Julie felt a pang of guilt at not mentioning or even thinking of their concerns, so focused was she on reestablishing communications with Houston. “I’m sorry, Yuri, be advised that your crewmembers are both deceased. We have, however, retrieved them, and they are with us.”
The pause was obvious as Yuri chose his words carefully. “Roger, Apollo, received and understood. Thanks for the assist. Be advised, however, that we just crossed the terminator and won’t be in communication’s range for another forty-two minutes.”
“Yuri,” Julie said, “use the broad range broadcast. We have communication satellites in orbit. They’ll relay the signal as long as you use the frequency I gave you and transmit in the clear.”
“Standby,” Yuri said. After a full minute, his voice resumed over the mike. “Russian Gordust to American Houston, do you read us?”
Julie almost shouted for joy at what she heard next. “Gordust, this is Houston, we read you loud and clear. State the nature of your transmission.” The voice was obviously Jack’s, and he was calm, neutral, and professional.
“Houston, this is Gordust. We have someone that wants to talk to you. Go ahead, Apollo.”
Julie keyed her mike, overriding the voice activation to make sure she transmitted. “Houston, this is Blackjack. Do you copy?”
The three second relay time, even at the speed of light, was obvious, but the reply wasn’t. “Blackjack, this is Houston. We read you loud and clear, and boy, are we glad to hear from you.” Jack delayed in releasing his mike, and Julie smiled as shouts of joy, applause, and glee were easily conveyed through the radio.
NASA Space Center
Houston, Texas
In the near future, Day 48
“Praise the maker,” Tom said, leaning back as the room calmed down. “How in the hell did they survive that?”
“Who cares?” Lisa said, smiling and clapping. “They’re alive!”
Rock breathed a long sigh and looked at the vice president, who just nodded, took his phone, and departed the room. “Let’s get a sit-rep from them now,” Rock ordered, and the room started to bustle with activity as systems data was received from the Gordust, piggybacking on the same frequency, although at a much lower streaming feed.
Julie explained their situation and informed them of the status of the Russian cosmonauts, painfully aware that the crew of the Gordust was listening to them. “Recommendations?” she asked.
Rock picked up his PTT mike and nodded to Jack, keying it at the same time. “Roger, Julie, copy your situation. Advise you return ASAP to the lander and prep for departure. We’re showing the alien signal down right now, but radiation levels are up. Best if we commence with the last phase of our mission.”
Julie understood the ramifications and had held back any information on the alien glass slide she had taken. She felt it again, and not for the last time, still in her suit’s pocket. “Roger, Houston, we will return now. The ejecta from the blast seems to have ceased.”
“Roger, Blackjack, contact us from the lander. Houston to Gordust, can we keep this channel open, and thanks for your assistance,” Rock finished.
“Houston, this is Gordust. We will keep the channel active, just push to talk as long as we’re in range.”
“Roger, Houston out.”
There was a sense of hope in the control center as Rock looked at Mr. Smith. “When can we tell her?”
Mr. Smith looked up from the tablet that Mrs. Brown had been using to take notes on the sudden and unexpected restoration of communications with their crew. “You can inform her about the Chinese astronaut when they reach the lander.”
“Do you intend for us to rescue him?” Rock asked.
“Yes, he has a certain value for intelligence purposes,” Mr. Smith said.
“Well, for once we’re in agreement, just not for the right reasons,” Rock said.
Chapter 33
Rescue
Apollo Lander
Surface of the Moon, Marianas Plain
In the near future, Day 48
“For the love of God, can’t we get a break?” Craig asked rhetorically as the rover pulled up to the lander.
Julie couldn’t see up front, but she heard Craig clearly. “What now?”
Craig flipped a switch to activate the lights on the lander, illuminating the entire area in a three-hundred-sixty-degree circle. “Looks bad. Let’s check it out.”
Julie started to put her helmet and gloves on. The front compartment of the rover was cracked, and Craig didn’t bother risking a blowout by pressurizing it, so he already had his suit on and simply stepped out.
“I’m right behind you,” Julie said, getting a comforting latching sound on her helmet and then twisting both glove locks on and securing her suit, which pressurized immediately. She opened the door after depressurizing her rear cabin and followed Craig.
The scene was depressing. Several basketball-sized rocks had landed in the area, strewn out across the visible distance, and an unlikely strike had one of the rocks either hitting or ricocheting off the side of the lander, breaching one of the two main propellant tanks on the starboard side of the craft. What looked like water ice was all over the surface around the ruptured tank. Julie knew it was propellant.
“That’s just great. Game over, man,” Craig despaired, walking around the ruptured tank and looking at the lander, scratched in many places along its side.
“Is the interior breached?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll need to get inside and pressurize it to see. I just don’t see how we can perform a two stage burn to get back to our orbiter.”
“Get inside, perform a systems check, and let me know. I’ll raise Houston on the main freq. We good with that?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, we are now patched into the transceiver onboard Blackjack. You can transmit when ready,” Craig said, moving toward the airlock underneath of the lander by the aluminum ladder.
“Apollo to Gordust, over,” Julie said.
“Go ahead Apollo,” Yuri’s voice replied.
“We have reached our lander and will be using our own radio now. Thanks for the assist.”
“Roger, Apollo, we are about to hit the dayside terminator and swing around. We’ll be out for an hour or so. Luck and speed.”
“Copy,” Julie replied, switching her wristband channel indicator to use the lander’s system via an intercom system. “Houston, this is Blackjack, over.”
“Go ahead, Blackjack. This is Houston reading you on primary one, over.”
“Houston, be advised that we have a catastrophic failure of fuel tank two due to ejecta damage, minimal damage to struts three and four, as well as a slight fracture of the outer hull on the starboard side. We are running a diagnostic now. Will report, over.”
“Roger, Blackjack, major failure on fuel tank two, minimal to struts three and four, minor fracture on outer shell, starboard side.”
“That’s affirmative, Houston.”
“We have information for you as well, Blackjack. Be advised that seventeen miles due west we’ve located a signal from the Chinese lander, one astronaut sending out a Mayday. Can you assist?”
Julie heard the call, but it took her a minute to process the news. “Affirm, Houston, do you have coordinates on him?”