Cargo
Chapter 9
For a week, they made love to each other and tried to make plans for getting married. Like, on what planet would they get married? They agreed it would be a small wedding, and since neither had living parents, the invitation list was a little small – very, very small, to be honest. It was only when they began planning that it dawned on them how lonely they were. They had few people they could call friends and an even smaller list of living relatives to invite.
"I have no idea who to invite." Kate sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "What about you?"
"I'm not having much luck either," Rick admitted. "Now then, where do we get married? Mars, Earth, or another planet entirely?"
"I was born on Mars. So, Mars would be good. But you were born on Earth, and Earth would be nice as well," Kate said.
"I hear a 'but' coming," Rick commented.
"But I don't think either of them are home any longer, Rick."
"So, you're thinking about an outer planet," he suggested, thinking for a moment. "That leaves us with the Asteroid Belt, Phoebe, Calisto, Europa, Titan, Ganymede, and others. Not to mention space stations like Tyco Station."
"I just don't know," she moaned. "This is harder than it sounds."
"We have eight months to figure it out," Rick reminded her. "Three months in a hospital and five months going there and back."
"Three months in a hospital." Kate groaned. "All because I wanted tits."
"Not just tits, but big tits. But not too big," he told her.
"I still don't believe you did that. Thank you." Kate leaned over and kissed him. "You'll still love me when I have tits, won't you?"
Rick cupped her face gently and kissed her. "I'll love you even more."
~oo0oo~
Finally, the day arrived. They packed a bag with clothes, put on their suits and helmets, and picked up their bags while Rick shouldered a weapon.
Kate questioned his bringing a weapon almost immediately. "You're going to bring that?"
"Yes." That was all Rick said. Kate shook her head but went into the airlock anyway.
They made it as far as the control room, where they ran into that man again. They really needed to ask him his name.
"Vendui', dos morfel ol. Ka dos orn qualla flohlu uns'aa." He motioned for them to follow him.
They picked up their armed escort just outside. While flanking them, their escort never actually pulled out their weapons. Rick kept his over his shoulder.
He took them straight to the hospital, where Kate checked in. Then, she was escorted to a room and told to wait; Rick waited there with her.
A nurse came into the room. "We're ready for you. If you will follow me, please." She led Kate into a room. "You'll need to remove your space suit and your top here," she told her, and Kate did what she was supposed to do. "You can wait here, sir. You will follow me, Ms. Beckett."
She took Kate into what looked like an operating room and told her to lie down. "The team will be in here shortly." That said, the nurse turned and left her in the room alone.
"Welcome, Kate. First, I'll walk you through what will happen. Then, we'll put you to sleep and perform the operation. When you wake up, there will be pain, and you will have breasts. Now, any questions?" the doctor inquired.
Kate shook her head. "Not that I can think of."
"Then this is what's going to happen." He proceeded to take her through everything he was going to do. Then Kate laid back and was asleep almost instantly.
~oo0oo~
Kate woke up and realized she was in a hospital room with Rick beside her bed. She instantly felt pain, which was all in her chest. "Rick," she managed to croak, but he scarcely heard her. Then, a nurse walked in.
"Good, you're awake. Please, don't try to talk, just listen. We wrapped your breasts to support them and keep them from moving until healed. The procedure went well. The bandages will not come off for about four weeks. At first, your food will be primarily liquid. We will slowly change that into solid food.
"Is there any pain?" she asked her.
"Yes," Kate managed to croak, which was barely a whisper.
"It's to be expected. You'll be given something for it in approximately four hours. I'd ask if there are any questions, but you can't really talk yet. I'll be back in about four hours to check on you." She squeezed her hand gently and left again.
Kate lay there, wanting Rick to wake up. She did notice he wasn't in his suit any longer. She saw it across the room on the floor next to hers. His bag and weapon were there, too.
She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore, so she closed them and drifted into sleep.
~oo0oo~
The next time she woke, she realized Rick was missing along with his suit, bag, and weapon. Kate watched the nurse inject something into the line leading to her arm. Suddenly, she felt so much better and went back to sleep.
When she woke again, she saw Rick standing over her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he touched her lips with his finger. "Save it for later." Rick leaned down to kiss her, and she kissed him back.
"I have a room not far from here. It's an easy walk. Someone dropped food off, so I've been fed." Rick made a face. "It tasted strange. I'm not sure what it was, but I ate it anyway. It's a small studio-like apartment, all in one room. It's nice, but lonely."
That got Kate to smile at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but he put a finger to her lips again. "Save it for later, all right? Just sleep, love, sleep." She wanted to stay awake and talk to him but fell asleep anyway.
When next she woke, she felt better, but there was still pain. She was just in time to see the nurse walk out of her room, leaving her alone. There was nothing to do, but even though she was tired, she refused to sleep.
~oo0oo~
It was a week later and Kate was awake for longer periods. Rick spent more time with her now that she was awake. Today was a big day as the doctor and a nurse came into her room to change her bandages and examine her breasts.
