"It's Not The Destination But the Journey..."

Buckled into the Command Seat to keep herself from floating away in Zero G, Alice Hooper (OOC: the white chick ) studied the void before DST-14. Back in her youth, on Earth on a dark night far away from the light pollution of the city, the now-26 year old Electrician's Mate, Second Class, had often laid on her back on a spread blanket and looked up into the sky, at the glowing river that was the Milky Way, and dreamed One day, I'll get there … one day … up there, out amongst the stars.

She was finally up here in the void, and now all Alice could think of was reaching 51 Pegasi IV -- aka New Terra -- and finally getting the fuck out of this blackness to begin the next phase of her life. The wonder and awe of space had vanished as soon as the deep space transport performed its slingshot maneuver around Jupiter and fired up its main engines to begin its exit from the Earth System.

After that, Alice's great adventure became little more than a job. She'd become little more than a Space Janitor.

Over the 18 years that Fourteen had been traveling from Earth toward New Terra, Alice had been taken out of stasis -- reanimated they called it -- 9 times for a total of 665 days.

Once had been for an emergency; debris had penetrated the hull, depressurizing a stasis bay and killing 24 settlers, and Alice was part of the team that performed the repairs and dealt with the dead. Twice she'd been brought back to consciousness to perform vital software and hardware updates. The other times Alice had been awaken for her assigned, periodic tour with the Duty Shift.

Typically 6 to 10 out of several hundreds of crew members were up and around at all times: one Command Division Officer supervised; one Officer from Navigation performed an assortment of duties related to ensuring that the massive craft -- 330 meter in diameter at the wheel, 360 meters in length down the axis -- was kept on track for its destination; and a Doctor or sometimes just a Medic reviewed the health of all of those aboard, be they woken crew members or Statics, both crew and settlers.

The others -- such as Alice -- were assigned to the Duty Shift to fulfill a list of tasks that could be done by any monkey with a rag and bottle of cleaner. Space Janitor. Oh, sure, sometimes Alice got to perform the electrical, electronic, or mechanical work for which she'd spent almost a decade in training and apprenticeship on Earth and Space Station One.

But Fourteen had been very well built, with its creators learning important lessons from the thirteen craft that had come before it. And with the rare exception of something like the meteorite breach or one electrical fire to which she'd responded, there was nothing for Alice to do but wipe a rag over a surface or stuff the end of a vacuum attachment into an equipment or computer panel in which the automated cleaning machines were forbidden to work.

"You're in my chair," a voice said softly.

Alice flinched, then turned in the loosely cinched seat belt to look to the open entrance to the Bridge. The Duty Officer raised an eye brow, to which Alice said as she unbuckled, "Sorry. Just taking in the view."

The Duty Officer looked to the view about which Alice spoke. Nearly the entire forward half of the bridge appeared to be a hemispherical window -- reaching left and right, up and down -- looking out upon the void into which Fourteen was powering. It wasn't real, of course; the view was a holographic image being projected out before the Bridge's Command Stations.

Alice unbuckled and straightened her bent form -- her back and thighs against the seat as her ass lifted -- just enough to cause herself to begin rising into the Zero G space above the Command seat. Holding onto the rail to her left, Alice spun slowly to face the Officer, then tapped at a panel next to the chair with a finger of her free hand. The dominating Main View disappeared; replacing it was a view of that same void that was a quarter the size of the original, surrounded by multiple holographic images showing vital information about the ship's systems.

"I should get back to work," Alice said. She grasped rails in both hands and gave herself a little boost toward the entrance, from which the Officer had stepped aside. "That cleaner bottle ain't gonna spray itself."

Alice hated being in this portion of the ship, the Command and Machinery sections where there was no gravity. Working here was so awkward; she would much prefer being in the ring, where gravity ranged between 80 and 90 percent, depending on whether you were on an inner or outer level. She just wanted to finish the list of tasks assigned her for this weightlessness section and get back to what a friend of hers jokingly called the weight-full-ness areas.

"Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?" Alice asked as she neared the Officer and entrance to -- or in this case exit from -- the bridge. "I have about an hour of work. Thought I'd head back to the ring to eat … sleep a couple of hours before I got back to it."

A soft electronic tone alerted Lieutenant Hans Becker to desire of the ship's artificial intelligence to speak to him. He swallowed the bite of faux-steak he was eating along with an equally artificial, cheese and butter smothered baked potato, then commanded, "Julia, go ahead."

"Crew member Hooper has entered the bridge," a polite but obviously computerized voice informed him. "The bridge is not the designated location of crew member Hooper's current work assign--"

"Julia, cease report," Hans said, causing the AI to go instantly silent. "Julia, show me the bridge."

A two foot diameter holographic image of the bridge appeared just a bit above the center of the table at which Hans sat in the commons mess. In the middle of the bridge, in the command chair, sat the Electrician Mate Hans had only officially met two days earlier when she was reanimated for her duty watch. He could have given more directions to the AI to effortlessly achieve his goal, but instead he reached a hand up before him with his thumb and index finger barely apart and spread them. The image of the bridge zoomed to give Hans a closer view of the crew member. He repeated the gesture, then again, until Alice's image in the command chair filled the little bubble of light above the center of the table.

Hans found Alice Hooper to be very attractive. Sexy even. She had a beautiful face and delicious curves. Sitting the way she was caused her long legs to be emphasized a bit more than usual, and Hans found himself wishing to feel them wrapped around his waist as he thrusted his now-hardening cock deep inside her.

There were rules about fraternization between members of the crew, between members of the command staff, and between members of each of those groups. And even more importantly than that, there were rules about fraternization between members of the two groups while on duty shift. Company and ship policy said in no uncertain terms that Hans could lose his rank on the ship, his promised position in New Terra's government, and the pensions and benefits that came with both if he were to enjoy some naked time with second class Electrician's Mate Alice Hooper.

Those were the rules. Or, guidelines maybe. After all, there were so few members of the crew animate at any one time, one didn't have a lot of choices of who he or she was going to get jiggy with if you wanted to get jiggy at all. So, often, people just did what they wanted with whomever they wanted, ignoring the rules entirely. And when they were found out, so long as nothing negative came of it, those in supervisory or command positions rarely if ever acted on the situation.

Sometimes, though, even ignoring the rules didn't get one laid. Sometimes, one simply didn't make the necessary connection. For very different reasons, Hans's last two tours had ended without the satisfying delight of ejaculating inside one of his fellow duty shift member's warm, wet holes. Hans had had to be content with the less satisfying yet still effective service of crew member Rosy Palm before he'd gone back into stasis.

It had been 11 years since Hans had thrust his cock into a female crew member's pussy. Yet, in his mind, it hadn't only been a few months. During stasis, there was no unconscious passage of time. Stasis wasn't like going to sleep and waking several hours later with the very distinct feeling that those hours had in fact passed. Stasis was more like being under heavy sedation for surgery. You were injected with drugs, your conscious and subconscious both went to sleep, and days, weeks, months, or even years later when you were reanimated, you came to with the feeling that you'd only just moments ago closed your eyes.

Still, whether it had been 11 years, 11 months, 11 weeks, or 11 days, Hans's thoughts about and desires for the slightly younger electrician wouldn't have changed. He'd known the first time they'd talked that he wanted to fuck her. They'd had a couple of very brief conversations in the past two days, and he'd had one opportunity to work with her on a project that required more hands than she had. But they hadn't been alone in a way that would have allowed Hans to feel comfortable enough to get personal with her, let alone ask Would you like to join me in my bed?

