Chapter 43: Chapter 42: A Miner’s Life for Me

The rover had barely entered the foothills before it came upon rockier ground about two kilometers from the plains. Alex watched as the nose of the rover pitched ever upwards as they ascended this rough terrain until they eventually came to a short, semi-flat area that was shaped like a punch bowl.

It was a punch bowl because the rest of the terrain rose up quickly in elevation all around it. The cliffs that surrounded the flat area were almost sheer in some places while in others it would be a pretty challenging climb.

Near the center of the punch bowl was a small biosphere, looking almost identical to the ones found in the city.

“Here we are,” said Rooney, pointing at the enclosed bubble. “Welcome to the deadliest place on Vesta.”

The ominous welcome aside, Alex couldn’t help but notice the poor position it was in. Anyone in the bowl would be sitting ducks for predators on top of it, especially the agile bears. Alex pictured them swooping down from the rim to pick off any of the miners as they made their way to and from the biosphere. It wasn’t a pretty picture.

“This is where the bulk of the VDF is deployed, about half of our strength,” said Rooney, pointing out a patrol of two men walking along the inner ring of the bowl. “They’re augmented by two watchtowers for security, as you can see there and there.”

Rooney pointed out the most ramshackle and poorly-placed watchtowers that Alex had ever seen.

“Is that all the defense that’s been allocated to the mining operation?” he asked incredulously. “Those watchtowers couldn’t be in worse positions. They have no command over the high ground where they are. Why wouldn’t you put them on the upper rim, where the terrain is rockier?”

“They were put there because this is where all the mining happens,” said Rooney defensively. “No other seams of gold or silver have been discovered in any other parts of these hills. Not to mention, the ground up there near the rim is rocky and hard to build on. This flat area was easier to put the towers on.”

“Easier but not more helpful,” replied Alex. “You can’t see anything beyond this flat area, and certainly not what’s going on up on the rim. If you want this territory more secure, it’s important that you command the high ground, so you can see threats coming from further out.”

“I don’t see the watchtowers being moved anytime soon,” replied Rooney sullenly. “All available manpower on the building detail is allocated toward the protected walkway connecting the mining biosphere to the rest of the city. There are just not enough resources to move them right now.”

Alex resisted the urge to shake his head. He was beginning to see why Vesta had so many problems. The military wasn’t allowed to do its job and because it was being led by short-sighted civilians, they were overriding and ignoring solid military theory and tactics—to their own peril.

It was just one more thing that Alex added to his list to speak to the Council about.

Rooney pulled into a garage attached to the biosphere and turned off the ignition of the rover. They moved past the garage and into the actual biosphere, which was one of the smallest of all those built on the planet. Once inside, Alex could see several miners that had taken a break and were catching a snack in a lounge area. Almost all of them looked haggard and tired.

“This is the rest area for the miners on their breaks,” informed Rooney. “We have basic storage on this side and refining that takes up the rest of the biosphere. Once a month, the Council will send the crawlers up here to bring the gold and silver down to Vesta after it’s refined.”

Alex shook his head in disgust. “So they’ll send the crawlers for the gold but not for the miners?”

“Bingo. Now you can see what’s really important to the Council. And it ain’t human lives.”

“What about the living quarters here?” asked Alex. “Does anyone stay here full time?”

“No, not even close. All shifts must come back to the city and it’s forbidden to have any of the miners live here on-site.”

“Wouldn’t they be protected here though? If most of our losses come on the transit back and forth from the city, wouldn’t it make more sense to have the miners stay here in basic living quarters to reduce the risk?”

Rooney only gave him a grim smile. “Do I really need to answer that question? Or do you want to think about the trend we’ve started already?”

“Jesus, this colony is fucked up,” replied Alex. “If we made half the changes we talked about today, your incidence of bear attacks would probably be a tenth of what they are currently.”

“More than likely but that’s the situation we find ourselves in,” said Rooney. “Besides, even if you did get approval for miners to live here, it wouldn’t be popular with the people. Mining detail is the worst task you can get in Vesta. No one wants to be here any longer than they have to. You’ll see once you talk to the men. Everyone is jumpy here and on their guard constantly. Despite the peril of going back to the city, you’ll find most of them are relieved to be going back. It’s better than being here under the constant shadow of death.”

Rooney led them closer to the edge of the biosphere, which was connected to the one side of the rim where the mines were. Once they were closer, Alex saw there were three separate holes in the side of the rim, leading down into the mines themselves. Each hole had a track system for small vehicles that would lead them inside. It reminded Alex of something he’d read about over a thousand years ago, when mining was done by a rail system in the wild west. This was just a more modern version of it.

“Come on, I’ll take you down to see the gold,” said Rooney, commandeering one of the carts. “You can leave your rifle up here. Remember to keep your head low. The ceilings can be low at some points down there.”

