by Ben Winston
Lunar transfer orbit
Lunar Base Build Site
Grimaldi Ridge
Ocean of Storms
Selene, Earth's Moon
Twenty minutes later, Greg, the girls, and their passengers were circling the site selected for the building of the lunar base. There wasn't that much to see since most of the work was being done below the surface. What could be seen was a small dome next to the frame of a much larger dome. As they came in for a gentle landing near the domes, a drone could be seen welding something on the big dome.
"Son, just how large is this base going to be?" the Director asked.
"Larger than the one we have on planet, Sir. We wanted to make sure that those that we brought up here would be able to bring their families and loved ones. This is going to be our main off-planet facility; as such it will need living facilities for multiple races as well as massive amounts of storage for cargo. There will most likely be a small ship building facility here as well as a training academy. It will need to be able to support all other major construction projects that will be in our system." While Greg spoke, the small ships had landed. "Shall we take a walk and check it out, Sir?"
"Certainly. This is all truly amazing, Commander. It's just hard to believe you've built all of this with just the money we've given you," the Director said as Greg helped the older gentleman out of the ship.
"Actually, Sir, the only place we've used any money was down on Earth. Most of the money we've been given is just sitting in an account because we haven't needed it yet." Greg reached up and caught the Director's arm as he launched himself trying to take a normal step. "Careful, Sir! Remember, this isn't Earth’s gravity!"
Greg saw that the Colonel was doing much better, but both Bella and Jolene were helping her.
"Ho-lee-shit!" Director Whiteshield replied as Greg pulled him back down, but he was chuckling. "Thanks Commander."
"Think of it as like walking on the bottom of a lake, Sir. Only underwater you'd actually seem lighter," Greg explained.
"Yeah, I think I got it. How are you doing over there, Colonel?" the Director asked.
"Pretty good, Sir. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure we really are on the moon," Susan replied.
"Oh, I'm convinced, Colonel. I'm just going to enjoy the rest of this tour before I let the rest of the implications ruin my day," Director Whiteshield replied.
"Sir, I think Agent Danielson was more accurate when he said it would ruin your entire year. Although, I think it's going to be much, much longer," Susan replied.
"I think you're probably correct, Colonel. Commander, how much of this base is actually finished?" Director Whiteshield asked. "There doesn't really seem to be much here."
The 'small' dome they had seen was actually about as big as a city block. The larger dome, when finished would easily cover nine city blocks.
"Enough that we can evacuate our entire Earth facility up here, including everyone's families, if we need to," Greg replied but quickly changed the subject. "The smaller dome has been built for what surface agencies we'll need. Traffic control, communications, tracking, and even some research areas for those that study astrophysics and the like. The larger dome that is being built will actually be able to open up to allow a large freighter to land. A large, hollow bay has been built under us for the storage and servicing of visiting craft, as well as the handling of cargo and passengers.
"We do not consider this base to be part of the military defense, instead, we feel it more of a civilian facility to support the needs of the military operations in our system. The purely military parts of this base will be built some distance from here yet be accessible via an underground tram. The military base will have its own space facilities, but as yet none of it has been built."
"I just can't say it enough, Commander; this is all truly amazing," Director Whiteshield replied.
"I bet when you got out of bed this morning, you never thought you'd be walking on the moon today, Sir," Bella said cheekily.
"You got that right, Major! You have most definitely blown my socks off," Director Whiteshield replied. "Can we go down into the base, Commander?"
"Not currently, Sir. I'm sorry. For safety reasons, Abraxis doesn't like running his heavy drones in close proximity to living beings," Jolene replied. "I've seen those monsters work. They are amazing devices, Sir, but being in close proximity to it while it’s working just wouldn't be good."
"We can't go down in the base, but we can go in the command dome. None of the equipment is ready for use yet, but the dome has been sealed and filled with atmosphere. It might be a little cold, but we should be okay for a short visit," Greg said as he led the small group over to one of the emergency airlocks built into the side of the smaller dome.
Command Dome
Lunar Base
Selene, Earth's Moon
Sol System
Greg opened the airlock and all five of them entered the brightly lit lock. Once inside, Greg closed the door and ordered the lock to cycle.
"How cold is it in there, Commander?" Susan asked.
Greg checked the inner lock controls. "It says that the internal temperature is at negative fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. The atmosphere is breathable, but you might not want to leave your helmet off for long in that temperature."
"Wait, we're heavy again!" Director Whiteshield said.
"The base has been built with gravity generators in the floor, Sir. Prolonged exposure to lower gravity would be physically bad for humans as well as most of our human-like allies. So, we either build in gravity generators, or we rotate people out of here every six months. That wouldn't be feasible, so we have the gravity," Greg shrugged. "Abraxis said it's actually common practice when building in radically different environments."
The lock’s inner door slid open, and the group exited into a large curved hallway. "This hallway goes all the way around the base of the dome. There are four sets of lifts and stairs spaced equidistant around the dome. As you can see, there are windows as well as benches. Think of this as a sealed sidewalk. The door over there leads to a future astrological research area. The tracking and control center access is on the far side of the dome. It's a special lift that goes up to the top two floors of the dome. The floor below that is equipment and computers because of the command center. The floors below that will be occupied by the various departments I mentioned earlier," Greg finished.
