by S. W. Gunn
“Get up.” She half ordered and half prodded.
“I thought you weren’t going to use your position to make me do things I don’t want to.”
“I’m not using my position as Commander so get your butt up.”
“I don’t want to.” He grumpily informed her.
“I’m using my position as your woman. Either get your butt off that bed or else.”
“Or else what? You’re already torturing me two and half hours a day.”
She gave him a hearty laugh before leaping onto the bed next to him.
Giving him a soft look she batted her eyelashes and said in an almost pleading tone, “Do it for me please.”
Johnathan caved. He was starting to suspect that she was going to get her way and he would not have a choice in most anything that she decided that she wanted. Grumbling loudly he pulled himself out of bed.
Rose cheered loudly before standing up and giving him a quick kiss as she said, “Thank you John.”
Begrudgingly he slowly got dressed before following her out of the bedroom. They slipped on their workout shoes and headed out. She took him to the same hangar bay and once again she dragged him all across the bay doing a variety of running exercises. She had him run backwards, sideways, and stopping on occasion to perform different exercises. He was exhausted but he was finding himself much more capable of keeping up with her.
As they left the bay she reached out and gave him a slap on the butt before saying, “You’re getting better. Pretty soon you’ll be able to outrun me.”
He grunted at her. Being able to outrun people was a very low priority in his life. Rose laughed before taking a hold of his hand. After a quick ride up the elevator they showered, got dressed, and headed off to breakfast. She chatted casually about her work, including letting him know that she had an after work court session. Rose served on a three person panel who were the final judges over any disputes aboard the ‘Skybound’. He had never seen one before so he thought that it would be interesting to see her in action. After breakfast she gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving for work. He headed back to Rose’s quarters.
As he entered the room Mark said, “Hello Johnathan. How was your evening?”
“It was great Mark.”
“I do not think I am making any ground with Rosemary and her obsession with Nietzsche.”
Johnathan laughed heartily before commented, “She was just complaining about not convincing you of her position.”
“I have no doubt. She can be quite stubborn. I believe that she is relying too heavily on her emotional attachment to Nietzsche because of her own life experiences that have led her down a slightly dark path. I am quite hoping that associating with you will eventually help her break that association.”
“What do you mean?”
“Until I had sent her the video of you drawing on your sketch pad she was suffering from a deep depression. I believe that the stress of her position and extreme loneliness was making her very unhappy. Nietzsche is great overall but in her previous emotional state his philosophical musings could cause even larger issues. Her relationship with you has given her a significant amount of joy, something that I believe has taken her out of her depression.”
“Plus she seems to enjoy torturing me.”
Mark laughed as he said, “Well she has an appreciation of a physically fit man so I am afraid there is nothing that can be done to save you from that. Her last lover was very physically fit, I would say on par with the First Officer. He lacked your personality and intellect, which is why I believe she decided to end that relationship. I do remember it very distinctly and honestly she did not seem to be as happy as she is now.”
“When was that?”
“About thirty years ago. He has since moved on and is now in a long term relationship with a young lady who works as a reprocessing engineer.”
Johnathan nodded before he strolled into the storeroom with Mark following behind him.
As he collected the small finite items for the sensor array he asked, “How is your sonata going?”
“Well, thank you for asking, Rosemary’s input has proven quite fruitful and I have to admit that I feel more attachment to this one than I did the previous one.”
“That’s good.”
Packing his toolkit they headed out to collect the newly made sensor array from the primary processor. Johnathan was hoping to have the new forward sensor array up and running sometime after lunch.
“Have you put any thought into our next project?” Mark asked.
“Honestly I’ve been so distracted lately that I’ve not really thought much about it. I know that I want to work on our energy storage systems first. In order to successfully implement all of our other changes we need to make sure our energy systems can handle the extra load my improvements will add to it.”
“Well I am certain that once you and Rosemary settle down past the initial lover’s phase you will be able to accomplish much more.”
Johnathan chuckled. This was his first relationship and he found himself enjoying his time with Rose much more than he ever imagined he could. Outside of her physical fitness abuse everything about her delightful. He did feel a sense of concern if she was depressed although he had not seen any indication of it. They got to the primary reprocessor and discovered his sensor array already loaded onto a dolly. Taking the dolly with a light shove, he headed to the rear sensor array. He wanted to get it into place and working as soon as possible. They headed straight for the rear sensor array and once they got ready to start he sent a message to the Lead Engineer to let him know he was going to disable the rear sensor array. He received a quick reply acknowledging receipt of the message.
“Mark could you seclude the power systems again. I want to perform the tests on this new sensor array before starting it.”
“Done.”
“Thanks.”
Johnathan started working on the removing the one that he had installed yesterday. He made some minor changes to the framework so it would be much easier to take in and out of position. He popped the releases and used a second dolly to move it out of the way. Playing with the new sensor he got it installed quickly and began the testing. All of the tests came back clear so he started the array and in a matter of a minute it was fully functioning.
