Private Jeremiah Kane braced himself, his fingers tightening around the steel frame of his bed as the cargo ship rattled and groaned, the engines rumbling and whining as the ship descended towards the landing zone. The Kraken was due for an engine overhaul and it was well overdue in his opinion. It had gotten so bad that the ship's captain had ordered the crew and passengers to return to their quarters and remain seated whilst it landed.
He let out a sigh of relief as the shuddering finally stopped and it settled on terra firma. He exchanged a look with his buddy Collins before pressing his face against the small portal next to his bunk and watching as the dust slowly settled outside to reveal the single storey spaceport set on a dry, dusty plain surrounded by low hills. Twisting his head to the left he could just make out another ship, a little smaller than theirs, and beyond the distant glass and steel towers of New Vegas glinting in the local sun.
This was Terra Nova 907; the unimaginative name meant this was the 907th 'goldilocks' planet that had been found. 'Goldilocks' in the broad sense that this planet was similar to earth in a variety of ways: gravity, average temperature, oxygen levels, and day and night durations. He liked to read up on the planets he visited and he'd found that TN907 had only been discovered around a hundred years ago, and had only a small research station until precious minerals had been discovered here around twenty five years ago. Since then the population had grown quickly, to the point where the planet could sustain a large city, although most of the darker side of this small planet was still uninhabited and largely unexplored.
Most people referred to the planet as New Vegas because that was the only reason to come here and most travellers' destination unless they happened to work in the mining industry. They were only here for seventy two hours, just enough time to unload their cargo and passengers, repair the engines and enjoy a little R and R in Vegas. He'd been looking forward to this for the last three months they'd been planet-hopping and he'd already mentally listed the bars and strip clubs he wanted to try along with Collins and Shawty.
There were ten marines on this mid-sized cargo ship, which was typical in this pirate-infested area of the galaxy. Five of them would be free to go into the city tonight, whilst the others would remain to guard the ship whilst the engines were checked over.
Kane got to his feet as a klaxon sounded, indicating that they were secure, quickly stripping off his uniform shirt and cargo pants.
"Damn, I can't wait to get off this ship," his buddy Collins said as he also changed his clothes. "Just a couple of hours unloading then I got our evening in Vegas all planned out."
"Oh yeah?" Kane said, getting to his feet and fist bumping him before stepping into the khaki boiler suit that he always wore for handling cargo.
"Yep, beers at Crazy Al's Sports bar while we watch the game, then cocktails at Vesuvius, then we hit downtown and find a strip club."
"Nice, well I guess the sooner we get started the sooner we're enjoying those beers," Kane said, pulling on a well-worn baseball cap as he exited.
He spent the next hour helping to offload their cargo. It was his least favourite part of the job and not what he signed up for, but marines like him were well paid in addition to their basic salary and so he had been happy to sign up for this twelve month tour of duty.
There were fork-lifts and heavy loaders operated by the crew to move the larger crates, while the marines directed and handled the smaller boxes and sacks. It was hot work, and soon he headed back to the canteen to get a soft drink. That was where he saw Captain Johnson wave to get his attention. Johnson was a plain-speaking man in his forties with a gruff voice, a square jaw and a buzzcut that was greying at the edges. He was tough but fair, and seen as easy-going compared to other Captains.
The Captain was seated at one of the canteen's utilitarian tables with a half-empty cup of black coffee and a smile that suggested he was struggling to remain polite to his companion. Opposite him was an attractive woman, perhaps in her late twenties, a couple of years older than Kane. She had a slim build and a pleasant face, her glossy fair hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. A pair of small round glasses gave her a bookish look. He recognised her as one of a small group of botanists on their way to a conference in Vegas. He'd seen her around and would have been tempted to ask her for a drink if the rules around fraternising with paying customers weren't so strict.
"Yes Sir?" Kane said, saluting as he approached the table. Although Johnson wasn't overly strict, Kane knew he'd want a formal salute in public.
"Ah Private Kane, just the man," Johnson said in a lazy drawl that belied his Louisiana upbringing. "I've got a little opportunity for you."
"Sir?"
