The Commander (7 page)

“Well.” Annie gave Luke a big grin. “This is the big day.”

“I know. And I’m scared to death,” he admitted.

They were sitting in his office in the Baggs airport terminal building. In just two hours, the shuttle buses would arrive from Reno with almost one hundred and fifty new recruits. That would practically double the moon’s population in one stroke.

The passenger list covered a broad spectrum of skill sets. It included medical personnel, laborers, teachers, architects, previous restaurant owners, and much more. It had been six months since Sam’s departure.

“You worry too much.”

“That’s because I keep thinking of things to worry about.”

“Too late now,” she said. “There’s going to be another hundred and fifty next week, and then again every week after that. I thought you’d be bringing in new groups every day, the way you’ve been going on about how far we’re behind schedule.”

“If things go smoothly, we’ll get to that point soon enough. Tonight, I just want everyone to board the aircraft without anyone going ballistic.”

The Boeing 737 look-alike shuttle would arrive just before the buses. The onboard AI, named
Ashley
, performed flawlessly. In fact, early on she was quite affronted when Luke insisted on several test flights back and forth to Earth.

Luke worried about dynamic stress on her wings but his concern proved unfounded. She tried to describe the molecular structure that gave her body such strength but it was way over Luke’s head.

“I’m a history major,” he finally told her. “Aerodynamics is a bit beyond me. But I’m convinced you won’t break.”

Luke recruited a team of four flight attendants whose role was crucial. On the Boeing look-alike, they had to keep the passengers’ minds at ease from takeoff to arrival at Moonbase. If anyone totally freaked out Luke would return them to Earth.

Annie made several suggestions about dealing with troublemakers but Roth prevailed against her more ruthless solutions. “There are plenty of alien abduction stories out there,” he told her. “If anyone goes off the deep end, we’ll send them home and they’ll just be one more.”

After building the faux-Boeing 737, George went a step further and created a Gulfstream-looking shuttle. Luke had flown the faux-Gulfstream,
Winifred
, on multiple occasions during recruitment trips of smaller groups. In particular, it had played a role in recruiting the last medical team he’d hired. Still, a close examination by someone knowledgeable in aviation would reveal the charade; they were spaceships after all, not aluminum aircraft.

Luke’s policy was that the Boeing lookalike would only fly in at night. And the aircraft would never be left alone on the flight line. Luke didn’t want to tempt anyone’s curiosity by leaving an actual spaceship, no matter what it looked like, unattended at the desolate airport.

He remained paranoid about security. Other than Luke and Annie, only the flight attendants were allowed to make return trips to Earth, and then it was just to turn around and come back with the passengers.

The most important clause in everyone’s employment contract was that they signed up for one year. The recruiting agencies stressed that during the first year, no one was allowed to return home. The one thing they couldn’t afford at this stage was to let the American public know that a space-faring culture was forming right in their very midst.

Annie pointed out the office window where the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. “Here come our ladies.”

The Boeing-like shuttle was on final approach. To outward appearances
Ashley
looked exactly like the popular B-737 airliner. She was adept at simulating a touchdown, hovering just a few inches off the runway until she slowed on the runway to taxi in.

She pulled up next to the terminal building and the four flight attendants stepped out onto the tarmac.

“I guess we may as well get out there,” Luke suggested.

# # #

“What is he doing?”
Ashley
asked.

“He called it a preflight inspection,” Annie explained to the Boeing AI. “He said it was standard procedure when he flew jets in the military.”

Ashley
was miffed. “I don’t see the necessity, quite frankly. He could just ask. I would know if there was something wrong with my exterior. Besides, it’s dark; the sun went down fifteen minutes ago. He wouldn’t see anything even if there was a problem.”

Annie chuckled. “Don’t hold it against him. He’s just nervous about tonight. The latest count is one hundred and forty-two new people. That’s a lot for us. Moonbase is about to get crowded.”

“He better get over it pretty quickly. I can hear the buses arriving outside.”

“Okay.” Annie let out a big sigh. “I guess it’s show time.”

The buses pulled up to the waiting aircraft for unloading. Everyone had a small suitcase or a backpack. Their employment contracts stipulated that only carry-on luggage was allowed. In return, the contract guaranteed that all necessities of life would be provided.

To help sell the opportunity, Luke emphasized the Moonbase’s living quarters with plush photo-spreads after Annie decorated them with comfortable furnishings. The accommodations were more luxurious than one would expect in an Antarctic research facility, but the story was that a wealthy foundation named PDEF was funding the expedition and spared no expense. Strictly speaking, that was true.

The newcomers’ faces showed excitement rather than concern. They were about to set off on an adventure, even if it was more of an adventure than any of them could imagine. Annie watched the children cling tightly to their parents’ hands. Luke made it a point to recruit families with the initial group. Having kids along would ensure the Moonbase became a community rather than a haven for single scientists.

