OxCrimes

  ‘Come on Dixie. It can’t be true. It … can … not … be … true.’ David’s breathing had become erratic but he was clearly making an effort to calm down. ‘OK, if what you’re saying is correct then why didn’t they simply transport these men over to Base-2 when the shuttle arrived with the first crew to man that station? Can you tell me that?’

  ‘Sure I can. Don’t you remember? The first crew to arrive to Base-2 arrived over a year after Base-1 was shut down. This was six years ago. The Earth had enough helium-3 to last them a couple of years. There was no rush. But these men would never have survived the wait, even if all systems had been kept running. No one can stay alive here for two years. You know that.’

  ‘But it’s different now. The new crew for Base-3 will arrive soon. They can bring us back on that shuttle.’ He was pleading. As if Dixie had any control over the situation.

  ‘No they can’t. That shuttle is staying here and taking the payload back after the first mining yield is in. There’s a shortage looming down on Earth and the company can’t wait for the lengthy process involving the mass diver and the space station interface. And we can’t get there to force them to take us back. It’s too far.’ If only their most recent returns had been better. If only. ‘Now that I think about it, the deaths I read about towards the end of most of the other crews’ missions were probably staged by the company. That way they had space in the shuttles for things that inevitably needed to be transported back to Earth. Cores from the geoscientists’ research work. I can’t recall a single instance when they’ve needed two shuttles, despite the bulk of that stuff. Our good safety figures just show that we were never meant to go back. It would have been a waste of effort to weed us down to a manageable number. Same as with these guys. They lost precious few men while in operation. None during their final month. Just like us. Oh, God.’

  Dixie straightened her back. Suddenly she knew why it had been so important to establish her command of leadership. She was the one that would lead her crew of fifteen men and women through the rough road ahead. The road to certain death. Paved with sorrow, loneliness, regret and anger. That would certainly test her management skills. Particularly when the small amount of helium-3 they had left aside ran out and the power went. They had foolishly sent everything they mined back to Earth as they believed they only needed enough to run the station until the non-existent shuttle was to pick them up. They had dismantled the back-up power system and loaded it onto the miners. Not that it mattered, as night was about to fall. ‘Come on. Let’s get back. I need to break the bad news.’ She turned around and took a photo of the letter with the camera mounted on her helmet. She also took one of the body of the former Base-1 captain and a few of the other dead lying amongst the dried-out plants in the nursery. Otherwise her crew might not believe her.

  They exited the abandoned base, closing the airlock behind them. Neither said a word on the drive back. There was nothing to be said.

  Two hours remained of daylight. Then two weeks of night.

  Afterword

  Mark Goldring

  OXFAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE

  Crime fiction has always reflected the human instinct to face down injustice, and that instinct has always been at the heart of Oxfam’s work, too. We might not employ detectives or solve cryptic clues, but our staff have long been motivated by a similar determination to identify, address and eradicate injustice.

  That injustice can take many forms. Today, for example, 57 million children – mostly girls – still don’t have the opportunity to go to school. Hundreds of millions of people aren’t able to drink clean water. And the families who are already facing the impact of climate change are the ones who have done least to cause it.

  So in the face of this injustice, we respond, standing alongside people all over the globe as they push for lasting change. We work locally, which in the examples above might mean supporting education projects, building clean water supplies and helping communities prepare for changing weather. And we campaign nationally and globally too: applying the pressure on systemic inequalities that cause and perpetuate poverty.

  For me, our work to tackle injustice comes down to removing the barriers that prevent people from taking control of their own lives. Throughout the world, our work involves supporting people – particularly women – to speak out and have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. This work can play a major role in creating an environment where everyone can prosper in the long term. And, once again, this work is ultimately about finding and fighting injustice.

  By buying this book, you’ve joined that fight. You’ve joined the battle for a better future. And you’ve backed our work to lift lives for good, driven by the unwavering certainty that injustice is never permanent. Thank you for your support.