Chapter 1 Wednesday, October 10, 2085 - 08:00 Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) Mark Jonathan Collins woke to his alarm beeping on the nightstand beside his sleeping station. He rolled out of bed, stood, and stretched, shaking off sleep and reacquainting himself with the Moon’s low gravity. Overhead lights brightened gradually in response to his movements, mimicking the dawn in a place that had never experienced one. At forty-six, Mark Collins was the current commander of the Moon base operated by the Transnational Alliance for Science and Innovation (TASI), an alliance of the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and the United States. His short blond hair was streaked with gray at the temples, and his piercing gray-blue eyes were his most striking feature. Standing six feet tall, he had a lean, well-kept build—a testament to years of discipline as a former astronaut and geologist. Mark had returned to the base only the day before, after three weightless days aboard the Transport Shuttle from TASI’s Earth-Orbiting Command Station (EOCS). The trip always left him drained. Even after years of rotation between Earth and the Moon, the transition still took a toll. The meeting at EOCS had been necessary because of a disturbing trend emerging from one of the other two establishments on the Moon. Over several weeks, TASI observed workers from the joint Russia, China, and North Korea Moon base, known as the Tri-Nation Development Consortium (TNDC), crossing TASI’s established lunar perimeter without authorization. Each Moon base organization was well aware of the established perimeters that surrounded the other organizations’ Moon bases. Despite being competitors, the three bases all agreed to operate within an informal quasi-partnership, given that working on the Moon was not only dangerous but also isolating. Even so, there was still an obligation for the Moon bases to respect each other’s border perimeters, and crossing those perimeters required prior approval from each Moon base owner. Mark pushed his fatigue aside and moved toward the lavatory adjoining his quarters. He removed his clothes, reached for his UV goggles, and stepped into the dry-shower stall. He closed the door, and a warm blast of air attacked his body from every angle. At the same time, a strong vacuum pulled the air from the stall, filtering out dust, dirt, and loose skin particles that had been dislodged. The overhead UV light shone down, killing any bacteria present on his body. He stood there for the prescribed one minute, then the automatic timer turned off the UV light and shut off the airflow. He stepped from the stall, returned to the sleeping quarters, and selected a clean uniform from the dresser, which consisted of a one-piece baby-blue jumpsuit with M. J. Collins stitched over the left breast pocket. When dressed, he left his compartment for the mess hall. The base typically housed between 40 and 60 people, including scientists, engineers, miners, medical personnel, technicians, and operational support staff. Depending on each member’s role at the base, their deployment lengths varied. Miners, who handled the most physically demanding tasks, worked on a five-week rotation. Building, vehicle maintenance, and construction crews rotated every two months, while service personnel such as cooks, computer technicians, and professional staff followed a three- month schedule. The core administrative team at the base, including Mark Collins, was permanently assigned unless early departure was necessary due to circumstances. The three Moon bases were very similar in appearance, using the same construction process because of the high cost of shipping materials to the Moon. Each base was a marvel of engineering. Their exteriors were made through basalt sintering, a process that heats and compacts crushed basalt rock using intense solar heat, reaching temperatures from 1000 to 12000 degrees Celsius. This technique creates a dense, durable, and corrosion-resistant solid without fully melting the material. The end product was perfect for creating rugged outer domes for the bases to shield against radiation and micrometeorites. Beneath the exterior shell, a secondary structural layer composed of a sulfur–regolith composite provided both insulation and load-bearing strength. A 70:30 regolith-to-sulfur ratio was selected for optimal durability, then melted and blended with trace amounts of refined lunar metal powder and polymer fibers to enhance tensile strength and reduce brittleness. Using precision 3D-printing systems, the molten composite was extruded to form the exact geometry required for the habitat’s structural supports. Inside the habitats, the interior walls, crafted from polycarbonate synthesized from lunar materials, divided the structure into distinct modules while seamlessly supporting the equipment, utilities, and life-support systems essential to sustaining the crew. These inner walls also maintained the habitat’s air pressure, creating a secure, adaptable environment that felt unexpectedly pleasant and cozy despite the surrounding desolation. Because the material was easily 3D-printed, air ducts, cable channels, and plumbing conduits were built directly into the walls, along with molded hatches, sliding doors, and even furniture. Although everything was designed for a specific function, the habitat still felt open and livable, highlighting the ingenuity of its design. As Mark stepped into the mess hall, the buzz of conversation greeted him. With a crew transition taking place today, many of those scheduled to leave the Moon base for their trip back to Earth were already seated in the hall, chatting with excitement. He spotted Dr. Elena Rousseau, TASI’s current lead geologist at the Moon base, checking something on her tablet. Elena was from France, thirty-eight, lean and athletic, having spent several years in fieldwork and geological expeditions. For practical reasons, she cut her dark brown hair to rest just above her shoulders. Her eyes, which were a hazel color, were sharp and observant, and when the lighting was just right, a