Parting Gifts

by gerald hall

  Now, if we use two gravity shuttles for a longer submarine like a Virginia or even an Ohio class ballistic missile submarine, I can spread the weight around so to speak. That will also mean that we can even transport a larger submarine than you had originally postulated.”

  “I see that too, Arthur. It will tie up twice as many of your shuttles though.”

  “I know that. But the benefits would probably outweigh the costs. We could also lift up conventional surface ships as well using the dual shuttle lift technique. They probably won’t be usable as habitats. But they can carry a lot of material in their cargo holds. The ships themselves, even if they are old hulks, can also be cut up and the steel repurposed for other things on the moon. Refined steel is a very versatile material to have around, you know.” Arthur explained with a growing sense of enthusiasm with every world.

  “Now, we just have to decide which boats to go after. I don’t think that I would trust the Russian or Chinese boats at all, even if we could get access to them. They were either all poorly designed, poorly maintained or too far in Caliphate territory to be easily ‘requisitioned’. But the American, British, Israeli, Japanese and even the Australian boats would certainly all be very suitable. I understand that more than two dozen non-American submarines managed to make it to the Eastern Alliance, even after the surrender of their home countries.

  Fortunately, most of them used fairly common systems and components. We would just have to figure out a way to interconnect the boats, then share power, water and life support systems among the vessels once they are on Mars.” Itzak replied.

  “We would also have to SCRAM the power plants on all of the nuclear boats first until we can set up a new cooling system for them that can operate on the moon. Once we get that set up, one or two reactors at a time could power the entire facility for thirty years or more. We would simply keep the other reactors shut down until the fuel is expended on the ones running. Then we rotate which reactors are being used based on the available life of each reactor fuel core. We might also see about the availability of a LFTR reactor to send to the Moon to provide power. The expended fuel rods from the nuclear boats could potentially even be used to supplement the Thorium fuel used in the LFTR unit.

  We will also have to empty the submarines of all of the weapons too. That will free up badly needed volume and mass.”

  “What about that other problem that you referred to earlier, Arthur?”

  “You know that there is a good chance that the Caliphate will see us lifting these vessels up into orbit, Itzek.”

  “Yes, I realize that, though it will be a lot less likely after the downing of so many of the enemy’s surveillance satellites. But, there are some measures that we can take to hide them on the way up like nighttime operations. Even if the people from the Caliphate do see what is happening, we will just tell them the truth. We are taking old submarines and taking them to the Moon to refit as habitats.”

  “Alright, my friend. I just wanted to mention that potential problem to you just in case. We will want to be prepared in case that the Caliphate tries to interfere with our operation. We are also still going to have to fabricate interfaces and passageways, not to mention all of the other things that they are going to need to support people for years on end.”

  “The vast majority of that stuff can be pretty lightweight. We can carry it as cargo within a shuttle or just fix up a simple aluminum cargo module that only has to make it to the moon. It can carry cargo then be disassembled to provide materials to fabricate whatever else is needed.” Itzak explained.

  “This really sounds like it could work. One of the American Virginia class boats or even the older Los Angeles class vessels had a crew of just over one hundred people. If we include the retired boats still around, that gives up nearly one hundred potential habitats. There are at least that many more of the smaller conventional submarines out there as well. We might still have to ‘liberate’ a few of the western-design boats that are currently being controlled by the Caliphate. But this concept would definitely be the makings of a very viable ‘shake and bake’ lunar colony.

  If you can send me the information that you have on your proposed idea, I can review it in the next few days. I can then refine the concept some and send it over to SALI to hash out the details.” Arthur replied as he already was intently working out the basic details in his head.

  “Thank you for listening, my friend.”

  “Thank you for coming up with this brilliant idea. We may just be able to save tens of thousands of people from being enslaved. It won’t be easy living in a steel can. But it something to build upon. We just have to get the Eastern Alliance to agree to give us their old submarines.”

  “I don’t think that will be too much of a problem, Itrzak.” Arthur said with a smile.

  “We can’t give you any of our newer submarines for use as lunar habitats. However, since all of our Los Angeles class boats are either in mothballs or are nearing the end of their operational lifespans, they can certainly be made available immediately. We may add other boats later on though.” President Harper said after a few minutes of consulting with her Chief of Naval Operations. She had received the proposal from the Martian ambassador to the Alliance a couple of days earlier.

  She immediately agreed to the proposal since it gave the Alliance another place to send refugees far away from the advancing Caliphate and Arab Brotherhood forces. She could also send people without as much concern for the extreme vetting process that the Martians insisted upon for anyone going to Hebes Chasma. A lunar colony could also be a place where the Alliance could establish a repository of its high-tech knowledge and assets, far away from Islamist hands.

  Six months later, the first American submarine, a newly retired Los Angeles class boat was en route to the moon. Waiting on it was a freshly fabricated cooling system for her reactor and generator set so that she could start producing large quantities of electric power for the next construction phase of the new lunar base.

  The American naval officer stood on the deck of the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine USS Charlotte as the last personnel climbed out of the after escape trunk and walked over to the waiting tug that was moored alongside.

