And then later, they drifted back down, and lay holding each other spent and exhausted. For a long time neither spoke. Each looked lovingly into the others eyes, seeing the same love and trust returned. What an incredible experience to have shared!
They kissed a little, and touched some more. Dalton rolled over, and looked up seeing stars twinkling above. Just like being on some planet. How real looking! How did the colony ship manage to project them? Then, he reached over for her, and held her, and they both fell asleep!
Hours later, Dalton awoke due to a call from nature. He looked at his glowing watch. Three o'clock in the morning! He gently awoke Monique and showed her the time. She groaned. They both put their clothes back on, grinning at each other as the wonderful memory of what they had shared for the first time warmed them pleasurably. They came together, and kissed, and held hands.
Then, Dalton retrieved his shoes, and they reluctantly stole out of the garden, into the banquet hall, and over to its door.
Dalton peeked out and looked both ways down the corridor. No one! They crept out, and faced each other. Both sighed, looking into the others eyes, and then they parted company. Monique headed back to her foster parents apartments, and Dalton headed the other way toward the nose of the colony ship, where his spacesuit and spacebike waited to whisk him back to the sailship.
However, to avoid bursting, he hastily detoured to the closest public lavatory.
20. AN ENDING
Tension rose between Jason and Ethera's father Excarver Durdaine as he began seeing Jason with Ethera more and more, which meant, to Durdaine, that Jason must be working on repairs less and less. He had deduced Jason's intentions. Intermixing between the people of CONOVER and out-worlders had always been forbidden. It would have introduced recessive genetic defects that would after a generation or two have come to the surface.
Toward the end of all the repair work, Ethera indicated to Jason her inclination toward romance aboard an exciting Infinity City sailship with an equally exciting Infinity City man. This was what Jason had been waiting to hear! He arranged a time with her that evening, when they would meet at the air lock of the colony ship. From there, he would whisk her away to the sailship.
After completing repairs for the day, he hurried back to the sailship early to arrange things. He entered the living quarter, and cursed at how messy he and Dalton had left it. With the help of all three of the little utility robots, he began cleaning it up. The three little robots were gaily colored orange, green, and blue. He ordered Orange to gather up all of Dalton's virtual-reality disks, and put them, the helmet, and the player away. He ordered Green, to pick up all the clothes lying around, wash them in the ultrasonic washing machine, dry them in the jet-microwave, and finally fold and put them away. Blue was ordered to pick-up anything else remaining, toss it in storage bin B, and then help Green.
The little robots were all shaped like corrugated cylinders.
Sensors were located around their circumference. Four rod-shaped legs extended from the bottom of each robot. The legs retracted for sitting, and extended for locomotion. A wheel was located at the tip of each rod-like leg. When not on a smooth surface, the tiny wheels retracted into the legs, and the robot walked along like an animal. Manipulation arms also could drop from the bottom of each robot, or extend out from the top.
They were not very appealing at first sight, but to move around the cluttered living quarter they had to retract their wheels, and had a tendency to waddle when they walked, which Jason and Dalton always found amusing. Sometimes they would set up an obstacle course of clothes, and dirty food trays to see how the robots would handle the challenge. Whenever the little robots found passage impossible, they would extend a robot arm, and begin flinging the clothes and trays, this way and that, out of their way. Jason and Dalton would fall about the place laughing their heads off at the comic scene of the robots angrily, it seemed, plowing through their debris.
But now all the debris would have to go, and fast! There was not much time until his rendezvous with Ethera at the air lock of the colony ship.
After the robots had picked up, he set them to scrubbing everything so the room would smell as clean as it looked. He next pulled open a special drawer and pulled forth various romantic implements: Candles, a cooling stand for wine, assorted candies and treats, an antique digital-disk player with some ancient but appealing musical disks, and other odds and ends, including a large pink feather which he left out of sight but in a handy location.
