Skybound

by S. W. Gunn

  As he stepped out he heard Mark say, “Indeed Nietzsche was brilliant. I however prefer the classics, Plato and Aristotle.”

  Rose looked quite intense as she replied, “They’re boring. Nietzsche was expressing nihilism but in the sense that people thought he was proclaiming it a positive but he was showing the opposite. It also was a way to show all aspects of being. Not just the positives.”

  Johnathan knew that he had to change the subject. He hated philosophy. Mark would go for hours on the subject if given half a chance and now it appeared that he was in a relationship with someone who felt the same was as Mark.

  As she caught sight of Johnathan Rose excitedly said, “He knows philosophy!”

  Chuckling to no one in particular Johnathan replied, “Yes, yes he does.”

  “Alright John let’s get going I’ve got a lot planned for us. We need to stop in my quarters so I can put something on. I can’t wear a bathrobe everywhere.”

  Taking her hand Johnathan said, “Alright.”

  As they headed towards the door Rose turned to Mark and said, “And I’m not done with you mister.”

  Mark replied, “I await the continuation of our conversation Commander.”

  She stopped walking and told him, “Call me Rose.”

  There was a slight pause before Mark asked, “May I call you by your full name? Rosemary. I rather think it quite pretty.”

  Rose paused for a moment before saying, “I’d like that.”

  She then turned to Johnathan and instructed him, “Okay let’s go.”

  Johnathan called out, “I’ll see you later Mark.”

  “Okay.”

  They headed out of his room and walked to the bank of nearby elevators. The trip to her quarters was very fast. As she reached out for the handle of the door for her quarters Johnathan found he was quite excited to see what her quarters looked like. He had wondered since he first saw the door. As he followed in behind her his jaw dropped. The primary living room area was easily just as big as the bridge! Against the back wall was a clear wall just like her office that allowed a view into space. Facing towards that wall was a massive half circle couch. It was a light blue color, which did not surprise him, and looked very comfortable with a half dozen pillows on it. In front of the couch was a small circular table that appeared to be made of wood. Behind him to his left was a dining table and what looked like a kitchen. He had never seen quarters with a kitchen in it. Opposite of the kitchen looked like a study. There was a good sized desk with a terminal that had a chair. Against that wall was massive computer bank. Just glancing at it Johnathan deduced that it would be possible to control almost every computer ran function on the eco-ship.

  Rose stopped and flipped her slippers off before saying, “Take your shoes off please.”

  She then began walking towards one of the doors that flanked the two sides of the living room. He nodded and slipped off his shoes. He had not noticed it at first but the initial entryway had a normal metal floor but the rest of the living room had what looked like a thick blue carpet. Johnathan chuckled. Rose really loved the color blue. He was curious how the carpet felt so he stepped onto it. It was so soft and it felt wonderful. He slowly walked further into her living room and then moved over to the couch. It looked much more comfortable than the simple rectangular one in his quarters. Johnathan sat down on it and he felt as though he was absorbed into it. It was infinitely more comfortable than his couch, which felt like a brick by comparison. He did not intend to but he let out a moan as his whole body surrendered to the couch. He heard Rose moving about in what he guessed was her bedroom but he was so comfortable that he just did not want to get up. After a while he heard her footsteps as she got closer. She suddenly appeared over him and as soon as she saw him virtually lying on her couch she just laughed.

  “Comfortable isn’t it?”

  He took a moment to look at her outfit. She was wearing a loose fitting dark green dress with a long series of small brown buttons down the middle that ended just above her knees and a pair of brown shoes. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. All he could muster in response to her question was a nod.

  She stretched out her hand and said, “Come on let’s go. You’ll have another opportunity to melt into my couch later.”

  While taking her hand and slowly pulling himself up, he chuckled at her.

  As she started to guide him towards the door he asked, “So what have you got planned?”

  “I don’t get too much free time and there are so many activities aboard the ‘Skybound’ that I really want to try. So we’re going to go eat breakfast, then skating, lunch, visit the arcade, and lastly I’m gonna get you on this couch and kiss you until you’re begging me to stop.”

  Johnathan could not help but laugh at her last comment. He was unable to envision a point that he would be begging her to stop.

  “I think your lips will get dry first.” He wittily told her.

  As they exited through the door she turned and asked, “A challenge?”

  Giving her a huge grin Johnathan nodded at her.

  “Accepted, let’s go do the other stuff first. I never get a free day off. Then I’m gonna have you begging for mercy.”

  “Alright.” He replied with a laugh.

  He closed the door of her quarters behind him as they began walking.

  She turned to look at him and excitedly stated, “I can’t believe how much Mark knows about philosophy!”

  “I know.”

  “I love philosophy.” She stated.

  “I can see.” Johnathan commented.

  He was trying to keep a neutral tone, hoping that she would not start into the subject like Mark did. The reading that he did on the subject led him to believe that all philosophers were long winded. He honestly found it boring but it was clear that Rose loved it.

  “You don’t like philosophy do you?”

