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On the 7th of December 1972, three men, Eugene A. Saron, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. Schmidt, set out on a lunar mission that would last for 12 days, 13 hours, 51 minutes, and 59 seconds. They set down on the Moon on the 11th of December and would spend three days wandering the surface of Earth's closest celestial body.
Classified as a J mission, one of only three to have taken place throughout recorded history, their research proved valuable for the understanding of our local universe. Alas, despite ambitious plans for a return to the moon, Apollo 17 is publicly known to be humanity's last journey to another world.
Time would pass, and the memory of one of humanity's greatest collective achievements began to fade to the back of the public's mind, unknown to them. Another mission had been planned in secret, a mission that would not be undertaken by NASA, but by their greatest competitor, the Soviet Space Program. Formed in 1955, it would take them three decades to put their own craft down on the moon.
But rather than boast about their undeniable success, their achievement would be clouded in mystical rumors, and any information relating to its existence would be buried under the collapse of the Soviet Union, washed away by the tides of time. It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth.
"I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small." Neil Armstrong. "Rise and shine, Commander. It's midday and the moon is high up in the sky," Clara said as she gently shook me back to life. Opening my eyes, I noted a lack of bodily aches that had usually accompanied me in the early mornings. With absolute weightlessness, sleeping in an odd position had become a thing of the past, but I still felt tired.
Stretching out my arms, I dragged myself to the nearest window. I peered out into the blackness of space. It was filled to the brim with minute lights in every direction, each a star with its own shrouded history. The Earth was still in sight, sinking away beyond the moon's horizon. In a few hours, we'd be cut off from home, left alone in the infinite vastness of the universe, with only the moon to break its monotony.
The gray celestial body, which had accompanied Earth almost since its creation, would be our home for the coming two days. "I can't believe we're actually here," Angelica chimed in. "My whole life, I've wanted only this. It's a magnificent sight, isn't it?" Clara asked. "I thought it would be, but it feels odd. Nothing like I thought it would."
Caught in the Moon's gravitational field, the craft had shifted, allowing our ship, the Ares Command and Service Module, to enter its orbit. With an orbital period of 20 hours, we'd reach the far side of the Moon in just under 8, at which point we'd lose contact with the command center back home on Earth. Our mission, Ares IV, had been years in the making, but our departure from Earth had only occurred 3 days prior.
it would be marked as the first manned expedition to set down on the surface of the far side of the Moon. Five years after China's Chang'e 4 achieved humanity's first soft landing on the far side surface. It was unmanned, but a tremendous achievement nonetheless.
Though its mission statement included studying cosmic rays, measuring the chemical composition of lunar soil, and temperature measurements, something else had been discovered in the craft's first panoramic composition. There, just on the edge of the horizon, a shape had been depicted, one not conforming to the soft hills of the Moon, but one only compatible with artificial, purposeful construction.
Since the discovery was out of reach of Chang'e 4's lunar rover, we'd personally been sent to investigate, a first for humanity. I stared expectantly at the moon's surface for what must have been minutes without as much as blinking. I studied every crater, every landmark, every oddity, hoping to be the first to set eyes on the sought-out structure. But we still hadn't reached our destination, and our altitude was far too high.
I pushed myself off the wall and glided to our craft's other end. There, I could just get a glimpse of Earth as it faded beyond the horizon. Seeing our home that far away, I had expected to feel a sense of amazement or gain some perspective in the grand scheme of our existence. But none of these emotions hit me. Instead,
I felt small, insignificant, as if everything we'd been sent to do would serve no purpose towards the fate of our universe. We were merely God's playthings, tiny and unimportant. "You alright?" Clara asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled back. "It's just… it's a lot to process, isn't it?" "I was about to say that." I replied with a smirk.
"Take a moment to be overwhelmed, but get it together quickly. You're the leader of this mission, and the crew needs you to hold it together. Don't be so grim." She put her hand on my shoulder, gently reassuring me that what we had come to do mattered. She'd always been my voice of reason, all throughout our training. There were moments where I swore she could read my deepest, most intimate thoughts.
