Xalata Orbit and Melody Fret: The Hammer of Asttar

by Nick Evans

  Xalata suddenly spoke up, "Look, Colonel Thi, we have been kidnapped, chased by the Cryomorph, locked up, escaped - I don't think much else is going to scare us. There are some very bad guys here and they seem to want to make things bad for everyone, but we can stop them."

  Colonel Thi responded, "Be aware that you are up against very powerful forces. These people are fanatics, driven by religious zeal and the teachings of their spiritual leader. They believe they are fulfilling their destiny and that of the world by destroying the scientific endeavor of the space community."

  "Yeah, we've encountered them already. Nasty bunch, but we can sort them out.'

  "Very well," continued Colonel Thi, "Please assist me with the retargeting of the navigational instruments as we are locked out of the controls here on Earth. The rebels have locked us out of the controls. It's impossible for us to change the trajectory of the asteroid. You can do that, by ensuring we have the correct coordinates entered at your end."

  Glitch spoke suddenly, his face looking puzzled. "Er, Colonel Thi. This is Glitch here - er, Justin Shaw-Storey. Could I ask you a quick question?"

  Colonel Thi answered instantly, "Of course, Justin."

  "OK," Glitch hesitated, "How did you know someone would respond to your distress message, here on the Moon?"

  "Good question. We knew that there was an duplicate control room on the Moon and so we were hoping we could find someone just like you to help us make the control changes."

  Glitch gestured to the others, waving frantically and sawing his hand across his throat as much as to say, cut the link. Xalata and Melody stared at him uncomprehendingly. "She answered too quickly," hissed Glitch in a tone that wouldn't be heard by the Colonel.

  "What do you mean?" said Melody.

  "I know," whispered Xalata, "Transmissions take time to cover the distance between Earth and the Moon. At first there was a pause between our messages and her replies. But then she forgot and replied to Glitch's question instantly! She's a fake. And she's here on the Moon!"

  Chapter Thirty-six

  "Don't be silly, Glitch," retorted Melody. "That's definitely Earthbase calling in. We can see what's happening. If it wasn't them calling, then who would it be? Wiglet, Fark and Machin don't need us to modify the controls - they could do it themselves. I believe her."

  "But it was far too quick. Comms waves with conventional radio take about one and a half seconds to reach us from Earth. Then you have the relay time to this side of the Moon. She can't have answered me that quickly!"

  "I think it was just a coincidence. She answered you before you'd finished speaking, that's all." Melody addressed the console again. "OK, Colonel Thi, we're ready to help you. What do we have to do?"

  "Excellent," came the voice from the screen. "You've already identified the key elements of the console, I believe?"

  "Yes, we have," replied Melody.

  "Then please proceed as follows - we shall need to dig a little deeper into the source code of the controls to effect the changes we want to see. Please follow my instructions very carefully. Firstly, you'll need to find the Stage Instruction Array which is located to the left of your screen - when you open that, you'll need to use the following access codes ..."

  Colonel Thi continued with her instructions and Melody diligently followed them, watched over by Xalata and Glitch, who both interjected from time to time to ensure that she was making the right moves.

  Glitch was still concerned. It bothered him that a technical fact was being overlooked, but now, consistently, there was a delay in the communications, as he had said there should be. Had he imagined the instant reply or had it just been a trick of his mind when under pressure?

  As they worked, there were no signs of change of trajectory for the asteroid on the console. Xalata suddenly said, "Why's nothing changing? We're making all the corrections that you are saying - not that we understand them - and everything seems to be exactly the same."

  "The changes only work very slowly. We are moving an asteroid, please remember, something that has a huge mass. The timings are critical if we are to avoid it being grabbed by Earth's gravitational pull so we are now programming the fusion drive to take it back onto a path that will loop it around the Earth and then hurl it back towards Mars to pick up its original course."

  "OK, I understand, I think. It just seems bizarre that we're making all these edits to the control code and can't see any sign of it on the meters here."

  "The telemetry takes time to catch up, don't forget - what you are seeing is what happened some minutes earlier. There is a delay for the instructions reaching the asteroid and then there is a further delay for us to be able to receive the data that shows things are going to plan."

