"Yes, sir."
"We have been aware for some time of infiltrators in the military of several allied nations, including our own."
"You've got to be kidding me, sir."
"I wish I were."
"Well, sir, if you don't mind me asking, this is a science station. Why would the enemy want to hit us here?"
"Oh, it would be great for their cause," LTC Pegram responded. "They could demonstrate an ability to hit us anywhere. Think of the morale boost for their fighters, and think what a recruiting tool a successful attack up here could be. There's considerable advantage for them if they should succeed. However, and let me emphasize this, there is no indication of a pending attack, and no evidence that any of the military members here are anything but loyal. Their nations screen them, the IIEA screens them, and we screen them after they get here. There is no reason for concern."
"All right, then there should be no concern if I add Dolph to my roster."
"No, Sergeant, but given the responsibility I just handed you, I believe you should be aware."
"Aware, but unconcerned, is that right, sir?"
The colonel squinted at me before responding, “Staff Sergeant Strum…same rules apply to Kappel. You understand?”
"Yes, sir."
Colonel Wayne made a noise like clearing his throat then looked at me a moment and said, "Have a list of names to me by 18:00."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
I left the colonel's office feeling that my decision to add Dolph to the list, and my questions about that decision, somehow upset him. If he didn't want Dolph in my squad, all he had to do is give me an order, but he didn't.
○O○
I reviewed the roster of LCDD personnel and selected a total of fourteen Bios and thirteen SUBs. With Dolph, Walker, and myself, I had a team of thirty. I then sent the list to the colonel via Ismay. I had reviewed over two hundred personnel files, selected twenty-seven, and accomplished this task inside half-an-hour. I was really learning to like this Ismay thing.
Dolph had completed his patrol of the previous night and was now in his rest and recovery period; he was sleeping. I asked the company first sergeant to inform me when he awakened.
I also took a few minutes to contact Walker. Through Ismay, I called his COMde. We spoke for six minutes and I never said a word aloud. He never knew I was not on a COMde myself. He said he saved my number and would call again later. "Walker, we need to face-to-face. I have a job offer for both you and Dolph."
○O○
Later that evening, the three of us met at the Crater House. I figured my friends would be hungry.
Dolph was ecstatic to see me. He jumped to his feet as he saw me enter the restaurant. He ran up and grabbed me by the forearms, and lapsing into German exclaimed, "Mein Freund ich bin so froh dich zu sehen! Uns wurde gesagt, du wärst tot. Sie Können sich nicht vorstellen, meine Freude, wenn Walker sagt mir, die Nachrichte!"
"It's good to see you too, Dolph," I said, smiling.
"I am sorry, my friend, you here is like a wunder, a miracle, no?"
"Yeah, I guess it is sort of a miracle."
We all sat down and our waiter showed up to take our orders. "What can I get you gentlemen?" he asked.
Dolph took a deep breath and said, "I would dearly enjoy a nice Schweinsbraten mit Knodelen und dunkel brot."
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't offer that dish; it is, however, available at the Cafe sur la lune. What I can offer you is a nice wurst plate and a dark wheat beer."
"Ausgezeichnet! I will please have it."
"And you, sir?" the waiter asked Walker.
"The chicken breast salad and a tea, please."
"And you, Staff Sergeant?"
"Nothing, thanks," I looked up at Dolph and Walker who were looking at me with their mouths open. "I already ate," I explained.
In one voice, they both said, "Staff Sergeant?"
"And when did this occur?" Dolph asked.
I fumbled with the small rank patch in the center of my blouse. "That's the reason I asked you two here."
I went on to explain the creation of the new squad, thirty individuals— to include me. "And of course, I'd want the two of you."
"Ich melde mich freiwillig!" Dolph said, rather excited. Walker turned to look at him. Dolph blushed a little and translated, "I volunteer."
"Good," I said, smiling, and then looked at Walker.
"Ja," Walker said, "me too, what did you expect?"
