Andre read the words on the side of the lunar vehicle the engineers had affectionately named the "Hog." "Lunar Energy Solutions." They were printed in black against the red color of the vehicle. The bright red had been chosen to stand out on the rocky lunar surface in case of emergencies. Andre wondered about the employees of Lunar Energy Solutions, the ones on Earth, even the one who had picked the ugly color for the Hog. What are they doing right now? he thought. Are they even alive?
Vadim walked over beside Andre. "You alright?"
"Yeah. I've just been thinking about what comes next. I mean, once we get back, what do we do then?"
"One thing at a time, Andre. We can go whenever you're ready."
"Everything's all set?"
"Pod's fixed, food's packed, and I convinced them to give us a few spare energy cells. They have enough power to last them forty years, even without solar energy. Our situation is a bit less predictable."
"Good. And we have enough fuel this time?"
Vadim nodded. "The guys here ran some tests. We re-calibrated the pod so it should be much more accurate. This time the trip will take us an extra ten hours, to be on the safe side. Andre, I know I already said it, but I'm sorry about what happened up there."
"Wasn't your fault."
"No, I panicked. I never should have increased the burn. It was stupid."
"We survived, Vadim. No one else could've pulled this off. Thanks to you, everyone back on the station doesn't have to starve."
"Okay," Vadim said, unconvinced. "Well, I think it's time we got off this rock."
They made their way over to the other side of the garage, where the pod was lying. When the two of them were inside, the engineers would tow them out of the garage and into the launch position. They said their goodbyes to the engineers, shared a few jokes, then got ready to go. It was a bittersweet moment for all of them. The past two weeks had been a welcome distraction from the rather lonely isolation both groups would soon be returning to.
Half an hour later, Andre and Vadim were almost ready for launch.
"Jackie, we're coming home," Andre said over the radio.
"About time," she replied. She had been in touch with them for their entire stay.
"How's the food supply?"
"We still have a week or two left. Look, we've been going through all the resupply records. Something... something doesn't add up. It looks like an oversight, but how? How could they overlook how much food we have? It's... it's just too big of a mistake."
Vadim and Andre looked curiously at each other. "Are you thinking it happened for some other reason?" Vadim asked.
"I don't know. There's no record of a rescinded order or any evidence that it was changed. But there were way too many people looking at this. It gets even weirder. We obviously would have noticed last month that our food was low and the resupply would have arrived in plenty of time. So, if it was on purpose... Did they know there would never be a resupply?"
"Don't you think you might be jumping to conclusions?" Andre suggested.
"Yeah, maybe. Whatever the case, we'll talk about this once you get back. Keep in touch and stay safe. Try not to crash this time, please?"
"We won't," Vadim answered.
"Let's do this," Andre said.
The two men began the final preparations for launch, triple-checking everything. Once they were done, Vadim gave the command to ignite the rockets. The pod successfully left the moon's surface.
"I think I'll miss the moon," Andre said.
"Really? I hated the coffee," Vadim remarked.
Andre laughed and eased back in his seat. He wanted to be comfortable. It would be another long trip back to the International Space Station.
Chapter 43
Jacksonville - October 13, 2072
"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, the Council of New Jacksonville."
The assembled crowd at Tomas Cortez Memorial High School's football field gave courteous applause after Alice's announcement. It was directed at the eleven others standing on the field, among them Kelsey, Valdez, Wesley, and four members from Jacksonville's previous city council. They had been quickly selected based on community roles and desire to lead. Alice had pushed for the council to be formed as fast as possible, regardless of how much public support it received. She felt it was important for some kind of government presence, regardless of legitimacy. Those on the council had agreed. Elections were promised as soon as a realistic election system could be established, though many wondered if that would ever be possible.
In the haste of forming the council, little else had been established to supplement its daily function. They still hadn't decided on an official location to house meetings, hadn't determined protocol for policy decisions beyond mere popular vote, hadn't established any type of constitution for New Jacksonville, hadn't established how policies would be enforced, and had no clear plan for notifying the population about their decisions. They weren't even clear on how they would answer to President Gresson. Their presentation on the field today was merely an exercise in peace-keeping. The hope was that an appearance like this would give the citizens of New Jacksonville, a name that was not yet official, optimism about the future and a reason to hold off any in-fighting. The council would work out the details later.
The crowd that had gathered was cautiously excited. Most cared little for who was in charge or how they got there. At the moment, they cared more about guarantees for food, water, protection, and housing for the tens of thousands of people now crowding in the area the marines had previously defined as the "safe zone" the wall-in-progress would eventually surround. It had been suggested that the zone be extended south for more room, but more area to defend meant more difficulty defending it, especially with a complete lack of vehicles and communication equipment.
Alice continued her presentation, giving an introduction of each member of the council. She outlined several promises from the council and discussed what the people of New Jacksonville could expect in the future. She concluded with a call for support and a plea to spread the word. By the end of her presentation, she was exhausted. She had been standing for the speech and now needed to return to her wheelchair. The wound in her chest was beginning to sting.
