Mining: big risk, big rewards
28 Apr 2020aNecessary Evil
Mining sucks.I've always avoided it, like I've avoided pirates & unwanted callers as I drift about in an LTD hotspot, hoping that if I keep a low profile, I'll be safe.
Sure, the payout will be huge, another cargo of 576t sold at 1.1m per ton if I can stand the tedium, the endless attacks by wings of people who should know better.
No, a cutter isn't my best ship for battle, all that keeps me from an untimely & cold death is my upgraded heavy armour & a boost speed that'd put road runner to shame. But it does the job.
I swore I'd never go mining again, but the lure of serious ¢ to buy a carrier has me in a grip like a packet of my favourite menthol cigarettes.
I want that carrier. So I take the rough with the smooth: let the drones do their job, scan the belt, crack some big rocks & count the profits.
Sure, it IS lonely, but as the sunlight on the rings is eclipsed by the planet & the Consider Phlebas slips into utter darkness, i flick night vision on, pour a slug of Captain Morgan, light a Pall Mall & tell covas to play my favourite Spotify playlist.
The rocks tumble by, the rum slides down, the smoke rings blur & jazz plays.
It'll all be worth it, the cold, the dark, the clinging to the helm as the ship is battered by another pirate raid, hoping that the engineer I paid did their job properly.
The carrier & freedom. I'll drink to that!