The next morning they all showed up early ready to start designing their new ship and preparing the application for potential colonists to fill out. As they walked through the parking garage towards the elevator discussing what they were each planning on doing that day, Stephan groaned as they came within sight of the elevator and saw one of the reporters from yesterday standing there waiting on them to show up. And, as they got closer and he noticed the guy's blanket and pillow sticking out the top of his nearby bag, Stephan walked up and told him, "Look man, sleeping in front of my elevator so you could catch me for an interview as soon as I showed up is a good way to find yourself cut short to just a two question interview and then kicked out the door. I'm not like some of my contemporaries that bask in the spotlights craving the publicity. I much more prefer to spend my time in the lab working on the next project. So go home, take a shower, and come back after lunch if you really want an interview."
"Oh! No sir!" the reporter blurted, "While I would welcome the chance to interview you further, I'm not here for one. I've been here since I submitted my article at work last yesterday because I want to be the first one in line when you start giving out applications so I can fill it out and get accepted before the line of folks wanting one starts looking like folks lining up for a Black Friday sale."
Holly laughed at him as she told him bluntly, "Dude! You obviously didn't pick up on how this is gonna work. We don't care how many applications we get. Hell, the more the merrier I say. These applications aren't going to be filling first come first serve spots. We're gonna go through each application and choose the best candidates regardless of if they were the first one or the last one to fill it out."
Feeling dejected, the reporter grabbed his back, apologized, and started to walk away but Stephan called out to him, "Hey! I saw yesterday you were genuinely eager to sign up and would probably thank me for a position mopping floors. So, like I said, go home, take a shower, and come back after lunch and I'll let you be the first one to get an in depth and exclusive interview as long as you don't do like the big guys were doing yesterday and try to portray us as click bait for some drama mag or gossip rag!"
The reporter perked up and eagerly agreed before hurrying off to his car.
As they all then got into the elevator and started their ride up to the floor of the labs, Dawn observed, "So that is one way to show how eager you are to be a part of the colony."
"Don't forget," Ranita laughingly added, "It's also a way to score the first exclusive interview with a company that has never before offered in depth interviews before."
They laughed and Dawn joked, "Next thing you know we're gonna start walking up on the female reporters all prettied and holding sleeping bags hoping to score a lunchtime interview."
Ranita started to laugh but suddenly gasped, turned to Stephan, and urgently told him, "Steph! I almost forgot! With every thing going on yesterday I didn't get a chance to clear it with you, but that Greg guy called and said you told him to call me and set up a lunchtime meeting at some random public restaurant. I told him you usually like to go to that mom and pop burger joint down the street and he said he to tell you he was going to be there at one thirty eating his luch but his lunch break would be over at two. I hope I didn't set you up for a meeting you were trying to avoid or something."
"No. No. No." Stephan answered, "Thank you for setting it up. I was supposed to tell you but got swamped with the press and never got a private moment to tell you after that."
"So you actually did want to meet with him this time? I thought you were getting tired of him always asking for a job because NASA using his stuff to fight for your patent had made him untouchable and all?" Rachel wondered.
"That, my dear," Stephan gleefully confided, "I what made him so touchable now. That device of his they were using to fight for my designs with never got patented by them. They made Greg patent it in his own name. So now they've pretty much shot their own selves in the foot and made it to where now he sets his own price during salary meetings instead of it usually being the other way around."
"Good for him, " Rachel giggled, "I always love hearing news of us working class guys flipping the tables on those ones that consider themselves an elite rich guy or gal that the world should bow down to."
A couple of hours later, after paying for his burger and turning to look for a table, Stepah spotted Greg and walked over towards him. Walking up he then asked him, "Hey there, man. You mind if I sit with you today?"
Acting nonchalantly, Greg waved at the seat and said, "Not at all. It does get kinda crowded in here during lunch sometimes, my man."
After sitting down, Stephan informed Greg, "Alright man. We can drop the act now. We came uo with a plan that would use NASA's nosiness against them while also letting me openly hire you."
Startled, Greg asked, "Huh? Did I miss something?"
"Well did you hear about this press release I did yesterday?" Stephan asked laughing, "I announced a plan to use my rockets as taxis to set up a colony on Mars that would grow and raise food for all of the other colonies and space stations and then ship it to them. Now I have the press falling over themselves trying to get scoops and inside information so I'm pretty sure all of those agencies that were asking me anything and everything are now trying to figure out how to get folks in on the game so they can steal whatever tech they can get their hands on."
Greg grimaced as he provided, "Yeah. I heard them talking this morning about getting the FBI to plant an agent or talking the CIA into letting them borrow some of their spy gear and all sorts of crazy stuff. But what does all of this have to do with me?"
Stephan gave an devilish grin as he told Greg, "It has everything to do with you because we aare going to use this against them and you, my friend, are going to get Angie to suggest they post an observer because of some mysterious rule they've probably still got on the books from way back in the day when they were worried about the Soviets putting a base on the moon during the Cold War. Then, when they come to me trying to force me to accept an observer, I'm going to tell them that I will only allow an observer that knows what quantum energy even is and understands how it works. At the same time, when they start talking about picking an observer, I want you to volunteer yourself as an observer that has a history with me and thus will have access to more information than a stranger would have. When they start pushing names at me I will then 'reluctantly' accept your name due to your device showing you had the knowledge I was demanding and we will be all set."
"But," Greg pled, "What am I supposed to do when they want reports on your top secret projects? I don't want to end up having to give away tech and info that you've worked so hard to develop."
Smiling, Stephan told him, "That is where we will be playing them against themselves. We will have set projects that you will be releasing information on that you will say I have assigned you to improving to earn you a place on the varsity team working on the next ship and the upcoming colony. Then, once we 'promote' you, you'll just have to tell them that we are working on further refining information you had already gave them when developing your device. That way, by the time they figure out that they had the answer in their hands, we will be so far ahead of them they won't even know how to get close to catching up."
"What if they then try to call me back to redesign a ship similar to yours" Stephan asked concerned.
"Well," Stephan grinned as he replied, "we're also gonna have them assign Angie with you so that we have an experienced piloting team for the next flight and so they would think they have an extra set of eyes on us."
"Would you really want to go with us and not Holly and Rachel like you did for the first test?" Greg asked concerned.
"That, my man," Stephan chuckled, "Is where the really secret stuff will be happening so I'm gonna need them spending more time on the new projects instead of doing the flights."
Frowning, Greg lamented, "I wish you would have let me work on the new stuff too, but I understand why not and I have to ask, am I expected to be more loyal to you or to my current employer? Cause I'd hate to have to decide on which secrets should remain secrets and which you're cool with me putting out there?
Stephan chuckled and set his mind at ease by holding his hand out as he said to settle Greg's mind, "The answer to that is simple, man. You're hired. Welcome to the job"