Moonbase Crisis Read online

  June Scobee Rodgers Presents

  STAR CHALLENGERS #1

  MOONBASE CRISIS

  Rebecca Moesta &

  Kevin J. Anderson

  MOONBASE CRISIS

  Rebecca Moesta & Kevin J. Anderson

  After an exhilarating space simulation field trip at the local Challenger Center, four talented students are hand picked by the mysterious Commander Zota for a special adventure—to travel to the future and a real moonbase in trouble, where these new “Star Challengers” will learn skills to save the human race!

  ***

  Praise for Star Challengers

  “The Star Challengers with their Commander Zota ‘boldly go into the future’ to bring great science fiction adventures to their readers…what a wonderful way to expand young imaginations.”

  —Leonard Nimoy

  “Space exploration is a great adventure that benefits all mankind. The Star Challengers books inspire young readers with that sense of adventure, introducing them to a universe of exciting possibilities.”

  —Buzz Aldrin

  “The Star Challengers adventure stories could help to inspire a whole new generation of young women to value science and seek careers in high-tech, engineering and space exploration. These teenage Star Challengers team up in their quest to find innovative solutions to help them solve problems using real out-of-this-World science.”

  —Dr. Sally Ride,

  Astronaut

  “In no other regime do reality and fiction seem to meet as commonly as in space. No wonder young (and old) people are inspired and excited when reading the Star Challengers series. It would be a great item to take along on one’s next interplanetary voyage.”

  —Norm Augustine,

  Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation

  “There’s a reason why the best science fiction takes place in space. It’s the only true frontier left. Kids know this. So too does the Star Challengers series. Therein is the magical recipe to ensure a future in space for the rest of us.”

  —Neil deGrasse Tyson,

  Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History

  “Challenger Center continues to be a champion for the future. Young readers will readily identify with the Star Challengers characters. The future needs them, and they will respond—in wonderful ways.”

  —Barbara Morgan,

  ASA’s First Educator Astronaut

  “I've traveled to space in the movies, but the Star Challengers books let everyone see the wonders of space in their imagination. They are packed with so much excitement, mystery and drama that I could see myself as a part of the Challenger Center mission team.”

  —Aramis Knight, actor, “Bean” in Ender’s Game

  “Ad astra! To the stars! By the way of good stories! Thank you for Star Challengers, Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson.”

  —Clay Morgan,

  Author of The Boy Who Spoke Dog

  “June Scobee Rodgers is a woman on a mission and that mission continues to expand. By nature June is an encourager and an inspiration. She has worked to bring renewed interest in science education and space travel through the Star Challengers series which will help feed young, curious minds with the possibilities that await them in the future. I can’t recommend these books more. Move over Avatar… here comes Commander Zota.”

  —Debbie Macomber,

  #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

  “Space may be the final frontier according to Star Trek, but if our message to the next generation is to reach for the stars, then the Star Challengers series is a great place to start. Our future survival will depend upon how our young students meet the challenge of combining science, engineering, mathematics & imagination.”

  —Lee Greenwood,

  Entertainer, Writer, Musician, Singer &

  Council Member for the National Endowment for the Arts

  “What if Earth’s future rested on the shoulders of five ordinary teens living in present times? And what if a visitor from the future accompanies them through time and space for the adventure of their lives? I was charmed by the premise of Star Challengers, a new and innovative series geared to teen readers especially drawn to science and space technology. Never a dull moment in these fast paced books with a winsome cast of inventive kids whose ideas and solutions help make a difference for our planet. Every reader can relate to their cause and challenges. All readers will be caught up in their all too human relationships with one another and humankind from tomorrow. I found the stories infused with nail biting adventure, romance and plausible science. Skip the vampires! Don’t miss this thought-provoking series presented by June Scobee Rodgers and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and written by award-winning, international bestselling authors Rebecca Moesta & Kevin J. Anderson.”

  —Lurlene McDaniel,

  Bestselling Young-Adult Author

  ***

  Smashwords Edition - November 2014

  WordFire Press

  www.wordfire.com

  ISBN: 978-1-61475-095-6

  Copyright © 2010 WordFire Inc and June Scobee Rodgers

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Art by John E. Kaufmann

  Logo Design by Matt Heerdt

  The Star Challengers series created by June Scobee Rodgers, Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson. All Rights Reserved. Challenger Center and the Challenger Center logo are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Challenger Center in the United States and/or other countries. Published under license.

  Book design by RuneWright LLC

  www.RuneWright.com

  Published by

  WordFire Press, an imprint of

  WordFire, Inc.

