Lunar One

Chapter 4: Getting Settled In

     It took Morgan less than an hour to unpack and after that he was eager to take a tour of the much bigger space station, the house that NASA and the military built together. Lt. Jordan was more than willing to give him the guided tour, showing him around and pointing out what projects going on that could not only benefit people on earth but further NASA's goal of space exploration. Morgan was very impressed with the advances the base had. Just the invention of artificial gravity was a huge hurdle, as it meant that people could live in space for longer amounts of time without having to worry about their health being affected in any way. It would open the door for long term space exploration and maybe even the colonization of other planets, like Mars.

     The part Morgan wasn't very fond of was the secrecy of what was really happening on Lunar One. Everyone on Earth was left with the impression that it was a simple scientific space station, much like the one that orbited the earth for over a decade before being decommissioned. It was far from that. It was a gross violation of the many space treaties that had been signed through the United Nations, and even the commander of the base knew it. Only pre-approved photos were allowed to beam back to the planet, and video was prohibited unless it was staged in a certain part of the station to continue leading people to believe how small the station wasn't. Morgan didn't like what he saw, but he was cornered. He was bewildered at first when he was asked to sign so many non-disclosure agreements, but it was a much clearer to him now. Everyone at Andrews were well aware of what was going on up here, and they moved mountains to keep it hush hush. Morgan was standing near a window that had an amazing view of earth. While he was watching it, he asked a question without looking at Lt. Jordan.

     "Does the President even know the truth about this place?" he asked.

     "I'm sorry?" Jordan replied.

     "The President," Morgan answered. "She is your commander in chief. Shouldn't she of all people be made aware of a military installation on the lunar surface of the moon?"

     "I'm not sure," She honestly answered. "I'll inquire or you."

     "Not that I blame the department of defense for being cautious." Morgan carried on. "The government doesn't exactly have a good track record for keeping secrets."

     "I guess not," Jordan agreed. "If she doesn't know, you have to admit giving her deniability would help calm things down should we ever be discovered by anyone."

     "I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet." Morgan confessed. "Aren't you guys worried that someone with a high powered telescope is going to notice something odd about the size of this place?"

     "Not really." Jordan answered. "Most of it is underground. The only part we allow to be viewed on the surface is the small station we want people to think is up here. No more than seven people are allowed outside at a time as well. We're strict about that one too."

     "Makes sense. I bet other nations are no doubt doing a head count since no one except Americans are allowed up here." Morgan said as he couldn't believe he didn't see the signs. "How long do you honestly think this is going to remain a secret from the rest of the world?"

     "For as long as possible," A voice called back from the door. Morgan turned around to see that it was Rogers. He was out of his space suit and seemed right at home on the station "Try to get over it so we can have some fun around here."

     "Fun?" Jordan repeated with a scowl on her face.

     "We plan to do a little golfing tomorrow." Rogers said with a smile. "I strongly suggest you remove that pickle from your ass Morgan, or we'll leave you here at tee time."