April 6: And What Goes Around

by Mackey Chandler

  "Exactly," Mo agreed. "Eventually, long term, we can send ships to bring back hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide from Jupiter or beyond just like they are doing water now."

  Heather thought briefly of reminding him the first snowball wasn't back yet and that the second expedition was having troubles. After considering it she didn't see how that would help and it was confidential so she stifled it.

  "What I want to propose is a stopgap," Mo said. "We have three million cubic meters of rock and regolith to back fill. It contains anywhere from fifty to two hundred parts per million carbon. We should process the material to remove that carbon. You already want to separate and stockpile the iron. I agree since it will be a considerable asset in time and cost little to do so. We should extract the carbon too."

  "Yes, but the iron is easy to separate magnetically," Heather said. "How much of a process is getting the carbon out? Is it going to involve milling and chemical extraction?"

  "That's the beauty," Mo said. "All you have to do is heat it and it and the majority of it is released as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane gas."

  "Enough to be worthwhile?" Heather asked Mo.

  "As I said. It varies from fifty to two hundred parts per million."

  "That doesn't sound like much at all to me," Heather said.

  "But Heather, if our material runs at the median concentration it means three thousand tons of carbon in just our back-fill. Plenty to stock a closed system and buy us time. If we need to we can send a group to set up mining in some of the dark craters. That would give us more water and I wouldn't be surprised if the same areas have higher carbon content too."

  "Would we have to divert some of our robots doing back-fill to run a remote mining operation?"

  Mo shook his head. "No, because we will reach a point soon where we have as many robots working as the road network will support. Then we just replace the obsolete ones that wear out. We wouldn't send the robots to a dark crater however, we'd send an automated robot maker or two."

  Heather thought about that a bit. "You can handle and convert the carbon monoxide easily? That stuff makes me nervous in a sealed environment."

  "We can burn it to carbon dioxide through a catalyst screen. We'll do it physically isolated from environmentally controlled cubic," Mo assured her. "The carbon dioxide liquefies easily to transport it if we do the dark crater operation. It's in the ideal form to release for plants."

  "I've continued speaking with Jeff about this," Heather said. "We also want to have a yeast tank operation. They've developed some strains of yeast that can be processed to something people actually want to eat – not just survival food. But without the biomass we weren't going to be able do it because we had no feedstock."

  "Hydroponic beets are an excellent feed stock for tank yeast," Mo said.

  "You've been researching this deeper than you're admitting," Heather said.

  Mo blushed. "I'm still no expert. But I had to be certain it would work as a package before proposing it."

  "What I'd like you to do is make a couple prototypes. I imagine the transport robots won't each have an extraction apparatus will they?" Heather asked.

  "No. We don't really need to change the design of the scoop and move units. We just add a mill at the edge of the crater to extract the iron and carbon. Then when the bin gets full of processed material it gets thrown in the crater," Mo said, his cupped hand doing a forward toss, "So it doesn't build up a slope to the edge, and make us periodically move that unit forward to a new lip. The material will be loose and that's a dangerous operation to do."

  Heather nodded. "We'll want a prototype, and a test unit to transport to a dark crater and sample there for carbon, iron and water extraction. Build that unit with weight and dimensional limits in mind for transporting it. I'd like it to fit in one shuttle load. I'll need a budget proposal and a short description of the operation for Jeff and whomever he decides to consult. When can you have that for me?"

  "I'll have a basic proposal in a week," Mo promised. When Heather lifted a skeptical eyebrow he explained. "I have an outline already and just need to add some drawings and address some of the questions you raised."

  "I'm curious, how do the other moon bases handle waste? Do they recycle and if not how do they dispose of it?" Heather asked.

  "I have no idea. But I'll inquire if you wish," Mo said.

  "Yes, I wish. Would you care for some dessert?" Heather offered.

  "I thank you, but not after the second helping," Mo said, putting a hand flat on his stomach.

  "Thank you then. If you send me a message about this, title the message with 'Carbon' on the header and I'll know what it's about."

  It was an obvious dismissal. So Mo stood and said good bye quickly.

  * * *

  "The couple in isolation seem likely to survive," Dr. Lee said. "I had my doubts, but we treated them very aggressively. The man was much sicker than the woman. We had them at a forty percent oxygen mix, chilled him down with the appropriate drugs, gave him antibodies specific to the mouse flu and heavy doses of prophylactic antibiotics. I believe the zero G environment helped as we had him down to a heart rate and temperature I doubt he could have survived in a full G clinic. We don't have to use pressure cuffs to promote circulation and inhibit clotting in zero G. The lowered temperature itself inhibits viral reproduction."

  "He'll make a full recovery then?" Jon asked.

  "By no means," Lee said emphatically. "I can't really evaluate him yet, but I doubt he will make a full recovery of gross strength and he may have damage to his hearing and kidney function. I'll consider it a win if he doesn't have some loss of cognitive ability. His wife is certainly better, and tests right now much like someone who has had a minor stroke.