  “Huh what? No, I’m fine with it.”

  She laughed loudly before poking his chest and declaring, “You’re easily the worst liar that I’ve ever met in my life.”

  He blushed.

  “It’s okay Johnathan. You don’t have to like something just because I like it.”

  “Alright, I don’t like philosophy. It’s so boring when Mark goes on and on about it.”

  She laughed again before declaring, “The good news is I can already tell when you’re lying. I’m going to have to take full advantage of this.”

  Johnathan chuckled. They entered the elevator, which was empty at the time.

  Turning to look at him she asked, “What do you think of my dress?”

  “It’s pretty.” He told her.

  “The truth.” She stated.

  He nodded.

  Punching a button on the control panel she turned to look at him before asking, “Alright what is your least favorite thing about me?”

  He was taken aback by the question. He could not think of anything about her that he did not like.

  “Nothing.” He told her firmly.

  She wrapped her arms around him before declaring, “The truth again. We’ll see how you feel once I make you come live with me.”

  “Come live with you?”

  She nodded before saying, “I hope I’m not pushing you too fast?”

  He was more than a little surprised so he answered, “Well I hadn’t expected it if I’m honest.”

  With a cackling laugh she then stated, “Well I’m the Commander so you really don’t have a choice but to move in and become my man slave.”

  He chuckled.

  “I’m playing around John; I’d never use my position to make you do anything of course.”

  “I know.”

  She reached out and tickled him before asking, “Do you want to come live with me?”

  With a nod he answered, “Yes I would love to.”

  “But...”

  “I am worried about Mark and honestly I really like to use my quarters to do a lot of my work, especially when experimenting w
ith new technology.”

  “My quarters has six rooms, we can easily convert one into a work space for you. Mark can come along if he wants. I’ve got some work to convince him the virtues of Nietzsche.”

  He could not help but laugh at her.

  “Alright, I can move my things but it will take a while.”

  “I’ve already put an order to have your things moved. They’ll be done by the time we go to lunch.”

  Johnathan’s jaw dropped. He was surprised by her speed. Once he recovered he became concerned. Many of his experimental items were very sensitive he could ill afford someone accidentally dropping something.

  “Don’t worry John. I gave them special instructions to be careful.”

  He was quite surprised with her ability to read his face. The elevator doors opened and she took his hand before they stepped out.

  Chapter 5

  Johnathan was not paying attention to where she was taking him at first so when the elevator door opened he was surprised to find they had arrived on the lowest deck of the eco-ship. He had been down here easily a thousand times during his late shifts. It was completely abandoned since the crew size did not need the space yet. She turned to look at him as she led him down the primary hallway before smiling at him. He gave her a grin back. She stopped at the bay doors for the unused hangar. The ‘Skybound’ had four ship hangars, two on the sides, one in the back, and one on the bottom of this vessel. The two side hangars were the primary ones that had working fighter vessels. The rear hangar was used less regularly but it was utilized and this bottom hangar was mostly storage. The last time Johnathan was in the hangar they were about to enter was during his rewiring of the entire vessel. The door opened and he was surprised to see about fifty or so people skimming about on what appeared to be shoes that levitated the wearer about 10 centimeters off the ground. He had not seen anything like it. Rose turned to look at him and laughed at what he could guess was his look of surprise.

  “I knew you hadn’t seen air skates before!” She announced excitedly while tugging on his hand to move him forward.

  Shaking his head he stated, “I’m surprised people are here. I’ve been here to rewire the computer systems but I don’t remember anything or anyone here.”

  Leaning towards him she put her finger on her lips and said, “Shhh. It’s an off the record thing. Heck I think that they don’t even know that I know.”

  It was then that Johnathan saw that the people skimming about must have noticed her. They all stopped and were watching Rose and Johnathan approach. Some even started to quickly move away as though they were trying to escape.

  Rose said loudly, “Dear grab a pair of skates I can’t wait to show you how much fun it is.”

  The crowd around them immediately went back to their fun. Johnathan followed her to a large crate and was surprised by the neatly stacked rows of small thin metal plates with straps and a hook on one side and the other had what appeared to be two repulsors. Picking one up, he slowly examined it. He recognized the repulsors from the dollies he would use to haul heavy equipment around the ship. They were much smaller and looked a bit more modern than the old dollies he used. He fiddled with the casing in an attempt to examine it further

  She gave him a nudge before saying, “Stop being an engineer and put them on.”

  He chuckled as he grabbed a second one and moved over to a smaller box to sit down and put them on. He found his balance more than a bit wobbly as he turned each one on to set it down. They held his weight at about 10 centimeters off of the ground.

  “I wonder how much weight they can hold.” He commented to himself.

  “Probably a lot, I’ve seen couples doing tricks and dancing in them without the skates even struggling.”

