Last Flight For Craggy by Gary Weston Page A

in your dreams, West. It was the West that wanted
the marsillium.
    Dillow told
him, 'I'm on the first run back to Mars I can get.'
    Cragg said,
'That's a smart move. I wish I could join you.'
    'Then why not?
You said it yourself, it's mandatory to have at least two on board.
I could sound out Pottsy for a job. If he said yes, I could stay
and you could fly the ship back to the Moon. That would keep you
for another few months.'
    'Can't fly back
by myself. I'd need a passenger with a pilots licence. They'd never
let me do it anyway.'
    'I'm going to
miss you, Craggy.'
    Cragg laughed.
'For all of five minutes.'
    'Moon calling
Captain Dixon Cragg. Moon calling Captain Dixon Cragg.'
    'Carlos?'
    'Big brother
Mario. We think we have a plan. We've fitted lifter grabbers to a
tug ship. It seems to work okay.'
    'Impressive,'
said Cragg. 'Can it handle five pods in one lift?'
    'We've gone up
to six in a trial. It worked well until the pods were lowered to
the cradle. Not quite how it would be done with an experienced
freighter pilot like you standing by. We should have the damage to
the cradle repaired by the time you arrive.'
    Dillow said,
'Jeez. That's nice to know, Mario.'
    Cragg said,
'Dare I ask what the hell is happening on Earth?'
    'At the moment,
not too bad. The East has reluctantly agreed to help the West with
food supplies. The East has been almost as badly hit by droughts
leading to famine, so it isn't as if they have much to share. A
dozen new diseases have sprung up all over the world, and even the
latest super antibiotics aren't doing much.'
    Cragg said,
'Let's hope it doesn't get to the Moon.'
    'Not if we can
help it,' said Mario. 'There's a total ban on people from Earth
coming here, and vice versa. That's had a real bad impact on trade,
as you can imagine.'
    'What's the
food supply situation on the Moon?' Cragg asked.
    Mario said,
'Same as always, Craggy. Like Mars, we are reasonably self
sufficient. Not much choice, but we won't go hungry. Our problem is
getting hardware supplies from Earth. We needed another ten years
to further develop our manufacturing facilities, especially the
laser powered steelworks. They have a good old one they haven't
skilled people to run and have promised us we can have that in
exchange for the marsillium, so we can make our own steel. We have
the iron ore deposits, but can't do much with them.'
    'Right. I was
just thinking. If there's a ban on people going to and from Earth,
how is this marsillium going to be delivered?'
    'Computer
controlled ship. No pilot.'
    'Are you
kidding me?'
    Mario said,
'It's the latest thing, Craggy. We ordinary mortals have only just
found out. We all knew our engineers were building a huge new ship,
but we didn't know it flew itself. But if you think about it, the
ships practically fly themselves, anyway. The pilots are only there
for the landings and take off.'
    'Yeah?' snorted
Cragg, testily, having heard it all before. 'I always thought of
those two things as being fairly important.'
    'It's just a
natural advancement, Craggy. It had to come eventually. What are
you worried for? You're retiring.'
    Cragg sighed.
'So I've been told. You just be ready to meet us when we get there.
Later, Mario.'
    'Great,' said
Dillow as Mario signed off. 'My career as a pilot is over before it
has even begun.'
    'I wouldn't
throw in the towel just yet. It will take years before they send
ships back and forth to Mars without pilots. It may never happen at
all.'
    'It certainly
clarifies things for me, Craggy. I couldn't get to Earth even if I
wanted to, and pilots will be redundant before I'm fifty. I have to
get myself a job on Mars and sooner rather than later.'
    Cragg sighed.
'I think that sums it up. I'll be thinking of you as I clean
toilets on Moon.'
     

Chapter
17
     
    The uneasy
peace between East and West held with only minor skirmishes. As a
trade off for the food, the West had agreed to share medical
experience to fight the new diseases. It was a fragile coexistence
with