/ Duel Universe

/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma

/ Ch 11: Leaving the Solar System

/ word count: 2070

The colonists of Mars weren't happy about leaving their cherished work of being the first colonists of Mars, but there was no going back, and no way they could stay on the red planet without resources from home. The remainder of the human race, and all the animals that could be safely transported, are now going to head out among the stars in search of a new home. It has taken us nearly five months just to reach the edge of the solar system from Mars. A lack of readily available star drive or light speed engines is going to make this a really slow trip. Thanks to the deep sleep chambers the Mars expedition used, a prototype of the Hypersleep containers was in functional condition within a month's time, about 2/3 of the survivors had chosen to enter hypersleep by the time we reached Pluto's orbit. All ships are now being run and maintained by two to three shifts of skeleton crews, depending on the size of the ship. A rotation schedule was set in place for people to get on and off the Oceanica, for a change of scenery and makeshift beach vacation.

The Baddeck:

"Hey Captain!" A sing song southern bells voice called out.

"Yes Lieutenant Commander, what is it?" I asked.

Shelly walked up holding a couple cups of coffee in her hands.

"How about a pick me up just before bed?" She asked with a sly look in her eyes.

I sighed. "Come on Carson, you know I don't drink coffee this late in the day. It's almost time for my shift to end." I stated.

She gave an exaggerated look. "How much does a lady have to show ya' interest before ya' get a hint?" She asked.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but a woman showing me interest isn't the problem, it's rare in fact, but it isn't a problem. It's a woman who gives off the vibe that she's too ready to have sex at the drop of a hat with anyone or anything no matter the consequences." I explained.

She looked at me with no small amount of rage. "Ya' think that I'm just some dumb slut that will spread my legs for just anyone!?" Her words were quiet, almost a whisper. "Ya' think I'm so shallow that I'd take the first thin' I see and just take it into myself!?" Her body began to shake and she had to put the cups down before she dropped them.

"What I think is irrelevant, but ever since I first met you, you've done nothing but make other people your playthings. Going so far as to use your body as a simple tool to gain something you want. You may be a nice catch to the eye, but you just don't give off the right kind of feelings." I looked her in the eye without any emotion. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop trying to get in my bed."

Shelly stopped talking, almost stopped breathing, her eyes were unfocused and distant.

"I..I.." She stammered.

"Head to bed Carson. That's an order." I ordered.

Shelly's eyes began to focus a bit, gritting her teeth. She grabbed the coffee cups, turned, and threw them into a trash bin, letting the liquid slosh and splash onto the floor. She stomped her feet on her way off the bridge.

I watched her go, then sighed. "What a waste of coffee. She could have just left it to the next shift."

Turning back to the view screen of the star field outside, I wondered if I may have just gone a bit too far. From the corner of my vision, I watched some of the other officers give me strange looks and were whispering to themselves.

Sighing again, I stood and turned to leave. "Ensign Raven, you have the Con. I'm turning in early. When the next shift arrives, have them check in with the Washington about any course corrections we need to make."

"Aye..sir." Came the hesitant reply.

She's a good officer, she may even gain a command of her own one day.

Yawning, and stepping back to the captain's cabin, I noticed the door was cracked open a bit. Since there weren't that many people awake, or not in hypersleep, right now, then the only individual that would be in my cabin is.., I opened the door. "Hello Shelly."

She turned to me with tears in her eyes, then looked down again. "Hi Captain."

"Is this another attempt to get me to take you to bed, because that's really getting old." I said.

"No, there's no point in tryin' to do anythin' like that. I know ye'r just not into a person like me. So I guess, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for how I been actin'." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "And that.. I'm not goin' to be a bother to ya' after today. I..respectively ask for a transfer to the Washington. There, I'll ask to be put into a military personnel hypersleep container so I won't bother y'all for awhile."

"Request denied." I deadpanned.

She looked at me with more surprise in her eyes than I thought possible. Her face seemed to contort with hate and despair at what I just told her.

"But..why!? Don't ya' want me gone!? Don't ya' want me to just leave ya' alone!? Why would ya' want to keep me around!?" She got up, shoving me against the door and beating against my chest weakly. "What's wrong with ya'!? What's wrong with me!? Why am I always like this!? Why can't I just do thin's right!? Why…!!!" Her words were cut off

Her eyes wide with shock and surprise because even she couldn't understand why I was kissing her. I held her close, wrapping my arms protectively around her shoulders, and keeping her from pulling away, my lips were pressed firmly against hers. She resisted for just a moment, then her body just couldn't fight nor move in how she desired. I wouldn't stop the kiss for several moments, eventually her lips parted and we really let the passion flow.

