Xalata Orbit and Melody Fret: The Hammer of Asttar

by Nick Evans

  "So, this base was completely separate from everything that LunarBase did?" asked Glitch.

  "Yes, indeed. It was totally self-sufficient which was partly its benefit but also in that lay the seeds of its destruction. Cut off, it was not so well run and maintained and consequently the problems that started small, grew into ones that affected the quality of life. Now, you might ask, why then does it seem perfectly fine for us here?"

  "Beat me to it," said Xalata.

  "The simple answer is that there are so few of us here that we make very little impact on the ecosystem. Our needs are tiny compared to a full population of researchers, scientists and support staff. That runs into hundreds of people per habitat."

  "So, this doesn't tell us anything about how you'll get us out of here ...?" said Melody.

  "No, but it's not just my responsibility, I think," answered Wiglet. "I was talking about the TransTrak - it's no longer running, but there was another tunnel, cut accidentally many years ago, by an out of control suite of nanobots that had been programmed to build a route and then stop. They continued cutting the tunnel, unstoppably until it circumnavigated the whole Moon. That tunnel, I know, passes below this habitat. And, more importantly, it passes below LunarBase on Nearside."

  "Then we can catch the train home," shouted Xalata, excitedly.

  "Not quite, Xalata. There never were any trains - it was never commissioned. There was a huge fuss of course because of the unnecessary work that had been done, but when all's said and done, nanobots that are using the environment they work in for building materials don't actually consume anything - so there was no real cost. The original plan was abandoned for a number of reasons, but there had never been a need to commission a full service on that tunnel."

  "So let me get this straight," said Brett. "There's a tunnel below us that goes right around the Moon and passes beneath our home base? But it doesn't have any vehicles on it?"

  "Correct, but I have a solution for that too."

  "Let me guess. Let me guess!" shouted Xalata, getting very excited now, probably as a reaction to her former state of mind. "We get a truck down there and we ride home."

  "In theory, yes, but you have to remember that the distance from here to LunarBase is around 6000 kilometres."

  "No truck is going to manage that and anyway, how long would that take? What's the truck's top speed?" asked Melody.

  "About 60kph," answered Wiglet.

  "Ouch - 100 hours of driving. Over four days continuous. No stations, no food or water."

  "Exactly, so that plan is not really feasible, unless we provision up and are willing to endure a good deal of discomfort and distress. So, I have a further thought." The group listened eagerly. "I know that the TransTrak engineers have used the redundant tunnel as a test bed for new vehicles and ..."

  "We contact the engineers and get them to send us a train!" squealed Xalata, very uncharacteristically. "Help, I must calm down. Sorry guys, I'm a bit wound up."

  "Correct on both counts," smiled Wiglet. "So, what are we waiting for? Glitch, the comms panel please." And Wiglet proceeded to patch them through to the TransTrak engineers and, within ten minutes, had made clear to them their situation and had ordered up a train. "Around 4 hours before they can get everything up and working, then the prototype train will travel around the track at a slower than normal speed of about 600kph and then we shall be in business! All we have to do is to find the entry point."

  "14 hours then," said Xalata, a little more calmly. They all settled down to wait

  * * * * *

  Fark's excitement had been tempered with a dose of reality. Yes, he had found the abandoned circular tunnel, but ... he had no means of transport and he was unlikely to be able to get a truck down there to drive back, even knowing that it would take forever to get home. "Still, no getting lost, whichever way I go," he chuckled to himself and then listened to the echoes reverberate down the narrow tunnel.

  He realised that he was in a bad position and decided that, before he either climbed out of there or struck out along the tunnels in the hope of finding a solution, he would sit down and think.

  He was free, for the moment, and he intended to stay that way. He'd had enough of the smartarse kids, the self-righteous Orbit and the frankly idiotic Wiggins. So, steering clear of them would be good. He did still have his two henchmen who performed menial tasks and did the heavy lifting, but they were a good way from there and he didn't fancy trying to find them when he had such reduced mobility.

