face.
Ellen’s eyes widened slightly. Royal Army?
Dan read her look perfectly. He shrugged. “That’s what he says--that he’s a soldier in the army of some king. From what I’ve seen of his buddies they’re all in uniform and well armed, so it could be true.”
Jim’s lips compressed in a thin line. Ellen’s brow furrowed and a shadow settled on her face. Her greatest fear...
Michael took her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. His back popped as he sat up straight. In the depths of his brown eyes a golden flame flickered to life.
Chapter 2: Luna City
Yuri Gargarin, Ludmilla’s son, the first baby born on the moon, had his father’s lean build, his mother’s gray eyes and his famous grandfather’s drive to be first. He peeked around the corner, saw the path was clear and bounded across the corridor like a lunar panther. His arms and hands propelled him from wall to wall, his feet never quite touching the floor as he rocketed along. Lunar flying, he called it and naturally he’d invented the technique. He zoomed high, almost brushing the ceiling as he crossed the next corridor and waived at Dr. Goldstein and her son Gabriel as they flinched from his sudden appearance. He ricocheted smoothly off the walls until he neared his home and settled easily to the floor.
As he entered the door he heard his father, talking to Commander Kent about how to save the people on Earth. Honestly, he didn’t know why that was such a big deal. Everything he’d learned about the people down there led him to think the universe would be better off without them. Always fighting and killing each other--eating each other--gross.
They had all the advantages, plenty of air to breathe and water to drink. Deos, they didn’t even have to suit up to go outside and he genuinely envied them that. But most of all he yearned to see animals--deer and elephants and birds and whales. Maybe they should try to prevent the coming impact to save the animals. The only animals on Luna were the worms in the soil and compost beds and they weren’t all that interesting. Besides, he was twelve and he really wanted a dog.
He slipped into his room, flipped open his comm unit and hailed Angela Kent. The two of them were supposed to meet up with Leia Morshidi and Hans Riley-Obermann after last class to “fly” the main lane to the spaceport.
*
Heinz Obermann scanned the readout again, brown eyes focused and intense, brows knitted. Something was wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint why power production levels were declining from reading the report. He shook his head, his long, wavy blonde hair bobbing slowly under the moons gentle pull and mumbled, “Surface check,” to himself. But first...a quick smile flitted across his face, he’d run this past Olivia.
She was due back today from a stint on the ISS and he couldn’t wait to see her again. A vision of her Catherine Zeta-Jones beauty flashed across his mind and his smile returned.
*
The ISS
Rana Hamide adjusted the visor on her space suit to reduce glare as she examined the port side ISS solar array. Her luminous dark brown eyes swept the panels and found numerous flaws. Small, delicate fingers, looking large and clumsy in her suit carefully measured a hole and she sighed.
“Problem, Rana?” Ludmilla Gargarin asked from the control module. Any space walk activity was closely monitored.
“Several, ‘Milla,” Rana replied. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to replace the port side array.
“Micrometeorites?”
“Yes, micrometeorite erosion. Plus these panels were hardest hit by ejecta after The Impact.” Fifteen years before the ISS had been moved to a much higher orbit to escape being destroyed when the asteroid named Havoc hit the Earth. The move had saved their lives, but some damage had been done and even after all those years there were still more earth bits sharing their orbit than was comfortable. Fortunately, they were moving at roughly the same speed
Ellen’s eyes widened slightly. Royal Army?
Dan read her look perfectly. He shrugged. “That’s what he says--that he’s a soldier in the army of some king. From what I’ve seen of his buddies they’re all in uniform and well armed, so it could be true.”
Jim’s lips compressed in a thin line. Ellen’s brow furrowed and a shadow settled on her face. Her greatest fear...
Michael took her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. His back popped as he sat up straight. In the depths of his brown eyes a golden flame flickered to life.
Chapter 2: Luna City
Yuri Gargarin, Ludmilla’s son, the first baby born on the moon, had his father’s lean build, his mother’s gray eyes and his famous grandfather’s drive to be first. He peeked around the corner, saw the path was clear and bounded across the corridor like a lunar panther. His arms and hands propelled him from wall to wall, his feet never quite touching the floor as he rocketed along. Lunar flying, he called it and naturally he’d invented the technique. He zoomed high, almost brushing the ceiling as he crossed the next corridor and waived at Dr. Goldstein and her son Gabriel as they flinched from his sudden appearance. He ricocheted smoothly off the walls until he neared his home and settled easily to the floor.
As he entered the door he heard his father, talking to Commander Kent about how to save the people on Earth. Honestly, he didn’t know why that was such a big deal. Everything he’d learned about the people down there led him to think the universe would be better off without them. Always fighting and killing each other--eating each other--gross.
They had all the advantages, plenty of air to breathe and water to drink. Deos, they didn’t even have to suit up to go outside and he genuinely envied them that. But most of all he yearned to see animals--deer and elephants and birds and whales. Maybe they should try to prevent the coming impact to save the animals. The only animals on Luna were the worms in the soil and compost beds and they weren’t all that interesting. Besides, he was twelve and he really wanted a dog.
He slipped into his room, flipped open his comm unit and hailed Angela Kent. The two of them were supposed to meet up with Leia Morshidi and Hans Riley-Obermann after last class to “fly” the main lane to the spaceport.
*
Heinz Obermann scanned the readout again, brown eyes focused and intense, brows knitted. Something was wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint why power production levels were declining from reading the report. He shook his head, his long, wavy blonde hair bobbing slowly under the moons gentle pull and mumbled, “Surface check,” to himself. But first...a quick smile flitted across his face, he’d run this past Olivia.
She was due back today from a stint on the ISS and he couldn’t wait to see her again. A vision of her Catherine Zeta-Jones beauty flashed across his mind and his smile returned.
*
The ISS
Rana Hamide adjusted the visor on her space suit to reduce glare as she examined the port side ISS solar array. Her luminous dark brown eyes swept the panels and found numerous flaws. Small, delicate fingers, looking large and clumsy in her suit carefully measured a hole and she sighed.
“Problem, Rana?” Ludmilla Gargarin asked from the control module. Any space walk activity was closely monitored.
“Several, ‘Milla,” Rana replied. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to replace the port side array.
“Micrometeorites?”
“Yes, micrometeorite erosion. Plus these panels were hardest hit by ejecta after The Impact.” Fifteen years before the ISS had been moved to a much higher orbit to escape being destroyed when the asteroid named Havoc hit the Earth. The move had saved their lives, but some damage had been done and even after all those years there were still more earth bits sharing their orbit than was comfortable. Fortunately, they were moving at roughly the same speed
Similar Books
The Wolf in His Arms (The Runes Trilogy)
Adrian Lilly
A Bad Night's Sleep
Michael Wiley
The Detachment
Barry Eisler
At Fear's Altar
Richard Gavin
The Portuguese Affair
Ann Swinfen
Dangerous Games
Victor Milan, Clayton Emery
Four Dukes and a Devil
Jeaniene Frost, Cathy Maxwell, Tracy Anne Warren, Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox
Fenzy
Robert Liparulo
Sonnet to a Dead Contessa
Gilbert Morris