Moon War

By Richard Stahlmann

The year is 1950 and the Second World War rolls on. No-one has fired a shoot for over three years. The allies are waiting for the Germans to attempt one final attack. The Earth lies ruined, its landscape blanketed by radiation fall out from German weapons. The survivors live underground struggling to get through the next day. In this apocalyptic world one British inventor, George Stock, rises to the challenge. He has a radical plan for the Allies but nobody takes him seriously. This inventor believes mankind’s salvation lies in the stars, not on a ruined planet. Against all the odds Stock constructs a rocket that will take him to the Earth’s neighbour – the Moon. Little does he realise someone has gotten there before him.

In this exciting new novel from Richard Stahlmann history takes a terrifying new twist in this alternative tale of World War 2.

Chapters include:
Chapter One: Sweden 1950
Chapter Two: England 1946
Chapter Three: England 1950
Chapter Four: Behind Enemy Lines
Chapter Five: The Impossible Plan
Chapter Six: Treasure Hunt
Chapter Seven: The Flying Disc
Chapter Eight: The Rocket
Chapter Nine: Destination Moon
Chapter Ten: Footsteps on an Alien World
Chapter Eleven: Masters of the Moon
Chapter Twelve: The Master Plan
Chapter Thirteen: The Stranger Awakes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Stahlmann
• Release date: Sep 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310507182

Book preview

Moon War

By Richard Stahlmann

Copyright 2015 Richard Stahlmann

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © Richard Stahlmann 2015

The Author asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of the Work in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents act 1988

Simultaneously published in the United States, the UK, India, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Spain and Brazil.

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

To

Ellie, Les and Pierre – love and thanks for all your support.

Uncle Alan – a gentle giant gone too soon.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Sweden 1950

Chapter Two: England 1946

Chapter Three: England 1950

Chapter Four: Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter Five: The Impossible Plan

Chapter Six: Treasure Hunt

Chapter Seven: The Flying Disc

Chapter Eight: The Rocket

Chapter Nine: Destination Moon

Chapter Ten: Footsteps on an Alien World

Chapter Eleven: Masters of the Moon

Chapter Twelve: The Master Plan

Chapter Thirteen: The Stranger Awakes

About the Author

Other Books by Richard Stahlmann

Chapter One: Sweden 1950

Anders gazed across the snowy vista. He slapped his hands together hoping the shock would drive away the bitter cold. He was alone and it felt as though the whole world belonged to him. Anders knew the others were too afraid to step outside. Part of him knew they were right, but he’d been cooped up too long and was desperate for fresh air. He’d long heard the rumours that the mountain region was largely unaffected by the radiation. It was something to do with the rocks’ ability to absorb any harmful effects. Anders didn’t know who to believe anymore. Most of the scientists had been wiped out during the last bombing raid several years ago.

Anders’ people lived in a cramped underground base. Even in summer it was cold and damp. Life was a struggle just to eat and keep warm. There were fewer than eighty souls left alive. Despite that it was almost impossible to avoid the company of others, but Anders found a way. The boy cursed the day he’d led the others down to his secret world. The strange thing was that despite there being very few people left on the planet, Anders had never come into contact with so many different people. What’s more many of them were foreigners too. There’d been a rumour that some of the community were actually Germans who’d been forced to flee from the horrors of their own people. It was something that was never talked about in the open.

Anders made his way through the section of disused supply tunnels. The needle of his Geiger counter occasionally flicked up towards the safety limit before quieting down. Anders tucked the machine under his heavy sheep skinned fur and climbed up the rusty ladder to the surface. He thought for a moment before deciding to leave the Geiger counter on. If it started crackling like an insect, Anders would make his way to one of the safety zones.

Anders threw the hatch open and popped his head up and felt the cold night air bite his face. He took a deep breath, it all felt good. This was how human beings were supposed to live, not cowering beneath the surface like vermin. He wrapped a scarf around his face and moved off into the snow blizzard. It was all still beautiful and eerily silent. This is what the world would have looked like thousands of years ago. Any danger paled into insignificance as the magnificent sight of the mountain loomed into view.

Anders remembered his father taking him up the paths when he was just a small boy, and shown the safest routes. He also remembered being shown the little known routes. Anders’ family had lived on the mountain for generations.

Anders paused on top of a large jagged rock jutting out from the ground. He had a feeling something wasn’t quite right. It felt as though he was being watched by unseen eyes. The boy surveyed the tree line. He knew for a fact there were no more moose or bears, the radiation had taken care of them. Anders was a mountain dweller and had learnt to rely on his feelings. Right now his feelings screamed at him to leave this place and return to the relative safety of the base.

The boy suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. For a moment he thought he saw the outline of a distant figure in the woods. It couldn’t be a man - could it? He checked again, there was nothing present. Anders thought about it, as far as he knew nobody back at the base had any knowledge of the tunnels he used. What’s more, most tunnel dwellers had no desire to put their heads above the parapet. Even Anders wouldn’t choose to stay outside longer then a few hours.

