Mother Moon

by Bob Goddard

  “Very well. We must take measures to protect and conserve what we can,” she said.

  “Okay,” said Will, “that’s if the comet misses the Earth. What will happen if it doesn’t?”

  There was a long silence. The Dutchman sighed and looked up at the ceiling before lowering his head and shaking it. “It really doesn’t bear thinking about. Even if half the comet burns up in the atmosphere, as some have suggested, the remaining mass impacting the surface would result in devastation. We can only guess how severe that might be. You might get a more detailed answer from a paleo-botanist or geologist.” He spread his hands, palms upward. “But that’s as much as I can tell you from my own field of science.”

  “Thank you, Thijs,” said Nadia. “It is vital that we reassure our fellow colonists to avoid panic and unrest. It is clear that the world’s media is being censored for the same reason. We will treat what you have told us today as confidential.” She looked at the three section heads who each nodded in confirmation.

  * * * *

  Moon, 2087: Monday, 10th February

  Lian Song was in her home city, Chengdu, in Sichuan province. She had not been here for a while and although the streets looked familiar, they were not quite the same as she remembered them. A lot has changed since I was here, she thought.

  She was making her way to her parents’ luxury apartment in a tall block in the city centre. There was something very important she had to tell her parents, but she was having difficulty finding the road that led to them.

  Maybe it was this way? Turning into a busy street she hurried forward, but everybody else was going the other way, pushing and jostling Lian as she struggled against the tide. Then they were running and shouting and now she could see why. Hanging in the dark sky at the far end of the street was a bright fuzzy ball and it was getting bigger.

  Lian didn’t know what it was, but the ball was full of menace. She had to get to her parents before it got any closer. She had to talk to them urgently. It felt as if her life depended on it, but the stream of people heading the other way was making progress impossible. There were just so many of them, bumping into her and knocking her backwards. All she could do was raise her arms and try to fend them off.

  Then suddenly all the people were gone and she was stumbling over something on the ground. It was a lump of masonry. The street was strewn with them. The buildings were crumbling before her eyes.

  Time was running out! She must reach her parents and tell them the important thing before it was too late. They thought this was all her fault. Somehow they had got the idea that she was to blame for everything. Lian had to get to them and explain that she wasn’t. She had done her duty. She had worked hard. They could be proud of her.

  Their apartment block was visible now and Lian was running for it as hard as she could, dodging around rubble and debris in the street. But the tall, shiny building was starting to sway from side to side. Then it was falling, crumbling, crashing to the ground in an enormous cloud of dust.

  “NO! No, no, no,” she sobbed in horror and woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, heart pounding.

  * * * * *

  Moon, 2087

  Tamala Ngomi woke up softly. She was wrapped in the strong, protective arms of Darren Griffiths and they were snuggled together in her single bed like a pair of spoons.

  She remembered now. Darren switched to the late shift today and didn’t start work until 14 hours all this week. It meant he could have a lie-in instead of sneaking furtively back to his own room in the middle of the night ready for the early shift.

  Tamala loved these mornings, waking up warm and snug and safe with all her worries and problems melted away. She brought her fingers up to rest over his broad knuckles and marvelled at the size of his hand. He stirred then was still again, his breath warm on her neck. She luxuriated in the moment.

  The downside of being a department head was working long days across both shifts, but one of the perks was flexibility. Tamala could choose her start time and these dreamily carefree morning cuddles with Darren were worth all the long hours. This was therapeutic, in every sense of the word.

  She thought back to the ‘discovery’ of curative cuddling. Advances in brain scanning had proved the benefits of close human contact. Everything from the humble hug to total intimacy had been shown to boost physical as well as mental health. Even holding hands worked wonders.

  Tamala’s mother had laughed when news was broken of the scientific study’s findings. The very idea of an African person living alone was ridiculous.

  “So! They need machines to tell them that it is good to hug your children!” She guffawed as she squashed Elina and Tamala against her ample bosom. “And these are the ‘advanced’ countries that call us the Third World, hahaha!”