We were all just starting to fist bump when our entire world seemed to turn upside down all around us. Everything violently jogged to our left then back to the right. Everyone was thrown to the floor, food was tossed all around, pictures fell from the wall, tables fell over, interior walls cracked, several of the lights in the ceiling shorted out and showers of sparks flew everywhere. A low rumbling sound and a hard vibration came next, and then, the ground under the dome started to roll.
A woman near the restaurant's large bay window shouted, "Look!" We were about five meters from the window so I could see clearly. Several people started moving toward the window for a better look, but most started out of the restaurant, fearing the window would fail and everyone would be sucked out.
The three of us moved toward the window. Outside, we could see mountains crumbling like sand castles, new mountains slowly pushed their way up from below the surface. Million-year-old craters fell apart like a vibrating tray full of salt. Fissures opened up all around, most small, but some were huge like the fissure that stretched toward us out of Rima Milichius. Boulders the size of houses appeared out of nowhere. One rolled right past the window and impacted with the side of dome four.
A voice, calm but matter-of-fact, now boomed out, echoing through the domes. "All personnel, move directly to the nearest shelter. All personnel, move directly to the nearest shelter. LCDD personnel, attention, a code Kilo has been declared, I say again, a code Kilo has been declared. Move directly to your assigned stations."
"Let's go," Walker said, and he and Dolph bolted for the door. I stopped Walker. "Hey, I haven't been assigned a code Kilo job yet."
"Go to the Command Center," he told me, "they'll have a slot for you. Be careful, Matt. I'll see you later!"
As Walker and I started out of the restaurant, the dome jolted again knocking us to the floor, and we both heard the unmistakable sound of air screaming out of the dome into space. The restaurant's huge observation window was coming out of its mount. Red lights began to flash. We had ninety seconds to get out of the room. The pressure doors had already started to close and a large amount of beige-colored foam began to cascade down the wall above the window.
I indicated the tan foam and shouted to Walker, "What’s that?"
"Just run!" he shouted back. Once outside, we watched as pressure doors sealed the restaurant off.
"That stuff is EFS," Walker explained, "an Expanding Foam Sealant which is released into rooms that develop serious leaks that can't wait for normal repair. It will continue to fill the room until the leak stops. I hope everyone got out of there."
Another series of jolts and hard thumps shook the dome. The grand lobby was only about fifteen meters away; already a considerable amount of damage was evident. The quakes had toppled statues and brought a chandelier crashing down. It was this event that caused a crescendo in the noise made by the panicked people; everyone, it seemed, was running about, pushing, and screaming. The place was quickly turning into a mad house.
Walker and I were knocked down yet again by a movement of the lunar surface. When I got up, two men had started to fight just across the hall from us. I bolted over and grabbed the larger of the two, a man several centimeters taller than I and with perhaps nine kilos on me.
"Knock it off!" I shouted.
The large man pushed me hard and shouted, "Screw you, you little—"
I grabbed his right hand and pinched it between my thumb and forefinger. He tried to jerk it away but I pressed harder. He grabbed his wri
st and fell to his knees. "Now, listen to me. We have a panic here and you are part of the problem. You can either stop, or go through the rest of this quake with a broken hand. What-a-ya say?"
"Okay, okay!"
"Before I let you go, let me see your ID." He pulled it out of his shirt pocket.
I looked it over. "Bud Mudd, really? Okay, Mudd, if I hear you become a problem anywhere else, I will find you."
I turned Mudd lose, wished Walker luck, and we headed off in separate directions. I turned around as we parted; Walker was headed away, but looking over his shoulder at me. "You be careful, Jasper!" he shouted.
"You too, buddy!" I shouted back.
When I arrived at the Command Center, the place was jumping; people running all over the place, communications consoles were lit up like Christmas trees, computer screens were flickering, orders were being shouted, it looked a lot like mayhem. Of the thirty or so persons in the room, I saw perhaps eight identifiers—everyone else was a Bio. These personnel were manning various stations and shouting out information.
"I have cascading failures in grids seventeen through thirty-three."
