by Nick Evans
"Castrana Machin? That lecture? I would have liked to have gone to that myself," said Wiglet.
"Yes, that's the one. Anyway, here's my tri-v," and the giant display vector appeared in front of the group.
The presentation was made of vivid movies, 3D and colourful with demonstrations of the points that Xalata was making, tied together with short pieces of narration, voiced by Xalata and backed by a simple yet effective soundtrack of music. The most impressive bits were when plant growth was shown in time-lapse and then dissolved into plant-based graphs and charts.
The group of students watched as the images unfolded, blended and morphed into dynamic shapes that made her points very clearly.
As the tri-v drew to a close, there was a stunned silence in the room. It was broken by Rose, predictably.
"My, my. The Earthling learned animation back in the swamp."
"Why, thank you Rose for such a typically sweet and generous compliment," said Xalata, flashing her eyes at Rose to indicate that she need not carry on the exchange.
"Well, we have had two remarkable presentations today, I must say." Wiglet was not quite certain what to make of Xalata's. "Most unconventional, Xalata and quite effective. I'm not sure how the Board of Assessors would look on that, but nonetheless, no one can deny that you have put in a significant amount of work here."
"Thanks, Mr Wiggins," said Xalata and she sat down with the others as the display disappeared.
Several of the students moved over to speak to her and to Melody. But their minds were elsewhere. Xalata was concerned that she had not been able to speak to her Dad about the event with Glitch. She was having second thoughts about the seminar that afternoon, but now she had spilled the fact that she was going, there was no turning back.
Meanwhile, Melody was still anxious about the bullying comments made by Rose. I wish I could just stand up to her, but I daren't, she thought. I so hate being this soft!
Xalata had noticed that Glitch had steered out of her way all morning - Strange, if he's invited me to the presentation, she mused.
"Hey, Glitch. Don't like me any more?"
"Oh, hi Xalata. Sorry, I was just busy catching up. My tri-v is next week so I was, er, sort of getting some pointers from you and Melody. You still OK for this afternoon?"
"Yep - wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll meet you at the TransTrak - what time do we need to leave?"
"Um, I think just after we've had our snack. That good for you?"
"Sure. See you there."
She still couldn't get a handle on why he was so nervous but she put it down to him just being a boy and therefore normally a bit odd. She flipped open her pad to look at her latest assignments when the news feed caught her eye: "Lunar habitat closed off after attack."
The article showed some handheld video of the interior of Habitat 14 - the area that had been badly damaged by the cryomorph. Huge holes gaped in the walls of the habitat, exposing the spaces behind but also evidently exposing the area to the full vacuum of space - impossible for anyone to operate here without the proper space suit and helmet. The narration gave more details:
Since the attack on Habitat 14 - part of the Farside lunar complex - assessors have been trying to establish how badly damaged the area is. During their last visit, they completely closed off all access to the site and have declared it uninhabitable. Facilities teams from LunarBase have been preparing to program the nano-constructors to repair the area, but the damage is such that there are serious problems in access and in repairing the structure.
"Wow," said Melody, who had just appeared at Xalata's shoulder, "That's really going to mess up the development program on Farside."
"Development program? What program?" said Xalata.
"The Research and Development department of your Dad's unit has been exploring some new techniques for terraforming - I think it's part of the Mars program. They want to make Mars have a breathable atmosphere and so a lot of it is down to plant biology, I think. Anyway, I don't know the details because they're secret, but I think that's why the Asttarians are attacking Habitat 14 - that's where the work is meant to start happening in a few months."
"OK - that explains why Dad wasn't home last night," said Xalata. I guess I'll just have to go to the lecture without telling him. "I'll see you later, Melody. I'm off to get something to eat then I'm meeting Glitch. Can you take my pad with you - I don't think I'll need it this afternoon."
"Sure," said Melody and smiled as Xalata headed for the door and waved to Glitch. As Melody turned away, she didn't see the look of panic on his face.
The Coming Threat
Hurtling through space, the giant rock rotated with the pressure from the fusion engines. In the far distance, a tiny glow in the blackness of space - The Earth - where control engineers have yet to discover two things: the rock is approaching on a trajectory that would mean it could impact the Earth; the second, that they no longer have any control of the huge and potentially devastating weapon that someone is pointing towards the Home Planet.
Second by second, minute by minute, the massive chunk of space debris moves closer to its new target and further away from the original target of Mars. And, silently, a hand moves the controls in a bunker deep under the Moon's surface and the route to Earth's destruction is finalised.
Chapter Twelve
The TransTrak was busy with excited people heading for the lecture at The Outpost. Glitch, true to his word, had turned up and now seemed a bit more relaxed as the speeding vehicle headed through the tunnels back to the Central Air Facility headquarters.
"So, what was up with you earlier today, Glitch?" said Xalata, her eyes searching his face for signs of the previous unease.
"Me? Nothing? As I said, I'm just concentrating on my tri-v."
"Just that you looked anxious - as if you had something on your mind ..."
Glitch laughed, "Nah, not me. Cool as a 'berg, me."
