Last Ship to the Moon (2051 AD)

Last Ship to the Moon

(In the Year 2051 AD)





The Earth, looking at the Moon


Erskine Walsh at once recognized Nathan Adams, the superintendent and viceroy—or representative of the International United Space Committee—on earth for the space program on the Moon, the biggest of interspaced programs—between Earth and the Moon thus far, ever undertaken, was in Nathan’s hands. It was more than probable that the Viceroy had sent out the documents to the Space Committee, and the message just came back, and it all but seemed certain that the end of this fifty-year project was coming to its end. In one important respect, it would give the tax payers of over thirty countries for which this project was in their hands, relief. The last letter Nathan had sent was a tone of intimation of failing to provide a sense of security, unity among the Minor’s city of thirty-thousand, that Erskine Walsh had taken over—once assistant to the superintendent—it was almost to an appeal for help. Viceroy Adams summed up these facts, by saying,
“My dear friends, of the International United Space Committee, and to its overseer, and First Consul Man Kofi Solomon, we must be quick to abandon this unfortunate project and start anew, without delay, lest Erskine Walsh, dominate the city whole city without protest. For my part he has become the ruler, if not the likes of a mafia godfather, deranged with grandeurs of power, and has a sadistic following. I’m quite ready to assist you in the evaluation, should you hesitate, my recommendation is to send one last ship for those who can make it out—it’s not so unlikely that he would not allow one space craft to leave for a spacecraft of supplies.”

First Consul Man Kofi Solomon, expressed much surprise, even though he had called for an evaluation of the work and potential of this now radical first city on the moon as an asset for funding of the mining of the first colony city, an overview of it potential and its radical side. When they had explored the site and project fifty-years prior, in the spring of 2010, this possibility of revolution, and rebellion was so much a faint fragment in the analysis, so very small was it, far smaller than imagined, it had escaped notice as a real disastrous potential. A billion dollars a week to keep this project afloat, was not yielding all that much in return. And to support regime 240,000-miles away for the glory of one man called Erskine Walsh was thoughtfully incomprehensible. They could do as Nathan Adams suggested, by sending one last ship and wait for the regime to die. Consul Man Kofi, had told the committee, “There’s no difficulty in that, I should imagine,” appealing to the committee for confirmation, at Adams’ request.
Said the committee, in letter form to the First Consul Man, “This idea of yours and Viceroy Adams, is generous” they admitted, “and we don’t want to throw any opportunities away, or put any obstacles in your way; but we beg you pardon us, if we make a few vital and imperative considerations. The temperature of the tax paying people in thirty-seven countries is already well over the hot point, and would be keen on making this project totally, unbearable, should I tell them to send another ship full of supplies at a cost of billions of dollars to save four-hundred and fifty people out of 30,000-inhabitants, whom would be exposed to a take over of the ship; and, what’s more, this expedition will be of little use to them, and those you wish to help. They will have to survive on their own provisions , we are unwilling to recognize any such adventure, and would prefer to answer this quietly, so tell Nathan Adams to find shelter for him and his comrades, so he does not perish with the cold, and airless planet, perhaps he can make a rock igloo. Let us know if things change.”

Believe me; Nathan Adams persisted, with enthusiasm in taking this as far as he could—even to the Human Rights Groups of the world, but the feat to his purpose, of sending this last ship to the moon became impossible, now conceding the possibility of this –in the months to follow, the folks of the city—, half-starved and half-frozen, could no longer provide for themselves, many had already perished from want and exposure? Nathan’s last message to the Committee and Human Rights Groups were, “We remain here only waiting to die!”
The Committee was now looked upon as obviously being dispassionate to the reasoning of the Viceroy of the Moon colony, and the Human Rights Groups, and public opinion—and the lack of their reasoning failed to impress the minds of the world at large, to starve the city to death—the impracticability of the journey became less obvious, more protected, and the committee assuredly succumb to the will of the mass, the media, the Viceroy and the Human Rights Groups; and publicly made a charitable call to the people, having a desire of rescuing a suffering corrupted city—even though to them—it could hardly be brought within the limits of common sense.
Even the First Consul Man Kofi Solomon, felt it against his better judgment, he was more bent now, than ever, on stopping the expedition, but how? In any case, he was ready to accompany his Committee, without hesitation, feeling should the ship arrive with all those supplies, it would only prolong the inevitable outcome, and those on the Moon were replaceable, and they were repudiate in accepting another outcome, making it a sacred duty—out of pride perhaps and power—to form a better plan to be devised to stop the spacecraft’s arrival—it would simply be, one ship, and then another ship, and the regime would constantly blackmail the people of Earth—until they got lost in thought, and just wrote out a blank check for the near dead city on the Moon. Knowing they’d never be able to endure the cold much longer, and the never mind the oxygen supply, in time the generators for those few that might survive, would get rusty and stop working anyhow.

