by Gary Weston
'As long as you are only making the tea and not space walking.'
'I can do that. Think we can take beer?'
'No beer. Now. We have to make the most of this few days before you go.'
Cragg grinned and pulled the sheet over them.
Chapter 94
'Of course,' said Dixon Cragg, proudly, 'I said to Commander of Freighter Training, Fawn Dillow, I've retired from space flight. But she insisted she needed a pilot of my experience to go with her, and so I am happy to go along on this trip.'
Five blank young faces stared back at him. Three were wannabe freighter pilots, one a sensor control technician and one he hadn't been able to translate the mumbled definition of whatever she did.
'If you take any one thing with you from my class, I'd like it to be this. Remember computers are just a tool. A machine. Regard them with a healthy scepticism. If I live to be a hundred and fifty, and I'm talking Earth years, by the way, I don't expect to see the day a computer can take the place of a human.'
'Sir,' said the sensor technician. 'The reliability of our latest generation of computers is unsurpassed.'
'Jade, isn't it? Jade. I understand you have a vested interest in all things computer, and it's good to see such enthusiasm. All I'm saying is, just hold back that last one percent of faith in the damn things.'
'Sir,' said the girl with the obscure career path. 'Wasn't Big Bird originally intended to be totally computer controlled?'
'Exactly, err, Jockey. And what a disaster that nearly turned out to be. I've had a guided tour of the modified ship and the most significant thing to me is the four seats at the controls, these days. That speaks volumes. Right. I have assessed your homework on the “ship to human contact to determine systems harmony”. Not, Jade, “Practical ship hugging”.'
'Sorry, Sir,' said Jade, stifling a giggle.
'You all passed. This concludes your term with me. I'll be getting ready for the Big Bird trip. Hope you don't miss me too much. Class dismissed.'
Chapter 95
For Felix Hellicoyle, it was business as usual, not business as unidentifiable artefact which revealed more questions than answers. The chamber had been deemed out of bounds to unauthorised personnel and the thing itself was housed in a safe, untouched for a week. But for Hellicoyle, it was a constant stream of samples from eleven different mines and bores. And of course, all mine supervisors wanted answers yesterday. Which made Dixon Cragg's question all the more redundant.
'Craggy. Take a look at this place. I have samples waiting to be tested coming out my ears and every other known orifice. Do I look as if I'm desperate for Moon samples?'
'I just thought I'd ask. It could be your last chance for many years.'
'Sorry, Craggy. I even have nightmares about piles of rocks these days. I keep testing them, but the pile keeps getting bigger. Then I wake up, and my piles are still getting bigger.'
Cragg sighed. 'Probably some cream you can get for that.'
'Actually, I'm kinda surprised you are going along?'
'I'm the special consultant for the trip.'
'Yeah, right.'
Cragg looked at the safe. 'That thing still in there?'
'Yes. I keep expecting it to have gone boom, taking my piles with it.'
'I'd still get a cream for those. Okay. I'll go and let Misty ravish me again before I boldly go where no man has gone before.'
'The Moon?'
'I meant my underwear drawer. I got packing to do.'
'Good luck, Craggy.'
Chapter 96
'Rocky. Amethyst. I haven't seen you in a while.'
'Hi, Craggy,' said Amethyst Ramshorn. 'Got your gear stowed away?'
'All done. A good job I don't go in for cat swinging.'
Rocky and his wife shared a look. Translating “Craggy” into anything comprehensible, could often be challenging. Ignoring the cat thing, Rocky said, 'Your room's okay?'
'For a broom closet. But at least I don't have to share. How are the twins?'
'Wondering when Uncle Craggy is coming to tell them stories,' said Amethyst.
'They do? Even I haven't got that many stories.'
Commander Fawn Dillow entered the flight deck with two teens in attendance, taking her last minute instructions down on odd looking devices.
'..and see to the precell containment drain. Make sure it isn't blocked. Oh. I noticed a slight resonance in the ion retribulators. I want the unit replaced.'
'But the computer systems check says everything is within working tolerances.'
'Which is why I want the unit replaced. Go. Do stuff.'
