Alone in the Dark, page 18
part #3 of Lunar Age Series
I grinned and gave Sam the thumbs up. She was charging up the paved road at forty five kilometers an hour. It seemed fast but I knew once we were back on the trail that Sam would drop it down to a more sedate forty and if the road got rough we’d be slogging along at thirty five. We were almost to the top of the grade when I remembered the Logan project scouts that Psuche Neural had loaned us.
“Sam, we never did see the scouts. What the heck happened to them?”
“I suspect that Psuche didn’t want the Chinese to see them. We know they completed the route because there’s a beacon just short of the point where the trail joins this road. When we pass it, I’m sure we’ll get a fresh update. The scouts are probably in a nice sunny spot charging their batteries. When we hit the beacon, I bet they get a signal back. They’ll pack up and start moving back up the trail looking for any changes we need to know about.”
“There shouldn’t be any updates, right? I mean we just traveled this trail two days ago.”
“I don’t think they’ll be any changes, however, remember that rock? Other rocks could have rolled down since we passed that way. There could even be new craters in our path. Just because we were just here, doesn’t mean the trail hasn’t changed, hey. It’s going to get trickier to notice, too. The sun is going down now and the shadows are getting longer. When you’re driving, keep an eye out for things and don’t get complacent.”
We did pick up a fresh update from the beacon as Sam had predicted. After what Sam had said, it was comforting to know the scouts were out there, ranging ahead and looking out for us. I kept Sam’s words firmly in mind whenever it was my turn to drive. Each day came and went with the same driving cycles we had used before. We passed the spot near Trumpler where we had the accident with the falling rock with no problems. We made it up the chain of craters and past Shayn to camp outside the walled plain of d'Alembert with no problems. When trouble finally did find us, it was totally unexpected and far beyond our wildest expectations, but I finally got to see a Logan scout.
DETOUR
We had left Tikhov and Avogadro craters to our south and were about an hour away from Karpinskiy where we would pick up the radio repeater coverage and we’d be back in contact with the Habitat. Ten days away was enough time that I was really excited to get back in touch with my friends and family and see what everyone I left behind had been up to. Suddenly, an alarm started squealing and I hit the brakes.
“What’s going on, Sam? I don’t see any red lights on the equipment.”
“Hang on a second, hey. It looks like we just passed a beacon and got an emergency update. That’s what set the alarm off. There’s a messa…”
“Sam, what’s going on?”
“There’s a message. It says there’s trouble at the Habitat. We’re to shut down the radios and our E-Pads so we don’t accidentally let anyone know we are here. It says to follow the Scout.”
I looked back out the front window and there ten meters in front of us was one of the Logan project’s Scouts. At first glance, it reminded me of Kat except for being fur less. Then the scale kicked in and I realized that the scout was much larger and more powerfully built than Kat. Walking along, it was clear the Scout shared similar, yet more robust proportions to Kat. It’s back stood a meter tall and its head was fully thirty centimeters long. A sleek synthetic skin covered the creature and concealed the inner mechanisms. At first I couldn’t understand why the designers at Psuche Neural had bothered with a skin for a purely artificial and functional mechanism like a scout. It seemed like a waste of time. Then I realized that the scouts would spend many hours traversing the lunar waste where dust would be a continual hazard. The skin shielded the internals of the scout from the dust and made it easier to clean off any dust the scout did pick up.
The scout was gazing at us with its electronic eyes and I could see its tail swishing slowly back and forth as it waited on us. I looked at Sam and she said, “No sense keeping it waiting. Follow it, but don’t get too close, hey. I’ll shut down the radios and our E-Pads.”
I slowly started the rover up and the scout gave us one last look before it started off down the trail. The trail led up a small hill and then descended into a modest valley beyond. Sitting there next to the trail was a CLT30. I inadvertently stopped the rover as soon as the CLT30 came into view. The only CLT30 that I knew about on the Moon was still sitting wrecked on the landing pad at the Habitat. The other CLT30s were all in Earth orbit in various states of disrepair waiting for their turn at the Denali orbital facility in LEO. There were no markings on its pure white shell. There was nothing to say who this ship belonged to at a time when most owners were proudly plastering their logos across the fuselage to promote their brand in an eye catching way.
I heard Sam cough next to me and started the rover back up. When I got to the base of the hill and was coming up on the CLT30, there was a ping from the console so I stopped again.
Sam said, “It says for both teams to come aboard for a briefing. We’ll need to hook up with Rover One. Go ahead and pull up there past the ship in the clear. Sandy can hook us up via the rear air lock and we’ll transfer over to Rover One.”
I did as Sam asked and shortly after that, the rover shook slightly and there were clunks coming from the rear of the rover as the airlocks mated.
“Put the rover into standby mode while I go see to the lock.”
I shut the rover down as Sam had asked. I grabbed my helmet from the rack and brought it with me to the rear where Sam had just opened our side of the lock. The Major was peering through from the other side and said, “Come on aboard. Let’s go see what this is all about.”
