Star One
Tycho City: Survival
By
Raymond L. Weil
Books in the Star One Series
Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Cover Design by Humblenations.com
Copyright © January 2014 by Raymond L. Weil
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Star One: Tycho City Survival contains an expanded version of Tycho City Discovery and then continues on into Survival. This is a stand-alone story.
Deep in the darkness of space a small, indiscreet dust cloud hides a dangerous secret. For years, the dust cloud has protected its secret from the unsuspecting solar system from which it is slowly receding. Due to the small size of the dust cloud and its distance from the star system, the dust cloud has never been detected. Shortly, the secret it has hidden for years will make its deadly presence known. For that secret has come to kill a solar system. Unfortunately, it is the system that contains the planet Earth!
Chapter One
For several years, the construction workers had labored in the harsh, unforgiving environment of the Moon. Large sections on the dark side had been leveled, and a massive construction project had been implemented. Huge dish antennas came slowly into existence, which when completed would be able to peer deep into the outer reaches of the known universe.
A total of thirty-two large, ninety-foot dish antennas dotted the desolate lunar landscape, with only the pale light from the stars illuminating the towering constructs. Construction workers and technicians carefully checked over every last detail, for the large dish array system was almost complete.
The largest reflector telescope ever built on the Moon, the Albertson reflector with its twelve-meter mirror was already in place and being tested. It would be able to photograph the universe like no telescope ever built before. It was capable of looking back to the first galaxies created and the big bang itself. The universe was about to become a much smaller place.
From his position in a small lunar shuttle, Professor Pierre LaRann gazed down appreciatively at the work going on below him. It had been his lifelong dream to see this project finally come to fruition. He had overseen every last detail and spent many long hours out at the construction sites, watching the workers and personally directing the installation of the dish antennas.
Seeing everything below him and knowing it was almost complete made the many long years of hard work seem worthwhile. He had lived a solitary existence dedicating his life to this project. He had friends, but no close ones. His few distant family members all lived on Earth, and he hadn’t seen or spoken to any of them in years. He had dedicated himself to his career and wouldn’t have it any other way. Sometimes he regretted not having close personal relationships, but then he would find himself immersed in some astronomy project and those lonely thoughts would fade away.
“From the construction engineer’s reports the dish array system should be online early next week,” Commander Mase Colton commented as he looked out the cockpit window.
He ran his left hand through his thick blond hair as he gazed at the lunar landscape below him. It was hard to believe all the work that had been done to build the new telescope and the array system. He felt excitement inside at realizing how close the project was to being completed. Already, numerous scientists from Earth were requesting permission to come up to Farside to work and study at the array. This would help to refocus attention on the Moon with the scientific discoveries that the astronomy complex would bring.
Mase knew he could pick the best and brightest from Earth to help with the massive astronomy project. One of the first things he intended to do was consult with LaRann and several of his top people about who might be the best choices. They would be more familiar with which people would be the best fit for the project. Mase was very particular who he allowed on the Moon and, in this instance, would trust their judgment.
The small lunar shuttle was hovering just above the construction site. They were high enough to ensure that no damage could be caused by the small rocket engines. The shuttle was capable of carrying four passengers and a small amount of cargo. Commander Colton liked to use the small, versatile shuttles for inspection tours like the one today. Fuel wasn’t an issue in the light gravity of the Moon, and the trip from Tycho City to the Farside array only took two quick hours.
“Shortly, the tests and calibrations will begin,” said Professor LaRann with growing excitement in his eyes. The 48-year-old astrophysicist had overseen the project from its very beginning. He was extremely pleased that it was almost complete. “We will begin by scanning for pulsars. They should be easy to spot, and by scanning some of the known pulsars, we should be able to fine-tune the array very quickly. Then we can get down to some serious astronomy.”
“I can tell you can’t wait to begin,” Mase commented with a friendly smile. He had worked with LaRann for so long that he considered him to be a friend.
“I’m just glad it’s about ready,” Pierre spoke with a pleased glint in his eyes. “There were times when I didn’t know if it ever would be.”
Mase nodded in understanding as he continued to gaze out the cockpit window. He had felt the same when Tycho City was being built. Even from their height of a few thousand feet, Mase could see construction workers clad in bulky white spacesuits moving slowly around the site. Due to the Moon’s light gravity, their movements seemed slow and awkward.
The construction site spread out across nearly thirty miles of the lunar surface. Moon Buggies moved slowly along the numerous small roads that linked the dish antennas carrying technicians and construction personnel to different assignments. Off to one side of the array, a massive white dome stood amongst a grouping of other buildings. The dome contained the Albertson reflector.
