The Resolute

by G. Weldon Tucker

“Maybe not on a ship. We do on land. When the arks are ready, they will sail independently, and someone has to cut the orders. You probably won’t need to appoint one each to accompany them, but you need to start eyeing the young ones for the academy. We will need senior officers.”

  “In five years, yes. Let them be children for a while. Oh, here comes Hank. I don’t think you two have met!”

  And, surprisingly, it was true. Hank was underground far too much, and Michael was onboard an ark, overseeing the installation of thousands of condos. They traveled in different circles.

  The tall, handsome man with dark blue eyes stepped up and easily embraced Captain Christine, to Michael’s surprise. He had heard the rumors, but well… this kind of familiarity exceeded those rumors by half.

  She introduced the two men, and Michael found he could find no fault in the mining engineer. A Captain, thank God, so she was not stooping down into the ranks, a no-no in the original Navy. But that was before, when there was a hell of a selection. Maybe not so much, anymore.

  Christine was pulled away by two Lieutenants with urgent information and she apologized, “Be back in a minute. As usual, it is probably Some kind of miscommunication. Enjoy yourselves.”

  Her mission was simple. Give the guys a chance to chat. She had no miscommunication. But she hung out on the fringes of the party, filling the initial habitat to four floors, everyone having a grand time. The always resourceful navy had managed to provide a decent wine and a rather stout beer. All homemade on the moon. She greeted those she knew, politely met those she would probably never remember and after thirty minutes, she returned.

  Hank had been corralled by some of this people, and Michael was standing there with his arm around a dark haired beauty, almost a head shorter.

  Ah, ha, she thought. The squeeze of the month?

  Seeing the Sr. Captain coming, the young woman peeled out from under Michael’s arm and went off to a group of Captains at one end of a long table, laden with food and drink.

  “He seems a good guy, good for you,” Michael offered. Being in constant sequester on the UE Resolute kept Michael out of the loop too much. He missed her, and she him.

  She blushed, prettily. “He is a strong man, a kind man, but I have no time for partnering. I… like him a lot… that is a given.”

  “I heard he was the Admiral’s son? Good catch, there, oh, General’s daughter!” He grinned, indicating he was teasing. “He is running the mine system pretty damned well, right?”

  “Yes, he has been very successful with it. In the past year we have managed to retrieve some seventy million tons of titanium, something we had not thought possible. Finding what we need here has been a hell of a boon!”

  “How many mines has he opened?”

  “Eleven on the back side of the moon, all of them a mile and a half in. The mountains are a hell of a lot more dramatic back there, and mining is actually fairly simple. He has plans for six more, but not the manpower. Besides, everything is tied up to build the arks….” and she suddenly realized he had deflected the conversation off of the pretty brunette. “But, enough of Hank. How about you?”

  He grinned, sheepishly. He could never fool his older sister. “I, too, have met someone. I resisted for a few months, but we have worked closely together now for nearly a year.

  As we both know, we are not supposed to partner downward, and she was a Lieutenant. But she made Commander five months ago, and she has made her interest pretty plain.”

  He grinned, pink in the cheeks. Like his sister, he had resolved to stay single, out of the fray of relationships until the Arks left the moon.

  But as we all know, the best laid plans gang awry… when laid.

  “So, it is true. I heard the rumors that Lieutenant Lena Vickers was giving you the moony eyes. I met her at the induction when I pinned her Commander’s bars on her.”

  “Well, she should be here, soon, I guess… She could not miss it. A requirement for these things… Oh… Hey, you saw us, right?”

  “Yes, silly. You had no need to run her off.”

  “No, she did not want to intrude. Your information was far more important, she thought.”

  “Unnecessary, Michael. Come on, introduce us… as family equals. I have heard nothing but good things about her. She has the galley programs really going quickly, full marks. Highly respected.”

  He grinned, admitting, “Well, there is that…” He raised a hand and the brunette flashed a pretty smile and came right to them. She started to salute, but Christine waved her down, “Please. You are almost family!”