  So, sitting and thinking was probably the best plan.

  * * * * *

  Later that day, after they had rested and had some food, they set about planning their exit. Finding the entry to the TransTrak had been simple. Glitch had summoned up the plans on the screen and they had virtual-walked the route that was indicated, arriving in the abandoned TransTrak station and then identifying the hidden door on the other side of the track.

  "Easy-peasy," said Melody. "Let's go."

  "I think you're forgetting something Melody," said Brett. "We shall need to report the death of Castrana and then the authorities can come and recover her body. So, I suggest we take some video of the area and the devastation. In addition, the Cryomorph cannot be left to wander this area alone ..."

  "Erm, I have a plan for that too," said Wiglet with his mysterious look again. "Where will the Cryomorph go?"

  "Well, anywhere we want it to - I still have the control," said Xalata.

  "And where is it now?"

  "Wandering the corridors around the area of the Control Room. I can pinpoint it exactly if you want."

  "No need, Xalata, however, I shall need you to bring it to a place that I shall specify in due course."

  "OK," she responded slowly, "and then what?"

  "We shall deal with it."

  They were all intrigued but it was evident that Wiglet wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, so they humoured him and pretended to not be too interested.

  "I shall need to go and prepare for a little while, then I shall give you instructions, if that is OK?"

  "Sure thing," said Xalata, "whatever you say, Mr Wiggins."

  * * * * *

  Wiglet's plan was dangerous and he knew it. The Cryomorph was a creature made in the furnaces of Hell, or so it seemed to those who encountered it. So finding a way to trap it and destroy it would need devilish cunning and a good helping of very good luck. Wiglet was not the sort of person who left things to luck though. He'd been brought up with an analytical mind by scientific parents who gave him a top education, which had in turn sharpened that mind to make it a formidable weapon and tool.

  His outward appearance was strange - wild-haired, small spectacles that were an anachronism in these days of laser-optimised sight - he was the epitome of a mad professor, but his looks belied his true nature. Now, he had set that mind to work and it was coming up with the goods. His prime objective was to keep everyone else safe - he, in his mind, was dispensable.

  He left the home where the band of friends were still working on tidying up things before they moved on with the final chapter of their great adventure. As he left, he cast a glance back and smiled - the future is safe in the hands of the upcoming generation, he thought. Walking briskly away, he headed back to the atrium and then down one of the side corridors that led to a more deserted part of that section of the habitat. The lights were dim here because there was no passage of people to stimulate them into action.

  Near the end of the corridor and through a large airlock, he found what he was looking for: a sizeable blank wall that faced the corridor and formed part of the outer structure of the habitat. This was just what he needed, knowing that the Cryomorph was virtually indestructible, even in the vacuum of space.

  He bent down, near the bottom of the wall, and left a small flat panel in place, barely visible in the gloom. Then he checked the location, verified it with his pad and then called Melody.

  "Melody, I am now ready for the Cryomorph. I wo
uld like you to take control of it please, if you would be so kind. I think that Xalata has probably had enough responsibility for a lifetime in controlling that beast."

  "Sure thing, Mr Wiggins. Just let me get the controls and then you can give me the location." There was a pause as she spoke with Xalata, who gladly handed over the control. "OK, I'm ready - let me read you the current position of the creature." She checked the screen and saw that the Cryomorph was stationary, about 200 metres down a corridor away from the Control Room. "Yes, I've got its location - can you give me the coordinates where you want it please?"

  Wiglet read out the exact location where he was standing and Melody read it back to him to check.

  "Then I also need you to assign an action to it once it arrives."

  "Oh, that's easy my dear. Just set it to Destroy if you would."

  "Er, OK. You'll be well out of the way, won't you?" Melody sounded anxious.

  "Naturally, I shall be in the area to see that all goes to plan."

  "OK - if you are sure, I shall plug those commands in now and activate. Do you want a time schedule of when it'll arrive there?"

