The party was great. Friends of Mark and Judy, family, co-workers. Also friends and family of Cindy and Steve. There must have been well over 200 people at their farm that day. I met lots of really nice people that day. Occasionally someone, or a couple, would come up to me and we’d have a whispered conversation. Apparently word of last night was spreading amongst ‘those in the know’. I began to feel like I was being welcomed to a club. I began feeling pride in what happened, how well I seemed to take to it. Dear Ceylon dragged me off and made me show her. She tenderly ran her fingers across the marks, the raised welts on my back and bum. She hugged my naked body close as we stood in the bedroom.

“I’ve never been into the rough stuff,” she told me, “but I knew of others who were. Sweet Cindy told me how you handled it, what happened downstairs. I’m pleased that you found what you were looking for.”

A band had set up on a stage just inside the open barn. There was food and the drink flowed freely. I wandered around the barn. I saw, along one wall, pipes which seemed to lead down, pipes for air and power. A shed attached to the outside of the barn. The other entrance to the dungeon. The open field between the house and barn. The tables set up there. I wondered how many people sitting there knew what lay beneath the ground.

Cindy found me out, asked how I was doing. Fine. I looked deep into her eyes, thanks, for everything. A huge truck had pulled up and men were unloading a giant’s barbecue. Cases of food. After a while a feast, the likes of which I had never seen was ready. Beer flowed, I stuffed myself with the wondrous food. Danced to the beat of the band, It was a super party.

It was well past midnight when the party wound down and the last guests left. Tim, Mark, and others, had offered me a bed in their homes but I wanted to stay at Steve’s farm for my last night. I thanked all those who had made this such a perfect vacation for me. After we were alone Steve mentioned the dungeon again but I said I’d rather take the bedroom. He said that would be better.

“Something like what happened last night,” he said, “doesn’t happen too often. You may not experience it again, may not want to, or even need to. Donna, I’m pleased that I was given the chance to show you the way.”

I thanked Steve and Cindy again, for everything, for the wonderful party. I was asleep even before my head hit the pillow, stretched out on that big soft, cozy bed. I’d left the curtains open so the sun woke me early the next morning. After a shower I looked at myself in the mirror. All the marks were still plainly visible but much of the pain had left and I felt great. Cindy served me a nice breakfast then Steve and her drove me to the spaceport and out to my shuttle.

“If you’re ever out this way again don’t forget to come see us.” Steve said.

I promised that I would and thanked them once more for everything. As I settled in the seat I watched them drive off thinking what a wonderful happy couple they were. I powered up the ship and lifted off. I watched on the screen as the planet dwindled and dimmed, finally disappearing as my ship powered away.

I decided to take the long way home to see some nebula near the Chinese sector. It was worth the trip, the brightly coloured clouds sparkled beautifully in the wash of the energy fields while music from the discs I’d bought blasted from the ship’s speakers. I stopped off at New Peking and found a great restaurant near the spaceport there. Then after lunch I set course for home.

I was relaxing in the chair, dreaming, when the auto dumped me down to sub-light. A rogue asteroid hurtled past the ship at incredible speed. I set course to follow. I ran a spectral analysis on the debris field following the asteroid and discovered some fine metals there. The rock’s unusual shape, it’s speed and wobble suggested high density. I watched as it approached a red dwarf star, curved around, then slowed and headed off again.

The asteroid approached a large planet, Casandra 4 the chart told me. Big ball of frozen ammonia, mostly. The rock encountered the planet’s gravity and changed course again. I held station and watched it come around the other side heading back towards me. The big rock curved again. A one in a billion chance. I watched the asteroid end it’s wanderings and after several passes around the planet it achieved a high, stable orbit. Ain’t life grand.

I fired a pinger into the rock, claiming it for I SAM and recorded the find in my ship’s log. Then I powered up to pick up my course for home again.

I knew I was late back at work. I rushed in and dropped off ship’s log, then ran to clock in for my shift. My supervisor intercepted me at the punch clock.

