The retelling of America's first orbiting Soda research and development lab -- 2075!

Preface

Following the deregulation of civilian space travel to the Earth's Moon, the United States government opened an opportunity to companies to compete for lunar franchises on the sublunarterranian-urban and surface-suburban Lunar communities. Any company that wanted to sell products and services were given one year to prepare bids for exclusive distribution rights on the Moon. One condition for the companies was that they had to be able to make whatever they wanted to sell in orbit of the Moon or the Earth. Many different companies immediately jettisoned space-stations from the earth to begin developing their products. One company, Sola-Cola, had previously sent a station into Earth-orbit for the purpose of making a cola product without the permission of the Federal Space-Produce Commission. For the last year they had tried without success to create a cola product who's taste and carbonation would survive reentry. The owner of Sola-Cola, unfortunately, was more interested in just having a space station than having a product on the shelves. On his orders, six young beverage pioneers embarked on a mission of which they did not fully comprehend. The story which is about to unfold is about these five wayward young pioneers, and one dreamer, who were brave enough to make a cola product that would save not only the Earth and the Moon, but the entire human race.

Cory's Deposition

When I think back to my six years on the station, I often wonder how I ever got onto that ship in the first place. The company was looking for a young, energetic, man with a degree in physics and, or, astronomy; I told them that I had both. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why they never verified that - maybe they didn't care. Maybe someone thought that if I was dumb enough to apply for that job, I was dumb enough to be an astronaut.

"I want to serve the planet." I wrote that on my application. I thought it was for the position of "Diet and Caffeine Free Cola Distribution". I thought I was gonna deliver soda to women's colleges up and down the atlantic coast. What better way to meet young, lonely girls than by refilling their soda machines with their dietary delights? How did space travel come into it?

Upon receiving my orders from Sola-Cola to be in Florida on the 17th of June, I became a blithering idiot. They want me to be in space? I kissed my painting of Andy Kaufman, tucked two dollars and a train ticket into my jacket, and left the door to my apartment unlocked.

I was not coming back.

I should have brought the painting.