Page 1 of Instinct for Disaster

Chapter One

Cass listened to the drone of her rig, and when the pitch changed, she eased up. She got the scanner up and running and analyzed the result of her drill. The happy trill that had been programmed in for human miners sounded. She had hit a pure vein. Cass breathed slowly and set her unit to harvest. Four hours later, she and her collector turned and headed back to the base.

“Miner ten-thirty-two returning to base. Requesting unload and analysis.”

The base answered, “Understood. Ten-thirty-two, you have just won your two-month visit to medical.”

“You have to love a system that charges you. Right. I will do a handover of the materials after I have been weighed in.”

“Excellent. You have two hours, or they will come to get you. That’s an extra charge.”

“I stand warned. Coming in. Which depot do you want me in?”

“Sreka.”

“Setting course for Sreka Depot. Thank you for the notice, base.” Cass directed her vehicle to the depot, and half an hour later, she was locked in, her load and the purity were confirmed, and she was walking to medical for her mandatory check.

She sat in the medical gown after what had turned into a complete physical. She swung her feet and waited, her back straight.

Doc Jerienol came forward, his yellow-green skin looking more green than usual. “Free Miner Cassandra. This isn’t good.”

She paused and then continued kicking. “What isn’t good?”

“You have gotten to the point we were watching for. You have reached complete saturation. Your cells are trembling on the edge of cohesion. One more strong dose of radiation and youwill begin to collapse.” He looked up from his tablet. “You are being removed from the station on the next outbound shuttle in a month. Nonnegotiable. Begin planning for your next world because it can’t be here.”

Cass frowned. “Are there minerals I should avoid when choosing a world?”

“Khimerion is the biggest one. But even if it appears on the world, as long as you don’t mine it, you should be all right. In a decade or so, the substance may leech out of your system to less dangerous levels. Wherever you go, you are going to be checking in with the local medical centres and the overseer of your region. You may be dangerous to their population, and your next week is going to be very busy finding a placement that can accommodate you.”

He tapped on the tablet, and she felt a ping on her com. She lifted her wrist, and her surprise at the notice wasn’t feigned. “I am being deported?”

The doctor smiled. “It will save you the cost of interstellar transport.”

Cass sat up. “Thanks, doc.”

He squeezed her hand, and she felt the contact with her mind. She felt the cool rush of an ocean in her mind and body.

“I just had not noted that you are not Hmrain compatible. They are making us recheck all of your people when they leave the territory of your previous bond-holder.”

“Ah, yes, Yasku. Haven’t ever seen him, but I am looking forward to getting out of his territory. Am I free to go then?”

“You are. May your journey grant you rest.”

She froze and looked at him. He shrugged helplessly. “Thank you. May your occupation bring you serenity.”

He blinked rapidly and nodded.

She got to her feet and went to change into her coveralls. Her mind was already spinning with the fact that she had gotten theblessing for the soon-to-be-dead. She needed to choose her next planet carefully. She always loved a research project.

Cassandra settled in her tiny quarters that she had upgraded to from the sleep transport. She had read up on the khimerion saturation, and working out her entire trip and flushing her system with fluids would probably get her out of the danger zone.

She rubbed her wrist where her com used to be. It wasn’t used at her destination, so she wasn’t allowed to take it with her.

The vessel was already underway, so she got dressed for the gym and clipped her access crystal to her top. She had her gym towel with her and left her quarters to head for the exercise she hoped would extend her life.

She would keep track of her progress and of how much khimerion she sweated out. When she was on Jorianec, she had to report to immigration medical, and she was trying to make a difference in her levels.

She walked past curious crewmembers and set herself up in the gym. Time to sweat.

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