The Last Revolution by Carpenter R.T

Author:Carpenter, R.T. [Carpenter, R.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Future War, Space Station, Lunar Colonies, R.T. Carpenter, Moon Base, The Last Revolution, Spaceship
Publisher: Quantum Publishing Group
Published: 2013-08-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Arakiel stepped through the mist as he walked down the maintenance tunnels. Steam pipes ran along the ceiling carrying oxygen and water into New Tranquility. Fathoms of electrical wiring were snaked around the piping to provide clean, free energy from the reactors. It would have been impractical to wear his suit down here. It was hard enough moving through the area without the extra size, but the heat was torturous. The dull whir of distant motors processing H-3 was ever present.

The facility had been built out beyond the crater of the city, just in case. No one wanted a repeat of the meltdown at Apollo City’s first H-3 facility. This facility was a small domed structure with entry ports along the exterior edge. Heavy equipment robots weaved through the entrances carrying full loads of lunar regolith. Open pit mines were visible on the horizon, but to the untrained eye they just looked like more craters.

A launch pad had been constructed beyond the manufacturing plant and was used to ship the refined products back to Earth. The rocket would use a small amount of thrust to break the moon’s meager atmosphere and then fire a quick blast to put in on a free return trajectory with Earth. The payload would autonomously come apart and splashdown over the ocean where the Council would handle recovery and distribution amongst the Three Nations.

Since the craft never had to stop and unload, it could use the Earth’s gravitational pull to shoot it back to the moon, firing the rest of its fuel to enter lunar orbit and descend back to the surface. From there it would be fixed up, reloaded and sent back on another journey. Each trip took close to a week and the rockets could be retrofitted and ready to go again within a few days. Each lunar city launched several rockets a day, resulting in a near constant stream of H-3 being sent to Earth.

Transporting so much mass from one planet to the other seemed unsustainable, but who was he to judge? Safely delivering the reactor was the only thing that mattered now. It was a shame he’d have to give it up. No one could protect it as well as he could. Nevertheless, once he was free he could focus on finding Alden. The Guardian had told him to leave it alone, but ever since the attack on the Council facility earlier in the morning he’d felt liberated. He’d make Alden’s death look like an accident; no one would be any wiser. The lunar surface was such a dangerous place after all. Besides, given his assignment, the laws really didn’t apply to him anymore.

The barrel of his sidearm would be the last thing Alden ever saw. In the final moments of his life, the full weight of his failure would become apparent. In that moment, he’d make sure Alden knew he was receiving the justice he deserved. The maintenance shaft abruptly ended. Arakiel walked out into a large area that was filled with buzzing machines.

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