Resource control moon ba.., p.1
RESOURCE CONTROL: MOON BASE DELTA, page 1
RESOURCE CONTROL
MOON BASE DELTA
MOON BASE DELTA
BOOK 2
GERALD M. KILBY
CONTENTS
Readers Group
1. Personal Demons
2. The Outside Closes In
3. Wanderers
4. Departure
5. Your Country Needs You
6. Seismic Testing Station
7. Newcomers
8. New Life
9. Shackleton Crat
10. Breaking Bread
11. Updates from the Axial
12. Deep Space Network
13. Renewed Purpose
14. Transmission
15. Power and Control
16. A New Narrative
17. LunaSat
18. A World on Fire
19. Shattered Dreams
20. Surface Tension
21. Nonnegotiable
22. The Secchi Heist
23. Mind the Gap
24. Uno Island
25. Innermost Ring
26. Orbital Injection
27. Developing Situation
28. The Shuttle Dock
29. Drone Attack
30. Mass Accelerator
31. The Western Alliance
32. Failure of Duty
33. Good While it Lasted
34. Robot Army
35. DaVinci
36. Coming in Hot
37. The Bitter End
38. Defense Preparations
39. Enemy Engagement
40. Detonation
41. Shuttle
42. File Transmission
43. Blockade
44. Dog Fight
45. The Wisdom of the AI
Author’s Note
Also by Gerald M. Kilby
About the Author
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CHAPTER 1
PERSONAL DEMONS
Hunger gnawed at Renton, seeping into every crevice of his consciousness, draining his vitality, and rendering him incapable of concentrating on anything other than relentless thoughts of food. These thoughts took on strange shapes, akin to hallucinations, all orbiting around the notion of nourishment in its myriad forms. Most of these visions, however, regressed to the cherished meals of his youth, lovingly prepared by his parents—rich, hearty, and soul-satisfying fare.
Selene's assertion that Moon Base Delta could support thousands of souls was not unfounded, but it was marred by a single shortcoming: utter lifelessness. Yes, the base possessed the infrastructure to generate an abundance of food for its inhabitants, but none of it could be revived without a foundational stock: seeds for the grow-houses, cell cultures for synthesizing meat analogues, eggs and fry for the aqua-ponds. Even the stores of the gases necessary for initiating the process, primarily carbon dioxide and nitrogen, were all sadly lacking.
The base had been designed as a closed-loop ecosystem, its biome's inputs and outputs, including those of the human occupants, all contributing to its perpetuation. Restarting even a fraction of this intricate web was proving to be a Herculean feat.
Luck had allowed them to activate one food synthesizer using a strain of microbes that had endured a decade of cryogenic hibernation. Yet, efforts to accelerate production foundered, as the majority of the required reactants were either inert or contaminated.
Matteo had assumed responsibility for this mission, his fixation bordering on obsession. He now dedicated every waking moment to the biolab, striving to increase production. But despite Matteo's unwavering dedication, the production of synthesized food covered a mere fifth of their caloric needs. They couldn't survive on this meager supply alone. Although production was slowly increasing, the pace was glacial. It would take months, perhaps years, to reach a point where they could subsist on the synthesized food. Furthermore, it wouldn't provide all the essential nutrients. They would eventually succumb to deficiencies, not unlike the scurvy-ridden sailors of old, dying from a lack of vitamin C.
Renton and the others had eventually resigned themselves to leaving him to his task, as their presence only served to exasperate Matteo to the brink of anger. Eventually, one by one, they retreated. Renton seldom saw Matteo now, and when he did, his colleague appeared gaunt and haggard, his visage a tapestry of anxiety. Matteo spoke only of obscure chemical reactions, the language of which went far above Renton's comprehension. It was a side of Matteo that Renton had never witnessed before, verging on obsessive-compulsive. Then again, how well did any of them truly know each other? They had been together only a brief while before the catastrophe of the solar storm, and their fight for survival had only just begun. None could be immune to the strain. So, they left him to his task, checking in periodically to ensure he hadn't entirely lost his grip on reality.
With Matteo essentially out of commission, Renton, Alice, and Yuna shifted their focus to scavenging the base for any supplies they could uncover—primarily food. They found precious little that could be consumed with any certainty that it wasn't tainted. While the lunar surface might be a sterile environment, the warm, damp atmosphere of a previously densely populated human colony fostered the proliferation of bacteria—some of which could be fatal if ingested, such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, or worse, Botulism. Although irradiation might render their discoveries theoretically safe, none were willing to be the first to sample the offerings. As their hunger intensified, however, it was only a matter of time before one of them might succumb to the temptation.