I appreciated the gesture and took a few seconds to let my insecurities overflow in silence, if only for a single moment. Once it had passed, and the Earth had vanished from sight, I redirected my attention back to the Moon and got the crew ready for landing. Ares IV had not been equipped with a standard lunar lander.
Instead, an advanced lunar module had been installed alongside a separate surface operating base, holding a small laboratory and living quarters large enough to house four of our crew. Only Stephen Lawrence, our shuttle's pilot, would remain on the Ares command and service module as the rest of us set foot on the moon's surface. But first we had to complete one orbit around it to survey the landing site.
For the first time in decades, the far side of the Moon would be seen directly by human eyes. "Landing site sighted," Angelica announced. "Beginning analysis." While the previous lunar mission had chosen landing sites near the visible equator within what was known now as the Apollo Zone, our landing site had been chosen based on images produced by the Chong'e 4 lander.
Five landing sites had been chosen, and based on our visual findings, we were to choose the one closest to the structure, referred to by command as the Aberrant Lunar Object 3. "Do you have a visual of ALO3?" I asked. "Not yet. The altitude is too high, and the given coordinates don't appear occupied." Angelica responded. "What exactly do we think we're looking for?" Clara asked, as Angelica kept searching.
"I've seen the pictures," I responded. "It could be a photographic artifact, could be a crashed alien craft, or it could be an oddly shaped rock. But even if it's nothing, we're still the first people to set foot on the far side of the moon. That alone is worth the journey. Is that why you signed up?" Angelica asked with a snarky undertone. "Sightseeing? Anything to advance our progress of setting down a permanent human settlement?" I replied as matter-of-factly as I could.
"I too am happy to search for a non-existent spacecraft, as long as they pay me," Steven chimed in from the pilot seat. "But I'll be stuck up here, and you'll be free down there." "At least you'll be all snug and comfy," Angelica joked. "You never liked the spacesuits anyway." "I like to be able to scratch my nose," Steven responded.
Yuri, our devoted engineer, had remained uncharacteristically silent for the past few hours, going over the Lunar Module system over and over, not speaking a word. Up until takeoff, during the entirety of our training program, he'd been practically impossible to shut up. It was odd seeing him so focused.
Once Angelica gave up searching, Clara resorted to scanning over the moon's surface once more, almost disappointed that we hadn't laid eyes on the ALO. She'd always dreamed of establishing contact with extraterrestrial beings, and an unnatural formation on the moon seemed to be the best evidence of aliens existing within our solar system. Though I was sorry to disappoint her, I feared our mission would serve as more of a proof of concept than anything else.
Orbiting past the far side of the Moon without sighting the aberrant lunar object, we re-established contact with Mission Control. We confirmed that all systems were functioning, and that we intended to disembark from the Command and Service Module and set down on the Moon's surface. In half a day, we'd once again hover over the landing site, isolated and with no means of contacting home. We spent this time resting,
knowing that we needed to be fully alert for what would likely be the most critical part of our mission: setting down our surface operating base.
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b-a-b-b-e-l dot com slash d-n-s. Rules and restrictions may apply. Once we were approaching the drop point, four of us entered the lander. The Surface Operating Base, or SOB, would be ejected separately, landing no more than a kilometer away from our lunar module. Donning our spacesuits, we fastened ourselves to our seats, ready to detach.
In the meantime, Stephen slowed down our orbit, allowing for a soft landing on the moon. "Everybody good and comfortable in there?" Stephen asked from the pilot seat. "Seat belts fastened, checklists in hand, strapped in and ready." I confirmed. The doors closed, separating our module from the CSM.
Contact with our pilot would from there on occur via our spacesuits' built-in radios. "Okay, approaching 30 seconds," Steven announced. "Blank disky, disky blank," Clara confirmed. "Average G." The lunar module was moved into position. Two lights were active, one for altitude, one for velocity.