As he swiped his finger in the air before the hologram, causing it to turn 45 degrees once, then twice, Hans found himself looking at Alice in profile. He couldn't help but admire those delicious curves and wish to see them up close and personal without the work clothes that now hid them from view. He felt like a bit guilty of spying on Alice like this, as if a peeping tom. Because he was the duty shift's command staff member, Hans could use the holographic cameras to view nearly any compartment of the ship at any time without the occupants of that space knowing.

That was, except for the private sleeping quarters through which crew members cycled while on duty shift. Hans had often found himself wishing he could look in on the beautiful worker while she undressed, slept, bathed, and what not of the past two days. There was a way to do it, of course -- in cases of serious security issues -- but doing so created an official entry into the ship's log that would be automatically reviewed by the next command officer joining the duty shift. Hans wasn't that eager to get a peek at Alice's tits and ass.

He reached his hand up and zoomed out of the image, then with several more swipes caused the image to swing around so that he could see what Alice was seeing: the view of the void ahead. He stood and commanded the AI, "Julia, deenergize the image."

Hans put his dish- and silverware in the cleaning bin for the auto unit to clean and put away, then headed for the elevator. He knew he shouldn't be ascending to the ship's axis so soon after eating for fear of his stomach becoming upset, but he was eager to speak to Alice while he knew she was alone. He set the speed for -2, which was 40 percent slower than normal, hoping not to retch all of the car as it headed toward zero gravity.

Halfway to the axis, the car came to a stop, then started moving again, this time forward at a 30 degree rise toward the fore of the ship, as well as toward its axis. When the car finally stopped and the doors opened, Hans was fore of both the engine room and the stasis compartments in which the settlers were living out the ride to their final destination.

Hans didn't leave his seat or the car for a long moment. He gave his body a couple of minutes to get used to the lack of gravity. Finally, though, he used hand rails and holds to move himself out into the central passageway. Here, surrounding the ship's main structural support beam, were two pairs of side by side tubes with air lock chambers at the end. Hans got into the one labeled "Access to Bridge"; the other ones were labeled "Access from Bridge/Do not use", "Access to Auxiliary Equipment Room" and -- of course -- Access from Auxiliary Equipment Room/ Do not use".

Each of the pairs of tubes with their airlocks at each end allowed crew members to moved quickly from this point to the chosen destination -- and back -- without having to deal with the half dozen bulkheads and air lock doors that separated the ship into pressurized compartments. They were sort of like the barrels of a gun and those inside them the bullet, except that the propulsion down the tubes was provided by the crew member's own effort of grasping a hand hold and giving a pull. And, of course, the tubes were transparent, so the bullet got to see everything it was passing as well.

Once he reached the air lock chamber at the end of the tube, Hans exited and pulled his way to the bridge access. He found it open, which was a violation of policy. But then, so was Alice's presence here without an assignment. And so was his desire to turn her around in that command chair and pound his cock into her from behind.

Hans studied the electrician for a moment, or more specifically the one leg that, stretched out as it was, could be seen from the open portal. He maneuvered himself inside the door, where he could catch sight of Alice's hip, her arm, a breast, the side of her face. He reached to his groin to reposition his semi-hardened cock to be less conspicuous, then said with a bit of a comical tone, "You're in my chair."

He watched her turn to face him, then gave her a friendly smile.

"Sorry," she told him. "Just taking in the view."

Hans looked to the hologram. He tried but failed to recall the exact wordage of an obscure 22nd century poem about stars, about how from space they no longer twinkled as they did when viewed from the Earth's surface. …without twinkle are they any less magical was all Hans could remember.

He moved out of the doorway as the woman unbuckled and moved his way. Hans reserved his ogling of her body for when her own gaze left him, quickly looking back up to her own eyes when she looked back to him again.

"Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?" Alice asked as she neared the Officer and entrance to -- or in this case exit from -- the bridge. "I have about an hour of work. Thought I'd head back to the ring to eat … sleep a couple of hours before I got back to it."

"What about dinner?" Hans suggested without hesitation. As she looked him in the eyes, the Lieutenant felt his face explode with a blush. He'd been contemplating asking Alice to spend some personal time with him since that very first time of feeling lust for her, but even now he was surprised with himself at having asked. He looked away, hesitant, cleared his throat, then looked back to clarify, "I mean, after you get done with your work, maybe we could meet in the Mess Hall. Sit down for the evening meal."

The evening meal, like in so many cultures back home on Earth, was a more significant meal of the day. The rations were more extensive, higher in calorie content, and more extravagant in quality, quantity, and even appearance. In other words, it was more than just a couple of tubes of nutrition paste and a refilled flex bottle of juice or faux milk.

"We haven't had an opportunity to just talk, like regular ol' people," he continued. "Get to know one another."

"What about dinner?" Hans suggested.

Alice's heart skipped a beat at the Officer's question. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected the man to make a play for her at some point in the very near future. She caught him glancing her way at times, maybe even ogling her; and that project on which they'd worked together hadn't really needed his involvement, and yet Hans had been right there to lend a hand.

"I mean, after you get done with your work, maybe we could meet in the Mess Hall. Sit down for the evening meal."

Right … a meal … in the Mess Hall … after work, she thought to herself. What you mean is a roll between the sheets in your quarters … your larger, Officer Quarters, which you occupy alone, unlike us Enlisted who have to share a room, despite there only being six of us up and about during this shift.

Maybe Alice was imagining things. Maybe Hans did just want to sit down to a meal and chat about … things. Maybe he wasn't looking to get his dick wet inside her.

"We haven't had an opportunity to just talk, like regular ol' people," he continued. "Get to know one another."

There is it, Alice thought to herself. Get to know one another … in the Biblical sense, no doubt.

"I dunno ... sir," she told him, emphasizing the last word not solely out of respect but also to remind Hans that he was an Officer and she was an Enlisted. "I think we're not supposed to … you know … hang together like that."

Alice felt herself blush as she realized that by saying like that she was implying that the man had indeed been hinting that they take dinner a step further … further to his mattress. She hadn't meant to be so obvious; in reality, she might not have been -- Hans might not have taken it that way -- and yet she still felt a bit embarrassed by her phrasing.

A chime sounded from a speaker in the overhead, followed by a female asking with excitement, "Alice! Where are you, you bitchin' babe of a Space Sparkler?"

Alice's face exploded in an even more obvious blush at the sound of her friend Megan. Ensign Megan Vicks -- the given name was pronounce with a hard "e" -- was the Duty Shift's Medic, but long before that she had been Alice's best friend at University. They'd met the first day of orientation at MIT, becoming instant friends and occasional lovers. Megan hadn't wanted to join the New Terra Project, but the thought of never seeing her best friend again had driven her to apply. They yearned so much for one another's company -- in and out of bed -- that they'd volunteered to be reanimated any time the other was, just to ensure that each of them had someone on Duty with whom they could talk and have a good time.

"I'm on the bridge, Megan," Alice growled, adding, "And I'm not alone!"

Obviously not deterred by the warning, Megan continued, "Are you naked and sweaty and squealing in a high pitched--"

"Megan!" Alice hollered, glancing at Hans but then turning her face away in embarrassed shock. "Stop it!"

"C'mon, really, tell me about it?" Megan went on, not at all concerned about who was listening in. "Is your bare ass pressing icons on some control panel--"

Even as Megan was speaking, Alice was calling the AI's attention, "Julia, sever the communication between the bridge and Ensign Vicks.

