs at least."

Jed shrugged. "The company finds it hard enough to find the few men they have that can tolerate the conditions," he said. 

Peyton's heart skipped a beat. "There must have been other couriers," she whispered.

"Space-burnt men who had forgotten how to talk," Jed declared. "You are a breath of quality oxygen around here." 

It was a compliment that gave Peyton hope. 

"Perhaps," Peyton ventured, "When your relief arrives – you might like to spend your free time on Mars?"

"I think I would like that," Jed said. 

The couple faced each other, and for a moment Peyton thought Jed was going to embrace her. Her heart thumped and passionate possibilities flashed before her eyes. Then Jed seemed to withdraw, becoming his intellectual and preoccupied self.

"I guess I had better fix this machine," he muttered.

"I have other flights to make," Peyton sighed. 

Hopefully there would be time for romance when Jed was off duty. 

****

Jed's weekend leave was finally and he arrived on Mars. Peyton greeted him at the space-port with a friendly hug.

"You made it!"

"I'm looking forward to exploring and enjoying the night life."

Peyton frowned. "There is only one problem. My leave doesn't not coincide with yours."

"what do you mean?"

"I still have to make regular ferry flights between Mars and the asteroids."

"I guess I will have to explore the Mars station on my own," Jed seemed undeterred.

"Mack is off-duty during the day. Perhaps he could be your guide?"

"I don't mind, so long as I have your company some of the time," Jed assured her.

"My roommate Linnet might also keep you company," Peyton suggested.

"You must introduce us," Jed appeared to be happy to meet everybody.

At night, Jed and Peyton ate together in the communal cafeteria and visited the Intergalactic Casino for a little recreation. The casino had live bands and entertainment as well as gaming machines, so it was a pleasant enough place to spend an evening, laughing and talking.

The couple still had not kissed, but Peyton assured herself that their parting hug was very cordial. She did not like to think that they had entered the dreaded 'friend-zone' that usually spelled doom to any hopes of a romantic relationship.

All too soon, it was time for Jed to return to the asteroid. Peyton bid him goodbye and promised to drop by in the line of duty as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry we did not have more alone time during your visit to Mars." Peyton whispered.

"That is all right," Jed looked amused. "I enjoyed mixing with everybody."

I will be coming out to your asteroid very soon..."

Once again, it was on the tip of Peyton's tongue to say more - to express how she felt - but she couldn't. Capricorns are passionate, but also stubborn. Protecting her heart and her identity had become a habit.

"Your visits are always the highlight of my week," he assured her.

Jed flew away, and Peyton was left feeling slightly disappointed.