Rocket to Luna

Like a parade of overstuffed elephants, the men solemnly drifted to the air lock, sealing the inner door behind them. They waited inside the lock until the green light flashed, signifying that the pressure inside the lock was now equal to that outside. Merola floated clumsily to a button set in the bulkhead, and stabbed at it with his forefinger.

Noiselessly, the outer door of the air lock snapped open.

One by one, they stepped off into space. The sky spread around them like a deep black cloak scattered with dazzling sequins.

“Well,” Merola’s voice came over the speaker in Ted’s helmet, “this is the first stop, men.”

Ted knew it was his last stop — for the time being, anyway. But the Moon trip no longer seemed important to him. Five men were going to the Moon, and he’d have loved to be one of them. He wasn’t, though, and he was content to spend his year on the Station as if he’d never heard of the Moon trip.

A flurry of red and yellow caught his eye, and he turned his head within the metal confines of the helmet.

In the distance, like an enormous automobile tire hub, the Space Station hung against the sky. Fastened to it with slender cables, glistening in the light of the stars, stood the Moon rocket.

He pin-pointed the source of the red and yellow flash then. Two space taxis had been launched from the Station, and they sped toward the waiting men now, their jets burning into the night behind them.

“Welcoming committee,” Forbes said, his voice strangely distorted over the radio.

Ted gulped hard and watched the approaching taxis.

Chapter 4 Sky Wheel

As soon as they had removed their space suits at the Station, Ted left the other men to report to the Commanding Officer.

General Pepper was an impressive-looking man with a high crown of hair graying slightly at the temples. His face was as compact as a rivet, giving the feeling that there had been no lack of economy or efficiency in the arrangement of his features. He looked at Ted’s papers briefly and then leaned back in his chair. His collar was open at the throat, the two stars of his rank gleaming on either wing.

“Well, Baker,” he said, “you’re going to be lonely for a week or so.”

“Sir?”

“Until your classmates get here. Ordinarily, four more seniors would have accompanied you on this last hop. We had to give priority to the crew of the Moon ship, though.”

“I see, sir.”

“At any rate, another rocket is due tomorrow, and there’ll be one every day for the remainder of the week.” He chuckled and added, “I wish we had as many Moon rockets.”

“There’s only one, isn’t there, sir?”

“That’s right, Baker.” He leaned forward. “Did you see her outside?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What did you think of her?”

“A beauty, sir.”

General Pepper nodded. “Nonetheless,” he said, getting back to the subject, “your entire class should be assembled by the end of the week. Until then...” He shrugged. “I suppose you might just as well get acquainted with the Station. Can’t see any harm in that, as long as you don’t get underfoot.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You’ll be sleeping in compartment 12 Charlie. You can take any sack you like, since you’re the first one here. A lieutenant will be assigned to the group later, though, and he may want to rearrange things.” General Pepper allowed his voice to trail off, a smile tilting the corners of his mouth. “You know how shavetails are.”

“Yes, sir. I mean...”

“All right, Baker, you’re on your own for now. If you run into any problems, just ask anyone for help. You’ll find our crew to be a most co-operative one. Dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ted repeated. He saluted the general, about-faced, and left the compartment.

He found his sleeping quarters without any trouble. He wondered if his baggage had arrived yet, figuring he could spend some of his idle time in unpacking. The last he’d seen of it had been when he’d turned it over to the weighing section back on Johnston Island. Leaving the compartment, he debated whether he should stop a crew member to find out what the procedure with baggage was. He decided against it, reasoning that he’d find Jack or one of the other fellows soon, and they’d explain the setup to him.

Finding Jack turned out to be a matter of chance. Ted had wandered through the metal corridors of the Station for more than a half-hour, reluctant to ask directions since everyone seemed so busy. He was rounding another bend when he spotted a familiar crest of red hair.

“Jack!” he shouted. “Hey, Jack!”

Jack turned suddenly, his eyes widening. “Oh,” he murmured. “It’s you.”

“Brother, am I glad to see you,” Ted said, realizing he’d said almost the same words when he’d met Jack at the spaceport. He was a little embarrassed by his own enthusiasm now since Jack didn’t seem at all happy about the chance meeting.

“What’s the trouble?” Jack asked.

“Nothing. Except I need a road map of this place. How do you find your way around?”