by Keith Martin
“The crew will start on your porch today and we are going to build Joshua’s house right under yours. Have you got a floor plan yet?” Ton changed the subject quickly.
“No not yet. The girls have been too busy to do much of anything except get ready for the wedding. But I know they will want a large play area for the kids. They both seemed to love the plan you drew up. We should go with that to start and work from there.” Otto suggested.
“Planning for children soon Otto?” Ton razed his friend.
Otto looked at him straight faced and admitted to Ton that his wives where both with child already.
“YOU DA MAN!” Ton roared and shook his hand. They all laughed and it helped to break the tension of the task they faced.
The crew met them at the entrance to the gas tunnel with their pressure suits and the needed equipment. They helped them to dress out and then they sealed the pressure door behind them. The cutter had been moved to the head of the tunnel after the gas head was installed and they took a mucker out to the work area. They passed through three screens just down the tunnel from the work area set up to hold the carbon dioxide in the digging area at the highest concentration. They looked everything over to be sure all was ready to start this dig, Ton opened two massive tanks of the carbon dioxide gas into the chamber so that no spark could find the oxygen it would need to make a flame.
Ton manned the mucker and Otto mounted the cutter. Ben was standing watch over the operation and he would shut it down if he felt anything was going wrong.
The cold of the gas had fractured the rock over the millions of years it had been working to get out. The cutter ground through it like butter. It took just twenty minutes to top off the mucker and Ben ordered Otto to back off and shut it down while the mucker was switched out.
It would take fifteen minutes to get an empty mucker back behind the cutter. So they took the time to inspect the head of the tunnel to see exactly what they were digging into.
Veins of the gas where streaked throughout the wall. Ben retrieved two picks so that he and Otto could chip at the wall a little to see how fast it developed into pure gas. It didn’t take long and they found what they were looking for, a massive vein of gas with no rock impregnated into it. It was bigger than a man’s leg and it was a sky blue clear color. Otto picked up a chunk the size of a baseball. “I wonder what just this could do.”
Ben picked up a pebble as big as his thumbnail and placed it in a stainless steel canister with a valve top. “Let’s start with this Otto.” He advised.
“You think it’s that powerful Ben?”
“Otto I was half way to the entrance. This stuff rolled all the way past me burning blue and purple. It’s the real deal. I say we just found a gold mine of power.” He stated with assurance.
Ton pulled the empty mucker into position and then joined his friends at the head of the tunnel. “How big is this thing?” Otto asked as he walked up.
“Seismographic readings make it a pool roughly one point six-nine deep and three point one-eight across.” Came his answer.
“Yards…?” Otto asked to be sure they were on the same page.
“No Otto, miles.” Ton informed him.
Otto turned to look at the vain of gas pushing out of the rock. If what they where looking at was true, it would change life on the Moon for a long time. The old theory of a big rock hitting the Earth and out came the Moon was just proved to be correct. There was no naturally occurring gas on the Moon. There was no life there to convert into the carbon it would need to create fuel. It had to be carried out from the Earth when the Moon was formed. “This could fuel all the Moons needs for hundreds of years.” Otto said out loud.
“Or more, it’s been here for millions of years, compressing and fermenting into what we found. For all we know, we are looking at a new rocket fuel.” Tons words were spoken in wonder. Little did he know just how right he was?
“We won’t know until it’s tested. For all we know, that chip in your hand could power this station for a day.”
They cut into the gas until the cutter had completely broken through and when they backed off it revealed a wall of the most beautiful crystal blue they had ever seen. Their headlamps made the entire gas chamber glow around them.
The tailings didn’t even fill the mucker this time. Steve had gotten close to finishing this dig for them all.
As they took the mucker out with the cutter in tow they talked of just how they would mine this fuel. “I will put up a triple blast wall in the tunnel to protect the base. We will need brass cutters brought up from Earth to do the digging.” Ton started to rattle off the list of things he would need and things he was going to do to make this happen.
“So give me a timeframe?” Otto asked.
“You give me a shuttle to bring up the equipment I will need and I’ll have it running in a week.”
“That would be great Ton. You have it. I’ll tell Pete to stand by for your go.” Otto assured him.
* * *
Once they reached the tunnel entrance they gave the mucker to the mining crew and they disconnected the cutter before heading up to the surface to dump the load of rock and gas that half filled the mucker bed. The driver promised to dump spread the load out so that the gas would dissipate as it melted off.
Otto ordered all the personnel cleared from the area making sure all tunnels where sealed between them and the base. Ton took the test sample and shook it to see if he could hear the sample within. It had heated up and vaporized in the canister.
