“Control, Chang’e 6 has just observed the Pitchka beginning a survey of Vallis Alpes, starting from the northeast and proceeding southwest.”
“Chang’e 6, Control, stand by.”
Again, several minutes passed while a debate must have taken place at Jiuquan. Finally, Control responded.
“Chang’e 6, Control. The Pitchka must not be allowed to survey the valley. Take a position in front of them as if you are also conducting a survey. Tell them to leave while you do your work. If they do not comply, warn them that you will take action. If they persist, fire a warning rocket. Hopefully they will leave at that point. If not, you are authorized to use deadly force to prevent them from reaching the site. Repeat, over.”
Nobody in the PLA or the politburo wanted the Chinese site discovered or meddled with. It promised to be the most strategic site ever developed by China and an important step in the path toward Chinese Earth eminence.
The Chang’e 6 crew repeated their orders and then took a survey position in front of the Pitchka.
“Chang’e 6, this is Pitchka on Guard channel. We conduct a peaceful survey and you have flown in our way. Please move,” said Bovarin on the universal Guard radio channel. Both crews were now speaking broken English.
“Pitchka, this is Chang’e 6. We are continuing survey of region and demand that you leave now.”
“Chang’e 6, we have same rights here, and we arrive today before you. We continue.” Bovarin spoke over his headset to the copilot. “Viktor, contact Control on our standard channel and tell them what is happening. I will continue to chat with our Chinese friends.”
“Calling Control now, Major.”
Back on Earth, Vavilov relayed the message. “General, the Pitchka reports that the Chang’e 6 has blocked their survey path and demands that the Pitchka leave.”
“I would expect them to do no less. This convinces me that the Chinese have something going on here. Tell Major Bovarin to continue to press for his survey rights and see how far the Chinese will go.”
“Relaying your command now, sir.”
“Chang’e 6, this is Pitchka. I repeat: we are peaceful survey mission and must be allowed to continue. Please move away,” said Bovarin in a forceful tone.
“The Chang’e 6 of the People’s Republic has first right to survey this valley. If you do not move, we take action.”
“Chang’e 6, I repeat: we here first today and have right to complete survey. Move on.”
Just then the Chang’e 6 tipped nose up, and a bright red flash appeared as a missile climbed into the lunar sky above the Pitchka.
“Pitchka, that was warning shot. There will be no other. Leave now!”
Seeing the fired rocket from the cameras of the Pitchka, Anikin urgently said, “Mikhael, tell the Pitchka to depart. We have learned what we wanted this day. There will be another time.”
A moment later the aide responded, “I have given the order and Pitchka is departing, sir.”
CHAPTER 17
“Hey, Stan. What’s that bright red object coming out of Vallis Alpes?” Danny asked with alarm.
“I hope it isn’t what I think it is.”
“And that would be?”
“A missile, Danny! Get on the radio and let Control know while I try to get out of its way!”
“Oh my God, are they shooting at us?”
“I don’t know, but get on the radio NOW!”
“Roger. Spaceport Control, this is Space Ship 4. Emergency—!” But that was all Danny got out before a bright light and then…. blackness.
“Space Ship 4, Control, over.”
But there was no response.
“Space Ship 4, this is Spaceport Control, come in.”
But no matter how many times Control called, there was no response.
“Commander, I have just detected an explosion above the lunar surface near Vallis Alpes,” Harry said from within the Enterprise as it stealthily cruised over the Moon’s surface.
“What kind of explosion?”
“A conventional explosion, Commander. Small scale, such as an air-to-air missile impact.”
“Vectoring to Vallis Alpes now, Harry. Should be there in just a few minutes. Continue to scan for what was hit,” said Van as he turned the Enterprise toward the long valley and accelerated.
“Commander, I have an emergency locator beacon coming from near the valley. It is consistent with those found at crash sites.”
“Put it on-screen, Harry, and lock in a course to it.”
“Done, Commander.”
“Any visual yet?” asked Van as he flew toward the emergency beacon.
“Yes, Commander, there appears to be a crash site at the northeastern tip of Vallis Alpes. By size and mass, it is similar to Space Ship 4.”
“Space Ship 4? Why would anybody fire on them?”
“Uncertain, Commander. I am, however, showing life signs, two of them.”
“Take the controls while I suit up. Land as close to the crash site as possible.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Five minutes later, Harry said, “We have landed, Commander. The crash site is thirty feet to our right. Life signs are still readable.”
“Roger, Harry, opening the ramp now and proceeding to the site. Get two life support tubes ready just in case.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Van shuffled the thirty feet to Space Ship 4 in just a few seconds. As he looked the craft over, he saw that the cockpit was still mostly intact, and he could see two suited and helmeted figures inside.
Tearing away some of the composite material leading into the cockpit, he was relieved to see that both pilots were still seated, strapped in and helmets on. But there was no motion. Carefully he looked over the first body on the left, the pilot’s seat, and saw a patch with the name Walters. It was useless to say anything in the near vacuum of the Moon, so he pressed his helmet to the pilot’s and shouted, “Walters, can you hear me?”
A vague “What happened?” came in response.