Xalata was not convinced, but she decided to drop the subject and, anyway, the TransTrak was slowing down, ready to dock in the station. "OK, nearly there. Do you have the passes to get us in?"
"Sure," replied Glitch. "They're right here on my pad. The entry will identify us automatically."
Sure enough, after they'd got off the train and headed the short distance to the Outpost, the gates opened and admitted them both to the auditorium. It wasn't as big as Xalata had expected but then, nothing much on The Moon was. The difficulties of providing a secure environment, protected from the Moon's hostile vacuum, complete with gravity, over a large space was a challenge even for the advanced engineering that made up the entire LunarBase.
As they walked into the room and found their seats, they saw an imperious-looking woman with a mane of silvery hair, standing talking to a group at the front of the stage. She was tall and elegant with a slightly hooked nose and she wore a robe - unusual for people on the Moon - which shimmered with reflected light on tiny black panels that covered its surface.
"That's Castrana Machin," whispered Glitch.
"Yeah, I guessed," replied Xalata, trying to get a better look at the renowned space biologist. "She looks a bit scary."
"My mum's met her, I think. She's supposed to be really clever but a bit odd. I suppose, we shall see what she's like soon."
The auditorium continued to fill but there was no sign of Glitch's parents or, if they were there, they must have been seated in another part of the room. Only a few minutes later, the lights dimmed, a man whom Xalata did not know, stood and introduced her and then Castrana Machin strode onto the stage to some polite applause.
"Ladies and gentlemen, academics and students, thank you for coming to hear what I have to say today. I am in two minds about how I feel, speaking to a meeting here on the Moon. We live in exciting and dangerous times. Threats from the very environment in which we live are overwhelming us and we live in a state of fear."
There were some shuffles from the audience and a couple of puzzled glances around the room.
> "My talk today confronts those challenges, awakens a new hope in humankind and pushes the boundaries of where we are today, back to where they should be. We have sinned. We have ignored the warnings of the world around us. We have become arrogant as if we were the Lords of Creation themselves. We are not. We are but ants that scuttle across the surface of the Earth, its moon and soon, on to Mars. Beyond there, who knows?"
There was now a definite air of unease in the room and several people muttered to each other as it was evident that the speaker was not going to stick to the topic of her talk.
"The Gods do not accept lightly the blasphemy that is being uttered every time we step outside our preordained limits. The biology that serves us is the very fabric of our being and yet we abuse it, stretch it, batter it into submission.
"Mankind will learn very soon that this can go on no longer. A vengeance is coming, a terrible and mighty vengeance ..."
At this point one of the audience stood up and interjected, "Excuse me Ms Machin, but this appears to be a significant diversion away from the theme of hybridisation ..."
"Yes," she replied, "because the times are upon us and it is too late for talk. Action is the only thing that will save us." Her voice boomed around the auditorium and she stood with a strange gleam in her eye that made her look even more unearthly than she had before. She seemed to fix every person in the room with her stare and Xalata simply stared back as the piercing gaze swept the auditorium.
Suddenly, her face relaxed into a half-smile. Her voice became quieter, softer and she said, "There’s a Way of life that’s right and another that’s wrong. If you don’t keep to the Way, bad things happen. I’ll say no more, but you’ll find out soon enough.”
And with that, she swept off the stage, officials from the Outpost scurrying after her. The audience erupted into a burst of chatter as each person turned to others next to them to exclaim about the strange and very brief appearance of Castrana Machin.
"Wow, that was weird," said Xalata. "What was she on about? She sounded like those Asttarian nuts for a moment there."
"Frank knows," said Glitch, "but I'm certain that we'll hear more about it soon. We were supposed to go and meet her after the talk. Do you think she'll be there? We could ask her what she meant."
"Really? You want to go into the same room as that nutter? Her circuits are well fried. Count me out, I'm going ..."
"Aw, c'mon, where's your sense of adventure? Let's go find her."
The room was clearing now and Xalata looked in the direction that Glitch was pointing. "I think it's down there - at least, that's the way she went out," she said.
Always one for a challenge she led the way and headed towards the door behind the stage. As they pushed the door open, the corridor beyond looked quite dark, but they could hear voices raised in the distance.
"Someone's not happy about that speech," said Xalata as they shuffled forward into the gloom.
They slowly moved toward the sound of the argument and then, suddenly and soundlessly, a strong pair of arms came out of the darkness and grabbed Xalata. One hand went over her mouth and the other held her tight as she struggled and kicked. She tried to shout out, but she could only make a muffled noise.
As she felt another pair of hands take hold of her legs she realized she was going to be dragged bodily out of the corridor and into an adjacent room. She kicked as hard as she could and felt a foot connect with flesh. There was a muffled "Oomph" as her attacker struggled to get their wind back.
She looked wildly around. The attacker in front of her was dressed completely in black including a black mask covering the entire head. Only the eyes showed through and they looked angry. The person in front pulled back a fist as if to strike, but the one holding her stopped the punch. "No, she's not to be hurt."
She looked back into the corridor as she was hauled into the side room and saw Glitch, just standing there, tears in his eyes. He gulped and said as the door closed, "I'm so sorry ..."
