Space Case

“Because I don’t see any point in keeping it a secret anymore.”

When Dash overhears Dr. Holtz’s conversation about revealing a big secret, it launches the most important conflict of the book: Dash believes Dr. Holtz was murdered for his secret, and no one else wants to investigate. By directly hearing the conversation, Dash becomes an important witness, which helps invest him in the process of uncovering what happened to Dr. Holtz.

“Dr. Holtz would never do anything that risky.”

Though he is only 12, Dash Gibson has a strong perspective on the characteristics of the different people he knows. Dash’s assertion to his parents that Dr. Holtz wouldn’t have taken a risk by leaving the lunar air lock reflects Dash’s confidence in his own analysis of people’s personalities. This skill comes in handy as Dash narrows down his list of subjects by gathering data about possible motivations on the part of the other adults on the base.

“Once again Mom and Dad shared a look. This one was considerably more concerned. Although I couldn’t tell whether they were more worried about me or about something else.”

Over the course of the novel, Dash’s parents consistently express concern for him. However, part of their concern manifests in them sometimes keeping some secrets from Dash. His parents’ resistance to telling him everything they know or are thinking ends up sparking more curiosity for Dash, who is only more motivated to investigate as a result.

“But sometimes that brain of yours works a little too hard to see patterns where there might not be any.”

When Dash’s father suggest that Dash is making connections “where there might not be any,” Dash is disappointed, as he is very convinced that something bad happened to Dr. Holtz. As the novel’s plot unfolds, it becomes clear that Dash’s ability to “see patterns” is one of his greatest assets, and when his parents acknowledge that, everyone benefits. While there is some resolution of this conflict between Dash and his parents, Dash also chooses to keep a larger secret from his parents in the conclusion of the novel, perhaps showing that he has learned to separate from them to some extent.

“The virtual world is so overstimulating that sometimes real life feels strangely unnatural afterward.”

Gibbs inserts some commentary about the dangers of virtual reality via Roddy’s character. Roddy is plugged in almost constantly to the Veeyar System, and Dash observes how “overstimulating” the virtual world is. To Dash, and likely Gibbs by extension, virtual reality can be a double-edged sword: It is fun and exciting but can also cause real life to be “strangely unnatural afterward.”

“The residents of MBA have all been carefully selected for friendliness and compatibility, and thus there ought to be a minimum of conflict—if there are even any conflicts at all!”

This excerpt from the NASA guide for residents on the base serves as a sharp foreshadowing regarding the conflicts that Dash will experience. While it is true that on the surface most of the residents appear friendly, there is an obvious lack of “compatibility”, and Dash gets into some significant interpersonal conflicts with other residents.

“What I was really disturbed by was the fact that Nina had just told me there weren’t any cameras in the bathrooms.”

While Dash has had suspicions about adults lying to him or keeping information from him, Nina’s direct lie about the cameras in the bathroom is the first explicit evidence he has of adults actively keeping something secret. This discovery leads Dash to set out on his own without talking to adults about his plan, subverting authority and eventually solving the murder case.

“In the unlikely event that an Odyssey Raptor 12 is not available for lunar travel, you may be asked to transit to MBA on a Soviet Gagarin-class rocket via the launchpad in Vladivostok, Russia.”

This is the first footnote included in the resident handbook excerpts, and it changes the tone of the text dramatically. Up until this point, the excerpts read with a hyper-positivity that is only contradicted by Dash’s experience. With this footnote, it starts to become clear that even NASA doesn’t have the resources to make Moon Base Alpha as idyllic as it had originally intended. This footnote fits into the theme of Influences That Lead to Corruption, prompting readers to watch for more subtle evidence that the adults in Dash’s life are not necessarily all acting in his best interests.

“Maybe I couldn’t make the moon base itself better, but I could certainly try to make life there more bearable for Kira.”

A mark of Dash’s growing maturity is his budding ability to practice empathy. Dash is able to recognize feelings in Kira that he once experienced himself, and he chooses to do what he can to alleviate those concerns. This moment also relates to the theme of Finding Creative Solutions to Problems: Dash recognizes what he cannot change, so he focuses on what he is able to affect.

“I represent the second: I try to savor every last molecule.”

Many of Dash’s characteristics run counter to stereotypes about adolescents. Rather than being rushed or impulsive, Dash is thoughtful and takes his time to form ideas. This tendency is reflected in his behavior in regards to special food: Rather than rushing and wasting the experience, he “savor[s]” his meal in order to make it last as long as possible.

“You see, Patton and Lily are virtually the only pure white people my age I’ve ever met.”

An interesting facet of Gibbs’s portrayal of the future is his description of the racially and ethnically diverse set of characters. The Sjobergs are the only “pure white people” not only on the base but also in Dash’s broader experience. The novel is set in 2040, and while Gibbs’s prediction may not entirely come true, there are scientific predictions that most people will have mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds in the near future.

“If Nina had been eavesdropping on us, that would explain how she’d known about my suspicions.”

