EVAC: IGNITION

by A J Britnell

  The other guests seemed to take this news in their stride, but to her colleagues, it was a revelation. Haruka found herself surrounded by her intrigued friends, obviously impressed by her celebrity status. Eileen elbowed through the crowd, “Haruka, when you said your mum was in fashion I assumed she owned a boutique or something.”

  Haruka blushed. Taking a sip from her champagne flute, she tried to divert attention to the next segment but Eileen held her gaze, waiting for a response. “Okay,” she conceded, “As you can imagine, having famous parents has its advantages but I wanted to get somewhere on my own. I thought you’d all feel differently about me,” her voice intentionally passive.

  Eileen sidled next to her, whispering, “Well the cat’s out of the bag now so expect an invitation to the London Fashion Show.”

  “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid!” Haruka groaned.

  The delight on her crewmate’s face thawed Haruka’s cold heart and she began to see the funny side of the situation. Although overwhelmed, Haruka felt a sense of relief; the charade was over. It had been exhausting, skirting around her privileged background and it had obviously made her come across as aloof. She took a moment to recall her father’s face and the pride in his voice; she had to admit, it was good to see them again even if it was in a creepy biopic.

  Stefan searched out Healey, “I suppose you knew about Congressman O’Brian?”

  “Of course, it never hurts to have someone sympathetic in government,” he responded ruefully.

  Stefan shook his head, “I’m starting to think you wanted Haruka more than me.”

  “Let’s put it this way- you came with fringe benefits!”

  The room quietened down as another interview began, this time on a sunny farm in Kentucky. All five of John’s brothers grinned back at the camera while they pretended to tinker with, what could have been, the back of a huge combine harvester. Their local accents amused the audience and John elbowed Claus in the ribs after he gave a poor attempt at imitation.

  Family, after proud family appeared; Claus’s mother and father in Munich, Eileen’s in London, Herman's enormous family in Boston and even Marcus’s grandparents in a retirement home in Florida.

  Spirits ran high. Viewing the tiny snapshots of their lives, brought them closer together. They all had an unheard backstory that offered a glimpse into their past and their motivation to venture into space. Even EMO got a mention as the production team showed a video from the research lab that developed the

  EM-0 series robots. A school in Japan enjoyed a science day devoted to the robot whereby children made their own versions of the unlikely hero.

  The feature ended to a ripple of applause and the crowd dispersed around the dining room to find their seats.

  “Well that was embarrassing!” Haruka quipped.

  Marcus could barely speak, “Your brothers, John…. I thought you had a weight problem!”

  John just grinned back, flexing his biceps.

  “Come on now,” Healey replied to Haruka, ignoring the others, “you know how every new company needs great publicity.”

  “I’d hardly call it great,” Stefan added, “Couldn’t you find anyone that had a good word to say about me?”

  “I thought it made you more mysterious.”

  Haruka pondered. “You gave that footage to the news channel didn't you; there's no way they'd find us that interesting and put in the research.”

  “Of course I did,” Healey chimed proudly, taking a sip from his champagne glass.

  Once Haruka recovered from the humiliation she could see the merits in raising their profiles but she could not bear Healey’s smug expression. She decided he should not be let off so lightly. She eased her way back into the throng and tugged on his sleeve, “I get what you’re up to Healey but l I would have appreciated a heads-up before my privacy was invaded!”

  Her stand backfired to a mocking chorus from her so-called friends.

  “Lighten up, Haruka!” Marcus begged. “I think you came off better than the rest of us – did you see the Kentucky boys?”

  John’s head spun around, “Hey don’t disrespect the Boyd clan; we’re famous now”

  “Not as famous as Haruka’s….” Eileen sang, leaning against her embarrassed friend.

  The rest of the crew were obviously less affected by their new notoriety and soaked up the generous compliments as they were introduced to the guests.