“Your late!” he roared. “Shift started an hour ago.”

I knew it was mostly an act, but I played along.

“Sorry boss.” I started. "But I found. . . "

“Never mind the excuses!” he yelled. I could see he was trying not to laugh. “Gave your shift to Jackson. You Look Like SHIT! Didn’t you get any sleep?”

I supposed I did look like shit. If boss only knew! I sagged down, acting the part.

“Get lost. Report back tomorrow. 1500, GOT IT! Not,” He glanced at the clock “16:27, oh fuck.”

He was late for the staff meeting. My laughter followed him down the hall.

I went to my room and changed. I put on a one piece leotard, one I’d never worn but covered me completely. I did a workout in the grav gym, slow at first but as I loosened up I started to feel like my old self again. I went back to quarters and took a private shower rather than have anyone see the marks all over me at the gym. I poked at dinner in the cafeteria. Ugh. After the food I’d had on Crydon this stuff was vile. Even if you spent the credits and had stuff brought in it still paled in comparison. Back in my little room I read some mail, watched the news then hit the sack.

Life for me continued much as it left off. People did notice I seemed a bit more cheerful, a little more full of life now. I got a few comments about the leather bracelets I still wore. The ones I hadn’t taken off since Cindy put them back on me that morning. The bruises they hid disappeared after a week, along with most of the other marks on me. The ones that were left were going away more slowly. Sometimes, at night in bed, I would feel a twinge from one of those marks and I would remember. That amazing event that touched my very soul. And I would smile.

Eleven days after my return I sensed a buzz around the station. When ever I asked, no one would tell me anything. Around mid morning Boss came up and told me to go see the old man on the top floor. I’d met the owner only once before. Was I in shit for something?

Upstairs the secretary met me at the lift and escorted me into the owner’s office. When he asked her to fetch us tea I assumed I wasn’t there to get fired. After we’d settled in he brought up a file on the big screen. It was a lab report of an asteroid which was orbiting a planet called Casandra 4.

“When I saw your log report,” the man said, “I got a feeling that you may have found something interesting.” He read off some figures from his screen. “A million five metric tonnes of gold, Six eight platinum, seven fifty lead. The survey crew reports the metals seem totally separate encased in the rock, ninety nine percent pure. Quite the find.”

I was stunned. He went on. “We’ve closed the operation on Gandel and are sending that crew to visit your little rock. Naturally your finder’s fee should end up to be quite a sizable amount of credit. The company will have to make the deposits to your account over a period of time, say five years?”

The owner wrote a number on some paper and handed it to me. “This is just an estimate based on the lab report on the samples we took. When the crew gets set up and starts working we may have to increase that amount.”

A year’s pay for me. Every week. For five years. Wow.

The owner said, "Gold has been in short supply for too long now. You know the uses for it, electronics, shielding. The other metals too. Platinum filters, yes, your little find will mean a big step forward for humanity.

I was speechless. We stood up and the owner shook my hand. “Take some time, Donna, decide what you want to do with your new found wealth. Anything you need, just call me and it’s yours.”

As he showed me to the door he turned and said “Oh by the way. I heard from an old friend the other day. Steven and Cindy said to say hi. Good luck Donna.”

[Epilogue]

With my new found wealth I did some travelling. I got my shuttle fixed up in the I SAM shop. New engines, controls. I didn’t want a new ship, this one had character that suited me. I had only minor repairs done to the hull, the dents and scratches stayed.

First stop, Judy and Marks wedding on Mars colony. They were ever so happy to see me, as was I to see them again so soon. I went down to old Earth with Mark to see for myself some of the wonders Tim had shown me.

A month later found me wandering the galaxy stopping at other worlds, sampling the cultures there. Now, I’m bound for Crydon. I wonder If uncle Jeff knows of any good land for sale in the south?

[End of story Asteroid, Mine]