  PO Box 1840

  Monument CO 80132

  www.challenger.org

  (Challenger Centers For Space Science Education)

  www.wordfire.com

  (Explore the Universes of Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta)

  www.StarChallengers.com

  Electronic Version by Baen Books

  www.baen.com

  ***

  Dedication

  This book is for the crew of the

  Space Shuttle Challenger flight STS-5I-L:

  Commander Dick Scobee

  Pilot Michael J. Smith

  Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka

  Mission Specialist Judith Resnik

  Mission Specialist Ronald McNair

  Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis

  Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe

  We lost you on January 28, 1986,

  but we will remember you always.

  ***

  Acknowledgments

  Many people offered their support and enthusiasm for the Star Challengers project. In particular, we would like to thank Pam Peterson, Dan Barstow, and Bill Readdy of the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education; Loren Coleman at Catalyst Game Labs; John Silbersack at Trident Media Group; Diane Jones and Louis Moesta at WordFire, Inc.; John Olson and Doug Craig from NASA; astronaut Scott
Parazynski (what better expert than someone who’s actually been there!); Mary Thomson for transcribing the chapters; Rose & Bill Narva; Don Rodgers for cheering us on; June’s grandchildren who encouraged and offered their suggestions; space artist Bob McCall (deceased) and astronaut entrepreneur Richard Garriott, who helped create the Challenger Center design; Tracy Knauss for allowing us to reproduce his “moonwalker” autograph collection; Allen Steele a for getting us together in the first place; Barbara Eustis and our CLC flight directors and teachers everywhere who believe in reaching for the stars.

  And special thanks to Susan Weikel Morrison.

  ***

  One

  The Moon is beautiful, thought JJ Wren, staring with fascination at the stark landscape on the viewscreen. And someday I’m going to go there, instead of being stuck behind some desk in Mission Control, watching.

  Beside JJ, her station partner Madison Leslie sounded frustrated. “C’mon, JJ, it’s not rocket science. Just tell me what you need next.”

  From the desk behind theirs in Mission Control came the voice of JJ’s best friend, Tony Vasquez. “Actually it is rocket science,” he teased. “At least it was until you two got involved.”

  JJ—short for Jenny June—tore her gaze away from the front monitor long enough to flash her friends a cocky smile. “Science, rockets … whatever it takes, I’m going there someday. Ah, Moon, sweet Moon. I’ll leave my footprints there, just you watch. Even started taking lessons already.”

  ‘Moon walking lessons?” Madison asked.

  “I think she means the flying lessons she’s getting from her mom’s third cousin or whatever,” Tony answered.

  “Uncle,” JJ corrected. “My dad’s brother.”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Oh, that. I don’t really think learning to pilot an antique crop-duster counts toward astronaut training.”

  “You bet it does. Everybody has to start somewhere.” JJ shrugged and frowned down at the control screen, where an unexpected message had just popped up. “Wait a minute … something—”

  Red lights flashed and alarms whooped throughout the Mission Control room. On screen, the startled scientists at the moonbase looked around for the source of the problem. JJ flicked on the communications microphone.

  “Moonbase, this is Earth Mission Control. Our sensor technicians are getting some unusual readings in your vicinity. Take a look around and tell me what you see, over.”

  A voice came through the speaker. “Uh, Mission Control, this is Moonbase—what kind of readings? What should we be watching for? Over.” It was strange to hear her brother Dylan’s voice distorted by the speakers on the wall. JJ glanced at the communications screen again and consulted her mission handbook to figure out what to do next. The other team members at their own stations in Mission Control scrambled to give her an update.

  Beside her, Madison flipped to the correct page in the three-ring binder and skimmed down their list of emergency protocols. Her brows drew together. “That can’t be right. According to this, what we’re seeing is a—”

  “Meteor shower!” Tony’s voice broke in from behind them at the sensor station.

  “Right, meteor shower!”

  JJ toggled the communications switch again. “Moonbase, this is Mission Control. Prepare for meteor shower. Over.”

  “Meteor shower?” Dylan sounded more excited than frightened. “When? And how big is it?”

  Flight Director Buchheim moved in front of the lines of computer stations, looking intent. “Communications officer, it’s your responsibility to make sure the moonbase team takes appropriate action.”

  JJ felt a prickle of sweat on her forehead. The pressure was on. Leaning over to look at Madison’s emergency procedures, JJ scanned the instructions and spoke into the microphone again. “We’ll have time to answer any questions during debrief. Right now, protocol says to leave your stations. Take shelter in the bunker. Over.”

  Dylan’s response over the wall speakers sounded impatient. “You realize how many experiments we’ve got running here, don’t you? Medical sciences, biosciences. The probe team is—”

  JJ was so involved in the crisis that she let frustration filter into her voice. “Dyl, I’m telling you what the manual says. Just follow instructions. Get to the bunker—now! Over.” Her voice sounded harsh, and she gave herself a mental kick. A communications officer in Mission Control was supposed to stay calm and professional.

