Luke Marusiak - Lifeboat Moon

“Are you certain you’ve contained the problem?” Katsumi asked.

That was the last question Mark wanted teed up first but there was no dodging the seriousness in Katsumi’s tone. “No. We found a software algorithm — a daemon — and know remotes are missing.”

“Have you removed the algorithm and has your search found the missing remotes?”

Again, the direct questions were disconcerting. There was an embedded presumption in the questions that carried a not-so-subtle threat. “We’ve removed the algorithm we found but are concerned there may be several Trojan horse viruses in our control system that will override controls and still crash the supply pod.”

“There is imminent danger to Japan Station. Have you arrested the guilty parties?”

“There’s also danger to Moon Base Armstrong. We found evidence the Nexus is also a target.”

“Please answer the director’s question,” Yumi insisted. “Have you arrested the guilty parties?”

“No. We know Shift Manager Douglas Graham is the primary leader of our enemies,” Mark said. “We don’t know if he has help. We don’t know if we can find his Trojan horse viruses — the daemons or the remotes. We’ve come up with a plan to get more information.”

“And what is this plan you’ve concocted? What is this delay in action while both our moon bases and the survival of the human race hangs in the balance?”

“We are going to have someone gain Doug’s trust. We are going to have someone gain his trust so Doug confides all his plans and we can defeat them.”

“Who is this someone?” Director Katsumi Hayashi’s voice dripped acid.

“Shift Supervisor Charles Tully. We have Shift Manager Sally Ride Henderson and newly appointed Shift Supervisor James Staid keeping a close eye on both Doug and Chuck. We believe the best chance we have — we both have — is for Doug to share his plans with Chuck. Once we know Doug’s plans and methods, we’ll be able to counteract them.”

“You’re trusting our future with someone you already know committed sabotage. How can that be your plan?”

“I’m also trusting my partner, Sally Ride Henderson. I’m also trusting Jim Staid.”

“We know little of James Staid other than he was working in the Manufacturing Pod.”

“He’s trustworthy because he too has a partner — Gitanjali Chatterjee. That’s the basis of our plan. Those with hope, those who fight the monster of despair have partners they rely on — much like the partnership you Director Hayashi have with Captain Kaneko.”

“You believe our relationship is not professional?”

“I believe the only way we survive is if we understand human relationships must also be personal. The only way we survive is if we trust and we love.”

“In Japan, we would get kicked out of JAXA space program if we spouted such naïve sentiment.”

“In the United States, we would get kicked out of NASA for saying that as well. But we know there is no JAXA and there is no NASA. There is no earth. Our loyalties can only be to those among us. Only then and only with love can we overcome our challenges and survive. I believe it has always been that way.”

“We must get people living in the cave as soon as possible,” Yumi said.

“What are you thinking Captain Kaneko?” Katsumi asked.

“Our best defense is to build a lunar cave community at the same time we isolate any who are taken by despair.”

“You agree with Major Martelli’s plan to place our lives in the hands of Charles Tully?”

“We are placing our lives in the hands of Major Martelli,” Yumi replied.

“I do not like this situation,” Katsumi said.

“Director, I do not like it either. But we in Japan Station also have those taken with despair. The discipline of our culture is fraying. We must reckon with the fact our exterior bases are vulnerable from dissenters in both Moon Base Armstrong and Japan Station. We only populate the cave with those who believe in our future.”

“How long have you harbored such thoughts Captain Kaneko?”

Mark listened in rapt attention. It was rare to hear direct give and take conversation with any members of JAXA. They’d always presented a united front — particularly in English. This was something he’d never seen before. The moon’s new inhabitants were already changing, adapting, and evolving into something different from where they began. The gamma ray burst not only destroyed the earth, it also destroyed the social conventions that took several millennia to construct.

“I do not like his plan either Director,” Yumi said. “But Major Martelli is right. We must trust and we must unite those among us who do trust. The pod crash may have revealed our worst selves but it also revealed the cave. The cave will be our salvation.”

After a long pause, Director Katsumi Hayashi assented. “Let it be as you say. We’ll make the cave our home with what equipment we have. The supply pods stay in orbit.”

“Thank you,” Mark said. “I appreciate your trust.”

“It is only because we have no choice,” the director said. “And this risk is for humanity itself.”

Work accelerated to make the lunar cave habitable. The division of labor between the two stations was arranged in a much quicker fashion than Mark could’ve imagined. After life-giving air, water was the prime ingredient the cave needed. Japan Station shunted a water pipe to the cave and Thad got Moon Base Armstrong’s water well working. All of the water on Moon Base Armstrong’s side of Shackleton Crater was routed straight to the cave. Water enabled the preparation inside the cave to proceed with speed.

Tina Bennett worked with Japan Station’s agriculture specialist to add rice to the bland mix of lettuce, potatoes, wheat, rapeseed, and soybeans. They used the caved-in portion of Cave Branch One as lunar mulch and leveled the crusted rock into rows. The addition of air from Japan Station got the caves up to 400 Torr within a week. They were a week away from the atmospheric earth pressure of 760 Torr.

Thad, Zeke, Habi and Jerry moved equipment they scavenged from the destroyed Habitation Tube One into the caves. Then they moved to the stored equipment.

“All equipment from Habitation Tube Three should be relocated here.” Zeke turned to Jerry. “Jim recommends we also gut the Manufacturing Pod and put everything in here. Do you agree?”

“I do,” Jerry said. “I love this sub-branch in Cave Branch Two that we’ve designated for manufacturing.” He pointed to the dark recesses. “But we need to finish our illumination strips.”

“It was a good idea to dedicate Cave Branch Two to the Moon Base Armstrong crew and Cave Branch Three to the Japan Station crew,” Habi said. “We have this large entrance and Cave Branch One as common areas.”

“We need more power,” Thad said. “We have enough stored solar panels and cable to put an array right above the mouth of the cave. We can get that going while we wait for the air reactor.”

Mark listened to the discussion on the open channel from his vantage point watching excavated moon dirt being leveled in Cave Branch One. He bounded a couple times, exited Cave Branch One, and came alongside Thad. Everyone wasn’t in on the plan to deceive Doug and that caused friction between the fast moving cave preparation and the slow moving installation of the requisite power and air. It was a puzzle to many that water supply was solved before air and electricity.

“Speak of the devil,” Thad said when Mark got close enough for him to see the insignia on his spacesuit. “When are we going to get the air reactor from the supply pod down here?”

“We’re going to get initial habitation underway without it,” Mark answered. “Both Japan Station and we agree that it’s best to get members of both crews safe in the cave before bringing down another pod.”