I shook my head no. I wrote them all&hellip, Ive been thinking about you for ages, baby girl. He moved his hand between his legs and adjusted himself....I was mesmerized. You wrote those stories&hellip,. About me? I asked totally stunned. He nodded, taking my hand in his, But they were marked Real Story. He chuckled again. Well&hellip, I had been looking for the right moment, but I had intended them to be true someday. I couldnt believe that this was happening. Blinking, I was trying to process. What a jerk I am, I thought.I went down stairs with my face still red and saw my mother setting the table."I'll do that," I said with a sheepish smile."Thanks," she answered with her own smile. "Were you able to fix the sink?" Yeah. It was just a washer. I also fixed the light switch. It was sticking." Thank you again, sweetie. I don't know what I would do with all the things that need fixing around here."I smiled and began to set the table. We ate and talked about the visit to the attorney's. We have loaded consumables sufficient for a six month stay with up to a two-month contingency reserve. And finally, we have a ship just as capable already in orbit to assist if there is any sort of emergency. We planned this to be as safe of a mission as possible.”“But your astronauts will be exposed to a truly hostile environment,” he said. He held a note card in his hand. “The days on Mars could reach a temperature of ninety degrees Fahrenheit, and then plummet to a hundred and thirty-five. Jase had another tiny fire going and coffee heating before first light. After a meal of hardtack, beef jerky, and coffee, he saddled Claus' horse and tied him face down over the saddle. Then he saddled his own horse, arranged the pack saddle on Brax, and rode out toward Columbus. Once he arrived, Jase once more had to go through the telling of how he ended up with a dead body in tow while the undertaker removed the body.Nobody seemed to know the deceased. It was assumed the dead man was a.