The Bonding (7 page)

           
A
low “amen” simultaneously swept through the group, whispered by everyone present
and by each person on Moonwalker and the moon base.

           
“To
shine a small light on the present situation, we’ve located Robinson,” Leddy
said. “He’s alive, but unconscious. They’ll be bringing him in shortly.
Apparently, when the meteor ripped the hole in the shelter, it shot him out
like a cannonball. They found him over a half-mile away, at the bottom of a
small ravine. We’ll update you as soon as we get his suit off and the doc
checks him out.”

           
“All
right, that is some good news,” Matt said.

           
“Houston
from Moonwalker,” Commander Rand called.

           
“Go
ahead, Commander,” Matt replied.

           
“It
appears that only our engine exhaust nozzles are damaged. Larry should be able
to bring some new ones with him, when he comes back. Everything else looks
okay.”

           
“Our
diagnostics agree with yours,” Matt said. “We already have the ground team
working on it. It’s going to be four days before we can get Pioneer ready for
launch. Are your life support systems okay?”

           
Bill
looked over the computer with John. “This is going to be a major challenge. We
have enough fuel left to operate the auxiliary power units approximately one
week, but then, there won’t be enough left to come home.”

           
“Yeah,
we’re looking at that also. We’ll be working around the clock to get you guys
back. The current plan is to launch Pioneer Saturday morning. Larry will drop
off the parts, then circle to the dark side and scan for Intrepid. There is the
chance that they jettisoned the flight deck and are all sitting there waiting
for us. The flight deck life support system can keep three people alive for
four weeks. If they did eject the deck, the emergency locator beacon should
also be sending out a signal. If they are there, we’ll find them.”

           
Saturday
morning arrived and Pioneer was ready for launch. The ground team worked
overtime to get it prepped. Calls for Intrepid were now once each hour, and the
general feeling of finding them alive
was
not good.
Houston was also trying to locate them with an old moon mapping satellite that
was still orbiting. It had taken hundreds of pictures in the last four days,
but Intrepid wasn’t in any of them. Pioneer was their last hope.

           
By
7:00 a.m. Pioneer was on its way to the moon. Within hours it was orbiting
along side Moonwalker, preparing to move the giant rocket nozzles from one
cargo bay to the other. Most of Pioneer’s moon base crew had stayed back on
Earth this time, to allow space for Intrepid’s lander crew. They and
Moonwalker’s crew would dock with the shuttles and take care of everything.
This would be the first time, since the beginning of the project that
absolutely no one would be at the moon base. All hands were needed to get
Moonwalker operational and find Intrepid.

           
At
the moon base, Lieutenants Mike Sanders and Bob Leddy had their crews ready to
launch.

“We’re ready for liftoff, Bob,” Sanders
said over the radio.

“Roger that, Mike. We’re ready also.
Firing rockets in five, four, three, two, one, fire.”

The lander modules lifted effortlessly
from the lunar surface. Within ten minutes, they were docking with Pioneer. Intrepid’s
crew would stay with Pioneer after they got the cargo unloaded, since it would
be the search ship, and the other crew would return to Moonwalker to begin
repairs.

           
“Welcome
aboard men,” Commander Larry Songer said, as he greeted each man.

           
“Thanks
Commander,” Mike replied. “I’m anxious to get these nozzles over to Moonwalker
so that we can go find my crew.”

           
“We’re
right there with you, Mike,” Larry said. “Everyone is anxious to find them.”

           
“Thanks
for getting back here so quickly,” Leddy noted. “We’re ready to start moving
these things.”

           
“Then
let’s go!” Mike agreed.

           
They
unloaded the huge nozzles from the cargo bay of Pioneer, and one by one, pulled
them over to Moonwalker. It was a strange sight, seeing them floating along
side the shuttle. Moving the nozzles went quickly, and Intrepid’s lander crew
was soon docking with Pioneer to begin the search for their shipmates.

           
“Okay,
Larry. We’re docked and locked,” Lieutenant Sanders reported.

           
“Close
the bay,” Larry commanded, as his second officer pushed the switch. The huge
cargo bay doors eased closed and the green ready light illuminated on the
panel.

           
“Welcome
aboard,” Larry said, shaking Mike’s hand and the hand of each crewmember as
they entered the shuttle. His first and second officers also shook each
person’s hand.

           
“It’s
good to be with you, Larry,” Mike said.

           
“You
ready to go find your crew?” Larry asked.

           
“I’ve
never been more ready. Let’s go.”

           
Everyone
strapped in as Pioneer’s crew prepared to fire the rockets and begin the
search.

           
“We’re
ready for burn,” Larry announced, from the flight deck. “Everyone strapped in
back there?”

           
Mike
picked up the microphone. “We’re all ready, Commander.”

           
“Okay!
Firing in five, four, three, two, one,” Larry counted, as he pushed the switch.
The powerful rockets fired, propelling the shuttle towards the other side of
the moon. Larry only gave the engines a five-second burst; enough to get it
going, but not too fast to be able to see Intrepid, if it was there.

           
As
they moved into the darkness, Larry picked up the microphone. “We’re entering
the dark side folks. Anyone who wants to come to the flight deck, come on up.
While prepping for this mission, Pioneer was fitted with a few special items
that should help find your crew. We’ve got
a tracking
radar that can pick up any large metal objects on the moon’s surface, an
infrared scanner to show temperature patterns, and a high intensity, night
vision camera. If they’re down there, we’ll find them.”

