Foothold, page 4
part #1 of Foothold Series
***
Day three arrived.
The Hope’s engines had been shut down the previous evening for scheduled diagnostics, before resuming thrust for the long push to cruising velocity. After three days of gentle background vibration the ship was once more quiet, and David and Grace had been scheduled to sleep followed by a free period, their first since leaving orbit.
David awoke to a call on his comm from Grace.
“Are you awake yet?”
“Hmmmpfh.”
“Come on, it’s time for morning exercise, you need to keep in shape! Race you to the gym!”
Awake now, David untethered himself from his bed and pulled back the thin partition that served as a door to his cabin and poked his head out into the corridor.
His jaw dropped - floating towards him, wearing nothing but a smile, was Commander Grace Ng. As she passed his door her hand casually brushed the wall and imparted a slight spin to her body that ensured that nothing was left to his imagination. David swallowed and felt his heart rate spike. Grace reached the spoke that led up to the central access tube, looked back and enquired with a raised eyebrow, “Coming?” before gracefully pivoting and pushing off upwards.
Wherever Grace was going, it wasn’t the gym, which was down, not up. But wherever she was going, he wanted to be there too, and he was suddenly fully awake and on the move.
At the top of the spoke Grace had turned and pushed off towards the front of the ship. He could just see her heading towards the hatch that marked the point where the aft fuel tank ended, nearly 50 meters away. He pushed off in pursuit, realizing where this race was going to end - the forward observation dome.
Every 50 meters there was another airtight isolation hatch. Grace moved with practiced ease, rarely deviating from the center of the corridor. David, on the other hand, was far less practiced in zero-g and seemed to be hitting the sides more frequently than finding the middle.
“Grace, wait up!” he called.
The only reply was a distant tinkle of laughter as she disappeared through the next hatch.
David redoubled his efforts, and his natural athleticism started to assert itself as he focused on the task at hand. He wasn’t consciously thinking about it, but somewhere deep inside, his growing attraction to Grace had combined with the thrill of the chase to make him feel more alive than he had since the drama with the crew change had begun.
He arrived at the final hatch, palmed the release and entered the observation dome. Grace was waiting. There were no words; they both understood their bodies needed to tell their story now. They had both been repressing a deep well of emotions that now burst forth, fueled by growing desire. They came together in a hungry burst of passion that for a time swept aside all of their cares.
Later, floating together amidst the stars, they at last could talk.
“That wasn’t so bad was it?” Grace whispered in David’s ear.
“I never thought it would be. It’s just…”
Grace pressed a finger to his lips. “I know. I know.”
***
David and Grace were busy again. As well as constant checks on the ship’s status, performance and course, there was continual interaction with Mission Control as the ship was trimmed for interstellar flight.
There were also numerous requests for media interviews from all parts of the world, from conservative newspapers to women’s magazines. It seemed there was no aspect of their lives that wasn’t of interest to someone.
Finally the day came when the ship was declared to be perfectly on course and ready to continue.
The first task was one that they had both been looking forward to, especially Grace, having been aboard the Hope for much longer than David in zero-g. It was time to impart spin to the Hope and return gravity to their world.
“Control, this is Hope. We are ready to commence spin up, over,” David sent.
There was an appreciable delay while the message made its way to Earth and the response returned - the Hope was now a significant distance from Earth.
“Roger, Hope, understand ready for spin up, please proceed when ready.”
David grinned at Grace, “Ready?”
“Hit it!”
David touched a button on the flight control screen and thrusters along the length of the Hope commenced firing to start the ship spinning along its long axis.
The bridge was located on the lower 1g ring of the crew accommodation so they would soon be experiencing Earth-normal gravity once more. Changes did not happen quickly on the Hope however, due to its large mass. Gradually over the next 20 minutes the sensation of gravity returned, much to the delight of both Grace and David.
“Houston, Hope. Spin up completed successfully, we’ve got our feet back on the ground up here, over.”
“Roger that Hope, good job. We’re standing by now for throttle up, over.”
The next task was to resume acceleration. During the initial phase the Hope had applied maximum thrust to escape the gravity of Earth and clear the inner solar system. Now it would resume at a lower thrust level of only 0.06g to reduce stress on the ship, and more importantly make more efficient use of its fuel. A property of the acceleration tubes was that as the volume of fuel being accelerated increased, the maximum velocity decreased. So the Hope would now accelerate to 0.4c over a period of years of constant low thrust.
David initiated thrust. As the engines resumed their work, a faint background hum could be detected, far less noticeable than the vibration from their initial thrust period.
“Houston, Hope. Thrust initiation complete, all indicators green. Grace and I will now make good use of our new gravity and hit the gym, over.”
Grace caught David’s eye and he was left in no doubt of the exercises she had in mind. Since their encounter in the observation dome two days previously, there was a heightened sense of each other that always seemed to be smoldering just below the surface. A passion had been awoken that drew both of them to each other like moths to their reciprocal flames.
