Quint tapped his solid metal ring against the control stick of the aged mining ship. The Ouroboros was part of the family. Quint glanced at a photo of his father sitting at the helm. In another photo, Quint’s grandfather stood in the vast cargo bay. Quint learned how to operate the ship as a boy, and now it was all he could do to keep it running.

Tap. The steady sound marked their progress through an orbital insertion ring.

Quint dreamed of wealth from precious ores in uncharted space. He knew countless systems, endless asteroid belts, and unclaimed discoveries waited in deep space. Mining operations in the Sol system always needed a skilled metallurgist, but Quint wanted independence.

Tap. He was not worried about making the delivery on time. The ship hovered above the trade depot.

"Why won't they just leave me alone to run deep scans on uncharted asteroid belts?" Quint said. "Let me live at peace, far out in the stretch."

"You and me both. But it won't happen unless you empty the Gale Belt of viridium ore," Jessi said. Years ago, she stowed away on the Ouroboros in a food shipment. Quint had wrestled her out of the crate and into the cargo bay, but rather than put her off the ship at the next port, he put her to work as an extra set of hands.

Tap. What worried Quint most were the angry men waiting in the hangar. They had come to collect on a contract long overdue and would take the Ouroboros.

Most ore grabbers would drop such an outdated snatch-and-smelt. For Quint, the Ouroboros carried too much sentimental value. He had overextended her life well beyond expectation, and had overextended his credit well beyond forgiveness. He also knew they'd take a part of him just to make a point.

Quint and Jessi walked to the rear of the ship as the Ouroboros landed. Jessi pressed her hands against the bulkhead as Quint gripped a handlebar by the retractable platform. The ship’s massive landing struts attempted to cushion the final touchdown, but a strong jolt threatened to knock them off their feet.

Quint stood on the loading dock elevator and pressed a button. Compressed gas fluttered his jacket and tussled his hair. His brushed hangar dust out of his eyes and caught a glimpse of the men waiting outside.

“Come on out, little guy,” said the Augment. The cyborg’s deep voice carried a hint of radio interference. Quint imagined the brute standing out like Olympus Mons in a crowd full of people.

“You grab him,” the Collector said. “I’ll take care of the rest.” Quint knew the gaunt man had waited for weeks to take the ship. The largest thing the Ouroboros hauled around, other than ore, was debt.

The Augment's mechanical grip snatched Quint from the platform and splintered his ankle. He dangled upside down like a limp rag, face-to-face with the Collector. Soulless optics confirmed Quint’s identity. The Collector revealed a worn plasma knife, and he grabbed Quint's wrist.

"Your delivery settles," a pause as streaming data caught up with moving lips, "a bit of debt. But not enough." The plasma knife sparked to life.

The Collector pulled Quint's hand close to the destructive tool, and Quint shook his fist, trying to break free. His ring took the heat and light like a dead ember being reborn. The ring popped and splintered!

Jessi saw the shard of metal catch the Augment's human eye. This was her one chance. She grasped the hatchway and swung like an acrobat. Both feet sailed at the Augment's chest, but missed and connected with its head.

The grip on Quint's ankle released, as his wrist fell free from the startled Collector. Jessi sprang to her feet and punched the Collector's jaw. Quint swept up his ring that lay in pieces and ran with Jessi into the vast dark hangar.

The Ouroboros, Augment, and Collector were out of sight. Quint ducked under a massive tarp and ran his hands over the sleek curves he found there. The hull of the ship lacked rivets or seams. Quint suspected it was a research vessel built with advanced technology. "Search the other side," he barked at Jessi. Quint searched his side of the ship but could not find an entry hatch.

Jessi returned from her exploration and poked her head out from beneath the ship. She shook her head confirming what Quint feared. No way to enter the ship on that side either.

"How do you get in this thing?" Quint blustered.

"Help me with this," Jessi said. She tilted her head toward a platform ladder on wheels. Her eyes danced from side to side as she climbed the rungs. She slid on top of the ship and disappeared. Moments later, Jessi poked her head over the rounded edge of the silver teardrop and beamed at Quint. "Bingo! Get up here Quint!"

