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."

"Alright," Morgan replied with a nod. "Since you asked so nicely."

"Good," Rogers said as he padded Morgan on the shoulder. "Let's hit the mess and get some chow."

"We have work to do," Jordan said, hoping to show Morgan the lab before doing anything else.

"That can wait," Rogers said, brushing her off. "A hungry worker is an unproductive worker."

Since the pilot outranked the lieutenant, she had no choice but to accept his decision. Morgan followed Captain Rogers to the mess, which looked like any other standard military cafeteria and it was serving real food! With the artificial gravity in place, they cooked regular chow and served it on a platter. Morgan took his plate, filled it with food which consisted of some sort of casserole, some refried beans, steamed broccoli and a biscuit. They even gave him a can of soda to go with it and as Morgan followed Rogers to one of the tables, he still couldn't believe he was on the moon.

"I can't believe this place!" Morgan said, as he sat down and sampled some of his meal. "Even the food is pretty good!"

"I realize what we have up here is a bit surprising." Rogers said as he started to eat his own chow. "But we are getting a lot of good work done that will eventually benefit all nations. The technology we're using here will allow us to colonize further than the moon, possibly to other worlds."

"That's amazing," Morgan said as he thought about it. Without having to worry about gravity, they could potentially make entire cities on other planets and actually move beyond their own planet. The idea that they could do that sooner rather than later actually excited the scientist in him.

"So don't let all this secrecy get to you," Rogers continued, "We're still doing all the things NASA sent you up here to do in the first place. Just a little extra on the side that no one else needs to know about. Not yet at least."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Morgan asked.

"What you came up here to do." Rogers replied. "The mission hasn't changed. You were selected for a reason, Morgan. A man with your specific talents was needed up here for one reason or another so make the best of it and enjoy your time on this amazing off world base."

"That does sound pretty cool when you put it that way." Morgan admitted. "I'll do my best to make the most of my opportunity here."

"That's the spirit!" Rogers said with a smile. "The last thing I wanted was for you to spend your entire stay in the brig. Anyone who doesn't co-operate with the program also gets a trip to campX-Ray to make sure the secret doesn't leak to the media."

"Really?" Morgan said, stunned at the thought.

"I'm just kidding!" Rogers said as he slapped Morgan on the shoulder. "You really need to lighten up! Go do some work and try to forget about the secrets. Tee time is nine o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll come and get you when it's time to go."

"Thanks." Morgan said as he was still eating. As he watched Captain Rogers dump his tray with the kitchen staff and leave, he still couldn't believe that he was in the middle of a military mess hall on a secret base located under the lunar surface of the moon.

When he was finished lunch, he went back to the area where Jordan wanted to work with him. She was already in the lab and doing that day's tasks when he arrived. She took a moment to show him around the lab and what it featured and it was easier for the two of them to get their work done in that lab since it had gravity and they didn't have to worry about things floating away. He had lost track of time and had been working for hours on end when someone finally knocked on the door. Morgan looked up from what he was doing and could see a soldier staring at them.

"Can I help you?" he asked the young soldier.

"You're needed up stairs." The young man replied. "You and the crew are expected to make a broadcast to the planet, you know, from the upper portion of the station for media relations."

Morgan sighed and stretched. "I'll be back in a short while."

"Don't worry about it." Jordan said as she knew how important it was to keep appearances up on the upper portion of the lunar base. "Grab some dinner after you're done there and then get some sleep."

"You sure?" Morgan asked.

"I'm getting tired myself." She replied. "We can't work ourselves out too much and have to pace ourselves. We got a lot done today, and we'll get back to it tomorrow morning."

"You mean after I get back from golfing?" Morgan corrected.

"Yes." Jordan agreed with a sigh. "After you get back from golfing."

"You're going golfing tomorrow?" the kid asked. "That's so cool!"

Morgan let it pass and followed the kid up to where they would be making a broadcast to earth. He didn't want to participate in the hoodwinking of his own world but considering his options, it was in his best interests as well as his country's if he just played along. It might be something he would later regret but as Rogers said earlier he wanted to enjoy his stay and not be the kind of pain in the ass that spends his entire six month stay in the brig. He would go along with their little ruse as long as it didn't put him into an awkward position.