  "Oh yeah, I guess so - hadn't thought of that," said Xalata. "So how long will it take for the asteroid to be back on track?"

  "According to my calculations, it will be two days and thirteen hours and some minutes," responded the Colonel, "Now I believe ..."

  As she started to speak, there was the sound of the airlock and footsteps rapidly approaching. The friends had no time to hide and stared behind them in horror as the door opened and a very angry Wiglet marched in. He was holding some sort of weapon in his hands and he waved it at them, "You evil little traitors, all of you. How could you?"

  Melody froze with terror but Xalata was up and at him in an instant. “Don’t threaten us – we’re stopping you from wiping out life on Earth. Who's the 'evil little traitor' now?”

  “Stupid girl – get out of my way. You’re in league with them – why are you helping them?”

  “Helping who – you’ve set this up. You’re behind this asteroid strike on Earth.”

  “What? WHAT? What are you talking about? I’ve just seen the targeting on the screen, gone to get my calculations and was coming back to stop it,” said Wiglet. "I walk in here and see you chatting with goodness knows who about retargeting the asteroid to strike the Earth ..."

  "We were stopping it, for Frank's sake! We could see from the controls that the asteroid was on course towards Beijing and, as we looked at it, Colonel Thi from the Mars Terraforming Project came on the line and asked us to take over the controls because they're locked out of them down on Earth."

  "Colonel Thi? There is no Colonel Thi on that project. I should know, I'm one of the leads in the whole enterprise. You've been fooled and now we need to put things right. Get out of my way!" Wiglet was red with anger and Xalata, Melody and Glitch stood there with shock written across their faces.

  "But we ..." began Xalata ...

  "Great job, Wiggins, but I am pleased to say that this little girl 'ere ...”, a rough voice from the shadows echoed around the space, a voice that Xalata recognised from when she had been captured! “This little girl 'ere ...”

  “What? Who’s little? Screw you!”, shouted Xalata, leaping from the chair where she had sat, stunned by Wiglet’s story. “Where are you, you worm?”

  “This little girl 'as just assisted me in making the final adjustments to the asteroid’s trajectory and shortly, the Earth is going to 'ave a very big surprise.”

  “Not so much of a surprise – they know it’s coming,” shouted Xalata. "We've been in contact with them and we've helped to change the trajectory back."

  “I think not – you’re forgetting, that was us 'helping' you.” Fark stepped into the light.

  “But your voice is different …” said Xalata.

  “Do you really think anyone talks like this,” said Fark in his oily voice. “Nah, of course not,” he returned to the rough tones once more. "That's my voice for greasin' around the likes of your dim father and her dimmer mother," he said as he pointed first at Xalata and then at Melody. "The real me is what you see - lovely ain't I? Now, let's just sort a few things out. Wiggins, put down your scanner - the kids'll think it's some sort of weapon!" He grinned and motioned for the group of them to move across the room, into a corner. "That's better, now I can keep an eye on the lot of you."
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  At that moment, Castrana Machin walked into the control room. She looked haughty and contemptuous and she laughed as she looked at the two girls and Glitch. "Colonel Thi from the Mars Terraforming Project here!" she mimicked and then laughed again at her own joke. "You must be really dense not to have realised it was someone on the Moon talking to you."

  "Actually, we did realise ..." said Glitch, "You missed the delay out of your responses a couple of times - only we couldn't quite believe anyone would be that crooked."

  Castrana Machin laughed once more, "Crooked? Just taking you for a ride, my little cherub. What a pity, quite cute but no brain!"

  Wiglet was looking furious. "Well, well. Castrana Machin, I do declare," he said, "I heard you were on LunarBase and assumed you'd be spreading your usual brand of idiocy. And I don't know what your involvement is here, Adolf, but these girls have been tampering with exceedingly delicate equipment that is controlling a mission-critical system for terraforming on Mars. I'm involved in the project from a strategic point of view and I came here as a result of information from my colleagues at the Mission Control. This Control Room is a secure and restricted area and I find it beyond belief that you are all in here."