The shepherd fumbled around in his large pockets and pulled out a battered old telescope. The lens had a large crack running through it. The telescope had been a present a gift from his father on his twelfth birthday, it was his only, and most prized, possession. Suddenly a loud whistling noise pierced the air. Anders dropped the telescope and covered his ears. Then the night sky lit up giving the appearance of daytime. It was incredibly bright and he shielded his eyes. Anders had seen things on the mountain over the years but this was something altogether new and unexpected.

He picked up the telescope and focused. The boy was certain he could see a large flock of birds moving ever closer. That couldn’t be, there were no more birds left. The skies had been empty since… The boy suddenly felt fear welling up inside, the last objects he’d seen in the air had been the German rockets. That was the night his father had been killed. People had said that if you saw one of them, death wouldn’t be far behind. Anders squinted, the dots were getting bigger with each passing second. The boy looked around, the least he could do was head for cover, but the tunnel entrance was too far away to reach. The whistling grew louder and then out of nowhere a large chunk of debris hit the ground just a few metres away, burying itself deep. The impact sent mounds of snow flying threw the air. Anders felt the blood pumping through his veins.

Anders approached with a great deal of trepidation. He could see steam rising up behind the lip of the new crater. It was quite possibly a meteorite. Anders had seen them before and they were quite a common occurrence around the mountain. This felt different, meteorites didn’t continue to light up the sky after they’d crashed to Earth. Anders pulled out the Geiger counter and felt a huge sense of relief as the needle stayed rooted to the lower end of the spectrum. He stared down at the bottom of the crater. The fire and smoke made it hard to see what the object was. The boy felt a burning curiosity inside, he wanted to see what was responsible for all this carnage. Anders gritted his teeth and made his way down to get a better look. There was something there, a warped ball of distorted metal.

Anders shielded his eyes as he caught a glimpse of what looked like a line of half melted rivets. Was this a man made machine? One of the many rumours was that the Germans had been experimenting with more advanced weapons. Anders wafted a cloud of smoke away as his eyes caught sight of a flash of bright colours. They were red, white and blue all twisted, melted into each other. The shepherd’s mouth dropped open in astonishment, it surely couldn’t be? The heat prevented him getting any closer so the boy placed the telescope to his eye, but the dense dark smoke proved impossible to see through. There was no choice, he had to get closer. It was dangerous, but the boy needed to confirm his suspicions. He huffed and wrapped another rag around his mouth and nose hoping it would offer sufficient protection.

The heat was almost unbearable in the crater. The metal plate was half embedded in the ground. Anders thought better than to reach out and grab the plate. Instead he kicked out at the object hoping to dislodge it from the soil’s grip. Nothing happened, he would have to kick harder. Anders looked around, there were metal girders and what looked like burnt out cables strewn all over the area. The boy wasn’t technically minded, it was best to leave it until the heat died down. Then it occurred to the boy that the entire area could go up in flames, taking everything with it. He had to act fast or it could all be lost. If he was going to retrieve it, Anders had to act now. The shepherd took a deep breath and kicked the plate with all the strength he could muster sending it flying deeper into the tree line. Anders hopped up and down in agony. The fire was spreading rapidly – it was time to retreat to safety.

Anders threw himself to the ground as a small explosion rocked the impact site. The boy covered his head and risked a glance at the scene of utter carnage. He was sure the others back at the camp could hear what was going on. It would only be a matter of time before they sent out a party to investigate.

Anders got up and dusted himself down. He turned and headed towards his treasure. He dashed over to it and bent over. It couldn’t be? Could it? The boy grabbed two handfuls of snow and tossed them onto the burning piece of scrap. The snow hissed as it turned into steam. Anders picked it up and inspected his find more closely. He traced the lines with the tip of his finger. It was the outline of a flag, one he thought he’d never see again. Anders picked it up and held it into the flickering light. In his hands he held the scorched remains of the Union Jack.

This shouldn’t be happening. The community believed they were the only colony left in existence, all contact with the outside world had been lost. Where the British returning? He’d not seen a British bomber for six years now. Anders recalled taking shelter with his father as the British Spitfires picked off German Heinkels with ease. He recalled all the excitement along with the optimism that accompanied the battle. The British stood toe to toe with the Germans – it was a sight to behold!

Then the British planes stopped coming and nobody knew why. Even the more advanced German bombings ceased their raids after they’d saturated most of the country with radiation bombs. Yet here Anders was, clutching a piece of metal that had been manufactured in a foreign land. What’s more – by a friendly nation. He ran his fingers across the surface, despite the warping caused by heat, most of it was incredibly smooth. It felt incredibly light, much less dense than any fighter wreckage he’d ever encountered. Anders hugged it to his chest like a piece of gold. He turned round to the crash site and could only wonder what was going on.

Then, just as before, the sky lit up. This time it was even brighter, once again, the whistling noise filled the air. Anders dropped the metal plate and reached for his telescope. In the sky, he could make out a