  Christine saw what he meant. She was dressed in the latest moon fashions, which were mostly reconstituted fabric out of plastic and cotton, and made into quite attractive dresses and gowns. Hers stopped just above the knee, and her low heels kept it tasteful and attractive.

  They went through the ‘glad to meechas’ and then Michael did the same thing Christine had done. He left them to talk and get to know one another.

  Christine refused to talk business. “Michael seems to be really into you, Lena. It is good to see him settle down.”

  “Yes, he has a reputation, but I think I have him in hand. He is a good man. I love him, actually, but it is hard to tell what he thinks. He does not open up, much.”

  “He never has. But the look in his eyes when he sees you tells his big sister a lot. No one else has done that. Good for you!”

  Suddenly, Lena’s pager went off. On the moon, without the benefit of towers, the habitats had simple wire antennae situated in every building, right down the center, an inch below the ceiling. Short range, but effective. “I need to get this. I will be right back.”

  “Certainly, Lena. Hurry back. I am dying to know the details!” Christine said, touching her bare arm by her wrist. The lovely woman colored prettily and went in search of a phone.

  Michael arrived with two drinks, looking around, missing Lena. “Scare her off? Here is an extra drink, help yourself. She is more social than I am, so she can mix easily.”

  Christine sniffed the glass, finding flavored protein water, and no liquor. Michael using his head. She sipped. “No, she got a page. She said she would be right back. She does not drink alcohol?”

  Mankind has found a way to make potent drinks since well before the time of Christ. There was no stopping it on the moon. But there were rules. No drunkenness, ever. Enforced rigidly.

  “Well, no. Not really.”

  She pushed, as only a big sister can do, “Look, I really like her. How about you?”

  “Well, she understands my job, and hers, very well. I have the outside structural problems with space walkers and the small robots, and she is handling the inside, everything from water, waste, air, climate and galleys. We share the condo responsibilities. Too many for one command on each ship. A big job, but she is a mechanical engineer and an architect, an unusual combination. Maybe we will have some fancy condos!”

  She knew him well. Confuse ‘em with the razzle-dazzle. “Not what I asked, little brother. Do you love her?”

  “Well, I mean… it is… I guess…” the typical male response to any form of commitment. He blushed red.

  “So, you are sleeping with her. Good for you. It won’t take the starch out of your uniform, and it is actually good for you. Less rough edges.”

  He laughed, then pointed back at her, saying, “That explains the new you. Not so bitchy, and twice as warm. So, you love him?”

  Her turn to blush, prettily. “Listen, Captain to Captain, this is an illegal conversation. Siblings, I can answer, I do. I am certain. In fact, I will bet you that before the middle of this next year, he asks me to partner with him.”

  Marriage, of course, had mostly faded as an institution long before the end of the twenty first century. There were still those that preferred it, but contract partnerships were the same thing, providing the same coverage, with less spiritual ties.

  “Well, you are ahead of me, then. I … guess I am infatuated, but I am not
sure what love is all about?”

  “Oh, I think you know. You are just too male to admit it. You just don’t know how much it shows on you. You are thirty, a good age to settle down. Mine is more immediate. There is that biological clock, and our duty to fill the arks. It might take many years to finish these things, and we need a solid crop of well educated, fearless explorers to fill them. Has to come from good stock!”

  He chuckled, looked very serious for a moment, then said, “Well, then, I guess we are on the way. Lena’s pregnant.”

  As a bombshell, it worked. Christine’s mouth dropped in glad surprise, then she stepped forward in a rush, hauling him into an embrace, crying, “Congratulations! And, guess what? So am I!”

  Lots of laughs and chuckles and this time, no liquor. Babies, and their own babies had to be perfect to catch the ride.

