by Simon E Bond
This was his ship. He also owned one of the biggest corporate companies in space; it was a mining company although he lived the lifestyle of a gangster with a cartel to go with it. Outpost Krone was his latest target and he had sent two diggers to the surface a couple of days ago to hunt for Kromtic; Charlie was not the only one.
“Get up, wake up!” shouted Stout as he looked across to the steel staircase that rose upwards in the corner.
Curled up in the corner of the cage lay a female in her late twenties; she was dressed in a silky black nightgown and needle marks covered one of her arms. She flinched and her body shook in fear as Stout's voice echoed around the room.
“Now let me see who needs feeding, it's been a while since you had a good meal,” said Stout moving his chair past a couple of tanks.
The female rose to her feet and clasped onto the steel bars with both hands as she looked down at him; her head had been shaved, gashes could be seen where the cuts had been made, and her hands were covered with dried blood.
“Oh that… well these creatures like their prey to be smooth. Can't have silly bits of hair getting in the way of a good meal now can we?” said Stout, grinning as he tapped the glass tanks one by one. He then grabbed his artificial steel legs and laid them onto the foot of the wheelchair.
“Help! Someone help me!” screamed the woman, terror edged all around her face as she shook the metal bars.
“Shut up, bitch. You thought you would try and get one over on me did you? People will never learn,” said Stout shaking his head as his face was filled up with anger and hate.
The woman was one of Stout's prostitutes who had tried to steal from him. He had let her in too close but she made the mistake of crossing the line and would now pay the ultimate price.
“You will do my lovely's,” chuckled Stout as he removed the lid from one of the tanks.
Inside, two black and yellow striped menacing scorpions were trying to sting Stout's arm but he had moved away just in time.
“Meet your new playmates, bitch. I’m sure your time with them will be short lived,” he said looking up at her.
“No, please, Volax; it was just an honest mistake, I’ll do anything I’m sorry I…”
Stout just ignored her pleas and moved his chair to a control panel. He started to flick the controls and the machine hummed as it came to life. It would take no longer than five seconds for the extractor to lock onto the woman and start the transfer.
“You got the wrong person; it was one of your diggers who stole the data not me I…” but before she managed to finish her sentence Stout slammed his fist onto the button.
A blinding white flash hit the cage above and a blue beam then started to flow. After a few seconds the light and the noise had stopped altogether, Stout took great pleasure in what he had just done. Stout moved over to a row of test tubes that stood neatly in a rack on a nearby table and was pleased to see the woman inside one of the tubes—the transfer had been successful. Stout lifted the tube and licked the side of it with his tongue against the glass, the woman’s eyes bulging outward looking at him with sheer terror.
“Ah… there we go, must be feeding time then, if only you had been a good girl things would have worked out better,” he said grinning as he held the tube against the light above him. The woman inside was screaming for her life but would go unanswered as he tilted the tube over the tank. With a shake of his hand, she fell in.
The scorpions pounced on their prey and hammered blow after blow of venomous stings on the victim. They tore their prey apart within seconds before each vanished into the undergrowth with their meal.
“How’s the search going down there,Vestle?” said Stout as he activated his intercom to speak to his digger.
A screen flickered then came to life and a rover similar to Charlie's but a lot smaller in size appeared. It was racing at full speed towards the northern part of the wasteland and had dodged the storm ahead of Charlie.
The difference was the person controlling the rover was not human; instead it was a high class android. One of many Stout had in his possession; he had a fleet of them as part of the mini empire he was trying to construct. Stout's androids made Richard look very simple in appearance and strength.
“Nearing the area now, Volax,” replied Vestle.
“Good, I want to see what pickings there are in that nothingness of a planet,” replied Stout whilst rubbing his prosthetic leg.
The report flashed up on the screen, there was a two ton Kromtic chamber buried underground. It was two hours away from the rover’s position but within easy reach for Stout's android. Relaying the information through, Stout grinned with a sly smirk; he would be a rich man yet again.
“Yes, Volax; understood. I’m signing off,” replied the android after confirming more details. The android cut the feed and activated his dark metallic space suit which covered all of his body with air tight seals. He had to be ready for digging when and where required.
“Lovely, just perfect,” said Stout as he turned his wheelchair around to look over towards the reptile tanks once more.
“My you are a beautiful one,” he said as he reached with his hand into one of the tanks and pulled out a lizard type species. Gently lifting the fragile blue skinned creature with one hand he stroked its rough skin; his fingertips bumping over the spikes arched up on its back. He admired the creature like a child looking at its favourite toy, but that feeling of warmth for it would soon disappear as the creature became hostile with him.
It started to dig its razor claws deep into Stout's hand, ripping the skin and causing black blood to run down towards his elbow. Stout felt no pain; his body was almost unrecognizable since his accident and the DNA he had in him was built to withstand any type of pain. Looking down at the creature before him, the warmth shown earlier had changed. Immense anger now drew upwards from his stomach and he was holding an object that was no more than a threat.
