The Accidental Explorer

by George Deeb

  Travellor was surprised by the statement that Erika would be working with Plessa. That was not her original assignment. He decided not to say anything until he found out more about it.

  “And this is Joshua Kibbee, head of security on the moon base, and the same in an advisory capacity to the Orysta” said Travellor.

  “Commander. Miss Vaana.” he said, nodding to Travellor and Mersuul. Then he took a step closer to Erika. “It's a pleasure to meet you miss Aimsler.” he said, offering his hand. Erika shook it with a smile.

  “It's my pleasure to meet all of you.” she said. “I can't tell you just how thrilled I am to be here.”

  “I hope you do not mind my diverting the shuttle to land here.” said Munen. “Our water system had a problem, and we lost a considerable amount. I knew you were bringing more on this trip. It made sense to have you land here.”

  “I agree.” said Travellor.

  “I will be happy to show you around the Orysta tomorrow, miss Aimsler.” said Plessa. “While I show you around we can talk about the project I would like you to work on.”

  Now it was Mersuul's turn to be surprised. She had worked with Plessa for a long time, and tour guide was never a title she would associate with him. Plessa was a social enough person but not the type to offer to host visitors.

  As everyone conversed, they left the landing bay and headed through the connecting passage to the base. Erika couldn't stop moving her head as she took in all the new sights. One sight quickly grabbed her attention as they stepped from the passage and into the reception area of the moon base. There was a sign that said 'Welcome to Trailblazer Moon Base', and below a large picture of a smiling man in a space suit. The caption underneath read 'Anthony Travellor' and 'Base Commander'. It finally hit her. She had dismissed all the people calling him Commander as being a courtesy title, like many retired military personnel who continue to be referred to by their rank. She realized that wasn't the case here. Her uncle was in command of the moon base – the first operational base established on the moon! With her eyes locked on to the picture and not watching where she was going, she tripped a little but quickly regained her balance. Everyone stopped to make sure she was alright. She looked at her uncle, who looked back at her.

  “Oh yeah,” said Travellor, “I keep forgetting that picture is there.”

  “You... you're in command of this operation? You run this place?”

  “Well, everything outside of the Orysta. I guess I sorta run this place.”

  “You did not know that your uncle commands this base?” asked Plessa, with as much surprise on his face as Erika had on hers.

  “She did not know the base existed until a few minutes ago.” said Mersuul. “Erika has had many surprises today.”

  “C'mon. There's more to see.” said Travellor taking Erika's hand. “I'll just give you the quick tour now. You'll get the complete tour in orientation.”

  “No uncle Tony.” she said, letting go of his hand. “I don't want people thinking they should give me special treatment because we're related. From now on don't tell anyone that I'm your niece.”

  “OK.” he said, looking a little proud. It was what he expected from her.

  “I would appreciate it,” she said looking around at her companions, “if all of you also would keep that to yourselves.”

  As they walked deeper into the building Erika tried to take everything in. Some areas looked like they came out of a SciFi movie, while others had been deliberately designed to have a down home feel to them. She could tell the base was huge, and that what she had seen so far was just a small portion of it. It amazed her that an operational base this big could even have been built here. But of course, it really couldn't – not with present space travel capability. That is, not with Earth's present space travel capability. The aliens had to have had a big hand in getting materials up here. And then there were those little objects that moved back an forth over the ceilings and walls that she found so captivating.

  “What are those things?” she asked. “Those small moving things on the ceiling?”

  “Those are some of our maid bots.” said Travellor. “They travel over the walls and ceilings cleaning off dust and contaminants. They also emit UV light to kill any viruses. Saves having to have someone do the job manually. We also have other robots of different shapes and sizes that do various housekeeping chores. You'll see them moving around the station.”

  “How do they stay up?”

  “I applied a little Ganaphe' technology to them. Their treads are made from a material that can cling to almost any surface, and still easily release its grip. I gave them mini tank tracks made of that material. Their only purpose is to clean off the walls and ceilings. You'd be surprised how much of a difference that makes in keeping this place clean. We have about a hundred and twenty of them.”

  “Ganaphe'?”

  “Oh – sorry. I never explained that.” said Travellor. “Mersuul, Grilik Munen, Chief Engineer Plessa, and the crew of the Orysta are Ganaphe', from the planet Taloraicia. It will all be covered in orientation. Usually orientation is handled before you come to the base, but with the tight time frame from your graduation to your being available for work it made more sense to do it on site. Your first week here is nothing but orientation, so you don't have to worry about anything else. And yes, that is special treatment for you, ...and a couple of other new people – Sorry. I promise I won't do it again.”

  Erika looked at him with a mixed expression of appreciation and and suspicion. She was determined to make sure he didn't do it again whether he wanted to or not. Mersuul looked at him with an expression of doubt. Travellor couldn't believe what he saw on their faces. He just didn't understand how they could doubt him. He decided it was best to just continue walking and remain silent.

  “You know, some of these robots would be great down at the house.”

