Fleet Academy

by M. Scott Cottrell

  “No, just washed each other.”

  “Yeah. You two are in love.” She said with a smirk. Then she got up and headed out. “Good luck” she said over her shoulder.

  Matt shook his head and sat down behind the computer to get to work. He dove into the reports and finished up the paperwork on the previous days mission. After he got all the reports done he headed up the infirmary to check on Specialist Endez.

  “Well hello again.” Matt said with a wink to Jenny as she sat behind the desk.

  “Well hello sexy. Couldn’t stay away?” She asked with a wide grin.

  “Actually I came to see how Specialist Endez is doing.”

  “Oh. Came to see another woman, huh?” she asked with mock horror.

  Matt smiled and leaned across the desk. “Maybe but the one I want to drag off and make love to isn’t lying back there, she’s sitting right in front of me.” He whispered.

  “Ohhhhh, in that case, let me take you back to see her.” She said getting up and stepping around from behind the counter. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft sensuous kiss. “That’s just to help you remember which girl it is you want to be taking to bed while you see your other girlfriend.” She said breathlessly. Then she pulled away and led him by the hand back to the room that Endez was in. She opened the door and let him in, closing the door behind him.

  “Well, Endez. How are you doing?”

  “Pretty good sir.” She said. “My ribs hurt pretty bad, and its killing me to have to lay here like this.”

  “I’m sorry you hurt. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Well to be honest sir. I got an itch I can’t reach.”

  “Where at?”

  “In the middle of my back.”

  “Ok. Let me see what I can do for you.” Matt said as he slid his hand behind her back and tried to scratch it. “You’re going to have to sit up for me to get to it.” He said.

  “Sure thing sir. Just help me up.”

  Matt slid an arm around the front of her above her cracked ribs to balance her and lifted her forward, holding her in place while he scratched her back.

  “Ohhhh that feels good sir.” She said as he let her lay back slowly until she was lying back against the partly raised bed again. Matt went to pull his arm from in front of her, but she trapped it in place. She pulled the thin blanket from between her body and his arm, and moved his hand with hers to rest on the breast that had been pressing against the top of his hand while he held her.

  “I see you don’t like the hospital gowns.” Matt said as she squeezed his hand around her breast.

  “No sir. I always preferred being naked.” She said, starting to breath heavily.

  “I never cared much for them either. They always opened the wrong way for me.”

  “Uh huh.” She said, closing her eyes and pushing his hand harder against her breast as her other hand moved under the blanket between her legs. Matt stood still while she used his hand to massage her breast just the way she wanted, her breathing getting ragged, eventually turning into a long groan as she gained the release she was looking for.

  “Thank you.” She whispered breathlessly.

  “For what Specialist?” Matt replied with a wink.

  “Thank you… For coming to check on me.”

  “It's ok. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow. If you need me just let the nurse know and they can get a hold of me.”

  “Yes sir. And thank you again.” She said with a smile.

  Matt walked out of the room and headed back to the front desk.

  “Well, how is our patient.” Jenny asked.

  “Doing ok.” Matt said.

  “I bet. Based on the bio signs I would say that one of you was having fun.”

  “It wasn’t me; I just stood there and held her hand.”

  “Well, I won’t tell if you don’t.” she said with a smile. “I think it’s kind of sweet that you care about her enough to do that. Most guys wouldn’t.”

  “Well, I kind of feel responsible for her getting hurt.”

  “I don’t believe that. I think it was an accident and you’re just overly caring about your people.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do… But I’ll make sure you get paid back later lover.” She said squeezing his arm.

  “Hmmm I’ll have to think about what I want for paybacks.”

  “You won’t have to. I think I have the perfect thing.” She said with a devious smile.

  “Uh oh. That sounds interesting.”

  “I think you’ll find it interesting. Just wait till tonight.” She said as she let go of his arm and stepped around the counter at the front of the infirmary.

  “Yes ma’am.” Matt said with a smile as he leaned over the counter and kissed her on the cheek before heading back down to the armory.

  Matt walked into the armory to find Ensign Forester at the desk.

  “I have the new parts for the control module.” Trina said as he stepped into the office.

  “Good. Can you schedule an EVA? We flip for the decel at 1800.”

  “Aye sir.” Trina said. “I’ll go work up the EVA team now.”

  “Ok. I’ll let the Captain know.” Matt said, heading back out of the armory. He made his way up to the Captain’s cabin by the bridge. He pressed the announce button and entered.

