The Ranch (Deep Space Mining Series Book 3) by Mike Coville

Author:Mike Coville [Coville, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2019-08-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

It looked like an ordinary piece of black rock. Without the special tablet the scientists used to scan it, no one would think any differently. Kim saw them set it to the stack to be placed in the cryo-chamber, something about it was special.

Getting back to the platform was easy, but crashing the cryo-chamber with Maison's little hacker tool was even easier. That man was a genius. While everyone was pushing buttons and kicking the machine, she slipped out with the first marked sample she could get her hands on.

Checking her comm again, she confirmed her shuttle flight that Esteban had set up for her was launching on time. There were instructions for securing her special cargo before arrival. Now all she needed to do was get her little chunk of rock to the package transportation service.

Most of Mars was industrial and scientific. Which meant the one commercial precinct was crowded with tourists, fortune seekers, and residents. She could blend into the normal congestion that flowed in and out of the general population spaceport.

Before she started the process to board her shuttle to NALC, she walked into the package transportation office. As she had feared, there was a long line of tourists sending whatever trinkets they purchased on their trip home ahead of themselves.

Packages could be shipped in faster shuttles since they were fully autonomous. No humans aboard meant the operating parameters allowed for faster take offs, transit speeds, and braking at the end of the journey. It also allowed the ships to carry heavier loads.

Kim got in line behind a gentleman that looked like he was volunteered for package drop off duty. His wife and kids were probably still at their hotel enjoying the amenities while he stood in line with several large boxes. Kim made sure not to make eye contact as he looked around, just in case he was looking for someone to have a conversation with while in line.

"How long was your trip?" he asked. Her attempt to look unapproachable had failed.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're only shipping that one box. Was your trip short or have you been here before?"

"Business trip. I didn't have much time for sightseeing."

"What kind of business?"

"Security consultant."

"That's interesting. What were you doing on Mars?"

"Listen, you seem like a nice guy and all, but I've had no time to myself and I'm looking forward to a quiet trip home. If you don't mind, I would like to just stay lost in my thoughts until I can hand over the only souvenir I have from this trip."

"Yeah, sure. No problem. Sorry to bother you," he said with obvious annoyance at being dismissed so abruptly.

It wasn't her intention to insult him, but she wanted to keep her attention on her surroundings in case anyone entered looking like they were searching for her. So far everything looked normal.

A commotion near the front of the line caught her attention. Apparently someone was trying to send something on the restricted list, and they were none too happy when told they would need to leave it behind.

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