  Tamala smiled again at the memory and snuggled Darren’s arm closer. She had been desperate for human contact in her first few months on the Moon. When he had hugged and kissed her that first time, her heart went into freefall.

  She did wonder at first if she was just reacting to being lonely. But as the weeks went by she learned more about this quiet New Zealander. He told her of his sheep-farmer father and his Maori mother, his values and his dreams. And she realised she wanted nothing other than to spend the rest of her life with him. The amazing thing was, he was madly in love with her too.

  After that first delicious moment they had spent every night together but remained discreet when in the company of others. The months had raced by. It was now over two years since they had fallen in love and six months since they had talked about the time when Tamala would go home to her family in Lilongwe. She was desperate to see them and happy to get away from the Moon, but she didn’t want to leave Darren. Her heart ached at the thought of it.

  That was when they had decided to break the Moon colony’s number one rule: no pregnancies. She would go home with Darren’s baby growing inside her. It would keep them connected while she waited out the long months for him to join her in Malawi. Once their child was old enough, they would move to New Zealand where healthcare, education and career prospects were far better.

  But now things had changed and they couldn’t be sure she would be home for the birth. Their carefully laid plans had been scuttled by Comet Santos. She recalled yesterday’s meeting in the Governor’s office and that nice Dutchman, Thijs Jansen.

  Then she remembered him saying the deflection mission had only a fifty per cent chance of success – and failure would result in devastation! She felt her pulse quicken and realised she was squeezing Darren’s arm. He murmured as she released her grip and moved her hand away. She was wide awake now. The tranquillity of her lie-in had evaporated and she needed the bathroom. The baby was pressing on her bladder.

  Turning her head Tamala could see her window-screen where dawn was shining bright and clear across Lake Malawi. She tapped her right index finger on her thumb twice then drew them together. Virtual curtains mirrored her movement, sliding across the screen and dimming the room lighting. The red numbers 06:14 faded but still showed in the top right hand corner. The colony would be rousing.

  She lifted Darren’s arm and slipped out of the bed, kneeling on the floor while she waited for her head to stop spinning.

  “Uh? Where’ya going?” Darren had opened one eye, but his voice was still thick with sleep. His minimal moko, a pair of tiny fern leaf spirals tattooed on his forehead, looked black in the dim light.

  “I need the bathroom. And a shower,” she whispered. “You go back to sleep, my love. I’ll see you in a little while.” She kissed him softly and his eye closed again. His breathing resumed a steady rhythm. She was pleased she hadn’t told him what the astronomer had said.

  * * * * *

  Earth, 1504

  Mammed’s bare toes scrabbled for grip on the cold, damp stone. His fingertips wriggled into crumbling crevices to haul him upward in the gathering darkness. Grit stung his eyes making them stream with tears but he dare not make a sound. If he was
discovered it would be as fatal as falling to the rocks below.

  He could hear the shouts and laughter of the Convertors beneath him. He had hoped they would stay in the stairwell on the far side of the tower so he could climb unseen. But one had already clumped around the tower in his hobnail boots to relieve himself. He stopped directly beneath as Mammed clung motionless to the curved wall and held his breath. Finally he returned to the drinking party and Mammed resumed his ascent.

  Muscles burning from the effort, Mammed inched up the vertical wall. He prayed to his father who now lived in the Moon. He prayed for help and he prayed for forgiveness. If he could just make this climb he might make things right again. If he failed… Mammed pushed the unthinkable out of his mind and focussed all his thoughts on the wall.

  His hand found a larger hole stuffed with straw. With a shriek and a beat of wings the inhabitant burst out beside Mammed’s face. The shock almost dislodged his precarious grip. He hung by his fingernails, heart thumping wildly. Had the Convertors heard? Would the guard on the tower roof look down to see what the commotion was? A minute passed. No shouts came. Mammed returned to his agonising crawl up the wall.