  Jerrod Cassel stood next to the Charlotte’s captain as he waited to say goodbye to his command. Hovering about two hundred meters from the starboard side were two of the Martian gravity shuttles.

  “Sir, we are ready to begin your lift. I wanted confirm that your reactor has been scrammed, weapons removed and that all personnel have been evacuated.”

  “You see the last of my people leaving now. I will be the last one off as the Captain. Well, I sure as hell don’t want my boat in the hands of those jihadist bastards. They wouldn’t take care of her properly in any event. It is a lot better that she ends her days out there providing a home for the people that I dedicated my life to protect.” Commander Matthew Wallace sadly answered.

  He hated losing his ship. But there was little else that he could do. The American submarine force had little else to do. It had expended virtually all of its weapons and had nothing to reload their tubes with. Now, the boats mostly were sitting at the pier at ports like Norfolk, Mayfair and Charleston. But at least some of his men will get to go to the moon to continue working on the boats in their new role or even traveling to Mars.

  Crewmen aboard an American nuclear submarine were among the best qualified sailors and technicians in the entire US Navy. The colonists at Hebes Chasma made it clear that Captain Wallace and the members of his crew were more than welcome to come to live on Mars if they wanted.

  “Thank you, Sir. Once, you and the tug are clear, then we will start the show. Trust me, it is impressive as hell.” Jerrod explained.

  After Captain Wallace disembarked from Charlotte, the waiting tug moved out about a kilometer from the surfaced submarine. The Charlotte sat low in the water, having maintained most of her ballast water at the request of the lead gravity drive shuttle commander
. They wanted as much water as possible aboard for use at the lunar colony.

  About five minutes later, the hovering gravity drive shuttles slowly lowered themselves below the ocean surface. Captain Wallace watched patiently for about ten minutes until he suddenly saw the water stir around his former command. The massive nuclear attack submarine began to slowly rise in the water. Within thirty seconds, the entire hull was clear of the ocean surface, supported only by the lattice framework on the noses of the two ovoid spacecraft.

  “I understand that your shuttles there use a magnetic grappling system to secure its payload, correct.” Captain Wallace asked as he watched his boat begin to slowly rise into the sky.

  “Yes, Sir. But they also worked in conjunction with a set of mechanical grapples to ensure a secure grip. We wouldn’t want to drop your boat by accident, of course.” Jerrod said with a confident smile.

  “Of course.” Was the quiet response as the men continued to watch the three linked vessels slowly climb into the sky.

  After five minutes or so, all that could be seen was a tiny dot that eventually disappeared into the clouds. USS Charlotte was on her way to her final mission.

  The gravity drive shuttles carrying Charlotte carefully flew towards the growing base on the lunar surface in Cabeus Crater near the lunar South Pole. The shuttle pilots kept their maneuvers nice and gentle to avoid anything that might dislodge their load prior to their arrival on the lunar surface.

  As she turned for her final approach, the shuttles approached in reverse, using their gravity drives to slow down. Passengers and crew aboard the shuttles could soon look down through a viewport and see the large crater where the lunar base was being constructed. Several large, long grey shapes could already be seen sitting side by side in a shallow excavation. One of those shapes was Charlotte’s sister ship USS Asheville. All of the submarines already had their screws removed to have the valuable metals available for recycling. Next to the vessels were two large deep pits, very similar to the landing pits at Hebes Chasma. A large battery-powered vehicle with a bulldozer blade could be seen pushing soil to further expand the excavation for the moon-bound submarines. Next to the excavation were a large array of flat panels. While these panels appeared to be solar panels, they were actually thermal radiators that served to eliminate the waste heat from the nuclear reactors that were operational and providing the energy for the entire installation.

  Slowly, the shuttles used their gravity drives to gently lower themselves down into the twin pits until they abruptly came to a halt upon reaching the bottom of the excavations. Within an hour, large steel rails were being extended over the pits and just underneath the bottom of the submarine’s hull. Then the shuttles partially retracted their landing gear, lowering themselves and placing the full mass of the submarine upon the steel rails.

  Cables attached to powerful winches then began to pull the submarine across the rails until it was no longer over the pit. Another set of rails and winches then began to redirect the submarine until it reached its final destination a few meters away from another sub. This vessel was a Yugumo-class diesel-electric submarine that had once belonged to the Japanese Maritime Defense Force.

  Now, the former Japanese submarine was being converted to house workshops and house more than eighty personnel inside. The Yugumo’s diesel engine and many other interior components were in the process of being dismantled for salvage. She kept her bank of batteries though to use as energy storage for the lunar installation.

  Charlotte sat on the rails until a set of hydraulic jacks were placed underneath her hull. Charlotte was then lifted up about a meter using the jacks. The rails were then withdrawn and a set of sturdy blocks placed underneath. Charlotte was then lowered to rest on the blocks and bolted into place. Shortly after this, the real work began of converting the former warship into a home for more than a hundred colonists and the source of power for many more. The water from her ballast tanks was pumped out and placed within the facility’s water storage system for use for a variety of functions.