  "This is a terrible disease. The more so for gene-mod people. I think after a few months of physical therapy he'll have recovered as much as possible. Both of them need some rehabilitation, but I'm not sure we'll get the cooperation I'd like. They are wealthy and used to giving orders not taking orders. They are technically retired even aside from their wealth. They may just consider the lessons and exercise too much trouble and decide to live with some impairment rather than exert themselves."

  "But the next question after their plain survival is, do they have enough funds to retire on Home?" Jon said. "Have they any idea who expensive it is here compared to Earth? They may have much grander tastes than can be accommodated here."

  "That is their concern. I have not demanded their true identity. I can hardly check their credit."

  "Being the unprincipled brute I am, I had some Earth agents make inquiries," Jon said.

  "Yes?" Lee seemed interested.

  "I'm sure in the short term my department won't have to fund their return ticket due to their utter bankruptcy. Also you can be sure they are able to reimburse your department for your considerable expenditures."

  Lee said nothing. Hoping Jon would reveal his patient's names, but he couldn't ask.

  "Whether they can integrate to Home society and be happy with what they can afford here long term is another question, but I decided that is not my concern," Jon said. "I'm very encouraged you could save them, Doc. You'll probably get another opportunity."

  "Just so I don't get a hundred all at once. We have neither space nor supplies for that," Lee said.

  "We have boarding control now at ISSII and New Las Vegas. They are both happy to restrict boarding as long as we are paying for it," Jon said.

  "That's excellent, but please, make sure the hired security has several people available to test people at dock, or have a back-up company ready to take over," he told Jon.

  "Why Doc?"

  "Because the people doing your dock check may themselves get sick. And people tend to just not show up without telling anyone if they are suddenly ill. Especially part timers who aren't your own people and aren't deeply committed to your service."

  Jon nodded, frowning at the problem. "Thanks, Doc. I'll add layers to our a
rrangements today."

  * * *

  "Would you mind some company?"

  April tore her gaze away from her pad and looked up to find Jelly, AKA Dr. Ames, standing there cafeteria tray in hand.

  "Of course not! I'm always happy to have your company. In fact I have some questions for you if you don't mind hearing them. I imagine you're busy. If you'd rather have a break and not talk shop just tell me. I'll understand."

  "No, I came over because I have some news," Jelly said, "but tell me your story first so I can just listen and stuff my face. I'm starved."

  "That's a deal. I have some messages from Heather at Central, we agreed a bit back to seek to be independent at Central for food. We got the bug to do that before the current flu epidemic on Earth. It seemed like a good idea when we saw the French lunar colony planning to do that for themselves. We got a lot of seeds and cuttings and the mining engineer Jeff hired for Central was tasked with finding out how Earthies raise plants indoors and translating it to doing it in lunar tunnels," April said.

  Jelly nodded to show he was listening but was eating not talking.

  "Jeff is looking into tank raised yeast. We've bought samples of food made from special varieties they've brought to market in the last three or four years and it's quite edible. You wouldn't know it is yeast based. I had fake cream cheese and a dried grated cheese that passed for Romano very well. There was some stuff you'd swear was peanut butter," April claimed, "and a variety that produces gluten you can use to make low carbohydrate baked goods or fake chicken that's pretty good in stir fry."

  "I'm aware," Jelly said between bites. "It's all gene-mod and patented. You should be able to buy licenses for it."

  "We're trying, but there may be delays with the way things are below. But I wondered if you might be able to produce some mushrooms that would be more nutritious and could be processed to substitute more for meat? I had some unfortunate experience with how invasive mushrooms can be with my brother some years ago."

  Jelly was busy chewing, but his raised eyebrow said loads.

  "There might be some... resistance among old timers who remember," April admitted. "They took a long time to stop calling my brother Bob the 'Mushroom King'. I mean, hey... he was only eleven years old! They acted like it was some kind of bio-terrorism. And we did make out pretty well for awhile selling fresh mushrooms. It did have the advantage of teaching people that the service interval on air filters was set for actual reasons, not arbitrarily. I believe they still find a colony now and then, if not on a filter on some null point in the ducting where debris accumulates."

  Jelly was making enough progress he was slowing down and enjoying it a little. "Somebody should write a paper on what sort of feral organisms have established themselves in space habitats. I understand at one point the French had some air plants, orchids technically, growing behind their duct vents. Odd things have shown up here and there in with potted plants. I assume that is from inadequately sterilized potting soil."

  "I had a little spider and his web in the corner of my view port," April admitted.

  Jelly paused with his toast half way to his mouth and looked alarmed. "That is disturbing. One has to ask – On what was he living?"

  April just shrugged it off. "That's what Gunny asked right away. He's mainly concerned we don't ever get mosquitoes. He seems to have developed a real hatred of them from his military service."

  "Indeed, they are disgusting little disease carriers. If we found one, Dr. Lee and I would both declare open warfare and eradicate them if we had to pump the whole damn station down."

  "Maybe spiders would be good, to keep them in check?" April asked. "Just not on my view port."

  "All the spiders in the world, as well as birds and bats and man-made machines that suck the little devils in and drown them, haven't put a dent in the mosquito population," Jelly said.