He cracked open the valve slightly and had Ben give it a light. All it took was just a spark and a blue purple flame two feet long and a foot round was burning brightly from the canister. Tons set it down and cranked open the valve. The flame leaped up to ten feet high and three feet round. The roar of raw power rippling throughout the tunnel was deafening. It was like a rolling wave of thunder, the sound waves blasting out and vibrating everything in the area. The heat from the blazing inferno soon filled the area and the exhaust fans that monitored the tunnels had to kick into full power to handle the added load.
It burned for two hundred and eighty six seconds then reduced and flashed out spent.
* * *
“That’s amazing Ton.” Otto had to admit shaken by what he had just witnessed.
“That’s shuttle fuel Otto. We just found a lake of shuttle fuel on the Moon.” Ton filled him in. “We just found enough fuel to power this base for hundreds of years and I’m willing to bet your Shianne will be all over this stuff.”
* * *
After this demonstration of the new fuels potential Otto was floating on air. He was now sure that his family would be safe here in the Moon for generations if it was necessary.
He took the transport back to the base to review the recording of the distress message from Mars next. The personnel on Mars knew they where on their own on the red planet. So he felt no guilt for having ignored the message until now. It had been his wedding day and there was nothing he could have done.
As he passed through the main chamber he was surprised at how well it had been cleaned up. There were just a few miners and women doing the last of the cleanup. Two of the miners had fire hoses and they where washing down the chamber floor. More than a few beers and sodas had been spilled at the massive reception. Not to mention the plates of food that had dropped. It was all being washed away and it all looked clean and fresh. Otto stopped long enough to thank them for their help and he was informed that Jill was looking for him.
He checked his watch and found it had been close to four hours since he had left his wives in their wedding bed. He had planned to get back to them before they woke. He knew he was messing up. But life did not stop or wait for married men to take a break; honeymoons were a thing for Earth weddings. On Earth, there was time and there were places to go with a new bride. Here on the Moon, in this time, there was only saving mankind.
He thanked the miners and the woman again for their effort and made a mental
note to enter his wives cell phone numbers into his phones memory. He drove up to Mission Control and found Chris in his office there. “Morning Otto.” Chris greeted him.
“Morning Chris, What has you up so early?” Otto shot back.
“It’s a base Otto, it never sleeps. And why are you out of bed?” He was grinning like a cat that had eaten the canary.
“It’s saving mankind Chris, it never sleeps. It’s got to be done or we all die.” Otto said in his defense.
“I know, I know. But a man should stay in bed for a day after he gets hitched, at least!”
“Well work was calling, and I had to get to it. I do have good news though.”
“I like good news. What’s up?” Chris’s interest was piqued.
“The gas that Steve tried to kill himself with, a piece just the size of a thumb nail was tested by Ton, Ben and I. It burned a ten-foot flame that was three feet round for two hundred and eighty-six seconds. Ton thinks it will make a good shuttle fuel.” Otto reported as he took a seat.
This was great news. Shuttles had to fuel on Earth. So to have a fuel source on the Moon would make space travel all that much easier. “My God, Otto that is good news.” He leaned back in his chair and thought about this for a few seconds then added. “By the way Jill stopped by. She is looking for you.”
“I heard that. I need to put their numbers in my cells memory.”
Chris took Otto’s cell phone and ordered one of the techs to program the two numbers assigned to his wives into Otto’s phone. As the tech walked out of the office Otto asked him to play the recording of the message from 3-M. “What are you talking about Otto?” Chris asked as he accesses his computer and went to the emergency message folder.
“We got it yesterday while we were all getting married. I just recorded it and shut off the warning light. I knew there was nothing we could do right away. With the storm that’s headed their way, I was surprised they got a signal out at all”
“I totally understand Otto. Don’t go blaming yourself for not acting on this right away; I don’t blame you a bit. But let’s just give it a listen and see what’s up over there.”
Otto closed the office door so that the message wouldn’t be over heard. They played the message twice. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
Chris advised that it would be best to check this out on the big screen in the main area of mission control. They moved out into the hall and Chris ordered the main telescope to be directed toward 3-M.
“Its not there Sir.” The tech informed them.
“That can’t be. Check the transponder and home in on it.” Chris ordered.
“That’s just it Sir, that is how I tried to locate 3-M. There is no transponder signal at all.” The tech informed them.
“That’s impossible; the transponder is hooked up to the bases main power grid directly. There’s not even a plug that could disconnect it, its hardwired in place so that it works no matter what. Zoom in on the bases last known location.” Chris ordered.
The screen filled with a scene of a hurricane spinning and moving toward the west away from the base. The last known location of the base was inside the eye of the storm.
“It’s no longer there Sir. The storm has wiped it out. There isn’t any sign of it.”
Everyone in Mission Control was now focusing on this task. The radar controller concentrated the beam on the base and found nothing. Not even the signature of the base could be detected. She confirmed what the communications tech had reported. “It’s totally gone Sir’s, M-3 no longer exists.”