  Eventually, the hulls of the transported submarines would be covered in lunar soil to insulate them and protect the people inside of them from cosmic radiation.

  Chapter Eighteen:

  Martian Near-Orbit

  Hebes Chasma, Mars

  May 2, 2045

  The gravity drive shuttle Haumea smoothly descended towards the Martian surface after being released by the transport Glorious. It was already clearly evident that the planet’s atmosphere was rapidly thickening, both from the water vapor released from the planet’s warming surface as well as from the dozens of icy asteroids that have struck the Martian surface during the past four years. A growing haze of thin water vapor clouds covered much of the planet’s surface. The flash of lightning ran through some of the thicker clouds in the Martian skies.

  Talia and Cecil finally could see the image of the Hebes Chasma crater growing in the viewport. Over one hundred and fifty habitat modules dotted the crater’s surface. Four transparent geodesic domes, each covering more than five acres of land had already been completed. The vivid green of growing vegetation underneath the clear panels could already be clearly seen. A fifth dome was under construction. It was obvious from above that this dome would eventually cover more area than the other four domes combined.

  About five hundred meters away from the main Hebes Chasma colony complex, there were six large pits visible that had been excavated in the Martian surface. One of these pits was where Haumea was clearly headed. The two siblings were fascinated by everything that they saw in the crater as the shuttle continued to slowly approach one of those deep holes in the Martian surface.

  “Hey, look. There are already shuttles in two of the pits.” Talia called out and pointed at the tops of two metal ovoids that were visible just below the surface inside the great excavated hollows in the ground.

  “The others must be out on missions with the big interplanetary ships like Excaliber or hauling cargo up to that new asteroid that I heard is now orbiting Mars.” Cecil replied as he continued to watch the image of their new home growing larger in the viewport.

  “We are going to be very busy. I understand that at least three more of those asteroids will be arriving within the next year and a half to become new ‘moons’ for Mars. Of course, these new moons are going to be the source of a lot of the raw metals that we are going to need to continue the expansion of the colony.

  “Landing in thirty seconds. Everyone, please take seats for landing.” Was suddenly announced over the shuttle’s intercom system. A few moments later, the Martian sky began to disappear, replaced by the glare of spotlights as Haumea slowly lowered within the landing pit. A quiet thump was felt as the vessel’s landing pads firmly made contact with the bottom of the pit. The sound of motors and other electronic equipment began to fade as the gravity drive systems were shut down.

  Talia was still looking out of the viewport when she saw what looked like a transparent plastic tube inside a metal framework extend out from a point inside the pit. The tube was pressed against the side of the shuttle’s hull with a faint clang.

  “All personnel, please move to Air Lock Two for debarkation.” The voice over the intercom pleasantly announced.

  Talia and Cecil joined nearly fifty other men, women and children as they picked up their carryon baggage and began to walk towards the air lock. The inner and outer doors were already open by the time that they arrived. As the shuttle’s passengers walked through the pressurized plastic tube, they could look up and see the large cargo module already beginning to be disconnected from Haumea’s mating collar. The module was full of supplies and other cargo that the colony still needed for its continued growth. Once empty, the module would likely be converted into more habitat space as well.

  A young man of apparent African descent met that group on the inner side of the air lock. It was obvious though that he was happy to see the arriving newcomers.

  “Welcome to Mars everyone. M
y name is Jeremy Woodward. I am here to be your guide and ambassador. I am originally from the part of New York City that many people used to refer to as Harlem. I was fortunate to have had an opportunity to exercise my gifts and eventually study at MIT. After receiving several advanced degrees there, I worked as an engineer and consultant for a few years. Then I invested in passage to Hebes Chasma where I have since been working as an engineer and researcher.

  Right now, you are all currently in Landing Reception Area, Number One. We have a total of three separate landing pits for our gravity drive shuttles. We primarily went to landing pits rather than landing directly on the surface because of the need to unload the large modules that are frequently attached to the bows of incoming shuttles.

  The landing pits are usually very busy places, especially when we have an incoming transport. So we all need to come with me. We are going to walk towards the main underground complex.”

  “Mister Woodward, I had no idea that the colony here had so many tunnels.” Talia asked.

  “We have been tunneling underneath the surface here at Hebes Chasma since almost the very beginning of the colony here. However, the arrival of automated boring machines and new power generation equipment has significantly increased our ability to tunnel beneath Mars’ surface. Not only have we increased the amount of pressurized living and working space for our growing population, but the spoil from the tunneling has been a source of valuable minerals for our industrial modules.

  Even the waste from the spoil has been very useful since we use it to shield many of our existing surface modules from radiation and environmental extremes. Unlike the modules on the surface, our tunnels are not visible to observation from Earth. After excavating the landing pits, we tunneled right into the sides of the pits, put in air locks and retractable passageways, then continued digging until we reached the main underground complex. This system of passages allows us to move people and small cargo directly from the shuttles into the complex without the need for pressure suits.