I don't own Space 1999.
Please let me know what you think.
The Drift.
Water.
In the past, Moonbase Alpha had never needed to worry about oxygen, water, food, medicine and medical supplies, spare parts, fuel, and fresh Eagles. Every single day they had been greeted in the morning by the beautiful glowing blue marble called Earth. They hadn't even needed to house a large and fully equipped laboratory since their research projects and programs were limited in scope since the moon was especially meant to be a launchpad for future missions out into the solar system while conducting basic experiments.
Why worry?
They had an enormous planet littered with scientific establishments, research centres dedicated to studying astrophysics based on observations from Alpha and nothing more.
When Breakaway happened and the moon was wrenched out of orbit and was flung out into the unknown and unexplored mass of space, the safety net was taken away from them all. And with Earth…gone, the Alphans had needed to learn how to conserve everything on the base from water, medicine, supplies, and spare parts. But the longer they travelled through the expanse of space, even with the Underspace at their disposal, the Alphans had other issues that kept cropping up.
They needed a planet and they needed one fast. The life-support systems were not designed to run continuously without proper maintenance, and the Eagle fleet was in identical trouble. But there were other things that were a major concern.
"You mean we can program the Underspace drive to travel through the network in search of materials? How come this is the first we've heard of it, Victor?" Koenig asked while the rest of the command team were in the office.
"I've only just found out myself, John," Victor replied. "I've had to go through everything we've picked up from the database and what we've gleaned already, but it seems straightforward enough."
"How does it work, Victor?" Helena asked.
"Well, I'm still having trouble properly translating the alien language, actually that's a lie. I've more or less given up; while they have an alphabet, a lot of the symbology makes it hard to translate since the symbols have a different meaning, but that doesn't really matter since what I have been able to work out is the drive computer can be inputted to lock onto chemical structures," Victor was beginning to grin enthusiastically at the discovery he'd just made.
Commissioner Simmonds, who'd up until that point, been silent spoke up, "Chemical structures, what do you mean?"
"I think he means…Victor, do you mean if we wanted to find, say hydrogen, we simply put in hydrogen atoms, and we'd find a source?" Helena asked.
"Yes; obviously, it's a little more complicated than the way you just described, but essentially yes, that's how the search function works," Victor nodded.
"That might be just what we need. Can we use it to find a new planet, one we can live on?" John leaned forward.
"I don't see any reason why not, John, but I think we should make small tests to see what we turn up, but if we input basic chemical formulae into the drive, I don't see why we can't discover a planet we can settle on," Victor replied.
"In that case, we might get lucky and find some water," Helena interrupted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, and she went on with her explanation. "Our hydroponic gardens and our water supplies are getting increasingly low; recycling is also having problems with going over the same water over and over again."
"Water isn't the only basic essential we're short of, sir," Sandra spoke for the first time during the meeting. She hadn't had much to report beforehand and the news had made her feel rather redundant, but here she can provide some facts. "Our oxygen supplies need replenishing as well; the CO2 scrubbers are wearing down, but if we could inject some fresh air using water then we can keep them going while we look for raw materials which are needed in them."
Koenig sighed. The life support systems were the most critical system next to the power system of the base, and keeping them going and staying on top of them so they didn't fall apart was always a major headache. "Okay, Victor, I want you to program the Underspace drive so we can locate a planet or a moon where we can find some water supplies. Alan, you'd better prepare the Eagles. There's a chance that whatever is nearby with water could be a planet which we can colonise. If we come across one, we can survey it and see if it is safe to colonise."
"Like Terra Nova, Koenig?" Simmonds' was unable to hide the scorn in his voice and if they were frank, they doubted that he had even worked out he was crossing the line. "Now listen here, Koenig, this news is excellent. We should take advantage of it. We must seize the possibilities of what this offers. We can go home."
John saw Helena look down. The taunt angered Koenig, as the dig went right to his own decisions but it hurt Helena more...
