"The Queen and the Astronaut"

[CarlyConners]

"The Queen and the Astronaut"

(closed)​

For more than half a century, human beings had been watching the heavens with telescopes and other monitoring tools of which Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo could never have dreamed. Each of these amazing tools had its own purpose: to detect objects in space, with a particular interest being in detecting objects heading Earth's direction. They had found many such objects over the years that brought excitement to engineers creating these tools, the technicians operating them, the scientists analyzing the data coming from them, and -- when disclosure was permitted -- the public which found their discoveries amazing and interesting ... at least until the next iPhone came out and outer space was again forgotten.

And yet despite all these telescopes and detectors and monitors and all the people involved in building, maintaining, and operating them, the most significant arrival from outer space since the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years earlier went entirely undetected by the 7.51 billion people on Earth or the thousands of engineers, technicians, scientists, and administrators amongst them who were directly related to the various space monitoring programs and projects. It would be only 6 men and women currently aboard the International Space Station, circling about the planet at a distance of 220 miles, who would know that human beings were no longer alone in the universe.

The event began with the sudden and full loss of primary, secondary, tertiary, and even emergency back up power. It became immediately clear, though, that it was simply a systems failure, as every electronic device aboard the station was dead, even the battery operated lights, tools, and systems independent of the station's computers and other equipment. Ten minutes into the emergency was when it got weird.

"Guys..." called out Ella Freeman. "Guys! You need to see this."

Ella was a microbiologist from the University of Oregon, studying the effects of low gravity on the life cycle of a dozen different species of algae. There was great interest in the field as algae played such a significant role in the life of the world's oceans; and the world's oceans played such a significant role in some of the most researched anti-global warming efforts in the sciences today. Ella was also one of only two American representatives currently aboard the ISS. She looked to the second of her countrymen and, catching his eye, waved him over to the porthole window through which she'd been staring since something interesting caught her eye.

"There ... right there ... see it?" She moved back from the window to let him get a full view as she said, "I don't know what it is, but ... I don't know ... it was like ... like a shimmer. Maybe gas ... catching the sun's rays...?"

He looked but told her he didn't see anything. She playfully pushed him out of the way and pulled her floating body back before the thick glass. She stared for a long moment, but he was right: there was nothing there.

And then...

"There! There it is again." she said with both excitement and concern. There shouldn't have been anything like what Ella was seeing out there. None of the gasses aboard the station would present such an effect if they were escaping into the void of space, so what the hell was it. "It's a shimmer! I don't know how else to--"

Suddenly, there was a flash of light ... but ... it wasn't out there where the shimmer was or nearer to the station or even in her eyes where such light was detected. It was ... it was in her mind! And suddenly Ella found herself reliving every moment of her life from conception to this very moment. From conception to right now! She could somehow see and feel the her father's sperm pushing its way into her mother's egg; could feel the cells dividing until she had become a viable entity; her birth, her first taste of breast milk, her first smile, laugh, word, step, skinned knee, training wheels, ballet recital, kiss, intercourse, graduation, marriage, divorce, space flight ... and viewing of a shimmering in space which only now she came to understand was a space vehicle.

It seemed to Ella that she'd spent hours, even days reliving her life. She could now recall things from every year of her life in details that she couldn't have before. Things and people and places that she'd long forgotten were crystal clear in her mind. When she turned to look at her countryman again, she recalled the first time she'd met him ... the first time she'd felt lust for him ... the first time she'd felt love for him ... the first time she'd pressed her body against his, offering herself to him, despite the fact that he'd been happily married for more than a decade.

And she remembered the first time he'd told her no, that he'd never cheat on his wife. It was that very first time that she'd attempted to seduce him, in her apartment near the Johnson Space Center, when she'd asked him to come there to help her with a project and instead let her summer dress fall from her shoulders to reveal her otherwise naked body. He'd tried to let her down easy ... always the gentleman ... always the professional. Ella knew he'd lusted for her just as she had for him. The difference was that while Ella thought she could be his secret lover and be happy without a need for any sort of commitment or promise from him -- thought wrongly, she would later come to realize -- he was faithful to his wife and children and would never hurt them in the way that an affair surely would.

In reality, Ella hadn't spent hours or days recalling her life but had instead spent less than a second doing so. And by the time she'd turned and met the gaze of her long time object of lust...

Ella was no more...

The memories contained within her brain were still there, and they could continue to influence the actions of her body ... but the mind was no longer Ella's at all...

Suddenly throughout the station, screams erupted. Four of the six members clutched at their skulls as pain ripped through them ... and a few seconds later ... silence reined. A moment later, the power came back up and Gaia stared into the eyes of the only still living human aboard the ISS. She smiled.

