by Chris Troman
over the required amount, and headed for the lift. There would be no need for luggage, what was made on Mars stayed on Mars. Trade was kept to basic minerals on their side, in return for anything Earth could ship out. To provide the basics of life these brave new frontier’s people required. One day this red ball might be as blue as it's sister, but for now red was the colour of his birth world.
The journey would take about a year, depending on the orbits of the two heavenly bodies. So Ashley's stateroom was little more than a storeroom, to house his Cryo-chamber. There were one or two bits of furniture, so you could ready yourself for the sleep. And then to recover before disembarking, at the other end.
The cost of shipping anything you could buy back on Earth; meant the only possession Ashley took was a simple spoon. He could proudly say he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Well a nickel silver alloy one anyway. Lets just say he had a difficult birth, exasperated by the fact that the midwife was an engineer. He was the only person available, when Ashley’s mother needed a hand. It had earned him the nickname frogmouth as a kid, but he eventually grew out of that.
Each passenger and the crew were watched over by the service robots. They were tasked to monitor the ship, and keep its frozen cargo free from harm. So filled with trepidation at what was to come on his new world, Ashley succumbed to the long sleep.
Ashley was rudely awoken, not by an alarm, but by a banging on the top of his Cryo-chamber. He had returned to the land of the living. And peering through unfocused eyes, he made out what looked like one of the service robots. It stared back down at him. But the light was so dim; he could barely make it out.
He waved at it to show he was awake. Which may have been a mistake, at least in the short term. For then he was ripped from the glass topped Cryo-chamber, and shoved into a space suit. Like an errant child late for Astro-school; before the vacuum of space could rip his frame apart. Still he felt like he had broke, or at least bruised his ribs. And limping back to the chamber, he looked for his lucky spoon. Then he felt it jingle in his top pocket, and remembered he had put it there for safekeeping.
Satisfied that his one possession was safe, he began to take in his surroundings. Ashley seemed to be in a subterranean cavern, with big doors at one end. There was a bricked off section at the other. The pile of junk he had to clamber over to survey the room; must be all the other Cryo-tubes ripped from their places on his ship.
He must be in the clutches of Space pirates. He'd heard about them taking cargo, and ransoming the passengers. So he must be in one of the centaurs. The asteroids that roamed the solar system, hollowed out for a hide out. Or his Holo-dramas had lied to him. He got a sudden vision of a bearded villain in a space suit, with a parrot on his shoulder. No that was too far.
Ashely checked one or two Cryo-chambers, but they were still frozen; and would probably be for some time. So why was he awake? A malfunction perhaps, he'd work that out later. The doors were a huge steel barrier, "probably locked from the other side" he thought. So he clambered back over the pile of frozen bodies, to see what the robot was up to.
It was trying to break through the wall at the other end. But now he looked closer, it wasn't one of the ships robots. It was a construction model, of the type they make at the Rossum plant in Marseille. Although basically humanoid in shape, these robots were of a rougher hue; than the more sophisticated ones he'd encountered. It's big sausage like fingers; just couldn't get a grip on the mortared stones. It turned to him. Ashley cursed the Babelophone left behind on Mars. Otherwise he could have communicated with this French model. So he approached it.
The robot stared at its stubby fingers, and an inspiration took Ashley. Standing on his hands, not as difficult as he thought it would be; for the low gravity helped. He shuffled about until the tiny metal keepsake came free, and fell in to his helmet. The robot exclaimed. "Vous avez une cuillère à café." Ashley quickly held his breath and closed his eyes, as the robot whipped the helmet off. It extracted the tool and had the helmet back on again, before Ashley suffered any more ill effects; than a pounding head ache.
With his prise, the robot quickly worked on the mortar. Until there was enough for it to get a purchase, and soon the first brick was lying on the floor. After that the machine made short work of the wall, until there was a sizable hole they could clamber through. Much to Ashley's relief, they entered an empty corridor.
