Chapter One

2:00pm Monday, May 18^th, 2139

There was a man lived in the moon,
lived in the moon, lived in the moon.
There was a man lived in the moon,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

Aiken Drum hated living in (or rather, on) the moon. He hated the cold, lifeless view out every window. He hated the dry, recycled air in his home dome, and the way it made his dark hair stick up in odd places. He hated the 3 second delay in communication to Earth – and that communication was probably as close to Earth as he would get, given that his lanky six-foot-one-inch frame wouldn’t be able to support his weight on the larger planet, since his body had adapted to the Moon’s gravity. Most of all, he hated The Park.

The Park was a little indoor garden at the center of the fifth level of the six-level dome (well, seven if you count the level below the surface where the mechanical air movers and water reclamation machinery dwelled[1]) where trees and flowers and grass grew and produced some of the oxygen that everyone used. Because the dome was situated on the rim of the Peary crater at the north pole of the moon, there was near constant sunlight for the plants and the hydroponics bays that supplied the dome with most of their food. It was always noon in the Park. No matter what part of the lunar day cycle they were on, you could always go to the Park and see the light streaming in the transparent part of the dome. The carefully manicured lawns and rows of trees planted at precisely one and a half meter intervals only knew darkness during a lunar eclipse or when there was repair work being done on the dome above.

The administrators of the dome touted The Park’s (it was never just “the park”) twenty-four hour availability as a perk, but Aiken hated it. What better way to make everyone realize that it was all fake than to have a bright, sunlit recreational area all day and through the night. Aiken hated the Park’s obvious falseness. Unfortunately, it was one of the few open areas in the dome available for meeting up with people, so he spent more time here than he’d like.

Today he was walking through the center of the greenspace on his way to meet with his physics instructor, Mr. Bertram. His teacher had asked to meet Aiken on the periphery of the Park for today’s lesson. Aiken was mystified. Mr. Bertram was usually so staid. He insisted Aiken and the other students sit in desks placed in rows in the small classroom that Peary Dome used to instruct its next generation. What could possibly have compelled Mr. Bertram to allow them out of the stuffy little room into the open center of the dome?

Speeding up in curiosity, Aiken spotted the dirty-blond tousled hair of his friend Connor trudging along the path ahead of him. The two friends were opposites in a lot of regards. Where Aiken was tall and stringy, Connor was shorter and broad. Where Aiken’s hair and eyes were dark brown, Connor had light blond hair and blue eyes. When Aiken got too introspective and withdrawn, Connor’s gregariousness and easy humour usually managed to draw him out. They’d been friends since Connor had moved to Peary Dome when they were just kids. Aiken sped up a little more to catch up to him.

“Hey man,” he called out.

“Hey, spaghetti-head,” came the expected response.

“Any idea what we’re doing out here in the wild green yonder?” asked Aiken.

“Nada”

“Maybe we’re trying out some new physics experiment,” he suggested.

“Are you nuts?” Connor replied. “Bertram would never let us out of the classroom to do something fun. It’s probably community service or something boring like that.”

Aiken pondered that as he and Connor rounded the last corner of the pathway before the agreed upon meeting place. His breath caught in his throat and his step faltered for a minute when he saw who was with the group already gathering. Diana, her blonde locks radiant as always, was seated next to Ethan. Diana Lafontaine was in the class ahead of Aiken, so he didn’t see her very often. Each time he did, he marvelled that so lovely a creature could exist in such an arid and sterile place. It wasn’t just that her hair shone like spun gold, but that it perfectly framed her perfect face, blue eyes looking out from a visage the colour of alabaster. Her ample lips shone ruby in the sunlight of The Park, and when they smiled, her whole face lit up. Aiken could spend all day just looking at her face, but that would be to ignore the rest of her perfect petite form. Aiken was equally entranced by her bright mind as he was by her enticing physical presence. As he recovered his pace, a knowing chuckle came from Connor.

“See something you like?” he inquired.

“Shut up, you,” groused Aiken.

Connor was well aware of Aiken’s attraction to Diana, but was sure, and had repeatedly voiced to Aiken that Diana was out of his reach. Her parents, who had immigrated to Luna only a few years ago, were administrators of the Peary dome.

“Don’t let the virgin huntress catch you staring,” Connor teased.

Aiken gave his friend a little shove, “Don’t call her that.”

“Why not? It’s not like you’re going to do anything about it.”

“Because,” Aiken responded, “it makes her seem so cold and remote and she’s not really.”

“How would you know – you’ve never said more than two words in a row to her.”

Aiken could tell his friend was just bugging him, but it still got to him. He thought he knew Diana better than a lot of people – he was convinced that under the aloof front she put on, she was warm and gentle and just a little shy.

Anyway, Connor was right – he was mortified to go up and interact with Diana. He was even slowing his pace as he drew near the group around Mr. Bertram. Connor noticed and gave him a little shove in the back. Aiken stumbled forward and tripped, landing in a sprawl at Diana’s feet. He glared at Connor as he got up.

“Nice landing, Drum,” laughed Ethan, one of the oldest boys in the class. Ethan was solidly built, with dark hair and eyes that attracted the attention of the girls in their class. He radiated self-confidence and charm, and was always surrounded by a group of friends. Often enough, Aiken found himself to be the butt of their jokes. He was sure there were going to be some about his less than spectacular entrance, but with Mr. Bertram there, Ethan didn’t seem inclined to poke too much fun. Aiken composed himself, then sat down across from Diana in the small circle that had formed on the green.

More students were gathering now, until there were about fifteen all told, besides Mr. Bertram. As the last found seats, Mr. Bertram cleared his throat.

“Today is a historic day for the human race,” he began. Snickers from some of the students drew a glare. “Today marks the first test of a faster than light spacecraft.”

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