I left Gus and Felix hunched over the bottle of scotch discussing superconductivity and rail gun design. It was time for me to face the music and report to Commander Harding. What did I have to worry about, I don't work for him? The only people who report to Harding are the TAC planning team and the security stiffs. Everyone else that works in and around the base are here at the behest of their government, university, or corporate employer.
As a bot wrangler I worked for Sunnyside Properties, better known on Luna as SSP. Yeah, OK. It doesn't sound very spacey or high tech. It's a construction company, what do you expect.
However, every mission, every scientist, company, and employee stationed at Moon Base Alpha operates under the auspices of TAC, commanded by Colonel Thomas Harding. So, no matter who I work for I answer to Harding, boss of this part of the Moon.
The problem for me is that I don't currently work for anyone. That might be an issue. The moon is becoming a popular destination, but you can't be here without a reason, or a purpose, not to mention without funding.
This could be a first. Harding isn't an ass he's an understanding guy. The understanding we had when I left is that I was done on the moon. That probably means I'm not supposed to be back. What's the worst he can do, send my butt back to Earth? I can't let that happen, not without seeing Wanda. She's the reason I finagled my way back up here.
I should drive the rover directly to the Biology Quint and visit Wanda in the Aquaponics Dome before I get kicked off Luna, but I have a feeling that might not go over very well. Visiting her before working things out with Harding is probably not a good idea. I want to make the right impression. How would this look; Hey Wanda, it's me, I cry as I'm hauled away in handcuffs. Not a good way to renew our relationship.
I stared trancelike at the lunar landscape for a long while until a passing rover broke my gaze. Dang, I haven't driven anywhere yet! I pressed the pedal and steered the rover toward HQ.
Interesting story behind Sunnyside Properties. Sunnyside builds homes in Nevada. The old man, Chuck McDonald, he's passed now, but he was the owner. He was good friends with Robert Bigelow, of Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow is famous for making inflatable habitats for Mars and the Moon. Many of the early scientific missions in the late 2020's used Bigelow habitats. They're still here dotting the moonscape, a reminder of the hundreds of missions that landed and left behind what they brought. Once you land a habitat or a robotic mission on the Moon it ain't going anywhere, most are left for scroungers like Gus. Heck, with this hotel coming I could create a guided tour of old habitats like those tours of Hollywood movie stars homes. That's a money maker!
So anyway, Bigelow needed to partner with a construction company to create structures for long-term habitation. If there was going to be a colony or long-term base, he needed structures that could withstand the severe lunar environment.
Chuck's son, Charlie was a disappointment to the old man. The boy was into engineering and robotics. He wasn't interested in taking over the house building business. The story goes that one-day Bigelow was visiting the McDonald household and saw young Charlie racing his four-legged dog style robots across the Nevada desert and the answer to Bigelow's construction woes was solved in a flash of inspiration. With Bigelow's urging and investment Charlie began working with companies like Boston Dynamics and Audi to develop four-legged robot doggies with extra arms to lift, carry and place formed blocks for dome construction. A few years later SSP began construction operations on the Moon with Charlie in charge, and the rest as they say is history. If you skipped over the bit where I explained early dome construction, you might want to go back so you won't be confused. I hate skimmers.
Alright, no more delays, no more stories. I'm docked at HQ. Here goes nothing. My dreaded doom awaits.