Director Whiteshield left his helmet on, but Susan took hers off right after Jolene took hers off.
"You're brave, Colonel! I'm from a warm state!" the Director said.
"She can't hear you, Sir. Hang on," Jolene replied and looked at Susan. "The Director was speaking to you, Colonel. You'll need to replace your helmet to hear him."
"You have your helmet off too, how did you know?" Susan asked.
"Rangers have their communicators physically implanted in our bodies. They can't be taken or damaged during combat as easily," Jolene replied as she replaced her helmet.
Susan shook her head and replaced her own helmet, which immediately resealed to her suit. "I'm sorry, Sir. What did you ask me?"
"I was only commenting on how brave you were. I'm from a warm state, the air here has to be brutally cold," the man replied.
"Oh, it's pretty damn cold. I would have had to put my helmet back on soon anyway just to prevent frostbite. I hope it's a lot warmer up here before people start arriving!" Susan replied.
Greg chuckled. "It will be. Once a section is finished, the environmental controls are set to seventy-two degrees."
"The moon, especially the far side, has a lot of asteroid strikes. How are you going to protect these domes from being breached?" the Colonel asked.
"Force fields and what amount to be point defense weapons," Greg replied. "There will be many hidden defensive weapons systems built into the lunar surface near this base, but there will also be several small weapons systems whose sole purpose is to shoot and destroy any object that would impact the dom
es."
"Just asteroids?" Director Whiteshield asked.
"Any object not approved for approach, Sir," Greg replied. "Space is a dangerous place. It’s very easy to get killed up here. We'd like to limit as many of those opportunities as possible, at least for the occupants of our bases."
The Director looked at the wonders around him. "I think we should probably head back now, Commander. For the record, and in spite of what is to come, I want you to know that you have granted a lifelong dream I'd believed I'd never experience. I appreciate it more than I could ever tell you."
Greg smiled. "I'm glad for that. To use your own words, Sir; in spite of what is to come, I want you to know that my only interest is the protection and continuation of the human race and its allies."
"That much is very clear to me, Son. I will do what I can to make sure you are not branded a traitor. You might be a lot of things, Commander, but that is not one of them. You understand what's coming then?" Whiteshield asked.
"Yes Sir, that's the main reason this base was built. To get our people and their families to safety so they cannot be used against us. I'd hoped that wouldn't be necessary though; you only know part of the whole story so far. We needed you to know we are for real before we ask you the question we need to ask before we send you back to Grand Junction," Greg said. “Now, it's time for you to know and understand our plan. I know you'll have to do what you can to take as much of this tech away from us as you can, but it simply isn't going to happen, Sir. We already know how that will turn out, and I'll destroy it all myself before one megabyte of advanced tech is transferred to you."
"Well, you know I don't agree with you. But, like I said, let's return to… what did you call it? Prometheus Base? Aptly named, by the way; the bringer of knowledge to humanity." Director Whiteshield replied.
Greg put his hand on the Director's shoulder. "Please, Sir, don't make me give the order to kill our own people."
"Don't worry Son, you won't," Director Whiteshield smiled calmly.
Greg put his hand to the side of his helmet. "Prometheus Command, this is Ranger One."
"Command here, go ahead Ranger One," Jarad's voice replied. All five of the group could hear it.
"Command, we are returning to base. Please prepare for Exodus and set security level Brown-Two," Greg replied.
"I was afraid of that, Commander. Brown-Two will be set in three minutes. When would you like Exodus to begin?" Jarad asked.
"When our VIP's depart. I still have hopes to avoid the obvious mess," Greg said.
"Agent Danielson, this is Director Whiteshield. You are to secure that entire facility immediately. Order General Hollister to assemble his Marines and secure all research being done there. Tell John he is to order a Majestic response to your base immediately. I know she is your daughter, but Captain Adams is to be placed under protective custody pending transportation to…"
"No Sir." Jarad replied.
"Excuse me?" Whiteshield replied.
"Two things, Sir. The first is that you do not have all the information yet. The second is that the fucking corporations that control the government are not going to get their hands on this tech. The American Government is not going to use this tech to take over the rest of the planet, because it is not going to get this tech, period. Sir, with respect, you can help us prevent the destruction of our planet, or you can get the hell out of our way. But understand, this technology is not yours and will never be yours; the Rangers serve the entire planet, not just one government. General Hollister, the Marines, the scientists serving here, and their entire families all understand and agree with this.
"We had a pretty good idea about what would happen when you discovered what we were really doing out here, and we prepared for it. We knew that you would basically ignore the entire alien threat and try to claim the equipment. Or you would ignore the fact that, as we mentioned in your earlier briefing, in order for these ships to work effectively, they had to have a specific genetic profile as an operator. I disagreed with Greg about asking for your help, but he is the commander here and will remain so," Jarad replied.