Their activation indicated that the landing radar had yet to lock onto the surface. "Confirm the Ullage," Clara said. "Standing by for Ullage," Steven responded. After a brief pause, we were ready for the countdown. "Ten seconds," Steven said. Looking over to my crewmates, I checked my helmet, making sure it had been properly latched on. The rest of the team did the same, giving me a gentle nod to gesture that they were secured.
A gentle shake reverberated through the craft as the surface operating base was released, unoccupied. "SOB has left the CSM," Clara announced. "Seven, six…" The module shifted slightly as the harness detached, allowing the module to float or fall freely depending on your point of view. But it still remained with the CSM, as the descent engine had not yet started its propulsion.
I double-checked the controls, making sure everything remained in the green. At this stage in our mission, we couldn't afford a single mistake. Five, four, three. The engines began whirring, starting a gentle propulsion that would soon eject us from the command and service module. I took a deep breath, as excited as I was nervous. In less than 15 minutes, we'd set down on the surface. Two, ignition.
The engines picked up speed, and the lunar module started to move away, finally entering the darkness of space. Within only a few seconds, the CSM was out of sight, holding a sole astronaut that would pick us up in about two days' time. "Ignition!" Clara repeated. "Altitude looks good. Good luck!" Stephen called over the radio as we rapidly fell towards the ground.
The gray hills and valleys became more prominent, with vast dunes of dust waiting to greet us. Still, there was no sight of the ALO. Wherever it was, we might have to travel great distances to reach it. "Touchdown in about nine minutes," Clara announced while we diligently went through each point on our checklist. As we got closer, we could see the SOB's landing site, seemingly intact.
Minute by minute, we neared the surface. The landscape outside grew even larger. What had seemed so small upon approach had now transformed into an entire unexplored world. 1500 feet, 54 degrees, Clara said. Approaching a thousand feet, H dot's a little high. Going down through 800. I chimed in. 31 feet a second, that's a little high. 400 kilometers.
Clara relayed after a small adjustment. We held the rate of descent, making minor adjustments to make sure we arrived at the appropriate landing zone. "90 feet," I said. "Moving a little forward. Going down at three. Very little dust," Clara said. "Standby for touchdown. 20 feet. Going down at two. 10 feet. Tapped." Touchdown was remarkably soft. Yet, the moon's gravity hit us immediately.
though only measuring about one sixth that of Earth's. It felt odd having any force at all exerting on our bodies after four days of weightlessness. Going through the final points of the checklist, we made sure everything had gone according to plan. I gave myself a second to just stare out through the window, onto the brilliantly bright surface, akin to sun-bathed snow.
Though I knew the surface could heat up to 250 degrees in the sun, it looked all too cold outside. But no matter the temperature on the moon, our suits could easily handle the challenge. "We're here, after all these years," Angelica trailed off, marveling at the monotonous landscape before us. While not an inherently beautiful sight, its otherworldly origin alone was enough to render us almost speechless.
Yuri stood silently by the window. He'd remained stoic until the landing, but was very clearly now on the brink of tears. Fifty years had passed since the last Apollo mission to the moon, and at last humanity had returned. "Who wants the honor?" I asked, gesturing for the hatch on our craft. "Go on, Commander," Clara said. "This is your moment."
With one final deep breath, I opened the hatch and climbed down the short ladder. Dust shot up around my feet as I took my first step onto the moon's surface. It felt good to touch solid ground after four days in space. Overwhelming, even. "In the honor of those who were here before us, this marks the beginning of a new era for humanity," I let out, hoping it would come across as a more monumental statement than it did.
