building as it would get him to the docking bay a lot quicker. He had to get a head start on this job, as there would be other diggers out there on the hunt for Kromtic as well. He prided himself on being the best digger in the trade, and that was something he would often boast about. Some diggers had been known to go missing whilst searching amongst the dunes for their prize, sometimes a body and vacant ship may be found by robotic scouts, other times they would become victim to the storms and all trace was gone.
“Morning, how are you today?” said Charlie as he gave a nod and a salute as he passed an apartment window. A woman freshly showered was wrapped in a towel and stood staring straight at Charlie shaking her head. Charlie carried on walking; she must have thought he was mad risking himself in the sun but Charlie would be okay he was wearing the protective gear.
Finally he reached the bottom of the stairs.. As he looked up towards the sky, he could see various low clouds forming above the high-rises. A black dust storm was starting to build in the distance, the various holographic warning signs started to spring to life over the lunar space highway intersections. This outpost was a raw unforgiving environment. Charlie continued walking until he reached the first of the various checkpoints he would encounter..
“Can I see your credentials please?” asked a border guard and Charlie stopped dead in his tracks.
“Here you go,” replied Charlie handing the documents over.
Shifting through them, the guard was in no mood to be talkative. The wind was really starting to pick up as Charlie stood at the front of a queue waiting to enter the docking bay area. Huge metal gates towered above him; security was tight here as smuggling in and out of the outpost was also a big problem.
After a couple of minutes the guard handed the documentation back to Charlie, a buzzer sounded on the gate, and Charlie started to make his way through the turnstile.
“Nine months, what are you expecting to find out there?” asked the guard.
Having been given the all clear, Charlie stopped and turned around to just smile to the guard as he carried on his way through the entrance of the spaceport.
The area inside was huge; rows and rows of space ships and lunar vehicles were scattered around inside the hanger. Some in no fit condition to operate and most were being worked on by mechanics.
The spacecraft were a mix of corporate transporters, cargo ships, and the odd lone craft. Charlie was looking to see where Richard had parked their digger transportation unit but there was still no sign of him. For an android, he was seldom on time.. The hanger was busy, people moving back and forth, the sound of ships taking off in the distance, and the general rumble of trucks transporting goods to their craft.
“I am over here,” shouted a voice behind Charlie; he looked over his shoulder and could see the small frame of Richard walking down the ramp of their digger transporter. The transporter was large. It was comprised of four engines attached to each wing, large tracks underneath the actual rover itself, and could withstand most elements.
Richard walked down the ramp and stopped at the feet of his master.
“Miss me?” he asked.
joy time outside after his work was done and it cooled off, but now it was time for business.
Opening one of the four lockers he had in his apartment, he decided on which clothes to wear. He chose a dark blue coverall with the mining logo stitched onto the left shoulder and his name sown in red below it-Charlie, Digger 24. The coverall was comfortable as always which was good for him. The amount of alcohol and junk food he had consumed over the years did him no favours yet he still managed to get away with looking good because of the loose coveralls.
Charlie flicked a button on the side of his pager and sat down on the sofa. A holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room and, adjusting the pager with