Six
“What do you mean, hoping we’d get here?” JJ asked. “How would your Stationmaster know about us?”
Napali ignored the question. “I’m the security chief aboard this station, and I have my own questions. But that’ll have to wait. The Stationmaster will want to see you immediately.”
“Come with us,” Kloor said
Following the crewman’s lead, JJ pushed off the side of the module with her toes and used grab-handles to pull herself along. The feeling was like flying—it took almost no effort. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of this complete freedom of movement.
Dyl was enjoying himself almost as much as she was. He had a big goofy grin on his face as he moved along. He and King stayed close to Song-Ye, who looked ready to lose her breakfast. That was something JJ did not want to see in freefall! Tony, of course, still didn’t understand what was really going on. He sent her astonished glances, trying to keep up. Even in the few short minutes they’d been here, their adventure had gone far beyond anything he could excuse as a simulation.
Napali herded them along from behind. “Why would anyone show up on a space station without clearing it through security? Official protocol requires me to ‘disable’ anyone who boards the ISSC without permission and treat them as a threat to Earth—especially in the current climate.” She gave them a disapproving look.
“Believe me, we’re not a threat,” Tony said, not quite covering his grin. Lowering his voice, he asked JJ, “When does gravity kick in again? This is great!”
“Not for a long time, I think,” JJ said honestly. “You’d better get used to it.”
“But no simulation could last this long!” Tony argued. They passed through an airlock into a small chamber and exited through another airlock in a completely different direction.
“Here we are, the Central Command Module,” Kloor said. “We just call it Central.”
JJ pushed off and sailed through the doorway ahead of the others. She stared in delighted recognition at a woman who looked up from a console near the center of the module. Her eyes were golden brown, and her wavy chestnut hair was shorter than JJ remembered.
“Chief Ansari!” JJ tried to backpedal in the air, but momentum kept her moving forward.
As soon as Noor Ansari saw the Star Challengers enter the module, she released a strap that held her in place by the console and pushed herself over to greet them. She soared through the air like a circus acrobat, caught JJ, and steadied her. “Cadets, it’s so good to see all of you.” She nodded at Dyl, King, and Song-Ye, then hesitated a moment when she didn’t recognize Tony, although she accepted his presence.
“Good to see you, too,” Dyl said.
“You escaped from the moonbase then?” Song-Ye asked.
“What happened?” King asked.
Ansari responded with a puzzled look. Turning to Kloor, Napali, and two crewmembers who were watching curiously from their workstations, the stationmaster addressed them briskly. “Could I please have some time with the new arrivals? I need to debrief them.”
Clearly mystified, the others retreated from the module with suspicious looks toward the newcomers. Security Chief Napali was reluctant to leave, but Ansari shooed her away. “Go—I’ll provide information as soon as I have it.”
When they were alone, Dyl swam through the air to give Ansari a hug. “Chief! It’s such a relief to see you. We thought you were dead after the moonbase attack.”
Ansari gave him a rueful look. “Not quite dead yet, though it was a close call on the Moon. And actually, it’s Stationmaster Ansari now, not Chief.”
King smiled. “Congrats on the promotion.”
“It seems my experience on the Moon gave me unique qualifications to command the space station,” Ansari said, studying their faces.
JJ cautiously said, “It’s, uh, been awhile, hasn’t it?”
“A whole year,” Ansari said. “Yet you cadets don’t look like you’ve aged a day. You are still cadets, are you not?”
Song-Ye spoke up. “That’s what Commander Zota calls us. He has another name for our group too, but—” her voice drifted off, as she realized she might have said too much.
“Just call us cadets, that’s easiest,” JJ said, remembering Zota’s admonition not to reveal too much. “We never heard what happened to you … uh, after we got back to Earth.”
“You mean your Commander Zota didn’t know? The whole world was in an uproar to learn of the alien attack. Where have you been?”
Alarmed, JJ blurted, “That’s … classified. Unfortunately, when we’re training, we don’t get much news.” It seemed a convenient excuse, because the real explanation would have sounded impossible.
Ansari nodded slowly, as if she had just realized something interesting. “We wondered if you had survived, as well. Our whole moonbase crew made it out using the emergency suits from the bunkers. There were a few injuries on the way back to the ISSC in the retrofitted supply ship, but we have you cadets to thank for the fact that we made it alive. The Halley won’t be carrying passengers again, but it got us safely away from the Moon. Captain Bronsky and Dr. Romero will be happy to see you.”
Song-Ye gasped. “They’re here, too?”
