Absolute Zero — Chapter Four
An ambush on Luna
On Luna, activity increased almost daily as more and more mining sites and tourist destinations popped up. The bleak landscape was dotted with ashen structures built by construction printers fed with regolith. A land rush was underway for dark moon parcels. If you didn’t mind a view that never included Earth, you could get your very own basalt plot relatively cheap. While some buyers were the fortunate few building a vacation home, the majority were nation states looking to expand their territory on the secondary planet. And to keep their enemies close.
The primary mission of Abbi’s Space Force unit was to survey a base established by the Chinese Communist Party in Schrödinger Basin. A DMZ was set up between them and a U.S. territory, and patrols from respective sides ran the line once a Sol. The surveillance was meant as a show of force and to keep an eye on the other. If a patrol found that the capability of either Lunar military base exceeded agreed-to parameters, diplomatic alarm bells would sound.
In the two years since the bases were settled, there had never been a conflict save a few obscene gestures. Otherwise, every patrol was routine and without incident. Boring even, which is not a bad thing in a tinder box.
But a boring life, even on Luna, did not sit well with Abbi. She had gotten increasingly frustrated with the extra steps required to do anything in vacuum and weak gravity. Assigned as the resident medic, her job was to treat anyone whenever needed, and to always be prepared for something going sideways. In the past three months she had treated mild asphyxia from a bad air mixture, a sprained ankle from someone jumping off a boulder and landing wrong, and a few cases of anxiety of those struggling to live in a wholly incompatible environment.
Desperate for a change, she pleaded to join a patrol along the demilitarized zone. Just to observe. As these excursions were always incident free, the base commander decided there would be no harm in approving her request. She also hoped it would improve Abbi’s morale.
Corporal Alvarez drove the tri-axle M2106, with Sarge riding shotgun. The transport trudged along a worn path across the pockmarked terrain. In the back, Abbi and five soldiers sat on parallel benches, strapped down to prevent bouncing. Everyone was outfitted in military EVA suits of gray and white camo, helmet visors showing sitrep data, and their weapons were stowed against the wall.
“Feeling any better?” Abbi asked Corporal Nerugi over comms. He nodded his head, but his face was twisted into a grimace. With eye movements, she was able to navigate the VISOR interface to bring up everyone’s vitals. Nerugi’s chart indicated he wasn’t doing too well. The rest of the team sensed his weakness and they were merciless.
“What Nerugi needs is some eggs.”
“With mayo. Lots of mayo.”
“Christ…” Nerugi groaned, holding his stomach.
“Keep it in, keep it in!” Chauhan was trying to start a chant.
“Better stow that before your helmet becomes a fishbowl!”
“Enough!” Abbi finally shouted. “Jesus, what am I, your mom?” Then in a quieter voice: “Just focus on your breathing, Nerugi. In…out…”
She offered him a reassuring smile from the opposite seat, and he struggled to return it. His chart showed that he had been suffering from bouts of gravity sickness since arriving. If he couldn’t straighten himself out by the time they got back to base, she decided she would recommend that he be transferred back to Earth.
There was a rapid succession of muffled bangs.
Abbi saw a line of large holes suddenly appear across the opposite wall. And across those sitting against it. To her it was like magic, and it took a moment to register that they were taking enemy fire.
She looked left and right and saw the ones flanking her were also hit. Fatally. She craned her neck to see an opening right above where her head was. It was the one time she was glad for her diminutive height.
Everyone else’s arms began to float as their lifeless heads lolled. Abbi unbuckled and pulled herself to the floor, lying as flat as possible. She fought to maintain composure as she blinked through the vitals of her teammates again. All were flat-lined. Except Nerugi.
She lifted her head a few inches to observe the Corporal, who appeared unconscious. Probably from shock. The shot had grazed his upper arm, and his suit’s autopatch kicked in to seal the hole. She noticed the arm swelling as it filled with blood. He needed a tourniquet before he bled out.
The comms channel was silent, and the vehicle had stopped. Everything was still.
Abbi sent a distress call. Then she waited and watched for any movement outside. Nothing. If it was a sniper, she reasoned, they were probably waiting for any survivors to poke their heads up. Or they just assumed everyone was dead and moved on. Either way, she had to help her teammate.
Abbi slowly pushed herself up, found a seatbelt that had been cut loose, and crouched near Nerugi. She pushed the strap under his wounded arm and looped it above the sealed tear. Then yanked it tight. This caused the corporal to awaken with a start. With wide eyes he surveyed the carnage, seeing all of it for the first time.
“Jesus,” he said. “Oh man. Smith? Wha…wha happened? Chen? Sarge?”
Abbi held his helmet in both hands.
“Be cool, OK? Help is on the way. We just need to be still. And wait.”
Nerugi seemed to suddenly realize that he was wounded and studied the improvised tourniquet. When the pain registered, he winced and gritted his teeth, but didn’t make a sound.
Abbi glimpsed a shadow moving across the holes. She carefully grabbed a rifle from the wall and handed it to Nerugi, then took another one and clicked off the safety. They both pointed their weapons at the back door. Aiming. Waiting.
The door opened slowly. A sliver of light expanded to a rectangle of lunar landscape. Then a soldier jumped into the frame, weapon aimed into the cabin. Thankfully no one fired.
The soldier wore a USSF patch, backed up by a well-armed squadron.
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