"Three domes are total vacuums now, three more are venting, and we stand to lose an additional four."
"Domes forty-three, forty-four, and forty-five are completely separated from the complex now, and visual confirms forty-five is tilting at about twelve degrees toward the east."
"Colonel, I have an LPC that has departed dome seventeen and is headed west toward the cut off domes."
Colonel Wayne, who was standing with Mr. Peacock, shouted, "S-1, I want casualty reports as soon as you have them."
I wove through the crowd to the colonel. "Sir, I'm sorry, I don't have a code Kilo assignment."
"Sergeant, get your squad together and get over to the BSC. Report on the damage in areas eight, nine, and ten. You only need to go about three tiers in. I need to know if evacuation into the BSC is a viable option. And Strum, have your men draw weapons. Authorization; November, Romeo, Hotel."
"Yes, sir." I saluted and made a mass call over Ismay to all my SUBs and to the COMdes of my Bios.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Squad Strum has been activated. Move to armory three and draw weapons. Authorization; November, Romeo, Hotel."
○O○
Two hours later, we were all assembled at the entrance to the BSC, at a large set of pressure doors seven-and-a-half meters wide. They were closed. I called the Command Center over Ismay and asked they be opened.
"Sergeant Strum?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Lieutenant Evans—Charlie Yankee Bravo zero four three. Do you understand?" The lieutenant was telling me he is also a SUB.
"Roger that."
"We do not have hard line communications with the BSC, that's why you are doing a recon. You are to use your own personal interface to request the doors be opened."
"Request? Who do I have to ask?"
"You ask Ava, the new computer inside the BSC."
"Big Sister? I didn't think she was activated."
"She has had limited control of the BSC for some time. Without a hard Lima Lima to her, we cannot gain authorization."
"Okay, but I have one other problem—I'm with several Bios—they will see me—"
"Just tell them it's a Bio scanner if they ask. Good luck, Sergeant."
I walked to the pad on the wall next to an instrument panel that was currently dark. I placed my left hand on the pad. It flashed a pale green light. Over Ismay, I heard a voice, a very pleasant female voice. "Authorization approved. Welcome, Sergeant Mathew Strum—Mathew." There then came several clicking sounds. "How may I help you?"
I, of course, responded over Ismay. "Hello Ava, is there a life-sustaining environment beyond these doors?"
"Yes, Sergeant. The gases present include a 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, and a 0.03% carbon dioxide mix. This breathable atmosphere is at a pressure of 101.325 kPa, the temperature is twenty-four point four degrees Celsius, and humidity is at fifty-three percent."
"Ava, are you aware of the situation?"
"Yes, JILL is currently sustaining a series of Moon quakes and there has been considerable damage to the—"
"Ava, it may become necessary to use the BSC as a refuge. Can you confirm the structural integrity of the facility?"
"With the exception of a sublunar fissure below the BSC at section eleven tier eight, I can confirm the integrity of the remainder of the BSC."
"That's very good news, Ava. Please open the doors and admit my squad and me."
The pressure doors opened just enough to allow us to enter one individual at a time. Once we were beyond the doors, they closed.
Again, over Ismay, I asked, "Ava, are we still in contact?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Are there any dead communication zones you are aware of?"
"None."
"Will I have coms with the Command Center from anywhere in here?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Are you in communication with the Command Center?"
"They do not have authorization at this time to—"
"Thank you, Ava."
"You are welcome, Sergeant."
I broke the Squad into two teams in order to complete our mission. "Sergeant Babineau, take your section and check between nine and ten. I'll look between eight and nine. Com checks every half-hour."
"Oui, monsieur le Sergent," he responded, and he and his men took off at a trot.
Dolph leaned toward me and said, "The French, he is knowing the English, but not so good as me, no?"
"Ah…yeah. Well, let's get started." Another shock knocked us to the floor and the lights flickered. There came the sound of stressing metal and large, heavy objects falling over.
