Far and beyond

The prologue of a cold day

As Steph saw Mona heading down the opposite hallway he couldn't help but wonder why his stomach was turning so wildly. Other than the gin rebellion, of course. 

- Come on, she'll be fine, you're stressing out needlessly. You know, she's a lot tougher than she looks. She makes you look like you're a cookie man. - said Michael, trying to calm his visibly distorted buddy.

- A cookie man? - is all Steph could word out.

- Yeah, you know. The one in Shrek. With the gumball buttons and round head. - Michael sensed a positive note in the voice of his comrade and he wanted to exploit it while he could. It worked.

- That's a gingerbread man or some s**t. - Steph allowed his mouth to portray a slight smile.

- Whatever you call it, that's what you are. 

- What are you even talking about? 

- Well, you know. You look like you're easy to crumble. I mean, not usually, just, compared to her. 

- Look Mike. I think of you as a friend. But god damn, your analogies are the worst. Now, if you would, I would hate to be late for the briefing. - Steph put a hop in his step after this sentence. They were halfway down the corridor. 

Their briefing was in the last door to the left. A spacious office. Corner side. Wide windows with thin metal frames to let the light in. Glass filled with a carbon-silicate mixture to turn them into black walls on a push of a button. This was useful for presentations. As far as technology had gotten, human eyes were still better at looking at a projection while sunlight is not interfering. Starlight was still sunlight to everyone, even on a distant planet nowhere near the sun. Even Steph, who didn't like calling this star "sun", called it sunlight. Around a round table two dozen men and women of the colony were waiting for instructions. Some of them were standing around in groups of two or three. Some were looking out the window, trying to wake up still. Others were just spending the time waiting. All electric devices were instantly disabled once they entered. Part of a high-tech security system that prevents any information from leaking out. Steph and Mike sat down next to each other. They looked around the room and saw some new faces. Two, to be exact. No doubt fresh recruits. They were always understaffed. Steph had had to go on 18 hour shifts because of it. So had Mike. They knew that they needed more people. So did the others. So did the people in charge. But for some reason, no one wanted to work long shifts in remote places, under all kinds of hellish conditions. Well, not if they had any choice at least. Most of the engineers were aiming for desk jobs, the ones that couldn't get one ended up like Steph and Mike. Steph resented desk jobs. He saw the "administrators", as he called them, as a bunch of pompous, overrated assholes. It didn't help that they were getting paid better than him.

A few minutes passed and entered marshal Viktoria. A woman of African origins. Named after the once great lake by an illiterate mother who spelled it wrong. It was now a desert. Alongside most of the southern hemisphere. She wasn't tall. She wasn't loud. She did not give out the impression of a physically strong woman. And still. When she spoke, everyone listened, and no one dared to interrupt her. She was strict. Followed the laws to the letter when she knew it's needed, and knew how to bend them when it's not. Bend, but never break. All for the good of the men and women, her loyal troops.

- Everyone sit down please. Eyes on the table. - as Viktoria was voicing her commands, they were already implemented. She darkened the windows as well. - Last night we had a series of defects. The data was inconclusive. The reports tell us that something went wrong on the line leading to Nebograd. Now, as every one of you know, the city is home to fifty thousand people. Getting power back to them is of the upmost importance. They have backup generators that will keep them warm for a day or two, but this has to be handled today. We won't let those people freeze. You will all have your assignment details on your HUDs. Divide into teams of two, take aerial surveillance drones with you. Make sure to get extra batteries, they WILL run out quickly in the cold. Any questions? No? Thank you. You may go now. 

Her speech was followed up by a 3D hologram in the middle of the table showing all the details of the power line, the city, and the adjoined electrical structures.

- One question. How will we get there? Well, two questions actually. Where was the spike registered? - Steph asked as Viktoria was getting ready to end her short stay at the briefing room.

- The hypertrain still works. As it runs on a separate circuit it was not affected. And the power spike was seen at this transformer station. - Viktoria skillfully used the 3D projection to make her point clear. - It is unmanned at this time, as it was at the time of the spike, hence the reason it took us so long to notice it. This is the transformer station that connects the line for the city and the mine east of it. The mines are also powerless. 

- So it seems that there must be a defect at the transformer station? - Steph felt confident in his knowledge, and he had no intention to hold it in. 

- No. The transformer station was remotely analyzed. Test came back negative. When we tried to reboot it, however, it automatically disconnected again. - Viktoria had no problem answering questions as long as they were genuine, but she did dislike her opinion being challenged. - Any more questions? No? You are all free. Stephen and Michael please stay a bit longer.

Mike looked at Steph with a judgmental look as if he was trying to tell him "this is your fault". The feeling was mutual among both men. As everyone left the room Viktoria switched the transparency of the windows again letting the sunlight in. 

- Look. I don't have to tell you how important this is. The mines can not be without power for long. Damage to the machines has already been done but repairing them and getting them digging again is your primary mission. The quadrium they dig out is the life line of this planet. You have to figure out what is stopping it and fix it. No matter what it takes, get it done.

- So, now the mines is the priority? What about the people in Nebograd? - Mike seemed visibly displeased with this new turn of events. He was proud of his moral compass and didn't seem too fond of shoving peoples lives aside for corporate profits.

- There would be no people there without the mine. What do you think most of them do for a living? Whos wages do you think will be sacrificed as collateral for the mine not working? Do you think that I would have been instructed to send out everyone if it was any other city? A city that is not on the same power line as the most lucrative mine in this part of the universe? No. So get off your white steed and get to f*****g work. - Viktoria was not in the mood for explaining herself. She had a rough start to the morning even before she entered the briefing, and was not planning on letting anyone waste more of her time than needed.

Mike and Steph stood up and left. They both knew there was nothing more to say. The quadrium mine fueled fusion reactions all across the colony, and more importantly, all across space. Countless number of space ships were reliant on it for their voyages, and Nova Nadez was the richest source of it. As both men were heading to the elevator that will take them to the loading room where they will take their HUDs and change into warmer and more professional clothes a familiar face was walking towards them in the middle of a crowd.

- Missed me guys? - Mona burst out of the mass of people that was surrounding her to hug Steph tightly. It was followed by a passionate kiss. Almost as a territory marking kiss, telling others that this man was taken. Not that people didn't know that already. Steph and Mona were quite the celebrity couple. At least in the circles of scientists and engineers working for the establishment on Nova Nadez. It wasn't a big circle but it was something. 

- My heart cried for you each second that we were apart. - Steph knew how much Mona liked sweet talk and since that was one of the main reasons he was ever able to imprint himself on her when they met, he liked to spoil her with a few sweet words whenever he could.

- Ugh, I think I'm gonna throw up. - Mike, on the other hand, had a different opinion of the flirtatious sentence. 

- Hey, shut up, I like it. It's nice to know that he's still trying. - Mona still had her hands around her mans shoulders. She was looking deeply into his eyes. She felt loved, and she wanted him to know it. - Come on, let's grab an elevator. I'll explain where they're sendin' me on the way down.