Next, he went into the cargo bay, and searched through his liquor locker until he found an ancient bottle of wine he thought would suit Ethera's haughty taste. On impulse, he grabbed a hand-held carbonizer, and jabbed its tiny needle down through the bottle's old-fashioned cork and into the wine. He set the carbonizer to medium effervescence, then pressed the activation button. The carbonizer extended a small sensor up to the cork to detect for leaks, and automatically stop the carbon dioxide injection process if it detected that the cork could hold no more pressure. After a short while, the carbonizer signaled carbonization had been completed, and also, to Jason's satisfaction, displayed a favorable quality index based on its analysis of the wine molecules emitted from the cork. It also reported an alcohol contents of 13.5% exactly. Jason grinned in anticipation of a merry evening.
Back in the living quarter he placed the bottle of wine in the cooling stand, and pulled off the tab of the cooling collar located around the neck of the bottle, activating the bottles self-cooling feature. Through some obscure but harmless chemical process, the collar would cool the wine, and keep it that way for hours. Next, he draped a little towel over the bottle like he'd seen in movies. He did not know why they did this, but it looked apropos. Whoops! He rearranged the towel so that the name of the Infinity City Space Port Hotel was no longer showing.
When everything in the living quarter was in readiness, he went back to the cargo hold of the sailship, pulled out a spacesuit that would fit Ethera, pulled out a spacebike for her, and then towed them back over to the colony ship. Leaving everything stowed in the air lock, he dined in the mess-hall that night as usual. Dalton had winked at him and left early! Jason knew where he was probably going. He felt happy for his young chum. Unbeknownst to Jason, this was also the very same evening of the first romantic encounter between Dalton and Monique.
At the appointed time, Jason went up to the nose cone to wait for Ethera. She was late. He waited and waited growing anxious. PF24 reported that she was still at home. Finally, when Jason was about to return to the sailship in disgust, she came springing up the low-gravity axis tunnelway, her light brown hair swinging back and forth. She was wearing a jaunty yellow sweater. It was very tight, revealing her gender in a striking way. Her trousers were a dark gray. And, she was barefoot! NO, SHE WORE TRANSPARENT SHOES! HOW ODD, JASON THOUGHT. AND HOW
DELECTABLE THOSE LITTLE TOES... "Hi, Jason," she said in a low voice, thick with meaning. "Do you come here often?"
"Yes," he played along. "Some of the most beautiful women of the Galaxy happen by here!" She smiled at him. He helped her into her spacesuit, and spent an inordinate amount of time smoothing out all the wrinkles. She did not mind at all. She was hungry for YOUNG male attention! The PILL OF LIFE kept Jason young-looking at a physical age of less than 25-years-old, though at this time his calendar age was a lecherous 46. By some genetic quirk, the PILL would always keep Jason's heart and attitude the same as a young man in his early twenties, often to his misfortune.
They mounted the spacebikes, and waited for the air lock to finish its cycle, and open the outer door. Through their helmet radios Jason heard Ethera squeal in excited anticipation. He looked over at her and smiled through the faceplate of the helmet. Her sparkling hazel eyes were wildly ablaze. He winked one of his own bright blue eyes at her. She blew him a kiss.
Jason's head swam at the anticipation of what a pleasurable evening was in store!
The air lock opened, and Jason commanded his ship's computer to
guide their spacebikes safely across. Ethera gasped as they left the air lock, and the great emptiness of velvety black, star-flooded inter-Galactic space surrounded them. She commented how quiet it was. Jason suggested that perhaps they were just the two to liven the old Galaxy up that evening. Ethera laughed merrily. Jason ordered the computer to move them along at top speed.
As they neared the sailship, the computer switched off the gravitonically induced artificial gravity field so that they could easily enter. After they entered the air lock of the sailship, the computer slowly re-enabled artificial gravity and they floated down to the floor of the air lock. The outer door closed, and Jason stowed the spacebikes while air was pumped in.
The inner door of the air lock finally opened.