But no matter the words I chose, our mission was clandestine, meaning that no one back on Earth would ever learn of its existence. Angelica and Clara followed suit, with Yuri securing the craft before joining us. "Billions of dollars to fund this journey," Yuri said. "And you won't be able to tell your wife and children the story. This moment is for us alone." From there,
We prepared the Lunar Roving Vehicle, ready to head to our surface operating base, which had touched down only a kilometer away. "I have reports that you've touched down safely. All systems green." Stephen called through the radio. Now alone aboard the CSM above us,
our end we're heading for the sob i responded good to hear i still don't have eyes on the alo he explained just follow the coordinates the object might be too small to inspect from orbit copy that as soon as we settle down we'll be on our way we'd have another six hours of reliable radio contact with stephen before he'd fall down beyond the horizon after that we would truly be on our own
Loading up the rover in haste, we took our seats. Yuri would operate the vehicle, allowing the rest of us to get a good view of the moon's barren landscape. Though traversing the distance wouldn't take long, each moment on the surface felt like a blissful eternity. Our craft had been set down on the edge of the von Karman crater, as had our base. The crater measured 186 kilometers in diameter.
and the lunar object was supposedly situated just outside the northern border, where it had been spotted by Chang'e 4. The rover had a maximum speed of about 10 miles per hour, and we reached our base in just a few minutes. There it stood, already powered up with a breathable atmosphere inside. We entered, taking off our helmets for the first time since leaving the CMS.
Though anticipation had reduced our appetite, a proper meal was in order. A small celebration to collect ourselves and gather energy for our next, longer journey. Steven had marked the supposed location of the lunar object on our map, allowing us to plan our route. Since it was situated outside the crater, we needed to make sure the rover could make the trek uphill. Luckily, the slope didn't appear steep enough to pose a threat.
"Oh, thank God!" Angelica let out as she rushed for the coffee machine, aptly named ISSpresso. "Coffee in space," Yuri said. "Is this the American dream you've told me so much about?" We spent the next few hours getting settled in, feasting on waffles and granola bars, before planning the next part of our excursion, which included our second bout of extravehicular activity.
"Alright boys and girls," Stephen called over the radio. "I'm about to cross the horizon. Best of luck on your excursion. I'll be in touch in about 12 hours. I'll let Command know you're all safe on the surface. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." "Thank you, Stephen. See you in a bit," I responded. "Have a safe journey." After going over our procedures and plan of attack for the nth time, I announced that it was time to step back outside.
Entering the airlock, we secured each other's suits and opened the hatch. Every moment outside felt freeing, as we were no longer confined by small chambers, only decorated with equipment, buttons, alerts, with only the occasional poster. "Kilometers till we reach the coordinates." I reminded my team as we boarded the rover and started heading for the north edge of the crater. If everything went according to plan, we'd reach the anomaly in less than an hour.
We sat mostly in silence for the first part of our journey. Each of us was preoccupied just taking in the scenery, still in disbelief that we had actually made it to the moon. Though I realistically understood the magnitude of our achievement, the place felt all too different from the pictures we'd seen of other astronauts wandering the surface, looking back at the Earth clearly in view as a blue marble in the dark sky. They had reliable contact with their home,
For as we were stranded, our only means of contact out of reach as he orbited the moon once more, there was nothing but a pitch black universe to look down upon us. Clara tapped my shoulder and held up two fingers to indicate another radio channel for privacy. Counter to protocol, I obliged. "Do you think the others felt this lonely?" she asked, as if reading my thoughts. "What do you mean?" I asked, though I knew exactly what she meant.
I can just imagine the first astronauts looking back at our home. So small and insignificant, as if their problems no longer mattered. Do you think it gave them perspective to feel so unimportant? Or do you think they felt alone? I think they felt at peace. I explained. But you don't. No, I don't. Why not? She asked, but I didn't need to respond.
She felt the same, and though we'd never mentioned the reason, we both knew the answer. "You think I don't know what you're talking about just because you changed the radio channel?" Yuri chimed in from the driver's seat, prompting us to switch back to an open channel. "You damn Americans love bringing the moat down. What we are doing here is important. We will be heroes. Whether humanity knows about it or not, they won't know about it," Angelica said.
