Chapter 2.
Two Days Previously.
She was Chief Medical Officer and there were times when Dr. Helena Russell put her personal life after, far after, what was expected from her professionally. This was not something unusual, even back on Earth when she found herself working long hours, multiple shifts, and she never looked at the clock while doing it. Her loyalty to duty was what nearly ruined her marriage to Lee and prevented her from finding another mate or husband after he was whisked away, the victim of an outer-space disaster.
Here on Moonbase Alpha, far away from Earth, motivation was an asset. Yet, she had to be careful. Too many on Alpha used drugs to keep them going for days at a time, only to have it end badly. And while Helena was not above using an occasional stimulant to give her an edge when double and sometimes triple shifts were necessary, she never relied on them. It was too easy to become addicted and no one needed a hopped-up medical department supervisor.
Dr. Mathias had reminded her for a second time that she was off duty and Helena got the distinct impression he wanted her to leave. She could not blame him. Too often Bob would be in the middle of something and she would interrupt. She did not do it on purpose but, as his superior, it was Mathias duty to listen to her when he would rather keep doing the task he had so diligently started.
"Thanks, Bob." Helena closed the file on her desk and stood. She scooped-up it and other papers and took them with her, "Have a good night." she said and walked from the medical unit.
In the hall, walking to her quarters, Helena felt over-come by trepidation. She felt as if she was being observed. She watched as other Alphans passed her with a friendly 'goodnight' or 'good morning'. None of them appeared on edge. 'Perhaps,' Helena thought, 'I've taken one stimulant too many.'
Helena stepped into her quarters, tossing the papers on the coffee table in her living area, and stripped out of her uniform. She slipped into her pajamas, started a small pot of coffee, and stretched, easing the tense muscles from her shoulders.
Kevin Carlson, a doctor on her staff, had presented and interesting proposal. He was a good man but his ideas about production in Medical Center were a little too bold. The resources required, while not quite crippling Alpha, might be better used for something more useful. Yet, if she could tone the request down, present it in a way the Commander might find palatable, Kevin could find himself the head of a new project to better moral on the moonbase.
Helena sat on the sofa and placed the steaming cup on the table. She again lifted the presentation and began to read, check marking, in red ink, the ideas she liked and making notes on those she thought might need work.
When the door opened to her quarters Helena was genuinely stunned to see Commander Koenig standing and staring at her. "I would like to talk with you." he said, walking boldly in and sitting in a chair next to the sofa.
Helena could only stare, so surprised by his appearance. He did not even ring her first to see if it was alright to enter. That was not like Commander Koenig, usually a considerate man, and Helena thought whatever it was he wanted must be very important. "What is it, John?"
He gazed at her for awhile, not speaking.
Helena suddenly felt a little nervous, nearly like she had while out in the hall, and she wondered what on Earth, or the moon, was going on. Was she showing signs of a nervous disorder?
"Are you lonely, Helena?" he asked, an odd smile on his full lips.
"Lonely?" Helena sat up a bit stiffly, curious about the question. "Hardly lonely, John. We are all too busy." She noted his expression was a little pensive, "Is something wrong?"
He looked down at the paperwork before her. "You know what they say. A man and a woman work too hard, do not allow for release, it's bound to make him and her ... ineffectual."
'An odd word.' Helena thought but, with humor, said, "Have you been receiving complaints about my effectiveness, John?"
"Not at all." Again, he merely stared at her.
Helena, suddenly feeling as if he was making fun of her, sighed and stood. "John, what is this all about?"
"You don't know? Really?"
"It's late. Please stop talking in riddles." She did not mean to sound annoyed but Helena was growing tired and hoped to get through Carlson's proposal before bed. She then sighed and lifted a hand in apology, "I'm sorry, John. It's been a long day."
"I know." He now also stood and, moving behind her, lifted hands to gently massage her tense shoulders.
Helena was once again surprised by his familiarity but had to admit that his fingers were wonderful, relaxing her. She closed her eyes and gently rocked her head back and forth. "That is nice."
"I am here to serve." he said in a voice that was not quite his own.
Helena's eyes opened and she tensed a little when she sensed him moving-in behind her, pressing his body against hers. He then moved her hair and kissed Helena's neck. "John ..." She moved away, uncomfortable.
His voice was low and deceptively gentle, "I think we've known one another long enough, Helena. We are fond of one another and know what we need. Why not just do what we both desire?"
"But John ..."
"I want you." he said, abruptly, "We are only human, after all."
But as he said this, as she looked into his eyes, there was something decidedly inhuman about John Koenig. She saw it only briefly and misinterpreted it as lust. He wasn't talking about tenderness or love but an act of raw passion between members of the opposite sex. And, if John thought he knew her, he was wrong. Helena was a modern woman but in some respects she was quaint and old-fashioned. Intimacy without more than mere attraction was not for her.
Perhaps in time things might change between them. There were moments when they looked at one another and she felt a connected to the Commander she was certain no other felt. But basing sex on fleeting glimpses of a life they might one day share was not yet, for Helena, a reason to jump into bed with the man.
"Maybe one day, John." she said, "But not now. I'm not ready."
"So, you are denying me?"
Again, she was shocked. "W.. what?"
"I am the Commander of this moonbase." He stepped forward, "Its leader. Its master. If I make a choice the recipient should be and will be proud to be among the selected."
'Among the selected?' Helena's eyes widened. She had known this man for six months and cared for him. Perhaps she cared for him more than she should. Yet, never had she heard such drivel part his lips. "That is not funny, John." she said, a scold in her tone.
"No. it's not." He stared at her for a moment more than quickly turned around and exited Helena's quarters.
She was left feeling ill at ease and affronted. But then a softer side of Helena began to wonder if John was ill. Perhaps all these months as Alpha's Commander had taken its toll on him. John Koenig could be having a breakdown and was, ill and groping, reaching out to her. Instead of seeing that likely scenario she had dismissed him as a rude, wanton male. 'I am a fool." Helena thought and vowed to talk with John tomorrow.
He watched her. She was not aware of it but he watched her and he would make his move tonight.
