The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence.

On October 12, 2076, soldiers on six transport ships along with a command ship from Earth attack the Moon colony. The revolutionaries are caught by surprise because they are approached from a direction that Mike cannot monitor closely. The militias mobilize. Upon hearing the alarm, Manuel arms his family and then makes his way to a central area known as the Causeway. He sees a large group of soldiers making their way down a ramp toward them. He kills at least eight of them; eventually, all of the soldiers are killed.

During that day’s fighting, an estimated 2,000 soldiers and 6,000 Loonies are killed. Manuel notes that the highly trained soldiers from Earth were at a disadvantage on the Moon because they were not accustomed to the gravity on the Moon, which is one-sixth that of Earth. The Federated Nations took so long to retaliate because they had been planning the sneak attack.

After the battle, Manuel cannot get in contact with the Professor. With some militia members and the head of the armed forces, Finn, Manuel uses a laser gun to burn holes in one of the transport ships that had landed to flush out any soldiers within.