  Eventually they took their seats to enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal of succulent meats and vegetables. Since many of the foodstuffs were close to their expiration date, staff used this opportunity to defrost everything and produce an extravagant, all be it, eclectic banquet. At the end of the room, a table was laden with gateaux and fruit pies, which was very distracting for the starved astronauts, who rushed to form a disorderly queue as soon as it seemed polite.

  Claus and John fought over a bowl of profiteroles, piling the choux pastry into mountains on their dishes and smothering them in more cream and hot chocolate sauce.

  “Hey, leave some for the rest of us, boys,” Haruka complained as she squeezed between them. Claus turned and gave her a chocolatey grin. Her mood improved; the boys’ jubilance was infectious.

  After the meal and many bottles of wine, the crew of the Caspian made their farewells and thanks before struggling back to the ship with their full, satisfied bellies. Eileen hugged Haruka at the air lock. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here, Eileen?” Haruka asked with concern. Their Medical Officer had decided to stay a while to keep an eye on her uncle.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me,” she replied, rubbing her friend’s arm. “I really feel I need to stay with him, just a little longer.”

  “Not too long though- you can’t leave me alone with these idiots, I’ll go mad!” Haruka kissed her on the cheek and turned for the hatch, feeling a little sad. The others were ahead and she could hear their continued laughter over the night’s events.

  Once onboard the weightlessness soon took its toll, making everyone regret the huge quantities of food they had just consumed.

  Stefan stifled a belch and rubbed his stomach, “I think I’m going to turn in.”

  The crew agreed in a chorus of groans and hiccups and John pushed passed his Captain, mumbling something about needing the bathroom.

  In the morning, the crew gathered in the mess room for a strategy meeting. Stefan had already shared his intention to take the damaged shuttle to the new moon base and it seemed an appropriate time to tackle Healey over the finer points of his business proposal.

  “Hey, shouldn’t Healey be here for this,” John asked, looking around the room.

  Stefan tried to disguise his exasperation. “I said 09:00, didn’t I?”

  The group nodded.

  Marcus floated over their heads, “I’ll go and wake sleeping beauty, shall I!”

  The others waited impatiently; eager to get the confrontation over and done with.

  When Healey finally appeared, he looked a little worse for wear, rubbing his eyes and yawning, oblivious to his tardiness.

  “Thanks for joining us!” Stefan quipped sarcastically. He waited for a sign of acknowledgment before beginning, “We were talking about taking the shuttle to the Moon base for repairs”.

  Healey swung his legs under the table next to his friend and casually replied, “Sure, like I told you; it sounds perfect. We need to get you guys settled into the new place, so we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  Stefan hesitated, thinking of a way to approach the situation. “We’re really appreciative of what you’re doing for us, okay but we need to know where we stand with the new company - make things official.”

  Healey stopped yawning and looked around the room at the six expectant faces. “Okay, what do want to know?”

  Stefan straightened his posture, taking on the position of spokesman for the group, “We want a share of this EVAC company, equal control and we need it in writing!” his voice became strained at the end.
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  “Of course you do, how about.... five percent each?”

  “You must be joking,” Claus spat. “We want ten!”

  While Healey thought about it, Haruka took the opportunity to help the negotiations. “I think we would all feel happier if the seven of us together had the majority share, you know, considering it’s our lives that are being put at risk.”

  Healey smiled at Haruka, knowing he was being out played. “Okay, I’ll agree to eight percent each, fifty-six percent majority and I’ll get the lawyers on it at once.”

  The crew felt elated with their success and exchanged congratulatory high-fives but then Healey dropped a bombshell. “You do realise that means you have to put in over half of the capital?”

  No, they did not realise this and the meeting descended into chaos, with each of them pleading poverty until Stefan waved his arms about for their attention.

  “Are you forgetting the fuel cell canisters?”

  The group looked confused so Stefan continued, “It doesn't have to fund our next run to Mars if we can work find work locally.”

  “So how much did you make?” Healey asked.

  “About eight million dollars!”

