Star One: Tycho City Survival

by Weil, Raymond L.

  “Is there any way to get more people up to the Moon?” Mase asked. “We have nearly a year to construct the new Tycho City site. I believe we can take more than ten thousand people.”

  “We don’t know,” Jane Kinsey responded with a frown. “Between the supplies you’re going to need and the deteriorating situation down here, we may be hard pressed just to get ten thousand people up to you.”

  “I know you would like to save more,” President Kateland added with a weak smile. “We will save those we can. If we can get more than ten thousand people up to you, we will.”

  Mase nodded. As soon as he got back to Tycho City, he intended to order Isaac and Steffan to begin construction immediately. He was determined that they would save the maximum amount of people they possibly could.

  The meeting ended, and Mase and Steve stepped outside.

  “How soon are you returning to the Moon?” Steve asked.

  “As soon as I can get back to the cape,” Mase responded. “How about you?”

  “We’re launching the FarQuest in a few more hours,” Steve replied. “I think it would be wise if we were both safely off the Earth when that happens.”

  “The president will be making her address tomorrow night,” replied Mase, agreeing with Steve about the importance of both of them being safely off the Earth. “I left a recorded message to be played to my people on the Moon. I won’t make it back in time before she makes her speech.”

  Mase reached out and shook Steve’s hand firmly. “I don’t know when we will be seeing each other again, Steve; good luck with Star One.”

  “Same to you with Tycho City,” Steve replied. “We have a tough twelve months ahead of us.”

  Mase nodded as the two turned and started walking down the corridor.

  President Kateland stepped out into the corridor and watched the two leave. She let out a heavy sigh, knowing that those two men held the future of the human race in their hands. She also knew she wouldn’t trust anyone else except them with such an awesome responsibility.

  Turning around, she went back into the conference room; she needed to finish preparing for the speech she was going to make. It would be the hardest speech she had ever made. How do you tell the world that the end was coming and nothing could be done to prevent it?

  Chapter Eight

  Linda and Jolene were in her quarters and had just finished listening to Mase’s recorded message. Linda could well imagine how people all over the Moon were reacting. Earlier today, many had watched live as the FarQuest had launched from the Space Platform next to Star One. It had been an awesome sight as the large spacecraft had accelerated away under power from two of its four solid fuel rocket boosters.

  The launch had been carried live since it would be plainly visible to everyone who was on the surface and happened to look up. It had been mentioned that FarQuest was being sent on a special mission approved by both Mase Colton and Steve Larson. There had also been an outgoing communications blackout since that time. Rumors had been running rampant until Mase’s message had been broadcast. Everyone was stunned to learn that the FarQuest had been launched to investigate a possible neutron star that was approaching the solar system.

  “What’s the president going to say?” Jolene asked nervously, looking over at Linda. She suspected that Linda had known the truth for quite some time. She also needed to read up more on exactly what a neutron star was. It also explained why the commander wanted her to work on making Tycho City self-sufficient.

  “I’m not sure,” Linda replied as the presidential seal suddenly appeared on their viewscreen, which was set to show the main news channel being broadcast from Earth. “I think we’re about to find out.” On the viewscreen, the American President suddenly appeared. Linda leaned forward waiting to hear the president’s words. She could feel her heart beating faster, and her eyes focused intently on the screen.

  -

  “My fellow Americans and citizens of Earth,” President Kateland began, her eyes focusing steadily on the cameras. “I come before you tonight with news of an impending danger to our world. A danger that even now we can only guess as to what its final consequences may be. As some of you may have already heard, just over a month ago the giant radio telescopes at the Farside array on the Moon detected a mysterious object coming toward our solar system.” The president paused, letting the audience grasp what she had just said. Her throat already felt dry as she prepared to deliver the rest of the speech.

  “Upon further investigation, the experts at Farside determined that a neutron star is approaching our solar system at a tremendous speed.” she spoke, gazing steadily at the cameras. “For those of you that don’t know, a neutron star is a star similar to ours that has used up most of its energy and collapsed into a dense, compact ball of matter fifteen to twenty miles in diameter.” She reached down and picked up a yellow tennis ball that had been lying on her desk and held it up for the audience.

  “The matter on this star is so dense that if this tennis ball were composed of that matter, the strongest person on Earth couldn’t pick it up. In fact, this ball would weigh more than the biggest aircraft carrier ever built. It’s because of this tremendous mass that the neutron star may pose a future danger to us here on Earth. We know from computer studies that the star will come far into our solar system, close enough to affect the orbits of almost all of the planets. It will certainly affect the Earth, but just how severely we don’t know,” she paused, looking directly into the camera at her now captive audience.

  Many of the well educated, she knew, would understand what she was saying. She also knew that there would be many people who wouldn’t.

  “We could see an increase or decrease in temperatures. We may be in for periods of heavy storms, and there is a possibility of increased earthquake and volcanic activity. Much of this is still conjecture; it still remains to be determined,” President Kateland paused again for a moment before continuing. The next part would be the hardest.