Ansari smiled. “When I was appointed Stationmaster of the ISSC eight months ago, I asked them to join my crew.” She rummaged through a wall cabinet and handed them each a pair of socks. “Put these on instead of your shoes. They’re quite practical, and they are less likely to damage delicate instruments.” While they changed into the socks, Ansari stowed their shoes in the cabinet.
Tony put a hand on JJ’s arm to turn her toward him. “This is real!” he exclaimed in a loud whisper, as if he had just realized it. Unfortunately, he underestimated the amount of force it would take to turn her in zero-G, and JJ spun around and around, drifting toward a wall until she bumped it. JJ wasn’t hurt, just a bit surprised by the unexpected twirling.
Ansari continued to fill them in on the situation. “In the year since the aliens attacked Moonbase Magellan, we haven’t managed to get any new images of their base—it’s all still a mystery. We’ve recently launched our first stealth probe, which will arrive there in two days, and we hope to get some valuable images. The whole world is scrambling to revive its space programs after leaving them to gather dust for so many years.”
Just then a chirp sounded from a control panel, and a light flashed to indicate an incoming message. Ansari flashed Dyl a quick smile. “Cadet Wren, would you mind answering that for me? You were an excellent communications officer at the moonbase.
Dyl grinned. “Not a problem.” He pushed a foot against one wall and sent himself sailing toward the console. He activated the comm. “We read you, CMC, over.”
After a brief pause, a familiar voice with a British accent said, “This is Collaborative Mission Control to ISSC. Stationmaster, we’ve been trying to get some intel on that new cadet, but—hold on a moment—is that Cadet Wren? What the blazes are you doing there? Over!”
“Major Fox! You don’t know how good it is to hear your voice,” Dyl said. “Over.”
A video screen flickered on above the communications station, showing Fox, resplendent in a charcoal military uniform. “Am I to understand that your sister and the rest of the cadets are on the space station now? I must admit, I was dubious, but Stationmaster Ansari thought you might arrive soon. Over.”
“Yes, we’re all here,” Dyl answered. “Only there are five of us this time. Over.”
On the screen, Fox nodded without surprise. “Ah, yes. The newcomer. Can you reveal anything about your mission this time? These are very serious matters. Over.”
King glided over to hover next to Dyl. “I’m afraid we can’t tell you much more than last time, sir, but we’re willing to help in any way we can.”
Fox’s eyebrows lifted. “I see.” He looked disappointed, but squared his jaw. “I have no idea whether to regard this development as encouraging or ominous. In light of your arrival, I have a bit more research to do. Please inform Stationmaster Ansari that I expect a preliminary report from her within four hours. Over and out.”
Dyl’s mouth hung open. “So, Fox is running Collaborative Mission Control? Well, I didn’t see that one coming.”
Ansari looked amused. “I wanted to see your reaction—and Fox’s. That was the reason I asked you to answer the comm. After we escaped from the moonbase, no one could deny the destructive intentions of the aliens. Dozens of governments put together an international military force and space program. Because he was already in the military and worked with our civilian space agency, Major Fox was promoted to full-bird colonel and put in charge of the CMC.”
King gave a low whistle. “So it’s Colonel Fox now? Props to him.”
“The military wanted someone in command who had direct experience with the aliens. Colonel Fox and I have a history of working well together—I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in charge down there, and even though I’m a civilian, he wouldn’t want anyone else running Earth’s only space station.”
Song-Ye said, “At least he’ll believe us when we tell him we’re under attack by aliens.” JJ remembered the skepticism from CMC administrators when they had initially reported the alien base on the far side of the Moon. “I mean, if we’re under attack,” she hastily amended.
Ansari nodded. “I’d better gather some information that I can report back to him in four hours.” She propelled herself over to the main comm station beside Dyl and pressed a panel button. “This is Stationmaster Ansari calling an all-hands meeting. Everyone aboard the station, please report to the Mess Module in fifteen minutes. I repeat, this is an all-hands meeting. I expect everyone to attend.”
A voice responded over the station-wide communication system. “Uh, Stationmaster? This is Kimbrell. The Sat Team’s already here in the Mess. We were just starting a meal.”
“Then you have just enough time to eat and freshen up before the meeting. Attendance is mandatory.” She switched off and gave a sigh. “I hate to do this to them—that team has been working around the clock on the satellite we’re about to launch.” She shook her head as she saw their mystified expressions. “That’s right, you’ve all got some catching up to do.”
Tony ran a hand through his hair, looking completely at a loss. “Believe me, we know.”
***