Megan's voice disappeared with her final words of, "-- that're gonna send Fourteen into a nearby sun--"

She couldn't look at Hans … at Lieutenant Becker. Alice hadn't done anything wrong herself, but still, she was mortified. Without looking directly into his eyes, she tried to explain, "Megan and I, we've known each other forever … since long before New Terra. She can … well … you heard her."

Alice listened to the response from the man who was, essentially, her boss. Then she contemplated the earlier offer and wondered if maybe accepting it might make up for that which her friend had just put her.

"I could sit down for a meal, sir," Alice said tentatively. She looked up into his eyes, then away, then back again as she asked, "Nineteen hundred hours?"

Hans clenched his jaws a bit tighter when Alice told him, "I dunno ... sir I think we're not supposed to … you know … hang together like that."

His fear of her understanding and actually following the fraternization rules had come true. Hans was confident enough in himself to believe he could talk her into dinner despite the policy, but then that brought up the very issue that fraternization was meant to solve: pressure on subordinates from supervisors to fuck. How did Hans talk Alice into spending some personal time with him without looking like he was telling her Suck my cock, or you go back into stasis … or worse, stay out here and clean ventilation ducts for a year.

Before he could even open his mouth in an attempt, a very familiar voice called out over the intercom, "Alice! Where are you, you bitchin' babe of a Space Sparkler?"

Alice's reaction to the sound of the Duty Shift's Medic was classic embarrassment. And why shouldn't it be: Megan Vicks was the kind of woman who could send anyone running for a dark corner to hide in. Hans could still remember coming out of stasis, under the Medic's supervision. One of the unfortunate side effects of reanimation was a persistent swelling of certain body parts, specifically penises, nipples, and clitorises. And despite it having happened almost a month ago, every time Hans saw Megan or heard her voice, he couldn't help but remember those first moments after he'd regained full consciousness and found his above average sized cock solid as a rock.

The two women exchanged words before Alice instructed the AI to end the conversation. The electrician apologized for her friend, then surprised Hans with, "I could sit down for a meal, sir. Nineteen hundred hours?"

"Nineteen hundred," Hans confirmed with a wide, pleased smile. He watched her pull herself through the bridge entrance and toward the small airlock of the return tube, feeling giddy like some fucking teenage nerd who'd just landed a date with a cheer leader. Desperate to say something before she closed the pressure door, anything, Hans called to Alice, "I'll call ahead and reserve a table."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hans felt like an idiot. He turned back toward the bridge's interior, not wanting Alice to see his own blush. After he was sure the beautiful crew member was gone, he guided himself toward the command seat, buckled in, and commanded the AI, "Julia, review status, with audio."

The image before Hans of the void before the transport shrunk to half its already-shrunken size and then moved to one side. In its place, several holographic images appeared, showing the status of all the ship's systems, arranged in the priority in which the Duty Shift's supervisor -- Hans, at this time -- was supposed to review them. The AI began verbally reviewing the highlights for the Lieutenant.

But less than a minute into the review, Hans said, "Julia, pause review."

Although the AI's voice ceased, the holographic images remained. Hans sat there in silence for a moment, then asked what some called the ship's silicon soul, "Julia, what is Ensign Vicks current location?"

"Ensign Vicks is currently in Exercise Room Bravo," the AI answered.

After a moment, and after verifying with the AI that there were no other Duty Shift members in the Axis section other than the departing Alice and himself, Hans said, "Julia, show me Exercise Room Bravo."

He was sure to ask to see the room and not Megan herself, as requesting to see a specific member would automatically direct the AI to alert that other person to the fact that they were being watched. Again, the Duty Officer had the ability to bypass this feature of the privacy-security protocols, but again, doing so would put a red flag in the ship's log that Hans would have to explain to his replacement in a couple of weeks.

As he had with Alice on the bridge earlier, Hans manipulated the image of the gym to ogle the Duty Shift's Medic. She wore workout clothes, of course, and they defined her form so much better than did her dress uniform. As he watched her exercise, Hans found his cock swelling again, and he wondered why the hell he was trying so hard to get personal with Alice when Megan looked … so nice.

Oh yeah, that's why, Hans reminded himself, our beautiful, sexy Medic doesn't DO dick.

It was such a waste of a sexy, female body. To me, at least, and to other men, Hans thought to himself. I'm sure the female members of the crew who like other females are tickled to have you on "their team". He let the thought fade as another replaced it. Do you have a chance in hell of fucking Alice if Alice and Megan are already--

Hans tried not to think about it but failed. He had no idea if the two woman had that kind of relationship. Their personnel records, in which all personal relationships with other crew members were to be declared, said they didn't, that they were just old college friends who'd joined the mission together. And Hans hadn't seen them acting any more intimately than two close friends would.

I wouldn't blame them, he thought as he let a hand rest upon his erection and press upon it firmly. If I want them the way I do, why shouldn't they want each other, too? Hans wished he could just whip out his cock here and now and stroke it until it spewed. But having his jizz shooting out into the zero gravity space before him and float around until it was sucked into the ventilation system and filtered out might be a bit hard to explain to the other bridge crew.

Hans laughed to himself at the thought of little blobs of semen floating about the bridge, being chased by the extended vacuum arms of the automated janitor bots. He shrugged off the idea and commanded the AI, "Julia, continue status review with audio."

Introducing Ensign Megan Vicks, Medic



"MEE-gun … with a hard 'e'."

Ensign Vicks could still remember correcting the Duty Shift's pronunciation of her name the first time he attempted to read it from the cloth name tag sewn over her right breast. And, like Hans, she could still remember how she'd inadvertently embarrassed him that day when she led him out of stasis, reanimating him to consciousness.

"Is that a laser pistol under your robe, Lieutenant Becker," Megan said with a sultry tone, adding with a wink, "Or are you just happy to see me?"

After he'd turned red and unsuccessfully attempted to make his standing hard-on less obvious, Megan had laughed before explaining in deeply medical jargon that involuntary erection was an unavoidable side effect of the process and nothing with which he needed to be concerned.

"It'll take about two hours," she said, glancing to Hans's groin as she helped him rise from the stasis bed to begin stretching out the rest of his equally stiff body. "It'll take longer if you show your penis any tactile attention … meaning … if you want it to go away, don't be touching it. Masturbation will only extend the erection period. Hell, I knew a guy once who--"

But Megan had ceased that story, knowing that to tell it to her new Duty Shift Supervisor was not a good idea. She peeked back at Hans and thought she saw continuing embarrassment in his expression and body language. She smiled to him again and confessed, "If you're concerned about me seeing you like this, Lieutenant, don't be. First, I'm your Doctor for the extent of the Duty Shift. I'm a medical professional, and … well, you know what I'm going to say about professionalism and confidentiality and all that jazz."

She moved over to him with a hypodermic needle on a fucking huge syringe in one hand and a small cup filled with a dozen pills in the other. She told him to strip for a full medical review, then added, "And besides … I don't do dick. By that, I don't mean that don't do anything … as in, I don't not accomplish things. I accomplish a lot of things. What I mean by that is … I have no interest in penises as a form of sexual gratification for myself, so … you have no reason to have any concerns about me seeing yours in the condition in which you find it."