  “As a result of this impending danger, as president and with the approval of the Joint Chiefs, we are placing the country under a state of emergency. Until the exact threat of this impending danger is determined, it will be necessary for us to take some extraordinary steps to ensure the safety of the people of this great country. All the resources of our country will be used to build safe bunkers deep underground away from the coming storms. We shall store large supplies of food and other materials to ensure that we survive as a nation. We will be furnishing instructions to everyone on what they must do in order to survive this coming cataclysm. Information will be mailed to every American detailing what needs to be done to make your homes safer, prepare basements or storm shelters, and make living in the months ahead possible. There will also be a government website online tomorrow with the same information but in much greater detail. The coming days will try many of us, but I have faith in my countrymen that we will triumph over this great danger.” The president paused once more, taking a sip of water and allowing her audience time to digest what she had just said.

  “In an effort to learn more about this threat, a special space mission commanded by Commander Tyler Erin of Star One has been launched using the Jupiter probe ship. That was the bright light that many of you saw earlier today in the sky as the ship blasted off from the Space Platform to undertake this dangerous journey. Changes were made to the Jupiter probe to allow it to make the long journey required to rendezvous with the neutron star. Even as I speak, the ship is already well underway. The crew has renamed the ship FarQuest because they will be going much farther into space than man has ever gone before. I would ask that each one of you say a special prayer tonight for the safety of the ship and its brave crew. What they discover in a few short months will allow us to better prepare to deal with the approach of this star.”

  President Kateland was silent for a moment, and then continued in a serious tone of voice. “I know that many of you have a lot of questions. Right now, we don’t have all the answe
rs. In an attempt to allow everyone to understand the situation, we are distributing stellar photographs of the neutron star with additional information to all of the major newspapers. There will also be a special video of the FarQuest launch for the media stations to broadcast. All of this will also be available on the government website. Because of the seriousness of this situation, and I repeat it is serious, the military in this country has been placed on alert to ensure that there will be no violence in the streets of our cities. Violence of any type will be dealt with quickly and severely under martial law.”

  President Kateland was quiet for a long moment, gazing into the cameras. “I know some of you will not want to believe this information. As president, I will do my best to protect and preserve this great country of ours. I just ask that each one of you remain calm,” she paused, looking down at her desk, and then her eyes rose to meet the camera once more. “May God be with all of us in this time of judgment, and may He see fit to preserve this great country. Thank you and good night.”

  -

  “Oh my God!” Jolene uttered with her hand over her mouth. “Linda, what are we going to do? It sounds like we’re all going to die!”

  Linda stood up and went over to sit next to Jolene on the sofa. She reached out, took her friend’s hand, and gazed calmly into her eyes. “We’re going to try to survive here on the Moon,” she explained. “We are going to build a larger and safer Tycho City deeper beneath the surface. That’s why your job is so important.”

  “Survive here?” Jolene asked, her eyes growing wide at the thought.

  “Yes, survive here,” replied Linda, nodding her head. “Isaac Anderson and Steffan Darrow are in the process of designing a new and much larger Tycho City. It will be far enough underground that we should be able to ride this thing out.”

  Jolene was quiet as she took in the information, and then finally spoke as she thought about the task before her. No wonder Commander Colton had asked her so many questions about what she had learned from Julie Gray on Star One. “I think I need to speak to Julie on Star One again; I’m going to need some help.”

  “Julie will be glad to help,” Linda replied with a supportive smile. “I also know that Commander Colton will make sure you have whomever and whatever you need to get the job done. All you have to do is ask.”

  Jolene nodded and swallowed nervously. She had a lot to think about.

  -

  On Earth, President Kateland was meeting with Tim McPhryson and the vice president. “Senator Farley wouldn’t even listen,” she informed them as she described her meeting with the Michigan Senator just a short time earlier. “He thinks this whole thing is a farce to increase the space budget.”

  “A farce?” uttered Tim, shaking his head in disbelief. “With all the evidence we have how, can he doubt us?”

  “It’s Senator Farley,” Vice President Edwards explained with an angry frown. “He will try to use this entire neutron star danger for political gain. He could cause us a lot of problems.”

  “Well, we can’t worry about him right now,” President Kateland commented as she sat down behind her desk. “We need to do everything we can to get those two deep bunkers completed and staffed. We also need to keep their construction top secret. I don’t think I want the senator finding out about them either.”

  “Both are in Colorado and should be secure,” Edwards spoke. “They are being built beneath mountains in areas the military has strict control over. We can easily restrict who has access.”

  “What else do we have that might be secure and be able to survive?” President Kateland asked. She leaned slightly back, resting her hands on the desk.

  “There are several large government bunkers left over from the cold war that could be refurbished,” Vice President Edwards answered. “We also have quite a few survivalists in the country that have built their own private doomsday bunkers. It’s possible a few of them could survive. A number of them are very well constructed.”

