Luna World

By R.D. Reeves

A futuristic science fiction action adventure story. Efforts of off world human survival have finally turned to efforts of exploration, passion and discovery of untold proportions.

The tale begins in our future on the Earth's moon, Luna, being the nearest stable world in our solar system after the Earth lost its precious ability to support life. Although that was long ago. Now other ambitions call to the human race. Ambitions that have been put on hold for far too long, such as exploration, terraforming as well as the most taboo questions of all concerning the very origins of human existence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.D. Reeves
• Release date: Dec 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310267529

R.D. Reeves

R.D. Reeves was born and raised in the mountains of Virginia. A former sailor, local actor, sci-fi fan, dreamer and free thinker. He now lives in south Virginia with his family.

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Luna World

Copyright © 2015 R.D. Reeves

Published by R.D. Reeves at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter One: The Calypso

Chapter Two: The Red World

Chapter Three: The Cursed Earth

Chapter Four: Just a Break

Chapter Five: Jupiter's Many Moons Sounds Romantic

Chapter Six: Ice World Europa

Chapter Seven: Vacation

Chapter Eight: Ceres, It's Not Just another Ice World

Chapter Nine: The Edge of Space

Chapter Ten: Sanctuary

Chapter Eleven: Back to the Edge of Space

About the Author

Connect with R.D. Reeves

Acknowledgements

Dedicated to my wife, my children and all of us.

Although some information within this story is based on truth, Luna World is a work of science fiction. All characters in this book are fictional as well.

Prologue

Accessed Luna, New Plymouth Rock Scribe Archives.

Requested historical information regarding the destruction of Earth and early colonization of Luna.

Year 2000 to present.

Brief edited format time line focus on localized and generalized sources.

2000: The global population is well over six billion as the world’s resources buckle.

2001: Global climate change continues to play havoc. World weather patterns cause economic and environmental damage to increase worldwide.

2002: A coal slurry dam 900-feet high, 2,000-feet long in West Virginia, USA, fails and slides into a sediment pond at the toe of the fill, generating a large wave of water and sediment that destroys several vehicles, houses and releases millions of gallons of toxic sludge into the area.

2005: Ninety percent of the world’s fisheries are overfished as humans continue to take more than the ocean can replace.

Sea levels continue to rise.

2007: Glaciers gain notice due to shrinking size, some are even gone. Hugh ice shelves continue to break apart, some the size of the island of Manhattan in New York, USA. Polar Bears begin to die in large numbers,

Commercial space businesses become popular.

2008: In the USA, the current administration has dismantled more environmental laws than any past administration in U.S. history. Also, a massive coal waste spill unleashes over a billion gallons of toxic sludge in Tennessee. A wall holding back eighty acres of sludge from a Fossil Plant gives way, pouring coal sludge (a byproduct of the ash from coal combustion) onto at least 300 acres of surrounding land. Fifteen homes are destroyed, and many more sit on land that is now contaminated with arsenic, mercury and lead.

2010: The Ady Gil, a small vessel under the flag of Sea Shepherd, a proactive marine conservation group, is cut in two by a Japanese whaler ship in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary while on mission to save the protected sea creatures. The captain of the Ady Gil is taken to Japan under arrest.

The largest oil spill in history is released after a BP oil rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico killing nine workers. Although the exact amount is never known to the public, estimates place it at least eight to ten times the amount of oil from the Exxon/Valdez spill over twenty years earlier.

2011: In the USA, the current administration cuts NASA program 'Operation Constellation'.

The ban on whaling is lifted. Although there are limits, they are almost never enforced. The global population is over seven billion as the world’s resources continue to buckle.

Commercial space industries make huge headway in private spacecraft building.

2012: Sea Shepherd and other so called 'Eco Terrorist' are arrested. Still other environmental and wildlife conservation groups such as PETA, Green Peace, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, etc. are seen as possible threats to public safety and are dismantled. Environmental scientists are fired from both the government and large corporate business.

2013: Hurricanes, tornadoes and other violent, unusual weather patterns become larger and more common as the Earth tries to release building heat energy.

Sea levels continue to rise.

2014: Ninety five percent of the world’s fisheries are over fished as humans continue to take more than the oceans can replace.

Many coral reefs die.

NASA continues being cut.

Governments place restrictions on commercial and other private spacecraft industries. These restrictions severely limit high altitude tests of spacecraft.

Hydraulic Fracking becomes common around the world.

2015: Underground conservation groups begin striking back at corporate empires and other Ecocidal targets. Their guerrilla tactics strike with shocking effectiveness. The core group is called Gaia’s Guard. They become the new target for the world’s military industry.

Many types of wildlife, both marine and terrestrial, go extinct.

