Enmity : a scattershot Future History as a Collection of short stories : Clemson's Tale

Me Da tells it best, him having learnt it from his Da. Twer hard times and dangerous. Most people died. Ye can still find their bones in the gardens, bless them for their contribution. I learnt it from him because his Da died and went in the garden before I were bornt. Bless him for his contribution.

In those days it were dark and scart people were doing what they could so asta stay living. It was the Emergency and there wa no light, no power, but plenty o food and fuel. Me Da says things woodda been different if weeda had a proper engine. There were murders that dint need ta happen, accidents that could've been prevented, were there light. What light there were twas in the ship, but that dint do nobody no good here in the tank.

Me Da were not bornt then, but he tells it with the splosion, which is a big noise you make through your teeth. I can't do it right. But they were flyin along in Space, when there were a big splosion in the engine. They had been pushing the tank to the asteroids, but they were taking a shortcut and then the splosion happened. It ruint the engine, hurt a bunch o people, and left us stuck here Inward from the Eardth.

So they had the ship, but it were leaky, and they had the tank, but it were empty, except for the supplies for the miners, food and fuel and a little more. Oh, and the bots, but youd know about them already since they brought you here. They really saved us. It's a shame what happent, but it's not like they were people back then, and we really did need the parts ta fix up the folks.

So the men pokt the ship strait trew the middle o the tank, which ruint the ship even more, but left the small rockets ta runnin so asta spin the tank end for end. And the minerbots turned the fuel inna air and soil, and the medbots fixed up some of the people, and the womenfolk had the babes while the men tried to make the lights. Some are too bright and some are too dark, but it's all they had to work wid at the time. Oh they be just parts of the ship, glass parts, pokt through the hull. We can make a little glass now, but back then they had to use the ship.

You can see the ship, what's left o her, up there halfway to the other side. We're on the top side o her and you can see the cable that me Da climbed down. One whole mile, without the Bots, to here him tell it, to carry him like they carried you. Course my input says under 1200 meters. We can fit you wid some fine inputs if you want, now that you brought more metals. No? Well, ye be a free woman, more's your loss.

So once they got the tank spinnin end for end, they had ta fill the bottoms o the tank wid soil, dropping it 1200 meters this way and 1200 meters that way, topside and bottom side. You can still see the hump in the middle where we keep moving it back away from the rooms. It took most of the fuel and a few asteroids to make that much soil. Fortunately, most of the rocks Inward are Chondrite or Carbonaceous so we got some good soil once the minerbots started flying properly. We have two out but mostly they bring back little rocks, left overs from comets. Damn little metal, begging your pardon. But easy to catch if they be going our way. Like ye were.

Now that we have your metal we can maybe make another minerbot, or fix some of what's gone wrong with folks. I could use a good leg myself. Oh no, we already started taking your ship apart. Once the medbots are done wid ye, we can get you married up and making babies. We can't be lettin ye tell the Outward folks that we all are here. They don't approve of no cyborgs and we ain't goin be giving it up. It's a hard life Inward, as ye'll find out soon enough. Ye'll be wanting a little of that metal yourself before too many years are past.

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