  He nodded solemnly as she shot off full speed away from him. Watching her go he noted that she would move the skates to shift the repulsors at an angle. It would cause momentum based on the angle and how close she moved them towards the smooth surface of the clear bay door. He was quite impressed with her balance as she immediately started performing spins and leaping moves. Shifting his weight he attempted to move only to have the skates push him forward and force him to tumble shoulder first onto the ground. His shoulder screamed out in pain and he was sure that he was going to have a nasty bruise. Thankfully the nanotechnology in his blood would fix his injuries in a matter of an hour at the most. His pride however, that was something he was not going to be recovering anytime soon. He heard the others around him laughing. Struggling to recover he saw a pair of skates move next to him. Immediately he knew that it was Rose because he could see the freckles on her legs.

  “Are you okay?” She asked with a tint of concern on her voice.

  He looked up at her and stated, “Yes. I miscalculated the power of the repulsors.”

  She reached out her hand and said, “It happens to the best of us.”

  Shifting to get the repulsors realigned he took her hand and slowly got back on his skates. Once he was on his feet she continued to hold his hand as they began moving along. It did not take long for him to figure out how to move on the skates before he was cruising along behind her. She raced ahead of him and was doing spinning jumps while laughing and smiling the whole time as she rocketed along. It was quite obvious to him that she spent so much time being ‘the Commander’ that she really did not get many opportunities to just be Rose. After some time she shot by him before spinning back around and then lining up with him.

  “Hold my hands.” She instructed him.

  He turned towards her and as she took his hands she pulled herself directly against him. She then took his hands and set them on her hips before resting her arms against his shoulders.

  “I’m having so much fun.” She told him while looking directly into his eyes.

  “Me too. You’re quite amazing with these skates.”

  “I wasn’t at first. I set at it for a couple hours the first time.”

  She paused to poke him in the chest before saying, “Unlike some people I work hard on my physical fitness so I’m capable to learning and executing new physical tasks easier.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been concentrating on so many other things and honestly I don’t really like doing the fitness programs available.”

  With chuckle she stated, “Oh don’t worry we’ll work on your stamina.”

  Realizing that she must have heard Mark’s comment he blushed heavily, which only caused her to laugh.

  Embarrassed he asked, “You heard Mark?”

  She continued laughing before finally calming down enough to answer, “Yes. I was unsure who you were talking to when I heard it initially. Although I thought that you performed quite admirably, especially since it was a surprise attack.”

  He continued to blush as he said, “Thanks I guess.”

  She tugged on the back of his neck, which was a clue to lean closer so he leaned closer.

  Whispering in his ear she said, “I’m more than willing to help you practice until you master the skill.”

  With a chuckle he whispered back, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  As she leaned backwards she laughed at him. Taking an opportunity to have some fun with her he shifted his hands and laced his fingers firmly on the small of her back before dipping her downwards. She responded to his move by letting herself fall backwards while kicking a leg up. Johnathan angled his right skate so he could bend his knee and spin her in a circle while dipping her outstretched hands until they were almost touching the ground. She squealed out in an excited scream of what sounded like joy. After a brief moment of spinning her he pulled her upwards. Once she got upright she jumped into his arms while wrapping her legs around his waist.

  Loudly she declared, “I haven’t had this much fun in so long.”

  As he began to respond to her statement she passionately kissed him. They kissed for some time before she broke their kiss.

  As he shifted away a bit she nibbled his lower lip slightly and then said, “
If all these people weren’t here I’d rip your clothes off right now.”

  “I’m yours when you want me.” He stated.

  “Oh I know. Something I did want to talk to you about was to let you know that when it’s just us to forget about my rank. I’m just your woman please treat me as such.”

  “What do you mean?” He asked.

  “Everything. Take charge. If you want to grab my butt in public and pull me to sit on your lap just do it. Even when I was a little girl I’d thought that I’d have to be the dominate partner because of my position but I don’t want that. I want to be partners but I want to be a woman.”

  Johnathan nodded at her before saying, “Okay.”

  He had to admit that he still thought of her as the Commander first and Rose second but he decided to work on it.

  With a little chuckle she stated, “Just don’t slap my butt in front of people while I’m in uniform.”

  Grinning at her he sarcastically informed her, “I don’t know sometimes I can’t help myself and I’ll just need to do it.”

  She unwrapped her legs around his waist in a flipping motion that set her upright before stating firmly, “Do it and you’ll find yourself part of the sewage sanitation crew for a good decade or more.”

  He chuckled before asking, “Or more?”

  “The more depends on how red my butt gets from the slap.”

  Laughing uproariously, Johnathan’s sides hurt. He could hear her laughing along with him. The more time he spent with her, the more enjoyable he found her company to be. Once they finished laughing he looked into her eyes and she smiled at him.

  He gave her another kiss before saying, “Let’s go get some lunch.”

  “Yes dear.” She said before hooking his left arm.

  Taking off his skates and setting them into the crate Johnathan took her hand and guided her back out of the bay and off to the nearest cafeteria. The lower deck cafeteria was the smallest of the cafeterias and honest it was his favorite. Very few people ate there so when they walked in, the ten people there all turned at watch Johnathan enter with Rose. After a few moments they went back to their conversation.