Chapter Thirteen
Back at the Academy, Melody was attending to some of her coursework when Glitch walked in, looking very shaken.
"Where's Xalata? Didn't she come back with you?"
"No," replied Glitch, "she just went off on her own after the talk and I couldn't find her. The talk was weird and I think Xalata wanted to talk to Castrana Machin to discover what the freak she was on about."
"Weird? What do you mean?" said Melody, with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"She was talking about "the Gods" and "the times are upon us" and all sorts of bizarre stuff that didn't make much sense."
"So she didn't give a talk on biology then?"
"Nope - it last about two minutes and that was it. Xalata went after her when she left the auditorium. I was just chatting to someone else and when I looked round, Xalata had disappeared."
"So did you try to find her?"
"I couldn't - security weren't letting anyone through so, I thought she'd probably find her own way back."
Melody looked sceptical, but she nodded and said, "OK - we'll just have to wait for her. I can't go back to the home without her. What would her Dad say? In fact, did he know she was going?"
"Dunno. I expect she'll go straight back home though. Probably best to wait for her there?"
She gathered her things together and headed for the door. "She's from Earth you know, Glitch. It was your duty to look after her and I think you've let her down. I just hope for your sake that she turns up."
Glitch shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. "I couldn't do anything, honest. She just upped and went and by the time I realized, she'd gone."
Melody gave him a glance and then walked out of the door to head back to the home. She was worried - Glitch should have stayed with Xalata. Why had he let her go? She could be anywhere. She headed for the TransTrak.
* * * * * *
Back at the home, there was no sign of Xalata. Nor could Melody raise her on messaging. In fact, it was as if she had disappeared completely. When Brett arrived home that evening, Melody went straight to his home and told the story.
"Why did no one tell me she was missing? Why didn't you tell Adolf?" said Brett. "I don't understand how she can have been there one moment and then gone the next."
"We thought she would turn up, Mr Orbit - I'm really sorry. I know I should have told you or Mr Fark, but Glitch seemed certain that there was no reason to worry."
"Right, we need to get things moving. I'm going to speak to Adolf and then I'll get over to The Outpost to search for her."
"I'll come too ..."
"No, you stay here in case she returns. Just let me know if you hear anything," and, with that Brett hurried out of the door, his communicator to his ear as he went.
Melody sat down in the Orbit's home and looked around. There was nothing she could do. It was pointless waiting. If Xalata came back then all was fine, but why would she when she'd been missing for a couple of hours now? Maybe she'd got into conversation with Castrana Machin and had forgotten the time? The truth was, no one knew and time was moving on.
Suddenly, she decided. "I'm going to go and look for her. But I'm taking Mr Shaw-Storey with me ... or should that be Mr Tall-Story?" She was not at all convinced by Glitch's explanation and she knew that something was wrong ... therefore, she needed to find her friend.
Picking up her pad, she buzzed Glitch, told him what was happening and, over-riding his protests, strode out of the home and headed for the TransTrak.
* * * * * *
Glitch met her at the station platform, "Look, is this a good idea? Shouldn't you wait back at the home in case she arrives? Where do you think we are going to look?"
"I don't know and I don't care. She's my friend and I'm going to try and find her, after you lost her! I don't know what you're not telling me, Glitch, but when I find out, you're gonna be in big trouble. Now, get yourself on that train and let's find her."
The TransTrak pulled out of the station and headed at spee
d into the tunnel. Glitch stood with his eyes lowered, studying his boots while Melody tried to contact Xalata again across The Q, on her pad. There was no response and she put it into her bag. As the train hurtled through the tunnels, back to the LunarBase, she decided that she would follow Xalata's tracks as far as she could, with the help of Glitch - or not.
The train slowed to a standstill and they both stepped out onto the platform. It was quiet now, as most people had gone back to their homes, so they made good progress down the ramp towards the Outpost. When they arrived, they found that the doors were closed but a security guard was seated at a desk inside. Melody rattled the door and the guard looked up and waved his head, mouthing, "We're closed."
Melody shouted through the glass, "It's urgent. I left my pad here when I was at today's lecture. Can I come and look for it?"
The guard came over to the door and said, "We've had no pads handed in."
"Oh, I think I may have put it under my seat..."
"Crazy thing to do. We're still closed."
"Look, it's urgent, I need it for my course. I'm at the Hydroponics Department at the Academy. If I don't get my pad, I can't do my tri-v tomorrow and I'll be in such trouble ..." she ended with a sob and real tears appeared at the corner of her eyes.
"It's more than me job's worth, young lady ..."
"Oh please! Help me ..." and she broke down crying. Glitch put an arm around her as if to comfort her.
"I don't think he's going for it, Melody," he whispered. "We ought to go back."
"Shut up, idiot," Melody hissed and renewed her howling.
At that moment, the guard opened the door. "OK, but you need to be quick. If anyone finds out, I'm for it. Now get a move on." And he pushed them both through the door and pointed out the auditorium. "The lights are on in there now. Be back here in five minutes."
Melody and Glitch hurried to the door. "Where did that all come from," said Glitch. "Why are you so upset?"