2016: The Great Barrier Reef dies.

More marine wildlife goes extinct.

Global population is over 7.5 billion.

NASA faces more cuts.

The International Space Station is abandoned.

A private spacecraft is shot down after violating government altitude limits.

2017: Reefs worldwide begin to die in mass numbers, perhaps all of them.

Sea level continues to rise, as more land is flooded.

For decades, the popular opinion has been that NASA has been wasting taxpayer’s money. In the USA, a nationwide poll indicated that the idea of life in a space ship or space station (either in space or on another planet) was frowned upon and was even seen as taboo to some religious groups. NASA dissolves under negative public opinion and lack of funds.

Private spacecraft builders continue to make headway, but testing is done as clandestine as possible.

2018: Gaia’s Guard has been fighting for a few years, now but little progress is made. They decided to stop fighting and withdrew into seclusion to form a new strategy.

Wars break out on the Earth over fresh water, under the guise of fighting Gaia’s Guard.

2019: Global Population is close to eight billion.

Food wars break out, once again under the cover of ‘fighting the eco terrorist.’

With the world at war, over its few remaining resources, Gaia’s Guard continues to remain hidden, realizing there is nothing to do to reverse the damaged done to the world. However, they have been preoccupied researching a new clandestine strategy.

2020: The few world governments that still remain struggle to maintain a semblance of control over their people.

People living in higher altitudes begin dying due to lack of oxygen.

2025: Most animals in the world are dead.

People live only in areas that have won food and water wars.

Massive amounts of dead cause disease to become a daily battle.

2030: Almost all of the ocean’s life is dead as is life on land. Wars over oxygen become common as the world’s atmosphere begins to grow even worse, once again blamed on Gaia’s Guard.

2050: Earth is a horrible shell of the life-giving world it once was. Life on the Earth’s surface is impossible without an environmental suit. The atmosphere is gone. The world’s oceans are gone. The unnatural change to the Earth has disrupted not only the Earth, but according to a very unconventional theory, the solar system itself. The changes are not yet fully known nor are they understood. What is known is that the asteroid belt has moved. The belt is now more widespread and closer to Earth. This, combined with the Earth’s devastated atmosphere, makes meteorites a constant threat to the already tortured planet.

Most of the human population is dead. The world’s population is unknown but a conservative estimate is ten million. Life for humans on earth is confined to pockets (on and below the surface) of totally enclosed self-supporting structures. Ironically, the world that did not wish to live in space ships and space stations on other worlds now does so in structures that look and operate very much like space stations.

Gaia’s Guard has put into place a backup plan. For over thirty years Gaia's Guard leaders have set their concealed plan in motion. Many members of the old governments, former big business scientist and private spacecraft companies have joined Gaia’s Guard. Together they have created and have even put into action an ambitious project called 'Luna World.' For at least a century the theory of colonizing the moon or some other heavenly body has been toyed with. Now with the use of state-of-the-art terraforming technology the moon is small and manageable enough to make an Earth-like home very fast. Plus the discovery of frozen water, massive amounts of untouched minerals and the isotope helium-3, makes it the next best thing to terraforming Mars, but one thing at a time. For now survival is what matters.

2075: Gaia’s Guard has completed its terraforming enough to transfer the last of its people to the moon. Altogether, there are about nine thousand Lunans. Many of the enclosed cities on Earth have gained knowledge of this Luna World and some have even swallowed their pride enough to try to contact them for assistance. Unfortunately, the Lunans refuse to help due to barely being able to support their own people, but may consider immigration in the future once they gain a more stable foothold.

2080: On Earth, gigantic quakes, volcanoes and of course pelting of meteorites have destroyed many more of the old world city structures left behind. Many die; deaths are in the millions. World population is unknown, perhaps as low as four hundred thousand. Many of these Earth cities still war with each other over food and water; both of course are very scarce.

It is thought that sometime during this period some of the people of Earth become what has been referred to as ‘Ferral’. These Ferrals are described as vicious, brutal humans that, while still intelligent, seem to have been altered by the anguish of life on the Earth and have become savage. Indeed, they are just as technologically advanced as other humans, but are said to have rejected any and all civilized human behavior. They attack on sight and commit suicide before capture. Little is known about them otherwise.

Gaia’s Guard contacts Earth and informers the old world that it will allow a limited immigration program to begin for anyone wishing to come to Luna. However, life on Luna will be by Gaia’s Guard laws only. The old governments of Earth will have to be left behind, for they have no place on Luna. The old world governments refuse despite the cries of their people. Regardless, some refugees escape Earth, find their way to Luna and swear allegiance there.

