Luke Marusiak - Lifeboat Moon

“I’d prefer we do this in eighty minutes,” Chuck said. “Maybe an extra ten minute buffer isn’t such a bad idea.”

Thad found it interesting that Chuck of all people would want to make sure they had adequate air. “I took into account our increased heartrate from the work we’re doing but we’ll do an air gauge check in forty-five minutes. If we need to cut this moonwalk short, we will.”

“I’m getting that archive.” Zeke’s voice came over the communications channel with firm determination.

“Let’s get to it,” Thad said.

Chuck, no matter what else he may have been, was an efficient planner. He rolled the trailer to the outermost stack of supply containers, timed himself in loading one, and calculated how long it would take to finish. “We should have all supply containers loaded within sixty minutes.”

“Good — Zeke, I’ll help you retrieve the archive.” Thad saw Zeke was already bounding toward the depression of the University Pod’s collapse. He bounded to the buggy, grabbed a shovel, and bounded in long hops following Zeke.

Zeke slid down the University Pod depression just as Thad got to the edge. “Look at how small this pod was,” Zeke said. “It’s no bigger than a study and yet it has whatever remains of our human culture.”

Thad slid down the side of the depression next to Zeke. His spacesuit took two cleanings after investigating the director’s quarters. He made a mental note to remind Mark and Jerry to prioritize making new spacesuits from the regolith. At the rate of wear, their earth-produced spacesuits would be unusable long before the nickel-metal hydride moon buggy batteries failed. There was nothing but a mound of moon dust over what was the center of the University Pod. “Let’s start digging.”

Zeke scooped handfuls and Thad scooped shovelfuls of talc-like moon dust away from the crushed hull of the University Pod. The director’s quarters had an excavating burst of depressurization that cleared a lot of debris. There was no such luck with the University Pod. The pod and its archive of human culture were buried deep.

“Thad, this is Mark.” Thad’s other communication channel signaled. The repeater worked well.

Thad used his implant signaler to switch communication channels. “This is Thad, go ahead.”

“Sally and I are in the buggy and proceeding down the ledge. Do you have the light to mark the spot for the second air reactor placement?”

“Not yet,” Thad replied. “Chuck’s collecting the supply containers and Zeke and I are digging for the archive at the University Pod.”

“If you can get the light positioned in the next twenty minutes, I can spot you from the cave entrance.”

That must’ve been a recent discussion because it wasn’t in the original mission plans for their backside of the crater work. “I wasn’t planning on coordinating the timing of the light placement.”

“Sally suggested it. It makes sense and it’ll be good to see your light from the cave entrance.”

“It’s going to take me ten to fifteen minutes to get to the lip of the crater. You want it directly over the cave entrance?”

“No, we need it off to the side. That way we can start locating the equipment for the second air reactor on the crater as well as run an air tube down to the cave. I’d like to start pressurizing the cave as soon as we complete the mapping.”

“That makes sense. There’s no telling how long Moon Base Armstrong will be stable. I’m working it.”

“Finally, there’s the top of the pod.” Zeke had no inkling of the conversation between Mark and Thad.

Thad switched communications channels. “Zeke, I’ve got to let you to this while I place the light for the second air reactor. Mark wants to spot it from the cave entrance.”

Zeke’s voice came back in a breathless tone. “Okay, but we’ve got to get this archive. Can you help me pry this open with your pick before you go?”

“Okay, step back,” Thad said. Zeke remained fixed in place. “I said step back and I’ll rap the hull seam.”

“I can’t. My feet are glued in place.”

“What?” Thad looked down and noted the talc-like moon dust they excavated from the mound was halfway up his calf. He tried to lift his foot and found he was, like Zeke, fixed in place. “I’m stuck too. We need to dig ourselves out.”

“We’re not skilled in this type of lunar regolith work.”

Thad took a video of the scene that included his cemented-in-place feet. He crouched and started scooping the dust away from his calves. After five minutes he was able to extract his feet and move around. “We’ve got to be careful.”

“A little help over here,” Zeke’s voice was tinged with panic.

“I got you Zeke. No problem.” Thad was able to quickly remove enough dust for Zeke to move. “Now step back.” When Zeke backed away Thad hammered the University Pod hull seam with three strong blows from his pick. On the third strike the seam sighed open with a white puff of moon dust. “We’re trashing our spacesuits.” Thad turned to Zeke. “You got this from here?”

“I think so. Can you leave your pick?”

“Yes, but keep lifting your feet so you don’t get stuck.”

“I will.”

Thad took two small jumps and was out of the University Pod depression. “Chuck, I need to place a light on the crater lip above the cave. Mark’s going to spot me.”

“I’ve got the trailer loaded with the supplies. I’ll bring the buggy with the two air reactor containers to you.”

Thad was pleased at Chuck’s workmanlike execution. “I’ll wait here.” He turned and saw Zeke was making good progress opening the hull that once sealed them all from the vacuum of space. This is a tenuous grip on survival , he thought. He wasn’t despairing but when his feet were trapped for those few moments, he had to push genuine alarm away.

Chuck rolled up in the moon buggy. Two supply containers were strapped to the sides. “Captain Rudzinski, your ride awaits.”

“Let’s get this light placed. Mark’s probably waiting on us.”

The lip of the crater with ridged contrasts of bright edges separated by ink-black shadows looked steep and foreboding. Mark felt a rush of anxiety and struggled to push it away. There was nothing to do but keep moving, keep acting, keep facing this awful vacuum of space until either you conquered it or it conquered you. Where the hell is Thad? He knew it would take time for him to set up the light but the wait was stretching on and consuming their precious, oh so precious, air supply.

“What do you think of the pure oxygen protocols Japan Station sent over?” Sally’s voice was calm.

“I don’t know,” Mark answered. “We aren’t used to acting that way. And we don’t know…” He left the sentence unfinished.

“Yeah,” Sally replied. “One person with a grudge would only need a single spark.”

“Mark, this is Thad. Chuck and I are in position. Are you at the cave entrance?”

“We are,” Mark replied. “Go ahead and shine the light.”

“Okay — here goes.”

There was a pause of a full minute. Mark saw some debris roll down the crater wall. Then a bright ray of light streaked sideways across the shadows of the crater. There was a warm feeling in seeing the light from the backside crater crew. It was the first time since the gamma ray burst that a multi-crew effort was attempted.

“I see it,” Sally said. “There they are.”

“Can you point the light down?” Mark asked.

“This crater edge is powdery, I got Chuck to hold me in a harness so I don’t go sliding down.”

“Can you see the ledge?”

“No, we’re in bright light up here. All I see below is a dark abyss… and I don’t want to fall into it.”