Chapter 2

I woke up with a start smacking my head on the overhead console of the rover, the alarm was beeping, filling the cabin.

"it was just a dream." I said to myself.

"Excuse me sir?" Alice said

"Nothing Alice, Im up what is it?" I asked shaking the images of the dream from my head.

"We are home sir." Alice said.

I looked out the canopy to see the sprawling moon base growing larger. Alpha Base, it was the size of a small city, it housed only 200 people though, the rest was taken up by machinery. It was the command center for all lunar operations. Here the refined ore was packaged and sent back to earth via a mag rail delivery system, it was also home to the only way off the moon with a series of platforms that contained several dozen shuttles capable of making the trip to and from the earth.

I watched as several large shuttles looked to be on approach.

"Alice is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"It depends sir, if you think it is the training crew for the mars mission, the answer would be yes." Alice Said.

"God damn." I said.

"Indeed sir." Alice said.

...

I sat behind my console staring at the screen, looking at it incredulously.

"I told you assholes I don't have the time or the man power for this PR horse shit." I yelled at the screen.

"Jake buddy you know ever since Nasa started taking private business as partners we have a responsibility to the stock holders of those companies." Johnathan said over the console.

"I don't give a flying horse fuck about the stock holders, we produce enough HE3 that we pay for ourselves 5 fold, hell we are the first fully self sustained station ever, if not for the parts we get from earth, and even that we could pay for out of the profits from the mining, hell once the manufacturing base is finished we wont even need that" I yelled

"Yes Jake thats true, but Nasa has other goals beyond just the moon, we have plans to go beyond just Mars, and Jake you know that we need the good PR, it helps everyone." Johnathan said.

"SO leave them at the international space station, what the hell do they even do over there? Here we work, real work, I have no time to train a new group of cadets." I said.

"Jake they are hardly cadets and you are a legend man. You have more time in space then any other human ever, you have been on the moon since the base was open, your a god damn hero, and so was Glory, its good for business to have the Mars crew attached to your name." Johnathan said.

I Looked at the screen frowning.

"Don't bring my wife into this damn it, Do you know how much work goes into making this base run Johnny? Do you? I don't have the time." I said.

"Thats my point Jake, that crew has several experienced miners, pilots, engineers and scientist, this is as much for their benefit as yours, PUT them to work for you, show them how to run a real space station. You have the experience they need to survive Jake, sure I could send them to the ISS and all they will learn is how to float in zero G, there with you they will learn how to survive and thrive." Johnathan said.

I sighed.

"Jake, these people will be on a 7 year mission, you are one of the few people alive who know what that might even begin to entail, remember when you first got to the moon, remember before all the other bases got built, that shit is something only you can show them and besides Jake you look like you can use a break, have you been sleeping?" Johnathan said leaning toward the screen to get a better look at me...

I shook my head.

"Im fine." I said.

He laughed.

"Like hell you look beat man, take the cadets use them to easy your load, besides they need you Jake, their survival depends on learning from the best." Johnathan said.

I sighed.

"You know me too well, fine Ill train the baby space cadets." I said growling.

"Hah, yeah I know, now you feel responsible for them, now you will train them." Johnathan said.

"Fine but I expect a nice training bonus for this." I said cutting the link.

I leaned back in my chair, I ran my hand through my hair sighing, wondering what else could go wrong today.

"Alice you hear all that?" I said out loud.

"Of course sir." Alice said back.

"How many again Alice?" I asked.

"22, all with appropriate training to be of assistance on the base, I have already separated them by specializations, I have drafted a list of temp assignments for them for your approval." Alice said.

"Your a life saver Alice, let me see." I said

On my console a list scrolled across.

"Oh good send the botanist to Shannon, let her deal with them, lets see engineers to the mobile platforms, good, good. Wait, why am I assigned the shrink?" I asked.