  It was almost completely dark when Mammed heard faint voices from above. He stopped to listen and recognised Benyamin’s tones and his father Yonaton’s cough. He must be almost there. Just a few more feet and he would surely draw level with the barred window.

  “Hey! You down there!” Came a coarse shout from above.

  Mammed froze. Tears started afresh from his eyes. He’d been so close.

  * * * * *

  Moon, 2087

  Nadia Sokolova was towelling her long legs dry when Tamala burst into the changing room and headed straight for one of the toilet cubicles.

  “Morning Nadia. Sorry, can’t stop!” she said as she disappeared behind the door.

  The Governor smiled to herself and finished dressing. She was zipping up her coverall when Tamala reappeared, apologised for her haste and started undressing ready for her shower.

  “Have you seen the news this morning?” Nadia asked as she picked up her towel to go.

  “No, sorry. Just woken up. Was it something important?”

  “Yes,” said Nadia. “Meet me in the Lunchbox when you’ve finished here and we can discuss it.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Tamala wondered what it could be as she watched the tall Russian leave the gym’s shower facility. I hope it’s good news, she thought.

  * * * * *

  Moon, 2087

  Will had just finished his breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast – the reconstituted dried eggs somewhat chewy – when Nadia arrived at his table.

  “Mind if I join you, Will?”

  “No. Not at all,” he said. “And look, see…” he showed her his empty plate, “I’ve eaten up all my rubber eggs, just like a good boy.” He realised he was laying on the sarcasm a bit thick.

  She smiled anyway. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you yesterday, Will, but we really can’t afford to waste food.”

  “So I gather,” he said. Then, thinking he was sounding unreasonably surly, added: “My mom always told me to leave some food on the plate. Said it was bad manners to finish it all. Crazy, I know, but it’s a tough habit to break.”

  “So, instead of a domineering mother, now you have a Bossy Bitch telling you what to do. No wonder you are a Grumpy Engineer.”

  That made him smile.

  “Anyway,” she said, “I have some good news for you and for Ginny.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

  “The Chinese have admitted to mining Comet Santos. They broadcast a statement from their premier a couple of hours ago. It’s on every news channel.”

  “Well yippie ki-yay! And not before time. Slimy toads always deny everything… right up until the moment they admit it.”

  “Hmm,” said Nadia, thoughtfully. “Exactly like the US government did when they were the world’s superpower.”

  “Yeah, I guess we did too.”

  “It goes with the territory,” she said. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Will was swallowing the last of his coffee.

  “Anyway, it lets you – and especially Ginny – off the hook with the media. Maybe she’ll be able to go to work today after all?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe she’ll take a coupla days off. Tough to face a bunch of students after you’ve been the hot news story of the weekend. She said last night she might go hang out in the trees.”

  “Ah. The giant redwoods?” Nadia’s eyes sparkled with interest. “I saw that Ginny is the world’s authority on these magnificent trees. I would love to see them one day.”

  “You should do. They’re awesome. The redwood forest has a special magic too. It’s where we met.”

  “Ah,” she smiled. “The Grumpy Engineer has a romantic side!”

  Will smiled but said nothing, so she steered the conversation back to the latest news. “This announcement by the Chinese might be a mixed blessing, Will. Have you seen Lian this morning?”

  “No, I haven’t. And I was in here sipping coffee five minutes after they opened the door. Think she’s having a lie-in again this morning?”

  “I doubt it. Doctor Rozek halved her medication after Lian felt drowsy yesterday, so I’d expect her to be up and about today.”

  “Well, I’m heading down the farm first thing,” said Will, “checking on the progress of that new tube. ’Spect I’ll catch up with Lian down there.”

  “Be nice to her, Will. Neither of her parents will answer her calls and her government has cut her off too. She’s feeling rather fragile at the moment.”

  “Jeez. Poor Lian. Look, if there’s nothing else, I’d best get along. Got a lot to do today.”