The teens scurried away to do stuff.
'That's my girl,' said Cragg with a grin.
'Hi, Craggy. I have no idea what I just asked them to do, but they were following me like two lost puppies. Very annoying. Amethyst. Can you oversee the work crews aren't getting jittery? Most are first time flyers. Might be nervous.'
'I'll make them feel right at home,' said Amethyst, off to charm away any jitters.
'It seems an awful lot of trouble to go to, for a load of scrap iron,' said Craggy.
Dillow said, 'The way we gobble up material, we need everything we can get. That's why Max Morgan is on Phobos. He's ferrying a mining survey party about.'
'That little rock?' said Craggy.
'Mars is growing like topsy,' said Rocky. 'Our population is now at nearly six thousand.'
'Knee deep in babies,' said Cragg with a grin. 'I seem to be “uncle” to half of them.'
'In that case,' said Rocky, 'We really need to get you some new stories to tell.'
Chapter 97
There was little fanfare for the Big Bird take off. Mars Commander Anton Forbes had briefly paid a visit on board and wished them all a safe journey, and Dillow and Ramshorn ordered everyone to buckle up. It was a smooth lift off, and after flying between Phobos and Deimos, she relinquished control to the computers.
Dillow went through section one, where seating had been fitted to accommodate the two crews who would take apart the monstrous launching ramp and pack it systematically in Big Bird, for use on Mars. Dillow found Jay Moore, Captain of Freighter Loading, her deputy, Carol Webster, Roy Tasker, fabrication supervisor, and Su Kane, grabber operator were around a three dimensional holographic schematic of the launching ramp.
'You guys are keen,' said Dillow.
Moore said, 'This will take all the trip time to get planned right. Two weeks isn't much to take this lot down and safely packed away.'
Roy Tasker agreed. 'This is all about teamwork.'
'It usually is,' said Dillow. 'All your crews relaxed?'
'One or two a little twitchy,' said Moore, 'But Amethyst put them at ease.'
'Good. Hopefully, we'll have an uneventful trip,' said Dillow. 'Any issues, let me know.'
Chapter 98
'Can you hear something?' asked Raz Berry.
'You hear it, too?' said Hellicoyle. 'It's been driving me nuts all day.'
The two geologists were finally catching up with their sample testing.
'Anything turned on that shouldn't be?' asked Berry.
'I even tried turning off all the power to the lab. I could still hear it.'
'Maybe we should...'
A speaker boomed, 'This is Shamini Singh. We have something in the mine you should see.'
'On our way,' said Hellicoyle.
Berry and Hellicoyle suited up and took a buggy from the main Base Three airlock. It was night-time but the mine entrance was lit up like midday. Singh was waiting at the mine entrance and all work had stopped.
'Shamini?' said Hellicoyle.
'I'll drive,' said Singh, getting the geologists to slide over so he could get to the controls. He said nothing as he drove the eight miles to the end of the mine. Singh didn't have to say anything, and the passengers got out of the buggy.
'A tunnel?' said Berry.
Singh said, 'With observational skills like that, you could have been a miner. Can we carry
on working?'
'Probably not,' said Hellicoyle. Senior geologists had the authority to halt work if considered necessary. 'No. Not until we know what we are dealing with. Would you agree, Raz?'
'Hmm? Oh. Yes. Everybody stop work and clear the mine until further notice.'
'Including me?' asked Singh.
'Yes,' said Hellicoyle. 'But stay accessible.'
'Leave us the buggy,' said Berry.
Singh looked as if he had an interesting reply but thought better of it, and started on the long trip to the mouth of the mine.
'One thing we can see straight off,' said Berry, 'Is that whomever made the chamber, made this tunnel.'
Hellicoyle ran his gloved hands over the perfect, smooth wall of the new tunnel. 'Amazing work,' he said.
'Anything else strike you?'
'Not very big. I'm not the tallest guy around, but I'd struggle to walk along that. What is it? Three feet in diameter? Not the tallest dudes in the Universe made this, I'm thinking.'
