MILKY WAY GALACTIC AUTHORITY EREBUS Class Deep Space Planetary Station - OASIS 10
Station Commander Sette Clavon waited anxiously as a single technician worked the hard light display’s Particle Wave Receiver controls. To have been awakened in the middle of his sleep cycle for reception of a classified transmission of personnel from PROMETHEUS GROUP Security was unsettling. For an MHG 1.5 like himself gaining command over a DSPS had been a monumental achievement even if he only got to see actual sunlight once every ten Earth Standard Years on his leave cycle. One of the major downsides of commanding a critical jump point in a Black Zone between five stellar systems was having to oversee important transmissions such as this. The arrival of a classified team from the Galaxy’s think tank could not be a good thing.
The Commander watched the viz feed as a large Direct Transport Cube coalesced inside the Reception Chamber. He whistled between clenched teeth at the thought of those inside it undergoing direct site to site Particle Wave Transmission. Direct Transmission was a much faster method than traveling by transport as there was far less mass to compress within a warp bubble. However, the bubble time from site to site could last for decades! No one could travel in this manner without being in stasis.
Problem was even in stasis, the mind must have periods of activity in order for humans to be fully functional upon arrival. On rare occasions, the activity cycles are not properly calibrated to match the individual. When a person is brought out of stasis, they are always disoriented. If their mental activity cycle was off calibration for decades, the individual would come out of stasis quite mad. Often violently so.
Amber scanning beams swept over the Cube revealing six stasis containers and one large Transport BOX. Each beam after having swept over a container registered with a green ‘CLEAR’ graphic on the technician’s display. The beam scanning the BOX suddenly flashed red and the display’s AI audio feed said, “Warning! Unauthorized unknown materials detected. Initiating security containment field.” Abruptly a blue hard light energy field enveloped the BOX and the Commander exclaimed, “What in the Stygian Cloud did they bring aboard my station?” The Display’s AI then announced, “Unauthorized unknown materials contained at Level 7. Stasis Cycles complete. Six personnel are now online.”
Pointing to the display the Commander said, “Technician, display arriving personnel files. To the Commander’s dismay, five of the files were blocked by the red CLASSIFIED graphic. However, one was viewable. A 2D image of a dark-skinned high-level Modified human male stared at him with fierce eyes making Commander Clavon involuntarily flinch. “PROMETHEUS GROUP Security Operations Officer Rewar Talvi? Who in the black cloud was this savage and what are he and a classified team doing on my station?” It would be several minutes before the arrivals would be cleared to embark the station. Somehow, Commander Clavon did not believe he would like the answers.”
****
It was fascinating looking down from my perch as Captain Gital worked on his pet project. With sweat pouring from his brow, the Captain looked up at me and said, “Are you just going to sit up there like an Olympus Prime Vulture or are you going to give me a hand with this?” I had been studying the Captain’s movements intently during the past Earth Standard Hour with little success. The vehicle my companion was working on was an ancient Escape Pod. ‘Pods’ as the Captain called them, were standard equipment aboard ancient space ships up until one thousand years after the complete implementation of Particle Wave Transmission.
The ancient devices were finally rendered obsolete three thousand years later as the last of the old style spaceships were finally phased out. Due to the exponentially unlikely event a Transport failed during transmission, there would be no possibility of survivors. If in the also unlikely event a Transport failed during short Faster Than Light jumps within a solar system or in orbit of a Station or planet, it would be simpler to perform an Emergency PWT of all personnel and cargo. However, it was my companion’s love of ancient things which had him clothed in a Standard Body Covering similar to my own instead of his Personal Body Membrane. For some reason it was pleasing to see him dressed as I. Conversely, it was also disturbing to see the Captain of the DROMEDARY with rolled up sleeves and covered in mechanical fluids.
“I would like to be of assistance to you Captain, but I am unfamiliar with such ancient systems.” Captain Gital gave me an exasperated look followed by a long sigh. He did that often around me when it became obvious I entered a sphere of which I had no knowledge or experience. He then smiled and extended his hand to me. I stepped down from the ancient ladder which served as my perch and took my companion’s hand. The Captain as always made an effort to sound irritated by my lack of knowledge, but demonstrated great patience as he instructed me on the current phase of repair upon the craft. My companion stood with me and directed my attention to the tool set which was also of museum quality. It felt good to be so close to him, yet disturbing for it seemed I would be nothing more to him than an assistant.
We completed several repairs on the first of two Pods. My companion was quite pleased at how quickly I became proficient with the systems and tools. The Captain’s off-duty period was nearly over and he had to get ready for the upcoming Pool Party Barbecue. As he put the tools away I looked around the Cargo Bay. I had a small attachment to this space since it was my official ‘birth place’. Though I was manufactured in a HEPHESTUS Facility, this was the place where I started my life.
My eyes caught sight of the mysterious BOX which still sat where I last encountered it. Though surrounded by other cargo containers, the BOX was situated in plain sight. My curiosity got the best of me and I wandered over to have a closer look at it. I squatted before the gray medium-sized Transport BOX which bore neither markings nor Shipping Stamps. It like all the other containers was molecularly sealed so it could not be opened without an authorized code. Since I did not yet have a PBM, I could not perform a scan of it or at least call up its shipping manifest.