"Commissioner, we can input hundreds of search functions into the Underspace technology, but we don't know its range; for all we know it only has a maximum range of 11 light-years, and if it did then we could be travelling for the rest of our lives trying to return home," Victor tried to be the voice of logic, the voice of reason here.
"We could see if it can seek out human DNA, Commissioner, but as Victor says, we could be spending the rest of our lives looking for Earth. Simply put, Alpha doesn't have the resources to maintain a colony on the moon for long periods of time. The life support problems we've been talking about are just part of the larger issues. The best thing we can do now is to find a planet we can colonise, and then we'd be in a better position to find out if Earth survived," Helena added.
"What is this?" Simmonds demanded irritably, glaring around the table in disbelief. "We have a way to return home, but we're not using it. What're you people thinking?"
Koenig stiffened, both at Simmond's attitude and what he was insinuating. The man seemed determined to put them all in their place, but John himself could do much the same thing. "Simmonds, right now we have to think about the here and now. If we used the Underspace device to return home, we would need to keep this base going. When we were in orbit above Earth, we were dependent on home to re-supply ourselves with parts, supplies for fuel, food, medicines… we don't have that right now. We have restocked our supplies since we left, but right now its a top priority. Helena," Koenig turned to the Chief Medical Officer of Moonbase Alpha, dismissing Simmonds effortlessly, "how much longer can we go without restocking our oxygen and water supplies?"
Helena, openly surprised by being included in the discussion, answered the question quickly. "I keep a constant check over our water and atmospheric requirements and we have restocked them from time to time, but it's always in small quantities."
"Quantities of what?" Paul asked curiously.
"Sometimes it's lime to top up our CO2 recycling, but we get through it quite quickly despite how much we take; the last time we acquired some decent sources of lime, it was about 12 months ago," Helena replied.
"I remember that," Alan remembered. "We only had a few days, but we collected over 4 tons worth if I remember rightly."
"Actually, it was 7. The lime is still in storage, and we're trying to use it sparingly but we can't depend on the off chance of another source," Helena said.
"You're right," Koenig interrupted. "Our supply problem isn't helped by the fact most of the planets we encounter are hostile, or we're not there long enough for a proper mineralogical survey, and we don't always find the planets we need for minerals. However, we also have to think about the possibilities of a return to Earth as well in the long term. But I want to take our time with it."
"John-," Victor tried to say, but Koenig lifted his hand.
"I know, Victor. Such a return will be hard for us to pull off, especially since we're not entirely sure where in the universe we are, and we could be spending the rest of our lives looking for a home, but it is still an opportunity. But we need to keep up the Eagle fleet and perhaps, if we find the right opportunity, we can construct more ships to replace the fleet or at the very least find an alien technology that could allow us to make it easy to move through space without using up our supplies of fuels, and at the same time we might find a planet to colonise and give us a firm footing in order to find Earth instead of travelling at random."
Simmonds had been listening to the decision Koenig had come up with in delight, but now he was really angry. It sounded like Koenig was constantly changing his mind all the time. They should be using the underspace technology to return home to Earth, not using it to gather supplies or look for an alternative place to live.
He shot to his feet, his expression full of outrage. "That's not what I thought you had just decided, Koenig!"
"I am the Commander of Moonbase Alpha, Simmonds," Koenig snapped, purposefully leaving out the other man's rank. "I am making it clear we are looking for all possibilities. We can look for a new home while we are heading back to Earth. Commissioner, we have been travelling at random for months. We have been travelling without any kind of direction, and we don't know how long it would take to return to Earth, or even where Earth might be. I have to look to the practicalities of the situation and we also can't rely on fantasies to keep us going. Victor, when this meeting is over, I want you to work with Kano and Carter to go over a list of supplies we need."
X
Koenig sighed when the meeting ended and everyone trickled out of the office. The meeting had gone on for another hour after that, discussing the best ways of re-supplying the base.