The vastness of the base and the offline, inaccessible areas impeded their search, necessitating the use of EVA suits. Consequently, they turned their attention to the auxiliary structures surrounding the base, some of which, like the maintenance area they had utilized to access the primary facility, had been operational until the solar storm. These sites proved more fruitful, and they managed to secure packaged food supplies that were, more or less, still within their expiration dates. Their exterior excursions even included a return trip to the emergency shelter they had sought refuge in after the shuttle crash. However, the rewards were meager compared to the effort expended, as they had already depleted most of its resources a few weeks prior.
When their scavenger hunt reached its conclusion, and no more areas were worth searching, they pooled their accumulated supplies along with the meager bounty from the biolab, and with the aid of DOA, the AI managing Moon Base Delta, they calculated their projected survival time.
DOA took note of these nutritional limitations and generated a series of dietary plans that ranged from a complete nutritional and caloric intake, which would deplete their supplies within weeks, to a severely restricted diet that would last many times longer but demand extraordinary willpower. In the end, they settled on a compromise, although it was still extremely austere.
And so, the arguments began.
Initially, Alice and Yuna were pissed off that DOA had calculated a higher caloric allowance for Renton and Matteo due to their larger biological mass. But they ultimately acquiesced when the AI assured them it was necessary to ensure that all of them reached the brink of starvation simultaneously. In other words, they would all die at more or less the same time.
Disputes then arose over their next steps and long-term survival plans. Selene, still stranded on the luxury Axial Luxor Hotel, reported that the situation on the wider lunar surface had evolved into a struggle for individual survival. Few people were willing or able to render aid to them, as doing so might jeopardize their own chances. This entrenchment unfolded against the backdrop of a cautious consolidation by the two remaining power blocs—SINO and Xilinex. Neither had made overt moves for control, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before a full-blown war erupted between them. In short, no one was coming to their rescue. Moon Base Delta might be vast and virtually impregnable, but it was too remote from the primary population concentrations in Shackleton and Amundsen Craters. Therefore, most people calculated it was better to stay put and conserve resources.
This assessment of the broader lunar situation did nothing to alleviate their immediate concerns; worse still, it only served to heighten their awareness of the precariousness of their predicament. Survival was firmly in their own hands, and they desperately needed to devise a way forward.
Renton suggested restoring a rover to operational status so they could venture further afield, possibly to another outpost where abandoned supplies might be found. However, the nearest unaffiliated outpost was hundreds of kilometers away—a risky endeavor with no guarantee of success.
Yuna argued that the base had not yet been fully explored and insisted they should complete that task first. Why risk venturing too far from the base? Alice initially supported Yuna's proposal to thoroughly search the base, but she preferred using robots over embarking on extended EVA suit excursions. Renton countered that regardless of whether they employed robots or physical exploration, they were unlikely to discover any more than what existed in the operational sectors. He didn't think it was worth the effort. Matteo, of course, was solely focused on the biolab, and it was impossible to engage him in any other conversation, so they didn't bother trying.
Ultimately, they agreed that Alice would work on the robots while Yuna identified potential sectors to investigate. Meanwhile, Renton would attempt to restore a rover to working condition. There wasn't much else they could do.
It was at th is point that they all began to drift apart, opting to spend time alone, each absorbed in their own pet project—much like Matteo and his obsession with the biolab. Perhaps they had simply grown weary of each other, or perhaps they needed to withdraw and regroup. It could be that they were all grappling with the accumulated effects of trauma. Regardless of the reason, Renton found himself preferring his own company, channeling his dwindling reserves of energy between repairing a suitable rover and studying lunar topography maps to identify potential outposts that might hold the key to their survival.
As days turned into weeks, the situation in Moon Base Delta became increasingly dire. The crew's bodies grew gaunt, their faces etched with the pain of perpetual hunger. The base, once a symbol of humanity's ambition and ingenuity, now stood as a stark reminder of the fine line between life and death.
Renton's efforts to repair the rover were arduous, but he clung to the hope that their salvation lay just beyond the horizon. Alice and Yuna worked tirelessly to expand their knowledge of the base, unearthing hidden secrets and long-forgotten areas that hinted at the possible potential for survival.
Matteo, meanwhile, remained holed up in the biolab, his once-brilliant mind deteriorating under the weight of his single-minded pursuit. He had become a husk of his former self, a pale specter driven by the desperate need to crack the code that would unlock their salvation.
As the days wore on and their circumstances grew ever more precarious, the four wayward souls clung to their individual obsessions, not realizing that their greatest strength—cooperation and unity—had been lost along the way. In the cold, unforgiving environment of the moon, the survival of Renton, Alice, Yuna, and Matteo would ultimately depend on their ability to overcome their personal demons, rediscover their shared purpose, and reignite the spark of hope that had succeeded in getting them this far.