When we finally parted, she was breathing heavily against my chest, my head was resting on top of hers.

"Why?" She said with a shaky voice. "Why would ya' do this now? I thought ya' didn't like me that way." She questioned.

"It's not whether I liked you or not, hell I may have even hated you for a time." I answered.

"Then why!?" She pushed back and looked me in the eye.

"It's because you try too hard. Something about it just turns me off for some reason." I explained. "And you cannot fathom just how much I've wanted to hold your body against mine."

The look she gave me was filled with questions.

"There were times, I wished I was a shallow man, to just snatch you up and hide you in a hole and keep you all to myself. A little plaything to do all manner of things to." I punctuated my point by letting my hand slide down her back and suddenly pulling her body against me, chest to chest.

She looked at me with wonder and amusement on her face. "So, ya' just wanted me all to ye'rself?" She asked playfully.

"Any man that would have been lucky enough to get your attention would want you all to themselves. I just couldn't let myself go like that. Because if I did, I wouldn't be the man I am today and I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror." Then I looked away from her, loosening my hold. "And, as an individual who has to keep not only myself in check, but the rest of my crew and help the remainder of our species together as a whole, I have to restrain myself from any such pleasures."

"What? But why?" She questioned.

"We are without a home, without the abundant replenishing resources of a planet. If people can't keep themselves in check, we'd have a massacre long before we ever reach a potential new home!"

She looked at me questioningly.

"Even you should be able to see the problem," I stepped back and gestured, "if even 1/4 of the remaining populace were to get pregnant, and started having 'space babies' before we have access to an abundance of renewable resources. We'd run out of food, water, and many other things before the children reach their fifth year of age. We'd have to start doing the unthinkable and killing people, or even worse, the children just to survive."

There was a thoughtful look on her face, and the dawning realization of just what I was getting at. "We may have as well not even bothered with puttin' anyone in hypersleep."

"Exactly. Doctors and scientists are working on a way to reduce the chances of anyone getting pregnant, maybe even being able to shut down the reproductive facilities of the body, but even if they should succeed, that shouldn't be an open invitation for an all out orgy marathon, or sex fest."

Back in the crews quarters, Lee and Jackson were sleeping in the same bunk together. They've been doing this ever since their feelings were confessed and that Lee's parents had already approved their relationship. "Make grandbabies!!" Was all the mother ever said as a conversation starter.

I had to put a stop to that talk, informing my two tech engineers and my two medical staff that the subject of children making was not allowed onboard the Baddeck, and after a bit of deliberation, the father saw reason but the mother wouldn't drop it. Moms.

Washington Platform:

Lieutenant Colonel Eastwood sat in his office, nearly a month since any real paperwork was brought to his attention, when anything had been brought to his attention really. Their destination was still unclear, and the few that remainded awake were beginning to regret it.

"Sir?"

Corporal Brier brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yes Corporal, what is it?"

"I'm just curious sir, why did you and some of the other senior officers choose to not enter hypersleep?" She asked.

He sighed and then sat back in his chair. "Because Corporal..Brier," his tone went soft, "we who are elderly, don't need to sleep away what little lives we have left in an endless dream of a world we can never wake to again. The younger generation, yourself and most of the rest that have entered hypersleep, you're our future. If the elders pass away on this voyage, all we need to do is pass on our knowledge in videos and books. To share our life experiences so the younger generation can have a chance for a future. Let the elders run things for a while, we'll take our shifts in sleep, but we won't stay asleep as long as the rest."

"But sir.."

He held up a hand to stop her before she could start.

"I won't make you enter hypersleep before your shift is up, this time!" He kept his hand raised to not let her speak. "However, if you continue to persist the subject, I may order your sleep cycle to be extended."

She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it quickly thinking better of it. She didn't know what to think or say about it at this time anyways.

"Now Corporal, is there anything that needs my attention as of this moment?" Eastwood asked.

She stammered, then looked down to her data pad. "No sir, there's only a small discrepancy in the rotation of the Oceanica, but nothing that a volunteer couldn't fix." She answered.

He straightened up, then stood and walked around his desk. "In that case, I'm hungry. What set of rations have been set out for today?"

She scrolled her screen to another menu and searched the information. "Um, it looks like spaghetti and meatballs sir."

"Hm, not bad overall. I'd prefer something more lasagna than that right now but.."

"I could have one of the requisition officers to get you some."

"No, no, it's fine Brier. We have to be careful with what we eat and how much anyways. If you don't have anything else to do, care to join me?" He invited.

"Uh, yes sir. I'm free for a little while."

"Good! I hate eating alone."