The Asteroid Mammy

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. On the asteroid Mammy, there was no need for a single shout. The dome that covered the city of the asteroid was owned by Wilmington, Delaware native Garland Moore. His business had launched rockets to get to the asteroid, another business built the infrastructure, and yet another business kept the cities and fields working. Moore never wore a tie but always wore a sharp business suit. He walked out of his office and in the glory of his precision footwork, welcomed a new day to begin. His skin looked like almonds and waves flowed into his hairline.

Then, a notice appeared before his face. “Titer Universal is interested in buying Moore Properties for six trillion dollars.”

He scoffed and then waved the message away. He met up with his COO Hyland Bier.

“Garland, we’ve got to take the deal. We’ve gotta,” Bier said.

“No.”

“C’mon. You were the first trillionaire, a black man. You developed an entire ecosystem on an asteroid and continue to power it with the fuel from the deposits left on this floating rock. You’ve changed the game forever,” he declared.

“I hear you talking,” Moore replied.

“TU is not going to stop. They’re going to keep hounding us until your digital signature rests on their virtual check.”

Moore sighed. “They can keep up their charade as if they’re some superior organization looking to preserve asteroids for their own sake. They just want to put a face out there saying they’ll be the ones to do away with progress. I say hell no.”

Bier put his hands in his pockets.

“Look at this, Mo’. This was part of the first piece of platinum ever mined on this rock. You, we turned this hunk into a powerhouse. With your signature, you’ll have multiple times the wealth you have now.”

“I’m not selling. It’s more than just slapping my name on everything. It’s the reason and the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to employ my mind to create wealth. Yes, that might be a dirty word but I like, love, and value money. My sweat equity and my bank account all reflect the power of my mind. People confuse gluttony with greed. The former is about excessive consumption while the latter is a badge of honor among men and women who simply want to make more.”

“You know what, you’re right. We can just let them plow into our dome and take away all our towns and start constructing anyway. This plan at least lets us build upon what we’ve already done,” Bier suggested.

The two men walked onto the floor of the plant. Huge helicopters looked like goliaths rolling over the surface. Their yellow and black exteriors appeared as giant yellowjackets zipping through the air. They unloaded tons of soil that 10 Mammy had to offer. Moore had come up with the name to try to reclaim an ugly past in African American history. The ten million people of all colors and ideas floating around that rock rejoiced at the title. Titer Universal wanted to change the name, too. They fancied King Leopold II of Belgium. They liked the idea that Moore would always be in opposition to the evil of that leader and that they enjoyed the King’s “business acumen.”

Moore and Bier walked to the main boardroom. It was immaculate. The lamps glowed with a luminosity befitting their brain power.

Bier made one last plea. “Think of it. We can launch onto another asteroid. We can build that up bigger, better.”

“I don’t want better, I want the best. This is the place I want to be. TU is an inferior company, and they know it. Sure, they grabbed a windfall in the market and that boosted their capital. It doesn’t make them a quality firm,” Moore pointed out.

“You’re stuck in your ways, my friend.”

“I’m resolute in my reasoning.” Next, executives from the c-suite of Titer Universal walked through the doors of the Moore Mining company.

“Mo’!” CEO Tenner Cobbler called, taking off his hat. “Mr. Bier!”

“What do you want, Cobbler?” Moore replied coldly.

“I think that message this morning was pretty clear what I wanted. Hyland, Hyland Bier, I’m sure you’ve been in brother Moore’s ear up to this point,” Cobbler remarked.

“Yes.”

“First of all, I’m not your goddamn brother. And if you and Hyland here had any discussions between each other, this will put me in a precarious situation. Lastly, I’m the CEO of this entire asteroid. How dare you come to my workplace waving around your pretentious check for me to sign?” Moore tore into Cobbler. TU’s COO and CFO stepped slowly in Moore’s direction. Moore didn’t flinch.

“It’s okay, boys. We’re just having a little conversation. Why don’t you two wait outside?” The executives discussed something inaudible between them before retreating.

“Hyland, why don’t you go back to the office?”

“But Garland—” Bier protested.

“Do it, Hyland.”

Bier turned around and headed back to his desk.

Now, the two men looked at each other. Cobbler’s skin was medium brown and flecks of gray appeared in his hair.

“Well, it comes down to this moment, doesn’t it?” Cobbler asked. There was a pregnant pause.

“There will be no sale of my mines, my reactors, real estate, hell you can’t grab with your grubby little paws on my Wi-Fi capabilities.”

Cobbler laughed. He reached to light up a cigar. He pulled out the electric device.

“You can’t vape in here,” Moore warned.

Cobbler put away the elements.

“Alright. Alright. So, you don’t sell and you keep your precious companies. This asteroid is still governed by people I helped put into office.”

“I’m certainly no sultan so I don’t give a damn about your political pull. All I know is I earn my way through life. If you want to slime through existence, be my guest but you’re not going to involve me.”

Cobbler placed his hat on his head. “We’ll just see who wins this race called life,” he mentioned.

“I’ve already crossed the finish line, waving the flag,” Moore replied. Cobbler stood stunned and then walked out of the door. Moore turned away and returned to his business.