Crash! Quint heard the Augment and Collector tossing hangar equipment in their search to find the deadbeat spacers. He imagined what damage the plasma knife could do to him and he bolted up the ladder.

Quint slid along the smooth exterior like a droplet of water until he met Jessi at an open hatch. The pair dropped through the hatch like prairie dogs escaping coyotes. The ship sprang to life.

"Welcome aboard the Amaterasu," a voice sang. "The first-of-its-kind deep space surveyor engineered by..."

"Can it, bot!" Quint shouted. The pair ran through passageways to reach the control deck. "Take off. Now!"

"I cannot comply." The disembodied voice of the artificial intelligence echoed through vacant corridors.

Jessi shot Quint a nervous look.

"The Amaterasu's maiden voyage is scheduled for next month,” the AI said. “Professor Novocin will test the craft, and analyze performance data."

"Release the ship to manual control," Quint said. He looked up as light filled the interior.

The tarp slid away to reveal the Augment and Collector. The Augment tossed the tarp aside and stepped toward the ladder.

"I cannot comply," said the Amaterasu.

Jessi threw her hands in the air.

Quint pounded the helm with both fists, closed his eyes and pleaded "Why won't you let us take off?"

Clang! Quint heard the Collector scale the ladder. He regretted leaving out such a convenient welcome mat.

"The Amaterasu is controlled by artificial intelligence,” the AI said. “One must inform the ship where one would like to go and..."

"Vega Belt Rim! Launch,” Quint ordered. “Go!"

Doors opened above them and sunlight filled the hangar. The AI controlled more than just the ship. Quint and Jessi looked down at the Collector and Augment, smiled, and waved goodbye.

Quint plopped down in the chair beside Jessi and rested his feet on the console. Small chunks of metal fell from his pocket. He retrieved each piece of the broken heirloom from the floor. Family legend said it was created from the first ore his great-grandfather mined. The unique ring had been passed from father to son and could never be replaced.

Childhood memories of his family aboard the Ouroboros filled his mind. His spirit sank with guilt feeling he had let them all down. Quint opened his hand to inspect the damage.

"Jessi, look at this," Quint said as he held out his hand. They were both shocked to find a solid, unharmed ring in his palm.

"But, the ring was shattered!" Jessi protested. "A fragment took out that Augment's eye."

"There's no way," Quint chuckled in disbelief. "It couldn't be..." He scrutinized the ring as a skilled metallurgist.

The legend was true, and he held the proof. A miraculous self-healing metal had been discovered three generations ago. The Ouroboros never retrieved more because the demand for new ores disappeared.

Quint's family had to abandon the miracle metal to stay afloat. Working hard to stay ahead of debt was their lot for the next three generations.

Quint smashed a frustrated fist on the console.

"We've arrived at the outer rim of Vega's charted asteroid belt," the AI reported. "Should I deep scan the field, Captain?" Quint liked the sound of that question.

"The legend about your great-grandfather finding a miracle metal that repairs itself is pretty unbelievable," Jessi blurted.

"This is proof," Quint whispered leaning toward the ship's console. "Amaterasu, can you perform a material analysis?”

A cylinder rose from the console.

"Grab a plasma knife," Quint commanded.

Again, the ring drew heat and light until it yielded to the blade. A small chip broke free and slid across the smooth console. Quint placed the sample in the chamber and watched it descend.

Moments later, a report hovered above the console. The hologram replaced the dated screens familiar to Quint aboard the Ouroboros. Nothing on the element report looked familiar to him.

"I detect trace amounts of this element in the Vega system, Captain. Expanding my search to other asteroid belts." The ship's computer took seconds to examine a century of asteroid probe data. The updated report showed highlighted stars where the element might be found.

Quint leaned close to the hologram and touched the galactic treasure map with a hesitant finger. “Thirty-four percent in the Ward-P1 system along the outer edge of the Claims Zone.”

"Captain. We are being hailed by galactic authorities arriving in the Vega System. Should I connect you?"

Jessi exploded from her chair. "Quint!" Her eyes bulged with fear. When the galactic authorities hailed, you answered. Refusing a hail was admitting one’s guilt.

"Ward-P1 system, computer. Take us there!" The ship complied with astonishing speed. Quint glimpsed the galactic patrol insignia as light folded around the ship.

