Luke Marusiak - Lifeboat Moon

“He must’ve found out we discovered him,” Sally’s voice came over the earpiece. “And Doug decided he couldn’t wait.”

“He somehow used relayed signals,” Chuck added. “I almost missed them. The earliest pod is going to crash into Moon Base Armstrong’s solar array in fifty-six minutes. The next pod hits Japan Station in sixty-four minutes and the last is due to hit the Nexus in seventy minutes.”

Mark bounded next to Yumi who had received the same dire communications from Japan Station. He pointed to the netting on the wall. “Would that shield a beacon signal?”

“What?”

“Director Kaneko, would that net shield a supply pod beacon signal?”

“Yes but why?”

“Do you have any of that RF shield netting left in Japan Station?”

“We do.”

“Cover as much of the ceiling of Japan Station as you can,” Mark said, “lock onto the pod coming down toward you, direct it to yaw ninety degrees, and light the thrusters.” Major Martelli’s military mind was in emergency response mode. After the pod crash, he’d mentally rehearsed over and again how he’d handle another sabotaged supply pod. He knew, if he could break the beacon lock, they could force the pods off target.

“I see,” Yumi said. “But the pod will crash.”

“We can get the supplies later, we just need to make sure they don’t crash into us.” Mark pointed to the net. “I need that for the Nexus.”

“Take it. I’ll communicate this approach to Director Hayashi for his approval.”

“Listen damnit! We only have time to execute. Do this now.”

Captain Kaneko sucked in a large breath of the new cave air. No one in JAXA or Moon Base Armstrong had ever talked to her in this way. “I understand.”

Mark bounded to the net next to Japan Station and pulled it off the wall. “Thad help me.”

Thad came alongside and assisted in bundling the net. “What are you going to do with this?”

“If we can break the signals the pods are using as a beacon, we can manually direct them away. This net is for the Nexus.”

“What about the air reactor and solar array?”

“That’s for you.”

“For me?”

“Load up a new air tank, take a moon buggy to the air reactor, and find the beacon that Doug must’ve planted. Destroy it so I can direct the pod away.”

“What if I can’t find it?”

“Thad we have no time for doubts. The beacon’s probably battery operated. Use your static charge thermal sensor. You have to find it or we’re finished.”

“On it.” Thad bounded toward the Manufacturing Area.

Mark put the bundled net under his arm. “Captain Kaneko, you got Japan Station?”

“Yes Major Martelli. We’re executing your plan.”

Jerry and Thad came out of the Manufacturing Area. Thad was fitting two air tanks to his suit. “Mark,” Jerry asked, “what do you need me to do?”

“Is the tube pressurized?”

“Not fully. We only put the nitrogen in the caves. The lowest pressure in a tube section is at 400 Torr.”

“Can people breathe in that low of pressure?”

“Not without conditioning. 400 Torr is about the pressure of the Mount Everest basecamp.”

Mark nodded. “Okay, we’ll need to get Moon Base Armstrong’s remaining crew in here. I’ll have them use their one and only emergency air mask from their quarters and evacuate through the tube. That’s another hundred people. Jerry, I want you to direct them the moment they come through the lock. We need to keep everyone calm and focused.”

“Will do.”

“Thad are you ready?”

“I am.”

“Let’s go.”

“Mark, take another air tank for your suit.” Thad extended it. “Just in case.”

Mark grabbed the tank and, carrying the RF net and tank, bounded with Thad to the lock. He attached the fresh air tank to his spacesuit, donned his helmet, and verified the seal. The communications channel to Thad was already open. “Let’s go. We’re on the clock.”

Thad and Mark went into the small lock, depressurized it, and then exited the as yet unnamed cave moon base. They went to the moon buggy. “You drive,” Mark said. “Drop me off at the entrance to Moon Base Armstrong and head to the air reactor and solar array.”

Thad hopped into the driver side of the moon buggy and drove alongside the plexiglass tube. Mark watched the tube as it whizzed by and reckoned that, as long as a person had heat and air, they could get through it.

“Here we are,” Thad said. He stopped the buggy.

Mark looked at the clock in his helmet display. “You’ll have thirty-five to forty minutes tops. You have to find and destroy that beacon. I’ll be in the control room and direct the pod away.”

“You know, even when the pod is directed away from our critical areas, this place is going to shake like hell when they crash.”

“Can’t be helped. We’ll deal with that after we avoid the direct hits. Find the beacon.” Mark jumped off the buggy with his bundled net and sprang for the entrance of Moon Base Armstrong. “Good luck Thad.”

“You too.” Thad drove off in the moon buggy toward the critical solar array and its powered air reactor.

Sally opened the hatch and Mark entered Moon Base Armstrong hangar in a rush. He unhooked his helmet the moment the pressure equalized. “Sally and Chuck we’ve got to move fast.” Mark bounded up to the control room and looked at the status monitor.

“We can’t figure out how this happened,” Chuck said. “We gave no commands to the pods from here.”

“I know. It must have been Doug. I’m going to seal Doug in his quarters while we deal with this.” He turned to Sally. “The moment I turn this barrel key in Doug’s quarters I want you to sound the alarm. Every member of Moon Base Armstrong’s crew is to grab their emergency air and assemble in the hangar.”

Sally stared at Mark with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? We have no chance to avoid the pod crash?”

“We do but the crashes are going to rattle this fragile base. You have forty minutes to get a hundred people through the tubes and into the caves.”

Chuck gaped. “An evacuation is our only hope? There’s no way to stop the pods?”

Mark turned to Chuck. “We have one slim chance.” He handed Chuck the roll that looked like fine netting. “Get in there and pin this to the ceiling hangers of the Nexus. It’ll shield RF frequencies and we might be able to break the beacon lock to the pod.” As soon as I have control of a pod, I’ll yaw it ninety degrees and light the thrusters.”

“You’ll change the pod’s course by doing that but it’ll still crash,” Sally said. “I see why we have to evacuate.”

Chuck grabbed the net. “What about the pod heading toward the air reactor?”

“That’s top priority. Thad’s heading out there to find the beacon. Once he destroys it I’ll deflect that pod’s course.” Mark projected a confident tone that masked his misgivings.

“What if we see Doug?” Chuck asked.

“Let’s get in there. I want to seal Doug in his quarters so we limit his mischief.”

Mark led Sally and Chuck through the hatch and into the Nexus. All three bounded to the Habitation Tube Three hatch. “Doug’s quarters is in there,” Mark said. “I visited him a couple of days ago.” He toggled the switch for Habitation Tube Three’s double hatch and nothing happened.

“Doug may have intentionally sealed those in Habitation Tube Three,” Chuck said.

“The alarm will open it,” Mark said.

“I’m on it.” Sally bounded away from Habitation Tube Three and to the Nexus control panel. She flipped open a button shield and punched the red evacuation button. It was an odd thing — an evacuation button on their one and only moon base. NASA planned on a multi-base interconnected network. The evacuation button Sally pressed was one last vestige of that plan.