Berry said, 'I for one am not going down there until I have some clue as to what to expect.'
'A roboprobe?'
'I'll get one of the technicians to bring us the gear. Cramer? Peggy Cramer?'
'Sir?'
'I want you to bring the roboprobe and all the other gear that goes with it to deep mine. I'm with Felix at the end of the mine, about eight miles in. Oh. Try not to run Shamini Singh down in your enthusiasm to get here. Cramer?'
'Sir?'
'Why are you not on your way? Move.'
'On my way, Sir.'
Chapter 99
Peggy Cramer broke the mine speed limit, and had the six wheel roboprobe, sitting in the mouth of the new tunnel and the controls set up just outside of it. At eighteen inches long and ten wide, the remotely controlled probe was ideal for the job. The camera was sending a clear image back to the receiver and the monitor. 'Mind if I stay?'
'Sure, Peggy,' said Berry. She was one of their keenest rookie rock pickers as they were dubbed. 'Getting a good signal?'
'Nice and clear. Ready to send the probe down there?'
'Slow and easy. Away you go.'
The three of them gathered around the roboprobe monitor and controls. Because of the smoothness of the wall, the lights on the probe showed up the progress along the tunnel very clearly.'
'Who made this tunnel?' Cramer asked.
'The only clue we have is the chamber we found the artefact in,' said Hellicoyle. 'This was made exactly the same way.'
'How far in are we?' asked Berry.
Cramer said, 'Just over a mile. Dead straight.'
'Keep going,' said Hellicoyle. 'Just look at that tunnel. How perfect is that?'
Cramer said, 'It looks like it has been made out of molten rock. That's basalt, right?'
'Yes,' said Berry. 'Same as the chamber. Possibly around the same time. Hey. What's happened to the signal?'
'Gone,' said Cramer. 'The camera is still working, but we aren't picking up.'
Hellicoyle said, 'Do we still have control of mobility?'
'Yes.'
'Stop it, then,' said Berry.
Cramer stopped the roboprobe.
'Put it in reverse,' said Berry.
Cramer did that, sure the probe was rolling sweetly in reverse. 'Still heading our way.'
'Look. We have visual,' said Berry. 'Stop it, Peggy.'
'Probe stopped,' Cramer said, 'The signal and images are perfect now.'
They studied the monitor, intently.
'Go forward,' said Berry. 'Slow. Slower.'
'Where did it go again?' Cramer asked.
'Stop,' said Berry. 'Ease back, but at the slowest speed. It's here again. What the hell is going on? Forward, inch at a time. Gone. Reverse. Hello again. Forward. Gone. It's at that exact spot.'
They tested it several times, but the images stopped at exactly the same place in the tunnel.
Berry said, 'Peggy. Make a note of the exact position and direction its been heading.'
'Got that, Sir. I've just forwarded the recording of the run and the other details to your laboratory computer.'
'Thank you,' said Berry. 'Please leave this all set up as it is. Let's get to the lab.'
At the mouth of the mine, Singh held his hand up to stop them.
'Can we get back to work?'
'No,' said Berry. 'Not for the time being.'
Singh sighed and took off for home, muttering unsavoury things about geologists in general.
Chapter 100
Cragg made himself useful anyway he could. Mostly domestic duties. Anyone wanting to clean their clothes, work the cutlery cleaner, change a light-bulb, “Change a light-bulb? Really?”, Craggy made himself indispensable. And when the autocleanse on one of the toilets started blowing instead of sucking, he was the one for the job.
'Nothing ever gets wasted,' Cragg told himself, philosophically. That included the three weeks spent as a sanitation operative on Moon. It was a job requiring disturbingly long rubber gloves, extremely flexible joints, and perfect hand eye coordination. Cragg only had the gloves.
He had been stuck on his knees, wondering if his shoulder would have to be dislocated to get him free, when he heard the door open behind him.
'Say. Whomever you are. Don't turn the water on.' He tried again when he got no reply. 'Hello? Can you hear...' The autocleanse suddenly activated and a suspiciously blue liquid hit him in the face and didn't stop until the person working the tap turned it off. 'No. I guess you can't hear me.' At least the sudden reverse flushing freed his arm.