“Excellent.” He commented.
“Indeed Johnathan. I appreciated the changes you made to the framework. It was very creative thinking to lighten your workload for any future modifications.”
“Thanks. Let’s head off to the forward sensor array. We need to get it installed quickly so the sensor array isn’t down for very long.”
They made their way from the rear sensor array to the forward one by taking the engineer tunnels that were located underneath the main levels of the eco-ship. It was a bit trickier to get to than the rear array because of the position was populated with various engineers working on tasks on different systems that were installed in the forward areas of the vessel. When he finally got to the forward sensor array he sent the Lead Engineer a message to let him know that he was taking down the array while installing the new one. Like when he uninstalled the rear sensor array he had to fight with the framing but he got it out and moved as quickly as he could to get the new forward sensor array in place. Once everything was ready he activated the new sensor array and it worked perfectly. After a few minutes he received a message from the Lead Engineer confirming that everything was processing at the terminals on the bridge. Rose also sent him a message complimenting his work. He grinned because it was so pleasant to have someone so supportive of his efforts. He had about forty minutes before lunch so he took the old sensor array to the primary reprocessor. He wanted to install the port sensor tomorrow. At this rate he would have all of the sensors upgraded before the weekend, which pleased him quite a bit. Once the reprocessor was programmed he stopped in a public restroom to wash his hands before heading to the cafeteria. Mark headed back to Rose’s quarters. After lunch
Johnathan was going to get a pair of fully functioning hydraulic arms for Mark, even if it took the whole night. He wondered why he had not thought to make them before; it seemed like something that could give Mark some pleasure. He washed his hands before going directly to the primary cafeteria. He beat Rose there so he got himself some lunch and took a seat at the table that she usually sat. After a few minutes Rose arrived with several members of the command staff including the First Officer and the Environmental Officer. He knew that the Navigation Officer, who was third in command of the ‘Skybound’, was still on the bridge while the others had lunch. Rose gave him a light wave before getting in line to get her lunch.
The First Officer walked up to the table and said, “Technician Fischer excellent work with the sensor arrays. The amount of detail and information we’re now receiving is amazing. I’ve put in a request for a commendation.”
“First Officer that’s not really necessary. I’m just doing my job.”
He reached out and clapped Johnathan firmly on the shoulder before stating, “Well I’m just doing mine Technician.”
Giving a chuckle the First Officer spun on his heel before heading to the line. Rose set her tray next to his before sitting down.
Leaning into him she nudged his shoulder with hers before saying, “He’s quite impressed with your work John. Once the forward sensors starting giving us elemental detail on comets a couple thousand light years away he spent a good twenty minutes singing your praises. You’ve made quite the impression. The Navigation Officer was even happier because he was able to identify and plot the course of an asteroid that was heading straight for us. He made a minor course adjustment and now we’re no longer in its path. With our old sensors we wouldn’t have spotted it until it got very close. I’ve very proud of you and Mark.”
“Thanks; does this mean I get to avoid physical abuse tonight or tomorrow morning?”
She broke out laughing very heartily and after a long good laugh she answered, “Nope. You just need to accept your fate. As I said before if you want the rose you get the thorns.”
“What does that mean?”
Giving him a light chuckle she answered, “Back on Earth there used to be a flower that was quite common and extremely popular. It was called a rose and it came in a variety of colors. Lovers would gift them to each other as a special present to show a token of their affection. The branches of the plant that roses grew on had sharp thorns that would hurt quite a bit if you accidentally pricked your fingers on them. I’m the rose and if you want my affection then you get the good with the bad.”
“Alright.”
“Plus have you looked at yourself lately? It’s only been a few days but you’re already starting to get quite sexy. It’s taking all of my control to keep from attacking you right here in this cafeteria. Between your kind demeanor, intelligence, and now fit body I think you’re sexy as hell.”
He flushed at her words. He certainly did not see himself as being sexy but he appreciated her kindness. She gave him a little nudge before she started to eat lunch. He ate along with her and once they finished lunch she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before heading out with the rest of the Command Staff. Johnathan went back to Rose’s quarters and after removing his coveralls he met Mark in the storeroom.
“Welcome back.”
“Thanks Mark. Okay everyone is quite happy so that means I can fully concentrate on giving you two hydraulic arms.”
Johnathan went to a computer terminal and looked up the flower that she was talking about. Everything that she had said about it was true. Shrugging to himself he sat down next to Mark and began playing with the partially installed arm. The work he did last night blended right into his already started parts so he was able to get it fully assembled quickly. Now he just needed to make it work. He was at it for several hours before he even got it functioning enough for Mark to control it. Johnathan was quite happy when Mark was able to start moving items and picking up things. He still had a lot of work to make the sensitivity strong enough for Mark to perform finite tasks but at least Mark had some working hydraulic arms.
