It was here on this barren world, at the edges of the galactic rim, that I finally understood the phrase 'Wherever you go, there you are'. The landscape was vast, empty, and uninhabitable. A desolate wasteland that could never hold life.

In the distance sat the mining colony with thick white clouds that were constantly escaping out of large chimneys. Excess heat and released gases were always vented out into the cold surface of the planet. The paper-thin atmosphere would trap it and over time, if desired, terraforming could also take place.

My suit's sensors softly beeped at my ears, the only other sound came from the rhythm of my breaths. The feeling of walking in low gravity was still novel for me, as unhealthy as it was. The mining colony had finally set up a gravity drive to increase productivity as the ridiculously low gravity was starting to really mess with our health. Damn corporate space-shit.

I was eager to begin adapting to 0.85 gravity again as I was tired of the headward shift and the puffiness it brought to my face. I looked like I was either fat or terminally ill. Usually ill as the temperamental machines did little to settle my own feelings. I was also even more eager to have my backside stop constantly aching.

The bird leg syndrome though, I almost did regret to lose as the local ladies did look tastier with their thin and long legs. Low gravity cleavage couldn't be more hypnotic. Sweet, sweet low gravity.

So here I was, out for a stroll since I was off shift and I wanted to feel free again. Low gravity had a lot of downsides but nothing could beat the ease of movement. One could leap to great heights and travel incredible distances with but a single leap! A comic book ability brought into my life. Good times.

But...

But I still felt hollow out here. I am just as incomplete here as I was in the megacities within the core systems. Two million light-years for a change in scenery, but not a change in my heart.

I couldn't help but sign in defeat.

We were paid well. What with off-world mining and hazard pay along with great surpluses of work hours. A man could earn a small fortune here if one had the drive for it. Though the experienced riggers knew to pace while the younglings only saw potential bonuses. Those poor, naive saps.

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Luckily machines took up the big, heavy, and intense labor while operators like myself kelp things going. Almost everything here, that was non-hazardous to human health, was run by real people. Thus for better or for worse, you were stuck with a hundred and seventy riggers. I would have rather dealt with only machines. Easier life that way.

Robots were an option. An expensive option that didn't rate our operational needs. Read as quadrant manager trying to cut costs and improve public relations. A personal blank bonus check waiting to happen. 

See the System! Unlimited work hours! Great benefits!

Spacecrap, the lot of it. 

You were generally confined to the planetside since there was no place to go. The pay was literally one whole percent higher than the competition with bonuses that only robots could achieve. The benefits were being eaten whole by lack of proper paperwork for an onsite gravity drive.

Now the entire facility was undergoing mandatory health checks as we all slowly readapt to gravity. They were slowly increasing gravity by almost 0.10 earth standard each week. So we were now up to 0.66 earth standard as the medical team analyzed the lot of us. I still felt sick from being onsite too long.

I stop moving for a bit as I crest the tallest hill on the premises and I just watch the planet begins a new rotation as the distant, yet huge blue star started the new day.

The second-largest object was easily the jump gate, a series of lensed spheres making a larger sphere that allowed the Ishimura to make the fantastic jump in virtually zero time at all. The light reflected off the gates gave it an eerie sheen of sparkling lights.

If it ever failed then the crew, and I, here would be stranded for a long, long time. Oh, there was a specially trained crew of repairmen but jump gate tech was often... twitchy.

There were other planets amid the ocean of stars but they were tiny because of their distant orbit. They were simply small jewels hanging in the sky. Just like the large mining ship, The Ishimura floated high above in orbit. It didn't seem like a 1.6 kilometers longship. It was another small object in that giant field of lights.

However, the thrice-damned managers inside the Ishimura sat in perfectly controlled environments while grunt riggers like me suffered planetside within a natural gravity of 0.23 and got things like spacer's bend and freaking bone loss.

Yet as I stared at the new sun, it's cool blue rays sweeping across the landscape, I find myself feeling peaceful. 

I have traveled here not for profit but for something more. It wasn't here but I am closer, much closer.

Staring at the sparkling jump gate, I suddenly have a moment of clarity as to the blue sunlight washes over me. It is something simple but profound.

Perhaps, in truth, I have journeyed two million light-years in the hopes that I find myself...

Note: Wrote quickly and please forgive any and all errors!