The Moonwalker

Chapter 13

One of the challenges of living on the Moon is keeping meals interesting. While most of their food still comes from Earth, they can grow some of their own. ILUB-2 has a Vegetable Production Unit or VPU. It serves three purposes: provides a fresh source of greens, analysis of growing food on the Moon, and comfort. Low gravity has odd effects on their crops. What would be grievous overwatering on Earth only makes the vegetables in their moon garden grow faster. They also introduce fertilizer into the soil more quickly and accumulate less salt.

Aula squeezes a baggie of salsa over strips of scrambled eggs, Mizuna lettuce, and onions spread over a soft tortilla shell. It's difficult. Her hands are stiff and achy. She carefully lays girders of pre-cooked chicken across the spread and rolls it like a jelly cake. When she takes her first bite, the crunch registers before the flavour. Then the spices hit. She eats slowly to savour the taste and texture.

Harvey lowers his mug to the table. "You're smiling."

She pauses, mouth opened for another bite. "What?"

"You're smiling," he says again. "It's freaking me out."

She scowls.

"Much better."

"Leave her be." Kelly grins over the rim of her own mug. "We finally get to see the softie inside the spacesuit."

Gossip is like chum in the water. Kalashnikoff perks up at the other end of the table. "Oh?"

Aula takes a particularly forceful bite of her tortilla and chews it with a thunderous expression. She feels a breeze sweep behind her. Ward drags a chair to the table and sets down a cup of tea and granola with raisins.

"Continue," she says. "I'm curious."

It takes a beat for Aula to swallow her food. "You can all stay curious."

"Come on." Kalashnikoff throws a piece of plastic bag at her, which makes a long arc in lunar gravity. "Tell us."

"No."

Kelly watches the plastic fly by. "Ah, go on."

"I was just in a good mood." Aula tugs a piece of onion out of her tortilla and eats it. "Luckily you're here to ruin it."

"Bullshit," Harvey says. "You didn't smile that much at my wedding."

"You had a cash bar."

Kalashnikoff leans back, hand over his heart. "Bozhe moy."

"Ross made me," he admits glumly. "Said we'd go broke having a free bar with half our squad there."

"Smart man." Kelly tips her mug back and finishes her coffee. "They'd all be langerated before the toast."

Ward's expression blanks. "Langerated?"

"Drunk. Three sheets to the wind, like."

Harvey smooths his sweatshirt. "I'll have you know that we conducted ourselves with dignity and restraint."

Aula gives him a deadpan look. "Now that's bullshit."

"So next morning wasn't quite so dignified," he says and scratches the tip of his nose. "It looked like we teepeed our hotel with base personnel."

Ward makes a strangled sound. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth, but her dark eyes crinkle with an unmistakeable smile.

A shiver passes through the Cubby. Aula watches the surface of her coffee ripple like a pond. She can feel the ground rumbling beneath her feet. Another moonquake.