  -----

  Tine flies… Both Christine and Michael went on to provide little Morgans and Washington offspring to the tune of six each. Those names would lead mankind into unknown space over the next two centuries and more…

  BOOK II

  Forty-Two Years

  CHAPTER 1

  Captain (RET) Michael Washington knocked softly on the door to the quarters of his sister, Admiral (RET) Christine Morgan. Today was her birthday, turning seventy-three. He was not much past seventy, a milestone he never thought he would see, but his sister seemed to be much worse off.

  “Come in.” It was a quiet, almost disinterested invitation.

  The decent sized quarters had changed little since Christine originally claimed the room, fifty feet on a side, for office and quarters.

  In this small area, she had raised six strong sons, and kept her ‘husband’ a happy man for forty years. Old man Morgan had passed away just a year ago, and ever since then, Christine had been in a depressive state.

  For such a strong, determined woman, this was a grave situation. Not even the love and care from her children seemed to be able to lift her battered spirits.

  Of course, all of them were in different habitats, in their own rooms, some in their own condos. The exodus of the younger moon people was pretty well already accomplished into the four ships. Now, there was plenty of room… but like reaching the end of a successful race, the letdown was hard to deal with.

  “Hello, Michael. You did not need to take time from your family for me. I will be all right, soon.” She stretched out her arms, welcoming him for a hug.

  He embraced her, saddened to see her so… down. “You are my family, as you have always been. Besides, it is your birthday! I brought you something from the family. Something you have not seen for years.”

  She was propped up on her bed, a pillow between her and the pressed wood headboard at the wall. They had mastered the recycling process a long time ago, churning out serviceable furniture for years. Her big queen bed was one of those products.

  “What have you brought me?” A slight twinkle, a hint of the old Christine peeking through. She had always loved gifts.

  He stepped out into the office side of the door and picked up two boxes. He handed her the first, a long presswood box, artfully built with faux brass hinges. It was three feet long, and about six inches on each side. He laid the heavy box over her thin boned lap. The lid opened easily, to well-made sprung catches, and inside lay a beautiful, handmade four inch reflector telescope!

  Her eyes lit up, immediately, “Oh, my God! I have not… seen one of these… how… how did they do it?”

  “The patience of saints, Christine. We made the forms from titanium, the shallow molds, then the grandkids took long turns to ground these lenses to perfection. Two solid months. The presswood tube was easy enough, and we got it right. The mirror took some trickery, but it works beautifully! It is a present I thought you might enjoy to watch the sailings next year. And, here is the tripod!”

  Paper was still plenty scarce, so he had not done more than stick the tripod system in a large cylinder cardboard tube.

  For the first time since Hank died, a lung disease, typical of miners, she showed him a big smile. The sparkle stayed in her eyes for some time as he set it up by her skylight window. The polycarbonate was clear in a ten foot square, then, where the windows folded into the steel cutouts for skylights, they were useless for detail.

  Christine donned a robe over her cotton jammies and joined him as he finished the set up. She wore thick socks, a testament to heating steel buildings. The floors are always cold. On old bones, they are freezing. He found Venus, easy enough, and stepped back. “Take a look, big sis. I think you will be addicted, fast enough!”

  Even with the polycarbonate window, the view was perfect. Better than anything on Earth because of the lack of atmosphere. Venus was, simply, breathtakingly beautiful and seemingly close enough to touch!

  “Most important, you can watch Resolute for a long, long time, big sis!”

  -----

  It was the turning point for Admiral Washington. Christine would soon be back to her old self, and, fascinated by the stars, disappointed she would not be going, she learned daily, more and more. Of course, she was no longer the presiding Admiral. RET came after her name, and the responsibilities had passed on, as they must for every human.

  So, half her battle with depression was the long, lingering illness for Hank, and his loss, and of course, the lament of every parent, the kids were too busy running their own lives. She basically had too much time on her hands with too little to do.

