Star Rider

Alcon's Journal #6 -- Deep Space Fortune

DSF@947bb5eaf30ef4bb4b0b5203322e14b2

When news about DSF capturing G-7717 was everywhere in the media, I didn't realize that my future would be connected to this industry. At that time, in space-related news, I would occasionally notice media reports about a space habitat opening up investment immigration quotas. Perhaps it was because I still occasionally felt that if my father had taken us to a space habitat on the first day the military list was leaked, he would still be alive, my mother would not be ill, and life would be very different...

After my father's death, my mother and I basically ignored political and economic news. Sometimes when my mother fell ill, she would mumble some words while looking at the political news on the screen. I could roughly hear her mumbling "It's a lie..." And because of what happened to my father, I had a bit of fear, resentment, and disgust towards crowds. Both my mother and I chose to live a reclusive life, intentionally or unintentionally.

I don't know from which day, suddenly the supermarkets in our small town started experiencing shortages of daily necessities, and some residents began hoarding goods like crazy. Everyone was saying that DSF had caused the shortage of goods. I was a bit confused because DSF had captured such a high-grade small celestial body, and the federation should have been richer. How come the supply of daily necessities had started to fall short?

While waiting in line at the supermarket to purchase quota-restricted goods, I absentmindedly looked at the news terminal on the wall. It turned out that the acquisition of G-7717 had caused the price of gold to plummet. The currency of our federation, "AMCC," which was originally considered to be internationally recognized hard currency, began to depreciate because other federations were worried that our sudden increase in gold reserves would lead to the over-issuance of AMCC, leading to a devaluation. As a result, they suspended or even terminated the acceptance of AMCC for settlement and trade. After years of economic development and restructuring, wealthy federations like mine have made significant progress in deep space and automation technology, while daily necessities are mostly produced in developing federations. Once these developing federations stop using AMCC for currency transactions, it will inevitably affect the supply of daily necessities.

In order to maintain the status of AMCC and the economic environment of our mother planet, the International Monetary Union has contacted and negotiated with our federation on the mining and use of G-7717. This is an economic game, and it is estimated that there will be no conclusion in the short term. At the same time, DSF, an obscure small company, suddenly became a top-tier company on our mother planet, with a large amount of funds flowing into it with the support of the federation. Space exploration suddenly became a booming industry.

When I returned home with a bunch of daily necessities, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan were also there. My mother was very happy and chatting with Mrs.Bryan, and I hadn't seen my mother smile like this in a long time. I felt a sense of relief as the anxiety from the rush to buy daily necessities disappeared.

Late at night, my mother and Mrs.Bryan went upstairs to rest while Mr.Bryan and I sat in the yard drinking red wine. Looking up at the starry sky, I was far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the neon lights. The sky here was clear, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky. I could even distinguish the colors of the unknown nebulae. Suddenly, Mr.Bryan asked me, "What do you think of working at DSF?" I was taken aback, but before I could answer, Mr.Bryan continued, "I can help you get a job at DSF. Your mother can live with us, and many of your father's former comrades will come to take care of her. You don't have to answer now. Take some time to think about it."

After Mr. and Mrs. Bryan left, I went upstairs and looked at my sleeping mother. Going to DSF meant a hefty income, which wasn't a bad thing for someone like me who was living in seclusion. However, living in this remote town with only my mother, her condition had not worsened, but it had not improved either. Seeing my mother chatting happily with Mrs.Bryan, I hoped she would have friends like this every day.

The next day, I discussed this with my mother. She hesitated a bit and asked, "Can you only work in the asteroid belt? That way, you'll be gone for only a few months?" My mother must have thought that being closed off in this small town, I couldn't foresee any prospects of my future. Although she had never really expected anything in terms of prospects, I suddenly felt comforted and said, "Okay, I won't go too far."