Van then quickly unlatched the pilot’s safety harness and dragged him out of his seat onto the lunar surface. Again, with his helmet pressed against Walters’s, Van said, “Can you stand up?”
“Wha—? What did you say?” Walters said in a daze.
“Can you stand up?” said Van again.
“Who are you?”
“Never mind now. I’m here to help you. Can you stand up now?”
“I think so.” Stan began to slowly rise as Van assisted him.
“Good, stay right here while I get to your friend.”
“My friend? Danny? Where’s Danny?”
“I’m getting Danny now, wait right there.”
“Wait right here….” trailed off a still-fuzzy Stan Walters.
Van returned to the cockpit and reached in to unfasten Danny’s safety harness. But it wouldn’t work. He tried and tried but could not get the latch to unsnap.
Looking around the cockpit for something to help, Van saw what appeared to be a tool box. It contained a number of tools, and he selected a large screwdriver. He then leveraged the screwdriver into the center of the latch mechanism, but it still would not give.
“Shit!” Van grumbled to himself. “Harry, I need something to cut through a safety harness. Bring something out for me, and then take Mr. Walters back with you to the Enterprise.”
“Yes, Commander, on my way.”
Harry bounded out of the Enterprise in a pressure suit with a cutting blade from their emergency kit. He handed it to Van and then took Stan by the shoulders and assisted him into the Enterprise.
In passing, Van thought, Harry’s in a pressure suit when he doesn’t need one. Leave it to him to do what is necessary to minimize disclosure of secrets to these unknown men. Returning to his task, Van was pleased to see that the new tool worked. He cut away the last of the frozen harness. Then, as he’d done with Stan, Van pulled Danny out of his seat and onto the loose lunar surface. Harry came back out, and between
the two of them, they carried Danny into the Enterprise, closed the ramp, and pressurized the interior.
Van and Harry removed their own helmets and those from the two survivors.
Both Stan and Danny were sitting up straight in the cargo seats and breathing normally.
Van asked, “How are you two doing?”
“Pretty good considering what just happened,” said Stan. “We did crash, didn’t we?”
“Yes you did. After you were apparently shot down.”
“Shot down? Oh, yeah, the missile. Where did that come from?” asked Stan, recovering.
“We aren’t certain, but both the Russians and the Chinese were in the area, and both had the capability.”
“I guess we should be pissed, but I for one am glad to be alive. Besides, I’ve been shot at before in Iraq when I was in the Air Force.”
“Me too. Who are you?” asked Danny after finally gaining some sense.
“We’re friends from Earth and happened to be in the vicinity,” said Van, trying not to give his secrets up too soon.
“Sure,” said Stan. “You were just out for a jaunt around the Moon.”
“Why not? Everybody else seems to be doing it,” responded Van with a smile.
“That’s true. Are you one of the Brazilian teams?”
“No, we’re from the good ole U S of A. But private, like yourselves.”
“Didn’t know there was another ship as close as we were to launching.”
“We have tried to keep our capability secret. Which means you guys have now presented us with a problem.”
“A problem? What sort of problem?” asked Danny with concern.
“My organization is so closely held that we can’t tell anybody who we are or what we do…. or even that we exist.”
“Oops. Guess the cat is out of the bag now,” said Danny, now smiling.
“Not necessarily. You can actually help us.”
“How’s that?” said Stan suspiciously, easing forward in his seat.
Van noticed Stan’s move but kept on talking.
“The way I see it, Galactic Adventures just lost its most important asset. In addition, when word gets out, I can’t imagine very many tourists will want to fly to the Moon anytime soon. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, that’s true,” said Stan, still on the edge of his seat.
“Well, if that’s so, what will you two be doing for the near or even distant future?”
“He has us there, Stan.” Danny swiveled his head around, taking in the Enterprise as he thought things over. “I can’t imagine many Moon trips or more advanced space trips coming up soon after this that aren’t military or government sponsored. It could be a long time before we get to do this again.”
“Right,” said Van, who had a new thought. This might be serendipitous. We’re going to need help manning the Aurora, running the Moon base, and growing, just like we needed help on Earth with the Carson Group. Have we just found some help with just the right experience—and who happen to be off the grid? “But what if I could offer you the chance to stay in the game and do more than you ever imagined?”
Stan eased back in his seat and asked, “At what price? For all anybody knows, we died up here in a crash. If we suddenly show up on Earth again, people are going to ask all sorts of questions, like how we survived. That could blow your secrets.”
“True, if you show up as Stan and Danny.” Van paused, giving them a moment to contemplate what he was implying. “But what if I told you that we can create new identities for each of you? Do you have families, close friends, or even people at work you’ll miss, or who’ll miss you? At least so much so that this might pose an issue for you?”
There was only silence for a few moments as each man gave Van’s question some consideration. Finally, Stan broke the ice. “Not for me. I like the company I work for, or worked for, I guess. But there were no close friends, and my employment was always at risk should anything happen to end the program.”
“I have a sister, but I don’t see her very often,” said Danny. “And I’m like Stan. Sort of a wanderer, looking for the next big space excitement. So…. are you suggesting that we come to work for you with new IDs? And if we do, you’re saying we can continue to fly in space?”