Alex hopped in and Rooney turned the cart on. It sprung forward much slower than the rover they were just in but soon enough they were down into the darkness of the mine. Alex could see there was a walking path right next to the track, no doubt for any stragglers that found themselves without a cart to ride. Soon enough, they descended into the deepest part of the mine, where a group of miners were working an obvious seam. It glittered once Rooney turned the light of the car on it—the sign of gold.

“That right there is the only reason Vesta still has a bright future,” said Rooney. “For all of our problems, that gold is our ticket out of poverty. And these seams go very deep. There’s an estimate here that there’s enough gold in these hills to make every inhabitant of Vesta a multi-billionaire. And if we just keep mining enough, we can mine our problems away.”

Rooney opened his mouth to say something else but his P-com started to ring at that moment. He looked down at it and swore.

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“Hold on, this is one of my lieutenants out on patrol. Let me take this.”

Rooney stepped to the side to answer it and was soon engaged in conversation. Alex took the moment to get out of the cart, approaching the seam of gold that was currently being worked on by four miners. He inspected it closely, even running his hands over the seam until one of the miners called out to him.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

Alex turned to look into the face of the man who said it. Dirty as it was, he looked a little different from the rest of the miners that Alex had seen already. Mostly, that was because his eyes still held that spark of life that the others on this detail had all lost.

“You’re one of the new arrivals, aren’t you?” asked the miner. “First time up here?”

“Was it that obvious?” asked Alex, chuckling to himself. He extended his hand. “Alex Hawthorne.”

“Randy Milford, and yes it always is,” answered Randy. “You see the first seams of gold and then you think that maybe, just maybe, this Vesta ordeal isn’t as bad as you first thought.”

“I was more thinking how much struggle we go through just to get our hands on a little tiny chunk of sparkling metal,” replied Alex, touching the seam with his hand again. “Sometimes you wonder if it is all really worth it.”

“I’ve been wondering that for the entire ten years that I’ve been in Vesta,” said Randy. “I didn’t grow up here. No, that honor goes to Alpha Prime, where most of my family still is.”

“So what brought you to Vesta then, Randy?”

He shrugged. “Seemed better off than the life my dad had planned for me. If I stayed on Alpha Prime, I’d most certainly be some kind of desk worker. Probably an accountant or some BS job like that.”

Alex chuckled. “Let me guess—you’re not one for living a life without any kind of action in it?”

“Damn straight. I’ll take mining and the risk of certain death any day over that kind of life. So when we had a colony ship of our own stop in Alpha Prime, I said why not? It beats living a life without distinction.”

“And ten years later, do you still feel the same way?”

“For the most part. We have our perks here on Vesta, that’s for sure. I certainly enjoy both of my wives. I came here right as the bear problem was starting and the relationships began to change. I fooled around with my share of women too, because after all, who wouldn’t? Unlimited sex with many willing girls is something that no man can turn down. But eventually, I settled in with two women who became my wives. I haven’t really looked back since although there are times when I wouldn’t mind giving a new girl a throw. Just for old time’s sake.”

Alex grinned. “What about children? Got a bunch of them running around?”

“Four at last count, although there are one or two here and there that look like me. Parentage still isn’t entirely confirmed in my eyes,” answered Randy. “But that’s what Vesta is all about. Making the next generation of miners and VDF and farmers. Hopefully we can outlast this bear problem.”

“It’s a long problem to have for ten years,” said Alex. “Especially with how much they’ve taken down your numbers.”

“It always happens in spurts,” replied Randy. “If they had been consistently killing us for ten years, there wouldn’t be anyone left. They go hot for a period and then cold. We still haven’t figured out why they do that though.”

“So what kind of period is it now?” asked Alex. “Hot or cold?”

“Hot,” replied Randy instantly. “Definitely hot. You’re coming here at a hell of a time. And I have a feeling it won’t be long until all the new arrivals get their first taste of what a bear attack looks like. I had a friend of mine get taken not too long. We never found his body. They ran off with it and did god knows what to it.”

Alex shook his head. “You hate to see that happen to a friend.”

“I’d almost rather see the remains in front of me,” said Randy quietly. “Even if the body is all mangled. Then I know the ending was quick at least. When they get carried away by the bears, I don’t know how long they suffered. I don’t know if they’re still suffering. That bothers me the most. I have to wonder if Greg is still alive out there somewhere and we just don’t know it?”

That was some food for thought, and Alex questioned whether or not Randy might be right by that assumption. Wasn’t death better off than an endless struggle that you could never win?

He never got a chance to finish that thought. From somewhere deep within the mine, they heard the sound of low rumbling, which soon unleashed a bloodcurdling scream.

It caused everyone to stop what they were doing and look in the direction of the noise. Even Rooney shut off his P-com and hopped back in the cart.

“Hawthorne, let’s go! Someone’s in trouble!”

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