Applause and a few cheers accompanied her as she walked off the field. Michael helped wheel her around the high school and to the front of the building, where she met with her children, as well as Lash, Jake, Sean, Lucas, and Gresson.
"I am impressed, Alice. This is quite a feat," Gresson said. The others acknowledged their agreement.
"Thank you, but Kelsey is the reason this happened so fast. She knows the people of this city well and knows which strings to pull, even in all this chaos."
"Regardless, it was you who started this. We should celebrate," Michael said.
"Celebrate? How?" Marie asked.
"I've got the perfect thing," Sean said.
They followed him back to Holiday Street. He went inside his house and came out with a brown bag. Its contents made a clinking glass sound.
"And that is...?" Lash asked.
"You'll see," Sean said.
They followed him for a few more minutes until they arrived at the shore. They walked out onto a pier with the sunset over Jacksonville behind them and the river flowing in front of them.
"Ta da," Sean said, pulled out two bottles of wine, a bottle-opener, and a few glasses. "Found these in our basement the other day. Thought I'd keep it for a surprise."
"Perfect," Alice said with a smile. It's been too long, she thought.
They all sat down on the pier.
"What kind is it?" Lash asked. "Though, I'll warn you, I don't know much about wine."
"Err... It's a 2012 and 2014 Fiano," Sean answered.
"Is that good?" Lash asked.
"It's certainly worth drinking," Alice said, popping open the 2012. "Let's save the other one."
Sean nodded and put the 2014 back into the bag. For the next hour, the group sat together
and sipped, watching the sun fade. They shared stories and told jokes. It was a rare care-free moment.
"... So, I was talking to somebody today and turns out cutie Reginald, the messiah of the Sunrise Gang, is actually Q. T. Reginald," Jake shared. "Q. T., as in letters. Which, at first I thought was better. But then I found out Q. T. stands for Quinn Tarantino or something."
"Wait, you mean Quentin? Like that classic movie director?" Michael asked.
"What? How would I even know that? And I'm pretty sure it's Quinn. Anyways, all I'm saying is their leader has a stupid name. So, the stupidly named gang has a stupidly named leader, is what I'm trying to say."
"Oh, come on, are you serious?" Lash asked incredulously. "This guy's name is Quinn Tarantino Reginald and you don't think that's badass?"
"'Badass'? Seriously, how old are you? Am I the only one here who acts like he's from this decade? Okay, now that I think about it, that name is pretty rad. I might have to give you that."
"'Pretty rad?' And I'm the one using out-dated phrases?" Lash questioned.
"C'mon. That's retro, not out-dated. Besides, this decade doesn't really have any cool phrases."
Lash shrugged. "Yeah, the kids these days are pretty lame."
"Nice," Marie complained.
The conversation continued and the wine got closer to the bottom.
"... I'm thinking about running for the council" Adam said.
"Whoa, Michael, you might want to keep for your kid away from the alcohol," Jake remarked.
Everyone chuckled, except for Adam. "I'm serious," he said. "I think I could really do something."
"Hey, if you can figure out how we're even going to have elections, you'll have my vote," Alice said.
"You should do it, Adam. You'd be great," Marie said.
"Hey, you'd have my support," Lash said.
"I'm sure you'd have all of ours," Michael said. "Any ideas how to get other people behind you?"
"I have a few ideas," Adam said. "We'll see."
It was dark when they ran out of wine. The group got up and began their walk home, thanking Sean for the surprise. They made their way to Holiday Street and Lash said goodbye as the others went into their homes. She arrived at Rebeca's home a few minutes later.
As she stepped inside, she could hear laughter and voices upstairs. She walked to her room and concluded they were coming from Rebeca's bedroom. The second voice she eventually recognized as Valdez. From the sound of it, their separation was officially over.
Lash laid down on her bed and smiled. It may have been partly due to the wine, but she felt genuinely content for the first time in years. She had people she could count on and a reason to see tomorrow. See tomorrow. The thought reminded her of Jake's comments on the Sunrise Gang and she laughed. She fell asleep a few minutes later and slept better that night than she had in a long time.
Chapter 44
Near International Space Station - October 14, 2072
The pod was closing in on the station. Vadim got ready for the final deceleration burn.
"Here we go," he said nervously.
The rockets fired one last time. The pod echoed with a humming sound.
Both men silently eyed the consoles in front of them. Andre's still had a crack in it from its impact with his head. So far, everything appeared normal. Their velocity was steadily decreasing and there was still plenty of fuel. Their anxiety was more intense than the situation deserved. As long as they didn't hit the station and the fuel didn't disappear, they would even have plenty of room to readjust and fire a correctional burst.
But they wouldn't have to. The pod came to a stop just where and when they intended. Only then did they sigh in relief.