  Whoops of celebration went up. It was settled; their new business venture was up and running.

  Healey did not need the investment, their money barely scratched the surface but he wanted them to feel like they belonged. It was no financial risk either; clever lawyers would limit the crew’s profits to just the rescue side of the enterprise. Their proceeds would be generous but he did not want them becoming too rich as to encourage early retirement.

  He had already spent billions on the project, on things he had not jet mentioned to the crew. He had started making the preparations, five years previous and over that time had considered many people to bring into the business. Although he was not used to sharing control, he understood that if they were going to make a success of EVAC, everyone needed to be onboard. It was certainly going to be dangerous, as Haruka pointed out and he wanted the world to know that EVAC could - and would - handle any disaster.

  The Caspian’s crew shook on the deal and talked with candor, long into the night. They spoke of their own aspirations and expectations for the future and as Healey gained their trust, he began to unfold his ambitious plans, describing with passion their new headquarters and eventual new home.

  On the flight deck, Stefan and Haruka prepared the ship for deorbit.

  “I just can’t believe all this,” Haruka gushed, “It’s all happening so fast. I thought I’d be doing that Mars run for the rest of my life – and now this!”

  Stefan enjoyed seeing Haruka so happy; it had been a rare sight. He watched Haruka leaf through a manual then begin flicking switches methodically.

  “I know but that’s Healey for you.” Stefan replied. He referred to his own checklist and set the coordinates for the landing site before continuing his sentence. “I know Healey’s an arrogant pain in the ass sometimes but he’s also a bloody good businessman. I’ve got a good feeling about this,” he added wistfully.

  Suddenly, Marcus and John tumbled into the cabin, giggling like children. Marcus lent over Haruka’s chair, “I can’t believe we’re going to live on the Moon - I love the Moon!” His morning after breath caused Haruka to recoil and

  she pushed him away, sending him spiraling into John. The pair laughed and somersaulted around, much to the amusement of their Captain. Haruka was not impressed though and told them off, “Can’t you two grow up, we’re supposed to be a professional rescue operation- not a crèche!”

  John pulled a face behind her back, “Oh Mum!”

  Haruka’s head whipped around but the two of them were already half way out the door. She turned back to Stefan, who was chuckling to himself, “I don’t know, those boys of ours.”

  “And you don’t help!” she barked playfully, snapping the manual back with a thud.

  “Relax Haruka, the world doesn’t need to know those two are idiots – they appear quite normal in public, that’s all that matters.”

  “Unless Healey has hidden cameras.”

  Chapter Eight

  Due to mineral deposits, engineers built the Spaceport on the far side of the Moon at the South Pole, near the established mining colony. It was a sprawling industrial area, unlike the near side, which had remained relatively natural due to strict building regulations. Shared between businesses, the Spaceport provided three landing sites and three separate launch pads on the south- eastern edge of the Aitkin Basin. Machines and diggers operated constantly in the silence of space, only a tremor through the ground eluded the immense digging operation that continued beneath their feet.

  As promised, the Moon had answered the Earths energy shortage. Helium3 was an element in abundance beneath the regolith; the Moon’s rocky soil and it was a safer, cleaner fuel that revolutionized every industry. In the process of extracting the gas, other elements were mined, all of them useful to Earth and necessary in Moon colonization.

  It was not a simple job; one-hundred thousand tons of regolith had to be dug and filtered to extract only one ton of Helium3. Huge dunes of processed Luna soil spread far into the distance like coal slag heaps, changing the landscape forever.

  Healey’s base lay alongside the refinery his company had set up ten years previous. Many of those elements mined on the Moon were essential to the making of Lacecell and considering many of his contracts were with aeronautical companies, a factory on the Moon made sense. His company refined fuel for the space ships’ fuel cells along with Lacecell compounds for the ships’ hulls and many components in the construction of buildings on the Moon. They were quite self-sufficient; it was necessary considering the expense cost of transporting materials to and from Earth; just breaking Earth’s atmosphere cost millions of dollars.