  “Excuse me ma’am. The repair parts for the number two rail gun are ready. I have an EVA team prepping for the replacement.”

  “Very good. Will they be done by 1600?”

  “If everything goes as planned, yes ma’am. They should be going out within the hour and be done with the work by 1300.”

  “Very well Lieutenant. Proceed as planned.” She said, stepping back to her desk and sitting down. “Anything else?”

  “No ma’am.” He said snapping to attention.

  “Very well. How are things going for you otherwise?” She asked

  “Fine ma’am,”

  “No problems with your new roommates?”

  “No ma’am, everything is going well.”

  She raised her eyebrows, but only said “Very well, dismissed.”

  Matt turned on his heel and left the cabin, heading down to the suit rooms. Matt walked in as Trina, Jenkins and two other Petty officers were undressing to suit up. “You’re go for the EVA.” Matt said to Trina.

  “Great.” She said tossing her bra into the locker and pulling out her cool suit. “You’re going to handle weps? She asked as she sat down and started pulling her cool suit bottom up her legs.

  “Yep. I’m heading up there as soon as you go into the cage.” Matt said while she pulled her top on over her bare chest.

  “Ok. I think were about ready.” She said looking at the Petty Officers to see if they were ready. Jenkins was just pulling her top on and the other two were just putting their booties on.

  “Ok. I’ll head up to the bridge.” Matt said. “And Trina!”

  “Yes?” She said stopping to look back at him.

  “Be careful. Ok?”

  “Yes sir!” she said with a smile as she turned her back to him and headed for the rack room.

  Matt turned and headed for the bridge. It didn’t take him long to traverse the seven decks and three quarters the length of the ship, but it took long enough that the EVA team was already on their way to the gun port by the time he made it to the bridge and had Ensign Light, who had the bridge duty, bring the gun into servicing position.

  “EVA is cleared to the gun.” Matt said to the communications officer, who relayed the information to the team floating in space near the gun port.

  “Roger command. Moving into the gun now.” Trina answered over the radio circuit.

  Matt watched on the display screen as the four suited figures floated toward the gun, tiny jets of white vapor flaring and dissipating around them as their thrusters moved them into position. Two of space suited figures moved in to work on the cabinet, while a third floated to the gun and put
new motion locks in place. It took several minutes for the team to open all the required fasteners and open the control cabinet door.

  “Would you tap the suit channel for us please?” Matt asked the Lieutenant at the communications console.

  “She flashed him a quick smile as the sound of the suit to suit chatter filled the bridge speakers.

  “Is this the one?”

  “Yeah. That one. Can you get to it?”

  “Ok. I got it. Damn. Lost it again. It’s almost too small.”

  “I know. These gloves make it hard. This wasn’t meant to be done in space.”

  “Got that right. Like to get the genius that dreamt this shit up.”

  “I hear ya.”

  “Come on ladies… I know your good with your fingers in tight places.”

  Matt recognized Petty Officer Jenkins voice over the circuit and tried to keep the rest of the bridge from seeing his smile at her comments.

  “Cute. Maybe you want to get in here and wiggle your fingers Jenks?”

  “I will if you two can’t get it done!”

  “Well, the connector looks like the right size, but I can’t seem to get it over the fiber bundle.”

  “Damn. Lost it again… Hey. Where did it go?”

  “There.”

  “Where?”

  “There. Down by the other board.”

  “Oh, I see it.”

  “I got it. Let’s try this again.”

  “Gotta spit on it or something.”

  “Yeah, like that’s gonna work out here?”

  “Gotta try something.”

  “I don’t wanna break the fiber… then we got real problems.”

  “There. You got it now.”

  “Uh… Maybe.”

  “That looks like it.”

  “Fuck. It came off again.”

  “What do you gotta do, put hair around it?”

  “Ok smart ass, you do it.”

  “Ok. I will. Give me the little sucker… Shit this is small.”

  “Come on Kink. You’re used to handling little things.”

  “Ha Ha. At least I get one.”

  “If you consider that getting one. Hell you need to get one like the Lieutenant has.”

  “Who Molter?”

  “Fuck yea… I saw him while he was doing some suit training… wouldn’t mind getting banged by that in some dark corner.”

  “Ladies! Let’s keep the Lieutenants privates out of the discussion.” Jenks snapped.

  “Sorry Jenks. Didn’t know you were that sensitive. You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy letting him use the shower in your office.”

  “Ok can it!” Jenks said sharply.

  “Command to EVA. Be advised you are on an open circuit.” The communications officer said into her headset as she watched Matt’s face turn darker red.