slight green fleck was visible within them. Her light olive skin had subtle freckles from her prolonged fieldwork in environments bathed in harsh sunlight. A small scar ran along her left eyebrow, a leftover from a field accident during an earlier expedition on Earth. Walking up to where she was seated, Mark called to her, “Bonjour, Elena, comment ça va ce matin?” She looked up and smiled. “Bonjour, Mark. I’m well. And you?” “Tired,” he admitted. “You’d think floating weightless for three days would be relaxing, but I always come back exhausted.” “Boredom, perhaps?” she teased. He chuckled. “You could be right.” She set down her tablet. “How did your meeting go?” “Everyone’s on edge,” he said, lowering his voice. “They’re not sure what TNDC is up to, but want us to keep a close watch on their activities around our perimeters.” “Do you think they’d actually try to steal from us or sabotage our equipment?” “I don’t know. But their countries have a history of taking what isn’t theirs.” Elena frowned. “Up here, we’re all supposed to cooperate, at least enough to keep everyone alive.” “Agreed, but it’s a different mindset for them.” “So, what’s the plan?” she asked, concern evident in her voice. “They want me to have a one-on-one with Alexi, to see if he might be forthcoming with any information.” She raised an eyebrow. “You think the TNDC’s base commander would be foolish enough to disclose their plans to you?” she asked incredulously. “Alexi and I have a good relationship, despite our commitments to our respective organizations. I’m not expecting full disclosure, but I am hoping to catch wind of something during our conversation that will hint at their current motives.” “Will you invite him here or go there?” “I’ll be asking for a meeting there. Being on his home turf, he might be less guarded and inadvertently reveal something,” he said. Elena smiled wryly. “Then I wish you bonne chance.” “Thanks, I’ll need it.” The establishment of the Moon bases began with India. Rather than aligning with other nations, India had decided to go it alone. It was the first to establish a Moon base at the South Pole of the lunar surface, with the intention of mining lunar minerals. Upon landing, India immediately declared a one-hundred- kilometer perimeter around its site at Lat −88.0960°, Lon 0.012°E, near the Shackleton and Haworth craters. The site selection was precise, targeting permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). Shackleton sat squarely on the South Pole, its rim kissed by sunlight almost year-round, its interior a vault of ice locked in perpetual shadow. Haworth, close by, added to the reserves with a second shadowed crater, a second cache of frozen lifeblood. Ice meant air, fuel, leverage. On the Moon, leverage meant power. The name of India’s base was Purnima (“Full Moon” in Sanskrit), which was more than a title; it was a declaration. To the world, the name was symbolic. To India, it marked permanence and an unspoken claim: of territory, influence, identity, and ownership. It underscored both cultural pride and India’s claim to being a pioneer in lunar exploration. India’s bold move forced a response, and within a year, the Tri-Nation Development Consortium (TNDC) and the Transnational Alliance for Science and Innovation (TASI) established rival bases, each rushing to secure its own sectors within weeks of one another. Neither TNDC nor TASI could afford to let India monopolize the South Pole. Forced to accept the one-hundred-kilometer perimeter standard India had unilaterally imposed, what began as exploration was now a contest for dominance. The South Pole was no longer a frontier. It was a battleground. Quiet, airless, and dangerous. TNDC chose the Sverdrup de Gerlache corridor, at Lat −88.0957°, Lon 120.005°E. Their base clung to the rims of two craters riddled with ice-filled shadows. The corridor was a vein of wealth—oxygen, water, and rocket fuel waiting to be unlocked. The nearby ridges offered something equally vital: solar vantage points, where energy flowed almost without interruption. For TNDC, this was not just a matter of survival. It was a fortress, a foothold carved into the most valuable terrain in space. TASI, meanwhile, claimed territory near the Nobile impact crater at Lat −88.0965°, Lon 239.995°E. Their strategy hinged on diversification, and their claim reached into one of the Moon’s darkest places. Nobile itself never saw the Sun, a cavern of shadow where ice had lain undisturbed for eons. But TASI’s planners saw more than just a crater; they saw a network. By spreading their reach across multiple PSR clusters, they ensured that even if one dried up, their mission would endure. Rising above it all was Mons Mouton, on Nobile’s western rim, bathed in sunlight for nearly ninety percent of the year. From its heights, TASI could power its base indefinitely, casting light over the shadows it mined below. What began as exploration had become something else entirely. Shackleton, Haworth, Sverdrup, de Gerlache, Nobile—these names no longer belonged to maps or scientific papers. They were strongholds, forward outposts in a struggle no treaty could contain, because lunar mining remained unresolved even after a 1979 attempt to establish an agreement. Formally known as the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, the Moon Agreement was an international treaty that considered the Moon and its resources as the “common heritage of mankind,” thereby prohibiting their use for military purposes, exploitation, and private ownership. Despite its intentions, the treaty failed to achieve widespread success because key spacefaring countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, did not ratify it. This failure subsequently diminished the practical implementation of its guidelines within the framework of international law. And with India’s initial South Pole landing, the game had begun. — End of Chapter One — Chapter Two deepens the conflict between the lunar powers—and the cost of crossing invisible borders. © Gordon Greene. All rights reserved. This excerpt is provided for promotional purposes only.