by Dave Lemel
“I’m sure Lombargnor would prefer to spend all necessary time to gather as much information as possible. The thing is, it sounds like if this super mine thing is there and near completion, we just can’t take the chance that they get to the point of turning it on.” Todd stood up and patted Simon on the back of the head twice. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it too much. We always come up with something, don’t we?”
Simon looked up through the ceiling at Jupiter and exhaled slowly. “I guess we do, don’t we? Go put on your uniform,” he said to Todd. “It’s just about time to head out.”
Simon called Jack as Todd fired up the cruiser and steered it up and out of the main garage. “What’s up?” asked Jack.
“Pulling out now,” said Simon. “Should be there in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good,” replied Jack. “Ol’ Gertie is loaded up and ready to fly. If I’m not down when you arrive, park in the surface lot right next to the garage entrance. I’ll open the door when I get there.”
“Okay,” said Simon, “just one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Who the heck is Ol’ Gertie?”
Jack laughed before responding. “My ship. She’s named after a cow my grandma had when I was growing up. Long story. See you guys in a few.”
The cruiser sped along ten feet or so above the frozen surface of Callisto. Simon stared out the window at Jupiter. Callisto and Jupiter were tidally locked. This meant that the same side of Callisto was always facing Jupiter, the effect of which was a sky that really never changed. Same giant, multi-colored gas ball just dominating the horizon. At first Simon found it cool, but after a couple of days he always found himself longing for the more familiar perpetually changing skies of his home planet.
The cruiser approached the outer dome that Jack lived in. Todd guided it around to the back area Jack had indicated out his window the day before. The garage door was closed, so Todd landed in the surface lot. Simon texted Jack that they had arrived.
“Guess we wait here till tree bomber responds,” said Todd.
“Guess so,” replied Simon. After a few seconds he added, “We should probably let Ben know we’re about to head out.”
“Good idea,” said Todd before stating clearly, “computer, call Ben.” Rising and falling tones indicated the call had been placed, and seconds later the screen in the center of the dash was dominated by Ben’s big mustached face.
TING! TING! TING! The sound of a metal tool falling and then skipping across a hard surface rang through the cruiser. “Awwww, son of a…what’s goin’ on, boys?” asked Ben.
“We’re waiting on Jack then heading out for Io,” said Todd. “Just wanted to let you know before we go. Hey, and call headquarters to let Sasha know as well, if you don’t mind.”
“No problemo,” said Ben. “Anything else?”
Todd smiled and added, “Yeah, actually. Just wondering, what exactly are you doing? It looks like you’re crammed inside a washing machine.”
“We were running some routine tests on the backup cruisers, and the blue one didn’t fire up,” replied Ben. “I think I just found the source of the problem, but as you may have heard, I dropped my wrench when I answered your call. Guess I’ll just wait here till Foggen gets back and can hand it to me ’cause I am not climbing back out of here right now. How you guys doin’ otherwise? Good day so far?”
“We’re great, Ben, and we’d love to chat, but Simon just got a text from Jack, and, yep…” Todd leaned forward to get a better view out of the windshield. “The garage is opening now, so we have to go. You hang in there, old man.”
“All right, fellas. Good luck, keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything,” replied Ben. Todd ended the call and flew the cruiser down into the open garage.
In the back corner, the abnormally tall and gangly Jack Vaughn looked even taller and ganglier in his old school space suit and helmet. He waved them over, and Todd eased the cruiser down and into the open spot Jack was guiding him to. It was across from a larger ship that looked like an old semi-truck. The front looked very much like the cab, but the portion that would be the trailer tapered out twice as it went back. It gave the impression of a separate middle and then rear section to the ship, giving it three distinct cabins. The garage door closed, and the four large lights on each wall of the garage changed from red to green, indicating that the area was sealed and safe again.
As the cruiser doors opened upward, Jack removed his helmet and walked over to greet them. “Sorry about the wait. It always takes me longer to get this stupid suit on than I think.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Todd, looking him up and down. “ That thing is ancient. Original moon landing?”
“Very funny,” said Jack. “I prefer ‘classic.’ It’s from the first manned Mars mission era in the early thirties. Rumor has it legendary astronaut Reggie Hart himself wore this one.”
“The Reggie Hart?” asked Simon with raised eyebrows.
“That’s the rumor,” replied Jack. “Granted, it’s a little bulkier than your sleek getups, but if it was good enough for Reggie Hart, it’s good enough for me.”
Simon walked up to Jack’s ship and peered in the open rear hatch. “You sure our cruiser is going to fit in here?” he asked.
Jack turned around and joined Simon at the open door. “Like I said, it’ll be tight. But it should fit.”
Todd jumped back in the cruiser. “You heard the man, Simon. It’s his ship, and he says it’ll fit.” Todd started to close his door then stopped and leaned back out. “Now get out of the way before I squish you both like bugs.”
