Moonday Page 3

  “We now have an immune boosting prototype to help with such problems, but we’ve not had a reason to use them yet.”

  He nodded, feeling a little reassured, “That’s good to know.”

  “Finally, there are the other scientific projects, most of which are short-term and last up to five years, and the current ones have come to an end today.” She gave a little smile, “You must have your own. Do you know what your team are planning on doing?”

  Peter shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as he said, “I have no idea, should I?”

  “There are two reasons why scientists want to experiment on the Moon, one is that they need the environment and the second is that the experiment is not allowed on Earth. On the Moon we are exempt from international law.” She pointed at him, “Here, you are responsible for what is considered good and evil.” She paused to let her words sink in.

  He stayed calm and waited. He already knew all this. It had been explained to him shortly before his departure. He assumed Meichun had had it explained to her by the previous Moon Major and she wanted to return the favour.

  “Before I go, I have a few tips.” She smiled. “Always stay in contact with Earth, that helps to avoid going crazy. And over the years, every Moon Major has worked with an artificial intelligence, a so-called AI program, and has helped to develop it further. She can help with the decision-making process.” She held her face in her hands as she said regretfully, “Don’t forget, you’ll need someone you can talk to openly. Keep your deputy, Beatriz in the loop and take care of the team’s health.”

  He nodded. It seemed to him that Meichun really didn’t want to let go, she had been here for five years and it was her home. This was the first time she had met Peter and he got the feeling that she wanted to be sure that he was going to take good care of the Moon Base.

  “There’s a father-son combination on your team, isn’t there? Be careful, sometimes it can get really claustrophobic up here. Do you have any more questions?”

  “Why does Liam want to stay for a second shift?” Peter couldn’t understand Liam. Five years was a long time to be away from your family and he knew he was going to miss his wife a lot.

  “All I can tell you is that Liam has his reasons, and I don’t know what they are. If it was relevant or necessary, we’d have been notified.” She shrugged.

  “And one last tip before I go, watch the clothes. Up to a certain degree, they automatically adapt to the required size. There is a possibility to enter a maximum size. I can only recommend that you do that.” She whispered, “Good luck” before she got up and left.

  Peter watched the door as it closed. He chewed gently on his lower lip, uncertain what to do next. For the first time on the Moon, Peter was alone. A look of wonder crossed his face as he looked around his new office. He smiled bashfully and thought, “I work here. It’s my workplace,” but it was only a fleeting thought and was quickly replaced when he thought of the toilets. He wanted to try them again, and this time he wouldn’t have to rush.

  He smiled and nodded, impressed as he looked down at the toilet and thanked his heroine Art Feldmann for her genius, because of her the toilets could be flushed, and he could take a pee in relaxed luxury.

  Peter stood in the entrance area a little way back from the returning team listening to their conversation. They were excited getting ready for the return flight. They were already wearing their orange spacesuits as they made the last adjustments He heard them laughing and talking about how pleased they were that their five-year shift was almost over, but he thought he could also hear an undertone of regret. They were joking that all they had to do was survive the commute home. He wondered if they were afraid something might go wrong.

  He looked at the window wall and his eyes searched for the robots, which were now finished with their tasks and safety checks. He couldn’t find them. It felt empty as he looked at the quiet scene. He looked towards the Moon shuttle, which was ready to launch, and then watched the Moononauts slowly approaching. Before she got in, Meichun turned around and waved. This image embedded itself in Peter’s memory, and he knew that this would be how he was going to remember her.

  He remained standing there and watched. It didn’t take long until they were all onboard and the Moon shuttle was ready to go. He barely knew these people, yet he felt sad. He was aware of but didn’t acknowledge when the members of his team, who had been there with him, left the entrance area. They were probably going to start work, or maybe they just wanted to orientate themselves better. Suddenly he felt empty. He forced himself to think positively. There was so much to discover in the Moon Base. He tried not to think about what they’d left behind on Earth. He stayed watching until the muted launch was over. Then he stepped closer to the window wall and watched the Moon shuttle slowly disappear into the distance. He knew that the escape velocity of the Moon was only a fifth of the Earth’s. He smiled at his knowledge and knew that they needed less energy for the launch and that meant they could travel with less fuel. Then he thought about the journey ahead of them. The Moononauts, except for the pilot, would soon be asleep. As he watched the Moon shuttle, he thought that it seemed too small for twelve people, not to mention the thirteen it was supposed to be able to accommodate. He wished the crew a safe journey home. His wife was where they were going. Luckily, he could see the Earth through the window wall. He was glad he could see it, but it seemed so far away, so small and vulnerable. Had he made a mistake in coming?

  He shook his head and reminded himself that he shouldn’t think so negatively when he was facing such a great adventure. He turned his thoughts to work. The shift change was now complete, and he had a lot of work to do. He returned purposefully to his office and as he sat down on his chair, it occurred to him that he was now fully responsible for the Moon Base.