He brought her aboard his sailship, and removed her spacesuit. She looked around at all the equipment and storage containers about the cargo hold, and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Jason," she asked suspiciously, "is this the REAR
entrance?"
"Uh, it's the only entrance, Ethera. Except for a couple of emergency 'locks. I'm afraid this is not a fancy yacht." MENTAL
NOTE: DECORATE CARGO HOLD BACK ON INFINITY CITY. "It's just a rescue ship. It's fast, though! We can go thousands of times the speed of light!"
"Oh, that would be exciting." She smiled, and took his arm in both of hers. "Jason! Take me away from all that!" She gestured back toward the colony ship with her other arm. "Whisk me away across the stars! Take me to the far worlds, and show me the wonders of the Galaxy!"
"First, let me show you a few wonders right here aboard my... our little sailship." He smiled in a debonair fashion, while giving her an intimate caress that brought a rewarding flush to her cheeks.
He led her through the door to the central chamber. He said
"Shh!" motioning to the other doors to the empty workshop and software sanctum, and whispered, "Everyone's asleep! Let's go up to the pilot room to see if the Captain's there. Be really nice!
He has a terrible temper!... Computer, raise the elevator to the pilot room." The floor began moving upward.
The Captain! Her heart began beating rapidly at the thought of some grumpy old Captain demanding that Jason explain what a FEMALE was doing on board.
The hatch in the floor of the pilot room slid open, with barely enough room for the two to squeeze through. Jason was forced to hold her tightly against him. What an enticing scent she had worn this evening!
Ethera was excited by every touch from Jason. As he held her close, she experienced the intimate smell of a man for the first time. Jason used deodorant but seldom wore colognes. This night, Ethera hungrily breathed deep of the essential HIM. Her hunger grew stronger...
Jason looked around the pilot room. "Oh, what a shame, he's not here. Well, old men need their sleep. Would you like to sit in the pilot chair?"
"Oh, could I?!" He led her over and she sat down, marveling at all the complex lights and dials and controls. She looked up through the transparent dome and gasped as she saw millions of burning little stars. "I haven't seen real stars since I was just a little girl! And, there's our colony ship. It's so big!
This is quite romantic, Jason. Do you take all the girls up here?"
"Ethera, never before in my life have I experienced such subtle grace and ultimate beauty. I am inspired to break any rule, tread any forbidden ground, even go where no man has gone before for you! I think tonight that I have found a queen fit to rule all those stars above!"
She noted that he had not answered her question. But his way with words left her tingling with anticipation. As she continued marveling at the stars, she felt his firm hands begin gently massaging her upper arms and shoulders. OH, WHAT AN
EXQUISITE FEELING! Then he lightly and slowly touched her neck.
"Mmmm!" she said out loud. She took his hand in hers. It was so big! Would it be always gentle? She kissed his hand, looked up at him, and batted her eyelids a few times.
Jason could barely control himself. This girl was overdue for love! But, just as he was about to do something very naughty, she spied Dalton's exotic-looking virtual-reality helmet. "Oh! What is that?", she asked curiously.
HOW CAN WOMEN SWITCH THEIR ATTENTION SO FAST? he wondered.
He took a deep, calming breath. "That's just a virtual-reality helmet."
"A virtual-reality transceiver? Why, I've never seen one like that before. The ones I've seen on the HEAVEN all look like special sunglasses. That one would fit completely over someone's head!" She rose from the chair, and went over to pick it up.
Jason had learned to be endlessly patient in the game of love. He would wait. And, he bet that if she sensed that he was losing interest, she would warm right back up. He gestured toward the helmet, and began confidently, "Oh, virtual-reality is one of my passions. That's a very sophisticated model that fits over your head so that you cannot see or hear anything around you. Without any distractions, the virtual-reality becomes almost real. Our computer can simulate anything!"
She looked over at him with a sly grin. "Do you have another helmet?"
WHAT WAS ON HER MIND?! "Yes..", he said slowly. "Why?"
"Let's each put one on, and jump into virtual-reality together!"