As Dash realizes the ways that constant surveillance negatively impacts his life, he begins to be more guarded about what he shares out loud or on video. This awareness relates to the symbol of the communication links, which rather than aiding communication, undermine it. Such monitoring is an intense aspect of life on Moon Base Alpha, and it has an impact on Dash’s psychology, as he has to navigate the possibility that anyone could be listening to him at almost any point.

“You have no idea what you’ll really miss until you get here.”

Committing three years of life to living on a lunar base is difficult to comprehend as a young adolescent. When Dash’s family chose to go to the moon, he was not even a pre-teen, and he will not leave Moon Base Alpha until he is a teenager. This lifestyle change is a complex scenario to imagine, and Dash’s private reflections on what he misses help illustrate the impact on his psyche.

“Who can keep track of what a twelve-year-old girl likes and doesn’t like?”

Kira’s father is portrayed as being highly intellectual but distracted. He often seems to be ignoring his daughter, going as far as saying that he’s not sure if she’s a vegetarian or not. Her father’s inattentiveness sets Kira up to easily help with the investigation but also seems to cause some difficult emotions for her. For example, it seems linked to Kira’s interest in trespassing into areas that are marked as out of bounds.

“The full transcript of his statement is: ‘I am being murdered. Earth killed me. Find my phone. Tell my family I love them.’”

Kira and Dash discover Dr. Holtz signing his last words, which is the title of this chapter. In this scene, the computer misinterprets the meaning of the hand signs, reading “Earth” instead of the name “Garth.” At this point, Dash is still learning to question everything around him, including the computers. Dr. Holtz’s specific last words are all highly important, because they provide the information that Kira and Dash need to find both the evidence of Garth’s involvement and, eventually, the direct quote from Dr. Holtz that Garth was responsible.

“So NASA isn’t going to look into any of that?”

Over the course of the investigation, Dash grows more and more disillusioned with the larger systems governing his life on the moon. Learning about the Influences That Lead to Corruption is an important part of his coming-of-age process. As he learns about the complex economic and political influences on what information is revealed and what is hidden, Dash becomes more determined to solve the murder and take that information public.

“Which would mean the killer would have access to the security system.”

While this revelation, at first, leads Dash and Kira to investigate the possibility of Nina having murdered Dr. Holtz, it is actually one of the most important clues toward discovering Garth’s actions. Access to the security system is very limited on the base, and Garth is one of the only other people who is able to use it. Dash holds this detail in his head as he works to uncover more clues that will help him finally solve the mystery.

“Even though I’d been threatened, I didn’t want to go back to my boring old routine.”

One of Dash’s most important turning points is discovering that, through his efforts to solve the murder, life on the moon base is becoming more engaging. His confidence and courage in his mystery-solving helps him create a stronger identity for himself and sets the stage for future novels in the series. Finding Creative Solutions to Problems is key in this transformation, as Dash not only has great energy for doing so but also gains energy from such work.

“This session isn’t about me! It’s about you.”

Dash is able to cleverly manipulate Dr. Marquez into oversharing confidential information about the Sjobergs and Garth. When Dr. Marquez realizes what has been happening, he is irritated at being outsmarted by an adolescent and immediately redirects the session. However, Dash has already learned enough to launch him forward in his investigation.

“I once overheard Dr. Holtz telling Nina he didn’t think Mr. Grisan could be trusted.”

Once again, Dash receives a clue warning him about Garth that he files away without dwelling on too much. These clues serve as important foreshadowing to the reader, though Dash is still unaware of how they will connect. Gibbs places these warnings throughout the text in keeping with common mystery tropes in which the author provides just enough detail to allow a reader to possibly solve the murder even if the protagonist hasn’t put it together yet.

“Someday, when humans are traveling to other galaxies, they’re going to look back at us and be thankful for the first steps we took for them.”

Kira’s impassioned argument, directed at Roddy, about the meaning of the moon base drives home a key underlying message in the novel. Kira talks about the significance of taking this first step toward broader space travel, even as Roddy expresses a much more cynical view given how miserable he finds things now. Gibbs includes this scene near the conclusion of the novel, lifting up an undercurrent of the story: Space travel, as long as it doesn’t have intended violent or militaristic aims, can be an important next step for humanity. This messages ties directly into the theme of Finding Creative Solutions to Problems, which is an inextricable part of advancing humanity’s exploration of the universe.

“Exploring a real place was far better than any simulation the computers could cook up.”

One point of tension throughout the novel has to do with the effectiveness and utility of increasingly intelligent computers. Dash’s feeling that simulated realities aren’t as good as the real thing remains consistent over the course of the plot and seems to reflect the author’s point of view. This perception parallels a general sense that genuine connection and honest communication, versus surface-level closeness and manipulated messages, are superior.

“Can you imagine what would happen if humans learned that there really are other intelligent life forms out there?”

Many of the characters in the novel have a somewhat pessimistic view of humanity. In this particular statement, as Garth argues with Dr. Holtz, Garth insists that humans would panic if they found out about other life in space. Garth’s belief is an interesting juxtaposition to Dash’s relationship with Zan Perfonic, which seems likely to continue to be peaceful and productive even after Dash learns that she is not human.