  "Yes, that would be most useful."

  "Activating now - it's on the move. The readout estimates 22 minutes for it to get to you."

  "Perfect, thank you, Melody. Goodbye." And so saying, Wiglet cut the communication and prepared to wait for the beast.

  * * * * *

  Melody was unhappy. She had not liked Wiglet's 'Goodbye', nor the manner of his leaving. She turned to Xalata who had been following the dialogue. "What do you think?"

  "I think he's up to something very dangerous ..."

  "D'you think we should follow him?"

  "And do what? The Cryomorph will be with him in twenty minutes. What are we going to do?"

  "Just make sure he's not putting himself in danger. Look, I have the coordinates, we can follow his route, but I'll keep an eye on the way the Cryomorph is going so we don't bump into each other." She glanced at the screen, "I ...oh no! It's going much faster than I thought. It's going to be with him in about five minutes. Quick! We need to hurry," and she dragged her friend to the door and hauled her out toward the atrium.

  "Come on!" she yelled as Xalata gathered herself from the shock of being pulled through the doorway and she set off after the fast-disappearing figure of Melody. They ran together down the corridors, Melody checking every few moments to make sure that they were not on an intersecting path with the beast. "It's down this way, to the left," she cried as they turned into a smaller corridor. There were moments left before the beast was due to be with Wiglet.

  They rounded a corner that led, through a large airlock, into a corridor beyond and there, facing away from them, stood the Cryomorph, its body shaking from the exertion of running to its programmed location and, in front of it, a sight that made the girls gasp with fear.

  The end wall of the corridor seemed to be a blaze of light, edged with a shimmering border where two realities met. In the light beyond, the girls could see barely recognisable features - a large room, perhaps an atrium, with furniture and equipment, shimmering in the strange and eerie light.

  "It's a portal," whispered Xalata, for fear of gaining the beast's attention. "But where's it go to?"

  "Wiglet's tricking the Cryomorph into going through into another place, but where is it and won't it be just as dangerous there?" And then she stopped suddenly, for as their eyes became accustomed to the brightness of the portal's light, they could make out a wild-haired figure, standing on the other side, waving frantically. "What the freak's he doing?" shouted Melody, "it'll kill him!"

  And sure enough, the beast seemed to be charging itself for a massive discharge to blast the tiny figure of Wiglet who, now, was jumping up and down, goading the beast and trying to lure it to him. The girls watched with their faces drained of colour as they realised what Wiglet was doing.

  "He's going to get killed, luring it away," sobbed Melody, "we can't let him do it!"

  "Don't be crazy! How do you think you are going to stop that huge creature now and ... look!" As Xalata spoke, the beast sat back on its haunches and then launched itself towards the portal. Its vast weight shook the ground and it hurled itself with a roar towards Wiglet, who now stood impassively, waiting for his doom.

  As the beast crossed the boundary between that reality and the next, there was a huge flash of light that left the girls blinded momentarily and a rumbling roar as the wall collapsed where the portal had stood. The habitat was suddenly open to the vacuum of space and, with an abrupt hiss, the airlock door between the beast and the girls slammed shut, leaving only a small porthole to view the scene of devastation beyond. Dust filled the air and in moments, it was impossible to see anything in that space.

  The girls sat on the floor and wept.

  * * * * *

  When they returned to the home to tell the story of Wiglet's brave end, the others were just closing up everything in preparation for the trek across to the TransTrak location that they had identified.

  "But, why did he do that? We could have left the Cryomorph wandering here," said Glitch, "I don't get it."

  "And we don't know where it's gone to either," said Brett.

  "That's just it. Wherever the Cryomorph is, so is Wiglet. I just can't believe it," Melody sobbed.

  "Come on, guys," said Xalata. We can't do any more. That place is blasted to hell and it's open to space in any case, so we can't go in. They're who knows where so we are wasting our time looking now. Let's head for the TransTrak and then we'll tell the people coming over what has happened and they can maybe solve the puzzle."

