Departure from Solitude

Fourteen months have passed since humanity cast me adrift. My waking hours are divided between tending to the equipment that keeps me alive, roaming the lunar landscape, and staring into space. Living on a massive rock that lacks atmosphere offers me a vista that no other living human has experienced. Of course, I’m not alive according to those in control of the government that abandoned me. All of us living on Moon Base Alpha were reported killed by an asteroid strike to avoid the cost of returning the two remaining explorer’s home. It was a lie they told to everyone who would listen, but it was only one of hundreds of lies the population was fed.

I monitored news feeds and private communications worldwide and discovered that the governments who people thought were in charge were merely fronts for multi-national corporations each vying for ultimate control of Earth. One company, owned by an extremely eccentric man decided to take the competition to the next level.

One clear Texas night, five rockets, like the one I piloted here, launched for the moon. The command rocket held a crew of four while the other four were controlled remotely. Their mission was simple, re-inhabit Moon Base Alpha and position the other four rockets carrying nuclear warheads into strike positions. They were never to be launched, just used as a deterrent. Of course, they were there if needed.

The element of surprise is one of the most coveted advantages in any battle and I have it. My uninvited visitors think they are taking over an uninhabited base. Why wouldn’t they? It’s what everyone on Earth was told by their governments. They are about to learn how much chaos a dead man can cause.

Five brilliant dots rose from the Earth’s surface into the blackness of space as I watched in anxious anticipation. They would travel 238,854 miles from the Earth to the moon in approximately three days. That means I have three days to put the finishing touches on my lunar welcome wagon. This will be fun!

The rockets flew in formation for most of the route before spreading out to land in different quadrants of the moon. The manned ship touched down exactly where I had set down two years prior. Unfortunately, my ship had gone home on auto pilot. The crew disembarked and bounced along the surface like grammar school kids on a trampoline as they headed to my home. I hid in one of the airlocks, eager to become mayhem incarnate.

The three men and three women were all smiles as they shed their pressure suits. I could tell by their expressions and lighthearted chatter that they were in a hurry to explore their new abode. Let the show begin, I chuckled to myself and pulled the alarm that indicated an air leak. Their panicked looks coupled with a scramble to re-suit was priceless. I waited until they had suited up then killed the alarm. They checked the gages, determined all was safe and dropped their suits once again. Just as they reached the door to the living quarters, I activated the alarm again. We did this dance three more times before I moved on to the next phase of the operation.

I let them settle in while I took a walk to visit their home. There hadn’t been many upgrades to the rocket since the one I had flown and it didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for, the remote control to launch the other rockets. I programed two of the ships to head for the edge of the solar system while the third remained put. The forth I sent back to the Lone Star State. It was payback time!

I hit LAUNCH!

The rocket’s red glare caused pandemonium in the station as my unwelcome guests rushed to suit up and head for their ship, but I had one more surprise for them. I had reprogrammed the dormant construction robots to be my police force. With the push of a button, they sprang to life and cornered my visitors. It was time to say hello!

It didn’t take long before their stunned disbelief transformed into anger and eventually acceptance. I explained why I’m here and who is responsible and how it would probably happen to them if they didn’t board the other rocket and head home. I’m not sure if they believed me or not, but it didn’t matter. My Robocops and I escorted them to their waiting ship, and they blasted off for Earth.

I was alone again. The moon was no longer a safe place for me, and neither was Earth. My Robocops helped me load as many supplies in the waiting rocket as it would hold. I may die floating in the vastness of space but think of all the places I will have seen.