Every single crewmember crowded into the
flight deck, and all eyes were glued to the monitors as Larry navigated
Pioneer. He also checked the emergency locator transmitter frequency to ensure
that it was set properly. Either ejecting the flight deck or crashing would
automatically activate the ELT, but there was no signal.

That’s not a good sign,” Mike noted.
“That was the first thing I expected to see.”

Larry patted him on the shoulder. “That
doesn’t mean they’re not there, Mike. You know that the ELT may not be
working.”

“Yeah,” Smitty said, “I bet the damned
battery is dead. They’re down there, Lieutenant. I know they are.”

They searched for hours, systematically
checking every hill, valley and crater, but nothing unusual showed on the
monitors. Their hope was dwindling.

           
“They’ve
got to be down there somewhere,” Sanders said. “They’ve got to be!”

           
Larry
rubbed his chin and looked at the crew silently staring at the monitors,
knowing that in the back of each one’s mind, they knew Intrepid was lost.

           
“Mike,
the other scenario we discussed, back on Earth, was that they
may
have gone away from the moon.”

           
“Away
from the moon?” Mike questioned.

           
“Yes!
They were in that part of the orbit, which would have put them on a trajectory
for deep space. If, for some reason, they didn’t get the rockets shut down, or
couldn’t turn around, then they are heading away from us, probably at over ten
thousand miles per hour.”

           
Mike
looked down and shook his head. “Then we’ll never find them.”

           
“We’ve
still got some moon to search, but I want you to be prepared for the worst,”
Larry said.

           
“What
if they
are
heading into deep space, Commander?” Fielder asked.

           
“Then
they’re lost,” Mike said.

           
Fielder
looked at Commander Songer. “He’s right, son.” Larry looked at the blank faces
staring back at him. “We’re not done searching yet. Remember, it ain’t over til
it’s over.”

           
They
continued to search for several more hours, but the monitors remained blank.
One by one, the men moved away from the flight deck, silently admitting to what
they had feared all along. Mike and Larry were the only two remaining, staring
at the screens.

           
Larry
put his hand on Mike’s shoulder. “I’ll stay a little longer if you wish, but I
think we both know that they’re gone.”

           
A
tear rolled from the corner of Mike’s eye and ran down his cheek. He felt, in
his heart, that if he quit looking, he would be abandoning his shipmates, but
he also had to deal with the reality that they should have found them by now.

           
“Mike,
we need to think about getting Moonwalker repaired, so we don’t lose two
crews.”

           
Mike
nodded and shut off the monitors. “Let’s go, Larry.”

           
They
returned to the other side, and Mike’s crew helped the others repair
Moonwalker. After four days, they had to return to Earth to replenish supplies
and manpower. Eventually, Moonwalker was ready to go and both shuttles gave one
last look for Intrepid, but it was not to be found. Everyone succumbed to the
reality that the crew and the shuttle were lost.

           
The
shuttles came back to finish the job they started, Moon Base One, but the
entire work atmosphere had changed. The jovial, let’s get it done attitude was
not there. However, life goes on, and, as with earlier disasters in the space
program, everyone involved knew the risks and accepted them. They all agreed
that the crew
of
 
Intrepid
died doing what they loved.

           
The
day of the completion ceremony, although delayed, had finally arrived.
Commander Rand’s crew was at the ceremony, while Commander Songer’s crew was on
the moon to cut the ribbon. Huge monitors showed the moon base crew as
Commander Songer stood by with a very large pair of scissors 230,000 miles
away. It was a tremendous milestone in the space program, but it was not an
entirely happy event. The President of the United States was there to give the
speech.

           
“I
wish to extend my warmest greetings to all of the people of the world. We stand
here today to celebrate the greatest achievement yet in our quest of the
universe, the completion of Moon Base One. This has been a long time coming and
has not been an easy task. Seated here are a handful of the brave and dedicated
people who have made this tremendous feat possible. Behind the scenes are
thousands of others whose faces are not on the evening news, and whose names
are not household words, but are just as much heroes as the people you see
here, and those who are on the moon at this very moment. Although this is a
happy occasion, we must also give thanks and remembrance to those who could not
be here today. We must never forget the brave ones who have given their lives,
throughout the years, to live the space dream. Today, we honor those people,
and most recently, the crew of the space shuttle, USS Intrepid.”

           
As
the President said their names, their pictures were broadcast on the huge
monitors. “Commander Janet Shelby, Commander Ron Seiger, and Captain Oliver
Barnes; we pray that your souls are continuing the quest of the wonderful
universe that you so proudly and boldly chose to explore. With this, I give you
Moon Base One.”

           
On
the moon, Larry cut the ribbon and the entire world cheered the event.
Champagne was opened, parties were thrown, commercial offers were given to the
astronauts, and life went on. It was a day for celebrating on both the Earth
and the moon, and from this day forth, Intrepid’s crew was immortalized in the
annals of history.

Chapter
Five

           
Two
weeks had passed since Intrepid was hit and plunged into space. The emergency
life support system had done its job well. Commander Shelby was still alive, in
a coma, floating about the flight deck, but in dire need of nourishment. With
only one person using the oxygen, it could last another three weeks. But, if
her body didn’t get food and water, she would be dead within one.