approached Stricklen with an outstretched hand.
Stricklen shook hands with the miner and introduced himself. "I'm Captain Stricklen. I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you until now but things have been a little busy around here recently. I want to thank the two of you who assisted in making the entry into the ship we discovered."
It would have been obvious to anyone meeting this group for the first time that they had worked hard out in the open all their life. The man standing before Ken had deeply creased, callused skin. His eyes were alert and never seemed to stop moving. His grip was firm and strong which agreed with the general condition of the rest of his muscular body. "I'm Brian. That's Frank. We blew the door on that ship. This here's Maz, and that's AJ," he said indicating each of the others as he made the introductions.
Ken had been surprised to learn that one of the survivors was a non-Human. Matlanaz (Maz according to O'Niel) was a Borillen. Ken had never met a Borillen before and he took a moment to inspect this species. Maz's body was shaped much like a one meter tall egg. It was propelled by six legs which also served as hands. The egg-shaped head was smaller and connected to the body by a thick neck. According to what Ken had read, a Borillen's head could be retracted into a recessed area of the body. A pair of eye stalks pointed directly at Ken.
The Borillen homeworld was hot and dry and because of this the Borillen's body had evolved into its present form. A thick, leathery skin protected the dominant species from predators as well as helping to retain water. Each of the six legs ended in an appendage containing three fingers. Each finger ended in a sharp pointed claw. This arrangement helped the native Borillen's to navigate around the rocky mountainous terrain with ease.
The other two miners were more or less normal enough looking Humans. The fact that they had worked in the mines most their life showed in their faces and strong hands.
"We can't thank you enough for picking us up off that rock skipper," Brian said as he pulled a chair out for Ken to sit in. "Any idea as to who hit us?"
Ken settled into the chair as he replied. "Not yet. We left a probe behind but so far it hasn't spotted anything unusual."
"Just as long as you get the bastards and make them pay," AJ piped up.
"Did any of you have your families with you?"
Frank nodded his head. "My wife was in the main compound and my son was working at one of the smelters."
"I'm very sorry for your loss," Ken replied then looked at Brian. Frank answered for him. "Brian's one of those perpetually single kind of guys. He likes his women but grows tired of them after a few days. I guess you could say that half the women in town were his girlfriends."
Everyone, including Maz, chucked then AJ said, "I'm divorced, my wife couldn't handle living out on the fringe all the time. Ain't got no girlfriends either."
Ken looked at Maz and asked, "How about you Maz."
"Our females prefer to remain at home," he replied. "My two current companions are safely back at home raising my six children."
The Borillen's voice was oddly pitched and reverberated as if it originated from deep within his body. His use of Galactic Standard, the universal language of the Alliance, was clearly understandable.
AJ picked up the cards and began to shuffle them. "Are you a poker player captain?"
"I have played a few times but I'm horrible at it," Ken replied. "Thanks for the offer. Don't let me stop you though."
As AJ started to deal Frank said, "Maz here is a natural — nobody can read his face."
Ken talked with the miners as they continued their card game for about twenty minutes updating them on the ship's change of course and learning a little about their lives as miners. He was surprised to learn that many of the miners routinely brought their entire families on expeditions. He did not realize it but many of the large mining companies provided teachers and other such
Stricklen shook hands with the miner and introduced himself. "I'm Captain Stricklen. I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you until now but things have been a little busy around here recently. I want to thank the two of you who assisted in making the entry into the ship we discovered."
It would have been obvious to anyone meeting this group for the first time that they had worked hard out in the open all their life. The man standing before Ken had deeply creased, callused skin. His eyes were alert and never seemed to stop moving. His grip was firm and strong which agreed with the general condition of the rest of his muscular body. "I'm Brian. That's Frank. We blew the door on that ship. This here's Maz, and that's AJ," he said indicating each of the others as he made the introductions.
Ken had been surprised to learn that one of the survivors was a non-Human. Matlanaz (Maz according to O'Niel) was a Borillen. Ken had never met a Borillen before and he took a moment to inspect this species. Maz's body was shaped much like a one meter tall egg. It was propelled by six legs which also served as hands. The egg-shaped head was smaller and connected to the body by a thick neck. According to what Ken had read, a Borillen's head could be retracted into a recessed area of the body. A pair of eye stalks pointed directly at Ken.
The Borillen homeworld was hot and dry and because of this the Borillen's body had evolved into its present form. A thick, leathery skin protected the dominant species from predators as well as helping to retain water. Each of the six legs ended in an appendage containing three fingers. Each finger ended in a sharp pointed claw. This arrangement helped the native Borillen's to navigate around the rocky mountainous terrain with ease.
The other two miners were more or less normal enough looking Humans. The fact that they had worked in the mines most their life showed in their faces and strong hands.
"We can't thank you enough for picking us up off that rock skipper," Brian said as he pulled a chair out for Ken to sit in. "Any idea as to who hit us?"
Ken settled into the chair as he replied. "Not yet. We left a probe behind but so far it hasn't spotted anything unusual."
"Just as long as you get the bastards and make them pay," AJ piped up.
"Did any of you have your families with you?"
Frank nodded his head. "My wife was in the main compound and my son was working at one of the smelters."
"I'm very sorry for your loss," Ken replied then looked at Brian. Frank answered for him. "Brian's one of those perpetually single kind of guys. He likes his women but grows tired of them after a few days. I guess you could say that half the women in town were his girlfriends."
Everyone, including Maz, chucked then AJ said, "I'm divorced, my wife couldn't handle living out on the fringe all the time. Ain't got no girlfriends either."
Ken looked at Maz and asked, "How about you Maz."
"Our females prefer to remain at home," he replied. "My two current companions are safely back at home raising my six children."
The Borillen's voice was oddly pitched and reverberated as if it originated from deep within his body. His use of Galactic Standard, the universal language of the Alliance, was clearly understandable.
AJ picked up the cards and began to shuffle them. "Are you a poker player captain?"
"I have played a few times but I'm horrible at it," Ken replied. "Thanks for the offer. Don't let me stop you though."
As AJ started to deal Frank said, "Maz here is a natural — nobody can read his face."
Ken talked with the miners as they continued their card game for about twenty minutes updating them on the ship's change of course and learning a little about their lives as miners. He was surprised to learn that many of the miners routinely brought their entire families on expeditions. He did not realize it but many of the large mining companies provided teachers and other such
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