Cloudmount

The mining camp of Cloudmount was located in a rugged, mountainous landscape. The peaks of the mountains were constantly shrouded in a blanket of clouds, providing the base with its unique and picturesque setting. Despite the harsh environment, the miners at Cloudmount could survive and thrive thanks to the deep wells that supplied them with water and the hydroponic gardens that provided them with food. Life in the camp was hard and often dangerous, but the miners were a tight-knit community, bonded together by the challenges of their work and the isolation of their surroundings. They were a rough-and-tumble bunch with solid camaraderie and a love for adventure. Many had been drawn to Cloudmount by the promise of riches. At the same time, others had sought a life away from the regulated planets of the Inter-Planetary Alliance.

The camp was run by a grizzled old veteran named Hank, who had been in the mining business for over two decades. He was a no-nonsense guy, but he was well-respected by the miners and was always ready to lend a hand to those in need. Under Hank’s leadership, the camp had become successful, with a steady flow of valuable minerals and metals extracted from the mountains. One day, the miners noticed something strange in the clouds. They had always been an ever-present part of the landscape, but now they seemed to be changing, growing thicker and more ominous. At first, the miners didn’t think much of it, but as the days passed, the clouds grew and darkened. They began to block out the sun and the stars, making it difficult for the miners to see what was happening outside the camp.

As the cloud cover thickened, the miners started to experience strange and unsettling events. Some miners reported hearing strange mountain noises; others claimed to have seen ghostly shapes moving in the clouds. The camp’s communication systems began to fail, making it difficult for the miners to stay in touch with the outside world. Fear and paranoia started to grip the miners, and many began to believe that something evil was hiding in the clouds. Hank tried to calm their fears, telling them it was just a freak weather pattern, but no one seemed to be listening. The miners started to turn on each other, suspecting each other of wrongdoing and creating an atmosphere of mistrust and fear.

In the end, Hank uncovered the truth behind the strange events at Cloudmount. With the help of a few brave miners, he ventured into the mountains, braving the thick clouds and treacherous terrain to discover the source of the strange happenings. They found a group of aliens who had set up a secret base in the mountains, using the cloud cover to hide their presence. Hank and the other miners negotiated a peace agreement with the aliens, who agreed to leave the planet and not interfere with the mining operations at Cloudmount. The miners returned to the camp, their fears allayed and their sense of community restored. They returned to work, extracting valuable minerals and metals from the mountains, and life at Cloudmount returned to normal.

But the experience had left its mark on the miners, and they would never forget the strange and frightening events that had taken place in the clouds. They learned that even in the rugged and remote landscape of Cloudmount, danger could come from the most unexpected places and that it was always important to be vigilant and prepared for the unexpected.

– Milky Way Digest [MWD} vol 9 pg. 16 –