  "'Beyond belief' eh, Wiglet?" said Fark, "What's 'beyond belief' is that it took you cuckoos so long to catch on to what we were doing! Now, enough of the backchat. We need to get this lot locked away before any other meddlers come along and try to spoil the show."

  "Oh I don't know," responded Castrana, "these kids were quite handy for making the final adjustments to fine tune the impact on Beijing. Thank you so much, my sweets! But now, as my lovely Mr Fark says, we need to put you somewhere out of harm's way."

  Wiglet stood forward and faced Fark and Castrana, " I'm surprised Castrana, that you have graduated to this level of criminality. You can't really be doing this, surely? Millions will die. The Earth will plunge back into the Dark Ages and all the learning and advancement that has happened over the past millennia will just disappear."

  "Exactly, my dear Wiggins!" oozed Fark, his old voice put on for effect. "The Earth and its inhabitants are an abomination - they're a virus on the face of a once beautiful creation and the Lord Asttar has spoken and wants to remove that abomination, keeping only his pure kin close to him."

  Xalata suddenly burst out laughing, "Oh sorry - oops. I mean, really? 'Pure kin'? That's you lot of scheming scumbags? Are you serious?" She laughed out loud again and Melody looked at her with a worried face.

  "Xalata. Shut up. They'll hurt us."

  "They won't hurt us. They're weasels. Their stupid little ideas can't be part of the life we live, surely. I mean, really, can you take it seriously? 'The Lord Asttar'? Who the freak is he, anyway?"

  "Oh you shall know him, my dear," said Fark, his eyes bright with the sparks of self-righteousness. "He's the Lord of Creation, the Master of the World and he will have his vengeance on those who speak ill of him."

  "Bollocks!" There was a stunned silence.

  "What did you say?" asked Fark.

  "I think you heard me clearly, Mister Fark. I said 'bollocks'. It's an Anglo-Saxon word with a great etymology, actually. I read all about it the other day. It basically means, in the context I have just used it, 'nonsense'. What you are saying is medieval, superstitious nonsense that has no place in a race of people that is developing and the word I have just used sums it up pretty well, I think."

  Melody simply stared at Xalata, while Glitch stood with his mouth open. Fark looked annoyed and then the oily smile crept across his face. "You'll get what's coming to you girlie, be sure of that. Now, let's go - back to where you came from, but this time I think we shall be a little more careful how we lock you away!"

  With that, Fark pulled an EDW from his pocket - a small, but very effective Electrical Discharge Weapon that can disable people and does not risk damaging fragile environments such as those found on the LunarBase. "If I have to use this, I'm quite happy to do so. It won't kill you but, if it hits you, you'll wish it had killed you. So, let's go for a little amble back to the home you came from." He waved the EDW and the group walked back towards the outer airlock, Castrana Machin at the front and Fark bringing up the rear.

  "You won't get away with this, Fark!" spluttered Wiglet.

  "Oh, don't be so melodramatic my dear Wiglet," replied Fark in his old voice. "You know that I shall get away with this and that you will simply be a victim of the fall-out from the whole episode. It will be so gratifying to watch. Now, walk on!"

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  The home was as they had left it when they broke out from their improvised prison. Fark glanced around and, poking his head into the bedroom, spotted the dummy that was pretending to be Xalata. "Very clever. Quite a good likeness - particularly the hair." Xalata glowered at him but said nothing, as Fark checked around the rooms to ensure that everything was it should be.

  Castrana Machin simply stood and watched the four prisoners who had sat on the available seats in the living space. "You'll be quite comfortable here until our work is complete," she laughed. "There is food, water and even entertainment," and she pointed to the screen on the wall. "You're short of nothing you could possibly need - oh, except your freedom of course!" She laughed again and, as Fark emerged from the lobby she said, "And now we really must dash. So sorry to have to spoil the party."

  They took a final look around the living area and then closed the door behind them. The outer airlock hissed and the four captives were left alone. They sat in silence for a few moments, considering their situation. Wiglet was the first to speak. "I'm baffled by a number of things, not least of which is how you come to be here."

