HRVST, Ch. 27: Under A Red Eclipse
They could calculate movements of celestial bodies, they could not fathom their purpose
The Earth orbits the sun, moon orbits the Earth, in an ancient gravitational waltz.
Sometimes they blot out the sunlight for the other.
During their never ending dance, there are times when the moon is between the sun and the Earth. Moon-shadow blocks sunlight and a lunar eclipse leaves days darker.
In ancient Mesopotamia, they planted a pretender on the throne in advance of eclipses. While they could calculate the movements of celestial bodies, they could not fathom their purpose and were afraid of what the dark would bring to their kings.
After each shadow’s passing, the true king would be returned on the throne.
Sometimes, it’s the Earth blocking sunlight from reaching the moon, surrendering an evening sky to the stars for a night.
Earth’s daylight from dawn to dusk is refracted through its shell of air.
The only light comes from the Earth, filtered through the prism of its atmosphere. The blue part of the light is frittered away, the part of the light with longer wave lengths, the yellow and orange come through, but red light shines on the moon.
The red sunset is the sun’s light passing through a wider slice of the atmosphere, and if the air is thickened with cloud and dust, the light grows redder still.
That same light passing the gauntlet of Earth’s atmosphere is shining on the moon.
The moon’s blood eclipse is the color of the end of a day, the light of a sunset.
LUNA, S. AITKEN BASIN, SHACKLETON CRATER, HYPERION, LOADING BAY
LAST STOP, PLEASE BEGIN OFFLOAD AND REPORT TO DUTY STATIONS
The captain gave everyone a nod. One by one everyone left the train.
The three teams scattered to their assigned positions.
He tapped his thumb twice with his pinky to listen on his bud, while he adjusted the fit of the uniform, and pulled his hood on. The team chatter streamed in his ear.
“Set your watches for the landing field and control tower.”
“One, we’re headed to landing field.”
“Copy that. Two, headed for debrief at control tower. We’re wearing colors but we need badges.”
“This is Three. We found the duty roster, we’ll log that you lost badges running for cover at Grissom. You’re set, new ones. Headed for the reactors and batteries.”
“Got rumors flowing, Aleksander had friends before he was transferred to Armstrong.”
“Failover from offline reactors to solar is less than 15 minutes. Assuming Necker still has friends in Houston, if he’s desperate he might call for help.”
“We’ve got comms at the tower.”
“Even if they manage an S.O.S., it would take them three, four days, that’s when it was clockwork. Everything’s a mess down the well. Cap, I double-checked the calendar.”
“See what I mean?”
“That’s when the Harvest is landing.”
“Eclipse.”
“We’re at the landing field. A bit of luck, the crew chief is a friend of Aleksander.”
“We got the reactor control room, the on-calls tied up in a closet. Logging in for controlled shutdown. Setting cutoff switch for the battery rooms.”
“We’re in the control tower… I think we’re lucky too. He’s here. Standby.”
Luna, Aitken Basin, Shackleton Crater, Hyperion, Control Tower
On the screens, the edges of a bright pixelated blob was sharpening, its resolution increasing, its white, golden bronze metallic contours glittering in a black background, the flare of reflected sunlight rippled across its form. Murmurs of work talk grew louder. The ship, designated Hyperion Research Vessel, Systemwide Transformation, was on approach.
“What do you mean, …?”
“I mean Necker, that's him at the other end of the room, this is our chance to …”
“Hang on, skeleton crew, we didn’t bury all their security at Grissom …”
“The ones by the entrance…”
“Yeah, and, hold on, who’s he talking to…?”
“A young man and a woman… don’t remember them…”
“Ready to kill the power….”
“The ones by the door …”
“Two and Three, same goes for the landing field and the reactors…”
“Copy that.”
“Copy that.”
“On my mark, kill the power…”
The lights went out and the Captain went straight for the security by the doors.