We signed non-disclosure agreements. Rumors will spread, and the company doesn't need to know where they started, Yuri argued. Driving at a constant speed of 10 miles per hour, we quickly reached the edge of the crater, where a narrow ridge extended up as a makeshift path, just steep enough that the rover started kicking up dust on the incline.
"You sure I can make it?" I asked. "Am I sure?" Yuri repeated. "No, but I'm a pragmatic man. I refuse to doubt this thing until it gives us a reason to." It spun on the fine dust for a few moments, before finding its grip once more and slowly ascended up the hill. Though not the tallest point on the moon,
A vast landscape revealed itself beneath us, with our base barely within view, an insignificant speck on the surface. Once at the top, we parked the vehicle and turned around to get a good view of the crater. There, we could even see the lunar module several kilometers away. "To think no one has seen this before us," Angelica let out in stunned admiration. "Why don't you take a picture?" Yuri suggested.
At first, it had come across as a sarcastic quip, but I realized he was serious. Yuri had brought a camera to document our journey for prosperity. Even if no one else would see the image, it would serve as a nice souvenir for the team. The crew quickly agreed, and we sat the camera down on its tripod and activated a timer. We placed ourselves near the crater cliff, with a good chunk of the universe situated in the background.
When zooming in, one could probably even see the base and the lunar module in the distance. The picture was snapped, and we took a minute just to cherish the moment. "Poor Steven, stuck up there alone in the ship," Angelica said. "He would have loved this. If he wanted to be down here, he shouldn't have opted to be a pilot." Clara wrote. We continued through the surprisingly uneven terrain for another kilometer. As we passed another minor hill, something peeked up on the other side.
A pale gray, large object, obviously not of lunar origin. Though its color alone could explain why it had been practically invisible from orbit, it was the aberrant lunar object. "Are you guys seeing this?" I asked. There it stood. A massive set of spherical structures scattered across the ground in several circular patterns extending inwards, leading to a massive dome in the center with a telescope pointing outwards into space.
Traversable hallways connected the various spheres and domes, creating an interconnected network, almost labyrinthic. Small windows were visible, hinting that the structure was indeed habitable, but what stood out was its clear, human design. It looked terrestrial in origin, not alien. How is this possible? Angelica asked. It can't be, Yuri mumbled. Did you know about this, Commander? I shook my head.
This can't possibly exist. And yet, there it is, Yuri responded, rendered almost speechless by the sight. We just marveled at the structure. There were no existing protocols on how to approach a human settlement on the moon, nor could we call back to Earth and ask for directions on how to proceed. We were on our own and had to act accordingly. Commander, Clara asked, waiting for orders. We should engage. What if they're hostile? Angelica asked.
Driving as close to the structure as the terrain would allow, we inevitably had to leave the rover behind. Before us were several half-spheres attached to the ground. Only one held an entry point.
an airlock marked with the number 3, which alone was enough to confirm its terrestrial origin. We approached, keeping an eye out for any movement on the moon's surface, or from within. But the structure appeared dark, with no visible lights ignited on the inside. The airlock's operating mechanism seemed surprisingly archaic, with technology several decades old.
It could easily be operated from the outside without any security measures. As long as the airlock was empty and the inner hatch remained closed, we could effortlessly open it from the outside. "Security isn't big on the moon, huh?" Angelica commented. "I don't exactly think they were expecting guests," I replied. We entered into a small room barely large enough to hold the four of us, then we shut the hatch behind us.
There was a simple control panel on the wall with instructions written above. The text was written in Cyrillic. "The structure is Russian?" Clara asked. "Soviet," Yuri clarified, noting how old the technology appeared. "It looks like they've been here a while." Using the controls, we sealed the door behind us, allowing the airlock to pressurize. The inner hatch unlocked, and we were able to enter the first segment of the station.
A dark atmosphere awaited us on the inside, with only the dimmest, emergency lights lining the floor, leading further within. The station appeared to be operating on limited power, meaning the life support systems might be malfunctioning. Suspecting that the atmosphere might not be breathable, we opted to keep our suits on until we met the station's crew.