Jason gulped. HMM. THIS GIRL WAS ADVENTUROUS. This, he had never encountered before. But, HE was an Infinity City Adventurer! If she was willing to try this, so was he. "Okay, stand up." She did. "After I put this on, you will see and hear nothing for a few moments until I have the computer start the V-R." She nodded. He took the helmet she was holding and slipped it over her head, positioned it, and strapped it on. He heard the air begin cycling through the helmet. Jason gave her a little pinch, and she slapped his hand away. Then, he had a naughty idea! (They often occurred to him in situations like these.)
He stepped back, and said, "Computer, transmit the pilot room image into the virtual-reality, but filter me out of it.
Also, interface the audio between the pilot room and the virtual-reality."
"Acknowledged," the computer said.
"Jason!" He heard Ethera's high, sweet voice from the computer. "Is the helmet still on me? It's like it suddenly just went clear. I can see the pilot room again." Her head turned back and forth as she looked this way and that in the virtual-reality. "Where did you go?" She reached up with her hand to touch her face, but was blocked by the helmet. "The helmet is still there! This is fun! Where ARE you?... OH!!
Hey, who did that? Oh! OH! Ohhhh... Mmmm! Oh, Jason, you're despicable! Now you behave, and put on your helmet, too!"
He was extremely pleased with himself for pulling off such a mischievous little trick. As he reluctantly brought out the other helmet, he ordered, "Computer, full audio-visual interface between the pilot room and the virtual-reality for both of these helmets, but replace the image of the helmets with our faces."
He tugged the helmet on, and adjusted the eye, ear, and mouth covers. His eyes were tightly closed. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nervousness then opened his eyes. Standing before him, he saw HIMSELF but with a young, sexy female body!
The computer had mistakenly switched their faces when it filtered out the image of the helmets!
Ethera burst out laughing. "It's me! You have MY face on YOUR body! Is that what I'd look like as a man?" She made a disgusted face, and then saw this expression immediately displayed on her head sitting on Jason's body. "Jason, stop this! I don't like it!" As she talked, her head on his body spoke the words."
"Sorry...", he apologized. His own face atop her body was grinning widely. Jason stuck out his tongue, and image of his face before him did the same. "Computer, you switched the wrong heads! Swap them, and never do that again." The computer acknowledged.
Ah! Now he was finally looking at her head. "Now what?", he asked.
"Use your imagination! Can I talk to your computer?"
"Yeah, sure. Computer, do to the virtual-reality whatever she says. Go ahead and make any change. You know how to do V-R, Ethera?"
"Of course! It was INVENTED on Conover. But I want YOU to go first!"
"Me?! Why me?"
"Because I want to see this PASSION you have for virtual-reality." She pouted irresistibly. "Won't you show me your PASSION, Jason?"
He laughed. THIS GIRL WAS FUN! BUT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
DALTON SAID WHEN HE PLAYS IN V-R HE JUST DREAMS UP WHATEVER
FANTASY COMES TO MIND. HMM. NO, I BETTER LEAVE HER CLOTHES
DISPLAYED. AT LEAST FOR NOW. Then, he had an idea! "Computer, replace the image of the pilot room with the image of a south-pacific desert island on the ecology planet Earth. Make it only five meters in diameter, with a single palm tree!"
The pilot room darkened slowly away. A bright sky-blue dome appeared above them, as the computer built the requested image.
It expanded rapidly in detail and size into the sky and tree above, dark blue ocean all around, and yellow sand beneath their feet. Jason wondered where it was getting the picture from. He really had not known whether or not the computer would be able to do this. It must be referencing shows from the atomically-stored entertainment library.
It was a perfect image down to every three-dimensional detail, as far as their imperfect eyes and brain could tell.
They were now standing on a deserted island. Ethera looked around. "Desert island, huh, Jason? I think I know what's on your mind! But, you aren't dressed the part. Computer, replace Jason's uniform with a Tarzan leopard skin!"
Douglas Kendall Page 17