  "Sound advice, Xally," said Brett. "We have everything from in here that we need. We know where we are going, so let's do it," and he set off to find the truck that would take them to the TransTrak.

  Melody pulled herself together and the friends trotted after Brett, loaded the truck and headed for the station. It was not long before they found it, with its doors wide open. "Strange," said Brett, "I'd have thought this lot would be closed up since it was mothballed when everyone bailed out." He stepped off the truck and went to examine the doors. "It goes down to the platform. Come on!"

  They all picked up their kit and hurried down the steps. It was eerie in the half-light, knowing that they were in a tunnel that had not been used for years. But Glitch had been doing his homework and he called, "This way!" and led them to the hidden entry to the redundant circular tunnel - again, the doors stood open, so it appeared not to be very hidden. Looking on the floor, Glitch stopped suddenly, "Just a mo'. What's this?" and he looked down at a couple of faint spots of red that shone on the floor in front of him.

  "Looks like blood," said Brett. "You don't think ..." but before he could say any more they all heard a shuffle and a groan from in the next tunnel.

  "I do think," cried Xalata and she darted into the tunnel before anyone could stop her. There on the floor, between the tracks, lay Fark, sneering but obviously in pain.

  "Well Zala-taar. Have you come to rescue me?"

  "No, Fark. I'd sooner see you dead, but there's been quite enough of that for one day. Guys! Help me with him," and she jumped down to the tracks and grabbed Fark under his arms.

  The others hurried along and, as they did so, they could hear a distant sound coming down the tunnel. "It's the TransTrak!" cried Melody.

  "Leave him there," said Glitch with an evil scowl.

  Fark suddenly screamed, "No! Help me, please!"

  "And what help would you have been to the people on Earth, billions of them who would have died if you and your Asttarian nutters had had their way," said Xalata, dropping him again.

  "No, I ... it's what we believe. We thought we were doing our Lord's bidding."

  "Realising the error of your ways, huh, Fark?" said Xalata coldly. The sound grew louder as the TransTrak approached.

  "Yes. Yes. Yes! Please help me out of here." His eyes were pleading and suddenly, the friends saw in his eyes the Fark
that used to be, before he was corrupted by a strange and deviant ideology.

  "Two wrongs don't make a right," declared Melody and hopped down onto the track. She and Xalata grabbed Fark and heaved him onto the platform and then leapt up there themselves, moments before the train pulled quietly into the station.

  "Quite right," came a familiar voice as they all stood up again.

  "Wiglet!" yelled Xalata and dashed over to the very dusty tutor and gave him a huge hug. "I mean, Mr Wiggins! What the ... what happened, where did you go, where's the Cryomorph ..."

  "Steady," said Wiglet, separating himself from the enthusiastic grasp of his pupil. "Let's just greet our newly arrived friends from Nearside, then I shall tell you the whole story on the journey back."

  Chapter Forty-five

  The TransTrak glided silently along, travelling onward in the same direction it had arrived in. The crew had decided that as they had traversed one half of the circumnavigation of the Moon, they might as well do the other half too.

  The friends had all seated themselves in a carriage, with Fark secured to a rail, but sitting relatively comfortably, while Wiglet described what had happened.

  "I knew that the only solution was to destroy the beast, otherwise it would either pursue us down these tunnels and then wreak havoc Nearside, or it would be a problem that someone else would have to deal with when they opened up Habitat 14 once again.

  "I decided therefore that I would use the portal technology, cross to another location and then lure the beast into the portal. I knew that we had been stretching its capabilities when we made our hops to escape danger, but now, the massive bulk of the beast would probably cause the portal to melt down.

  "So, having given you the coordinates, Melody and having instructed you to programme the beast to destroy what it saw at that location, I wanted to make sure it saw me. Hence why I was dancing in a rather strange fashion to attract its attention.