A little taste. From my book, "Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction."
The Solitaire
It gets lonely when you ship out from Earth. Don't get me wrong, it's worth it. A trip to the asteroid belt and back can make you so wealthy you'll never want for anything ever again- if you find the right rock.
The first one that anybody brought back was spectacular, but then, being the first one, it had been funded and studied by all sorts of... mehr anzeigen
A little taste. From my book, "Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction."
The Solitaire
It gets lonely when you ship out from Earth. Don't get me wrong, it's worth it. A trip to the asteroid belt and back can make you so wealthy you'll never want for anything ever again- if you find the right rock.
The first one that anybody brought back was spectacular, but then, being the first one, it had been funded and studied by all sorts of people. The rock they'd decided to go after, with a crew of fifteen no less, had been full of gold. Gold, we love that metal, and with the way technology was moving, it was becoming ever more pricey. So what happened as the world celebrated its fifteen new billionaires? The obvious, suddenly, about twenty years ago, I guess, ships fitted with top ion drives and little comfort were suddenly for sale. People started dragging it out to the asteroid belt, each one of them alone and lonely, all of them looking for that one, stupendous rock.
What they found was rock, dust, water and more rock. Oh, yeah, you could get lucky, you could find the one that was chock full of platinum or gold, come back and pay off all of your bills after a successful, five year flight. The moon colony would buy any water you managed to bring back then sell it back to you at a higher price when you decided to head back out. If it didn't, why would I be here? It could happen, hell, it happens often enough that people still buy those old ships and head out to the cold of deep space.
Mom and dad named me Zoey and the bastard I married added Winters to it. I guess, when I think about it, he's a part of the reason I used the rest of my savings to buy this broken down ship. I wanted to get the hell away from him after finding out his good parts didn't come with an exclusivity clause. Well, Jason, I'm very far away and you can fuck your way around Earth all you want, now.
Dad had made sure the old ship was safe, he'd insisted on the newest computers being installed. Mom had cried, told me there were better ways, maybe the moon colony, cried some more then allowed as to how I was a big girl and always did do as I was going to do anyhow- be careful out there!
I'd taken the required classes in how to use the computers I'd have on board and the, scant, regulations that apply outside of earth's influence. Once that was done I'd loaded the freezer with a LOT of flashpak meals, the computer with movies, music, books, porn- that and helpful emergency repair tips for the ship were all a girl needed- and pushed away from the moon's easy gravity well about a year and a half ago now.
I was in no hurry. I'd been warned that I could go faster, told that a lot of the people seeking their fortunes out in the belt went a lot faster. From what I understand, that's why I got this ship, the Solitaire- great name, dont'cha think, so cheap. From what I was told, the guy who'd owned it before me had run out of reaction mass, water.
They used him as one of the many cautionary tales that filled the schools that would prepare you for your new and exciting career that had sprung up all over Earth and the moon. It seems his ship had been found, batteries dead except for the emergency transponder, out in the belt itself by one of the ships that the large mining corporations sent out. Oh, they'd tried to save him, I guess, but at the temperatures his ship had plummeted to, well, there isn't much you can do to save a popsicle. They'd claimed the right of salvage, hauled it back to the moon and set it down on the huge lot full of little ships that spread over the surface near the colony and waited for a buyer, me.
I was told he'd just been unlucky and stupid. Stupid for burning up his water on the way out and unlucky for not finding any frozen into or onto a 'roid. Well, Zoey didn't intend making that mistake, I can tell you that. So, I was nearly there, now, wherever there is when your target is a band that circles the solar system. Close enough that I had started doing mass spectral analysis of the belt, hoping something would show up. I'd opted for a spot that wasn't visited by as many of the solos and none of the corporations. They had lots of money for research. Those guys could pick and choose where they sent their monstrous ships. Zoey had to get lucky.
I started this book ten years ago. Moved it to Bookrix in 2011. Finished it, before editing, about four years ago, I guess. Finally got back to it, read it and read it, revised it and agonized over every line. I edited with a good friend over and over again. then proofread it.... mehr anzeigen
I started this book ten years ago. Moved it to Bookrix in 2011. Finished it, before editing, about four years ago, I guess. Finally got back to it, read it and read it, revised it and agonized over every line. I edited with a good friend over and over again. then proofread it. It's been a massive amount of work, just massive. but I am filled with joy.