* * *
Otto was looking at the storm now thinking that nothing could be so strong as to totally wipe away the base. “How fast are the winds in that thing?” He asked.
“Two-fifty on the leading edge, five hundred plus near the eye Sir’s.”
“And what is that?” He pointed to the spinning mass within the storm.
“It’s a tornado Sir, winds clocking at…one thousand plus.” Even the radar tech didn’t believe what she was reading. She started to do a full systems check of her equipment. Everything checked out just fine and online.
“I think their right Otto. It’s just gone. We lost the crew and the base.” Chris ordered that the General be awakened and asked to come to Mission Control.
Chris went to his office to wait for Fred to get there. He had tears flowing down his cheeks. “What is it Chris?” Otto could see he was shaken and followed him.
“I knew Monica… we were friends… we were lovers...” He looked up at Otto and added. “She was my best friend.”
Otto felt the grief his friend was going through. He knew all too well what it was like to lose someone truly close to you. “Is there anything I can do for you Chris?”
“Just give me some time with this. I just need some time. I need to grieve for awhile.” He started to break down and he rested his face in his hand as he lost it.
Otto told the Tech’s to watch out for Chris and he took over Mission Control while Chris got used to the fact that Monica was gone.
He explained everything that had happened to Fred and he asked the crew of Mission Control to keep looking for any signs of life on the red planet.
Fred took over Mission Control, and told Otto to get back to his wives. His last words where orders to take a few day off to just be a married man.
Otto exited Mission Control and was stopped by a gang of children who were playing on the base playground. The miners had done a great job of building a playground that the little ones could run and play in until they spent their youthful energy. It was massive and it helped to develop strong muscles and balance. All the kids loved it.
They wanted him to play with them, as he had many times before. But he begged off and just stood watching them go berserk as they ran around showing off. All of them wanted his attention and they were having a blast vying for it.
Otto started to think about the fact that his babies would soon be playing and learning here. The kids where all smiles, and they did a great job sharing the toys. Bullying was not allowed on this playground. To do so would earn a time out that would straighten a child’s thinking right up.
Terry was visiting while a couple of the teachers where out eating their breakfast. She would often take time out from her duties as the Chow Hall Commander to help out in the childcare area.
“Hi Otto.” She greeted him as she approached.
“Terry how’s tricks today?” Otto responded with a smile.
“If we could tap their energy we could power this place.” She smiled watching her charges.
“That’s a worry we no longer have. That water chamber that turned out to be gas and almost killed Steve. It’s going to power this base for longer than these children would need if they spend their whole lives here on the Moon.”
“Wow! We are having a great day, Jill was by, she was looking for you…said she was going to have your hide for deserting her and Linda under fire.”
They both laughed and Otto turned to continue down the hall looking for his new brides. This was becoming funny. Everyone on the base seemed to have been visited by Jill in her search for him.
After just a few steps he decided it would just be easier to contact her over the Public Address System. He had Mission Control patch him through. “Jill I am at home. You can find me there. Thanks for your time everyone. That is all.”
He was walking toward his place when she finally caught up with him. She came running up behind him, and he felt her coming. He turned just in time to catch her in his waiting arms. He kissed her soundly and asked what was up?
“Nothing, just wanted to be with you.” She was beaming.
“Where’s Linda?”
“She feels sick, could be morning sickness, but I feel just great. She told me to give her some time and to go play. So here I am. The playground is amazing. All the little ones playing together, and sharing the way they do. It’s great Otto. I can’t wait for our children to be old enough to
play there. Where did you go this morning?” She rattled off excitedly.
Otto wanted to avoid telling her what he was up to while they were sleeping. “Let’s go check on Linda and see how she is doing?” He did a side step to her question, and it was forgotten as they went arm in arm to check on their wife.
* * *
Hackett looked for the General at his office and was told he was commanding Mission Control. So she ran to Mission Control to get permission to continue the search she was doing for the General.
“Hi Connie, think you’re going to find it today?” Seeing her smiling face made the old warhorse happy.
“I think I have it now. But it is lost in the bazillion hits I have to review to find it.” She speculated. “Just give me a few hours to finish compiling the information and I will have it for you Fred.”
“Then go to it young lady. Don’t let me stop you.” ‘This girl knows more about computers than all the techs on the base.’ He thought to himself as he watched her walking toward his office.
An hours searching yielded nothing. She was frustrated, trying to figure out where to search next when a call came from the General. He thought he had a good idea. “Would it help if you had a chance to look at it first hand?”
“You mean I get to go down and check it out?”
“Why not…? I had Jackal drag it back here. I didn’t do it for nothing. I want to know what it was up to.”
“I will need a laptop and a cable to connect to its mainframe.”