Recap: Saderick has been traveling through the arid badlands and was attacked by some animal. In an effort to scare it of, he rolled a boulder down a hill, and the boulder cracked open a mesa face, revealing a massive fossil.
I scrambled down the gully, ripping my notebook open as I scuttled over the broken debris. They’d called me a barbarian for insisting on paper, but after losing a full month of data to a corrupt hard-drive, I’d gone hard copy and now it paid off.
Only a little strain marred the fossil, likely due to compaction from overlying sediments. The fossil wasn’t pristine, but that didn’t distract from its magnificence.
I jotted down notes rapid-fire, using my shorthand to record every pertinent observation. Spatial coordinates. Dimensions of exposed bone. In situ skeletal orientation. The bones obviously no longer sat in their original positions. Beyond the disarticulated jaws, the arms jutted up into the torso, while the skull rotated forward ninety degrees from the neck.
I only realized night had fallen when I could no longer see my notebook. Somehow, the hours I’d spent absorbed in my work turned the outside world became inconsequential. My mouth burned, and my stomach twisted in knots while groaning for food.
Only then did I realize my real problem. How do I get it out of here? I had no extraction drones and no transport. There existed no way to call Dubois, or any orbiting stations. I had no engineering ability and couldn’t fix the FTL uplink. So what option do I take?
Legally, nothing. In the rush following the first fossil discoveries, UN regulators produced several regulations. Unless I owned the land, any fossils still in situ were fair game until extracted. Maybe I could rush into radio range and buy the land. I’d hold legal backing, but I’d need to leave the fossil unattended.
I checked in with Travers again, but there was no improvement with the situation. The authorities weren’t going to be any help in this event. Station 74 seemedout of the question as well. Most colonial authorities were little more than mercs who would steal my find at their first chance.
Me, Doniel, and Mary were the only ones immediately nearby along with the station where rescue hopefully awaited. But if I left, Doniel could discover the find. I wasn’t far away from the Craggy Cliffs, and he might follow my footprints here
I sighed. At the same time, even if I stayed, my presence wouldn’t deter him. He knew what a discovery of this magnitude entailed. He’d destroy me as I plotted to destroy him. And I knew already he wasn’t above brutality to seize what he wanted
No matter how I saw it, he held the advantage. I leave and he wins. I stay, he wins. My earlier excitement vanished away as my stomach dropped into my knees. I hadn’t been blessed with this find. Someone owned a cruel sense of humor.
I stood in the darkness for an eternity, paralyzed with indecision. The seconds ticked, and every passing moment was wasted. If necessary, I’d destroy the fossil. I’d lose the fame and money, but so would Doniel.
But as I saw the moonlight illuminating the dead creature, I wondered if I really could. It would be tantamount to burning the Mona Lisa, or bulldozing the last pyramid at Giza. But it may be my only option left. If my hands became tied, I’d have to destroy it.
Maybe Meri would help? No. That was a worse result. I and Doniel already sat in the limelight. Meri however, was working her way out of obscurity and someone in a similar position had everything to gain. If she knew of such a find, she’d nab it and run like a thief. And I couldn’t use her to relay messages to Dubois. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
I laid down against the cool rock, but remained awake, pondering my choices. Some option existed. I just need to find it.
The solution came hours later as I lay on my stone bed. I didn’t need to tell Meri about this fossil. She was looking for a career-maker, and I knew a good substitute. The Craggy Cliffs. I’d give her the coordinates, and in exchange she’d give me a hoversled and possibly extraction drones. She came from a wealthy family and had purchased more gear than me and Doniel combined. She could spare them.
As I stood up, my legs jellified and I collapsed to my knees, sending pain slicing up my legs. My mouth held less water than the Sahara, and my lips: more cracks than a dry lake bed. My stomach roared again, no longer begging but demanding food. I needed to finish fast and get to Dubois. Grab the hoversled, jet to Dubois, file a claim and get back. Just spin Meri the right story and I was home free.
I activated the transmitter and called. If Doniel was watching for my signal, he’d know where I was now. I waited several moments, longer than necessary until she picked up.
“I told you to go away, Saderick.”
“Wait, wait, wait, don’t hang up. Hear me out,” I said.
“What, Saderick?”
“I’m stranded. My sled broke down and my transmitter is going haywire. You’re about the only person I can call.”
“Really?” She didn’t sound convinced.
“I was returning from a find, and my repulsors gave out. The transmitter shattered during the crash and I can’t contact Dubois.”
“Why can’t you just relay through my uplink?”
“I don’t know, it isn’t working.”
There was an awkward pause before she came back. “What do you need?”
“I just want one of your hoversleds. That’s all.” I decided not to try my luck at extraction drones. “And I can deal in trade for it.”
There was a long pause, and I thought she disconnected, but she finally spoke. “What’s your angle, Saderick? You’d never talk to me unless your reputation was at stake or you had a huge collector waiting.” She used the word like a doctor referring to diseases.