“How far along are the tests on the reflector?” asked Mase, glancing over at LaRann. It had been a few days since his last inspection tour. He was anxious to see the large telescope and what progress had been made.
“We’ve made some preliminary observations of a number of nebula and galaxy clusters,” replied LaRann, peering out the cockpit window toward the dome. LaRann wore a pair of glasses and his hair was slightly gray at the temples. “Everything seems to be working extremely well. Some of the preliminary photographs are outstanding. With the array and the Albertson reflector, we’re about to take astronomy into the next century.”
“I’m glad it’s nearly done,” Mase commented with a broad smile. “You’ve put in a lot of hours and should be proud of what’s been accomplished here.”
&
nbsp; “I’ve had a lot of top notch people to assist me,” replied LaRann, nodding his head. “Adam, LeAnn, Charles, and Andrew have been a huge help. This couldn’t have been done without them.”
“They’re good people,” Mase spoke in agreement. His eyes returned to the dish arrays that spread across the surface of the Moon below them.
He knew that a lot of money had been invested in the project. Fortunately, due to the light gravity on the Moon, the dish antennas were constructed of a lighter material than what was used on similar ones on Earth.
Many of the parts had been built in Tycho City and then transported to the construction site. This had helped to hold down the costs, but a number of influential people on Earth were still unhappy about the billions of dollars being spent on the array and the telescope. Senator Farley of Michigan had made it extremely plain that he felt both projects were a waste of time and taxpayer’s money.
“Land us at the observatory complex,” Mase instructed Anthony Kleese, who was the shuttle pilot and also a close friend. “I want to inspect the dome and facilities while I’m here.”
“Sure thing,” Anthony replied. He used his controls to make a gentle turn, aligning the shuttle with Farside’s landing pads.
“I’m sure you will find everything is in order,” Pierre spoke as the shuttle began slowly to descend toward the dome and one of the landing pads at the small landing facility.
“I’m sure I will,” Mase replied with a patient look on his face. He knew that Pierre felt the complex was his personal baby and was extremely defensive if anyone criticized it. “It’s been just a few days since I was here, and I would like to see the reflector up close.”
The shuttle dropped smoothly down toward the landing pad. Anthony’s hands delicately adjusted the controls as he brought the shuttle to a hover just above the pad before gently lowering it in a textbook landing. Anthony had performed this maneuver hundreds of times over the last few years, and it was almost second nature now. He was also the best shuttle pilot on the Moon.
Mase waited patiently as a docking port was extended and until the airlock showed a smooth seal with a breathable atmosphere on the other side. Pressing the control panel next to the door, it opened, and Mase and Pierre walked down the short corridor and down into the underground section of the complex. Anthony stayed behind to get the shuttle prepped for its return flight.
The Farside complex currently housed nearly 200 technicians and construction workers as well as the research staff who were assigned to the facility. While some of the buildings were on the surface, the majority of the complex was buried deep underground. This was a precaution against meteor strikes as well as potential pressure leaks in case any part of the structure failed.
It took just a few minutes to walk through the short connecting tunnel and the underground section of the complex to the towering dome that contained the Albertson reflector. Passing through another small airlock, they stepped inside.
Mase took a moment to look around, taking notice of the numerous technicians and other people that were busy working. The large Albertson reflector telescope filled the central portion of the room and, looking upward, Mase could see where a special seal around the reflector protected the interior of the dome from losing atmosphere.
The entire dome could be rotated to allow the reflector to scan a significant portion of space. The low hum of working equipment and computers was barely audible along with the muted conversations of the technicians who were busy at their stations.
“Commander Colton, Professor LaRann, I see you have come to check on our new toy,” LeAnn Kelly the 32-year-old astrophysicist said, walking up to the two with a friendly smile.
She was currently working on studying deep space objects, such as distant galaxy clusters, to determine the exact age of the universe and its current rate of expansion. LeAnn was an up and coming scientist with a bright future.
Brushing her shoulder length black hair back with her left hand, she gestured toward the telescope. “This telescope is fantastic! We’ve already started mapping some distant galaxy clusters out near the edge of the known universe.”
“I’m glad to hear that your research is going well,” Mase replied with a friendly nod. He could easily detect the enthusiasm for her work in LeAnn’s voice. “Have there been any complications or problems with the equipment so far?”
“Only a few minor computer glitches, but the programmers have already ironed those out.”