  "Oh. I understand," April said surprised at his vehemence. "Better not to let the little devils get a foothold then."

  Jelly nodded solemn agreement. He was past the halfway point eating and looked a lot cheerier. "You realize if I develop organisms for you at my own expense I'll retain rights and licensing them?"

  "I was more worried about eating well and regularly than the expense. It's costing us plenty to lift our food right now and not getting any cheaper. Unless you intend to gouge us horribly? You realize any patents you take out will be by Earth law," April reminded him. We've been paying licensing fees for things like the yeasts we want, because it is less trouble and it seems like the right thing to do. But if anyone got really greedy that might end."

  Ames ate a little more thinking that over. It became apparent April wasn't going to say anything more until he replied. He'd have been surprised to know she learned that trick from him.

  "You're right," Ames decided. "I don't believe my fellow citizens would allow me to do that. On Earth you might get away with it. Here, if they were forced to pay a huge fee they might just pay me right back. I'd be shunned socially and every time I went in to buy something or request a service I'd be quoted double or triple prices. Everybody knows who you are and your business here, despite the increase in population. So far no one has suggested my fees on gene-mods are too high. But then I have no direct local competition.

  "I might start thinking about when that will happen, and how I will respond. Just because nobody has offered similar services doesn't mean it won't happen eventually."

  "We have a number of ship builders. I own a little interest in a night club and another one opened recently. We all seem pretty busy even with competition. I wouldn't assume it will be terribly damaging to have another provider. You just might have to offer something distinctive. Your mod to improve reflexes for example. What are the chances another gene-mod doc will produce the exactly same thing?" April asked.

  "Maybe," Jelly said, still concerned. "But that idea makes diversifying into modifying food plants or other non-human organisms more attractive. I need to tell you... The reason I came to speak with you is I finally have that mod available I told you about before. I have a mod that increases strength. It isn't going to make you into a comic book hero, but it will make you anywhere from half to three quarters stronger than your base level.

  "I'd be willing to trade you a treatment in exchange for some help getting specimens of various plants and fungi shipped up. That side line business you are suggesting sounds like a good idea. However, I've been having trouble getting my regular supplies, so asking for exotics will be more difficult." He made a funny face looking down at the table. Then seemed to decide something and looked back up at her.

  "I'm in a similar situation to that which you described your brother suffering. My colleagues below are aware of my relocation to Home. Although I have broken no law they can name, there is extreme prejudice against anyone capable of genetic modifications and once associated with veterinary medicine as I am. I find that when ordering supplies they increasingly demand I must be associated with some university or hospital even without any legal restrictions. I find it a ridiculous argument that I might misuse their products. Anyone might misuse their supplies. If they eliminate everyone who could do so they will have no customers. But I could use some third party help obtaining things to develop for you."

  "I believe Jeff has, uh, people. On Earth that is," April clarified. "The sort who might obtain things for you. Some of the same sort of people who got the flu sequences for Lee and you."

  That got a surprised look from Jelly.

  "Security guys tend to work for more than one party," April told him. "But he has good connections among them besides a few of his own people. I'll ask him if what you want can be had. If it can be done I'll take that mod in trade, but he may want a fee himself depending on how difficult it proves to be. What do you want?" April asked.

  "As many food plants that haven't already had radical genetic mods done," Jelly said, starting to count off the items on his fingers. "Some of your stock you mentioned obtaining would
serve as well as new from Earth. I don't need a lot. North American law seems to have failed to show proper horror at modified corn and wheat or golden rice. Their agriculture would fail without them so they turn a blind eye. But there are still things like turnips and cabbage, beets and carrots that have been bred to extremes but not actively gene modified.

  "I'd also like the common commercial mushrooms. From what you say I can just set out growth media and get the common button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, here thanks to your brother. But I'd like Pleurotus Ostreatus, oyster mushrooms and other common varieties. They sell them for hobbyists so that should be easy. I can give you a list of varieties that are edible but commercially unimportant."

  "Why do you want those if they aren't good enough people want to buy them?" April asked.

  "Schizophyllum Commune is an example. It's edible but only favored by small populations. It tends to be tough and chewy. But it travels to market in the tropics better than tender varieties that go bad quickly. If you want meat substitutes I figure it's texture may be an advantage. It's one less characteristic I have to modify or find some way to add in processing."

  "You just happen to know the scientific names off the top of your head?" April asked skeptically.

  "It was something I considered pursuing years ago on Earth and never did. I wanted personal benefit from my work, and I don't mean just income. Not being a fungus, I decided to concentrate on modifications to humans. But perhaps I'll branch out now."

  "Send a list to my pad later and I'll see what I can do," April said.

  Jelly was frowning again, looking at her plates, although she was finished. "The first time I had breakfast with you I remember you had this enormous four or five thousand calorie breakfast. I knew right then you were gene-mod. Have you gone to the trouble to have that undone?"

  "No, but the sort of tweak I have, my metabolism will go into a much lower range if I severely limit my intake for a few days," April said. "Until such a time that I eat a great deal and trigger it again."