That will seem like a dumb question if or when they see the Aurora and the combat shuttles. Besides, I need to seize this unique opportunity to recruit these guys,
“Exactly right,” Van confirmed. “I think we’re going to need more help than we have, and, as it happens, your skills are on the top of my mental list.”
“So what proof do you have that you are as capable as you say?” asked Stan.
“Well, you’re sitting in it in right now. This craft is called the Enterprise, and it’s capable of unlimited flight between the Moon and Earth and not dependent on your fusion engines, although we have one as a backup. It has advanced stealth technology and a defensive shield to prevent damage from nearly all Earth weapons. If you like, we’ll take you for a ride to see what she can do.”
“I’m up for that!” said Danny enthusiastically.
“That’s a fair suggestion. But again, who are you?” asked Stan, still with some concern.
“You can call me Van for now, and this other fellow is Harry. But before we have some fun, I want to take a look at this valley and see why the Chinese like it so much.”
CHAPTER 18
Van, Harry, Stan, and Danny lifted off from the Space Ship 4 crash site and maneuvered into Vallis Alpes. Given that the spaceship conflict had taken place at the northeastern end of the valley, Van steered the Enterprise toward the southeastern end. They proceeded at a moderate pace and at an altitude of about one thousand feet in complete stealth mode.
“This is getting boring, Harry. I don’t see a thing,” commented Van.
“Visually, neither do I, Commander. However, I am picking up a signal that may be from a locator beacon several miles ahead of us.”
“Then take over, Harry. Put us on top of that beacon.”
In minutes, the Enterprise stopped in a one-thousand-foot hover.
“Commander, the signal is directly below us.”
“Then let’s go lower for a look.”
“Yes, Commander, descending now.”
Stan and Danny were strapped into passenger seats opposite from each other in the cargo bay. As the Enterprise neared the source of the signal, Danny strained to look forward through the window next to his seat. Then he yelled out, “I think I see something on the surface. More than one thing, actually. Just ahead to the right.”
Van started looking in the area Danny suggested, and he too saw something.
“Let’s have a closer look at that, Harry,” Van said while pointing at what he saw. “Set us down as near as you can.”
“Yes, Commander. I see what you mean, and I count five objects on the valley floor. I will set down next to the closest one.”
Once settled on the surface, Stan and Danny put on suits like Van’s and waited for depressurization and for the cargo ramp to open. They followed Van out, but Harry remained in the shuttle.
On the surface were indeed five objects. They were big. “Well, guys, what do you think these things are?” asked Van.
Stan was the first to answer. “If I’m not mistaken, these look a lot like the folded and compressed versions of inflatable habitats, five of them. If they are like the Bigelow B330s, they could each be as long as forty-five feet with a diameter of about twenty feet.”
“You mean like big blow-up barns?” said Danny.
“Sort of. But if these are like the Bigelow units I saw at a show one time, they are made with interwoven layers of Kevlar and Mylar around a flexible air bladder, which is used to retain an atmosphere. They’re really strong.”
“What about radiation?” asked Van.
“According to the people I talked to, they provide better radiation protection than the International Space Station.”
“Impressive,”
said Van, “but I’m guessing that all five of these things aren’t each habitats. One or more have to be supplies of some sort, maybe food and oxygen. What do you think, Harry?”
“You are correct, Commander. My sensors suggest that two of the objects are habitats and the other three contain various supplies and even weapons.”
Van considered what Harry had just said. Habitats and supplies make sense, but weapons? So Van asked, “Weapons? What for?”
“If the Chinese are planning to establish a base here, Commander, they will likely have to protect it.”
“At some point that may be true. But I’m not sure there’s much of a threat yet,” said Van while thinking about the impact of all of this on Earth.
While Stan and Van were looking over the compressed habitats and storage units, Danny had wandered off. “Hey, guys, look over here.”
With several leaps in the low gravity, they reached him in seconds.
“What is it?” asked Van.
“Look at the valley wall here. There’s a big hole that seems to go in for a long way.”
“Yes it does. What is this thing, Harry? It looks like an old lava tube outlet.”
“You are correct, Commander. Sensors indicate a number of such tubes and possibly even a large cavern deeper inside. This is not unusual on the Moon. There are many such tubes left over from the Moon’s formation.”
“But these are well suited for setting up housekeeping. They are even big enough to roll these five packages into.”
“Correct again, Commander. The habitats will likely be set up on the interior of the tubes, both to prevent observation and as a living area while the tubes and cavern are made habitable.”
“I don’t think I like this one bit. Given what we know about Chinese plans for the Moon and space domination, I think we are looking at their first step,” said Van with concern. “Mark this spot exactly in your database, Harry. We’ll likely have to revisit and, in the worst case, we may even need to target it.”
“Done, Commander.”
“OK, guys. I promised you an exciting ride in the Enterprise, so let’s go.”
“Roger that!” said an excited Danny as they reentered the Enterprise.
Immortal Guardian: Hoast Saga Book 2 (Host Saga) Page 13