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Chapters (102)
  1. Cover
  2. DAW BOOKS PROUDLY PRESENTS THE SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS OF W. MICHAEL GEAR:
  3. Dedication
  4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. 84
  89. 85
  90. 86
  91. 87
  92. 88
  93. 89
  94. 90
  95. 91
  96. 92
  97. 93
  98. 94
  99. 95
  100. 96
  101. EPILOGUE
  102. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As her gaze fixed on the water, a gap in the high cirrus let Capella’s light fully illuminate the shallows. It could have been a trick, an illusion created by the pattern of the waves and the undulating vegetation beneath, but something large seemed to flit away with remarkable speed, as if it had suddenly determined she was looking at it.

“Now what’s wrong?” Shin asked.

“I keep thinking of something Wejee once told me. He works gate security in Port Authority. He said, ‘Nobody has ever died of old age on Donovan.’”

2

Water ran around Corporate Supervisor Kalico Aguila’s boots as she sloshed up the inclined adit. They called the sloping tunnel the Number Three. It had been driven into the base of the mountain three hundred meters below Corporate Mine’s fenced compound.

Her muscles ached. She still hurt from her frantic escape from the Unreconciled. Now, barely having time to catch her breath, her engineers had asked her to take a look at the Number Three. Damn it, she had too much to do. And Michaela Hailwood kept asking when she’d be out to inspect the Maritime Unit, said she had issues that needed to be dealt with.

Issues? Who the hell on Donovan didn’t have issues?

Around Kalico, the rock walls had been intricately shored with timbers that supported zones of shattered rock. In principle, the adit had been a good idea. Drive a tunnel at an inclined angle from the base of the mountain to just below the expanding stope in the Number One mine. In the stope, water had become an increasing problem, one that was rapidly overwhelming the Number One’s single-pump capacity. Better to use gravity as a drain than to keep building pumps, pipes, and hoses. Additionally, instead of hauling ore out in the skip, winching it to the surface, and transporting it by tram, her crew could dump ore into a hopper and drop it down a vertical shaft into a waiting ore car. The ore car would unload it into a tipple that would fill a hauler at the adit’s mouth, or portal. From there it could be driven to the smelter for processing. And finally, the adit would give her people another egress in the event of a disaster as well as improve ventilation now that they were working deeper and deeper into the mine.

A simple solution to a lot of problems, all of which had proved to be an incredible headache.