Now, as she ran on the treadmill at the pace of a competitive miler, Megan couldn't help but smile broadly at the recollection of that conversation. She'd only been trying to make an awkward situation better for the Lieutenant … but she doubted very much that she'd succeeded. But they'd gotten along pretty well over the past two weeks of so, even if Hans seemed to blush a bit every time Megan saw him.

She felt good about her decision to let him know about her sexual preference that first day, too. Working on a Duty Shift with a just a handful or more of potential sexual partners was very limiting … and if anyone knew all about that, it was Megan, the only publicly proclaimed lesbian currently amongst them. She had felt it only appropriate to let the new Command Officer know up front that he would have to look elsewhere if he wanted to find some sexual satisfaction.

Megan was pretty sure Hans had taken the hint and wasn't wasting any time on her. Of course, if she'd known that at this moment he was sitting on the Bridge with his hand in his crotch as he watched her running on the treadmill, she might have contemplated having another talk with him.

But, she doubted that was going to be an issue, for Lieutenant Hans Becker had a thing for her friend and occasional lover Electricians Mate, Second Class, Alice Hooper. Oh, Megan had seen it the very first time she'd caught Hans peeking the sparky's direction. And she didn't blame the man, of course; hell, any man, any where was likely to give Megan's babelicious Alice a good hard ogle … which meant that here -- in a small Duty Shift of less than a dozen people -- the electrician or any other half decently looking female was going to find herself being scoped out incessantly.

Which made Megan smile again … as her thoughts shifted to another one of the female crew, Little Miss Olivia Hanson of the Computer Systems Division.

Technician Olivia Hanson was, to the best of Megan's memory, the youngest member of Fourteen's crew that she'd ever had the good fortune to meet … and to escort out of stasis. The Medic was a professional, and -- with the exception of the occasional hard-on joke or the female equivalent nipples as big as a Hershey's Kiss comment -- she tried her best to be good during examinations and both pre- and post-stasis preparation periods.

But being there for Olivia's exit from stasis had been a moment of great lust for the Medic. The Technician was simply the cutest, sweetest, sexiest little thing Megan had ever seen standing naked before her. And shy...! Olivia had insisted on shifting her gown to keep her womanly features hidden. And even after the Medic -- fed-up with Olivia's modesty -- finally took the gown away from her, told her to stand still and stop fidgeting, and then gave the girl the female version of the speech she'd given to Hans days earlier, Olivia continued to repeatedly shift her hands between breasts and crotch in an attempt to hide as much of her femaleness as possible.

Megan didn't have any illusions about Olivia's sexual preferences, though, or about the difference between Olivia's attractions and her own. Olivia's own ogling had given her away when the young beauty sat down in the Mess Hall for her first solid food meal … and couldn't take her eyes off Fourteen's premier gallery chef...

(OOC: I will have Olivia's introduction after another writer posts his first reply.)

Dell Harris blinked. A servo-mech hovered near his stasis cubicle. Awakening from stasis was always disorienting and returning to his normal self would take a little while.

He touched the exit icon, and the side of the cubicle reformed, making a series of steps to the floor. He sat up and descended the steps. He stretched his arms and legs.

“Take me to your leader,” he joked as he touched the home icon on the servo-tech.

This was his sixth time out of stasis for a year each time. The crew usually complained about the food, but the main source of food was from hydroponics, which made for a limited selection.

He mindlessly followed the servo-tech. He was not surprised no one else was around. He entered the area for the crew quarters.

The servo-tech stopped at a door half-way into the area. Dell placed his hand on the door and it opened. He was glad it had been reasigned to him; last time he had needed to get the captain to change the door code.

He opened the door, and a fresh smell assaulted his senses. He hated strong scents and left the door open. He was pleased to see his personal things had been delivered to the room.

He sat at the work station and scanned his left wrist, which had the chip for his Personal Compact Computer. “Display.”

A virtual screen appeared in mid-air. He touched Orders, Menu, then Supper. Each name listed what they wanted for supper as well as where they preferred to eat it. In addition there were nutrition requirements from the doctor for each person.

Harris opened up another window for hydroponics. He entered in the items he would need to make supper then sent his request.

He left the room, locking the door. He would prepare supper then get his room in order.

* *

Harris placed the last enclosed tray into the pneumatic system and entered the destination.

Two meals were left: one for him and the other for Olivia Hanson, a Computer Systems Tech. She wanted to eat in the Mess Hall. He'd never met her and decided this might be a good opportunity.

He left the kitchen with two trays and headed for where Olivia was sitting.

Post for both Alice Hooper and Olivia Hanson



1900 hours:

Alice entered the Mess hall right on time for her get to know one another with Hans Becker, but when she glanced about the room, she found only two faces … and neither was the Duty Shift's Commander. She made her way over to the window that looked in on the kitchen to chat with the Chef. She didn't want to inquire about Hans specifically as that would have left little doubt about whether their sitting together had been planned or happenstance.

But in the process of chatting, Alice learned that their meals had been sent to their rooms, as was often done; so many of the awoken crew would starve if their food didn't magically appear in their quarters because they had a tendency of working until exhausted before returning to their rooms to pass out.

Alice thought to herself Well, THAT ought to raise a few eyebrows … me having my meal with the Lieutenant in his room. But the electrician had misunderstood the Chef; her meal had in fact been sent to her own room, which meant she was going to look even sillier when in a few minutes she arrived at his door and pressed the button for entrance.

"Alice!" a meek little voice called out. It repeated unseen from the farthest corner of the Mess Hall, "Alice! Over here."

The Food Production Complex -- of which the Mess Decks were just a small part -- occupied over a quarter of DST-14's ring section. It included the hydroponics bays, a variety of storage rooms, freezer and refrigeration rooms, two kitchens, several preparation rooms, and rooms about which Alice probably wasn't even aware because as of yet she hadn't had to fix or clean anything there.

And, of course, it included these very Mess Decks. Ironically, despite the fact that the Fourteen had a total crew of over 400 and a settlers population of over 2,000, this space was probably one of the smallest compartments that was part of the Food Production Complex. The reason was simple, of course: rarely if ever were there more than 12 Officers and Enlisted animated at any one time.

The dining room compartment through which Alice was walking -- searching for the source of the tiny mouse of a voice -- was only 40 feet across, the interior diameter of the ring section's middle level. The length of the room was a mere 20 feet, which for some was confusing as most people thought of length as longer than width. Although that length followed the direction of the ring shape, the short distance from the kitchen window to the far wall made it hard for Alice (and others) to even notice that the floor curved slightly upwards with each step she took.

"Alice," the voice repeated, almost in a whisper now.

Stepping left and leaning to peer pass one of the supporting structural beams, Alice found Olivia Hanson sitting all alone at a two seat table that, honestly, she hadn't ever realized was there until this very moment. She smiled and then laughed as she headed for the young woman.

"What happened?" Alice asked as she dropped into the seat opposite the Computer Technician. "Did you get in trouble in class … get sent to the corner to think about what you've done."

Olivia giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth, not that that silenced her youthful sounds at all. Alice continued her teasing, "Should you be standing with your nose against the wall? Seriously, though, what are you doing all the way..."

Alice's question trailed off as she realized that she was being ignored by the young beauty. Looking over her shoulder, Alice caught sight of the Second Shift Chef, Dell Harris. She looked back to Olivia and studied her for a moment, waiting for the young thing to make eye contact with her...

It took almost a minute! The young thing was absolutely entranced by the man beyond the window. Alice gave a sharp pffft sound with her lips, and when the startled Technician looked back to her, Alice asked, "Crush much?"