As he continued to play around with the left arm he heard Rose say, “Looks like you’re making progress there too.”
Turning to look back her he grinned before saying, “Yes, I still have a lot of tweaking but at least now they are functional.”
“That’s good news. It’s time for us to go to gym.”
He nodded and climbed up onto his feet.
“You’ve accepted your fate and you’re not going to grunt, groan, or complain?” She asked him with a wicked grin on her face.
Chuckling at her he commented, “I like the smell of my rose so I’ll deal with thorns.”
She pushed herself into him before running her hands along his legs and up to his hips before saying, “You’re going to be rewarded very thoroughly after we finish our gym time.”
He grinned at her before trying to give her a kiss.
“Not so fast. You’ve got to earn it first.”
“I’ve completely rebuilt the forward sensor array and I still need to earn it?” He asked her quite sarcastically.
Giving him a little nudge she informed him, “Oh you need to finish the whole job there to get rewarded for that. As the Commander I can’t be going around giving members of the crew rewards for half-finished projects.”
He gave her a chuckle before walking back through her quarters to change into his workout clothing. Even with his weight loss he found the shirt and pants still too tight. Before leaving he took a glance into a mirror and saw that she was right. He had been losing weight and building muscle. The nanotechnology really made a difference in muscle recovery. Walking out into the living room Rose took his hand and guided him out. They walked to the command gym and after she set up the motivators they worked through the various exercises. Johnathan was thoroughly convinced that she turned up the intensity of the motivators each time they went to the gym. After thirty minutes of working out he took a moment to inspect the motivators. She had increased the weight by ten pounds. Once again he was very sore and tired but he could tell that he was having an easier time. After a shower, which included some passionate lovemaking against the wall, they got dressed. She was wearing her work uniform, this time with a long flowing white skirt, and he just slipped on his normal utilitarian outfit. His clothing was starting to get a bit snug in the chest and arms along with loose around the midsection. He would need to replace it all very soon. Rose took his arm and they headed off to dinner. The meal was thinly sliced protein bars that were fried with vegetables and stuffed into a bread-like sandwich. After dinner they parted ways with Rose giving him a light kiss on the cheek. He had some free time before the court session that she was involved in was supposed to start so he went back to her quarters and fiddled with Mark’s hydraulic arms for a bit. After spending a bit of time tweaking the sensitivity of the arms his watch buzzed to let him know he had to go to the courthouse.
Standing up Johnathan announced, “Mark I’m going to go see the court session.”
“Curious what it is all about?”
“Yup. I didn’t even know it existed.”
Mark emitted a chuckle before asking, “Learning many new things since you started seeing Rosemary.”
“Very much so.”
“Alright Johnathan, make sure you clean up first.”
He nodded at Mark before heading to the bathroom to wash his hands and change his clothing. He had not gotten covered in a bunch of grime so he really did not need a shower. Once he was ready he headed towards the door.
As he turned the handle he realized that he had no idea where this court session would even be so he asked, “Mark do you know where the court is going to be.”
“Indeed. It is always held in the courthouse that is located on deck thirty eight aft section.”
Johnathan nodded before walking through the door. He probably had already been there but it was just another room on the eco-ship to h
im. The walk was quite brief to the elevator and as he exited he was surprised by the number of people who greeted him. Beforehand he was rarely acknowledged by those around him. He suspected it was because he was in a relationship with Rose that they now knew who he was. As he approached the court room he was surprised by how full it was. The room was vaguely familiar, he had been there before during his rewiring but he barely remembered it. The was about the size of one of the smaller cafeteria. It had an oddly set three person desk, which was elevated above the rest of the room, with individual chairs and computer terminals embedded into each. The room was all a brown color. Off to the right of the elevated desk setup was a smaller slightly less elevated desk and chair setup. There was a small computer terminal embedded into a table and chair directly in front of the elevated desks and to the left. A young lady wearing a simple brown tunic and tan skirt was sitting in the chair. Johnathan guessed that she was there to take notes. The rest of the courtroom was rows of benches. They were almost all completely filled with other members of the crew. He could only guess that most of them had business with there. It left him immediately with the impression that it was going to be a very long night for poor Rose.
As Johnathan slid into one of the seats a gentleman entered the courtroom and announced, “Take your seats.”
He was a large man with neatly trimmed black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Johnathan guessed that he was Hispanic in descent. He was wearing a crew uniform with a dark brown tunic, black trousers, and highly shined black boots. The crest of the ‘Skybound’ was emblazoned on his left breast of the tunic. He moved to stand off to the side of the elevated desks but in a spot that was in clear view of everything except a singular door. It was the only other door into the courtroom outside of the main entrance. There was a low rumble of quiet conversation as the people around him slipped into a spot on the benches all around him. Johnathan did not see Rose anywhere in the room.
Once everyone had finally taken a seat the man almost shouted, “Please rise.”
