Beltrunner by Sean O’Brien

He's sort of a miner.  He visits unexplored asteroids and searches for valuable minerals.  Gold isn't worth much anymore but there are lots of other metals.  He makes a find and is happy to know he'll be able pay back some on his debt but he forgot about his ex-lover.  She hasn't forgotten about him...

Edge and Library Thing gave me an ebook of this story to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Collier is over a million dollars in debt.  He's getting worried about digging himself out of that hole and is happy when the asteroid he's on has some metal to sell.  The bad news?  His old girlfriend is following him and she hijacks his asteroid find.  He can't do anything about it because even though he took a chance and claimed it first, she's working for a huge corporation and they can beat him in court.  He's not happy...

There were a couple of things in this story that made it stand out to me.  The big corporations are just as bad as they are now or worse.  Somehow I was hoping space would mean more freedom.  In Mr. O'Brien's vision of the future they are bigger and more insidious.  I also was interested in the colony that saved Collier from death.  They wouldn't take money, they wanted him to pay by giving them DNA, knowledge, and more to add to their databanks.  That sends shivers up my spine.

Collier finds a unique piece of equipment that can make metal out of anything.  It will be a lifesaver for him, if he can live long to keep it.  In the meantime, the corporation, the colony, and sentient computers and robots are in his life, all with their own goals.

This is like classic science fiction.  It's a very good read, with lots of action and life is cheap in space.  Collier survives, but he's on the run now...