  Most space traffic, travelled between the Moon and Mars. Constructed in Space, these massive freighters, never touched Earth’s surface; they were too immense to survive re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere and would only return as space scrap. Previously, if they required servicing and repairs, engineers endured lengthy, dangerous spacewalks, but now the Moon offered a complete service with the opening of landing pad ‘C’, a five-hundred metre square strip of leveled concrete, made from processed Luna soil.

  The Caspian was one of these ‘super-ships’ and the prospect of landing filled Stefan with a little dread. Himself and Haruka poured over the Luna maps and programmed the computer for a controlled descent; taking into consideration the extra weight of the shuttle, they were piggybacking.

  Haruka stroked her palm over the control panel and flicked a bank of switches in one go. “Come in Lunar Tower. This is The Caspian – Charlie Foxtrot Zero Nine, heavy class requesting landing,” she said, opening communications to the Luna Flight Control Centre in the Amundsen Crater.

  “Received Caspian, this is Tower; you are visible and okay for final approach. Follow beacons for decent to landing pad C.”

  Co-ordinates locked in the guidance computer; Haruka ran the simulation until satisfied with the programmed approach.

  The Caspian’s engines adjusted to slow the ship to a manageable thirty kilometers per hour as it came within sight of the landing strip, its perimeter edged with blue lights. A rumble reverberated throughout the ship as the thrusters spewed.

  “Stefan began reading out altitude data as Haruka turned the thrusters again to prepare for a vertical landing, “Five-hundred metres.... sixty seconds.... three-hundred metres.... thirty-seconds.” A couple of alarms sounded and Stefan unbuckled his belt to float to the opposite side of the flight deck. After checking the computer, he killed the alarms and settled back into his seat. Haruka turned to him, questioningly.

  “It was just the heat sensors, carry on.”

  Haruka increased the reverse thrusters as the massive machine sped towards the concrete. Sweat was forming on her top lip.

  Stefan continued, “One-hundred metres...twenty seconds... fifte
en ...ten...five, four, three, two, one.... we have touchdown.” A sudden rumble was felt through the ship as it made contact with the hard, unforgiving surface, followed by a sudden jolt. Once the engines could be heard powering down through the hull, the crew could finally breath normally again.

  The internal comms opened to cheers from the other crewmembers.

  “Well done Haruka - smooth as a baby’s bum!” Marcus called out.

  Haruka smiled with relief at Stefan who reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “Well done,” he said, his admiration sincere.

  Healey appeared at the flight deck’s hatch looking a little sweaty. “Nicely done guys, I didn’t think the old girl would make it!”

  “I hope you’re talking about the ship!” Haruka responded sharply.

  “Both of you- no seriously these things aren’t designed for landings which is why I’ve got you a new ship.”

  Stefan looked heartbroken and said,” What are we going to do with the Caspian – scrap it?”

  “No don’t worry about that, we’ll just give her a makeover and use her for long range missions. The ship I’ve built will fit in the hold, once we’ve made some modifications. The new ship’s for planetary rescues.

  They could not challenge his logic. If they were going to be ready for anything, they needed the right equipment. Stefan suddenly felt quite excited. “What else have you been keeping from us?”

  “Oh, tons, I can’t wait to see the look on your faces when you see your new home - It’s quite incredible really, if I say so myself. The final finishes aren’t there yet but it puts these ‘shacks’ here to shame.” He pointed out the window to the industrial, bunker style buildings that stretched to the mountainous horizon. “Anyway, get yourselves together; the transfer bus will be here soon,” and with that he left the room.

  Outside, vehicles were approaching to move the Caspian into a hanger. The crew, wearing space suits, exited the main hatch just as a six-wheeled buggy appeared. They barely had a chance to experience the strange sensation of walking on the moon before being urged onto the bus by an impatient driver. Mindful of catching their life-support packs on the roof, the group ducked low as they clambered through the double doors at the rear.