"I see," Director Whiteshield replied.
"Sir, just listen to the rest of the information we have for you before you decide to try to take over everything. You just might see that we're already doing it the right way," Jarad said.
"It would appear I have little choice in the matter," Director Whiteshield replied. "So I will listen, but I don't see how you are going to change my mind."
"That's all we ask, Sir," Greg said as he closed the airlock door and led Whiteshield back to the sled.
Prometheus Base
Shermandale, Utah
North American Continent
Earth, Sol System
It was past lunchtime when the group had returned from the moon. So Greg and the girls invited the group to the common area of their apartments to share a meal and begin the 'discussions' that everyone knew were coming. The move threw the agency people off their game but not for long.
"Okay Commander, give me just one good reason why we're not going to take over here," Director Whiteshield said.
"There are a couple of reasons, Sir, but the most important is that if we are not allowed to remain free and do our jobs, the human race will be extinct in approximately two years. Here's why…" Greg began and explained the entire situation the Rangers now found themselves in. "We can get the other Ranger teams and their people to cooperate with us, but a certain amount of trade will have to be made in order to show good faith.
"We have the knowledge and a plan to protect the entire sector from the Drellians. However, that plan requires us to be free, and it requires the help of our allies. In order to do that, we will need to help at least one of them. The others might or might not require assistance in some way, but what I do know about right now is that one of our allies has a severe food shortage caused by a natural disaster. That's why I need your help with the President. I need to have the resources to hammer out a trade agreement.
"Now, before you blow that off as not having any solid proof, which I admit you don’t, there are other reasons to leave us free." Greg paused to take a drink of his soda.
"The other main reason is the one I told you about. Simply put, I'll destroy this entire base before I let it fall into the hands of, or under the control of, a single government. I would entertain a cooperative form of governing from the UN, but only if we still retained over-all control. Based on documented past experiences, none of the governments on this planet can be trusted with this technology. You'd take it to Area 51 or someplace like that, tear it down, and try to figure out how it works. Then you'll mass produce them, but keep them strictly for the United States forces because you can't trust your allies with this level of technology. At that point, you'll immediately take over the Middle Eastern oil fields. North Korea has been an increasing pain in the ass to the US for years, so they would be quickly dealt with, but you wouldn't stop there since China has been expanding their influence onto islands and territories well out into the Pacific Ocean. You'll use that as an excuse to overthrow the last stronghold of communism left on the planet. Very soon, the entire planet will be under the domination of the supposedly 'free' nation of America.
"Believing yourselves to be invincible, the Drellians will arrive shortly after that. You'll ignore their demands for your surrender while you prepare your forces to engage these invaders in the atmosphere because your pilots can't control the ships in space.
"The Drellians will respond with kinetic strikes using meteors from the asteroid belt and antimatter missiles to reduce the surface of the planet to a frozen wasteland not capable of sustaining human life. Meanwhile the other planets in our sector will also be destroyed as a means of locating and destroying Abraxis. They will completely sterilize this entire sector for the simple reason that we have the knowledge and the potential to eventually destroy them."
Greg held up his hands to forestall the denials that no one would reall
y believe. "Now, for the sake of argument, let's say you did take the threat of the Drellians seriously and somehow managed to build a sufficient force to defend Earth from destruction this time. The first thing you would do would be to get control of the other sentient races in our sector because you'd need a sufficient labor force to build the ships you'd need to take other sectors away from the Drellians. You succeed and manage to create a sustainable, effective counter to the Drellian threat. Each of the 'allies' we gained by taking control over their planets, for their own good of course, has to have a human force on planet in order to 'maintain peace'.
"In the span of fifty years we will have removed the threat of the Drellian Dominion and replaced it with the Terran Dominion," Greg finished.
Director Whiteshield shrugged. "What's wrong with that? I don't see a problem with a star spanning Human Empire."
"The very fact that you can't see the problem with that is complete and utter proof that you cannot be allowed to have access to, or control of, this tech," Greg explained. "You don't see the forced enslavement of other races as a bad thing."
"Hold on, who said anything about enslavement?" John asked.
"What, you honestly think they are sitting out there simply waiting for us to come along so we can rule them?" Greg asked. "No, I stand by my decision. None of the governments on this planet are… mature enough to use this technology responsibly."
"So you're telling me that a twenty-year-old, civilian, honor student is more mature than the entire United States Government?" Director Whiteshield asked.
"Sir, with respect, when speaking of the U.S. Government as an entity, I am telling you a spoiled twelve-year old is more mature," Greg replied. "Individual people in the government, possibly; but in groups or as a whole, no Sir. You are the head of an intelligence agency, you have to know how badly the people of this country feel about our current leadership. Most of the people feel that the current seated leadership is too corrupt to do the job for which they were supposedly elected. I say supposedly, because there is doubt that current electoral methods are accurate and trustworthy. Simply put, the average citizen of the United States believes that their government is no longer effective, nor do they feel they were elected in a fair and impartial manner. It is a widely held belief that no one is truly free either. Personal rights mean nothing here.