“Come on,” said Grace, “I think we ought to go to the observation dome to check the effects of acceleration.”
David grinned. “We do need to be thorough.”
Starship Hope, Outer Sol System
June 4, 2063
Two and a half months passed, and the Hope was now traveling faster than any other manned space vessel in human history as it swept through the solar system and into interstellar space.
As pilot and navigator David and Grace had been responsible for ensuring that the ship was on course and performing as expected. All was nominal so it was time for them to enter stasis until it was next time for them to check on the ship, an event scheduled for halfway through the ship’s acceleration run. As well as providing an opportunity to check the ship, this would also give them time to adjust the ship’s course if necessary.
“Control, this is Hope,” sent David. “All systems nominal, course set and confirmed, acceleration on target. Grace and I are now initiating our first stasis period.”
They didn’t wait for a reply - it would take several hours and they already had clearance to proceed - this message was more like a goodnight call than anything else.
“Ready?” David asked.
“Ready.”
Together they left the bridge and walked to the spoke that led to the stasis chamber level. By now they were well used to the slight sideways pull the ship’s acceleration imparted, and walked with a slight lean to counteract its effect.
Once in the stasis chamber, Grace went to a control panel.
“I’ll just put the ship to sleep.”
Across the ship outside of the stasis chamber, the lights went out and non-essential systems turned off for a long slumber.
David and Grace stripped to their underwear and stored their jumpsuits in a locker. This was purely to save space, as small as it was - their stasis chamber was very cramped. David initiated the stasis process from the same control panel, and they were greeted by a computer announcement that it had started.
“Chamber 3 stasis initiated. Chamber 3 stasis initiated. Stasis period is 3 years, 6 months, 15 days. Chamber charging commencing. Please enter the stasis chamber. Stasis initiating in 1 minute”.
Grace smiled at David. “Come on,” she said, taking his hand and leading him to the chamber. She touched the door release button and it slid open, allowing them to squeeze into the tight space. David wrapped his arms around Grace’s slender waist, and Grace responded with her arms around David’s neck.
“30 seconds to stasis initiation,” announced the computer.
“I’ve never done it for so long before,” said David.
“Me neither.” Grace smiled. “What do you suppose the record is for holding a kiss?”
“I think we have a shot,” whispered David as their lips met.
“10 seconds to stasis initiation.”
The computer marked the final few seconds with soft pipping sounds.
*SNAP*
David and Grace joined the rest of the crew in a tableau of arrested time.
Ios, Greece
June 24, 2063
Edward Harper stepped out onto the balcony of the luxury villa he maintained, clad only in a bathrobe. It was a calm, warm evening, the quiet broken only by the background lapping of the ocean on the shore and the subdued sobbing of the girl that occupied his bedroom.
Edward sighed. It was so tedious, this need for sex. He would much rather focus on his single-minded goal to dominate the world business scene, but even he had to acknowledge that his body had needs. Even Edward Harper must eat, drink, sleep, and on occasion, succumb to the need for sexual release.
His solution to this problem had been to find an isolated villa, not too far from his European base of operations that would enable him to indulge in his… particular tastes.
Every month, his trusted assistant would locate a suitable partner for the weekend. Edward felt no guilt about what he did; to him it was simply a business transaction. He obtained the release he needed, and the girl was richly rewarded for her services and her silence.
Edward returned to the villa to shower, and dress. His helicopter would be here shortly to collect him for the return journey.
***
As Edward approached his office on the top floor of a downtown Geneva office block, he heard raised voices from the anteroom. His personal assistant, Carla Lewis, was talking to Frank Stevens, his head of Human Resources.
Carla was English, and had joined the organization in a temporary capacity when Edward was between assistants – they typically lasted a year at most. She had proven to be, at last, the assistant he had been looking for, and her temporary contract had quickly become a permanent one. She was efficient, competent and not afraid of anyone, including Edward, a quality that he didn’t know he needed until he found it.
Edward hesitated, listening to the conversation.
“I insist on speaking to Edward immediately.”
“It’s Mr. Harper, and he isn’t available.”
“Come on, I know he’s always here early.”
“I’m afraid he isn’t here yet.”
“Fine, I can wait,” Frank snapped.
“I’m afraid not,” Carla replied. Her voice had taken on a silky tone that Edward knew was a warning sign. Frank either did not know this or did not care.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Edward cannot see you today. You may not wait here.”
“I know he’s due to be here today.”
“You misunderstand. He isn’t available to see you.”
Edward smiled. Here it comes.
“You don’t seem to understand who you are speaking to,” Frank said, raising his voice. “I’m one of Edward’s senior managers, and you, you are just a jumped-up secretary!”
There was a moment of silence.
“Does your wife know, Mr. Stevens, that you engage in sexual relations with your secretary in your office?”
