One Giant Leap

by Keith Martin

  “We love you too Shianne.” Jill cut in. She had read files on all of the Chisholm family as she was being flown in from the ship. She was glad to join this family. All of them were the best at whatever they did; she wondered what it was that Otto did?

  Shianne had to beg them to allow her a moment to lift off. Pete got the cargo ready for the ride. “Hold you’re hats ladies.” He shouted out to the passengers. He was monitoring the female cargo from the security cameras set up throughout the ship and enjoying his duties.

  Main thrusters exploded with streams of blazing fuels and the shuttle leaped down the runway. “Con Man, I want to recalibrate the Liquid Oxygen Injection, I want you to turn up the pressure to two hundred and seventy five pounds and turn up the feed to fifty percent. That should give us an extra 50.000 pony’s. That will give us a little more speed my friend.”

  His fingers flew to the task and as soon as he had the information in the computer he hit EXICUTE. He knew that this would burn twice the liquid oxygen as the standard mixture. But he trusted Shianne to gain speed for them. He could read records too. And he had had hours to dig into this woman’s past. He was willing to try whatever she said to try.

  Suddenly the ship seemed to leap forward, and all were planted in their seats. A scream of excitement rose up from the crowd of passengers, all were having a great time with this.

  ‘I bet it was her that created the mixture rate for those thrusters?’ Pete thought to himself. “Kind of different being out there and flying the birds you designed isn’t it?”

  “You have no idea. Three years ago to change a mixture rate would have taken a committee with monthly meeting for three years to see what the progress was on pulling their heads out of dark spaces between their legs. And I’m not kidding!” Suddenly the ship felt light, it was time to give her wings.

  Shianne had not touched the throttles as she set up for the burn down the runway. She had only given the thrusters forty six percent power. She had designed the throttles to go as high as one hundred and thirty percent, but it was unwise to go past one hundred percent due to it trying to melt the bell off the thrusters.

  She designed in the extra thrust for emergencies only. At true full power the bells were wasted in fifteen minutes flat in space, that number was cut down to sixty seconds in the atmosphere.

  They leapt into space and Shianne set up to slingshot them to the Moon. Con Man informed her according to the computer she had just made the quickest time to orbit of any known craft of any kind ever constructed. “Ill call the world record keepers for you… or do they even exist now?”

  * * *

  Samantha looked down on Mars from 25 miles up. She knew the base was right below them. It was right there, but she could not see it. “Where is it Joshua?”

  “You don’t see it.” He teased her.

  “No I don’t see it, that is why I asked you where it is. Now, if I was seeing it and asked you where it is, then I would be stupid don’t you think?” Samantha scolded him in rapid-fire volleys.

  “Ouch Baby. Do you see the long canyon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you see the big impact crater?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you see the dot to the top of the canyon in line with the impact crater?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well there you go. You can see it.”

  “That dot is a base 200 yards across?”

  “Only one down there...” Joshua was having fun with this.

  “There is no way that we can hit that dot with cargo from here.” She knew it would be done very soon never the less, the task looked daunting.

  He hit the Com Link and said. “Let’s see My Love.”

  What he got back was through the radio. “My Love? Do I know you so well? Over.”

  Samantha was enjoying this now. She awaited his response… pointing at him with playful daggers flying from her eyes.

  “Hello Monica. May I introduce my wife to be, this is Samantha Craft. Over.”

  “Good save.” Samantha whispered to Joshua then said hi to the Mars base Commander. There was small talk, talk of the impending marriage, video links made. It was a visit for more than an hour.

  Joshua broke it up by hugging Samantha on camera and telling them that he was sending down their supplies and headed home to the Moon with his girl.

  All of the Mars crew was in the screen when Joshua broke it up.

  Larry told him to give him time to get out to the drop zone and dashed off screen.

  He had the first one loaded on the extraction arm and extended. He gave it a flick of his wrist and the container was on its way. He had a few seconds of small directional thrusters to help in a pinch. For the most part they went unused.

  Seconds passed and the container hit the atmosphere. There it started to glow a little as it slowed in the thickening atmosphere. Its rate of fall slowed to safe levels and the drogue chute popped out and pulled the main chutes. The pull of these chutes activated the air tanks to fill the air cushions used to break the impact.

  The main chutes were wire guided and there was some maneuverability for a couple of minutes before touchdown. Joshua was now flying the cargo down to a loader that was racing to get out on the field.

  It touched down not 50 yards from the loader. “Jesus Jackal. That’s good shootin’…over.”

  “My turn.” Samantha demanded as she pulled him from the cargo operators seat so that she could prove she could do it as well as he had.

  As she did the job she kept up a conversation with Monica and the ladies of 3M. Pure girl talk came from them all.

  He switched off with her for the first six containers. After that he just let her have her fun at it. She was pitching nice and easy and the ball would land nice and close. Her worst shot had been eighteen hundred yards out. That made her work exceptional.

  “I’m happy for the two of you. Your both young and he is quite the catch. I only wish you all of our best…over.” Monica was a little jealous but truly happy for them.