The first module of the station was a prep room, filled with spacesuits, equipment, and a separate room locked off from the rest, appearing to be a small medical bay or isolation chamber. Several posters hung around the room, all in Russian, holding instructions and operating procedures. Though our crew had been well-versed in the Russian language, we'd have to rely on Yuri for a fully fluent translation. "Where is everyone?" Angelica asked.
"This place looks abandoned. Based on the technology, it appears this station was constructed in the 80s," Yuri explained. "It's possible. It was never inhabited. It could be little more than a failed project. Left for 40 years?" I asked. "Then why is it still running? And where does it get its power from? Is a question I would like answered as well," Yuri said. "At the moment, I'm just speculating."
We traversed the dark hallways, encountering no signs of life. The narrow hallways led to small dome-shaped modules. One had been created for habitation, holding bunk beds and a small common area. "Someone definitely used to live here," Angelica said as she pointed out personal items scattered across the room. There were faded pictures, old books, and clothes folded neatly on their beds. "The question is where they went."
"No staff, nor any bodies. They might have evacuated," I suggested. Continuing ahead, we eventually stumbled across a chamber far larger than the rest. A security station subdivided into several workbenches, each with block computers from a bygone era. After clearing the room, I attempted to boot one up, but with the station running on emergency power, it wouldn't start.
We checked through some of the papers, quickly realizing that each workstation held identical folders with valuable information regarding operating procedures and protocols. It was titled "Belo Bog 2", the station's name. A simple map was included within. On it, three generator rooms were marked. If we could navigate there and figure out how to operate them, we might even get the station back up and running.
Taking charge, I led the team through the next set of hallways, each wider than the last as we neared Bellabog's center. To get to the nearest generator, we'd have to traverse a dome marked as a biolab, situated within one of the largest subdivisions. But as we arrived at its doorstep, we were met with a locked hatch. "Looks like we'll have to walk around," Clara said. I glanced at the map, searching for an alternative route.
"There are some options, but there's no guarantee we won't hit another dead end. Let me try. These doors don't appear to be particularly secure," Yuri said as he investigated the hatch. "Might just be a faulty power supply." Upon inspection, it became clear that the door hadn't sealed automatically. Someone had locked it, with the only way to unlock it requiring an override from the security station. But with insufficient power to run the computers, we were trapped.
"Any ideas?" I asked. "These doors are running on emergency power, but if we cut the electricity, they'll most likely remain shut," Angelica explained. "We need to gain access through the computers." She skimmed through the manual again. "Yuri, you're good at these things. Do you think you could redirect power into one of the computers?"
"Maybe I could dig some cables out of the wall and power up one computer," Yuri responded. "That is, if I don't cut the wrong cable and destroy the life support system. It's not like we need the atmosphere," Clara said. "We won't. But if we are wrong and this place isn't abandoned," I began, not needing to finish my sentence to make sure the team got the message. "I'll give it a look. Angelica, assist me please," Yuri said.
While our engineers got to work on redirecting the power, the rest of us chatted about the station's origin and purpose. The fact that the Soviet Union had created it while leaving the rest of the world in the dark, without a single leak, was a magnificent feat on its own. Thousands of people and an incalculable number of resources must have been spent on the project. And here it lay, abandoned.
As to its purpose, with the massive telescope sitting on the station's center, we figured they had to be looking for something. We just didn't know what. "It's done! Try the computer," Yuri announced. Upon flipping the power switch, the computer whirred to life. A basic operating system holding only text displayed on the screen. It was simple, but it would suffice.
we navigated to the emergency systems, which required another passcode that had been conveniently written into each of the manuals. After gaining access, Yuri was able to make quick work of the locked door and offered to stay behind and keep our path clear with the computer. Angelica was opposed to this suggestion, stating that Yuri had far more experience than any of us working on generators. If we were to stand any chance at reactivating Bellabog 2, we'd need him.