  “There is one more thing,” Nadia said, as he got to his feet. “Are you going down to Haworth Crater today?”

  “Hadn’t planned to,” he frowned. “Any special reason why I should?”

  “I had two complaints last night from the scientists we deployed down there. About the cramped conditions in the rest shelter and in particular the toilet facilities.”

  “Oh. Okay. I can see why that might be a problem. That little shelter was designed for four people to rest up while the other four are out on the surface. Conditions are pretty extreme down there, so they take it in turns to work an hour on and an hour off.

  “And now we have twelve folks working down there on each shift – six in and six out – it’s gonna be a little tight for space. And it’s a single toilet with a limited capacity, so that could be an issue. Can’t skip outside to pee behind the bushes at Haworth,” he smiled. Then he let out a long sigh. “We really need a second shelter down there, but with everything else needs doing, it wasn’t my top priority.”

  “Understood,” she said. “I will take a trip down to Haworth myself this morning to see if there is any short-term improvement we can make. How soon could we get a second shelter ready, if that is the only solution?”

  “Sheesh!” he brushed his hand over his short-cropped hair. “That’s a good question. We need a ten-metre length of 40 mill’ tube. We could knock that off when we start the next farm tube later today. Then tow it round to the garage to fit out. Needs an airlock, with pumps and controls. Got some spares we can use, but the lock and doors will have to be fabricated from scratch…” He looked off into the distance while he did the mental calculations.

  “I’d say we could get it done in five or six days. But it’ll mean pulling people off other jobs to do it. I figured power and food production were the top priorities. We’re working flat out on them right now.” He looked at Nadia and raised his eyebrows in question.

  “Very well. Make the extra piece of tube, please Will. I’ll let you know how urgently we need the shelter when I’ve been down there to see for myself. I’ll see you and the others at 18 hours as usual, so we can sort the details then… Ah! Here’s Tamala.”

  Will turned to
see the African woman approaching with wet hair and a big white smile. “So!” she beamed, “another breakfast rendezvous! People will talk.” She winked at Nadia.

  “Look, I was just going,” said Will.

  “No, please, don’t let me break up your cosy chat,” said Tamala. “Can I get anyone a coffee?”

  “I’m outta here,” said Will. “I’ll see you both later.” He turned and bounced away.

  “Hmm,” said Tamala, turning back to Nadia. “Talking motorbikes again?”

  “No. Toilets actually. Or rather, the lack of them down in Haworth Crater. Poor Will has to make another rest shelter to accommodate the extra workers. And that’s on top of all the other engineering jobs we’ve asked him to do. I’m going down to Haworth this morning to see how bad it is.”

  “Pretty bad, I hear,” said Tamala. “I had the two ladies call on me after they’d spoken to you last night. They were indignant about the state of the rest shelter, saying it was neither hygienic nor safe.”

  “Unfortunately they’re right,” said Nadia. “As well as a rest shelter, it is also a refuge in case of emergency. It wouldn’t accommodate twelve people for long if they all had to leave the surface.”

  “That’s not likely, though, is it?” asked Tamala. “Solar flares don’t reach down into Haworth, do they?”

  “No. But some meteor showers do. There have been a couple of unexpected micro-meteoroid events that have meant pulling everyone off the surface at short notice. We’ll have to get a second shelter down there as soon as we can.”

  “And you said there was a news item to discuss…?”

  “Yes. Let’s get some breakfast, Tamala. Then we can talk while we eat.”

  * * * * *

  Moon, 2087

  Darren Goldsworthy stared at the bare wires torn from the wall socket in disbelief. He had only installed these two pumps the day before. Who would have done something like this? He tapped at his comm.

  “Nadia. It’s Darren down in farm tube 37. We got a problem here you oughta take a look at.” He turned his wrist so his cam surveyed the scene. “It’s Lian’s pet project – her fish eggs. The propagation tray’s air and water pumps have been off for a while. Somebody’s ripped the wires out the wall.”