'Are you okay?'
'Now you can hear me?'
She was very pretty, petite and screamingly worried looking. The running cold water had been to wash her tears away.
'I...I'm sorry. Did I make you blue?'
Cragg wiped his face and chuckled. 'You wouldn't be the first woman to make me blue. Oh. Are you wanting to...' he waved at the toilet.
'What? Oh. No. I should go.'
'Wait. Are you okay?' The girl looked embarrassed and Cragg picked up on that. 'What's your name?'
'Roswell Strange. Wait. I recognise you. You're Nixon Bragg.'
Cragg smiled. 'Dixon Cragg. I'm guessing this is your first space flight?'
Roswell nodded. 'I tried to get out of it. But I'm part of the crew going to take the launcher apart.'
'I get the picture. You'd rather not be here.'
Roswell shook her head. 'I made you all wet and messy. Am I in trouble?'
Cragg saw himself in a mirror. His hair was dripping blue, his uniform was soaked and he had a rubber glove that reached his armpit. 'That depends. Give me a minute. Get us both a syncoff and meet me on the observation deck. Oh. We'll keep this to ourselves, yeah?'
She smiled for the first time. 'Thanks.'
He went to his room, showered and changed in record time and went to the observation deck. He found Roswell at a table for two. She had her back to the heavens they were racing through.
'I hope the syncoff's how you like it.'
Cragg sat and sipped. 'In over sixty years, I never had one better than barely drinkable. This is barely drinkable.'
The window wasn't really a window, but the image may as well have been. It had seemed years since he had seen the stars out of the atmosphere of Mars. Misty had been right. He had missed this.
'Do I still smell of that blue stuff?' Cragg asked. 'I scrubbed for ages. I can still smell it. I may have swallowed some. Actually, it tastes better than the syncoff.'
Roswell laughed. 'You're funny.'
'One of my more endearing qualities.'
Roswell was staring at him. 'I don't get it. All of Mars knows you, but you were cleaning a toilet.'
'Actually, I was fixing it.'
'But you're a captain.'
'Me and half of Mars, I think. Besides. Plumbing is an essential part of things. Don't look down on anyone who fixes it.'
'I...I wasn't. But you shouldn't be doing things like that. I mean, you are reall
y, really old.'
'Ah! I'm actually only really old. Out of interest, how old are you?'
'Nearly eighteen.'
'How nearly?'
'Earth time? Another ten months.'
Cragg nodded. 'That nearly. Come and sit by me.'
Roswell hesitated but sat next to him, facing the screen. 'That is so scary.'
'That's part of its beauty. Do you know how many times I did the Moon Mars run?'
'No.'
'Neither do I. After my fifteenth trip, I sort of stopped counting. But it never lost its magic for me. I kinda feel sorry for you youngsters.'
This surprised Roswell.'You do? Why?'
'Because you'll never get what I had. Gliding majestically through the heavens.'
'You talk funny.'
Cragg smiled. 'So I gather. Just remember this. You are making history. This is most likely the last ever run between Moon and Mars. Apart from the occasional helium three ** processing trip, that is. This is something for you to remember forever and tell your grandchildren about.'
'Grandchildren?'
Cragg nodded, 'Perhaps not for a good few years.'
Roswell stared at the stars, trying to fix the sight in her memory, so she could tell her grandchildren one day. 'I'm not scared any more.'
'Good.'
'I have to go. Thanks, Captain Cragg.'
'Craggy. Special friends call me Craggy.'
Roswell said, 'Thanks, Craggy.' She kissed his forehead and scurried away.
Cragg watched the stars and thought of his son, Leo. The son robbed of his life because a war started a month too soon. But, just suppose he had been spared, met a woman, fallen in love. Had a kid. Maybe Dixon Cragg would have a granddaughter. And he'd put money on her being as delightful as Roswell Strange.
Chapter 101
Hellicoyle and Berry stared at the three dimensional holographic projection.
'Just as I thought,' said Berry. 'That tunnel leads directly to Mons.'