Changes

Lucas now suffers an attack of vertigo, and wakes up on a [[Skylab]] rescue vehicle. Shepherd is also present, as are the three-man crew who have rescued them. Shortly after they complete their trans-Earth injection burn, a [[thermonuclear]] detonation takes place in the Aitken Basin. The self-destruct sequence has run its course, and the base has blown itself off the face of the moon.

Lucas now suffers an attack of vertigo, and wakes up on a [[Skylab]] rescue vehicle. Shepherd is also present, as are the three-man crew who have rescued them. Shortly after they complete their trans-Earth injection burn, a [[thermonuclear]] detonation takes place in the Aitken Basin. The self-destruct sequence has run its course, and the base has blown itself off the face of the moon.

Upon their return to earth--and reunion with their grateful wives--each man must independently resolves a personal crisis. Shepherd's faith has suffered a challenging test, because he cannot explain the base in light of the Bible's implications that humans are the only intelligent people in the [[universe]]. But Lucas surprises Shepherd by announcing that he has become a Christian himself--and has realized that, by whatever mechanism (not time travel, but an incredibly realistic holographic simulation), Lucas has witnessed the [[Great Flood]] of [[Noah]]. He has even eaten at Noah's table, helped him finish his [[Noah's Ark|Ark]], and attended the death of none other than [[Methuselah]], Noah's grandfather. The base they found was built by human--and specifically [[Antediluvian civilization|antediluvian]]--hands.

Upon their return to earth--and reunion with their grateful wives--each man must independently resolve a personal crisis. Shepherd's faith has suffered a challenging test, because he cannot explain the base in light of the Bible's implications that humans are the only intelligent people in the [[universe]]. But Lucas surprises Shepherd by announcing that he has become a Christian himself--and has realized that, by whatever mechanism (not time travel, but an incredibly realistic holographic simulation), Lucas has witnessed the [[Great Flood]] of [[Noah]]. He has even eaten at Noah's table, helped him finish his [[Noah's Ark|Ark]], and attended the death of none other than [[Methuselah]], Noah's grandfather. The base they found was built by human--and specifically [[Antediluvian civilization|antediluvian]]--hands.

== Characters ==

== Characters ==