Sirius Mining Company

True Asset

  The next morning I head to the docking bay, fairly certain that Tersan will be rummaging around my room after I am outside the ship. He is the first albino Siriusan I have ever seen. I wondered if his height was an effect of him being albino. The Sargent was standing near my mining rig , "alright boy. Today I am going to want you to get ten blue crystals, now if you find any more odd color stones just cut one and we'll see what it gets us." I nod my head and I suit up, I spy the Captain putting on a rig as well as a few of the 'bridge' crew. I guess the possibility of different colored stones is bringing everyone out.

I head out the port and I notice a second slug had joined the first, Tersan speaks over the intercom. "If they discover one of their own being shorn they will gather in the hopes of getting the same treatment." I file that information away, in case I ever need it again. I use my maneuvering jets toward a grouping of three blue crystals and start working on cutting them.

After cutting through my first one I pause and look over the two remaining one in the cluster and I notice nestled in the center of the cluster a rainbow colored crystal. I speak over the intercom, "Tersan? What are the standard crystal colors again?" I hear nothing for a moment and then he responds, "well according to our files. There are red, blue, green, and the purples; why have you fond something different?" I consider a moment and answer, "yes; but I'll show it when I'm done and we'll see if you guys can see the color on it. I am going to come back to it last, so I have had more practice before cutting it."

After I spent a careful amount of time working on making the cuts Kamen asked from me I also looked over the slug and noticed one more cluster of crystals, when I pass over it; I do see another rainbow one. I stop and very carefully start cutting the crystal, I notice that it is barely cutting; and I check to see if I can turn the temperature on the beam. I discover that the settings go up a few thousand more, and I slowly turn the temperature up until I notice the cutting about equal to the other crystals.

It takes me a few minutes with me sweating the entire time, once I get the first one cut I look it over better. It was thinner that the regular crystals and about half the height, I fly over to the second crystal; and notice it is the same size as the first size. I spend careful time cutting this second one as well, I make a point to attach the two rainbow crystals to a separate rope so I can bring them in separately. I then head towards the port to head back in and hunt up some lunch.

I enter the port and tie off the blue crystals and wave over Kamen as I hold onto the rope holding the rainbow crystals. Kamen stops in front of me and looks out the port briefly, "now boy you tell me what color them tiny crystals are before I cuff you." I nod my head and respond, "well Sir. Those ones are rainbow colored, I do not know how any of you see them." The old marine nods his head slowly, thinking. "Well boy, we see them as gray. We never cut them because we figure they aren't fully grown if they are gray colored." I nod my head having figured such a things was very possible, Kamen turns around and barks a few orders to the crew inside the bay. I see about five crew dash about the docking bay, two hustle to retrieve an empty container. The other three run up to me and careful take the rope from me and slowly start hauling the rope in.

Two of the three stand by the seal and as soon as the crystal starts entering the port they grab it to hold it's weight up as it enters the artificial gravity. I see the men strain, and they yell for help and about six others rush over. They manage to handle the crystal as it is pulled inside the men hauling the container pull out some cloth and padding. They set some cloth on the floor and place enough padding that is equal to it's size and direct the men holding it to place it on the padding and then they prepare a second location. Kamen walks over to examine the crystal as the men strain to pull the second one inside.

"I didn't realize how different these ones were. I will have Tersan take some samples off of the cut side to check what the materials inside are. We've never needed more than two people to bring in any crystal. So the chemical make up will be very interesting." He then looks up at me ignoring the struggling men, "go on and get some chow. When you return I'll have you mark off the purple crystals on that second slug, then you can start cutting the red crystals. Oh, what temperature did you have to cut these?" I look at my cutting laser, "2,000 Kelvin Sir." He nods his head as if expecting it and I hurry off to the meal room.

I enter the room to hear a broadcast over the space channels. "A riot of in regards to USA's laws governing human settlement size is causing a great deal of damage on Terra. Last week the Guard ship had to destroy one city from space that was growing to large. As per normal rulings they gave the humans a week to vacate the location before they destroyed the city. Officials state that over half of it's population have been killed from not leaving the site."

I shake my head as I sit down, why is it regular humans have to act so stupidly? It is not unreasonable to follow the laws, they are there to keep everyone safe. The ship's doctor sits across from me, "hey there boy. I saw your reaction to the broadcast. While it is fine to be upset all those lives died, maybe you should know something about human mod mentality. I am sure that you watched all of the basic biology, I know those old cows they keep a tight line on the children's educational material." I nod my head wondering what he was getting at.

He taps a few things into the table screen and an image of a sheep used by humans appears. "As you know this is a sheep, like most animals of a prey variety they gather in groups. Well in the case of sheep they have something called a bellwether it is one individual that everyone follows without knowing why they do. Now humans have an odd tendency in large groups that when one person does something while in the group the rest jump in and do the same. If one person throws a brick the rest of the group attacks the same location. This is one of the reasons the USA tries to keep human settlements small. They have no control over how they behave when in a large group, and because they have trouble controlling themselves the government controls them."

I nod my head understanding what the doctor was telling me, it made sense. I know that any group with any of the other species that have ties to a prey species by government rules need to keep the grouping smaller. Though why the need to keep the human groups so small? The doctor continues, "now as you know. Like the bison people most prey species will just listen, humans are not a prey species. So they believe they can do what ever they want and they are fine. Humans are the only predator species that has a prey species quirk." I nod my head, he continues. "Take my species, if a large group of my people get angry over an event. We first bring it to the governing body, if they cannot solve it. Then they have a dual, we don't destroy property owned by others. Granted we might get in a few bar fights, but that is considered a normal side effect of being in a place that serves mind altering substances." I nod my head, it did make sense. The doctor then stands and pats me on the shoulder then heads off and Canis slides into the seat across from me. "So lets EAT!"