  First week

  Date: Wednesday 14th October 2139 - 13:03 CET

  Location: Alpha 12 - Moon Base

  During the first week on the base everything was new and exciting. Peter smiled to himself because he felt like a toddler on its first adventure into the wilds of the back garden. He thought that there was a lot to discover despite the fact only the first building phase of the Moon Base had been completed. The second building phase had never been started since the tourists had stayed away.

  As Peter tried out the features of the ingeniously built furniture in his office he marvelled at their design and construction. He found it difficult to understand why the tourists stayed away. He’d heard the pseudo claims from the Happynet that lots of people die during the strenuous flight to the Moon; that hardly anyone survives the physical stresses that they are exposed to during the Moon shuttle launch; and that during your stay they treat you like you are a lab rat because they turn the shields on and off to see how you will react which is why so many people go crazy and get Moon Madness. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head gently as he thought about it. He couldn’t believe that people actually took any of that seriously.

  Everyone knew that the information in the Happynet was nonsense and not to be believed. He smiled and felt grateful that the Intellinet and Happynet were separate entities and that the project to keep them separate continued to find support. He tutted and shook his head again remembering more of the Happynet arguments, the high cost, and also that it made no sense to pay for the trip with your environmental credits, which had led to some truly unhinged conspiracy theories. A momentary look of sadness flashed across his face as he glanced down, but in reality, he believed that people were simply scared, and they used the spurious arguments from Happynet to help them hide from the truth.

  The completed domes were not just adequate for the crew, they were also big enough to serve as a storage facility for both the Moon Base and the Mars mission. Today was Peter’s first weekly inspection of the Moon Base and he was looking forward to seeing the whole base. He put on his captain’s hat respectfully and looked in the mirror. He smiled and tilted his head, then noticed that the pea
k wasn’t straight, so while still smiling he adjusted it carefully.

  He was going to pay everyone from the team a visit and wanted to look official while he checked if they were settling in as well as he had. He grinned. He felt the part, although he missed his wife a little. He had thought the distance would be harder to bear, but so far it seemed like a holiday and he could always send a video mail or watch one of his wife’s again.

  The communications area was right next to his office, so the first stop of his inspection was going to be Damian and Liam. Peter found it easy to chat to Damian. He enjoyed listening as he talked about his wife and how glad he was that his son was working with them. Damian found it easy to speak of his worries about his wife and that it must be a shock for her and his youngest son as it would be so much quieter at home. He’d already exchanged a few video mails with his wife and she seemed to be fine. Peter was pleased to see how Damian smiled as he explained how much he liked the well-equipped gym.

  Peter had already observed that Damian and Liam weren’t very talkative with each other. They didn’t say much, but they seemed to communicate well enough. It was clear that Damian liked the technology here and Liam was helping him get used to everything.

  Peter tried to exchange a few words with Liam, but it was difficult. Liam wasn’t very forthcoming. Peter had only managed to find out that he liked to walk in the main garden, where it was quiet, and he could be on his own.

  Peter changed the subject and asked him about his work. He wanted to know more about the information exchange protocols with Earth Base Columbus. Liam smiled as he explained that two-way communication worked well and always had priority over scientific reports. The reports arrived in a timely manner, and there was even enough bandwidth for receiving leisure communication. Peter watched him closely. It was obvious to see that Liam enjoyed controlling the flow of information and liked talking about it.

  Peter turned to Damian, smiled friendly at him and asked what he thought of the Moon satellite. Damian nodded and grinned as he explained that they had just been talking about the that. He was clearly impressed and reported that it was just like his training on Earth.

  Peter wanted to know why they had been talking about the satellite, was there something wrong with it?

  Suddenly unsure, Damian looked over to Liam, who nodded encouragingly. Damian didn’t answer so Liam took over and explained that they had been clarifying the process for the Annual Moon Base Closure. They were still checking with Europa to make sure if they needed to plan an early satellite manoeuvre to avoid any possible stray meteors. Damian smiled broadly as he spoke about the steering capability of the Moon satellite. He could hardly wait to bring the satellite home to safety and redeploy it after the danger was averted.

  Peter could see the enthusiasm in his eyes as he explained the planned maintenance of the satellite and the tests for the replacement. Peter noticed Damian’s relaxed smile and saw how Liam nodded in agreement and thought they are going to work well together.

  Peter nodded his thanks as he left. He was thinking about the two-way communication with Earth. In many ways, Meichun was right. Initially, the conversations with Earth Base Columbus had been a bit weird, but he’d soon got used to the signal delay, and now he didn’t think about it anymore, and it didn’t bother him at all during his daily reports.