  “Oh fuck. Tell me we weren’t on the bridge circuit?”

  “Affirmative. Mister Molter doesn’t look like he was enjoying the conversation.” The Ensign said into the headset again, the smile still not leaving her face.

  “Tell the Lieutenant that I will take care of this, and he has our apologies.” Jenks said.

  “Understood.” The comm officer answered.

  “Ok you two. Either make it work or get the hell out of the way. You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

  “Aye Aye.” One of them replied crisply.

  “It looks like it will fit, but we can’t seem to get it to slide up the bundle. The suit gloves are just too bulky, every time we just about have it; we knock it back off again.”

  “Ok. Let me have a look.” Jenks said, sliding down toward the cabinet as one of the other crewmen backed off. “Ok. Try again and let me see what you’re doing.”

  “See, I can get it on here… but when I try to move the cable up to connect it, it slips off before I can get it latched in.

  “Ok. I see it. Here try holding it with these.”

  “Where did you get these?”

  “I always carry gripper pliers in my suit.”

  “I gotta do that… There. I think it’s in. Can you twist it?”

  “Yeah, give me the pliers… There! I think I felt it click in.”

  “Looks like its holding. Wiggle it to be sure.”

  “Yeah, it’s holding. Ok. Let’s button it up and let them test it.”

  “Ok.” The second voice said as they both backed off to close the compartment door. It took a couple minutes to tighten all the fasteners. Matt watched as Jenks slid up to the gun and pulled the safety pins.

  “Ok command. I think we’re ready for the test.” Jenks said, holding the pins in the air for them to see.

  “Affirmative EVA one. Standby for test.”

  Matt watched as Ensign Light selected down the menus and powered on the gun and ran the safety and self-tests.

  “Everything shows green.” Matt said.

  “EVA one. Stand by for function tests.” The communications officer radioed.

  “Ok Ensign. Launch a target pod and track it. Be sure that the firing circuit is safed Mister Molter.” The Captain said.

  “Yes ma’am.” Joan said as she selected the menu to launch one of the small practice targets. “Target launched. Bringing tracking online. Target acquired and tracking.”

  “Permission to release the battery.” Matt asked the Captain after assuring that his EVA team was well away from the line of fire.

  “Permission granted.”

  Matt looked up at the screen to make sure the line of fire was clear. “Safeties released. Weapons free.” Matt said as he held down a large red button on the console. The rail gun coughed once and the target disappeared from view. Matt released the button. “Safeties on. Stow the gun.”

  “Aye sir.” Ensign Light said as she selected the appropriate menu selections.

  “Go ahead and recall the EVA team.” Matt said to the communications officer.

  “Command to EVA one. You are cleared to return to the lock. All tests completed.”

  “Thank you command. EVA team headed back in.”

  “Affirmative. Headed back in.”

  Matt turned and walked off the bridge, the cute Lieutenant at the communications console still grinning at his retreating back. By the time Matt got to the suit room Master Chief Wallace was waiting for him.

  “I think you should let me take care of this sir.”

  “What’s that Master Chief?”

  “Specialists Denner and Tasha.”

  Matt looked at him anger boiling up inside him as he thought about what they had said on an open circuit. “I’d like to toss their asses back out the air lock.”

  “Don’t worry sir. I can guarantee that when I’m done with them they’ll wish you had.”

  “Ok Master Chief. I’ll leave it in your hands.”

  “Thank you Lieutenant.” He said snapping to attention and saluting crisply.

  Matt returned the salute, the Chief’s sudden shift to strict military bearing taking the edge off the anger he was feeling. “Thank you Master Chief.”

  “Not a problem sir.” He said, still standing at semi attention after finishing the salute.

  Matt stalked off to the armory office and plopped in front of the computer screen to start working on the volume of paperwork that was going to be required for the next few days. In his anger he had completely forgotten it was lunch time.

  The knock on the door startled him. Standing in front of him were two female crewmen standing at strict attention both completely naked. The first was fairly short, with a nice looking body and obviously not natural blond hair. The second was of some kind of oriental persuasion, and was much smaller and thinner. “The Master Chief ordered us to come apologize in person.” The taller of the two said as she stood at attention.

  “Am I to assume you are Denner and Tasha?”

  “Yes sir.” They both said putting up a salute and holding it while he took his time standing up to returned it.

  “Sir. We apologize for t
he things we said. It was not appropriate to discuss the body parts of an officer in that context under any circumstances.” Tasha said.