This is the voice of the Mysterons; we know that you can hear us, Earthmen. We have no quarrel with the Moon, and we accept their offer of friendship; but we will continue to take out revenge against the Earth. We will be avenged.

The Moon declares itself an independent world from Earth, and refuses to take sides in the War of Nerves. The Lunar Controller claims he has made contact with the Mysterons and made peace with them. Colonel White is desperate to know how he has done so (or if he has lied), and dispatches Captains Scarlet and Blue and Lieutenant Green visit one of the Moon's colonies, Lunarville 7.

The Lunar Controller's PA, Orson, greets them and gives them special discs that they must carry that identifies them to the central computer, SID. The Lunar Controller himself meets with the agents, and is fiercely proud of the Moon's new, independent status, to the point of hostility. Scarlet delivers a letter from the World President, and while he is conducting his response, they are then taken outside in a Moon-mobile¹ by Orson. Captain Scarlet expresses an interest in seeing the Humbold Sea, but Orson refuses adamantly to take them there.

Later on, in their quarters, Scarlet discovers a bug, but soon puts it out of action. Blue and Green get some rest, while Scarlet tries to commendeer a Moon-mobile, only to find that the Lunar Controller has declared an emergency and evacuated Lunarville 7, disabling most of the access functions of their ID discs. The trio proceed to steal a Moon-mobile anyway and make their way to the Humbold Sea.

At the Humbold Sea, Green discover a strange light coming from Crater 101. Upon further investigation, they discover a Mysteron Complex like the one on Mars under construction.

Back at Lunarville 7, the Lunar Controller and Orson discover that the Spectrum agents have gone missing, minutes before they return. The Lunar Contr oller reveals himself to be a Mysteron, and Captain Scarlet, realising that a diplomatic solution is not possible, orders SID to prepare a lunar rocket. The Lunar Controller tries to countermand the order, but Scarlet reveals that he switched his recognition disc with the Lunar Controller, so that SID would accept his order to release the Moon-mobile. SID now cannot recognise or take orders from the Lunar Controller, who destroys Lunarville 7 in a fit of rage.

The storyline continues in 'Crater 101'.

1 Surely the most ridiculous and inefficient vehicle ever built? Even on the moon, the phase between landing and taking off must use up much more energy than a wheeled or tracked vehicle would.

Points of interest:

• The Lunar Controller states that people first visited on the Moon in the 1970s.
• SID gives the external temperature on the Moon as '2°C, 35.6°F, 275.16K'. This seems somewhat unlikely: given the lack of an atmosphere, the temperature swings quite violently from +123°C during the day to -153°C at night. There would be a brief period, at sunrise or sunset where SID's statement is true; however, given that Orson specifically mentions the Earth-light being a bother for sleeping, it appears to be night at Lunarville 7.
• Orson states there is no natural water on the Moon. Despite several urban myths to the contrary, it has still not been conclusively established whether or not there is water (in the form of ice lakes) on the Moon.
• During their second excursion in the Moon-mobile, Scarlet and Green's seat harnesses switch over - at first, Scarlet's harness in white, and Green's red; but when they reach the Humbold Sea, Scarlet's is red and Green's is white!

Reviewer's Rating: /5

Perhaps I've done this all wrong. I should have written all of these, in this format, years ago. Before NCS, certainly.