The biggest issue the Alphans had at the moment was they didn't have any kind of clue about using this Gateway technology to find out what they needed. They had never used it like this before. This would be a brand new experience, but the Alphans didn't have any kind of protocol that would allow them to travel to a planet solely to collect a single or a handful of resources. At least not yet. But Victor remained behind with Helena and judging from the expression on her face she was just as surprised by what had happened during the meeting.
"John, that was incredibly reckless, making that kind of promise with Simmonds," Victor began.
"I agree. John, we're thousands of light-years away from Earth, and even if we could find our way back to Earth, we don't know what kind of state the place will be in. What were you thinking?" Helena demanded.
"I don't need either of you, Professor, Doctor, to remind me of our situation. I'm inundated with the fact every single day we're out here," Koenig said the titles of his two friends to make it clear to them that he understood only too well what he had done during the meeting. He sighed. "When we broke away from Earth, I knew there was no chance we could ever return home. I even accepted it. But now we have a chance, but I knew we don't have a chance."
"John, please don't talk in riddles," Helena said exasperated. "Explain what you're talking about."
Koenig wanted to yell at her to be careful, she might be the doctor but he was still the base commander. But he steadied himself and he explained slowly. "In the meeting, didn't anybody pay attention to the fact I was saying we'd be looking for Earth in the long-term?"
Victor and Helena stopped and stared at each other, running through the meeting in their minds; in truth, they hadn't really paid attention to that point, but now they were being reminded of it, they did remember that little detail.
"Yes, you did," Victor said slowly.
"Does that mean you have no intention of using the Gateway technology to look for Earth?" Helena asked.
"How can we? We have enough problems as it is, we're in a barracks with a faltering amount of resources. We don't have a fully equipped Eagle fleet and we're constantly on the move."
"Okay, so what's the plan, John?" Victor asked. "Are you hoping we can find a planet before our resources give out?"
"That's the basic idea, yeah. At the moment we have power, environment, a chance of survival, but we all know those things will not last for good. Alpha was not designed to be an independent base. Let's just hope we can find a world that is safe for us," Koenig answered.
"Admittedly, some of the planets we've thought of as good candidates for Operation Exodus haven't been too bad, despite the dangers we've encountered on them. But if we do find a world with some hazard, will we just abandon it because of that?" Victor asked pointedly.
Koenig found it difficult to answer the question.
X
"We'll prepare three Eagles with teams of six; pilot and co-pilot, and four others to go in different directions to check the ice for any kinds of toxin or frozen bacterias. One Eagle will travel to the northern hemisphere, another will go to the southern hemisphere, and the other will be sent in the middle. The Eagles will remain in complete contact with us, and with the teams. The two-man parties will move in different directions to maximise the chances of finding safe water," Koenig briefed Main mission when the ice planet materialised on the screen. "If more than one group discovers a source of water, one that tests as safe, then we will begin collecting the ice to Alpha. I will be part of one of the teams, testing the ice down there. Victor, I want you to take command of another team. Alan, I want you to prepare three Eagles for launch within an hour. As soon as they're on the launchpads, authorise the launch."
Alan nodded, "Yes, sir."
Koenig turned to Victor and Helena. "Helena, I want you to recommend a doctor or a nurse to be assigned as part of the teams; if we are looking for bacterias or viruses, we will need a specialist to know what to do. Meanwhile back in Main Mission, a senior doctor will remain on Alpha in command."
"Who is going to be in command of Alpha, Commander?" Paul asked.
"You are, Paul. Myself, Alan, and Victor will be down on that planet looking for water. I want you to be in command until one or all of us returns to Alpha. But Dr Russell will be in charge of the medical side as an advisor.," Koenig replied. "Does anyone have any problems?"
"I think I'd do a better job if I came with you, John," Helena said.
