Free Galactic Bride by Kelly S. Bishop

Galactic Bride

    He was going to be late meeting the UFXP ship. But it couldn't be helped. He had to replace the power couplings now or lose half a day's work. The female would be there when he arrived. Or not.  
    Jase wrestled the new couplings into place, locking them down with his own brute strength. The sweat poured down his back as they clicked into place. He punched the power grid and all the buttons lit up green. Good. His mine was back online.  
    Sensors beeped an all clear. No one else in the mine. Just him and the droids. Call him paranoid but he always kept the alarm system on and his “pest control” items set. Just in case any thieves thought a lone miner would make an easy target.
    The shaft walls were cool and slightly damp - the complete opposite of conditions “upstairs”. He didn’t bother to raise the lights, just moved along the shaft by touch and passed into the main corridor, remembering to duck his head through the archway. A man his size would always be a little cramped in a space like this. He dealt with it. Part of the job. And he liked the dark.
    Jase tossed his tool belt and vest into the back of his go-cart, hopped in and headed back up to the surface. There were six miles worth of shafts in all, zig-zagging around the rock the UFXP called PS9439. His own personal kingdom.
    Nothing much grew here, he had barely enough water to run the mine. It was just a big, dusty hunk of rock. But all his. And it had a few solid veins of hyper drive crystals. If the veins held, in less than five years he'd pay off his UFXP loans for the mining rights and equipment. In seven years, he'd be rich enough to buy damn near anything, anywhere he wanted. Be anything he wanted. If the veins held and he didn't go nuts first. If, if, if.
    Once he reached the surface, he took a short jog to the house. Most would call it a shack. Nothing fancy about it. Sturdy enough to withstand the heat and the sandstorms. But the furnishings... Your basic well dressed cargo hold. Jase did have all the latest technical/computer equipment he needed. He knew his priorities.  
    As he entered the bathroom, he stripped and ran himself through the sonic cleanser. No time for a shave. Fresh clothes and out the front door just as he heard the rumble of the landing craft. Perfect timing.

    The UFXP ship automated everything. Ship sensors confirmed a living body was there to receive the order. Then said order dropped planet side via the landing craft. He always unloaded and sent it back up as fast as possible. Pilots got bitchy if you screwed with their schedule too much.
    This month's delivery should contain his usual food and water supplies, some spare mining parts and one “mail order bride”, as requested. Assuming they hadn't messed up the order. Or she’d balked at the last minute. UXFP gave it a pretty cover story for the press by calling it a matchmaking service but most of the time it just amounted to a handy mail order fuck. Most of the “brides” didn’t stick around long once they got a good look at a space miner’s life.
    He reached for the cargo door and his hand trembled a bit. Stop that shit now, fucker. Here goes. He took a deep breath and yanked the door open. And there she was.  
    Jase noticed her eyes first. A deep blue like some distant ocean he'd seen in dreams.
    Neither said anything. As she stepped to the ground, he continued his inventory. A lot younger and prettier than he'd expected. A thick mop of curly, gold hair, a generous rack and a nice rounded ass. But short. Really short. Sure, most women looked small next to him anyway but this one was short even for a female. Short, tiny and delicate.
    He didn't really need any help in the mine. Still, he'd have liked a work horse. An extra pair of hands. And they'd sent him a princess. There was no way she'd stay past the next supply drop.
    He grabbed the nearest box in the landing craft and tossed it out the door. A little to his surprise, the princess pitched in