Olivia's face exploded in a fiery blush which she tried to hide behind her hands. Again she giggled, and peeking out childlike through splayed fingers, she whispered, "He's so … oh, Alice. He's perfect."

"So … why are you sitting all the way over here?" Alice inquired suggestively. She looked back over her shoulder at the dozen plus tables that sat 2 to 6 people, all of them closer and more visible to the Chef than this one hidden behind a vertical beam. Alice looked back to Olivia and asked with a devilish smirk, "In fact, why aren't you sitting in the man's lap?"

Olivia gave out a quick, sharp squeal, then hid her face again as she giggled. Alice laughed herself, thinking No wonder Megan wants to get naked with you. You're just a big ball of virgin, waiting for someone to play with you.

Thinking about her friend at this moment -- during this topic -- saddened Alice just a bit. Megan and Alice had been lovers off and on back on Earth, before joining the New Terra program. Since then, they'd kept their friendship friendly, but not intimate; Megan was looking for a woman like herself, a true lesbian, a woman who wanted to be serious, which meant monogamous … someone with whom she could begin a relationship here on the ship that would continue into their lives and on to their eventual deaths on 51 Pegasi IV.

That wasn't going to be Alice, of course. Although she had always very much enjoyed having Megan's head and hands between her thighs -- and vice versa -- Alice knew that her yet-to-be-discovered soul mate would be sporting a dick down yonder. She wanted to get married and have children with and curled up into the arms of the same person who'd sperm made those children … and that obviously wasn't going to be Megan or any other woman, even if the female-on-female sex was incredible.

Megan had spoken of the new girl the day Olivia emerged from stasis in a way that left little doubt about the Medic's interest in her. But looking at the Tech now as she was once again eying the Chef … well … Alice doubted very much that her friend would be pressing her mouth upon the wet, fleshy folds between Olivia's thighs any time soon.

"Well, I have dinner plans else where, apparently," Alice said, standing. She looked to the chef again, then back to Olivia. "Are you going to ask him to come sit with you?"

With wide eyes, the young woman growled softly, "No-o-o-o...! I … I couldn't."

"Okay," Alice responded, shrugging. "See you later then."

She turned to head for the exit, and catching Dell's attention as she passed the window, she said softly, "Olivia is sitting over in the corner … waiting for you."

She smile devilishly as she exited the door, then down the passageway a bit began laughing. Of course, that humor faded as she remembered what she was doing next. Still believing that Lieutenant Becker had had her meal sent to his room, to encourage her to make a visit to his personal quarters, Alice headed that way … in no real hurry.

It wasn't that she didn't like him; she found him personable and handsome and even funny at times. It was just … well … she didn't know if she wanted to be his lover. And Alice was certain -- incorrectly, it would soon turn out -- that that was the reason he was luring her to the privacy of his own space.

The Command Officers' Quarters were almost on the opposite side of the ring from the Mess Decks, and while she had to pass her own quarters to get to Hans's, Alice didn't stop. Ironically, if she had, she would have found her meal in its traveling container, waiting for her to open and devour it.

She stopped at Hans's door, hesitated, then reached out and touched a finger tip to the screen. Then, with her body beginning to tremble noticeably, she waited.

1910 hours:

Hans Becker's evening was being driven by misunderstanding, very much as Alice Hooper's was. The two of them had been planning on meeting on the mess decks to share a meal, maybe have some conversation, maybe get to know one another, maybe so on and such forth, all ending with the two of them sweaty and exhausted as their hearts raced from the euphoria of sexual satisfaction.

Of course, the odds that all of that happening this night were very small. Tiny, Hans had warned himself repeatedly as he showered, dressed, and waited to head for the mess decks. Alice wasn't going to come to his room tonight. There was no way that would happen so immediately, if ever at all.

And, of course, when his meal arrived in the tube, he was certain he wasn't going to be getting any tonight. Alice must have decided against meeting him. She must have instructed the chef to send the package as a way of saying Sorry, not tonight. Should he be offended that she didn't come to tell him herself. Hell, she hadn't even needed to come see him in person. Alice could have seen a text message to him. The AI would have delivered it to him, wherever he was.

Hans sat back on his bed, staring at the still-unopened meal package in silence. What now? he wondered. Do you give up on her? She obviously doesn't want to see you, let alone--

A chime interrupted Hans's thoughts. Simultaneously, Alice Hooper's personnel photo appeared on the screen next to the door. Hans literally leaped from his bed in excitement and, to be honest, a bit of shock. He stood in place for a long moment, wondering what to do. He hadn't expected this. He'd fantasized it, but he hadn't actually thought it was likely. He stepped closer to the door, to within reach of the panel on which the electrician's image was staring at him. He drew a deep breath, released it, then reached out and touched the panel.

"Hi," was all Hans could manage after the door opened and he found Alice standing there looking back at him. He gave her a moment to respond, then backed up a step, asking, "Do you, um, would you like to come in?"

Dell smiled as he spoke with Alice. They'd been out of stasis a few times together. He liked her a lot as a friend; although she was very cute, he'd never felt any connection. She seemed antsy about something, and he'd almost asked her what had her so nervous, but he held his tongue.

He watched the sway of Alice's uniform as she made her way through the Mess Hall. Soon, she was out of sight, and his attention returned to preparing the last of the meals.

Alice's return caught him by surprise. Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Olivia is sitting over in the corner … waiting for you."

He was surprised; he'd not met Olivia Hanson, yet, and he was sure she'd never met him. “Hummm, this should be interesting.”

He walked in the direction that Alice had indicated and soon saw a pretty young woman with her head tilted down as if inspecting the table.

Dell set her tray in front of her and said, “Hi, Olivia, I'm Dell.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. Olivia's head slowly came up, but she didn't look directly at him. He noted the flush in her cheeks.

“Oh, I'm sorry for intruding, Olivia. I think Alice was playing a joke on you.” He lifted his tray. “Enjoy your meal. I'll see you later.”

She didn't know whether Alice's invitation to Dell was supposed to have been heard from the corner, but Olivia most definitely caught it. Her heart skipped a beat, and she slunk back into the corner even more than she already had been.

She looked to the small table's surface, panicking, willing Fire! Fire! Need a fire in the kitchen, please, please, oh God please, just a little fire...

But soon enough, out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the chef stepping up close to the table. “Hi, Olivia, I'm Dell.”

The man for whom Olivia had had so many delicious fantasies over the past few days sat across from her, setting the tray of selected foods before her. She peeked up to meet his eyes but couldn't hold the gaze; she looked back to the table as her cheeks flushed yet again.

Suddenly, she realized that he was sitting across from her … that he'd brought two trays with him. He was going to sit with her … to eat with her! Olivia's heart was pounding so hard that she was sure Dell could hear it across from her.

“Oh, I'm sorry for intruding, Olivia," he said after a moment. "I think Alice was playing a joke on you.”

Olivia began to panic when Dell stood to leave. She didn't want him to go, but … she also didn't want to invite him to stay. No! She wanted to invite him to stay … she just … she just didn't know how! But that was okay, 'cause … she actually wanted him to go away … didn't she? If he stayed, Olivia was going to have a stroke.

He took his tray, telling her, “Enjoy your meal. I'll see you later.”

Don't go! Stay! Sit with me, here! I love you! I want to have your babies!

Olivia had a moment of panic as she feared that maybe she'd actually said those things out loud. But Dell continued on his way over to another table where he sat and begin picking through his meal.