I quickly brought out a COMde that I carried on my belt for the benefit of the Bios. I made a big show of insuring it was on and checking the battery as I called out, over Ismay, "Sergeant Babineau, come in!" Silence. "Sergeant Babineau!"
Chapter 7
Suspicions
"Monsieur le Sergent, I am here, we are uninjured, how are you?"
"We're okay, out. Break, Ava, you okay?"
"I am unaffected, and I see you are uninjured." Interestingly, she responded over the COMde, and then reverted to Ismay. "Sergeant you have split your group in half and sent the others toward the northeast, may I inquire as to the nature of your assignment here?"
"I have been ordered to survey the BSC and report back to Command on its viability to sustain human life."
"I have already reported to you that such is the case. Do you doubt the veracity of my report?"
"Not at all, Ava, it's just orders."
"If I may be of assistance, please let me know."
"Thanks again, Ava."
The inspection of the BSC revealed it to be a considerable contrast to the domes of JILL. Many of JILL's domes, particularly those enclosing living areas, and dome number one, contained large rooms and a great deal of overhead space. There was very little chance of becoming claustrophobic. The BSC, on the other hand, was more like being in the interior of some vast battleship. There were few large spaces, but there were kilometers of passages, hallways, corridors and countless rooms, chambers and labs. Various portions were painted different colors. This may have had some significance I was unaware of, relating to the mission of that part of the facility, or it may have just been to break up the otherwise oppressive gray it would have been without the added colors. Most of these colors were cool, calm colors, but in some spots we found bright red, alert orange and combinations of screaming colors reminiscent of clothing fashions from the 2020s.
Regardless, we found the place completely intact, just as Ava said we would. Our inspection of this small section of the BSC took us thirty hours.
One of the other SUBs, a Corporal Josh Henderson had to remind me that the Bios were getting tired. So, at the seventeen-hour mark, I ordered an eight-hour break for sleep. As the Bios slept, I sent the SUBs out to continue the recon.
My two groups maintained contact on the half-hour, and I maintained contact with Control every hour.
When our inspection was complete, Colonel Wayne, over Ismay, instructed me to leave all my SUBs behind and to return with the Bios, relieve them, and order them to rest. Then I was instructed to return to the Control Center.
As I left the BSC and headed back to control through dome one, I had to pick my way through a considerable amount of wreckage. There was still smoke in the air that the filters had not yet removed, most likely because the filters were not all functioning. I wondered if the air was still fit for humans to breathe. That thought generated an atmospheric report in my mind. The bottom line of this report was that the air was still good. Next, I wondered what it smelled like, and just as I suspected I could smell the smoke in the air, and I knew instantly what the flames were using for fuel; Electrical insulation, plastic, magnesium, aerogel…I was amazed.
When I arrived at the Command Center, the madness of my last visit was gone and replaced by a professional sense of urgency.
As I entered, Colonel Wayne called to me. He was standing at the situation board with a civilian Bio I did not recognize.
"Good job in there, Sergeant," the Colonel said as we exchanged salutes. "Sergeant, I want you to meet Mr. Harry Linderman, JILL's chief of security, and now, the chief administrator."
I looked back and forth between the two men, but before I could ask the question, Linderman answered it for me. "Mr. Peacock has become ill and had to relinquish responsibility to me, in accordance with standard operating procedures."
"Doesn’t the SOP designate Mr. Rollow as second in the chain of authority?" I asked.
"He didn't make it." Linderman said softly.
"I see. How can I be of service?"
"Sergeant," Linderman continued, "we are going to a location which the Colonel and I want you to be aware."
"Me, sir?" I asked.
"Yes, Sergeant. In light of your new position as chief of security in the BSC," the Colonel added.
We walked back to the BSC, slowly picking our way through the rubble. Linderman, being a Bio, moved rather slower than the Colonel and I could, so he set the pace. As soon as we were alone in the ruins of dome one, the Colonel and Linderman stopped, and the Colonel called to me to join the two of them in a rather close huddle.
The Battle of Broken Moon Page 9