  “Thanks Monica. I will always remember that.” She pitched another container and it just felt wrong. “Joshua!” She shouted for him.

  Joshua didn’t ask what had happened he just took control of the drop for her. It was way off. It was going to land in the canyon. He would never hear the end of this from Larry.

  Larry watched it go down. Joshua had done a good job trying to save it. He had opened chutes early to try to guide the container closer to the base. But the canyon was a hundred miles wide in places. Larry’s only hope was that Joshua knew where the road was that led into the valley floor. That was what he was really aiming for. The rim of the valley was a lost cause.

  All the way down he took his time to teach her how to do everything he was doing and he showed her the whole road made to fetch out the container he had dropped down there on the drop radar screen. It landed no more than a few hundred yards from the road. He would have it out in a day or less, it wasn’t too bad.

  Four hours more and it was all finished. Joshua didn’t get one game of chess in. He didn’t even get to talk to Samantha. He did get kissed for fetching a drink. She did a great job and the cargo was being taken to the base one container at a time. It was all close work. Larry told Samantha not to worry about the drop in the canyon. But he did tell her what he had to go through to fetch the first one that went down there ratting out Joshua to make light of her mistake.

  Samantha signed off and the ship came into its flight path by computer, they were strapped in and ready to burn. “Mars Mission Control this is G-1 ready to engage burn for the Moon. We will be seeing you as the Chisholm’s in two months. It has been a nice crossing and it is now time to be with my girl. Over and out.”

  “G-1, you two have a great crossing and don’t waste time marrying that girl Joshua. This is Mars Mission Control signing off and sending you our very best…over and out.” Monica shot back her reply and ended the contact.

  “Ready for crossing burn Comman
der?” Samantha reported.

  “Let’s turn and burn girl.” Joshua took her hand. The computer had the helm. It was just another thrill ride planted in their seats for a few minutes as they took some time to catch up to the speed. The gravity of Mars took its hold and it slowly planted them back in their seats until the ship was thrown out of the pull of gravity.

  Then it was just a calm quiet ride through space at unheard of speeds.

  Samantha looked down at the planet as they flew over it, the view of the landscape below was simply unbelievable, the land was torn and blasted by time. The valleys so massive the Grand Canyon would fit in a section of one of the small ones. Mountains so tall they towered over Everest, signs of meteor impacts leaving craters bigger then Texas. It was all so beautiful. And she knew she would get to see it all again soon…as the copilot and wife of the top pilot of the Shuttle Force.

  * * *

  Steve Terry was leading a team doing an exploratory dig to reach what was said to be a frozen mass of liquid. They were all hoping for more water. He had the crew dig for more than a mile now and they were getting close. They were supposed to hit it at 2900 feet under the crust and three miles from the ice cave that currently supplied the water for the base. This deposit was even larger than the ice cave. Readings from tests said it covered an area that was more than a mile across in places and it was half a mile thick. More water than the Moon could ever use.

  * * *

  They hit a pocket of highly concentrated methane gas fifteen feet from the wall of ice. There was no telling what sparked the explosion. It must have been the heat or sparks from cutting head itself.

  The only thing that saved Steve’s life was the lack of usable oxygen in the tunnel. As the gas flashed explosively, the oxygen was sucked from the atmosphere contained within the tunnel and flowed down the shaft seeking more air to burn. The little oxygen there was exhaled as the digging crews breathing systems out-gassed the carbon dioxide while they worked in the tunnel.

  The blast still had enough power to break three of his ribs, bruise him from head to toe, flash burned his skin on his face under the helmet shield to a red second degree and rip him from his seat planting him 75 feet behind the digger in a pile of ejected slag. All in all, it had been one uncomfortable ride for Steve.

  He lay there unconscious and the impact with the rock floor had done some internal damage. Steve’s life was now held in balance and it could go either way, only time could save him from certain death. He needed medical attention and he needed it fast.

  The muck truck driver was half a mile from the digger as he watched flames rolling on the ceiling for 50 feet past his truck before the lack of usable oxygen ran out and snuffed out the flames. He radioed for help while he spread out his load to drop his weight so he could get some added speed out of his mucker and hightailed it back to the digging head. He had seen underground gas fires before and he knew this was no time to waste even seconds getting back to his friend and foreman of the digging team.

  Blood was streaming from his nose when the operator found him lying behind the cab of the digger. He was still breathing but unconscious and the clock was ticking.

  Ben Jones was a big man, as most were on the mining crews. He picked Steve up as easy as he could and he placed him into the bed of the mucker truck. It took time to get up to speed. But the old trucks could break 30 miles an hour. He would be done with the first leg of the trip in two minutes. Then he would pass through the airlock that sealed the dig from the main base. Only then could they could open Steve’s helmet getting air to him and check him out. He never let off of the trucks power; he drove it at speeds he had never reached on the Moon. He was saving his friends life and would do anything needed to assure he accomplished the mission.

  Once the airlock at the end of the chamber was finished repressurizing Ben took off Steve’s helmet and he gave the man a gentle hug. “Glad to see you’re with us Steve.”

  “Ouch…Fire… Boom… Great…. Big…. boom…” Steve tried to make light of this and pain was ripping his insides out.