The last time I encountered it, the BOX’s AI warned me to not place objects upon it for the contents were fragile. I had only placed my booted foot upon it and got such a warning. I found it strange for according to the file my PHUD called up concerning this model of BOX, it is actually a highly secure and fortified container Level Ten. Anything fortified to Level X could survive for a short period if dragged through an Orange Star’s Corona! Why was such a BOX sitting in plain sight aboard a Corporate Transport? My companion called out to me and I realized I was about to place my hand upon the BOX. I jerked my hand away and quickly moved to join my departing companion. As we left the cargo bay, I turned back to see the BOX sitting inert yet pulling on my curiosity like a gravity well.
****
In my compartment I stood before the hard light display perplexed. My PHUD’s chronometer flashed with an alert that I had been mentally inactive for three full minutes. I believe this was my first day dream. I focused on the display and there were one hundred twenty eight thousand 2D images of bathing suits taken from ancient Digital Archives during the 21st through the 23rd Centuries. It was in the 23rd Century the first truly Smart Personal Body Wear had been perfected.
Crude by modern standards, PBW replaced traditional clothing as it was far more practical for life in space. Four hundred years later, the first PBM’s were invented using biomembranous materials. Not long after, Plastiform was invented and had been put to use for over thirty thousand years until it was replaced by the current form of PBM’s which are a combination of biological, and molecular mechanical circuitry. Now an individual’s PBM is easily considered their ‘second skin’. Gestated Beings in particularly Humans, receive their PBM after they are assessed for modification as toddlers. For many beings, once they put their PBM on, it is rare for them to take it off.
But, I was not standing in front of the display dazed because of a PBM. I could not choose among the dizzying designs of swimwear. Colors, patterns, one-piece, two-piece, three, string, bare-breasted, bare-bottomed, crotchless, nipples showing, the decision seemed impossible! How did human women choose? “Pandora 001, the Captain is summoning you.” The pleasant voice of the Dromedary’s AI was irritating as it took my mind away just as I was narrowing down the choices.
It was amazing to me that not only was I given my own compartment though connected directly to the Captain’s, I was also allowed to secure it whether I was within or not. Though he could easily use Command Override to open the bulkhead, Captain Gital always waited patiently for me to respond. At my command, the hiss and crackle of unbonding molecules filled my ears and the Captain stood outside the hatchway. His attire instantly made me laugh.
“Oh come on Pandora! It can’t be that bad?” said my visibly dejected companion. The sight of the Captain wearing a mock woven palm frond hat, an ancient multi-colored ‘Hawaiian Shirt’ and short but voluminous matching pants along with bright yellow plastiform sandals had me holding my abdomen against the violent spasms brought on by laughter. “Ah, so you think this is funny huh? How about now?” More confident, my companion put a sliver of thin semi opaque plastiform over his eyes in a crude attempt at making ‘sunglasses’. He looked ridiculous yet strangely appealing with his shirt half open revealing a fit dark-skinned body. I thought my PHUD would shut down as I fell back on my sleeping array overtaken with giggling.
He tossed the small container of moisture absorbing wipes onto my array where it bounced to a stop near my head. Stepping into the compartment the Captain grumbled, “Very funny Pandora! I see you’ve not changed into a bathing suit yet. I bet you haven’t picked one out... correct?” He went to the display which still had the swimsuit images up. I was suddenly uncomfortable with the prospect of him looking at my potential choices and I sprang forward to shut off the display, but was too late.
“Well, well, well! Look what we have here!” “Do not look at that!” Each time I tried to interrupt his viewing of the display, he thrust his body to block me. I quickly found myself smiling intensely as the activity turned into a game, by which I was losing! The more he taunted me, the more I enjoyed it frustrating as it was. Finally, I grabbed him under the arms to pull him away but the strangest thing happened. “Oh you cheater! Not there!” barked the Captain as he frantically tried to free himself from my grip. Each time he moved and I adjusted, his laughter increased in addition to his frantic efforts to get free. Abruptly he pivoted and now facing me said, “So you want to play it that way huh?”
I cannot describe the look on his face for it was both frightening and enjoyable at the same time. Swiftly my companion grasped me about the upper thoracic region and dug his fingers into my flesh. My eyes went wide with the sensation and my PHUD shut down as I was pinned to the array crying and screaming with laughter as my companion’s touch turned me into a writhing mass! “Ha, ha! Now I know the Dromedary’s Ultimate Mascot’s weakness! Muhuhahahahaha! Do you surrender Pandora?” I had no idea what the Captain was inferring to nor did I care. At that moment I would say or do anything to make him stop. “I-I-I....” “I, what?” “I-I... surrender!” With a smug demeanor Captain Gital pointed his finger at me and said, “And let that be a lesson to you young lady!”
I lay simply trying to breathe as the laugh spasms wound down. When my companion turned back to the display, I doubted I could have stopped him if I wanted to. “Ooooh, look at these! You really dug deep into the archives. These designs are tens of thousands of years old! All very appropriate for the party which we will be late for if you don’t get your cute ass moving and get changed!” He pointed to a section on the display and said, “This one is definitely you Pandora. Use the Materials Generator in my compartment to assemble the design for you. Come on, hurry up!” As he walked past, my companion gave me a swat on the buttocks. It like the previous assault was both painful and pleasant at the same time. “Yes Captain, I am on my way.”
© 2012 H. Wolfgang Porter. All Rights Reserved.
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