Koenig sighed. "No, Helena. I want you to remain here. As the Chief Medical Officer, you might be needed in case of an emergency, but when we get the ice back to Alpha, I want you to properly test it."
"You think the sample testers might not be enough?" Helena asked.
"It's a good precaution. If there's one thing we've learnt over our time travelling in space its anything is possible. I don't want any kind of mistakes. Some of this water we will be filtering through the life support systems as fresh air, some of it we'll be drinking," Koenig gave her a pointed look. "Wouldn't it be better to know for sure?"
Although she didn't like the way he was putting her to task, Helena had to admit he had a point.
Koenig nodded and looked to the others. "Get the ships ready," he said.
X
"Eagle one, ready for launch," Alan called.
In the back, Koenig sat with Dr Mathias, both of them were getting into their spacesuits before they donned their space armour. Mathias grimaced as he took the weight of the massive torso segment.
The space armour was essential to their survival, being thicker and more durable than the conventional suits but the planet possessed a slightly lower gravity than Earth and there were terrific winds blowing up everywhere. "It's been years since I wore one of these, it was during my basic astronaut training. I thought it would crush me," he commented.
"Mm, it's a miracle you managed to get just the basic training and not the full course," Koenig commented with a small smile, remembering those simpler times when his responsibilities were down to piloting ships and commanding some of the earlier space missions. No more, though. Ever since he had been given command of Alpha during the Meta Probe mess which had spiralled rapidly out of control. "I had to learn how to walk with these things on just to get it right."
"How long did it take?" Mathias asked, staggering lightly while he took the weight of the armour.
"Who says I passed? The armour was designed to be the ultimate protection for people working in space for long periods," Koenig replied.
When the Eagle landed and the outer airlock door was opened, the first thing the two men within their heated space armour suited felt was the force of the wind, and even with the weighted boots, it was hard to stay rooted in one place.
"C'mon, let's get out of here. We'll test for samples just on that rise, okay?" Koenig spoke over Mathias's intercom, knowing at the same time Alan and Main Mission would pick the call up too.
"Okay."
The walk was quite slow. The planet was bigger than the moon by about a third, but the gravity was still slightly lower than that of Earth, but between the weight of the suits themselves and the force of the winds blowing fiercely against them, the two men felt a little springy in their suits. But they had to control their footing, or else they'd be blown backwards.
When they reached the rise, they both knelt awkwardly while Koenig took out a large pickaxe from his utility belt while Mathias took out the sample tester. Koenig hit the ice and broke out a thick chip of it, and he put it in the tester's capsule. Mathias sealed it and turned on the laser beam to heat up the ice and begin the test.
"Negative. The ice is toxic," Kano reported.
"I take it you heard, John?" Helena said.
"I did. How are the others doing?"
"Victor's tested his first sample; it's also toxic. One thing, Victor asked if it is a good idea to take samples of the ice toxins back up here. We can store them and see if we can use them later as vaccines."
Koenig thought about it. He could understand Victor's idea, only too well. Space science had done a great deal back home on Earth, especially after comet samples had brought along bacterias which, when cultivated, brought forward palliatives. But could they do the same now? "Can we store them safely?"
"I don't see why not, so long as we take precautions."
"Okay, tell him he can keep the samples, but tell him not to take any unnecessary risks," Koenig said, knowing that the scientist wasn't stupid or careless enough to do that.
"Will do, John, but if I know Victor he wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything wrong. Keep in touch," Helena said.
"See ya, Helena," Koenig turned off the comms before he turned to Mathias, but the doctor was already putting the sample remains in a prepared container.
X
The three teams fell into a routine that lasted 3-4 hours. They would test the ice water in the testers, and they would be told if it was toxic or not. The toxic samples were kept in specially prepared containers carried by the teams. The teams had a hell of a hard time moving over the ice plains, keeping in complete and regular contact with the moon and with their Eagles.
"Main Mission to Commander Koenig?" Koenig and Mathias stopped when they received the transmission.