She studied him for a minute or two or ten, she wasn't really quite sure; her mind was overwhelmed by her feelings, by her desires, by her lust … by her naiveté. Olivia was 22 years old, and she had no idea how to talk to a man.

And yet … somehow … she found herself standing … hesitating … sitting down again … rising almost immediately as she chastised herself for being a child … hesitating yet again … then … gathering her tray and drink cup … before she began making her way from the corner toward the table at which Dell was eating.

Olivia stopped opposite him, her gaze on her tray as she was still uncertain that she could look into the beautiful man's eyes. She set the tray down; her heart was pounding so hard it ached. She cleared her throat as she sat down before him.

"Hi … Dell," she struggled to get out. She drew a deep breath and let it out in a huff, knowing how silly it made her look. "Hi … I'm Olivia."

She finally managed to look up into the man's eyes … and her lips spread in a toothy grin.

“Well, hi again, Olivia. I'm glad you decided to join me, and I must say you have a dazling smile.” Dell took a bite of his food.

“You have an advantage over me,” he said. “You know what I do around here. What is your work all about?”

They both ate their food, and he listened whlle she spoke of her work with the computers. He was surprised at how comfortable he felt with her as if they'd known one another for a long while.

When they finished, he said, “Do you like old movies? I believe there are some vids in the entertainment room – if you would like to join me. Unless, you have a different type of entertainment in mind.”

Post for Alice Hooper:

Alice heart -- already a bit faster than normal -- skipped a beat when the door to the Duty Officer's Stateroom opened and she found herself staring right into Hans's face.

"Hi."

"Hi," she echoed.

She was about to say more, but after opening her mouth, nothing came out. She closed it instead, then gave the man a polite but nervous smile.

He stepped back and asked, "Do you, um, would you like to come in?"

Alice hesitated. She really shouldn't be doing this. Really shouldn't be doing this! It would have been different if she'd already decided she wanted the Lieutenant as a lover. That was where this was going, wasn't it...? To Hans's bed?

But Alice hadn't made up her mind, and -- honestly -- if she were pressed this very moment to give a yea or nay to opening her thighs to Hans, the answer would have been the latter. So … why the hell was she here?

"I guess so," she said with a smile, adding, "I mean, if I want to eat, right?"

She didn't want it to sound perturbed about Hans having hijacked her meal to get her here. But … well, he had! Kind of a dirty trick, Alice thought, since -- not being an Officer with such authority -- she couldn't have diverted his meal to her quarters if she'd wanted to lure him there.

There was something in the man's reaction, though, that signaled uncertainty in Alice. She chuckled lightly and clarified, "You did, after all, have my evening meal sent here."

And … there was that look again. Alice stepped into the open portal, leaned, and peeked past Hans. There on his little dining table was a meal … a meal … one meal. She stood upright again, looking into Hans's eyes as she asked, "Is that yours...? Where's … where's mine?"

Hans made it clear that he had no knowledge of Alice's missing meal. Her face exploded in a fiery blush as she chuckled in embarrassment. She gave a rambling apology, trying to explain how she'd come to this conclusion of hers.

She looked up and down the passageway, and a thought came to her. "What would you say to having our dinner in the arboretum. I know … I know that we aren't supposed to go in there without a member of Ag-Div with us, but … well, there isn't one on the Duty Shift at the moment, so..."

Alice took a small step backwards, putting her firmly in the passageway again and out of Hans's stateroom. She smiled, finishing, "I'll go get my meal and meet you at Entrance Bravo...?"

Post for Olivia Hanson:

“Well, hi again, Olivia,” Dell Harris said after she'd nervously taken the seat opposite him. “I'm glad you decided to join me, and I must say you have a dazzling smile.”

Again, Olivia diverted her gaze ... and again, her face exploded in a fiery blush. She feared that any moment she was going to realize she couldn't do this and would suddenly leap up and run out of the room. Out of the room...? That wouldn't be enough; she'd have to leave the transport to escape the embarrassment of having this gorgeous man giving compliments to her.

Olivia had never been comfortable with flattery, whether it be warranted or simply designed to make her feel good … or get the bearer into her pants. It felt good to have Dell saying such things to her; it was terrifying at the same time.

“You have an advantage over me,” he said. “You know what I do around here. What is your work all about?”

"I am a Systems Technician," she said without hesitation, her mind now on her work and not the man before her with whom she was already planning their retirement years. "I keep up heading the right direction."

As if a second personality -- a confident twin living within her -- had suddenly taken over, Olivia spilled out a rapid explanation of her responsibilities monitoring, programming, updating, and even writing script for Fourteen's flight and navigation software. It began to get a bit more detailed than most could understanding; Dell was a cook -- a Master Chef, as most described him -- so he might not understand what was flooding from Olivia's mouth, but then … even some of the people in the Tech Division didn't understand all she did, so … if he did begin to lose his way in her forest of terms and processes about which Olivia was suddenly rambling, he wouldn't have been the only one.

But eventually, Olivia did realize that she was out of control … and, with another blush and diversion of her eyes from the man, she went silent for a moment and stuffed her face with a bit of the delicious cake Dell had created.

“Do you like old movies?”

She looked up into Dell's eyes again, considering the question that had seemed to come from no where.

“I believe there are some vids in the entertainment room – if you would like to join me.”

OH! Olivia's mind screamed out. Dell was asking her to spend time with her … the DST-14 version of asking her out. Again -- not that it would be the last time -- the young Tech's face darkened. She looked back to her plate, staring at the food that -- for the most part -- was mostly still there, having only been cut up and poked at as Olivia moved it around the plate.

“Unless, you have a different type of entertainment in mind.”

Unless I have a different type of... Olivia's eyes, still staring down into her mangled meal, widened at what she assumed was Dell's way of asking whether or not she was wanting to get naked with him and … and … Oh, dear! That! She peeked up at Dell, then down again … and she couldn't help but giggle nervously. And then she couldn't help but feel stupid -- childish -- at not being able to not giggle at a man's suggestion that they go off someplace and get intimate … or get fucked.

But … Dell had suggested the entertainment room, not his room. So, maybe Olivia was only imagining that he was suggesting they find a place to take off their clothes. Now she felt even more stupid and more childish. And suddenly--

"I forgot, I have something I need to do!" she said, rising quickly, hesitating, taking a step back, hesitating yet again … then turning and heading for the Mess Deck's exit. Olivia called back over her shoulder, "Sorry … Dell."

And … she was gone. A dozen steps down the slowly rising, curved passageway, Olivia hurried into a gentle run, maintaining it until she reached the door of the quarters she shared while animated. She entered, closed the door behind her, leaned back against it … and cursed herself for being such an idiot.

(OOC: Sending you a PM.)

Dell listened closely as Olivia spoke of her work. There was such a change in her personality, and he suspected this was the true Olivia. He wondered what had happened in the past to make her so skittish.

"I forgot, I have something I need to do!" Her panicked response to his suggestion made him feel bad. It was if she couldn't wait to get away from him.

He sat at the table for awhile, thinking about what he should do; he didn't want Olivia to feel bad about what had happened. It was his fault. He commed hydroponics with a personal order and went to the kitchen to retrieve it then headed for the crew quarters.

He stood outside Olivia's door with one hand behind his back. He hit the buzzer and waited. When her door opened, he brought the flowers out from behind his back and gave them to her, saying, “I appologize for making you uncomfortable.

https://peoplesflowershops.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/p1.jpg

“I was enjoying our conversation. If you would like to continue talking, I believe the arboretum would be a nice place.”

