“Buckle. The largest and primary facility in our inner asteroid belt. Designed and built by Halcyon industry the station acts as the central hub for all mining operations. Being the third largest man made object in space it is operated by over eight thousand and nine hundred personal. Using its close proximity to the sun it has a power source as deep and reliable as our favorite star. Unlike the Chinese stations that orbit Saturn, Buckle is not militarized. It is the first civilian station of its kind, producing jobs and income for over 3 million employees in support and maintenance ta-“ The add on the passenger shuttle was then interrupted by the flight captain. “All passengers please return to your assigned seats. Arrival time is 0300 solar standard time. Fasten your seat belts for docking procedures.” Roy, was already in his seat munching on some crackers he stole off a flight attendants cart. The man had an uneven shave, a Christmas tie, a blue sock, a white sock and broken glasses. His general demeanor was shady, and hiss attitude bitter. He was pale and thin, and hardly looked like a reputable sort to be trusted with hangar inventory. But alas he is what the company had, and so was what the company sent. Moments later a loud clang echoed throughout the shuttle, followed by a hum of mechanical servos twisting and turning as the docking arm pulled in the small ship. “Be mindful of over head storage bins, check for your belongings in your seat and adjacent areas. Welcome to Buckle!” An overly cheerful flight captain announced. Roy reaches for his bag but dropped his last cracker in the empty seat next to him. Moving to catch the salty snack he let go of his bag which landed with a “splish” sound. “Awwww God damnit!” He cried as he shoved the last cracker in his mouth and fumbled back for the bag. The purple sack leaked apple juice that Roy had left in it for later. “Smh, dipshit” a fellow passenger said as he made his way towards the off ramp. Roy who was to distracted by the liquid to notice hurried to pull out the squished carton from his carry on. He sighed in defeat and left for the exit. The station once had a chrome finish and flawless tiles. But after forty years of use, the station was splattered by various paints hiding rust and other blemishes. (To be continued... maybe)