"Go ahead, Paul."
"Team three has just reported they've found a very large area. They've tested it three times in three different places. All clean," Paul reported.
"How large an area is it?" Koenig asked.
"It's about a mile wide," Paul replied.
"Good. Tell them to continue taking a number of samples and plant a locator beacon there and then get them to return to Alpha to test them thoroughly. But I want that Eagle to return to a different, random part of the planet, with a fresh team to carry out the tests. If it's all okay, we will collect the ice tomorrow."
"Understood, sir."
"How long do you think it will take for us to find large supplies of water on this planet, Commander? We need quite a large supply for Alpha's reserves of fresh water and air," Mathias pointed out.
"I don't know. But I want us to have a supply which will make us independent for a while now."
"I didn't know you'd planned on sending different teams down to the planet once one source was found, sir," Mathias commented.
"It was a decision I came up with Victor and Paul. My hope is with different sources of water found with the original teams, we can do the same with another group assigned to the same job," Koenig said.
Mathias nodded his head. It wasn't easy with the spacesuit on. "That sounds like a great idea, sir."
The two men walked off in silence before they came across a large plain at the foot of a frozen waterfall. The waterfall seemed to stretch out for miles into the distance. The sheer size of the place reminded Koenig of Niagara Falls which he had visited once or twice when he was younger.
"Let's get testing," Koenig said, and they fell back into their routine, except Koenig chipped away a large piece of ice from the ground at the base of the waterfall before he dropped it into the sample tube.
"It's clear, John!" Koenig almost cheered with relief when he heard Helena's voice, but he and Mathias were already checking the ice nearby. Once again it was clear.
"That makes three clear areas, John," Helena said after he and Mathias had checked more of the ice, further along, the line of the waterfall and samples of the lake or the river.
"Victor's found drinkable water, too?" Koenig grinned under his helmet.
"Yes. He tested a sample only a few minutes before you came through. I was going to tell you once you were finished," Helena explained.
"Well, we're not entirely finished. I want to test the top of the waterfalls, but they're too high up and I don't fancy a climb up there at all, and besides that, both I and Doctor Mathias are tired. Give me a moment, Helena. Eagle One, do you copy?"
"Eagle One; it's good to hear your voice, Commander," Alan commented as if he hadn't been receiving messages all day from the team.
Koenig chuckled. "Alan, can you get our locator beams?"
"Yeah, I've got them, Commander," the pilot replied a moment later.
"Good. I want you to head towards us now. We need you to give us a lift."
"Understood, sir. It won't take me long. I've been following you to stop myself getting bored besides Lawrence being here with me," Alan said.
Alan was right. He wasn't far away, and when the Eagle finally arrived the two men got on board and directed Alan to the top of the waterfall.
"When you said you needed a lift, this wasn't what I'd had in mind," Alan joked, but he easily guided the Eagle onto the top of the waterfall, making Koenig and his co-pilot chuckle. When they landed on the top of the waterfall, Koenig and Mathias went back out and they tested the samples again. They found more clean water. When they were finished, they planted a locator.
X
John Koenig watched as large chunks of water were torn away from the waterfall and placed within plastic crates. He had wanted to get down to the ice planet the day before, but Helena had needed more time to analyse the results of the tests, and so no Eagle was launched to the ice planet, to test for ice or to collect ice for conversion into water. As an Eagle lifted off, carrying over 4 tonnes worth of ice which was truly clean of any kind of viral infection, Koenig wondered to himself how long they would live like this before they found a planet they could call home.
Right now the ships were taking more and more ice back to Alpha. Within a few hours, the ice would be melted and it would be tested to ensure it was safe. Despite the earlier tests, this was still alien ice, and they didn't know everything about it. Helena never took shortcuts when it came to their safety. As far as the Alphan community was aware, they might be the only humans from Earth in existence, they didn't want to die out because of a virus.