Lunarville Three has confirmed all systems are A-OK once more, following an unexpected systems failure earlier in the week. Lieutenant Green of Spectrum was instrumental in restoring a key component of the installation’s life support system, rendering an evacuation unnecessary.
Lunarville Three’s Controller, Stephanie Chalmers, first noticed signs of trouble on Tuesday at approximately 20:00 (SET). The output from the main reactor had dropped noticeably, causing some sectors of the complex to switch into low power mode. Power drops in the lunar installations are rare, but even when they occur, they’re not usually a cause for concern. The power levels returned to normal moments later and the Controller made a note in her log and thought no more about it.
However, the next morning it happened again, this time the power level dropped rapidly and stayed low, triggering a base-wide amber alert. The Controller contacted Lunarville One and Dalotek Base Gamma, the nearest lunar outposts, to report the situation and check on their conditions. Both bases reported all systems were functioning normally. As Chalmers was about to sign off and investigate further, a bank of alarms registered failures in the primary life support system and the backup system kicked into effect instantly.
Knowing the backup system was rated for sustained operation, Chalmers kept the base on amber alert. Her training and instincts told her that the time to call a full emergency had not yet arrived. She contacted Earth Control to advise them of the current status and requested a specialist team be sent to run diagnostic checks. Earth Control responded with positive news, a technical specialist was preparing to return to Earth from Lunarville Six and would detour to investigate the problem.
Lieutenant Green arrived mere hours later, fresh from a hair-raising journey to Crater 101. His colleagues, Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue, remained at Lunarville Six, keeping the mysterious Mysteron pulsator device under close watch.
Although it was only his second visit to the Moon, the Lieutenant’s knowledge of electrical systems was second to none. He had studied the plans of the lunar installations carefully since his last-minute escape from Lunarville Seven when it was destroyed by Mysterons agents. He had an idea where to start and, accompanied by the Controller, he made his way to the life support centre.
The large room was crammed with computer banks and terminals of all shapes and sizes, but the one Lieutenant Green wanted was located in the centre of the room. As he busied himself with opening one of the inspection covers, the Controller began running through the checklist Green had prepared. Working methodically, the pair traced the source of the problem to a faulty relay circuit.
The component was difficult to replace and required a lot of patient work. However, at last the fault was corrected and they made their way back to the control room to switch over from the backup system. With a low hum, the primary systems came back online and the warning lights on the control boards faded back to green.
With the base back to full operational status, Chalmers informed Earth Control that the situation was in hand. Lieutenant Green said his farewells and headed back to Lunarville Six aboard the Moon Mobile. He knew that Scarlet and Blue would be waiting eagerly to return to Earth, but none of the three men knew that the diamond pulsator they carried with them was already sending them on a course that led straight to destruction…
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