Flashes of light from discharged weapons preceded the acrid smell of burnt flesh and blood and cries of pain were drowned out by alarms. In Luna’s gravity, havoc was messier and acrobatic. A stray round, one of several fired by the last of Hyperion’s panicked untested security flew through an unfortunate technician, smashing into the Captain’s chestplate, sending him into a cartwheel.
Struggling to suck in a breath
“Everyone??”
“Two here, we got the squad on the field. Everyone else is backing off, after I knocked someone on their ass.”
“Three, no problem on reactors. No luck on solar backup, it’s coming back up in fifteen, sorry Cap.”
The Captain kept his eyes on the room, as people ran or tried to help people hit by stray rounds. He strained to look for him. Where was Necker?
“He’s not here!” said the young woman who was standing next to Necker earlier. The young man was tending to the young man who was with him. She was bleeding but he was worse.
The Captain forced himself to walk over. His chest hurt. His chest-plate took the brunt of what felt like a sledgehammer. He grabbed the woman by one of her shoulders, she winced.
“Where?”
The wounded young man on the floor shook his head, and then locked eyes with him.
“He’s not here, Captain.”
“Who are you?”
“Do you still have it? The card?”
The Captain thought he meant the black card. Maybe Necker ran off to the ship. Then the Captain realized the young man meant the other card, the one he got on Earth, printed with an octagon on it. His eyes widened. He a feeling but he brushed it aside.
“Shisima” the Captain thought out loud, remembering his last talk with ‘Nairobi’, “My friend was the first piece, I was second, I told someone, the one I was looking for was the third.”
The young man nodded, “Captain Lawrence, Whoever said that was half-right but half wrong. You’re not looking for the third piece. I started this game.”
“You did all of this,? Who are you?”
“I was a ledger for the SC. I funded Hyperion. After what the ‘Harvest’ did, I had to…”
The young man cried out in pain. The captain dropped to his knees next to the young woman, who was trying to slow the bleeding in the young man’s wound. Up close with the both of them, the Captain felt a chill. He had a gut feeling about the two of them.
“Three, I need help, send a medic, we have wounded.”
“Copy that. You hit, Cap?”
“No, a young man took a round, might have hit an artery. You, you were the ledger?”
The young man looked away from the young woman, and nodded.
“Captain, he’ll take the ship.”
“You there, come over here. Here, press down here.” The Captain took one of her hands to show her where to apply pressure on the young man’s wound.
“We have to get him help.”
“A medic is coming.”
“No, I think he needs more than that.”
“Is this also why you’re bleeding like a human? The both of you??”
“He is human, and he… he’s more than that. He needs more than a medic. We have to bring him to where, we first woke up here.”
The Captain’s earpiece beeped.
“Cap, medic is on his way. It’s not easy, it’s a little crazy everywhere with the power off.”
“Copy that, we got wounded here. No resistance. Necker’s gone.”
“Where’s he headed?”
“He’s going for the ship but he’s going to make one stop before he leaves. I know him.”
“Cap, reactors and batteries locked down. We can head over to you.”
“No, the solar is about to kick on soon, meet me at the hanger.”
The Captain turned to the woman “where do we take him?”
“There’s a room, a chamber that I think will help.”
Medics showed up and began taking care of the wounded in the control room. They applied a pressure bandage to the young man, cleaned and dressed the woman’ injuries.
“Let’s go.”
The captain lifted up Alberto, blood covered his front.
“Bad idea, Cap, he could bleed out.”
“No time to explain, secure this floor, and then listen in in case I need you at the hanger.”
“Let’s go, miss, what’s your name?”
“Zephyr.”
“Edward, Edward Lawrence. Lead the way.”
They left the control room and headed for the airlock tram.
NOTES:
AI Lexica Art prompt
Nocturne, glowing, stars, a portrait of a beautiful female shadow djinn with jeweled collar, long hair, glowing eyes, highly detailed, mysterious, ethereal, dressed in velvet and gold jewelry, haute couture, illustration, dramatic lighting, painting, by Edmund Blair Leighton, Brom, Charlie Bowater, trending on artstation, faces by Tom Bagshaw, otto schmidt