Isaac Jacobson held the controls of his Dacite-class mining ship steady as he pulverized the nickel asteroid in front of him. Flecks of dust brushed his sun-shield, filling the cockpit with a quiet swish noise on top of the buzz from the mining lasers. As chunks of metal came loose, they were scooped up by his fiance' Miranda Edwards, whom he had met doing this very job. He worked for DSE's mining branch, collecting low-value minerals for mass producing mundane goods. It didn't pay well, but it was a job nonetheless.
"Miranda, are you seeing what I'm seeing here?" Isaac said, stopping his lasers. His scanners were showing a foggy spot on the asteroid. Miranda replied, "What, that smudge on the 'roid? Yeah, I think it might be some trapped gas. Must be ancient.. You shouldn't take any more off of that rock, in case it's explosive."
Isaac agreed, calling his superior. After he informed him of the situation, his manager said, "No, we want you to continue on that rock. Your quota hasn't been met yet, and that field is limited. Use everything." When Isaac protested, his manager cut him off with a "Be glad you have a job, Jacobson. Out."
Setting his teeth, Isaac told Miranda about the development. She scoffed. "They don't care about us. Be careful, Isaac." He was careful, trying to avoid cutting through the smudge on his scanner. But as he took off more rock, the pressure inside could more easily escape. The rock seemed to bulge momentarily, and then it exploded, with gas older than Liberty itself, ignited by the sudden release of pressure. Isaac's ship was thrown back, it's shields pulverized. He crashed into Miranda's shields and ricocheted into an asteroid, and his warning lights went off. Then, his entire ship went dark, along with Isaac's vision.
The first thing Isaac thought as he lay in the dark room on a firm cot was "I'm going to strangle my manager." It wasn't until he tried to move that he thought, "I'll wait until my limbs are light enough to budge."
He left his eyes closed, as even the darkness seemed to press in on him, with his pounding head keeping him awake. He felt someone move next to him, and as he cracked his eye open, he saw Miranda sleeping with her head on her arms on his cot. His voice came out dry and cracked. "Hey. Miranda. Wake up." He slid his arm over- it took a while- and nudged her head with his forearm. She stirred slightly and raised her head. He closed his eye and let his other senses tell him that she was sitting up.
"Isaac?" She whispered. "How do you feel?" Isaac let this question sit for a moment. "Like I was thrown into an asteroid." He replied quietly. He heard her snort in quiet amusement. "Well, you're lucky to be alive. Doctor says you've got a mighty concussion from hitting your head on the dashboard." That would explain the lack of mobility.
Miranda took a small breath before continuing. "Also.. You've been fired, and fined for destroying company property. They've pulled health insurance." Isaac, in response, fell unconscious again.