Changeling Encounter: Silvery Moon

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Copyright ©2014 Mikala Ash

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Silvery Moon

Despite the fact that we were both wearing the latest Series Six Luna suits, shaking hands was still not easy, and so we settled for the traditional lunarnaut's fist bump. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Governor. Thank you for coming."

Governor Rankin, an experienced lunar explorer herself, smiled at me from inside her helmet. "The honor is all mine, Professor Falconer."

"Brian, please."

"Then you must call me Helena."

"Gladly."

She had flown her personal skipper to my little outpost on the dark side of the moon. I hadn't expected her to answer my invitation, let alone come in person. That she came alone had been a relief, as now there was no need for me to be overly cautious.

She surveyed the vista before us, a wide shallow crater with a deep rift running diagonally across it, "So, what are we looking at here?"

I led her down the path to the drill site in the shadows at the bottom. I pointed to the control panel. "You are standing in what is probably the biggest deposit of Helium Three in the solar system."

She examined the readout for a long moment. "You said probably?"

"So far," I said, barely containing my joy. "I have high hopes for the beta site as well."

"You're telling me you have found two major deposits?"

"That I am."

"How come you've just found it?"

"I must be honest. I found both sites quite by accident. I was looking for crystallized water."

She was silent for several minutes, studying the projections on the screen. "Who knows about this?"

"You, me and the drill."

"Why are you sharing this with me, and not your scientific colleagues?"

There was a hint of suspicion in her voice. I could understand that. I was sure she'd already processed the implications of my discovery. This would make me famous, and very, very rich. So why would I give all that up?

I took a deep breath. This was my moment of truth. "Like you, I want an independent Luna," I said.

"You're speaking treason."

After losing Mars in a war of independence, Earth was ramping up their control over us. The Governor had been embarrassed at the latest "Devolution of Power" talks. She had fought for the conference aimed at giving us more independence, and a seat at the Commonwealth of Nations.

The negotiations had started well before the Martian war, when Earth was more interested in divesting themselves of an expensive colony. They no longer felt that way. Losing Mars had hurt their pride, and their grip was reflexively tightening. As a consequence of her failure her political career was nearing its end. Unless, that was, she had reason to think she could win the fight.

"Helena, this discovery will boost our energy resources a thousand fold. We can expand our ship building industry with our own power units. We'll be financially independent in five years."

She shook her head. "That's naive. This discovery will make us a valuable asset to Earth, maybe turn them a profit for once. They won't want to let us go."

"That's why I haven't told anyone."

She didn't answer, just turned away and returned to her skipper. She took off, and I returned to my work, wondering if I had been wise to put my life in her hands.

The Governor called me a week later, the day after the assassination attempt, and invited me to her office. Her popularity was soaring, and the inept assassin's employer, rumored to be from Earth, had only fueled the fire of re

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