Olivia Hanson
5'2", 105#
31A-23-33
Brunette hair, long (to beyond the middle of her back), wavy
Blue-green eyes that almost glow.

Olivia had stripped her long hair from the very loose braid that she typically wore on duty, then stripped out of her Dress Uniform down to the skin to slip into her sleeping clothes, a comfy pair of undramatic boys shorts beneath a pair of loose fitting pajamas.

In the privacy of her own quarters, Olivia rarely is ever wore a bra. It wasn't really necessary most of the time: her breasts hovered somewhere between an A and A+ cup meaning they required no support and were only contained by a brassiere when Olivia was out in public; and even though her nipples swelled noticeably either when she was cold or sexually excited, becoming as tall as the breasts upon which they were supported, it wasn't like anyone who cared -- meaning men -- was going to see them here in her room, so … why bother with a restrictive bra, right?

Wrong!

Olivia had returned to her quarters to find a message waiting in her Comm Box from Alice Hooper: Sorry if I embarrassed you earlier, but you needed a push. Will stop by later to make sure you haven't leaped out an airlock. Please, do not push ME out an airlock. Ha ha.

So when she heard the chime for her door bell, Olivia immediately assumed Alice had come by … and -- excited to tell the bolder woman about her embarrassing exchange on the Mess Decks -- the young Tech bounded over to open the door without actually looking at the image produced upon the Viewing Panel by the Chef's fingerprint/DNA upon the screen in the hall.

Olivia's eyes opened wide with shock at the sight of Del Harris standing in the passageway.

He told her, “I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

The word uncomfortable must have triggered recollection of Olivia's current state of dress … or maybe it was the feeling of her nipples swelling at the sight of the beautiful Chef. Olivia threw her arms up across her chest, unsure whether or not the man had noticed the signs of swelling. She smiled broadly, nervously; inside, a voice was screaming Kill me now … and have Alice whoosh me into space!

Del pulled the flowers out from behind his back, telling her “I was enjoying our conversation. If you would like to continue talking, I believe the arboretum would be a nice place.”

Olivia just stared at the bouquet. It was amazing … and more importantly, they were the first flowers a man had ever given her, save for the corsages she'd received for the three dances she'd attended during all of her existence back on earth.

She started to reach out for the bouquet, then remembered her swollen nips. She turned to rush to her closet, donned a cardigan-style sweater she often wore in the electronics rooms because of the typically lower temperature there, then returned to the doorway, clutching the opposing lapels over her torso to hide her state of arousal.

"Thank you … Del," she said meekly as she reached a hand out for the gift. She sniffed at them, unsure whether or not hydroponically raised ornamentals had a strong scent. She practically purred at the intoxicating smell, her eyes going closed for a moment. When she looked to him again, Olivia complimented, "They're incredible. Thank you. Oh … I said that already, didn't I? Thank you anyway."

She felt her face explode in another blush and turned away. She found an empty horizontal space, which was not an easy task in the little compartment where every flat surface was filled with books, electronic tablets, and equipment from work Olivia had brought home with her.

She turned back to Del again, studying him from head to toe for a moment. Olivia was seriously picturing him naked and on top of her when she suddenly remembered his earlier question.

"Oh! Yes! The arboretum. Yes, I'd … I'd love to go to the arboretum."

She slipped her stockinged feet into a pair of rubber soled slippers -- made for safe traction on the ship's metal and tiled floors both, then stepped up closer to Del. She was smiling like a Cheshire Cat … not that Olivia knew what a Cheshire Cat was. She couldn't believe she was going for a walk through Fourteen's own Little Acre Woods with Del Harris, Chef Extraordinaire.

Dell couldn't help but notice Olivia's tits poking at the thin fabric of what seemed to be pajamas. Her reaction, wrapping her arms around her chest was comical, and he did his best to keep a straight face and not smile.

Olivia appeared to be a little off kilter as she hurried off to get a sweater. The flush in her face almost turned red. She returned for the flowers and came back after finding a place for them.

Dell was pleased when Olivia agreed to go. Her bright smile made him feel warm inside.

At the end of the crew quarters was a people mover. Dell scanned his PCC and entered their destination, then he and Olivia stepped onto the people mover.

The arboretum was in the ring part of the ship, which the people mover reached within minutes and stopped. They left the people mover, and once inside the ring, they entered a small car. Dell entered the destination. The car entered a lock for the pneumatic tube. Almost as soon as it entered, the car arrived at its destination.

The aboretum was close by and they went inside.

http://www.bestmastersprograms.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/matthei.jpg

“I like to come here to get away from everything. The place is usually empty late in the day or early in the morning,” Dell explained.

As they walked around, the scent in the air changed according to the variety of the flowers. They came to a bench and Dell said, “Let's sit and talk. You spoke of your work earlier; now, tell me something about you.”

Lt. Hans Becker, Duty Shift Commander:

"I don't have your evening meal, Alice," he said after the electrician seemed to indicate it had been delivered here."

He thought she was taking his invitation to come into his stateroom when she stepped forward through the door, but then she only stopped and looked past him, to his little dining room table designed coincidentally for two.

"Is that yours...? Where's … where's mine?"

Hans had no idea what Alice was talking about, but after a confusing, even comical exchange between them, he felt about as embarrassed as she did. Each one of them had made assumptions about the other. Each one of them had made assumptions about the other's intentions for the night, too. Hans had even begun to swell a bit down yonder at the sight of the young beauty at his bedroom door, or stateroom door, which was more accurate as the Officer's Staterooms had a separate bedroom with a separate door.

But that wasn't happening Alice made clear as she suggested they head for the arboretum to have their dinner. "I'll go get my meal and meet you at Entrance Bravo...?"

"I'll see you there," Hans confirmed with a smile.

He waited for Alice to leave before closing the door, a part of him still hoping she'd pass on eating and just come inside for a round between his sheets. But again, that wasn't happening. He retrieved his meal box, then unlocked his private locker, which had been retrieved from storage by one of the Auto-Bots after he'd been reanimated a couple of weeks earlier. Opening the locker, he found a box hidden near the bottom. The label read Medicated Foot Cream, 8 single use packs per box, and below that Perishable, do not open until ready to use.

He smiled as he cracked open the label and lifted the lid to reveal four tall but thin bottles of wine. They'd been almost as old as he was when he'd purchased them on Earth, and even though he'd only physically and mentally aged two years since then, the bottles themselves were nearly two decades older and, he'd been promised, better. Hans removed one of the bottles, then removed one of the outer seal labels in a zipped baggie. He closed the box, replaced the label to make it appear brand new, stuffed the bottle in a uniform pocket, and headed for his dinner.

Hans was just about to enter the arboretum when movement caught his attention. Feeling guilty about using his authority to access the location, he slinked back against the bulkhead to see who was coming. After a moment, he spotted the chief chef and the little computer technician. His eyebrows raised a bit, as Hans hadn't known the two were familiar in that way. (His first assumption was that they were already lovers, maybe because he wished and still hoped that he and Alice would be such very soon.)

Waiting until they accessed Entrance Alpha, Hans continued onward to Entrance Bravo and waited. It didn't take but another minute for Alice to arrive. He warned with almost a whisper, "We're not alone. Del and Olivia are here. Together."