"You can handle the operating system?" Yuri asked. "I can handle it," Angelica insisted. "It's in Russian. Every astronaut can speak and read it." While keeping contact with Angelica via radio, we proceeded back to the now opened door and entered a bio lab. It was an elongated room subdivided into several isolated sections.
Scattered around were overgrown, dried out petri dishes, microscopes, and several chambers locked behind heavy glass doors. "Check this out," Clara said, pointing at the chamber furthest away from the entrance. Within lay a spacesuit, huddled up in a corner. "Is that a cosmonaut or just a spacesuit?" I asked. Based on the posture, it almost appeared occupied, but with the visor down, we couldn't see inside.
Clara instinctively tried to open the door to the chamber, but the door wouldn't budge. It too had been sealed on purpose. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Don't you think we ought to check if someone's in there?" Clara replied. "Even if the suit's occupied, it'd be long gone. Still, we should make sure." Clara insisted. "First, we find the generator. Then we figure out what happened here. We've already taken too many risks setting foot inside this station.
Clara didn't seem convinced and kept glancing back at the occupied chamber. To end the conversation and to try to find a compromise, I put a hand on her shoulder and promised her we'd come back to check it out once we had enough information. Years had passed, another hour wouldn't change anything. From there, we followed the map to the generator room, taking us through twists and turns of many hallways and larger modules. There was a surprising amount of sleeping quarters,
Based solely on what we came across, we estimated that the station must have housed up to 200 crewmen at some point. We had reached the generator room within half an hour. Based on the generator, it became immediately apparent that apart from the solar power generated by the panels on Bellabog's roof, the majority of the energy produced by the station came from a geothermal source.
Though it had been thought that the moon's core was cold and solid, it had been long theorized that sections of the moon still held molten iron which produced enough heat to harness its energy. "This is beautiful," Yuri said as he pointed out the marvel of a generator that stood before us. It was inactive and displayed external damage that had clearly been intentional. Someone had sabotaged it. But according to the map, there were three such generators spread out across the station.
each of which would be powerful enough to power the entire station on its own. If all three had been rendered inactive, it had to have been on purpose. "You can fix this, right?" Clara asked. "Of course," Erie said, his eyes locked on the machine as he circled the room in search of tools. He quickly got to work, and within the hour, he had completed the repairs.
the generator returned to life, immediately unleashing an immense amount of heat that penetrated our suits, causing us to bathe in our own sweat. Lights turned on, and moments later, Angelica called us over the radio to let us know that power had returned at the security station. We now had full control over the majority of Belebog 2. "We have light!" she announced. "Great, stay put. We'll be right with you." I replied.
As we headed back through the bio lab, Clara again went for the chamber with the spacesuit. But before she could try to open it, I again ordered her to leave it until we had more information. Though she hesitated, she eventually decided to follow my command, and we joined Angelica back at security. We'd been gone for less than two hours, but Angelica had been diligent with her time.
she'd already gathered a list of inhabitants: 224 crewmen, alongside logs describing mission statements, scientific studies, weapons development, even including a whole subsection on extraterrestrial life, the latter which caught our attention. While reading through, it became clear that Bellabog's main purpose was to search for existing life in the vastness of space.
and based on the many logs dedicated to this very subject, they had found something. Going chronologically, we sifted through a countless number of documents describing objects in our local group of galaxies, focusing on objects heading in our general direction. There was seven years of fruitless research before one significant log dated back to the 7th of August, 1988, describing an unexpected incident on the Moon's surface.
This particular entry was surprisingly short and vague about what exactly had taken place, only describing an impact of unknown origin on the surface and stating that one crew member had been injured during the investigation. At the entry's end, a list of video logs had been included. We accessed the first log, which returned a poor-quality footage of the biolab with a date listed in the bottom right corner: August 7th, 1988.
The camera was pointed at one of the glass chambers, the same one that was currently occupied by the spacesuit. A man dressed in a work uniform stood inside. He favored his left leg, with the right visibly wounded. Behind him lay the spacesuit he'd worn, the very same that currently occupied the chamber. Next, an older man stepped into frame and introduced himself as Dr. Anton Pirogov.
