Chapter 12: The Return of Lunar Base

The next few weeks saw a good deal of activity as Space Command began the operation to rebuild Lunar Base. Not only were they rebuilding it, but they planned to expand it and include a fortified section in case there was ever another attack.

I was called in as a consultant, as Jim had apparently been impressed with my design for our habitat and the life support systems. Based off my success, they were looking at a series of habitats like mine, each with a processor, life support and greenhouse so that a single bomb wouldn’t be able to destroy it all.

They even planned to try and install a catapult using some new electromagnetic propulsion system similar to the railgun on my ship.

Earthside, there was a series of attacks carried out against the State. Apparently, there was no longer any hesitancy on bombing civilians where the State was using them as human shields. Now the UN Alliance was bombing any known target with impunity. Some were comparing it to the bombing of Germany in the Second World War.

I had even been called to take out two satellites that were thought to be communication birds controlled by the state. I got to play with the new EMP devices that Space Command had provided to me to disable them and ensure there were no more traps. I also got the salvage from them, including solar arrays and batteries.

They had also promised that I could use their catapult for these missions in the future once they got it up and running over at Lunar Base. This would save me a ton of thruster fuel.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, we continued to rake in a bumper harvest. Berries, protein from the crickets and algae tanks, and other veggies were piling up in the storeroom. At this rate, we’d have a surplus to sell to other Lunars or to Space Command.

Our domestic life was also settling into a bit of a rhythm. Each of the women had settled into roles that they seemed to enjoy and the division of labor seemed to be working well. Mary seemed to be the cook, always finding new ways to prepare meals out of our limited selection. Xina seemed to have the green thumb and managed the greenhouse and Karen otherwise ran the household.

So needless to say, we were all rather happy and enjoying ourselves. Sex was great and they kept me well satisfied and drained. If I even began to get an erection one of them was there to make sure it was carefully treated and drained.

Needless to say, all this good and the lack of problems was starting to worry me.

And then it happened.

I was sitting in the control center going over the latest satellite views to see if there were any possible asteroids or small comets that I could skim. I had a run planned with several defunct satellites and space debris, but a nice asteroid or comet would make it a perfect trip.

While I was studying the latest images, the priority override channel pinged, letting me know I had a message from Earthside. Usually this was from Space Command and led to lucrative contracts, so I immediately opened it.

However, it wasn’t from Space Command, or at least not specifically. It was actually from the US Senate. Apparently, we were going to have a senator visit later today. There was no reason given but I figured it was more work coming our way.

I jogged down to let the women know we were expecting company. I expected this to send them into a frenzy. Instead, once I told them, they simply dropped what they were doing and headed for the bedroom to cleanup and change clothes. It was all very calm and a little creepy.

Meanwhile, I went out and ensured the landing pad was clear and ready to receive new ships. And even before I could get back inside after making sure everything was secure, there was a ship on final approach and I had to run the last bit back to the air lock before they stirred up a dust storm outside.

Not to get sidetracked, but dust is a major problem for us Lunars. While almost everything we use is coated with a non-stick surface so that the dust falls off pretty easily, it does get into anything and everything.

Inside the habitat, the increased humidity that we keep helps remove the dust from the air we breathe, but some of the first Lunars developed silicosis, a lung disease, from breathing in all that dust. Thus, we all have serious dust filters on the air systems and extra layers of cleaning in the airlocks that help to blow the dust off our suits and capture it.

Because of this, a ship coming in for a landing while you are outside would completely cover you in the nasty lunar dust that gets into every crack and crevice of your suit. While that happens anyway, there is no need to subject the cleaners to that kind of challenge.

It was amusing to watch the pilot from inside the airlock via remote camera. He was clearly someone who didn’t have a lot of experience in piloting craft. He flew in like he was landing an airplane, and then had to waste a ton of thruster fuel in order to slow down. Whoever owned this craft was going to be paying for all that wasted fuel.

After waiting the prescribed period of time for the dust to settle, I climbed up the hatch and then hopped up onto the surface. I was met by three men exiting the craft, all wearing space command suits, complete with side arms and all.

Once they saw me, I signed our frequency over to them and a few seconds later, we were able to communicate.

“Welcome to our humble abode.” I started. “What can I do for you gentlemen today?”

“I’d like to see my daughter.” said the one in the middle.

“Well shit, I guess that explains why you are here. I am assuming that your daughter is Mary?”

When he nodded, I motioned them forward and down the pit to the entrance.

“Come on inside, the girls are all waiting on us.”

---- It was strange watching Mary interact with her father. She was clearly happy to see him after a long absence, but she was also wary of his intents. So, while she hugged him and cried with him, and generally seemed pleased to be around him, she was also very cautious in her answers.

Since Mary was normally our cook, Karen worked to prepare a few snacks and had even prepared a small batch of flavored water from the berries we had produced. It probably didn’t seem like much to the visitors, but I could tell that the Senator appreciated it for what it was, an expensive lunar luxury.

To read this story you need a Registration + Premier Membership
If you have an account, then please Log In or Register (Why register?)

A man, nearly broken by loss, lives a solitary existence off planet earth in a small habitat he has constructed on the moon.

Skimmer

Lorn Skye

$4.99