  “Roger that. Over and out.” When Dylan’s freckled face appeared on the screen, JJ gave him a thumbs-up. Despite the current emergency, he looked so happy, so different from when they had first arrived for training ….

  No one had expected an opportunity like this, especially so early in the school year. However, when their Earth Sciences teacher at Ellison High asked who wanted to go on a field trip, the entire class had been enthusiastic.

  “It’s an interactive high-tech center, designed to get students interested in engineering and science—especially space science,” said the teacher, Mrs. Koslowski.

  Is that hard? JJ wondered. Her interest was already piqued, since she had long been a space buff. “What do they do there?”

  “The Challenger Center uses state-of-the-art technology and simulators to show us what it’s like to explore space. There are centers all across the US, Canada, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and we’re lucky enough to have one nearby.” Mrs. Koslowski smiled. “You’ll actually feel like you’re on a real moonbase.”

  “Sounds good to me!” JJ said.

  “It’s sure better than a day of quizzes and reviews,” Tony added, and everyone chuckled.

  As they had prepared for the field trip, JJ thought that maybe ninth grade would turn out to be fine after all, in spite of the fact that her little brother Dylan was in four of her classes this year. Sure, there were some advantages—they could study together—but it had been an irritation to JJ since the moment she heard about it. Who wanted their brother in class?

  It wasn’t Dyl’s fault, she supposed. He hadn’t asked to be run over by a nineteen-year-old driver more interested in her cell phone than in steering her car.

  JJ remembered it all as if it had happened last week, not two years ago—the Sunday afternoon phone call, her mom turning ghostly pale, JJ biting her lip and trying not to cry as her mom drove at breakneck speed to the emergency room, the two of them finding Dyl covered with blood on a narrow bed in a curtained-off area where ER staff bustled around him. She could still see it so clearly: their mom’s hands shaking as she signed some hospital forms, a doctor murmuring “He needs surgery immediately,” her eleven-year-old brother looking all crumpled and small as they wheeled him away on a gurney to the operating room ….

  The accident had messed up not just her brother’s body, but his placement in school. He spent four months in a wheelchair after his release from the hospital, then graduated to leg braces and forearm crutches. During Dyl’s long recuperation, he was homeschooled by the Sutros, a retired couple who lived down the hall from the Wrens’ apartment. Fortunately for Dylan (and unfortunately for JJ), the Sutros were such excellent teachers that when he returned to school the next fall, he was able to skip a grade, even though he was a year younger than his sister.

  Dylan no longer needed leg braces. He still limped and used crutches, but he was quick on the uptake and hadn’t lost his sense of humor. What he had lost, however, was his nerve. He didn’t ride his bicycle any more, much less do jumps on it. Dyl stopped trying new things, didn’t like to fly, and flinched whenever their mother drove faster than forty miles an hour. In other words, he was the exact opposite of JJ, who had been a daredevil since she learned to walk; she could never go fast enough, even when she was flying with her uncle in his airplane.

  The day of the field trip to the Challenger Center for their space simulation, Dyl had looked typically nervous in the bus. “Just don’t volunteer me for anything,” he said. “I’d rather not be a redshirt.”

  “You’re wearing gre
en,” JJ pointed out, purposely misunderstanding him. “Goes really well with your copper hair and freckles.”

  Dyl shot his sister a dirty look. “I mean, I don’t want to be one of those characters on a TV show who ends up getting killed before the opening credits. On the original Star Trek series the disposable characters always wore red uniforms, so people started calling them redshirts. How can you not know that?”

  JJ grinned. “Your life is not a book or video game or TV show, Dyl. This is just a field trip, a perfectly normal activity. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

  Dyl looked away and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. “Tell that to the girl who hit me with her car.”

  Ouch. JJ winced sympathetically. She knew she shouldn’t push her brother’s buttons, but sometimes he was such a worrier that she wanted him to let go and have fun.

  “I’m going to volunteer to be a mission commander or something,” Tony said from the seat behind them. “An important job.”

  “Or maybe captain of the Mars gymnastics team,” Madison teased. “At least you’re qualified for that.” Tony ignored her. Fortunately, the bus pulled up to their destination, so the banter was cut short.

  When JJ saw the building sitting on the fringe between a business district and suburban homes, she didn’t know what to think of it. The squarish tan-brick building looked deceptively like a post office or school. But in front, towered a model of a rocket—life sized?—as well as a solar-power panel, and a large satellite dish much more powerful than anything needed for a home TV setup. An etched metal sign out front read: Challenger Center for Space Science Education.