He wasn't sure what Alice wanted to do now, go ahead and go inside or go somewhere else or -- the Stars forbid! -- call it all off and go their separate ways to keep their little dinner meeting secret. But he would do whichever she chose.

Post for Olivia Hanson (with Dell Harris):

The Chef told the Tech, “I like to come here to get away from everything. The place is usually empty late in the day or early in the morning.”

Olivia very nearly said That's because everyone else works so hard and they're too exhausted to come here after their shift. But she caught herself, realizing that that might have sounded like she was saying Dell didn't work hard.

She knew better than that. Even though this very evening was the first time he'd taken notice of Olivia, she had taken an ongoing interest in Dell. And she knew just how hard he worked and how many hours he put in. (It wasn't just that she peeked in on him while he worked in the Mess Hall, either. Olivia's work on Fourteen's software and hardware gave her access to much of the ship's data and logs, and occasionally she peeked on the records kept that related to the Chef's work. Naughty, sure; but she was infatuated with the man.)

And sure, there were fewer than a dozen animated people that Dell had to feed at any one time while he himself was awake and working. But the men and women from his Division did far more than just fry eggs and bake cakes; they also had their hands deep into the hydroponics production and food preservation operations, too, and some of them even had a hand in the success of this very arboretum through which the pair of them were now walking.

Olivia was clenching her hands together, her fingers intertwined in an effort to keep them from trembling, when Dell suggested, “Let's sit and talk.”

He directed them to a bench, and as Dell sat, Olivia did so such that she was staring straight ahead toward some amazing plant from, she presumed, the tropics somewhere on Earth. Her direction of attention wasn't so much about the big palm-thingy; it was about not being able to look right into the man's face as she sat so close to him without a dining table between them.

“You spoke of your work earlier," he began. “Now, tell me something about you.”

Olivia giggled and -- again? -- blushed enough to feel it in her face. When was she ever going to get past these girlish feelings with Dell? Well, never, of course; she'd been this way all her life, particularly with boys, so she certainly wasn't going to get past them soon with the most beautiful man on a ship of thousands.

She got past her discomfort by launching into the history of her education and involvement with the New Terra program. Olivia was always comfortable and never shy when it came to talking about her work. But she peeked over at Dell a couple of times as she rambled quickly on and realized that this wasn't exactly what he meant by tell me something about you.

Yet again, Olivia blushed. She looked to the other side of the path, to that big plant; a ventilation fan, meant to give the illusion of a light breeze, was causing the palm to wave back and forth just enough that Olivia thought it was mocking her with a get to it or get away wave.

"I like chocolate," she said with a weak voice after a moment. Silence reigned again before she looked up to Dell and explained, "I say that because … well … you're a Chef … and Chef's cook with chocolate … and chocolate … I like chocolate … so, I thought … maybe you'd like to know that … I like … chocolate..."

Oh my GOD, what's wrong with you? Olivia's mind was screaming at her. He's not going to bite! Just talk to the man!

She giggled at his response to her chocolate monologue, then tried again. "My gran-mama gave me my first computer. We weren't … you know … well to do … so, it was o-o-o-old … no voice recog' … no 3D holo' display … still used solid state memory storage with the sixth gen' micro-cart virtual circuits. It actually had keys rather than the new..."

She went silent, realizing she was about to launch into a discussion about heat and pulse sensing contact points and retina-sensitive algorithmic monitors. Clearing her throat, Olivia went on, "I tore it apart and began putting it back together … a bit different than how I'd gotten it. My father thought I was nuts … wasting my time … said I should concentrate on animal husbandry and my lambs. We raised sheep, by the way. One of the last family's in Wyoming to do that."

Olivia perked up a bit, glancing over at Dell with a proud look in her eyes. She continued, "I won the school's science fair with that little box of obsolete technology. Got a scholarship to a STEM camp for high schoolers."

Her smile widened about as far as the Chef had ever seen it as she added, "I was 8."

She laughed, suddenly embarrassed; Olivia wasn't a braggard, but she'd never told this story to anyone for whom she wasn't applying for some scholarship or program or job or -- in the case of this ship -- a project to colonize a distant world.

Some nearby misting jets came on with a whooshing sound, startling Olivia. She stood and moved into the middle of the path, opened her cardigan out wide until its too sides look like wings, looked up into the canopy above her, and turned slowly to allow the mist to come down upon her from all sides.

Oh, it wasn't much water; it wasn't going to soak her to the skin or anything. But -- and she hadn't been considering this when she opened herself -- the suddenly chill and that light amount of moisture caused her nipples to swell noticeably and once again become obvious to Dell's eyes as she turned around and around and around … smiling to the heavens.

After a moment, she came to a stop facing him … her eyes widened with realization … and she pulled her sweater tightly shut over her torso again as -- yes, yes -- another blush filled her face. She looked to the ground for a moment, then back up as she smiled broadly and murmured, "I like the rain. You … you probably figured that out."

She laughed suddenly, embarrassed, but feeling happy. She blurted out suddenly, "Tell me about you!"

Dell opened his mouth to speak, but before he got five words into what ever it was he wanted to say, Olivia cut him off with, "Do you have someone?"

She meant, of course, are you married? Engaged? Involved with someone, either Animated or Static? Is there some other woman -- or even a man -- with whom you find your pleasure … your intimacy … your ecstasy. But, this being Olivia, the best she'd been able to courage up had been Do you have someone?

She suddenly realized that she was trembling, fearful of an answer that would destroy her world.

Post for Alice Hooper (with Hans Becker)

She was still feeling a bit of trepidation as she neared the Arboretum's Entrance Alpha; the night had been one of confusion and disruption and, honestly, embarrassment thus far. And Alice still hadn't decided the course on which she wanted to set her relationship with Duty Shift Commander, Lieutenant Hans Becker.

Relationship... What a word to use. They were co-workers; not even that, officially, as Hans was Alice's supervisor … her boss. She shouldn't even be thinking the word relationship when it came to him. But … he was a man and she was a woman … Hans likely wanted someone with whom he could have an intimate, even sexual relationship, and Alice wanted the same and wasn't going to find it with Megan, seeing how she'd decided to save herself for a woman who wanted a commitment for life rather than an hour or two of joyous ecstasy and euphoria.

(Alice knew Megan couldn't hold out for that, of course; her friend from long before the New Terra project could be a sexual beast at times, and without a known lesbian amongst the crew with whom Megan could get some mutual animated time to test out their relationship compatibility, the young Medic was going to be pressing the bell outside Alice's stateroom door soon enough, asking "Wanna make a mess of your sheets?")

When Alice arrived at the arboretum's entrance and was about to greet Hans, the man warned with almost a whisper, "We're not alone. Del and Olivia are here. Together."

Alice's eyes widened a bit and, a moment later, her lips spread in a wide, delighted smile. She whispered, "Good for her. Good … for … her."

She still wanted to dine in the arboretum, so Hans got them inside and they found the nearest place where they could sit, reducing the chances that they would happen upon the other couple. Popping open the plastic container, Alice turned the lid and gave it a little click at a seam; it became a make shift stand and holder for her cups of juice and non-dairy milk drink, as the container's designers had planned.

"He really knows how to turn nothing into something," Alice said about the Master Chef after she'd sampled some of the meal. They continued eating and chatting about this, that, and the other thing … as Alice tried to get up the courage to say what she really wanted to get out. Finally, she practically blurted out, "What is your hope here … with me, I mean? Are you envisioning the two of us together in bed?"