Max Connell

17th March 2011

Post with 1 note

Treasure of the Aramax Pt 7: The Asteroid Field

A dalliance with deadly rocks…

Jan was determined not to be talked round. He had his feelings on the case of the mysterious Doctor Axi, and that was going to be that. It took Rai over half an hour and several failed arguments, including explaining all the reasons why Doctor Axi had been wrongfully accused, how useful his knowledge of ancient technology would be on Tellos and how he could do things with the ship’s drive that Rai could only dream of, before she settled on an unlikely winner.

“You know he used to work for Mr. Graves, don’t you?”

Jan paused in his preparations of the ship’s navigational systems and sat on the edge of the console looking over at Rai in weary feigned interest. “Go on.” he said flatly.

“After the war, before he joined the university, he was developing tech for Graves’ little empire on Mimas. He says they had a ‘falling out’ over nothing serious and Graves tried to have him killed.”

“So why would he help us, or did you not tell him who was bankrolling this expedition?”

“Come on Jan, we both know you aren’t playing this straight. You’re always working an angle or, at least, looking for one to exploit. Doctor Axi could be it!”

“Fine!” Jan relented, “We’ll go check out his floating rock, but if there’s anything more than just a hint of crazy about him… we’re leaving him behind. You get me?”

“Loud and clear, boss!” Chirped Rai, just on the verge of mocking.

“Enough of that. Back to work.” said Jan, turning back to the console and dropping into his chair with a thump.

It had been a terrible idea. Doctor Axi could see that now, how wonderful hindsight was. He should have seen it coming before he had even started the test but he was just so very tired. He had gone through the procedure hundreds of times before but the sweeps had been getting nearer and he was getting desperate.

He had been developing the latest attempt at a viable fuel for the shell that remained of his ship for nearly three weeks. He had scavenged and removed all he could from the vessel in building his temporary home within the little asteroid. This had given him the advantage of stripping away all of the unnecessary bulk of the ship to something that it would take very little fuel to propel and get him to Earth. The new fuel had been more than sufficient.

The mix had been more potent than he expected and the resulting explosion had torn the asteroid in half and sent the remains of the ship off into the path of another oncoming rock. Doctor Axi ruminated on how lucky he had been not to be on the ship at the time as he clung to the wreckage of the asteroid with only an hour’s oxygen in his ancient emergency suit…

You have to hand it to Graves, thought Jan as the newly named Solomon’s Folly barrelled down through a temporary canyon between asteroids, this ship may be a taped together pile of bolts, but she can move! He yanked back on the steering column as a rock came hurtling across their path and the ship responded with a satisfying, if juddering, turn upwards. Or down, Jan had long lost track of Solar North in the maze of fast moving potential death.

He flicked his gaze away from the shifting path to the nav screen, checking the flashing red dot that he was hoping would lead them to Rai’s mysterious Doctor Axi. Jan noticed another blip appear on the screen a little way further out. He was just watching it to fork out where it was heading when-

“Jan look out!” screamed Rai, Jan looked up just in time to see the rock heading straight for him. He swerved and peeled away into another space as the asteroid thundered past and continued on its journey. Rai was sat in the co-pilot’s chair, Alan had been confined to his  quarters for arguing that he should outrank Rai due to his length of service. He had then been confined to the galley after complaining that being denied food was barbaric.

“Thanks.” sighed Jan. He indicated to the nav screen. “Come take a look at this, will you? Something just popped up and I think it might be headed the same way as us.”

Rai moved across the cockpit and stood looking over Jan’s shoulder, her hands grasping the back of his chair to steady herself whenever a sudden move would counteract the ship’s gravity. “It’s big. Looks like a TiSec scout ship. My guess is they’re looking for Doctor Axi too. They won’t be able to get there as fast as us through all these rocks.”

“Unless they blast their way through.” Just as Jan spoke there was the flash up ahead as one of the rocks exploded in two.

“That must be Doctor Axi trying to signal us!” exclaimed Rai.

“I think that was too big for a signal blast. Hold on, I think I can see a way through to him.” said Jan and he gunned the engines towards the blast site.

Tagged: thursdaytalestreasure of the aramaxshort fictionscience fiction