“He’s a little cranky today,” said Simon to Jack as he backed out of the way. “Didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
The cruiser lifted off the ground a couple of feet, and Todd slowly inched it into the opening. Jack ran around the side of his ship and jumped inside through the open door at the middle cabin. A small door in the middle of the wall separating the middle and rear cabins slid open. Jack leaned through and waved Todd forward cautiously. As the cruiser closed in on the last couple of feet of room left, Jack threw up both his hands in a gesture to stop. He then held them a little over a foot apart from each other, showing Todd he had about that much space left. Todd drifted softly forward before Jack’s hands shot back into stop signs. Todd set the cruiser down and shut it off.
Todd opened the door and stepped out to check out his handiwork. He glanced left, then right before declaring, “Plenty of room on the sides, but it’s a tight squeeze front to back.” Jack walked along the eighteen-inch-deep ledge just in front of where the cruiser now sat. He jumped down on the passenger side and said, “As long as we can shut the back door, we’re groovy.” He walked to the back and pressed the large green button at the bottom of the pad on the wall. The door folded down and sealed shut, leaving a little over two feet of space behind the rear of the cruiser.
Simon poked his head through the door from the middle cabin Jack had come through. “You guys planning on taking off without me?” As he stepped through the door, he looked around at the visible contents of the rear cabin. “Jack, all I see in here are tools and spare parts. Where are all the charges?”
Jack smiled and patted the wall next him. “Don’t you worry, Simon. Ol’ Gertie may not look like much, but she has quite a few tricks up her sleeve.”
Todd jumped up on the ledge and looked into the middle cabin through the doorway. “Well, come on up here and give us the grand tour so we can get this show on the road.” Jack stepped up and then into the middle cabin. Todd and Simon followed. The middle cabin was approximately fifteen feet by fifteen feet. It had a small kitchenette in one corner next to a table with booth seating. On the wall across was a long, sofa-like bench. The floor was covered in a thin, rough carpet that was maroon in color. The walls were a brownish color that almost gave it the look of cheap wood paneling.
Jack stopped in the middle of the room and slowly rotated
three hundred sixty degrees with his arms out. “So, this is the main living area,” he said. “It’s not much, but it has everything you really need.”
Todd was still looking all around the space. “This reminds me of my Uncle Donny’s basement.”
Simon laughed, and Jack replied, “Well, sorry I don’t have an unlimited budget like the star marshals. This old ship has gotten me out of quite a few hairy situations the last couple years. She’s not pretty, I know, but she’s got heart.”
“All right, all right,” interrupted Todd. He slapped Jack on his back. “Didn’t mean to be insulting to the old girl. She seems like a fine vessel, and I’m certain she’ll serve us well on our journey.” Todd glanced at Simon and winked. “Now…show us the cockpit.”
Jack slid open the door from the living quarters to the cockpit. He had to scrunch down as he stepped up and into the back of the tight space. Still scrunched, Jack swung his left leg over what was essentially a center counsel dividing the two cockpit seats and slid his long body forward and down into the seat on the left. Jack turned around, looked back and forth between the two marshals, and asked, “So, what do you guys think?”
Todd looked behind himself under his left arm, then his right to see if he had missed anything. “Jack?”
“What’s up?” Jack replied.
Todd continued, “There’re only two seats in here. I can’t speak for Simon, but I am not sitting in your lap.”
“Yeah, one of you will have to sit in back or even in your cruiser, if you prefer. There’re two extra spots to strap in, though.”
Simon was staring at an old ratty stuffed yellow smiley face with arms and legs dangling by a short piece of string from the center of the cockpit ceiling. “What’s this?” Simon asked as he poked it.
Jack smiled wide and answered, “Dude, that’s Happy. Had him since my first car back home. He hung from the rearview mirror. Been with me every ride ever since. He’s kinda my good luck charm.”
“Okay, then,” said Todd. “Now that the grand tour is over, shall we get this show on the road?”
Jack climbed back out of his seat and responded, “Sounds good. I just have one more thing to load up, then we can take off. You guys decide who’s riding up here with me, and I’ll be back in a minute.”
The marshals stepped back into the living quarters to let Jack out. Simon raised his eyebrows. “So who’s sitting where?”
“Tell ya what,” said Todd. “It’s your last assignment. You call it. ”
“Shotgun,” said Simon without hesitation.
“Had a feeling you were going to say that,” said Todd. “Guess I’ll stay back here in Uncle Donny’s basement then.”
“Honestly,” said Simon. “I wouldn’t really care either way as far as where I sit. Just figure it may be safer to keep you and Jack separated so we don’t have any philosophical flare ups.”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” said Todd as he walked around, looking for his potential seat. “Now where the heck am I supposed to sit where I won’t stick to anything?”
They heard a loud “clank” from the side of the ship, and a second later Jack jumped in the door. He typed a command into the pad on that wall, and the mid-ship door shut and sealed. “Ready to rock?” Jack asked as the door made a final “clink.”
“You bet,” replied Todd. “So where exactly is the seat I’m supposed to be using for takeoff back here?”
Jack turned back to the pad and typed another command in. On the wall dividing the living area from the cockpit, a small panel opened and a seat with full harness slid out. “How’s that?” asked Jack with his long arm gesturing toward the newly appeared option.
“Works for me,” said Todd as he sat down and began strapping himself in. “Well, what are we waiting for?” he asked as he clicked the last buckle into place and tightened the strap. “Let’s do this.”