"Now this here young lady is Maddy Springer, she's a botanist," he said, inclining his head towards the woman. "She informs me that she wants to go out exploring."
He said it in a tone that made it clear how he felt about that.
"Now I told her that I thought that was not the wisest idea," he said, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands on the bulge of his stomach. "But she insists, and her father's an old friend and I happen to owe him a favour."
"I told you, Captain, I don't require any of your men, I just want to borrow one of your ATVs for a couple of hours," the woman said in a soft English accent. "I'm happy to accept the risk. Now that we've landed you've done your job in delivering me safely."
"Now Private Kane, perhaps you could tell young Ms Springer what the percentage of male population is here?"
"Well, this is a mining colony Sir, I'd reckon its ninety nine percent male here," he said. He thought about adding that the one percent of females were mainly prostitutes and strippers but thought better of it in present company.
"Exactly Private, you and I know it's like the wild west during the gold rush out there. You don't want to be running across a bunch of miners that ain't seen a woman in years. Also, the flora and fauna ain't been properly surveyed here, so there's no telling what kind of predators are out there."
"Well, that's kind of the point," Maddy argued. "This is a rare chance to investigate the native flora, there are some really interesting species that I'd like to see in the flesh, as it were."
"Well now, that's all well and good, but I'm not running a car hire company here," he said, pausing to think before letting out a long sigh. "Now as your father's a family friend, I'm inclined to let you borrow one of the ATVs but only on condition that you take Private Kane here and you're back in three hours. You'll appreciate that I don't want to risk delaying our return trip in order to rescue you from some desperate miners."
--
The ATV bounced and bumped over the dusty trail, throwing up a thick cloud of dust. "All Terrain Vehicle" was a grand name for a basic olive-green jeep with two seats at the front, a roll bar and some lockable storage in the rear. Maddy had offered to drive but Kane had been given clear instructions by the Captain: you drive, you make sure she's safe, and you get her back here within three hours. It was an easy drive, the clear sky a pale shade of violet, and the terrain mostly flat, arid and featureless. Kane sucked in a lungful of the warm air, It felt good to be out in the open after so long spent cooped up on-board. He tossed his cap into the back, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face and the breeze ruffling his short,dark hair.
They kept their conversation to business at first, Maddy checking her navigator and giving him a rough direction, and him concentrating on keeping the jeep on the bumpy tracks and avoiding the larger pot holes. This planet had only been colonised recently, so apart from the new tarmac road between the space port and Vegas, the 'roads' here were simple, winding dirt tracks just wide enough for their ATV. They saw no signs of civilization as they drove, just the occasional handwritten sign pointing towards the smaller mines.
"I'm sorry about this, I really was happy to do this on my own," she said, raising her voice over the low rumble of the wheels. "You're probably wishing you were finishing up about now and heading off to hit the bars in the city."
Kane paused, he wasn't happy about missing some leisure time but on the other hand, it was rare in his profession that he'd get to spend some time alone with an attractive woman so he tried to see the positives. He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look her up and down.
The Captain had insisted that she change before they left and she was dressed like him in an unflattering but practical khaki jumpsuit, although she'd accessorised hers by wrapping a silky pink scarf around her slim waist. She also wore a large straw sun-hat which she had to hold onto with one hand as they bounced along the track. It shaded a pretty, almost elfin face with a slightly upturned nose. She wore a little makeup, subtle pink lipstick emphasising her full lips. She'd left her glasses back at base, giving him a clearer view of her intelligent blue-grey eyes.
"Well Ma'am, I can't complain, I'm getting to see some of this planet and I guess I'll still have time for a few drinks later," he replied.
"Well, I promise I won't keep you for more than a couple of hours, but there is this really interesting plant that I've looked forward to seeing ever since I heard there was a conference here. And please, don't call me Ma'am. It's Maddy."
"Maddy, right."
"And Kane's your last name, right?"
"Yeah, my first name's Jeremiah, which is quite a mouthful so everybody calls me Kane."
"Listen, I gotta ask," he continued. "What's so interesting? You know, from what I've seen so far, this dry scrubby brush ain't that much different to where I grew up in New Mexico."