They helped Kate sit up while they unwrapped her. She finally got to see her breasts for the first time. To Kate, they were amazing. Even Rick was smiling at her.
The doctor scraped her breast with a device. "Can you feel this?"
"Yes."
"How about now," he asked her as he did the other breast.
"Yes."
Then he pinched her nipple. "I felt that too," Kate said, and he did the same to the other breast.
"I'm pleased with your progress. Let's wrap this lady up," he told the nurse who did most of the work. "Any pain?"
"There's some," Kate replied, "but only when I breathe in too deeply."
"Good. Everything looks good. I'll check on you tomorrow, but you're doing well." He left, letting the nurse do her work. She finished and eased Kate back down onto the bed.
An aide had moved Kate once already that day to change the sheets, and the nurse left her alone with Rick.
"How is the construction of the tug coming?" Kate asked since it had been a week.
Rick sighed. "They're behind schedule. First, they used the wrong design, so I set them straight. It will take another week, give or take a day or two, to complete it, but they're getting there."
"And they're still feeding you?" Kate asked him.
He nodded. "I was given a cafeteria card, so I get two meals daily. I still don't know what it is, but I eat it."
"A nurse told me I'd have dinner tonight, so I guess I'll get to find out for myself."
Rick smiled at her. "You'll love it."
"Oh, boy." Kate didn't like that smile, or how it sounded. Not one bit.
"I'm not looking forward to moving on my hands and knees through the crawlspace to unlock a pod." Rick grimaced at the idea of it.
"You'll love it," Kate said sweetly. "I know I did." She smiled at him and watched as Rick rolled his eyes.
"How do you feel? And be honest with me, Kate."
"There's some pain, but not as bad as it was. Did you see them, Rick? I have tits!" Kate was thrilled.
"I saw, and I'm happy for you. I just hope it was worth it. We're giving up all our Trilithium, Dilithium, and Latinum profits."
"There is that. They're expensive tits, to be sure." But Kate was willing to pay it. "Have you seen that man? The first one we met," she clarified.
"Oh, you mean Cirdan. Yes, I have. I talk to him almost daily."
Kate looked at him in surprise. "His name is Cirdan? I didn't know that."
"Yep, and the seven officials we met were Arwen, Aldon, Haleth, Lindir, Aredhel, Eibereth, and Melian. I've seen them once so far since the first time."
"Interesting names," Kate murmured. "They've been treating you well?"
"So far, yes. You'll notice I'm not carrying my weapon with me."
Kate looked him over. "You're not, are you." She only just now noticed.
~oo0oo~
It was a week later. Rick, Kate's doctor, and the nurse were in her room again. Kate had her bandages changed. The doctor tested her response to her breasts. Satisfied with the result, he told her just one more week and she would be discharged. He expected her to come in for a check-up once a week for the next two months. He smiled at her and walked away. Then, the nurse wrapped her chest again and left her room.
Kate had learned that Rick wasn't kidding about the food. It certainly did taste weird. "I wonder where they get it from? I didn't see any farms in the other cities. But then we didn't leave the city."
Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I'll ask the next time I see Cirdan."
"What about the construction of the tug? How is that coming?"
"They're scheduled to finish tomorrow. They'll spend the day testing it. The following day they'll take the pod off of the ship and then put it back."
Kate shifted restlessly on the bed. "I hope they're happy with the amount."
"I've talked to Cirdan about that. It seems they'll be happy with any amount that they get. I get the feeling that they're desperate for it."
"I wonder why. I know what we use it for, but what do they use it for? Why are they so desperate for it?"
"I have no idea, but they want it bad." Rick listened to her hum. "That and the other items they wanted."
"The Trellium-D, Kironide, and Pergium," Kate recalled and hummed again. "Interesting."
"So, do we keep our word and bring them what they want?" Rick asked her. "It will take us five months, and only if we go straight there and return immediately."
Kate sighed. "I think so. I don't want them to think of me as someone who doesn't keep their word."
"Just checking, Kate."
~oo0oo~
It was three weeks later. The tug had worked as planned, and they had removed the pods and put them back after emptying them. Kate was discharged and ended up where Rick was staying. She received a cafeteria card so she could eat two meals a day.
She was supposed to come back for a check-up once a week for the next two months. Her breasts remained bound in a bandage, and she was told not to let anyone mess with them, including her. It was too soon. To Kate, it meant no sex that involved her breasts. They didn't say anything about her pussy, her ass, or her mouth.
"This is…nice," Kate told him the second she got in. "So this is where you lived for three weeks." She dropped her bag and looked around.
"I've lived in your room most of the time. But yes, this is it. It's not much, but for now, it's home."
She saw both of their space suits, his weapon, a bed, a sofa, a table with two chairs, a dresser for clothes, a closet for hanging up clothes, and that was about it.
"There's no kitchen."
"No, there's not. You're supposed to eat at the cafeteria."
"Is there anything to do?" Kate asked. "Anything at all?"
"Nope. Not even so much as a TV."
"Lovely." Kate wasn't at all happy about that. She was thrilled that she had tits, though, and they were nice tits.
