by K. D. Mattis
Ensign Gonzales, the pilot, moved her fingers quickly across a large control panel. As she moved, the thrusters and various components of the shuttle quieted to a whisper until, with a final push of a button, everything but the most basic components of the shuttle shut down.
She reached behind her chair and pulled up her helmet. She slid it over her head, checked the seal, and hit two buttons on the chest piece of her suit. Several lights turned on and filtered air began to fill her lungs.
“Admiral, we have permission to disembark. My suit is secure. Is everyone ready, sir?”
Asher stood and looked around. Two green lights on the front of each person’s suit told her what she needed to know. “Yes. Let’s head out.”
A door on the side of the shuttle cracked open and acted as a vacuum for the air inside. Once most of the air was gone, the door opened quickly and allowed the crew to exit. Two guards led the group. Asher and Commander Gibbs went next, followed by the rest of the guards. The pilot remained in the shuttle. The group made their way to an open door and filed into the small room, and the door closed behind them just before pressurized air forced its way into the room.
A computer said something in Chinese that Asher could not understand, and a light on top of another door turned green before it opened. The group stepped into the next room, met by several guards.
Jumping forward suddenly, a middle-aged man forced a salute. “Admiral, on behalf of my commander, I welcome you to Lunar Colony One.”
A significantly older man stepped forward and extended his hand. Asher returned the favor and gave him a firm shake.
Looking around, Asher said, “Thank you, Commander. I was surprised at the invitation. I never thought I’d see this colony.”
The commander spoke in Chinese, with the middle-aged man acting as a translator.
“We’re glad you accepted, Admiral. We know how busy you are, but we have much to discuss.”
“I am busy,” Asher said, nodding, “but I was told this is important.”
As the group started to walk toward another door, one of the Chinese guards held up a hand. Asher and her guards looked around, uneasy.
“I’m sorry,” said the commander. “My orders are that only you and one person of your choosing may join us.”
Each of the guards looked to Asher for an explanation, but she didn’t give one.
“That’s fine. Gibbs will join me.”
With a smile, the colony commander said, “Thank you for your understanding. Now, if you wish, it’s perfectly safe to remove your helmets. You won’t need it as we go farther into the colony.”
Asher and Gibbs removed their helmets and left them in the care of their guards before following the commander and the translator through several narrow corridors. They did their best, but the Space Corps officers kept stumbling as they continued, unable to adjust to the moon’s gravity. The colonists walked in sync with a movement that looked like prancing. As the Space Corps officers adjusted, their movements mimicked those of the colonists.
Coming to a stop at a large control room, Asher and Gibbs looked around at the men and women rushing around from console to console.
The commander motioned to the room. “This is our primary operations center. Many tasks need daily attention. Our limited resources mean that our staff must often share systems to accomplish their goals. We have teams dedicated to sensor equipment, laboratory testing, environmental controls, and defense.” The commander paused to look at a small screen on his wrist. “Defense is why you are here.”
“I’m sorry?” Asher asked.
“We wanted to bring you here for a tactical assessment. It’s clear to us that we share a common threat, and that neither of our country’s forces are adequately prepared to deal with that threat.”
“You want to work together?” Gibbs asked.
The commander nodded. “It only makes sense. Together, we have much more capability. Unfortunately, for this to work, we would need cooperation in ways your leadership may be…uncomfortable with.”
The group continued walking down another long corridor. The corridor led to an elevator that took them several stories up into a tower that watched over the colony.
Two men in the tower snapped to attention when they saw their commander. With a wave of his hand, they stepped beside the wall.
The commander stepped up to a console and entered several lengthy commands. When he finished, another tray slid out from a hidden compartment. He entered a few more commands, and a row of circles formed in the dust on the surface of the moon, far outside of the window.
Asher and Gibbs watched in awe as the circles rose several feet into the air and opened. From each of the circles rose a missile prepared for launch.
“As you can see, Admiral, this colony is protected. Unfortunately, our defenses won’t be enough to take on even one of the alien ships you’ve fought. And that’s where our arrangement comes in.”
Asher continued to look over the missile silos, carefully evaluating every detail she could and committing them to memory. “And what kind of arrangement do you propose, Commander?”
The missiles lowered back into the ground in response to two more commands. “Hopefully, it’s an arrangement you’ll find mutually beneficial. The way your government sees it, we have a strategic outpost on the moon.”
“I’ll agree with that,” Asher said, nodding.
“But with this outpost comes the responsibility to defend it. That’s where you come in.”
With her eyes narrowing, Asher frowned. “We can’t just defend the colony. There needs to be an equal exchange for any agreement to work.”
“Of course. The Chinese government is willing to offer several concessions.”
“Such as?”
Clearing his throat, the commander said, “First, Space Corps will have the ability to use the colony for a tactical advantage. Until you have set up your own lunar colony, this colony will comply with any orders Space Corps makes that are in defense of Earth.”
“That’s something,” Asher said, “but you don’t have much to help us with.”
“In addition to that, any Space Corps vessel may use the colony for emergency landing or housing. This should free up some of the space on Ambassador Station. And to seal the deal, we know of something Space Corps desperately needs right now.”
“And that is?” Asher asked.
“You want the UN behind you, and you want the ability to introduce new weapons and ships into space. You’re blocked by a treaty. The Chinese government is willing to support Space Corps in removing those limitations.” When Asher didn’t respond, the commander continued. “With our support comes the support of the nations that rely on us for military or economic aid. That’s quite a few votes you didn’t have before.”
Asher looked to Gibbs before looking at the ground and shaking her head. “That’s all very nice, Commander, but what does your government expect in exchange?”
Smiling, the commander said, “That’s where things get difficult. We would need the plans for the railguns you use on the Explorer. We’re capable of higher energy output on the colony than you are on a ship. We would make them bigger and more powerful.”
Her eyes shot wide, but Asher suppressed her concern before saying, “That could be difficult to arrange.”
“I understand,” said the commander. He extended his hand to shake once more as his translator led Asher and Gibbs back to the elevator. “I know it’s a hard bargain, but if your government is willing to trust mine, we could do amazing things together.”
Book 2 in the series available soon!
From the author
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope to see you again in the next installment, coming soon.
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evelation