Two of the flight attendants guided the passengers toward the aircraft stairs and two more waited inside the cabin to keep them moving to their seats.

Once everyone was seated
Ashley
turned on the sound effects of aircraft engines being started. That was another of the small ruses that Luke had come up with to keep people as calm as possible until they were off the ground.

After the passengers stowed their personal belongs,
Ashley
gave a standard passenger safety briefing through her internal PA system. The flight attendants demonstrated life vests and drop-down oxygen masks. By the time the safety briefing was completed the aircraft was airborne.

Sitting in one of the front seats, Luke took a deep breath. Tammy, the senior flight attendant, handed him a microphone. It was his turn to stand front and center.

“Hi, everyone. My name is Luke Blackburn. Hopefully, you’ve heard of me.”

There was a collective, “Oh, so that’s him.” Everyone had been briefed about Commander Blackburn. He was the CEO of the new research firm, PDEF. They were now his employees.

“First, welcome aboard. I hope you guys are as excited about the future as I am. There’s an old Chinese saying, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ I have news for you. You do, and I hope you will enjoy it.”

Luke paused for the polite applause before continuing. “I guess I’m saying that I think of these interesting times as a blessing. We’re facing a lot of surprises in the future and I hope you’ll believe they’re as wonderful as I do. So thank you one and all for sharing our journey.

“Second, even though we’re going someplace new and exciting, the one thing we’re not leaving behind is paperwork. If you look in the seat pocket in front of you, you’ll find some forms that we’d like you to fill out. Parents can fill out the forms for their kids. Now, we’re going to leave the lights on for a bit so you can get started. We’ll gather the completed forms as soon as you’re done.”

Luke had no interest in the paperwork; he just wanted to keep the interior lights on bright and everyone busy to forestall anyone from looking outside just a bit longer.

Luke, Annie, and the flight attendants walked up and down the aisles, answering questions and interrupting anyone who started to look out the windows. Although a few people got up to use the restroom,
Ashley’s
design omitted windows in the lavatories.

After twenty minutes, a few faces started to show concern. People were finishing their paperwork and looking outside. Each recruit had a personality profile that included a high level of adaptability to the unknown. Luke was about to find out if they really had that mindset.
It’s time for the big reveal.

He picked up the microphone again. “Okay, everyone.” The passengers turned their attention back to him. “Let’s play a guessing game. Who thinks they know where we’re going?”

Several passengers raised their hands and a few people called out, “Antarctica.” There were one or two votes for Canada and another for Greenland.

“Nope. Wrong so far. It’s further away than that. Any other guesses?”

One teenaged girl stuck up her hand. “The only place on Earth further away from Nevada than Antarctica would be Sri Lanka. But that’s not really a remote environment.”

Luke pointed at her with a big smile. “Now there’s someone who knows her geography. Good guess, but wrong. Any other guesses? No?” Luke took a deep breath. “Well, we’re going to give you the full story on our location as soon as we land. We would like everyone to hold their questions until then. But for now, if you look out the right side of the aircraft, you can see where we’re headed.
Ashley
, why don’t you dim the lights.”

The shock was palpable. A few quiet exclamations could be heard but otherwise, silence filled the aircraft as everyone came to the realization they were seeing the raw grandeur of another celestial planet up close. Luke braced himself for the first reaction.

An adolescent boy’s loud voice broke through the suspense. “Whoa! We’re gonna be living on the
moon
. How cool is
that
!”

The youngster’s outburst prompted a few chuckles and the rest of the crowd’s uncertainty dissolved. The boy demanded that his parents allow him an early opportunity to “check out” the nearby craters. Wives and husbands began speaking to each other about what it meant and a general murmur of excitement ran through the cabin.

The aircraft descended toward the surface and lined up to land inside the main hangar. At the back of the hangar Roth and the rest of the moon’s population were waiting and everyone was applauding.

Ashley
’s wheels touched down and the interior lights popped on. Tammy got on the microphone. “Welcome to Moonbase One, and thank you for flying with us today.”

As each person descended the aircraft stairs, one of the current residents met them on the tarmac with a handshake and a big smile. After quick introductions the residents led the newcomers into the base for their first orientation. Roth and George had worked on the presentation endlessly during the lead-up. It was an inspiring pitch, it explained why they were here, the nature of the potential alien threat, and what their presence meant to them personally, and mankind in general.

Luke’s vision included expanding mankind’s knowledge about the universe, the development of an armed force to protect their solar system, the colonization of other planets, and an outward expansion to find systems with whom they could ally. All of it was refined and condensed into a thirty-minute presentation intended to calm and inspire every new arrival.

Luke and Annie remained on the aircraft. Luke felt it best to stay out of the way to establish that Roth was the number one guy at Moonbase. When the last passenger exited the hangar into the corridors, Luke looked across the aisle at Annie and let out a big sigh. “Man, I hope they all go that smoothly.”