  As he headed towards the second stop he thought about how he had followed Meichun’s advice and logged into the AI Program on the first day. He had been curious about what she had to offer. Her first question had taken him by surprise. He needed to choose a name for the AI program. He’d requested if he could continue using the existing name, and he was a little taken aback when his request was denied. He remembered looking at the window wall in his office, but there had been nothing to see as it was opaque, his unfocused eyes had concentrated on an image that wasn’t there and even so he’d felt like he was looking right through it into the distance. He’d realised that he found it difficult to think while the AI Program was watching him, and he wasn’t even sure how she could do this. He’d stood up, turned around and walked a few steps and with his back to the AI program robot he’d given his answer. He’d said the first name he’d thought of. He’d called the AI Program Meichun. She also had a talking face that looked and sounded like the real Meichun. A little embarrassed, he wondered whether Meichun had also used the name of her predecessor.

  Still distracted and not concentrating on his surroundings, he continued on his way. When he noticed where he was and glanced up, he smiled broadly. He was standing beneath Art Feldmann’s statue. He considered it an honour to look at. He was so lucky to be allowed to work here on the Moon. As he stood there he started to get the niggling feeling of time passing. He should get back to work. Next on the list was the warehouse with Filip and Paul. He turned in the direction of the warehouse and began to walk with a light, easy step. The way there didn’t take very long, and he enjoyed feeling the lightness in his legs and feet while walking. He had not yet become fully accustomed to the near-Earth gravity. The Moon’s gravity was kept at approximately eighty percent of the strength of Earth’s. After just one week, in which he had religiously done the muscle retention exercises, his muscles were almost as strong as they had been on Earth. With each light movement, he felt like he had the energy and strength of a small child and had to remind himself that as Moon Major it was not appropriate to run. With a thoughtful but serious expression and measured step he headed towards the main warehouse.

  As Peter arrived at the main warehouse, Filip and Paul didn’t notice him come in, they were otherwise occupied, and their work was apparently forgotten. Paul was trying to show Filip the secret of his amazing golf swing. Peter could hear a proud and confident voice as he approached, “I wouldn’t be the first one to try it either.”

  Peter coughed softly.

  They heard him and turned their heads in his direction abruptly.

  Peter suppressed a smile as he noticed their wide-opened eyes and slightly open mouths. Paul still held the golf club in both hands above his head. As discretely as possible, he let it fall. The three of them stared at the golf club as it rattled loudly on the ground. Paul went very red and his arm movements betrayed his embarrassment as well. Peter couldn’t hide his smile, but he managed to ask if Paul liked playing golf without laughing.

  Paul’s embarrassed gaze was keenly focused on the now silent golf club. He bent down and without saying anything picked it up with his left hand. Peter noticed that Paul was wearing his Pulsera on his right arm.

  Filip, who was a few years older than Paul, took Paul’s self-conscious silence as a signal to step in and help him. He spoke calmly, “He likes to play golf.”

  Peter nodded and asked curiously, “How did you get the golf club here?”

  Paul steadied himself and managed to regain control of his voice as he blurted out, “I disguised the iron club head with some tools and put the shaft and handle together once I was here.” He didn’t dare look at Peter. “I wanted to experiment with my golf swing at different levels of gravity.”

  Peter laughed quietly, and his eyes twinkled in a friendly manner before he explained that he just wanted to see how everything was going in the warehouses. He knew that Filip and Paul were responsible for the warehouses and Peter would appreciate it if they would give him a quick tour of the facility.

  Peter stood in front of one of the aisles of the warehouse and looked around. He was surprised as he said, “It’s not as big as I thought it would be.”

  Paul had recovered from his embarrassment. He replied with a voice and face full of excitement, “There are loads of underground levels and we have forklift robots that move everything around. They are simply brilliant.”

  Peter nodded. Paul’s enthusiasm for the highly automated systems made him smile.

  Filip looked a little agitated as he spoke, “Everything is ready for the forthcoming Annual Closure.” He breathed in deeply, and Peter waited, he sensed the but that was
about to come.

  “But what I don’t like is the date of this year’s closing. Why does it have to be in November? The Perseid meteors come in August and they can be more dangerous than the Leonid meteors. I think, it would make more sense if the closure took place in August.”

  Peter smiled, and thought Filip’s birthday is in August, but he answered as if he didn’t know, “I have no idea. We’ll have to ask Europa. She knows everything about astronomy.”

  Filip nodded satisfied. He hadn’t expected to change anything. He just wanted to have his say. And anyway, he thought, a November closure wasn’t so bad. They would only have to wait a little over a month before the party. And they did need to practise working with the Moon Base robots. The robots reacted differently here, from their training on Earth. The lower gravity made a subtle difference to his expectations. They were going to have fun learning how their new toys reacted and worked.

  Peter followed the robot and found his way through the main warehouse to the observatory without getting lost. It seemed strange how the observatory had been built on the side of the warehouses, but then he considered that they probably wanted to locate the telescope as far away from the lights of the residential area as possible. The dark shadows of the warehouses would probably shield the observatory from the light. He knew he was only guessing and wasn’t really sure about it, but he had noticed that Europa was spending almost eighteen hours a day in the observatory. He was sure that she didn’t sleep enough but he reminded himself to be respectful. The observatory was under her control, even though for six hours each day, the telescope could be controlled by Earth Base Columbus and used for their projects.