CHAPTER 2
THE OUTSIDE CLOSES IN
The shrill, high-pitched squawk of a proximity alert shattered Han Sundar’s nighttime slumber, catapulting him bolt upright in bed. He checked the time on a small digital monitor located on the bedside table—3:45 AM. This was the fourth alert this week, but the first to invade his sleep.
Beside him, Sheneese turned and lifted her head from the pillow. “What is it?” Her voice was a combination of concern and annoyance.
“Something’s triggered a motion sensor,” he replied in a hushed tone, doing his best not to disturb the quiet any further. “It could just be another animal, perhaps a deer or a coyote that’s wandered too close to the perimeter wall.” He reluctantly slid out of the warm bed and navigated his way downstairs, padding across the cold stone floor to a bank of monitors that served as the epicenter of their security system. He silenced the alarm and then studied the readout, searching for any indication of what had triggered the warning. Behind him, he heard Sheneese follow him down, then the familiar clunk-click of a round being chambered into a bolt-action sniper rifle, Sheneese's weapon of choice, her preferred method of negotiation these days. She joined him by the array of monitors, the weapon cradled securely in her arms.
“There's movement on the road leading to the main gate,” Han spoke in hushed tones, his finger pointing at an aerial map of the observatory compound where a red marker blinked a short distance from the entrance, indicating the location of the activated motion sensor.
“Let’s hope you're right, that it’s nothing more than a large animal, and not another desperate soul searching for food supplies,” Sheneese offered, her tone suggesting she wasn’t fully convinced.
The frequency of these attempted intrusions had risen sharply, particularly over the course of the past few weeks. The situation beyond the observatory's protective walls had deteriorated at an alarming rate ever since the local food distribution center had been besieged and overtaken by armed militia groups. With the National Guard having effectively abandoned the region, the populace was left to fend for themselves, pitted against the unchecked violence of opportunistic gangs.
Three days prior, their local radio station, which had been providing them with regular updates and news from the outside world, had fallen ominously silent. Now they were left with only sporadic broadcasts from much further afield. These painted a grim picture of the current state of affairs, chronicling the rapid fracturing of society into the hunter and the hunted. All were desperate to find sanctuary from the increasing numbers of militia groups that now roamed the countryside, plundering what they could from whomever was weakest.
They had already fought off two attempts. These were small, disorganized groups numbering no more than a handful of opportunists who probably just happened upon the observatory compound in their relentless search for sustenance. Perhaps they had been ordinary decent folk before the solar storm: the local mechanic, the baker, or even the guy who delivered your pizza. Now they roamed in well-armed packs, seeking to take advantage of any opportunity to stock up on supplies.
But these groups were getting bolder. Just a few short weeks ago, firing a couple of rounds of buckshot into the air had been more than enough to send them scattering in all directions. Back then, the prospect of sustaining life-threatening injuries far outweighed the meager prize of a bag of rice. But now, with the food distribution center gone and rumors of the sanctuary cities in the east closing themselves off to newcomers, there was a growing sense of desperation among the local populace.
Han and Sheneese both recognized the reality of their situation: it wouldn't be long before knowledge of their location spread among these increasingly desperate groups, and it was only a matter of time before one of them tried to mount a serious attempt to seize control of their refuge. Just the previous week, they had spotted a drone buzzing over the forest canopy, venturing past the mountain's protective barrier and making its way toward the valley. The presence of the drone could only signify one unnerving possibility: someone was conducting reconnaissance of the area, meticulously scouting and gathering intelligence. They monitored the drone's progress throughout that afternoon as it methodically zigzagged across the treetops, its flight path betraying its determined search for information. At one particular moment, the drone ventured close to the observatory, placing it well within a range where it could examine the compound's layout and defensive measures.
Han’s eyes now turned to the feed from their own security drones, which were ceaselessly patrolling the skies above the observatory. He entered a new set of instructions to one of the machines, guiding it to a position directly above the winding track that led to the entrance gate of the compound. The night-vision image that appeared on the screen glowed with an eerie, otherworldly green hue, but the resolution was good enough for Han to discern a large off-road vehicle stationed about three hundred meters from the compound's entrance, its imposing bulk partially concealed by the embrace of the tree canopy.
“It’s not an animal. Do you see that truck down there?” Han gestured at the screen.
Sheneese leaned in. “I see it. And it looks like it's had a radical Mad Max upgrade,” she responded, concern growing in her voice.
Han switched the display from standard night vision to infrared. Almost immediately, four distinct reddish shapes emerged from the velvety darkness—four individuals on the move. They split into pairs, each advancing on either side of the narrow track, steadily and purposefully making their way toward the compound's entrance gate.