Biting down hard with his jaw, he ripped the head off the creature and tossed the body over his shoulder then moved the wheelchair forward a little to grab a large dish from a steel tray. The cold red blood dribbled from his chin as he spat the contents out from his mouth and onto the dish.
“Why can't things just be nice?” said Stout as he wiped away the blood.
A meal had been prepared for him on the table already; he grabbed some pork joints and placed them onto the dish. He decided to pour himself a glass of red wine to complete his feast. After eating the meal, he positioned the chair so he was facing the screen again. He could see the rover was still on course; a very big chunk of Kromtic would be his very soon. Who could possibly get in the way?
On a nearby vehicle Richard whispered,“Charlie… sir? Wake up!. The film had long since finished and Charlie was still asleep.
“Er… Richard? What time is it?” asked Charlie.
“It is late in the afternoon, sir; you have been asleep for quite a while.”
Rubbing his eyes and sitting up straight, Charlie was aware the film they were watching was just playing in a loop. Dim lights still shone from the ceiling, the power was still on so at least that was something. The solar roof tiles were damaged in various places from the wind, and they were running very low on batteries now. Charlie rose out of his seat and made his way towards his android friend.
“Back on course, Charlie,” said Richard sitting in his chair in the comms room.
“What time should we get there then?” asked Charlie.
“Within an hour at most,” replied Richard.
“Looks like that storm is starting to dissipate,” said Charlie checking the radar screen above his head.
“It is good news then at last,” thought Charlie.
“Have you charged your suit? Is the programme ready for input?” asked Richard concerned.
“I did it all yesterday, it's better out of the way before we get to the digging site and we had plenty of time to spare,” replied Charlie.
Stout's android had started to power down the rover as it approached the main crater. The air was calm and made for the best conditions for digging in ages. As the tyres came to a grinding halt, a group of small locusts scurried on the surface, departing separate ways from their burrows. The planet's surface could not yield any plantation or crops, but did host its share of insect inhabitants and microorganisms.
The door to the rear of the rover opened; the hydraulics made a loud hissing noise as the ramp started to lower itself onto the ground. The android appeared from inside holding some digging equipment. He had a large industrial drill with a long tube attached to the end of it where the Kromtic would be fed into the holding tank at the back of the rover.
Dust from the surface blew up towards the android. Kneeling down, he placed the drill against a large rock and pulled the visor down on his helmet. The drill came to life and as the android fired it up, razor sharp bits of rock flew past him and hit his amour.
“How are we doing down there?” said Stout, speaking into his comm switch.
“Starting to dig now, should be hitting a good batch of Kromtic pretty soon,” replied the android.
“Good let me know any updates; I hope to be hitting some big credits here,” replied Stout smiling.
After ten minutes or so, the sensors on the drill started to flash the android had hit Kromtic within the rock. Acting quickly, he flicked the switch on the attached tube and the pressure pump started to collect the substance. The android could tell immediately that it was a big find as the tank started to fill up fast.
“How long now Richard?” asked Charlie as he bent down to fasten the laces on his protective boots.
“Ten minutes, sir,” replied Richard looking around.
“Good, let's get to work then,” said Charlie standing to his feet.
“Hold tight, some of these craters are a little rough,” replied Richard. Charlie held onto the rail above him as the rover lurched to the right and dipped forward steeply.
“Jesus Richard, take it easy; I want to get there in one piece.”
Richard slammed on the brakes and the rover came to a stop within a crater. Charlie stood by the door, gear strapped to him and holding the drill. The tanks attached to the back of the rover were ready; all he had to do was position the hose and start the feed when needed.
“Opening it now, Charlie; remember the conditions are still a bit rough out there, thirty minutes then you will need a break,” said Richard, hoping he had the calculation and timings just right.
Charlie placed the goggles over his face, adjusted his helmet, and gave thumbs up in Richard's direction. The door opened and Charlie started to walk down the ramp. The dust was hitting his face as he placed the protective breathing mask over his mouth.
“Damn wind; what is it with this shit hole planet?” said Charlie, his voice muffled against the breeze.
Flicking the sensor button on the side of his drill, the blue lights lit up in a row. Moving the drill in all directions, Charlie began his search to see if he could lock onto a Kromtic substance within the rock bed in front of him. With no signal being located, Charlie looked at the instrument before him and saw he still had twenty minutes or so left outside. He turned around to see Richard at the window of the rover manning the controls and keeping a hawk eye on him.
“Looking rather cosy in there”, thought Charlie as grit gathered around his goggles and started to obstruct his view. He decided to take a rest for a little while and sat down on a nearby rock to wipe the lenses on his goggles with his hand. The temperature outside was starting to climb higher; so much so that Charlie decided to tap the bar coded digits on the side of his arm to initiate the cooling system of his suit. Water started to trickle then became a steady flow as it moved underneath his clothing into his skin. It was just enough to keep him from dehydrating as he continued on with his dig. There was still no sign of Kromtic at all and it was making him frustrated. Becoming desperate, he started to punch holes in the rocks around him with the end of the drill.