"The subject has been isolated following an impact incident on the Von Karman crater," he explained to the camera. "There is a risk of infection following an open injury to his right calf. The subject will remain in quarantine for no less than 56 hours. Samples have been securely obtained and will be processed and analyzed within the next 12 hours."
The footage cuts, and Dr. Pirogov now stands by the glass door, communicating with the subject through a microphone on the wall. State your name and position, Pirogov commanded. Alexei Leonov, flight engineer. Can you describe the events that preceded your quarantine? There was an impact during a session of extravehicular activity. What impacted? Pirogov went on.
"A meteor," Alexei explained. "Were you injured by the impact?" "No." "A fragment split off. Are you experiencing any discomfort?" "Excluding the injury to your leg?" "No." "Nausea? Dizziness? Sweats?" "No, nothing. This subject has been given prophylactic treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics. No significant symptoms to mention."
The footage ended abruptly without a conclusion to the interview, presumably due to corrupt data. Without knowledge on how to recover the lost footage, we simply moved on to the next log. August 8th, 1988.
The footage now showed analysis of the retrieved sample. An organic compound had been discovered, one containing RNA-esque sequences, similar in structure but using non-nitrogenous bases. Alongside the sequences, bizarre enzymes with unclear functions were found. Despite the limited data available, it was clear that whatever had injured the cosmonaut might have left behind a possible infectious agent.
Next, the footage showed a laboratory assistant taking a part of the sample and injecting it into a fruit fly, a cockroach, and a mouse. They were all kept isolated within separate, sealed glass cages. The footage skipped ahead five hours. Dr. Pirogov appeared in frame, holding up what appeared to be the remains of the fruit fly, which had lost its exoskeleton, but remained alive.
It now resembled a fleshy blob with wings attached to its body. The subject was infected with the pathogen five hours and seven minutes ago. The pathogen appears to have indiscriminately integrated itself into the host genome. A sample showed an almost complete replacement of the subject's DNA. The subject remains alert and alive despite its biological adaptation. Next, the mouse came into view.
Its changes were less obvious, with patches of red hairless skin having appeared around the injection site. "The duration of the biological adaptation appears to be size-dependent," Pirogov noted. "Subject suffers from increased temperature and loss of sensation around the wound site. We will now attempt debridement of the infected tissue." A close-up of the mouse was shown.
Parts of the skin had entirely shredded away, revealing fat and muscle tissue underneath. The video log ended there. "Jesus Christ! What the hell did they find out there?" Angelica asked. But it was a question none of us were qualified to answer, and we still didn't know the ultimate outcome of the infected individuals. We started up the third video log, dated the 11th of August.
Alexei sat on the floor, his leg having massively deteriorated since we last saw him. Muscle and bone had become exposed, with the vessels appearing to have been eaten away, replaced by a brown, organic meshwork similar to what we saw on the mouse. He was still able to put some weight on it as he tried to stand up, but his movements were clumsy, as if he no longer had the ability to control it.
Doctor Pirogov stepped up to the glass and inspected the man without speaking a word, just jotting down scribbles in a notebook. "Just cut it off," Alexei begged. "I can't stand the pain anymore. It's too late for that," Pirogov replied. A blue screen replaced the footage, showing a few lines of text.
This subject has been treated with chemotherapeutic agents in an attempt to halt a pathogen, which displays a cancer-like seeding of its cells. Amputation of the infected extremity has been attempted in infected rodents. It did not slow the progression of the disease. The picture again returned to Alexei and Pirogov. Alexei's breathing had now become labored, and Pirogov notes that the infection might have reached his lungs.
How are the others? Alexei asked out of breath. They haven't shown any signs of infection. They are isolated in the medical bay. Good. I will die alone, I suppose. Pyrogov didn't respond. Just give me something for the pain. He went on. Please.