“Charles Turner will begin some studies on the Ort Cloud that surrounds the solar system in another week,” Professor LaRann added. “He hopes to discover and map a number of new comets with the telescope.”
“Charles wants to map everything in the solar system,” LeAnn spoke with a grin. “It’s all I can do to keep him from moving the telescope when he comes on duty. He will get his turn next week while I study the data from the observations we’re currently doing.”
Mase knew that Charles was an accomplished astronomer interested in the solar system, comets, and the Oort Cloud. “Finding anything interesting?” Mase asked his voice filled with curiosity.
He had always enjoyed studying astronomy and hoped that someday, between Star One the giant orbiting space station and Tycho City, they could launch deep space missions on a regular basis. Perhaps even to the nearer stars.
“Just some impressive galactic clusters,” LeAnn replied. She loved astronomy and this new telescope was amazing. “We will have the most recent deep space photographs ready tomorrow. They will be something to see.”
“Have some of the photos sent to my office; I would like to see them.” Mase was genuinely interested in seeing some of the photos from the new telescope.
“Sure thing, Commander,” replied LeAnn, knowing Mase had a keen interest in astronomy. She would pick out some of the more spectacular ones and send them over. It never hurt to stay on the good side of the commander of Tycho City and the Farside facility.
Mase and Professor LaRann spent a few more minutes touring the dome and talking to several of the other scientists and technicians. Everyone was excited about the prospects of the Farside facility finally going into full operation.
Then, after a quick tour of the rest of the facility, Mase returned to his shuttle. Professor LaRann would be staying, as he wanted to ensure that the array was ready to go online as scheduled. He wanted to be the one to throw the switch that put the array into operation.
The professor couldn’t wait to use the large array to scan for pulsars. Once that scan was completed, he had arranged for the array to be used to search for black holes. LaRann had an affinity for black holes. Over the course of the last few years, he had written several long research papers on them, which had been extremely well received by the scientific community.
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As the shuttle flew across the desolate surface of the Moon, Commander Colton stared out thoughtfully at the cold, harsh environment. They were flying high above the Southern Lunar Highlands. There was no atmosphere on the Moon and the colors were harsh and bleak. Black, white, and various shades of gray were all the colors that were visible. The potted landscape where meteors had impacted, the occasional hills, and even a few mountains were all a stark reminder that life had never existed on the barren lunar surface.
Looking out the front cockpit window, Mase could see Tycho Crater coming nearer. It was fifty-two miles across, with rim walls nearly three miles high. In the heart of the crater, near the central massif, a base had been constructed. Over the years, its name had been changed to Tycho City.
A number of communication antennas were atop the massif, which was nearly one mile in height. There was also a small operations center on top, which routed much of Tycho City’s communications. Most of Tycho City was underground in a large cavern which had been blasted out with high explosives and then finished up with several large excavators brought up to the Moon. The project had taken years and a lot of perseverance to complete.
As the shuttle
came over the rim of the crater, Mase took in a deep breath, looking at the vista that spread out before him. The crater had been formed over 100 million years in the past and was now home to Tycho City. Nearly 2,500 people called the crater their home, with another 200 living at Farside.
“Almost home,” Anthony said with a smile on his face.
He loved flying the shuttles over the lunar surface. It was his passion, and he never missed an opportunity to fly one of them. It was also the main reason he was still single. He enjoyed female company, but he was not ready yet to settle down.
“Yes, we are,” responded Mase. It always felt good to get back to Tycho City. He had lived on the Moon for years, and Tycho City had become his true home.
“Have you spoken to your brother Phillip recently?” Anthony asked. The pilot knew that Mase’s brother lived on Earth and had been considering retiring and bringing his family up to Tycho City.
“Not in the last couple of weeks,” admitted Mase, realizing he really needed to talk to his brother more often. “I need to touch base with him about coming up here in a few more months.”
Anthony nodded as he checked in with the Control Center at the shuttle landing facility just outside of Tycho City. After receiving landing instructions, he lined the shuttle up with the indicated landing pad.
Mase let out a big sigh, thinking about what he needed to do yet today. Once they landed, he needed to make out a report to send to Earth on the progress at Farside, as well as contact Steve Larson on Star One. Star One was the huge space station in orbit 37,000 miles above the Moon at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point. Steve and Mase were very close and talked almost daily about the current projects they had going on.
Anthony brought the small shuttle smoothly in for a landing on one of the dozen landing pads just outside a group of small buildings that dotted the lunar landscape. This served as the main landing field for the underground complex. Once down, the landing pad was lowered into an underground hangar and a green light came on, indicating Earth normal atmosphere.
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