  “We need to contact those people at some point in time and offer whatever assistance and supplies they may need to increase their chance of survival,” President Kateland replied. “I want to look at every possibility of building or finding safe places for people to survive. Don’t leave any stone unturned.”

  Vice President Edwards nodded his head in agreement. “We also have a few military command bunkers that might be able to survive; everything depends on the severity of the earthquakes.”

  “That’s the problem,” Tim said with narrow eyes and a deep frown on his face. “Very few areas in the country will be safe from the earthquakes and tidal waves we are expecting. Even in Colorado they will experience some earth movements.”

  “We can only hope and pray for the best. If only one bunker out of ten survives, that’s a victory for us,” President Kateland informed them. She leaned back and closed her eyes in thought and then opened them, looking at the vice president and Tim McPhryson. “Use whatever resources you need to make this happen. Get the military involved if necessary; they can help build bunkers if necessary. Coordinate through General Karver; it is crucial that we do everything in our power to give our people a chance to survive.”

  “We’ll get it done,” Tim promised.

  “One other thing,” added President Kateland, leaning forward. “Make sure Star One and Tycho City have first priority on all supplies and equipment. They are still our best hope of saving people.”

  After the two left, she walked over and gazed out of the window. She had a beautiful view of the lights of Washington D.C. For nearly ten minutes, she stood there looking at them and thinking about the events of the last few days. She knew she had some hard decisions ahead of her, she just hoped she was ready for the coming days and months. They would be difficult for her, the country, and the entire world.

  -

  Mase arrived safely back in Tycho City. The first thing he did was to go to the Control Center to check on the FarQuest mission.

  “What’s the current status of the FarQuest?” he asked Captain Daniels as he stepped into the Control Center.

  “On course and all systems showing in the green,” she replied as she glanced at a couple of computer data screens. “Commander Erin reports that the ship is functioning like a dream.”

  “I hope it continues that way,” Mase replied, pleased to hear the mission was proceeding smoothly.

  Captain Daniels stepped closer to Mase. “Sir, what is this neutron star stuff?” she asked in a quiet voice. “A lot of my people are asking questions. Is it true the president is placing the country under martial law?”

  “I understand your concerns, Captain,” Mase answered evenly. “I will be issuing a detailed statement later to help clarify the situation. I am sure a lot of our people have questions. We will also be posting additional information on Tycho City’s internal internet site sometime tomorrow. And yes, the president has placed the country under martial law until this emergency is over.”

  Captain Daniels nodded uneasily. There were only a few military people on the Moon, and she was one of them. “A lot of people are worried, especially after the president’s address. They’re concerned about their friends and family on Earth.”

  “I think we all are, Captain,” Mase responded. “Keep me posted on the FarQuest mission and let your people know we are working on keeping them safe.”

  -

  It had been nearly a week since Mase had returned to Tycho City. He had spent much of that time meeting with department heads and explaining what he intended to do. The department heads in turn were expected to inform their people as to what was going on.

  “How soon before we can start on the new cavern?” asked Mase, looking over at Isaac. He was meeting with a number of people to get some special projects rolling.

  “We can start tomorrow,” answered Isaac, glancing over at Steffan who nodded in agreement. “We have the two main excavators in position, and the crews are ready.”

  “We will be digging down anot
her one hundred and seventy-five feet,” Steffan informed them, unrolling a large drawing of the proposed cavern on the table so everyone could see.

  Mase stood up and came around the large conference table so he could see better. “You’ve changed this some since we last spoke,” he commented as he looked at the completed drawing.

  “Yes,” replied Steffan, gesturing toward the drawing. “We added several smaller caverns off to the side. The main cavern will be seventy five hundred feet long and eight hundred feet wide. It will have a center height of two hundred and twenty-five feet. The ceiling will be slightly curved until it meets the outside walls, which will be one hundred and fifty feet tall. This will give it added strength.”

  Mase pointed to several roof supports that were drawn in. “How many of those will there be, and what will they be made of?”

  Isaac took a deep breath before he answered. “The supports will be made of Luxen, and there will be one every three hundred feet along the center of the cavern.”

  “Luxen!” Mase spoke surprised, his eyes narrowing. “How many supports are there, and where are we going to get that amount of Luxen?”

  Steffan pointed to one of the small caverns off to the side of the main one. “We will complete this cavern first,” he responded. “It is only six hundred feet long, one hundred wide, and fifty feet tall. The cavern will contain our new fusion reactor as well as several processing facilities for raw materials. Once the fusion reactor is installed we can begin producing our own Luxen.”

  “How long?” demanded Mase, knowing it would take some time to complete the reactor. “We don’t have a lot of time to get all of this done.”

  “Three months to construct the cavern and get the fusion reactor up and running,” Isaac replied. “Tim McPhryson has promised we will have all the necessary parts within four weeks.”