  “Just you hang on little brother. I have to put you up front now or the dust will kill you. So just let me have you. I’ve got you, easy my friend.” Ben lifted Steve like he was a feather. He had to clean out a spot for him to sit on. It was a one-man cab, but all miners knew Ton designed them to hold two in a pinch. As soon as they were in the cab they were rolling and he was on the radio again calling for help and demanded a cleared road all the way to the Med Lab.

  Dr. Ed Craft responded by getting the operating room up and ready for Steve to arrive. All personnel needed would be on hand and they would start to work on him as soon as he arrived. News of the incoming transport had all his staff on hand within minutes.

  It was just one more mile to the main tunnel and the junction to the base. Ben was pushing the mucker truck harder than it had ever been driven. He could see that it was starting to heat up; he could tell this could well be its last run without major repairs but it had to make it, he still had a hard drive.

  At the next junction there would be personal carriers. He would get Steve strapped into one and then he could fly to the Med Lab. The personal carriers were capable of speeds twice as fast as the muckers. Max speed limit on the Moon was just thirty miles per hour, to break that speed got a man’s rights to drive revoked for weeks if not months.

  He drove the mucker with all she had and was figuring he was broaching forty plus. The speedometer was pegged at thirty and bouncing trying to find room to climb higher.

  As he pulled out of the pressure lock a personal transport was pulled up next to the mucker to quickly transfer Steve to the faster transport. The muckers’ motor so hot it was smoking as it fused into a solid mass of unusable trash and shut down. The miners helped to transfer Steve to the transport and two miners climbed in next to him to hold him carefully in place. The whole base was now on alert and the tunnels were being cleared. Ben hit the power and the personal transport shot down the tunnel toward the main base complex. All transport tunnels were dug with a fifteen-foot cutter head. This made a perfectly round smooth surface except for the road installed to drive on.

  “Ben there is a transport coming your way; you have to come back and wait.” The traffic controller informed him over the transports radio. The controller knew it was fruitless but he had to try. Ben had taken off without even checking on the traffic in the tunnel.

  “Just tell him to go right. Count us down.” Ben responded as the transport was passing sixty.

  “It’s your call Benny. I just turned on me lights. I’m coming at you at sixty even. We go right don’t ya know now. I’m awaiten your lead Benny boy. Don’t get it wrong now or you’re going to kill us all.” Came the voice of the transport driver coming toward him with all the power his transport had. He knew Ben as a brother digger and knew he would be doing the same to reach help for Steve.

  The headlights clicked on in the distance. They were growing very fast. Their closing speed was upwards of one hundred and thirty miles an hour. Ben checked to be sure his headlights were also on; when they were just two hundred yards apart Ben called out. “Now!” And both turned right up the smooth wall just a little.

  There was just a slip of turbulent air as the two transports drove up the walls and passed each other head on, just inches between their roofs.

  Both controlled their transports back down onto the roadbed and they went on their way. “You’re a good lad there Benny me boy. I be beholden to ya now. You get young Steve to the Doc now…” Came the driver’s calm words and then he was gone. These men were iron tough and this was just another day in their danger filled lives. No real reason to go getting all excited.

  “There is a truck just about to leave the next tunnel. He will be out in ten seconds. He will be clear for your pass. What the hell happened back there?” Came the voice of the traffic controller.

  “There are gases, not ice, in that chamber. But it is frozen. The cutter head melted some
of it in a small pocket and boom. He got hit hard. I do see blood and both of his eyes are bloodshot. But he is fighting for it right now; you can tell he is trying to make it. It’s not good news; I think he’s hurt inside.” Ben gave his report and concentrated on his driving. It was like driving a slalom course as he negotiated around equipment and loads along the way through chamber one and up the ramp into the main base.

  When Ben finally got to the main base he did not stop for emergency transport. He just poured on the power and he started the last leg of this race to the Med Lab. The halls where clear of personnel as he flew down the main hall to the waiting Doctors.

  Ben tried to follow his fallen friend into the operating room, a little nurse had to push him away telling him to wait to be called with the news and he gave her his number. She promised to call right away when they knew what would happen with Steve.

  Vic was sitting in the transport when Ben walked out of the Mad Lab. “Will Steve be ok?”

  “They won’t know for a while now I think.”

  “Let’s go find Ton and fill him in on this.”

  “That’s a good idea Vic.” Ben got into the driver’s seat.

  “One more thing Ben…” Vic started.

  “Ok.” Ben was a bit confused.

  “We need hall transport. This is just a bit large up here.” He was going to have to back all the way to the down ramp to chamber one before he could get the mining transport turned around.

  “I see what you’re saying my friend. Let’s say you take a ride so I do it all safe for ya.”

  “Love to Benny, Love to. If you’re nice when we put this beast up; we can go have a drink. You have a tale to tell us. We will all be there by then.”

  Two miners came up to the transport, one with his hat across his heart, both declaring their prayers for Steve. “Benny, will Steve live?” The eldest one asked flat out. It was the miner’s way.

  “They will call this line first.” He held up the cell phone to show all who were gathering.