If a patrol vessel was after him, then Quint had gone too far. Borrowing more than he could repay to keep the Ouroboros repaired was one thing. Stealing a ship, and evading the galactic authority, was quite another. Quint knew they'd never stop hunting him down.

The deeper he jumped into space, the deeper he dug himself in trouble. Being the illegitimate captain on this maiden voyage might end up costing his freedom.

Quint's dream was to cross unexplored systems, chart unscanned asteroid belts, and claim undiscovered ores - adventures that would bring him wealth and independence. Quint could see all that slipping away – fast.

The AI interrupted Quint's grim thoughts. "We've arrived at the outer rim of Ward-P1's uncharted asteroid belt." There might still be a chance to grab his dream. "Should I deep scan the field, Captain?"

"Yes, Amaterasu, please deep scan the field," he urged. Quint looked at Jessi.

Tense moments passed as the computer worked to scan the vast asteroid belt. Findings were plotted as imagery to make sense of yottabytes of data.

"There!" Quint pointed. Minerals revealed themselves as colored threads woven through a debris field of rock and ice. "Amaterasu, highlight the element identified in the sample." A single line, like loose spider's silk floating in the breeze, poked out of the belt. Quint spread his hands over the hologram to magnify his view.

He swiped down, and the tendril dropped through the console. Jessi leaned forward with anticipation. Quint reached higher and swept more of the spider web away. The main deck was as bright as a Mercurian sunrise. Before them hovered the map to a vein of ore that could change their lives.

"What is it?" Jessi asked.

"That is hard to say. Traces matching the sample are present in the highlighted vein. However, the report is inaccurate until a field sample is extracted," Amaterasu answered.

"That's my great-grandfather's unclaimed ore!" Quint shouted. "Are you equipped to mine, Amaterasu?"

"Yes, Captain. Where should I begin the extraction of raw materials?"

"Begin," Quint tapped a point deep within the belt. "Here."

The ship glided into the asteroid belt. Amaterasu passed planetoid-sized rocks in her progress toward the coordinates Quint indicated. As the field grew dense, the ship began to lurch.

"Any damage?" Quint asked.

"Quite significant, Captain. Hull integrity is eighty-two percent. Engines, unfamiliar with frequent and prolonged hyperspace jumps, are thirty-nine percent functional. Three-quarters of reserve fuel remain."

"Amaterasu, stop here!" Quint commanded the AI. "Take a sample now. I think we're close enough."

The seam of a massive panel opened, like a pelican preparing to scoop dinner from the sea. Asteroids tumbled into the gaping hull. The snatch was successful, but the results were not what Quint expected.

"Inconclusive," Amaterasu uttered a single cold response. Quint's hope of finding the legendary ore was still beyond his reach.

"How can that be, computer? You brought us to a vein of minerals matching the sample. Check again!"

"Inconclusive," Amaterasu repeated. "Traces matching the sample were found within the refined ore. However, I am unable to confirm a match without a large specie sample of the target material."

My ring! Quint closed one hand around the other, protecting the ring. The ring was all he had left of his family. The ring was all the proof self-healing metal existed. The ring was all that would unlock the treasure at the end of this journey.

Quint dropped the ring into the chamber. He and Jessi waited in silence together.

There was a long pause as the system calculated. "Ore collected matches specie sample… one hundred percent,” Amaterasu reported. “Should I collect another batch, Captain?"

Quint and Jessi burst into triumphant shouts. Quint rediscovered his great-grandfather's miracle metal. Now it was time to collect. Everything would change.

Quint guided the ship into the uncharted asteroid belt. Large chunks of space debris scraped against the Amaterasu. The ship consumed a large amount of fuel while retrieving ore samples, but Quint knew the risk was worth the reward.

“Low fuel,” Amaterasu reported. “Switching to fuel reserve.”

Jessi paced the deck. "We'll never make it back on reserves, Quint. Do we just thumb a ride when her engine dies somewhere between Mu Arae and Alpha Centauri?"

"Trust me, Jessi," Quint pleaded. "Ship, do you have enough fuel to reach the Interstellar Claims Authority on Phobos, in the Sol system?"