Once we were all aboard Rover One, Sandy maneuvered the rover over to the CLT30 and backed it up to the lower lock area. As soon as he had the rover in the right location, he hit the lift switch to raise the cabin up to the same level as the lock. With that done, both locks, extended until they were fully mated. The Major worked the lock and soon had our door open. He rapped twice on the CLT30 lock door and it swung open to reveal a man in a military uniform. The man said come aboard please, and then climbed back up the lower lock trunk to the main cabin.
The Major led the four of us up the trunk. I was the last to emerge into the main cabin and I was greeted with the sight of a room full of warriors. A very buff man that looked older than the rest came up to the Major and said, “Sorry to interrupt your trip, Major Steelings. I’m Lieutenant David Hughes, US Space Force.”
The Lieutenant looked at Sandy and Sam and said, “And you would be Sandoval Mussconny. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“Please, just call me Sandy”
“Yes, sir.”
With that, he turned to Sam and said, “Welcome aboard, Sargent Tanner. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Thank you, sir. I look back fondly on my time with the Marines.”
I just gawked at Sam. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember Nina or maybe my mom saying that Sam used to be in the Marines. It was really strange to hear the Lieutenant addressing her as Sergeant.
The Lieutenant turned to me and said, “You would be Bryce Burns. You’ve compiled quite an impressive resume these last couple of years, young man.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Major Steelings called an end to the pleasantries by saying, “Alright Lieutenant. What’s got you and what looks like a platoon of Marines sitting out here in the middle of nowhere waiting for us? What’s going on?”
“What’s going on, Major, is that since you left on your humanitarian mission, things have gone down hill at NLH and Peary. There have been hostages taken, including the UN monitors, and a group calling themselves the Worker’s Council have presented NASA with a list of demands. That’s bad enough, but they’ve taken over the launch control facility for the accelerator and are holding the hostages there. The thought of these guys chunking a big rock or two at Earth has the politicians upset.”
Major Steelings grunted and said, “It’s not that easy to drop a rock at a precise place on Earth from the accelerator, but I guess the politicos have never let reason stand in their way before. Have these people given any indication that they’re thinking about using the accelerator?”
“No, sir. However, that could change at any minute and the diplomats are upset with the US over the UN Monitors being held and the possibility that we would let just anyone get access to the accelerator. The President tasked the joint chiefs with resolving this. My men and I have orders to rescue the hostages and regain control of the launch facility. I have permission to use lethal force if needed, but my orders specifically call out keeping any casualties to an absolute minimum. Major, you and your group are uniquely qualified to help us be successful, especially with keeping the casualties to a minimum. Can I count on your help?”
Major Steelings looked the Lieutenant straight in the eye and said, “Of course, Lieutenant, you have our full support. Let’s start off with you reading us in on the timeline. I’d also like to know who the hostages are and precisely where they are being held.”
The Lieutenant laid the ugly story out for us. The day we left, NASA was able to restore limited radio communications back to NLH and Peary. The ESA’s Village was also brought back online. When the news came out that day that we had left overland with the food, there were actually protests in the cafeteria at NLH and at Peary. The following day, there were more protests which got out of hand when a news item came across the net that ESA was worried about the supply situation at the Village. People became convinced that the food situation at NLH and Peary was going to get even worse as we were forced to feed not only the Observatory, but the ESA’s Village, also. That night, a group of people kidnapped Security Chief Demarco Turay and put two of his men in the hospital with severe beatings. Next, they captured Dr. Johnson, Dr. Belvert, and Dr. Burns.”
Lieutenant Hughes looked at me and said, “Sorry, Bryce. The reports say the hostages were roughed up a little when they were taken, but otherwise are being treated okay. Your dad tried to defend your mom and was beaten. He was taken to the hospital, treated, and released. I’m sorry I don’t have more information for you.”
I was in shock that Mom had been taken and Dad had been injured. The ironic thing to me is the reason they sent me on this journey was to protect me from harm, yet it was the two of them that would have been safer if they had gone. I just mumbled, “Don’t worry about it.”
“Later, they made a sweep of the UN Monitor quarters and rounded up the Monitors. The spouses and kids were left alone. They transported them all back to the Transship Station where they are being held in the cafeteria. The instigators are using Dr. Johnson to present their demands to NASA. They are demanding that the administration of NLH and Peary be replaced. They also want the residents of NLH and Peary to be better fed and have a say in how they are fed. To that end, they are demanding that CDB Farms be turned into a public entity controlled by a citizen’s council. They want the same council to take over administration of both NLH and Peary. Finally, they want the members of their group to be held blame free and pardoned of any current or future charges.”
The Major said, “They’re probably using the Transship Station because it’s shut down right now and easy to control access to it. That actually works to our advantage as loads have been backing up in the Payload Preparation Room. That should provide plenty of cover to get your men in close to the cafeteria there. Who is leading these people and how are these guys armed?”
