A Matter of Direction

After the battle, Lieutenant Clersek had evaded the Kkrth, for at least a little while. He dared not let the Master Terminal fall into their hands. If he could really lose them and then return later ... It was worth the try. He landed on a small asteroid and found a little crevice, in the surface of the asteroid. There were loose rocks nearby, probably a result of the battle that had just ended. Clersek maneuvered a large rock to cover the Master Terminal. He then layered more loose rocks over the cover rock. Having done what he had to, Clersek returned to the small ship’s boat that was all that was operationally left of the Emperor of Trenth. As he left the cluster of asteroids, Clersek encountered the one remaining Kkrth boat. Clersek fought a brave, but futile, battle. At the end of the battle, both boats detonated and then there was peace. The peace was to last for several million years. Much later, Jeron arrives at the little asteroid that he has selected for his initial try as a rock jack. He moors the little space scooter very carefully. The space scooter is his only way back to the ship. Jeron quickly scans the nearby surface. It’s strange, but there appears to be some loose rock. The book says, “If it looks strange, find out why. The life you save may well be your own.” The book was written by those who survived. Jeron hand jets over to the surface of the asteroid and secures a personal lifeline. He uses the mining scanner on the surface and finds little joy. He very carefully moves over to the loose rock and scans the edge rocks. They’re ore bearing! Not jackpot, but maybe worth the trip. Jeron carefully reels in his space scooter, using the lifeline, and then begins to load the loose rocks into the rack under the scooter. He moves, as he has been taught,…