  Now, she ordered a simple platform dolly made for her tripod and scope and when one of her grandsons brought it to her, she began wheeling it from one side to another of her habitat, ground floor. Of course, they had no elevators, yet, though after the sailing, focus would be on upgrading the city. So, for now, she was trapped downstairs.

  That did not mean she could not find an upper window. All she needed to do was walk the long tunnel system to the new hospital, a standalone split level habitat, in the very center of the myriad buildings.

  So, once in the lobby, the one story roof barely twenty feet above her, and keeping herself and her ‘scope out of the way, she set it up to gaze through the skylights there. She found constellations and stars as far out as she could see, and it was unbelievable.

  With her studies came new friends, some to look, some to undertake the construction of telescopes much, much bigger. But, isn’t that human way?

  Not long before Christmas, still celebrated, even on the moon, Lieutenant Don Washington and his wife, Alice, found her in the hospital lobby, her eye glued to the two power eyepiece viewer, trying to line up the ‘scope on a distant, difficult target.

  For a handmade telescope, it was very good quality, and the fact that the grandchildren made it for her caused to be the perfect gift. For once, she did not feel her age, her uselessness. Now, she had a hobby, and it was a good one.

  “Hi, Mama,” Alice said, softly, as she approached.

  Christine pulled away from the scope, a new light in her eyes, and said, warmly, “Oh, my God, I cannot thank you enough for this gift!” She embraced her daughter in law, a civilian and a Medical Doctor, and her favorite. True, the others were special in their own right, but Alice was such a nurturing, loving soul. And perfect for Don.

  “We thought and thought on how to get you back to life, Mama. You are too young to give up. You have so much to see and learn and do. All of us will do the same, but you must never give up!”

  “I know. And I so want to be here to see the launch. Andy is going to head up logistics, right? A Lieutenant. I cannot remember that far back. I must have been a bright eyed, bushy tailed Lieutenant, too. It is in the genes, isn’t it?”

  “And the history books, Mom,” Donald added, embracing his mother, warmly. “The things you and Uncle Michael accomplished… I mean, sure with Grandfathers Washington and Morgan. You made history; you are still responsible for all of this. We are so proud of you. And Merry Christmas!” He held out a small, well wrapped gift. Well, copy paper, but wrap
ping paper was not yet to be found.

  She grinned as she recognized the scribbles of designs on it, probably her youngest great grandchildren from Jonathon’s side. Jon was her eldest, his son, Michael, twenty-four. One more step, for Michael’s daughter was just three. No one was waiting to rebuild the human race. And she was thankful for it. But they had all slowed down until after the launch. Room on the moon was not infinite… neither was the space on each ark.

  She sat in a nearby pressboard and cotton wrapped foam waiting room chair, then opened the gift. Tears came to her eyes, seeing the rather expensive and intricate multi power eyepiece for the telescope. “Where… how on earth… or moon, whatever…”

  “Pays to be an optometrist, Mom. It was fun, and the kids all helped on this one, too. It has an attachment. Jake, the electronic whiz kid put on there. A simple connect to your tablet and you can record what you see. Adjustable to eight power, which about quadruples the…”

  His wife put a hand on his arm. He realized he had gone beyond her understanding. “Let’s just say that you can put Venus in the room with you. Hell, you will see Resolute for ten years. I am glad you like it!”

  None of her children were overly warm people. Logical, controlled, good kids, productive adults, she was proud of all of them. And she knew full well they took after her and Hank. Almost all of the early pioneers were coldly logical. You cannot fly away from friends and family forever without it.

  But now, the tears fell freely. “I feel so… lucky. The best children, the best families. This is just… perfect!”

  Alice sat with her and embraced her, again. The only one in the extended family that was that caring was this one, but that was why she chose medicine.

  -----

  In a far corner habitat, a six person room, one of those great family members, the whiz kid Jake Washington, was carefully experimenting in communications, again.

  It was his hobby, and as he came out of the academy, his assignment. Called signalmen for the Navy, there was much more to it. But his specialty was long range communications.