“The leader has been identified as Regina Dawson. When she’s not busy kidnapping people, she’s a Quality Control Inspector for DataCo. Her records don’t show any signs of trouble since she’s been here, although she’s got a bit of a short temper. Back on Earth there were some minor run ins with the law back when she was younger. Her dad was big into the organized labor movement and the arrests were all while she was working with her dad. Probably where she got the skills to organize what happened here. How she got a hold of weapons is an interesting question we don’t have an answer for yet.
What we do know, is it looks like the ones holding the hostages are armed with re-loadable single shot rail gun rifles and some single use pistols. There’s some outliers that are armed with edged weapons or the stun sticks they picked off security. They probably 3D printed the rail guns and pistols from an unmonitored printer at one of the construction areas in Peary. They can use metal slugs for the bullets which are easy to obtain. The power for the rifles is most likely the power packs for their portable tools. It’s clunky, but if you’re staring down the barrel of one, it really doesn’t matter if the guy’s only got one shot. The pistols probably use a small piece of a demolition charge to fire the bullet. It’s kind of primitive, but again, if you’re looking down the wrong end of it, it’s effective enough.”
Sam, the Major, and the Lieutenant settled in for a long discussion on the pros and cons of different approaches to freeing the hostages. Sandy and I were left to our own devices. One of the Marines approached us and asked if we’d like to take a look at the messages in the queue for us. They had located the nearest repeater and had hacked into it so they could monitor what was going on back at the Habitat. The repeater had a queue of messages waiting for us to return. It wasn’t as nice as being able to just get online with my E-Pad, but at least it was some news. He handed Sandy a military style E-Pad and showed him how to access his messages. Sandy read for a while and then handed me the pad. I checked and I had a message from my mom from before she was taken. I had a message from my dad the next day, and then three messages from Myra.
The message from my mom was brief, she just wanted to say she loved me and that the events of the day, referring to the protests, convinced her even further that she and my dad had made the right decision in sending me off. The message from my dad was hard to listen to. His face was bruised up, but he wanted to tell me he loved me and that Mom would be okay. I was to contact him as soon as I got back. Myra’s messages were a string of puzzling updates about Kat. The first came in not long after we had left the repeater coverage area and just said Kat was still missing and she would follow up with Dr. Ashton as I had suggested. The next message was that Kat was still gone and she had found Psuche Neural closed for the day with no sign of Dr. Ashton. She said she had heard that Psuche had been the victim of a hacking attack that was part of a much larger attack against NASA facilities. Myra sounded worried in the last message. Kat had been missing for three days. She stopped back by Psuche and found the office open, however no one had seen or heard from Dr. Ashton since before the cyber attack. She didn’t know what to do.
DOWN TIME
It was late by the time the Major, Sam, and the Lieutenant finally came up for air. The Lieutenant said, “This looks like a start on a workable plan. Any final questions?”
The Major gave him a long appraising look and said, “Just two. Number one is you’re a little long in the tooth to be just a Lieutenant. What’s the story on that? Number two, this is a high profile mission and yet by my count you’re a man short. Why?”
“The answer to the first question is I was a Major in the Marines when the decision was made to bolster the Space Force with a tactical operations unit. Because of the nature of the operations the unit will be tasked with, it made the most sense that Marines fill that role. Space Force is still the smallest of our armed forces and the slot on the organization chart for the unit says it’s commanded by a Lieutenant. I took a reduction in rank so I could take the slot.”
The major smiled and said, “You wanted to write the book.”
“Yes, sir. These aren’t just Marines. They are the first true Space Marines. Maybe it’s a little hokey, but whoever commands this unit will be in the prime position to write the books on tactics and operations for what will eventually a much larger organization. I thought it was well worth the sacrifice.”
The Major nodded and then said, “And question two?”
“I was given my orders and told I had twenty nine seats to fill, Major. Anything else is above my, and your pay grade.” The man didn’t look happy saying that. I wasn’t totally sure what he meant, however, it was clear that more was going on than met the eye.
The Major just stared at the Lieutenant for a moment and then said, “Understood,” as he shook his head.
Everyone was tired so we decided to break up for the evening and resume planning first thing in the morning. Since space was limited on the CLT30 with the Marines and all their gear, the four of us were going back to our bunks on the rovers. When Sam and I finally made it back to Rover Two, we got ready for bed and lay down on our bunks. There were some questions that had been bothering me and now that we were alone, I felt comfortable asking Sam.
“Sam, why are the Lieutenant and his men calling you Sargent. You’re not still in the Marines now, are you?”
“The Marines are a little different from the other branches of the service. They’re a tight knit group that’s used to doing more with less. They say you can leave the Marines, but that once a Marine, always a Marine. So the Lieutenant and his men are honoring my past service by using my rank from when I left the Marines.”
“What did the Lieutenant mean when he said he had twenty nine seats to fill and anything else was above his and the Major’s pay grade?”
“You noticed that, hey.”
“Yeah, what’s it mean?”
“It was the Lieutenant’s not so discrete way of telling us that someone else is aboard that CLT30. A standard Marine platoon adds up to thirty people. The LT had to leave someone behind which didn’t sit well with him. He has an important job to do and yet somebody else has enough juice behind them that they were able to shortchange him. He can’t be happy about that.”