"They told me there's a library, but since we can't read their language, it doesn't matter. And while there are theaters, without the translator, we can't understand them. Which makes the fact that there's no TV academic."
"I suppose. I guess we'll have to have lots and lots of sex." Kate smiled at him.
"But your breasts!"
"They didn't say anything about my pussy, my ass, or my mouth. Just my tits," Kate corrected him. "And since I'm here and the bed is over there…" She slipped her arms around his neck but removed them just as quickly. Her closeness to Rick pressed her breasts against him, and she couldn't have that. She had come too far to let anything happen to them.
~oo0oo~
It was a month later, and they were starting to go stir-crazy. At least on their ship, they had entertainment. Here, they had nothing. On the bright side, Kate's bandages came off. Finally, she was bandage-free. Since they didn't have any money, and Kate had no bras, she did without any. But they seemed to be holding up pretty well on their own.
Rick walked into the bathroom. "Whatcha doing?"
"Just looking at my tits." Kate continued to twist and turn to get a good look at them. "They look real, and they feel real. They even bounce."
Rick stepped up behind her, slid his hands around her and put them on her tits. "Feel that?"
"Yes, and it feels great! I can't wait until you can touch me."
"Neither can I. For now, this is the most I can do." He continued to stand there with his hands under her tits, supporting them. That was the most he could do.
Kate closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his hands. Oh, how she wished he could do so much more.
~oo0oo~
It was another month, and they were free to leave. Kate had been given the go-ahead and didn't need to come back again.
"Thank you, Doctor, this means so much to me." She hugged him and felt her breasts press into him. That was a new feeling for her.
"I'm free," Kate announced when she returned to their place. Though now it wouldn't be theirs for much longer. They planned on leaving today, in fact.
They met Cirdan one last time, but without the translator all he could do was motion for them to follow him.
He took them to the control room and watched them put on their space suits. "Usstan daewl dos sreen'aur travels lueth nindel dos doer rath ulnin."
"I got part of that. Thank you for everything, Cirdan. We'll be back in about five months. Not that you understand me." Kate put on her helmet and walked out into the bay with Rick.
They traveled through the double airlock. Once inside their ship, they removed their suits. Rick took a look around. "Well, everything looks the same."
"You really think they were in here?"
"I would. I would want to see it. Maybe even plant a tracking device somewhere."
Kate hummed her response.
"There's no time like right now to get started." Rick took his seat at the bridge and began powering up. He removed the anchors and maneuvered away from the airlock slowly. "Fuel looks good, power levels are normal, I have no red lights. The pods are secure. Looks like we're good to go."
Kate sighed. "Now that I have tits, I can't have sex for two months." She didn't like that.
"You'll live. I'm powering up the sub-light drive. And away we go. Next stop, Earth."
"Since you've got the first watch, I'm going to bed. It's back to our normal routine." Kate kissed him and headed for the bedroom. "Bunk beds again. Just when I got used to sleeping in a real bed." She stripped down to her panties and got into bed but didn't go to sleep immediately. She was uncomfortable. Her tits were in the way, and she wasn't used to that. There was something to be said for being flat-chested.
~oo0oo~
Two months later, they arrived at Earth. Rick arranged for a parking orbit and paid the cost of said orbit. He was about to shut down the sublight engines and move into place using the maneuvering thrusters only when they both heard a loud bang.
Kate rushed to the bridge and stood behind the chair. "What was that?"
"Don't know, but I've got red lights and warnings everywhere." Rick started the process of running down the checklist of what was wrong.
"And?"
"It looks like the sublight engines have given out. It might be a catastrophic failure."
Kate frowned. "Which means what exactly?"
"Until we can get a maintenance engineer up here to look at them, we're not going anywhere for a while. Maybe even a long while, depending on what he tells us."
"Great, that's just great." Kate didn't need to hear that.
~oo0oo~
It took them three days to get a maintenance engineer to look at the engines. He was still looking three hours later when he joined them in the kitchen.
Kate couldn't wait anymore. "So, what's the damage?"
"I could give you the long version, but I think I'll just give you the short one. Your sublight engines are useless. There are more broken parts than I can begin to count. Simply speaking, your sublight engines ate themselves."
"Can it be repaired?" Kate asked him.
"Yeah, it can, but it'll take me months and cost you a fortune. You might be better off selling the ship for parts. I wish I had better news, but your sublight engines have had it."
"Thanks." Rick paid him for his time and sent him on his way.
"Great, this is just great. Without sublight engines, we can't go anywhere." She looked up at Rick. "What do we do now?"
Rick sat down next to her. "It sounds like we sell the ship for parts. At least we'll get something for her. But we're not going anywhere any time soon." He put an arm around her. "Look at the bright side. There's still a pod full of jewelry to sell and gold coins."
"Some compensation. Without a ship, we're stuck here on planet Earth. Marooned."
"Well, at least that solved the problem of where we get married," Rick mentioned, but the look on Kate's face told him she wasn't interested in that.