Lifetime of Fear

"“Bravo Xray 779. Cleared for approach, runway Eight-Zero. Over." "Copy, Control," Adin replied. "Bountiful Express coming your way. Over." The final leg of his cycle was nearing its end. It was the most dangerous portion of the cycle in terms of potential for disaster, but the end none the less. Bella and Spook were suited and strapped into their chairs, watching telemetry, ready to react. Adin could see all the critical readings from the Engineer's chair with relative ease, but if something went wrong, he would need all six eyes on systems. Bella's array offered the same as did the Engineer's, but control access was limited to what the Engineer allowed. Two heads were better than one, but not two sets of hands. Spook's array was primarily focused on the tubes and their couplers. Depending on the location along the train, a coupler failure would affect the approach trajectory. Spook could release any or all tubes if necessary - with or without Adin's command. "Disconnect at Yard Five-Zero. Over," came the call over the radio. Traffic Control wasted no time directing Adin's train to the scheduled location. The cylindrical cargo tubes did not have wheels, but they were designed with a top side and a bottom side. They were built with sled runners on the bottom side. The runners protected the tube skins and provided friction braking during planting. They also provided less resistance than the entire bottom of the tube during launch. They were a frequent replacement item at the end of each cycle. The back end of each tube was a large hatch for loading and unloading, both of which required uncoupling. The engine did have planting gear with huge metal studded wheels. An ancillary hydrogen powered engine used a camshaft arrangement to apply power to the wheels when on the surface. That arrangement offered more precise motion control than a thruster. After successfully planting, the train crept across the hard surface of the train station toward Yard Five-Zero. The drive would require a minimum of three hours to complete. The engine's surface speed was not more than two kilometers per hour. At the Yard, Adin would release his tubes and move his train to a repair bay for inspection. The Yard Tipper would unload the tubes one at a time. To unload, the tube's rear hatch would be secured open, the Tipper claws would latch onto the tube, turn it on end, and dump the ore into a pile destined for processing. Tipping was a laboriously slow process because of the size of the tubes. Adin's tubes were full of nickel-iron ore. The Yard pile was almost depleted. Adin pointed at the ore pile and smiled toward Bella, "Metal yard is low. Looks like we can get another metal assignment. More value for us." *** Adin hugged Bella and patted Spook's shoulder. Their standard good-byes. Originally, he hugged both, but Spook's reaction caused him to settle for a shoulder pat. Spook wasn't a touchy-feely person. "I'll message you as soon as I know what the assignment is. I'll push it out at least twenty-eight days if I can. Enjoy your downtime." Adin walked through the Station tunnels until he arrived at the Station Master's office. The red-haired man's face was flushed with anger. A train Engineer was catching the wrath of Claude Spinner. Adin decided to come to the Engineer's aid by walking into the office uninvited. Maybe his added presence would dampen the Station Master's anger. It didn't. Station Master Spinner turned his angry, green eyes toward Adin. "What do you want?" Adin scowled; his brows drawn together at the bridge. He would meet force with force. "My damn pay!" he snapped. Station Master Spinner was distracted from his harangue, just as Adin planned. The red-faced man turned to check his computer. He shook his head and turned back to Adin. "It hasn't even been weighed yet. I'm busy now. Come back in thirty." "I can wait," Adin's brown eyes held firm. "Don't mind me. Go ahead with whatever you were doing." Master Spinner’s face flushed redder. Veins stood out at his temple and on his neck. He exhaled heavily when he realized that Adin wasn't leaving. He knew why Adin was there. The train Engineers stuck together on everything, especially when dealing with planet bound bureaucrats. He returned his attention to the train Engineer who was the focus of his attention before Adin arrived. "Pak, don't let it happen again. Your assignment was for a full load of metal. You'll lose status assignments by bringing back seventy-five percent of your assignment." Pak Tsung nodded. "Like I said, the asteroid was a tumbler. I planted on its axis, but the rotational force kept kicking my minebots out. I spent sixty days there. That's the maximum allowed by the Planetary Mining Council." Master Spinner quivered with anger. "If I had a choice, you'd be mining chondrite from now on. But," he paused with an air of resignation, "we need nickel-iron. Here's your assignment. Your value - such as it is - is being routed to your account. Now, get out of my sight." He turned back to his computer after he waved Pak away. Pak made an "oh well" face at Adin as he turned away from the Station Master. "Better luck next time," Adin said as he patted the shorter train Engineer’s shoulder. "They shouldn't assign those tumblers." Master Spinner looked away from his computer long enough to glare at Adin's comment. After a few minutes, calmer than earlier, he turned to Adin, "I have bays scheduled for your train." "When it's in there, I want to look over my engine myself." Adin felt like the Station Master was simply making conversation to defuse the previous interaction. It was standard practice to process the engine through a repair bay. No need to mention it. "Not just your engine. Your cargo tubes too. We'll even take a look at your minebots." Adin was confused - and showed it. "I didn't ask for a full diagnostic. I haven't had any issues with tubes or bots. I'm not paying for something I don't need." Any repairs were considered costs and would affect the value available to Bella and Spook - as well as to him. "Planetary is paying for retro-fitting." Adin scowled. The Station Master was intentionally being cryptic. The red-haired man wasn't going to volunteer anything. "Retro-fitting? For what?" "Your next assignment," Master Spinner said with a smirk. Adin could tell that the Station Master wasn't happy with the assignment, or with how the assignment was being issued. All assignments were issued under the auspices of the Joint Commander, but the actual allocation of them was done by low-level bureaucrats like Claude Spinner. It gave the bureaucrats an aura of importance. "What's my assignment? One of the moons? Don't need a retrofit for that. Ceres? Don't need it there either." "Check with Joint Commander Masters' office. They have your assignment." The Station Master was dismissive. "Since when did Joint Command issue mining assignments?" Adin felt the hairs on his arms rise. A coolness swept down the back of his neck. The Station Master apparently didn't know what the assignment was; otherwise, he would have hinted at it. "Joint Command can do whatever they want. They are ultimately in charge of assignments. Commander Masters is waiting to see you. I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you." Master Spinner turned back to his computer. "Don't short me on my value," Adin said sternly before he left. There was no reason to say it. The ore weighing and value calculating system was automated. Price per metric ton was set by the Planetary Mining Council, with approval of Joint Command, based upon demand. The low metal ore stockpile in Yard Five-Zero should indicate a premium value. He walked toward the tunnel that would take him to the city’s center. He was nervous. Joint Commander Masters did not get involved in mining assignments. Something didn't feel right.