2100: Others are able to make it off Earth as well. Some live in large space ships or even in makeshift wagon-train type fleets. Still others create small settlements surviving and perhaps even thriving on asteroids. These other frontier people live by diverse laws and local governments. Some are simply trying to survive while others may not be much more than organized criminals.

2180: Luna World has its problems, but otherwise is doing well. Earth still is a barren globe and the cities still war at times with each other over the usual . . . resources. The leaders of Earth feed misinformation and lies about how the world got the way it is. Mostly, they blame natural causes and Gaia’s Guard for the destruction of Earth. As a result, the old world governments on Earth have declared war on the Lunans. What few resources that exist are used typically for fighting the Lunan ‘terrorist’. This hate is the only thing that creates a sense of unity and control over the Earth’s people.

Helping or even talking to a Lunan is considered treason.

End transmission.

Chapter One: The Calypso

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth."

-JFK Speech to special joint session of Congress, 25 May 1961

The year was 2180. It was early Fall on Luna in the city of New Plymouth Rock. Fall on Luna was cold. The fact that the days and nights were two weeks long did not seem to help the cold but the Lunans took it all in stride. Despite the length of day and night, life cycles were divided up into twenty-four hour time periods as per the old Earth day cycles. Even though it was cold, food production was not affected. Two weeks of night made growing food impossible by normal means. Nevertheless, food was produced and the atmosphere kept constant by the enormous amount of energy supplied by the terraforming engines. All made possible by the rich supplies of helium-3 found on Luna.

Even so, most people lived in an area around Luna’s equator, known as the Green Belt. It ran about one thousand four hundred kilometers from north to south. The farther north or south of the Green Belt you traveled, the harsher the cold became.

Llewella Moon was one of these many Green Belters as well as being a very promising young lady. She was attractive, yet never pushed her appearance. In fact, it almost seemed as if she tried to hide it. She wore her wavy blonde hair tied back in what some may have considered to be an unflattering fashion. She wore little or no makeup; her natural beauty did not really require it. She also tended to dress in, what her friends considered to be, conservative style attire that did little to flatter her otherwise attractive form. This suited her parents at least. They always wished for her to make her mark governing her intelligence, not by a young lady’s appearance, as they often said. She had done so, despite her age, her hard work had won her recognition in the medical field. This would take the young doctor to the next level of achievement.

As she stepped lightly into a taxi just outside of the popular S.O.L. pub, she recalled her father telling her the history behind the name of the establishment. Apparently, it was named after a cryptic message. The legend went that said message was sent when the first group of Gaia’s Guard pioneer’s landed on Luna and began construction on the permanent structures sometime back in the early part of the year 2020.

The commander was folk hero Major Thomas Thompson, commonly called Major Tom. According to the tale, he had transmitted something to the effect that the landing party was S.O.L. Tom also then reported that they were in need of a drink.

It is still debated today what the Major meant by S.O.L. Some believe he was referring to the solar panels being set up and ready to use. Solar panels were and sometimes still are, referred to as Sol panels, citing of course to the name of our star, Sol.

Other historians believe that he may have been having technical problems and used an old Earth expression to vent his frustration. Shit Outta Luck or S.O.L. for short. As a result, he felt in desperate need of a drink because of this. The end result was a very successful name for what was to later become the oldest operating pub on Luna.

The doctor’s mind slipped back to her taxi. Once inside, the navigation computer came online and said, Please state your desired destination.

She smiled and spoke with a bit of excitement in her voice at the thought of where she was going, Take me to the New Plymouth Rock spaceport, please.

The taxi hummed to life as it rose slightly off the street in order to retract its resting gear. The taxi then lowered again, just a bit, as it moved forward and hovered toward the spaceport. The spaceport itself was located just on the outskirts of New Plymouth Rock. The ride was not very long, yet she wondered why the trip seemed that way. She shook off the feeling, chalking it up to nerves. Once there, the taxi hummed to a stop as the resting gear lowered. The vehicle came to a gentle grounding as she stepped out. The autumn sun glanced off her smile as the breeze lightly tossed her hair before she entered the port station.

Almost immediately she met a sturdy looking, ruddy young man named Brad Monkey Wrench Johnson. He was a refugee from Earth that had made his way to Luna as a young teenager. It was a difficult task starting as a refugee and getting to where he was now, head engineer, but as long as he could remember, life was never easy. Growing up on the barren waste of Earth had taught him to appreciate Luna plus any and all opportunity he now had. Though even on an enlightened world such as Luna, there still existed prejudice. Earthers declared war on all Lunans long ago and many of them still were, at times, treated unfairly. Brad was no exception, but he tended to ignore it. He was, in a way, very much like Dr. Llewella Moon, the both of them being very determined.