"Nice work," Andre said, patting Vadim on the shoulder.
"Looks good, guys!" Jackie exclaimed over the radio as she and the others onboard watched from the station.
Vadim fired several microbursts to move the pod closer to the station and finally to the loading door. There was a solid thud as the pod and station connected.
Cheers were heard over the radio and Andre and Vadim gripped each other’s arms in celebration.
"Let's get out of this thing," Andre said.
"After you," Vadim replied.
They took off their harnesses and opened the door into the station. They were greeted with applause. They both took a tiny bow.
"Good to have you back," Jackie said.
"Good to be back," Andre replied.
After a few more congratulations, the crew began to unload the pod. An hour later, the International Space Station was stocked with enough food and power to last for longer than any of those on it wanted to imagine they would still be there.
The crew gathered in the "Clarity" bay to eat a well-deserved meal of rations. Andre and Vadim shared a few candy bars the engineers at the moon base had given as a parting gift.
"So, what do we do now?" one of the scientists asked.
It was a question no one wanted to answer. While they had the resources to survive, for now, there was nothing the scientists could do about returning to Earth. They still had the pod, which could still make a risky drop onto Earth. But sending only two people with no knowledge of what was going on down there was not much of a solution. They were back where they started, trapped in orbit around their world.
Andre moved over to the window and peered out at the planet below. He could no longer see the massive fires burning, but there were still no lights. Perhaps we are better off here, he wondered.
Part Four
“Resistance”
Chapter 45
New Jacksonville - December 18, 2072
Over two months had passed since the establishment of the Council of New Jacksonville. Due to an idea offered by Adam, elections had managed to be held. He had found a map of the city and divided the area just north of Jacksonville's urban center into 10 voting zones, one for each council member, except for the position held by Valdez, which, due to pressure by the marine officers, would be decided by military discretion. Each zone would have a designated building where people could vote, writing the name of whoever they wanted to represent them on a piece of paper and placing it into a lock box. For every box, only one person had the key. This person would collect the votes at the end of the voting day, which this time had been December 10th, and count them. Whoever had the most votes in a zone would represent that zone on the council. As of the election, the council now included Kelsey, Wesley, Valdez, two of the original members who had served before on Jacksonville's city council, five other popular citizens, and, as he had hoped, Adam. He had successfully garnered support among those in the zone that included Holiday Street. In fact, his idea for the zones had earned him the support of the council member he replaced, a man somewhat eager to avoid the position's mounting pressure.
The zones themselves were divisions of the walled area temporarily established as New Jacksonville, though many outside this jurisdiction were already making requests to be included. The area's borders were I-95 to the west, the St. Johns River to the north and east, and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to the south. The original wall had been abandoned to start a new one at these borders and so far most of the north-west border had been finished. Barricades had also been built on the bridges.
The walls were built both by citizens and marines. The completed parts were patrolled by a newly established law enforcement, made up almost entirely by previous police officers from Jacksonville and surrounding areas. For the moment, there was no police station or jail, but a fire station was being retrofitted for that purpose. Most of the work there was done by the officers themselves, as division of labor was still in progress. If anyone wanted anything, they had to get it themselves. Other projects in progress in New Jacksonville included a homeless shelter and the pulley raft Michael and a few marines had nearly finished.
Food, water, and other resources were now handled via the zones Adam had suggested. The buildings designated as each zone's voting loca
tion would double as distributors. Water and a small amount of food were provided for free, but everything else was handled by a barter system. Barter systems also governed the sale of anything in stores that had present owners. These stores still answered to the council, which required fair trades.
An infinite number of problems still plagued the area. The council met nearly every day to plan further actions. The Tomas Cortez Memorial High School, while still used for classes, was now also considered the capital building of New Jacksonville. The school was the largest central building and its football field was convenient for public gatherings. The council meetings took place in the school's gymnasium. The large room had skylights so it could be used without too many additional light sources and had plenty of room for public observance, something the majority of council members wanted to be an integral part of New Jacksonville's government. A constitution had yet to be officially recognized, though the council members had already begun writing drafts on their own.
The council was currently meeting in the gymnasium to discuss the establishment of a currency. They sat on mismatching chairs around a large triangle made of three square tables. A record keeper sat near them at a small desk and a few citizens watched from the bleachers. Above them, light rain peppered the skylights. The clouds left the room darker than usual, but there was still enough light to see.
Kelsey began the discussion. "Okay, so today we are going to talk about the economy. More specifically, should we institute a currency and, if so, what should it be?"
"For anyone interested, I managed to get an advanced economics book from someone yesterday," one of the council members, Taylor Black, offered. "I haven't had the chance to read it, but I figured it might be useful."
"Hmm. As a side note, we should collect any books we can find here at the school," Kelsey said. "We can start a library for the city. It's a shame the school didn't have a physical one."
"I'll put it down for the future agenda," the record keeper said.
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