Hopefully this might lead to a section of the base, with a breathable atmosphere. So turning right, he followed the robot. As they both crept along the hewn out rock tunnel. Soon enough they came to a door. And raising its stubby fingers, to where it's lips would be. The robot informed him over his helmet radio. "Calme votre grand battement pieds sac de viande, voulez-vous que nous être shot”
Ashley got the gist from the gesture. So as they carefully opened the hatch, he followed the robot inside. Through the glass on the other side, they saw a dozing figure sat at a desk. "Maintenant, lorsque je vous pousser à vous détourner de lui, aucun point nous deux d'être abattu." Crackled the robot over his head radio, and it shoved Ashley through the now opening inner door. He rolled over the floor, and in to a pile of weapons. "Oh I see", he cried. And picking one up, he started blasting at the now awake pirate. The pirate fell in a heap at the robots feet, as it stood with arms raised over him.
"Vous stupide imbécile J'allais juste l'assommer, maintenant nous n'avons pas un pilote, mes mains sont trop grandes pour les commandes". Ashley rushed over to his friend. "It's alright we had to kill him, or he'd have got us. I suppose your programming doesn’t allow harm to come to humans, sorry." And he took his helmet off, to breath the fresh air.
It was then that he noticed the radar screen. There was a blip getting closer. Meanwhile the robot chattered away to itself. "Si je souffler les portes lorsque le Captain's dans ici, je peux faire pour lui, mais lorsqu'il voit le mur cassé il va procéder avec prudence." "Must have distressed the poor thing. Seeing that man die", thought Ashley.
"Donc, la meilleure chose à faire est d'aller à l'arrière sas et prendre son navire par derrière, je vais obtenir de lui pour me de verrouillage jusqu'juste parce que j'ai convaincu son équipage de mutinerie.” "There's someone coming" Ashley pointed at the screen. But the robot pulled him towards another door. "Is this the way out?" The lad asked, putting his helmet on.
Then Ashley picked up a blast rifle. But the robot shook it's head, and informed him over his helmet radio again. "Votre pas davantage de dynamitage mon navire mates vous cretinous sot.” So Ashley put the gun down, so not to hurt the poor machines feelings. "O.K. no more killing", and off they went.
On the other side of this air lock, was the outside of the asteroid. And clinging to a rope that was attached to the surface by pitons, the two crawled over the exterior of the base. There was a shudder, and Ashley realised the approaching craft must have docked on the other side. So with caution the two moved on.
Just then two figures who were also moving cautiously, came over the edge. Ashley, who was in the lead, was so surprised he stood up. Catching his foot on the rope, he shouted in his radio. "Are you pirates?" The sudden movement of this ridiculous figure; caught them off guard. And the lead figure fell on a rock, cutting his suit. Instantly air whooshed out the hole, as he was propelled up ward.
This was unfortunate, for the second figure too. As he was tethered to the first, and at that very moment had just unclipped himself from the line; to move over a piton. So he too rose, dragged in the other's wake. "Vous tromper que seuls les feuilles François pour piloter le navire." Screamed the robot, but there was nothing Ashley could do to help the men. As they drifted off into space. "I'm sorry robot, but it really was an accident." And so on they crawled.
Finally the craft docked on the other side came into view. And the two climbed down onto its hull. Utilising magnetic boots, they walked over to the hatch. "Pas si vite vous double Traitant Tas de junk." Ashley turned to see a suited man, holding a blast pistol at them. "So this is it", he thought.
"Well at least it should be a quick death." But the robot stepped in front of him, to get to their common foe.
"Où est François vous le scorbut chien." "La dérive morts dans l'espace, quand j'ai trouvé qu'il avait été vendu à votre plan de traître." The robot screamed, as it dived at the man. And it ripped his helmet off, but not before the now dead man; had blasted away at the robot's leg. Unbalanced, Ashley’s savoir spun away, as the lad tried in vain to grasp him. But all too soon the form was spinning off into the depths. Ashley caught the faint message, as his buddy drifted out of range. "Vous inutile moron me jeter une ligne, si jamais je sortir de ce je vais déchirer votre tête." And then it was gone.
Regretting his loss, the lad made for the air lock to the craft. Thankful not to find any more villains, he tried the radio. And was soon transmitting the emergency beacon. Then he turned his attention to his fellow passengers. By the time help did arrive, the hero of the hour had recovered the Cryo-tubes. And stowed them in the pirates ship's hold.
So with the prize money of the ship, and a hefty reward for saving the day Ashley Black lived out his days in relative comfort, in his Arizona mansion. Built on his newfound
