Free The Earthrise Trilogy by Colin Owen Page B

weren't able to count the number of chickens and hens. All in all, I'd say we've enough to feed an army...Erm sorry about that, Oh, and there's   some more land that is currently lying fallow."  
    "Wow," Steve said, "at least we won't starve. Hydro, what about you?"  
    "It's a similar story here Steve," Sarah said, "we discovered vast ice fields deep down in the mantle, so far, we haven't been able to find the full extent of them. The moon must have been a very wet place some time back. Anyway, the hydro level contains an immense lake of very fresh water. All the necessary equipment is in place to utilise the ice and we even have an evaporation plant capable of generating pure oxygen and hydrogen. One thing we don't seem to have is fish."  
    "Ok, so we have a sustainable water supply." Steve said,  
    "Power?" Steve asked.  
    "Right that's me," Roland answered. "There is a separate lake in the power level, it is used to drive turbines. There are ten in place, but we are only using five of them at present, and we already have more than enough power to sustain all of Lark's systems. MBA has its own plant and so is no drain on Lark. The lake is constantly re cycled so I see no need to tap into our other water resources. Barring things like moon quakes or asteroid strikes, the system is perpetual."  
    "How about oil?" Steve asked. "Moving parts will need lubrication."  
    "Ah, that's where I can help," Clare said, "the botanical section has that covered. We have some acres turned over to Rape, or at least a hybrid of it, and corn. According to the files, this hybrid produces ten times as much oil."  
    "Good," Steve nodded, "then oil is not a problem. What else have you got for us down there?" Ignoring Steve's very pointed smiles, Clare continued, "The botanical section is rather extensive, and I haven't had time to see all of it yet, but how's this for starters: there are two other caverns besides the main one, both too large to see how far they extend. One contains a hybrid of a plant I discovered many years ago that has the ability to convert light into oxygen very efficiently. I would estimate that there's more than a thousand times the amount we need to survive here. Have you noticed how fresh the air is, and how we haven't had to even think about space suits since we've been here?"  
    There were looks of surprise.  
    "Me too, but there's more: this plant is also a hybrid of a desert grass that can survive for years with just a couple of drops of water. When given unlimited water it bursts into growth...Explodes would be a better word. This plant is growing at an incredible rate, which means oxygen production is growing at the same rate. I estimate that the Moon will have a breathable atmosphere within twenty years...If only we can get some gravity to hold it here."  
    "And the other cavern?" Steve reminded her.  
    "Ah yes, the other cavern. This one seems to be in part, an over- spill for the first one, but there is a vent system, it's closed down, but I think it's been designed to release oxygen to the surface at some future date. Perhaps Bill or Eric will be able to throw more light on that."  
    "Right, thanks Sweetie, I'll take that up with them directly. Conclusions?" Steve asked. "We seem to have everything we need and in sufficient quantities to live here, well, forever."  
    "Agreed," Roland added, "you might want to quiz Bill about the other section on the power level. It was sealed so I have no idea what's in there."  
    "OK, I will. Anything else while we're here?"  
    Nothing came, so Steve closed the meeting and set off to find Bill. He found him at his post in the command centre tinkering with something.  
    "What are you up to Bill?" He asked.  
    "Oh, just adjusting some external sensors," Bill replied. "Our only enemy now is out there," he said pointing into space. "The Moon still gets hit by foreign bodies, and we need to know when and where."  
    "Hammond really did think of everything didn't