The first glance offered a familiar vista, the view of Earth from far enough away to see the clear outline of the planet's shape, and through the wispy cloud masses, the major continents. Closer still, the second glance broke through the clouds, bringing the landmasses of Western Europe and North America into focus, the blue of the Atlantic Ocean influencing the whole. The third glance offered a choice of either continent, and the fourth led you down a path until you could see a set of common sights one would find in England or America. At the end of the path, having followed the visit to America, John Koenig, commander of Moonbase Alpha, looked behind him at the members of his crew enjoying the same exhibit, and wondered if their experience would be anything like his. Admittedly, this was only a gallery full of paintings, but on some level, the artist had captured the feelings of visiting Earth as it was experienced by passing through the atmosphere in an Eagle or other transport ship, and something in Koenig remembered when that experience had been real, and not something captured by an artist. The distance from home seemed shorter for a moment, and then, if anything, seemed to grow even longer.

"Powerful stuff," Professor Victor Bergman, Alpha's chief scientist, said to Koenig, having finished both the Canadian and the English paths. "I'm thinking this ought to be a permanent exhibit."

"Just so long as it doesn't drive us all crazy," Koenig said. "It's like showing water to a man in a desert."

Physically, they couldn't be more different. Koenig was tall and intense, with signs of a former athlete in him, and his eyes, never resting too long on any given subject, showed an impatience that made him ideally suited for commanding Moonbase Alpha -- he would absorb the information he needed quickly, and then issue his orders, right or wrong, with great speed. Victor Bergman's frame was slight, tufts of hair on either side of his head framing one of the finest minds on Alpha. Koenig and Dr. Helena Russell, the chief medical officer of Moonbase Alpha, sometimes quietly joked between them that Victor Bergman had been designed in an "uncle factory", he so personified the slightly unkempt and yet curiously self-confident demeanor of the typical bachelor uncle.

"It's almost unfair," Bergman said. "A few hundred of us get to enjoy all of the workings of an artist who used to be enjoyed by millions."

"Unfair to them, maybe. But not unfair to us," Koenig said. "I figure having access to the works of Ken Lucas is one of about five perks the universe has given to this base."

If anything, Koenig had expressed an understatement. Alpha's survival to this point was nearly miraculous, given all they'd faced since leaving Earth. It was strangely humbling, living in such a precarious state, when it wasn't so long ago that Alpha was filled with Earth's most confident space explorers, each of them convinced they were taking part in some epic adventure, but certain they were up to the task. That confidence had indeed been shaken since the Moon had left its traditional orbit. Their situation was stable, and for that, Koenig thanked the skills and determination of his crew. But that stability was neither permanent nor predictable. It could end so easily, and so quickly.

"Five perks, eh?" Bergman said, smiling. "The other four being?"

"A several year supply of peanut butter."

"You're welcome to that one all to yourself," Bergman said.

"We're alive, Victor," Koenig said. "We probably shouldn't be. I guess it's all gravy, when you come down to it. And even if we can't really get to Earth, we at least have our imaginations." He motioned toward the paintings. "We can imagine we're anywhere, I suppose. Even home."

A chime at Koenig's belt caught his attention, and he pulled his commlock, the Alphan combined security key/communications console device, from his belt, looking into the small combination view screen/camera. The face of Paul Morrow, second in command of Moonbase Alpha, appeared on the screen.

"Yes, Paul," Koenig said.

"Commander, we're coming up on an asteroid," Morrow said.

"We're getting some strange readings from it."

"Like what?" Koenig asked.

The view screen switched to the base's computer expert, David Kano. "Commander, Computer seems to think there's an atmosphere inside the asteroid."

"Did he say inside?" Bergman said, turning to focus on the displayscreen on Koenig's commlock.

"Yes, Commander," Kano said.

The view screen switched to Paul Morrow. "We're going to pass by pretty closely, Commander. Certainly worth a trip to check it out."

"All right, Paul," Koenig said. "We'll be right up. Tell Alan to get an Eagle ready."