for
cave-ins.
Arr rose to his feet, pulling his damp
shorts and short sleeve shirt, the uniform of the security team,
off his sweaty skin. There would be no bath this morning. The water
used for bathing came from a recycling system used at the mine.
What they bathed in was the water used for the mining process after
the crystals went through it. Enough for a bath only accumulated
every three days or so. After going through the recycling plant it
wasn't clean, in fact it was just this side of mud. A little more
water, a little less dirt. The only reason the community was
allowed to use it for bathing was it wasn't good for anything else.
A person was usually cleaner before they got into it. But it was
cool from being underground and it washed the stink off.
Arr heard a skipping sound to his left. He
knew before he turned it would be Neena. The child never walked
anywhere. She always had the energy to skip even in this unbearable
heat.
She had a piece of paper in her hand and
presented it to Arr as soon as she reached him. It was a picture
she had drawn. A picture of him. She was not a child prodigy with
incredible artistic ability, but Arr knew it was him at once. The
clue was the red and yellow pencils she used for the hair on his
arms and legs.
"This is good Neena. It looks just like me."
He winked at the child. She smiled and hung her head bashfully. He
offered it back, but she refused. It was obviously a gift. "Thank
you. I will hang it in my room." Arr said proudly.
She signed a goodbye and skipped off toward
home and breakfast.
Arr went inside to have a bite to eat as
well. Jake was busy preparing his morning meal. Arr nodded in his
direction on his way to the refrigeration unit. It was just too hot
to make idle conversation.
Neither of them had had anything hot to eat
in weeks. They both preferred something out of the refrigeration
unit or at least room temperature. Arr reverted to being a
vegetarian again. Jake took to eating cold processed meat which the
Henu found only slightly less than completely repulsive. Arr
complained that it was like eating it raw.
Arr got a can of fruit from the
refrigeration unit and a glass of water from the water cooler. They
purchased their water in large glass jugs that were delivered to
the station in heavy crates of two dozen each. He would be glad
when the supply ship arrived in two days. All the fresh fruit and
vegetables ran out over a week ago. He'd been eating this canned
stuff ever since. He was looking forward to a meal that didn't
taste like so much mush. He longed for something that crunched when
you bit into it.
Kay-o rubbed against Arr's leg and he
reached over to pat him. The dar-dolf was really odd looking
without his fur. Jake shaved him so he might cope better with the
heat. Kay-o went back to eating the last of his ration of Jake's
leftovers plus his allotment of food they brought with them on the
ship. Jake said that if he knew the extent of the conditions on the
planet he wouldn't have taken the job or if he had he would have
come better prepared with a fully stocked pantry. As it was, they
already depleted their extra stores aboard ship including all the
Red Raspberry Goo Chews.
Chapter 22
Jake sat in the Super's office listening to him
quote declining production levels and rising expense figures. Arr
and he had been at the station for two months.
"The galnon deposit is already on the wane.
With luck, we could get it to last another two months, but
definitely not four." The Super mopped his brow with his ever
present handkerchief. Not only was it unbearably hot, but he hated
the duty of telling Jake the bad news. Mercenaries were
unpredictable. He hoped Jake would take this well.
The Super progressed to the complimentary
part of the meeting hoping to pave the way for the bad news to
follow. "You and your partner are doing a fine job on security for
the processing plant."
Jake just waited for the other shoe to fall,
and it did.
"However, The Company will
cave-ins.
Arr rose to his feet, pulling his damp
shorts and short sleeve shirt, the uniform of the security team,
off his sweaty skin. There would be no bath this morning. The water
used for bathing came from a recycling system used at the mine.
What they bathed in was the water used for the mining process after
the crystals went through it. Enough for a bath only accumulated
every three days or so. After going through the recycling plant it
wasn't clean, in fact it was just this side of mud. A little more
water, a little less dirt. The only reason the community was
allowed to use it for bathing was it wasn't good for anything else.
A person was usually cleaner before they got into it. But it was
cool from being underground and it washed the stink off.
Arr heard a skipping sound to his left. He
knew before he turned it would be Neena. The child never walked
anywhere. She always had the energy to skip even in this unbearable
heat.
She had a piece of paper in her hand and
presented it to Arr as soon as she reached him. It was a picture
she had drawn. A picture of him. She was not a child prodigy with
incredible artistic ability, but Arr knew it was him at once. The
clue was the red and yellow pencils she used for the hair on his
arms and legs.
"This is good Neena. It looks just like me."
He winked at the child. She smiled and hung her head bashfully. He
offered it back, but she refused. It was obviously a gift. "Thank
you. I will hang it in my room." Arr said proudly.
She signed a goodbye and skipped off toward
home and breakfast.
Arr went inside to have a bite to eat as
well. Jake was busy preparing his morning meal. Arr nodded in his
direction on his way to the refrigeration unit. It was just too hot
to make idle conversation.
Neither of them had had anything hot to eat
in weeks. They both preferred something out of the refrigeration
unit or at least room temperature. Arr reverted to being a
vegetarian again. Jake took to eating cold processed meat which the
Henu found only slightly less than completely repulsive. Arr
complained that it was like eating it raw.
Arr got a can of fruit from the
refrigeration unit and a glass of water from the water cooler. They
purchased their water in large glass jugs that were delivered to
the station in heavy crates of two dozen each. He would be glad
when the supply ship arrived in two days. All the fresh fruit and
vegetables ran out over a week ago. He'd been eating this canned
stuff ever since. He was looking forward to a meal that didn't
taste like so much mush. He longed for something that crunched when
you bit into it.
Kay-o rubbed against Arr's leg and he
reached over to pat him. The dar-dolf was really odd looking
without his fur. Jake shaved him so he might cope better with the
heat. Kay-o went back to eating the last of his ration of Jake's
leftovers plus his allotment of food they brought with them on the
ship. Jake said that if he knew the extent of the conditions on the
planet he wouldn't have taken the job or if he had he would have
come better prepared with a fully stocked pantry. As it was, they
already depleted their extra stores aboard ship including all the
Red Raspberry Goo Chews.
Chapter 22
Jake sat in the Super's office listening to him
quote declining production levels and rising expense figures. Arr
and he had been at the station for two months.
"The galnon deposit is already on the wane.
With luck, we could get it to last another two months, but
definitely not four." The Super mopped his brow with his ever
present handkerchief. Not only was it unbearably hot, but he hated
the duty of telling Jake the bad news. Mercenaries were
unpredictable. He hoped Jake would take this well.
The Super progressed to the complimentary
part of the meeting hoping to pave the way for the bad news to
follow. "You and your partner are doing a fine job on security for
the processing plant."
Jake just waited for the other shoe to fall,
and it did.
"However, The Company will
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