  “Can't do that. Our agreement with the Ganaphe' allows us to use their technology here, but we're not allowed to take any of it to Earth. It will all be explained in orientation.”

  “I know I'm asking a lot of questions, and I'm sure all will be explained in orientation, but there is one thing I find very odd. I was sure that walking would feel different on the Moon, with the lesser gravity, but it feels just like walking on Earth as far as I can tell.”

  “The Orysta generates a gravity field.” said Munen. “It can be shaped and extended from the ship. It can be very useful in our mining operations. We now have it configured to provide normal Earth gravity on the ship and the base, but when you go outside you will experience normal Moon gravity.”

  “You can create gravity?” Erika asked in an excitedly louder voice, looking back and forth at Munen and Plessa.

  “The Ganaphe' have technology that is far ahead of ours.” said Travellor. “We're fortunate to be able to use it.”

  4

  “Sorry unc..uh, Commander, but I'm just too tired tonight.” said Erika.

  “OK sweet... ah, miss Aimsler. Get some sleep. I can't wait for this week to be over.”

  “Commander, is anyone else there with you?”

  “Just Mersuul.”

  “Good. I love you uncle Tony. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight sweetie. Sleep well.”

  The comm went silent, and Travellor looked at Mersuul.

  “How can she be so tired from Orientation? What are they doing to her in there, sending her outside every day?”

  “It is not only the Orientation. After instruction she has been going to the Orysta and spending time with Plessa. She wants to get started on her duties as soon as she is cleared. She has been learning everything that is allowed about the ship.”

  “AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING.” he said loudly. “How did Plessa get the idea she was going to work with him. I have her assigned here on the base.”

  “It was your idea.” answered Mersuul as she took his arm and led him to the table. “Dinner is ready.”

  “My idea? Not my idea!” he said
, gathering the individual plates and putting them aside. He moved the sweet and sour pork with rice to the middle of the table, and stabbed a piece with his fork.

  “Yes, your idea.” said Mersuul, picking up her chopsticks. She was determined to master their use. “It was your idea to offer Grilik Munen twelve employees of his own if he would allow twelve more people on the base. That was your solution to the limit of the original agreement. There was a meeting on Orysta and Grilik Munen agreed that we could use more help, so he accepted the change to the agreement.”

  “What? When did this happen? Why wasn't I informed? I AM supposed to be the base Commander here.”

  Mersuul smiled at her success at getting a piece of meat to her mouth. She savored the flavor, then her expression change to determination as she tried to do the same with the rice.

  “It happened the day before we arrived. Grilik Munen spoke with Commander Farber-Chatwell to finalize the agreement. Plessa was also there. I believe you will be getting the official notice in the morning – there were still problems with the contract language that had to be worked out.”

  “Huh! So Munen liked my idea. It took him long enough. I told him about it more than a week ago. We're getting twelve more people – EXCELLENT!”

  “Yes, it was a very good solution to the problem. Everyone is happy.”

  “Great. Now tell me why Erika will be working with Plessa.”

  Mersuul gave up on the chopsticks and picked up a fork. She scooped up some rice and a piece of pork.

  “Farber-Chatwell had informed Grilik Munen that Erika would be considered one of the twelve people who would be assigned to you, and that she would be arriving early with us. Plessa wanted fresh eyes on the problem of freeing Orysta. Grilik Munen and Plessa requested Erika's educational background and employment evaluation. Plessa liked what he read and wanted her, so Grilik Munen made it a final condition of the agreement that she be one of his twelve new employees.”

  Travellor stopped chewing and stared at her.

  “They stole her from me! They stole my niece from me! They obviously planned it for days.”

  “They... negotiated her from you.” said Mersuul, chuckling with a full mouth.

  5

  Doctor Sylvia Krather entered her office and was very pleasantly surprised to see a large bouquet of beautiful flowers in a crystal vase on her desk. She sat down and found a box of chocolate truffles in front of the vase. She picked up the note attached to the chocolates and read 'Thank you Doctor Krather. I owe you my life. Please allow me to buy you dinner this evening and say thanks properly. I've invited the other medical personnel that I also owe thanks to. Commander Travellor and Grilik Munen have arranged for everyone to have the time off. Nineteen hundred hours Earth time in the banquet hall. Dress is casual.' It was signed by Delores del Rio. A smile widened on Krather's face.

  She had reviewed del Rio's medical file, and those of twenty-two others of the new personnel to be stationed on the base. It made her glad that del Rio's request to be re-stationed here had been granted. It didn't surprise her though. Farber-Chatwell always looked out for his people and he would have considered del Rio's assignment here as part of her recuperation process. She felt a sense of admiration for del Rio, who could have remained on Earth and taken another assignment there. Instead she chose to come back to the edge of space exploration, even with all its dangers. Only the brave made choices like that. She also felt appreciation for Farber-Chatwell. He took care of the people who worked for him. He was a good man in many ways, and she enjoyed the social time she spent with him.