"No, Captain. I cannot make a single jump of that distance,” Amaterasu said. “However, I am equipped to scoop fuel from the following coordinates." A hologram materialized above the console.

"Amaterasu I could kiss you!" Quint laughed. He leaned forward and his head interrupted the hologram display. He gave the cool metal of the console a quick kiss.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Jessi crossed her arms and looked out into space over the soft glow of the console.

Quint and Jessi located separate sleeping chambers, and Amaterasu navigated the journey to Phobos while they rested.

Amaterasu avoided as many collisions as possible, but still took a significant beating. The ship was a specter of her former splendor. State-of-the-art research vessels were never meant to be used as interstellar pack mules.

Waking her two passengers, she reported, "Approaching Sol. Final destination, Phobos."

Quint spotted a dozen patrol vessels and interceptors waiting for ore smugglers. "There they are. Just as I suspected," Quint punched his open hand. The familiar lump of metal was missing. Nothing could replace that ring.

"What made you think we could pull off a landing at Phobos?" Jessi whispered. She dropped into her chair.

Quint sent a hailing signal from their orbit around Phobos. A colorful hologram of the depot master materialized. "Quint, you hotshot. Your face is on all the vids," he said.

"Listen, Jonas. I need clearance to land,” Quint said. “Can you get us past the authority? They're swarming Phobos."

Jonas glared. "They're swarming every port. You picked the wrong ship to hijack."

"This is worth it, Jonas!" Jessi interrupted.

Jonas clicked a keyboard. "These codes won't keep them away for long. Maybe buy you time to land. But after that . . . "

"Thanks, Jonas! That's another one I owe you for." Quint disconnected and broadcast the permit codes.

The Amaterasu glided past port authority vessels and landed on Phobos. Quint and Jessi exited through a wide doorway rather than the small maintenance hatch they used before. The pair sprinted from the lowered gangplank to the door of Jonas’ office.

"Well, I'll be," Jonas said. The old man leaned back in his chair and scratched the top of his tilted head with one hand. His eyes squinted with confusion and wonder. “What can I say after witnessing metal repair itself? Every time you mar its surface. Every time you splintered its form. That incredible material can restore itself!”

"That's quite impressive, Quint. Hands up!" the authority captain said as he entered the office. All three of them lifted their hands. "You are under arrest for stealing the Amaterasu, retrieving ores without a claim, and depositing foreign ores planet side without a permit. Do I need to continue?"

"No, that's enough," Quint resigned. He lowered his head and his hopes.

"Captain?" Amaterasu interrupted. Quint forgot he had synched the computer to his communicator. "The market analysis for ore collected at Ward-P1 is complete. Should I read the results?"

"Won't make a difference, Quint," the officer sneered. "You and Jessi won’t be spending the credits earned from this ore in the cryo-penitentiary."

"Go ahead, ship. What did you find?" Quint said.

"Captain, based on multiple factors, the self-healing ore is worth about five nonillion credits on today's market," Amaterasu said.

Quint lowered his hands and smiled. The sample of miracle metal he brought from Ward-P1 would be enough to put all his problems to rest.

A voice rose from behind a row of authority officers. “It would appear you’re a wealthy man now, Quint. Thanks to my ship.”

Quint turned to face a middle-aged man sporting gold-rimmed glasses. “Professor Novocin?”

“Captain, I don’t plan to press charges,” Professor Novocin said. “The Amaterasu is back in one piece, and I’d say her maiden voyage was a success.” He dismissed the authority captain and assembled officers with a nod.

The authorities dispersed, and Quint registered his discovery with the Interstellar Claims Authority. Every chunk of miracle metal orbiting Ward-P1 was his.

Jonas helped Quint register and sell the ore samples collected in deep space. Quint had never seen so many credits in his account and he started spending them right away.

Quint repaired the Amaterasu and built the university an entire fleet of matching ships.

Jessi went along to reclaim the Ouroboros, which they restored to mint condition. With one notable upgrade. Amaterasu was installed as the ship’s new AI command system.

Tap. Quint's ring reflected the beat of his racing heart. Tap. He recreated his great-grandfather's original ring from memory. Tap. Anticipation melted into exhilaration for their next adventure. Tap.

THE END