“Richard, are you sure you got this right? Still no sign of anything worth getting my credits for in this spot,” said Charlie, the frustration becoming apparent in his voice.
“This is the prime spot, I’m sure of it; the calculations work out correct,” replied Richard discounting the concerns.
“Well, something is off, I’m giving it ten more minutes and then I'm coming back on board,” said Charlie holding the drill in both arms.
The drill started to shimmy off the rock and he could not maintain a good position despite holding the drill down with force. He looked behind him and saw that the tube was starting to fill up with bits of rock and dust; he was not pumping Kromtic just the crap from underneath the surface.
“Fuck!” shouted Charlie turning off the drill and throwing it to the ground.
“This has got to be the right place Richard never gets it wrong,” he thought.
The dust storms were starting to pick up again and the heat in the atmosphere was rising even further.
“You okay, sir?” Richard asked over the intercom as he climbed up on his seat to peer through the window onto the landscape below. He could see Charlie resting in the distance. The sun was blinding outside, so Richard flicked a switch and the windows in front of him started to darken as the protective blinds slid across.
“You’re going over your time, Charlie; you need to get inside quick,” said Richard.
The door slid open and he started to walk down the ramp to meet Charlie, the wind hitting Richard hard as he stumbled onto the ground. Getting back to his feet again, Richard gained ground battling against the wind with every step.
“Charlie! Charlie, let's go. We need to move!” shouted Richard against the ever forceful wind.
Charlie sat slumped over a rock tapping his arm, and trying to circulate the rest of the water into the pores of his skin but of no use, he was dehydrating fast. He had miscalculated with the data he used for the suit and it could cost him his life.
“I got you, Charlie. Just hold onto me. I will get you back to the rover in no time.”
The sweat was pouring from Charlie's forehead as he struggled to focus and replied, “Cheers, mate; get me out of here.”
Richard grabbed him and managed to hold his weight, the blinding dust blowing fiercely at the both of them. Reaching for his pocket, Charlie quickly grabbed his goggles, wiped away the grit from the lenses again, and placed them firmly onto his face. The stinging in his eyes was still raging but he was determined to carry on.
Once they both had finally arrived at the foot of the ramp again, Richard said, “Get in quick, Charlie; the heat will start to burn every living thing outside soon.”
The door opened and they both stepped inside, Charlie collapsed onto a bed near the door. Richard, keeping a close eye on his condition, rushed to open the medical cabinet. In front of him were bottles containing various types of medications Richard grabbed a bottle in one hand and a syringe in the other. Turning around, he could see that Charlie was starting to have a fit on the bed.
“Charlie, sir, stay calm; you need to keep still,” said Richard.
Charlie's body was becoming difficult to pin down, Richard had to give him the injection fast— his heart was racing and would soon stop. He had no choice, reaching over for the stun injector Richard forced it into the side of Charlie's neck; Charlie's body juddered like a ship landing in a wind shear. Then fell silent.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you,” said Richard, relieved.
Peering over Charlie's body, Richard rolled up his master’s sleeve, the wetsuit was tight but after a struggle he managed to place the needle into his arm. Charlie had been exposed to the rising temperature when the elements were stacked against him and the miscalculation with his suit could prove costly. The liquid from the needle flowed fast into Charlie's vein to hydrate him and flush out the harmful bacteria that had entered the skin.
“N
ext time I’ll sort your suit out, if only you had a bit more faith in me,” said Richard shaking his head as he pulled away the needle.
“All done; time to let you rest.”
Placing a long thin white sheet over Charlie he knew he had saved his friend and master, Charlie was more comfortable now. Richard wrote Charlie's medical stats into the ships computer so they were saved on file.
Everything looked normal once again. Retiring to the main control room, Richard powered down the rover to the minimum amount required and took time to weigh up the situation at hand.
Chapter Four
The rover was starting to pick up speed; its shadow flickering against the ground. Stout’s android had adjusted the ships settings perfectly. Another plot had been detected in the far north. Since the last dig had been a great success, half of the tank was full. The temperature was changing fast though and the instruments and equipment were at risk of overheating.
“We have a slight problem, sir,” said the android through the comm switch.
Stout slouched back in his chair looking up at a holographic screen.
“What seems to be the issue?” said Stout looking sleepy, as he lit a cigarette.
One of the two scantly dressed prostitutes that lay in his bed sat up reaching for a needle on the nearby table. She was desperate to get high and was injecting herself with some drugs that were readily available from Stout. He had subjected her to years of abuse. The blue drug he supplied was her only escape from his harsh reality. She pushed the small needle deep into a vein in one of her arms, piercing her tissue as the liquid started to pump underneath.
“The temperature is dropping fast sir dusk is approaching, I’m almost at the new dig area but we may need to abort the…”