Stunned silence.
“How would you…”
“Because it would be difficult for you if she did, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I don’t know what you…”
Carla cut him off.
“Let’s understand ourselves, shall we?” she said with ice in her voice. “In this organization, I am in control of who may see Mr. Harper and who may not. I outrank everyone except Mr. Harper. You will do what I want you to do if you wish to continue working here. Is that understood?”
There was silence, and then Frank turned and stormed out of the office, not seeing Edward as he remained in the hall that led to his private elevator. Edward waited a few moments then entered the office.
“Good morning, Sir,” Carla greeted him brightly. “Your calendar is clear this morning, as you requested. I’ll bring you your tea directly.”
Edward nodded politely. “Thank you Carla.” He smiled to himself as he walked into his office. Yes, Carla was exactly who he needed.
***
A month later, Edward stepped out of his helicopter into the warmth of another Greek evening, as he prepared to give himself over to another of his regular trysts. As per usual, Carla had made the arrangements; he need not concern himself with where the girl for this weekend came from, or what happened to her afterwards. He didn’t even need to know her real name.
He entered the bedroom with anticipation. It was dark, illuminated only by the light of the half-moon slanting through the opened curtains. He frowned. The girl was supposed to be ready for him, on the bed. This time, the bed was empty, still neatly made.
A figure moved in the shadows, the dim lighting making it difficult to make them out.
“Hello, Edward,” a familiar voice said.
“Carla? What are you doing here?”
Edward felt off-balance, somehow. Something in his world wasn’t right.
“You do know what takes place here don’t you?”
“Oh, yes, I know.” Her voice held a low silky undertone. Not the dangerous silkiness she reserved for those who displeased her; this was something else. She came closer. He could make out her features now, her dark hair and thin, sculpted face. Her musky scent, cut with a perfume that teased the senses, hung in the air. Her pale skin contrasted with the tight black garment she was wearing. Could that be leather?
Edward was, for once, lost for words.
“Surely you don’t think… that you…”
“Would be one of your whores?” she completed for him. She smiled, a quick flash in the moonlight, and prodded his chest with something, a riding crop he noticed, not understanding.
“Oh, Edward, you misunderstand,” she said, reading his mind. This time her voice was taking on a darker tone. “I’m not here to please you, I’m here to punish you.”
“Punish me?” he asked, a hint of amusement entering his voice. “You want to punish me?”
The smile slipped from Carla’s face. There was sudden pain as she snapped his chest with the riding crop, hard.
Edward’s mouth formed a round ‘O’ of shock as he tried to register what had just happened. Outrage surged within him as his mind scrambled for a way to respond.
Snap! Carla struck him again with the riding crop. He shivered, surprise rooting him to the spot as he realized something else – he was becoming hard, very hard. A delicious wave of… something rushed through his body, and slowly he started to change his mind about hitting her back… yet. And then he noticed that Carla’s tight black leather bodysuit was cut away between her legs, exposing her dark pubic hair. Arousal pulsed through his body, driving away his famous iron self-control.
“You’ve been a very bad boy,” she purred, caressing his cheek with the crop. “Haven’t you?” she suddenly snapped in his face.
Edward jumped. A frisson of excitement rippled through him, quite unlike anything he could ever remember.
“Yes…” he replied uncertainly.
“Yes, mistress!”
“Yes, mistress,” he replied, his excitement mounting.
“Good,” Carla purred. “Very good. Now remove your clothes. All of them.”
Edward hastened to comply.
***
The weekend had been like nothing Edward could have imagined. Finally, the pieces had fallen into place, and he realized that he’d found something that had been missing from his life, something important. He wasn’t even sure he could explain what it was himself, but somehow submitting to Carla had fulfilled him in a way he didn’t think possible.
Carla adjusted his tie, brushing an imaginary piece of lint from his jacket. They were both dressed in business attire, ready to resume their working life together after the weekend’s pleasures.
“Things will not be the same, now, Edward,” she said. “Just to make it clear, in the boardroom, you are in charge in all things. You will dominate me.”
She watched carefully to see the effect that her words were having on him.
“But from now on, in the bedroom, you are mine.”
Edward swallowed, uncharacteristically nervous all of a sudden, and nodded. This weekend, he had done something he didn’t think he could ever do, and given his soul to someone else. To emphasize the point, Carla pulled him in for a kiss, and finished by biting his lip, hard.
“Just a reminder,” Carla said huskily, as Edward touched his sore lip. “You belong to me, now.” She smiled. “Now, Mr. Harper, I believe we have a 9am in Geneva, and the helicopter is waiting.”
She led the way out to the helicopter pad. Edward followed, his head spinning.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York
Meeting of the Inspiration Project Executive Committee
August 12, 2064
“Order! Order!” Chairman Charles Bain rapped his gavel repeatedly. “I will have order!”