Luke smiled inwardly at the irony.
I thought I left all this behind me.
It was strange to be running a staff meeting again, especially on the moon. In the last month much had changed.

His fear of a general unease amongst the newcomers after the newness wore off had not materialized. In fact, quite the opposite. The level of excitement was as high as ever.

“What have you got for me, Brandon?” Luke asked of his personnel chief.

“Nothing major. I’d recommend we get a few more physician’s assistants. That would give us twenty-four-hour ER capability.”

“Got it.” Luke nodded. “I think that’s already in the works. What else?”

“As I mentioned last week, I had a couple of families ask about extending their contracts; that’s the Middletons and the Witts. Both have children, and I think they want their kids to grow up in our loonie lifestyle.”

“I remember. We agreed that was a good thing, right? Did you tell them okay?”

“I did, and they must have told their friends because this week I got another fifty-three requests for the same thing. People love this place. I don’t know if it’s the excitement of being part of something important, or what.”

Daniel Perez, Moonbase security director, sheepishly raised his hand.

“Go ahead, Dan,” Luke prompted.

Perez grinned. “Let me admit that I was one of the fifty-three.” He looked around the table and spread his hands in apology. “I didn’t realize I was part of a movement. But I can offer some background on why, for what it’s worth.”

“Tell me,” Luke said. “I’d like to get your input.”

“It’s several things. First, no money worries. I’ve been amazed at how liberating that is. You guys know me. I had a great job in Denver. Chief of police, six-figure salary. House was almost paid for. I mean, I didn’t have any money problems. But it’s always there in the back of your mind, you know? Kid’s college, medical bills, senior care for the in-laws, you name it. No matter how much you make, you always feel you’re on the edge of a precipice; at least I did. Here, those problems don’t exist. Once we go public, I’m gonna try to get my parents up here. In-laws too.”

Brandon smiled and spoke again. “Well, full disclosure, I guess. Once those couples put in their application, I filled out one too.” He grinned at Perez. “I wasn’t going to name any names, but since you ’fessed up, let me say I agree. This is a new kind of society. I don’t think there’s been anything like it in the history of mankind. My boy went crazy with the replicator the first week. He got so much stuff I could barely get in his bedroom. He filled it with all the junk we would never buy. After a week or so, the light bulb sort of went on. All of a sudden he just got it, he doesn’t have to
want
stuff anymore. He recycled all the junk and now he’s much calmer. He focuses on one thing at a time instead of worrying he’ll miss something.”

Luke looked at his staff. “I have to say, I don’t think this is a bad thing. You know my plans. I want to keep growing Moonbase into a major self-sustaining city. Next week our recruitment is going up another notch to three shuttles a week. If that works, I’m kicking it up to four.”

Ambrose nodded at the group. “We’ll be ready. I’ve got fifty people building new residential units. And you told me we’re getting more on the next two arrivals.”

“That correct. Annie promised she’s nailed that down with NexGen Recruiting. You’ll get a few new contractors every week from here on. The problem is we’re still growing too slowly. I can’t believe it’s been seven months since this project started. What’s the population now?”

Luke’s comment provoked exclamations from his staff. “Are you kidding?” Samantha said. “We went over a thousand this week.”

“I know. But it’s not enough. As soon as we finish the design for large ships, I want to open a colony on Mars. We don’t actually have any assurances that we’ve got five years. It could be tomorrow. We’ve got to send colonies to other star systems yesterday, so if the Bakkui show up, at least our species will survive. Anyone think differently?”

A general murmur of agreement ran around the table before Luke continued. “Speaking of large ship construction, what’s the status?” He looked at Morrow.

Public speaking was not Morrow’s forte, but when he did contribute to the discussion, everyone listened carefully.

“I’ve been working with George and our engineers. The good news is, it is possible to manufacture a large-scale replicator the size you want. But it can’t happen here at Moonbase because it’s just too big. If we locate it outside, which is what we need to do, it’ll be visible from Earth.”

“So where are you thinking? Luke prompted.

“Far side of the moon. We can make it as big we want. Just put down a few acres of tarmac and go for it.”

“What about NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter?” Roth asked. “Take it out?”

Morrow nodded. “No choice if you want to still keep this secret?

“Understood,” Luke agreed. “Kind of a shame to do that to NASA but I guess it’s inevitable. Maybe when this is all done we can recruit some of the astronomers who lost their toy.”

Morrow cleared his throat. “Yeah. About that.”

“What?”

“Let’s start recruiting those guys now. Same time we’re building a construction base, let’s put up a new telescope. Not some puny thing like the James Webb mirror. I’m talking the size of a football field, and a research center to go with it.”

“I’m not opposed,” Luke said. “But what’s your thinking?”

“You just talked about your plan to go exo-solar system. Be nice to have a good look at any planets you want to visit before you waste a trip. We need a huge telescope and astronomers for that kind of thing. That’s out of my field. You keep promising to bring on an R&D guy.”