No sooner than a quick introduction later, a rather large and somewhat scruffy looking man in a jumpsuit approached the two of them. As he came closer, a Gaia’s Guard patch could be seen on his jumpsuit, which was now identifiable as some kind of uniform. He sported an automatic pistol slung low on his hip. To the doctor, the style seemed very similar to old frontier space fiction holovids. His age seemed difficult to pin. He had an aged, weathered mature look to his face and skin. Yet his eyes and sudden bright smile made him appear very boyish. His large hand extended to them both.

So yer the new pretty doctor, Doctor Moon? An’ yer the new head engineer Mr. Johnson? I'm the security head, name’s McDow but ye can call me Aldy. He then gave a bobbing nod of the head.

Dr. Moon placed her small hand in Aldy’s bulky grizzled hand as he smiled wider and gingerly shook it. She smiled as well, Pretty Doctor? chuckled the doctor. Nice to meet you Aldy.

Aldy quickly gripped the hand of Monkey Wrench and shook it a bit firmer. Though Monkey Wrench was by no means a small man, his hand also seemed a bit undersized compared to Aldy’s paw. Monkey Wrench said, Same here, Aldy. Please call me Monkey Wrench though. Otherwise I won’t have a clue as to who you’re talking about.

Aldy said, Monkey Wrench it is then! Ye know, I one time was on ship wi a lad named Monkey Pete. Any relation? Hmmm, I reckon not. He could climb a ladder bare foot just wi his toes while…er… never mind. I'll give ye a hand. You’ll be tucked away all ship-shape an’ Bristol fashion in no time.

Aldy went on to say that unlike the Luna Defense Branch, whose task was primarily protecting Luna and the area about it, the Gaia's Guard Exploration Branch would be responsible for exploring and probing the solar system. As fresh members of the new exploratory ship, there would be much to do and learn. The ship herself was named after a famous old twentieth century science exploration vessel as well as an ancient sea goddess, Calypso.

A lot was still very much unknown about the solar system especially after its alteration over one hundred thirty years ago. In order for the ship to carry out her mission, the Calypso had been fitted with state of the art science facilities as well as advanced engineering drive technology. Being a lone ship, she was also well-armed and engineered to take a beating, as well as to dish it out, when necessary.

Aldy spoke of this and more as the trio entered a secure hanger at the spaceport. The ship was kept in such a guarded hanger for security reasons. Dr. Moon and Monkey Wrench had never seen anything like her before. The huge ship took up most of the area inside the hanger. Its overall shape was a humongous disc. The forward section on the ship had a large nosecone-like appendage. While the aft section of the ship had the configuration of a giant rectangular box with enormous tubular shapes on both port and starboard sides.

Aldy smiled as he noticed their expressions. Then he led them to the aft end of the ship and stopped at the quarterdeck as he yelled, Requestin’ permission tae come aboard!

The guard let them in as they entered via the ramp to the loading bay area, which was simply, in essence, a very large airlock to the hanger deck. The deck was huge and housed, among other things, lifts, several side rooms, hatches and a lot of unopened crates. The crew was dressed in jumpsuits comparable to Aldy’s as they buzzed about trying to make order out of the chaos. Aldy gave a brief tour of the huge hanger. He pointed out how it housed, among other things, lifts, several side rooms, hatches and a lot of unopened crates. He then took them via one of the lifts to see the bridge.

The bridge was sleek and impressive yet practical in appearance and function. There were stations all around. Present were also two crewmembers occupied at two of these stations. Aldy introduced everyone. He first motioned toward a very dark skinned woman with close cut hair.

Dr. Moon an’ Monkey Wrench, this little lass here is Elm Jal.

Elm shook the doctor and Monkey Wrench’s hands with a smile and said, Welcome aboard, I’m the head navigator. My job is to not get us lost as we bounce around the solar system.

Aldy then turned to the other crewman, a rather pale, gaunt, tall and proper looking gentleman.

An’ this little lass is---

The man spun with a sour look on his face as he cut Aldy off, Yes, yes, Al-dee…we can do without your typical and oh so predictable brand of humor. Please spare us all. The man then turned to face the two new crew members. My name is Victor Sledwright, the computer science department head. Though I have assistance, I am the soul person on this entire ship that can keep the advanced computers functional and in perfect condition. However, I am sure I would not expect any of you to know a thing about that now. Now would you? Good day. He then turned his back to his shipmates, immediately returning to his work.

Head Navigator Elm looked away from the head computer scientist and rolled her eyes. Aldy, without missing a beat, continued with a smile and said, That’s Vick’s way o’ saying, welcome aboard!

After that Aldy took the two new shipmates up the lift