Jack fired up Ol’ Gertie and opened the garage door overhead. The ship began to hover. Jack turned to Simon in the seat beside him, “So just out of curiosity, how did you guys decide who sat up front?”
“This is my last assignment, actually,” replied Simon, “so Todd let me pick.”
Jack looked surprised. “This is your last assignment? How come? You look like a young dude. Nowhere near retirement, anyway.”
“Oh, I’m not retiring,” replied Simon. “Just going to be my last O.E.A.—Off Earth Assignment. I have a baby girl back on Earth, and I’d rather work from headquarters and be able to go home every night.”
Jack nodded as the ship rose through the top of the garage and out the door. “So, wait… you’re black, right?”
Simon looked back at Jack with a very puzzled expression before responding. “Yeah…Well, my dad is black, but my mom is Jewish. I always tell people I’m Blewish.” Jack laughed, and Simon added, “But what does that have to do with anything?”
Jack looked up from the navigation computer he was typing into. “Not only are you on your last assignment, but you’re also the black guy? I’ve seen this movie. Remind me to stay clear of you when we get to Io, dead meat.”
“Ha!” Todd’s laugh could easily be heard through the doorway from the living quarters.
“Hang on back there!” Jack called over his shoulder. “In three…two…one.” Callisto quickly shrank away below them as they accelerated off the moon and on towards Io.
Chapter 19
As they began their flight to Io, Todd thought to himself about their destination. In some ways, Io would make a lot of sense as a location for a secret underground manufacturing facility. Unlike Callisto, Io was incredibly volatile. It was the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Much of this volcanism was due to the tidal effect caused by the tug of war between Jupiter on one side and Europa and Ganymede on the other. This caused the crust to heave in and out hundreds of feet, generating massive amounts of heat inside the moon. It would make it extremely difficult to detect anything unusual going on underground, like a Vikard facility.
In other ways, it would also make for a very dangerous and difficult place to construct such a facility and work. It had proven too difficult for the Chinese miners who were eventually abandoned there. The Vikards, however, were vastly more advanced technologically than humans. They probably would’ve found the positives outweighed what to them were minor inconveniences.
The distance between Callisto and Io was roughly four times the gap between the Earth and its moon. While Jack’s ship was quite fast for something resembling the offspring of a moving truck and a motorhome, this was still a decently long journey.
Once they were safely on their way, Jack set the navigation for their final destination and unbuckled. “We can go hang in the back now if you want. Going to be a while till we get there,” he said to Simon.
Simon unbuckled and responded, “I gotta be honest. I’m a little surprised this thing actually has artificial gravity. I just assumed we’d be strapped in or floating around like savages the entire trip.”
Jack climbed out of his seat as he replied, “Yep, she’s got A.G.” Tiring of the shots at his beloved ship, he snarkily added, “Even has a bathroom if you need that.”
“Actually,” Todd joined the conversation from the back as he unstrapped, “I had quite a bit of coffee before we left. Point me in that direction, if you wouldn’t mind.”
A few minutes later, Todd and Simon took seats on the L-shaped booth inside the corner table. Jack grabbed a bag of chips and a box of cookies out of the cabinet above the sink. He threw them on the table before throwing himself on the couch. “Usually when I head to Io, I announce I’m coming as I get close. I tell them to let anyone looking to barter for repair work to know to meet me in the hangar next to the junk storage facility. Were you guys hoping to arrive a little more under the radar?”
“No,” replied Todd. “I think that sounds perfect. Kind of hiding in plain sight. We can arrive just as you normally would. Then you can tell whoever is waiting for you that you got sick on t
he way over, and they should come back in a day or two. I’m sure if this Vikard facility is there, they have been monitoring who normally comes and goes since they got there. This way they shouldn’t think anything unusual about your arrival.”
Simon opened the bag of chips and asked, “What are you thinking after that? I mean, once we’re there, how do you think we should do our recon? We can’t walk around in our uniforms. I know the Vikards aren’t great at distinguishing one human from the next, but they notice clothing, and they definitely know our uniforms.”
“I know,” replied Todd. “I did have an idea that I think would work, but you may not love it.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Well, like you said, the Vikards aren’t good at telling humans apart, but they seem to recognize clothes. We could stun a few of the Chinese miners, take their clothes, pod them, and keep them in the back of the ship. We would then release them before we leave, of course.”
Simon finished chewing his mouthful of chips before answering. “Fine.”
Todd looked quite surprised. “Really? Fine? Man, I thought you were going to object to that one big time.”
Jack sat up much straighter and jumped into the conversation. “Well, I do! Why can’t we just trade for some of their clothes? Why do you have to stun and imprison them?”
Simon responded calmly, “Because we can’t risk them telling anyone about it.”
“Exactly!” exclaimed Todd, clearly elated that his partner agreed with his line of thinking .
“Stealth is our number one priority on this assignment,” said Simon. “We absolutely cannot afford to risk detection,” he finished as he grabbed another fistful of chips
Jack’s face twisted trying to find a way around Simon’s logic. “Look, these guys have had it pretty rough,” he finally said, looking back and forth from Todd to Simon.