  She opened the box and looked at the variety of sweets that all looked delicious. She picked one from the middle and took a bite. Her eyes closed in pleasure as the taste and unbelievably smooth texture wrapped around her tongue in one small but wonderful moment of gourmet bliss.

  6

  It was over! One week of orientation – eight days actually, since someone decided she should be checked out on the basics of the Ganaphe's weapons systems. More than likely that was her uncle's idea. But now it was over. She had to learn to use the technologies of Trailblazer Moon Base and the Orysta – and what amazing technology it was! How could her uncle have kept this all from her – have not even hinted about it!

  In the past week she had done things that very few people in the world had done. She had walked on the surface of the moon, traveled at near-light speeds to close-by asteroids, had gotten a few minutes of time at the controls of both Ganaphe' and human designed space ships, had performed extra-vehicular activities from a Ganaphe' shuttle, had studied the structural design of the moon base and the Orysta, had learned a smattering of Galya (the language of the Ganaphe'), and had learned unending amounts of safety procedures (Living on the moon was very dangerous). She had learned the danger aspects of all of the above and also learned what bliml was, and that they had run out if it some time ago.

  Last but not least, she had one of the few remaining spare universal language translators implanted just behind her ear. It not only translates languages from planets she has never heard of, but has also been programmed with all of Earth's major languages. Apparently, because there were only a few left after these were implanted in the original Trailblazer team, they were no longer distributed to personnel. New personnel on station are now issued comm badges with a built-in translator of Human-Ganaphe' design. These are not as powerful as the Ganaphe' translators and only handle a half dozen languages, but do work very well.

  That was all over now. Now Erika could concentrate on the problem she had been made aware of when she first arrived here – freeing the Orysta. She had been learning a lot from Plessa, and the ship's Chief Engineer may have “let slip” some technical specs on the ship that should have been restricted by the IGT. 'Oh, yes!' she thought, 'Let's not forget the IGT. How was anyone supposed the learn anything in a first contact situation without violating that piece of work!' The thought brought a slightly angry expression across her face.

  She had studied the recordings of the first attempt. It was a good try, but it was strictly a brute force effort. There was no finesse in it. Freeing a stuck ship with no flight capability is a lot more complicated when you have all that surrounding material trying to hold it back. Even a ship as strong as the Orysta had been damaged in the attempt, and it is a very well built ship. She had already considered several methods, and none seemed suitable by themselves. This was going to require implementing multiple methods together, and she had an idea of how it should be done. She still had more research to do, but not tonight. Tonight was a special dinner, and she was going as Plessa's guest. This was her first social event on the base, and it was perfect timing.

  7

  It had been at least ten minutes since she had entered the hall, and Erika was still in a state of mild awe of the room. Most parts of the base she had already been in looked like what someone might expect a moon base to look like. The Orysta looked like what someone might expect an intergalactic space ship to look like. But this banquet hall was completely out of place on the Moon. She had been in many elegant and extravagant estates around the world, owned by some very rich people, but the style and elegance of this room was unbelievable. She had a good idea what the hand carved exotic woods that furnished this room must have cost. This type of workmanship just wasn't done anymore. The time and skill it had taken to create the furniture, walls, and ceiling was from long gone eras of kings with untold wealth. Even the rich countries of today did not have the imagination required to produce this level of elegance, not to mention finding the artisans to do it. She looked very carefully at the crystal goblet in her hand and compared it to another one on the table. No two were exactly alike. Each one had been hand made. And this was a casual gathering. She wondered what the formal ones were like.

  Erika sat at a table with Plessa, Grilik Munen, Tahn-grilik Califas and all the other crew members of the Orysta on her right. They had asked her to sit with them since they considered her part of thei
r team. On her left was her uncle and Mersuul, the original Trailblazer mission crew, and all the other moon base personnel except for the recent arrivals (who were covering duty stations as part of their training). As she continued around the table she recognized Doctor Blin and her staff of transient medical personnel who rotated between Earth and the Moon. At the head of the table was tonight's hostess, Specialist Delores del Rio, and sitting next to her was Doctor Sylvia Krather.

  It had surprised Erika to find out that del Rio was paying for all the expenses of tonights dinner. After her life saving surgery she had spent many weeks in a medically induced coma. After being brought out of that there were years of rehabilitation to strengthen her body and mind. When she was deemed fit to return to duty, she spent more years physically pushing herself until her levels of strength and stamina were better than before her accident, all the while working a regular job back home. She had been receiving her full salary throughout it all (which Erika thought was abnormally generous of her employer), and since her belongings had been placed in storage she had no expenses until being released from the hospital. The money kept accumulating in her account until that time. Most people would just have kept it, but del Rio was so grateful for everyone who had saved her life, that she wanted to show her appreciation. She didn't know the exact figures, but Erika guessed that the cost of this evening's gathering was at least two years worth of paychecks. It's not cheap getting food and drink shipped to the Moon!