“What do you mean?” asked the committee of Kofi Solomon, when he brought his plan to their attention. And the committee agreed with Kofi, and the engineers and several other specialists fitted the spacecraft to work as they manned it from earth. The all new designed gave the committee you could say or would or could, the Last Laugh!
The roof was modified on the spacecraft, and the craft itself, was stored with food, and cooking utensils, and clothing, and other supplies. And members of the Human Rights Groups earnestly expressed a desire to be allowed to accompany the craft, and its captain, to the dying city. It was unadvisable for them to go, said Kofi, saying “We are on a rescue mission, not for a publicity stunt,” knowing they liked their due, plus, he reiterated, “The space available would not allow it.” But they urged the committee to allow one of them to go or they’d take their case to the people, and they’d experience another defeat; and, as it was, to be expected, they got their way. The Vice-Chairman of the International United Human Rights Foundation, Miguel Arrieta, himself very anxious to share in the humanitarian project, agreed significantly that after the rescue, the moon colony would need his services and thus, he should remain there, and the space committee members be replaced, therefore calling for their resignations.
Consequently, overcoming his reluctance to stop the Vice-Chairman to be left out of this perilous journey, he was prevailed upon to let him go, for the general good of the committee.

At sunset the next evening, 4 April, 2051, the Vice-Chairman and the Captain and his crew took their places in the ship. It was with no emotion, just bitter resentment, that the Space Committee saw them blast off into interstellar space, and all they saw was the vast white cloud of fire under the spacecraft as it lifted off. And as the Committee looked at one another, handshaking, saying farewell, their great eyes flooded with joy, holding up their faces for a parting kiss, one that would allow them to settle the matter in their own way—and the ship carried itself beyond the horizon.
It hit interstellar space with incredible speed, the motion within the craft, exceptionally calm, swaying being less than that of an ordinary car on a smooth highway. And as the force of gravity was left behind, diminished within minutes if not seconds, it brought on a new swiftness, as it headed straight for the moon.
Nothing could be more depressing than the phase of the journey, where the Space Committee would trigger its outcome, from earth. As Miguel looked out of the porthole of the spacecraft, he could see the rays of the setting sun, and night was giving light to day, the constellations an hour before had been amazingly luminous.
However great was the distance—separating earth from the moon, it was nothing compared to the nearest star or the sun, or the other glowing planets in the far-off distances.

The last of the distance was upon them, upon the space craft, they were now in the moon’s orbit, had traveled along its orbit for an hour or so, it’s landing distance was decreasing, it now, therefore, was in the middle of the landing zone, and had captured for itself, the populace of the city, nearly everyone was there at the landing site, cameras onboard the spacecraft picked up, 27,289-inhabitants, accordingly, less than 750-people remained outside of this gathering, perhaps those who had already perished.
Now as the craft started to land, it was within the power of that small—estimated group, perhaps twenty-people, to trigger the mechanism, at an exact position to explode the craft, and incinerate all those within its proximity. Indeed, it was not to be expected that such a large group as this would have attended this event. With sufficient approximation to destroy all those watching, Kofi Solomon—on consulting his peers—for their instructions slackened his writ, taken in slightly the switch, and, in spite of the uproar of the people on the moon, and the thrust of the ship, and the glorious look on Miguel’s face, he pulled it upward. It was almost total light; opening up the roof of the spacecraft with an explosion, dark became light. At the first sight of this wretched happening, the world went silent, but the Space Committee knew, in a little time, after the ashes of the city had settled, after this fire had long since extinguished itself, and when everyone looked back at this desolate scene, and the investigations hushed up, and the politicians read their scripts as they were told to—when everything was dead, dead and cold and people got hungry again for adventure, and the feeble voices once again became strong, and when this all looked strangely familiar, there would be an unconscious voice awaiting the re-appearance of the second city, or the reconstruction of the first city, of the moon, it was just a matter of time, nothing more.

No: 612 (In part from a dream) 4-3-2010