  "Yeah, well, we're baffled too, Mr Wiggins, if you don't mind me saying," said Xalata "What are you doing here and why did you tamper with the controls for the asteroid? Looks pretty suspicious to me."

  "Your suspicions are unfounded, Xalata. The very fact that I am a captive too should inform you that my intentions are not the same as those of the people who just left."

  "OK - I believe that," said Melody, "But how can you be here? We're on the other side of the Moon from the LunarBase and our homes. We got here through some sort of gateway that we discovered after Xalata was captured, but how do you know about it?"

  "I too have a portal access, in the Academy," said Wiglet. "Portals are exceptionally dangerous, except under very controlled circumstances. However, I needed to use it in order to come to this control room and find out how it had been hijacked after I was notified by Beijing that the mission had been compromised. My task was to discover who was now controlling the asteroid. Imagine my consternation when I arrived back there and found that it appeared to be you! Now, of course, I realise that you were being tricked too and that you were genuinely trying to help."

  "Yes we were and the problem is now that none of us can do anything about this situation because they've locked us in here," said Melody, her face showing her anxiety. "How ever shall we get out of here? What can we do?"

  "We'll get them when they come back," said Xalata, "Jump 'em and beat their heads with the pans from the kitchen."

  "That'll be too late ... they'll already have done what they intend to do. It's a disaster," wailed Melody.

  "Oh, get a grip girl," snapped Xalata, "tears won't fix this. Now, let's think!"

  While this exchange was going on, Glitch was sitting, facing away from the group and saying nothing. His brow was furrowed in thought and he muttered silently to himself as if he was working out a problem. After a few minutes, he stopped and turned around, "I may have an idea that will help us," he said.

  * * * * *

  Brett drove for what seemed like hours, but was actually only about 30 minutes. The truck was not very fast and he could see from the gauges that there was only enough power for about another 30 minutes. Then he'd have to go on foot, through passages and areas of the habitat that he did not know. Although all habitats were built on the same model, when you found yourself suddenly i
n a particular location, it was hard to know where you were actually going. Much of the place was unlit or only dimly so, with emergency lighting giving only the faintest glow to guide him where the corridors went.

  He still worried that the Cryomorph would be pursuing him, but as far as he could tell, he had left it behind, in the dust - literally. He wasn't going to take any chances though and so he proceeded with caution, checking junctions between corridors and looking behind him regularly in case the beast were to be thundering up in his wake.

  * * * * *

  Castrana and Fark headed back to the control room, confident that their prisoners were safely locked away. This was to be the endgame of their plan and they didn't want it spoiled by a band of interlopers who didn't share their beliefs.

  They opened up the airlock and went inside. The screens were still displaying the same instrumentation as before. Castrana touched one section and a view of the Beijing control room filled the screen. There was evident panic as people dashed around, worked feverishly at their workstations or consulted earnestly with each other. Control had been wrested from their hands and they could see the telemetry for the asteroid - it was heading straight for them! Castrana laughed quietly, "Fools! They'll be destroyed - all because of their arrogance. They have hours to live and there's nothing they can do because they are totally locked out of the controlling networks. No one can stop the Lord Asttar's will from being done!"

  Fark smiled, "Yeah. We shall be celebrated throughout the universe as the ones who kept the faith, kept the Word and fulfilled our Destiny as the Lord Asttar's 'umble servants." He addressed another part of the main control screen and brought up the status screens for the asteroid's trajectory, engines and power readouts. "All systems nominal, Captain," he grinned. "Always wanted to say that. Now, let's make those final adjustments and then lock this sucker down."

  The two of them worked for several minutes, double checking their figures, monitoring the readouts and ensuring that everything was functioning to perfection. Then Fark said, "We're there. Here are the keys," and he produced two thin, transparent slivers of plastic that were marked with complex circuitry. "One for you. One for me. Now, insert your key, Castrana. Thank you. Now on my mark, let's perform the locking sequence." The two conspirators then twisted the keys in unison, pressed two sets of buttons on a console in front of the screen and then finally removed the keys.