"My name is Gaia," the body that was once Ella Freeman's said in a voice that was not hers at all. It was deeper and more monotone, and it almost seemed to be felt in the soul as much as heard in the ears. To the man floating in Zero G before Gaia added, "I am pleased to have you at my side, Robert Anderson. Together we will create a world that will satisfy our every need ... want ... and joy."

 

[EroticLiteracy]

“This is a bunch of shit Gail!”

He knew his wife couldn’t hear him but that didn’t stop him from saying it once more in a growl. His body floated slightly of the bed as he tapped the touch screen of his personal tablet. He brought slider back on the video and rewound it going back to the very beginning of the video and hitting play.

The message was short and simple his wife Gail in tears as she sat in their home. That same home he bought for her when they first married, that home he carried her over the threshold into, and that home she had… she had taken HIM into.
She claimed innocence telling him that this tour on the space station was particularly hard for her. So hard that she felt as if she was alone and he didn’t love her anymore. A part of him thought he should at least ATTEMPT to be understanding but how could he when he was so angry?

She talked about that cursed night again. She told him how her friends in an attempt to cheer her up took her out for drinks. She mentioned Linda and he growled. He should have known it would be her party girl style antics that finally brought ruin to his marriage. He told her time and time again she was a bad influence, that she would get her in trouble.

And sure enough.

“I just had one to many drinks Bobby” His wife said tears streaming down her eyes “And he was so…. SO NICE”

With a growl he tossed the tablet in anger. The effect was muted in space however as instead of it hitting something with a satisfying crunch it simply floated and spun in space. He watched it for a few seconds before he finally kicked it in anger and grabbed the handles of his cot. With a grunt he pushed himself out of the bunk free floating for a second as he contemplated his wife’s words. This tour was hard?! What made it any different from the last four?!

Of course he knew there was something going on. They were drifting apart more and more every day. The million miles that separated them was eroding the bonds they held so dear. He felt it to of course… he just would never have done what SHE DID.

Even when presented with it.

Because oh boy had he! One Ella Freeman the space centers lead microbiologist. He could still remember his shock when she pulled her dress down when she showed off her body to him. The lust between them was always there and if he wasn’t married he would have acted on it a long time ago! Yet he hadn’t! HE did the good thing and told her no!
All for nothing.

He was moving through the tunnel when it happened. The lights around him flickered before suddenly falling dead. He froze his lean muscular body floating as he looked around. In a matter of seconds his personal life was gone filed away to be contemplated later as his old air force training kicked in. The loss of power on a floating space station was a matter of life and death. He cocked his head listening and trying to make sure the oxygen system was still running. After a minute he moved pulling faster as panic seized his chest.

He reached the main room and saw Ella already there. She was calling out to them telling them to look at… something outside. He hurried over to her pushing her away gently as he looked out of the window. His bright brown eyes scanned the view trying to find the shimmer she was speaking of.

“I don’t see anything” He said. She pushed him away in response and he floated back watching her for a few seconds. Did this have to do with the blackout? He couldn’t be sure but knew they needed to figure out the power system ASAP.

“We need to get to the power relay console” Robert Anderson said directing with his hands and ignoring Ella shout “Try and figure out what the problem is-“
Then everything changed.

His fellow crew members fell each one clutching their heads as they screamed. He reached out for them watching and feeling helpless as blood began to trickle out of each of their ears. He watched as the life disappeared from each of their eyes and they fell dead before him.

“What’s going on” He whispered falling back and running a hand through his brown hair. His eyes regarded each of them filling with sadness before he turned to see Ella’s fate. His eyes widened as he noticed her standing there seemingly fine and with a ethereal smile on her face.

Then she spoke.

Her voice was wrong filled with something that just didn’t sound right. She spoke but he didn’t hear her or understand. Instead he simply starred at her his mouth agape as the lights flickered back on above them.

“Ella they died” He said ignoring her words “We have to call command figure out what happened. They just all died!”

He moved away from her going over to the bank of networked computers that connected them to earth back home.

 

[CarlyConners]

The Main Communications Board went dark. No crazy sparks or explosions; it just went dark. Gaia studied the still living human for a moment, once again reliving the interactions that her host body had had with him over their years as ... what, colleagues? Her host, this Ella, had wanted more from this man than the man, this Robert Anderson, had been willing to give. And that was why of the five humans aboard, Gaia had allowed him to live. He hadn't given Ella what she'd wanted ... but he would most certainly give Gaia what she wanted.

"This corporeal form has requirements," Gaia began as she watched the man trying to figure out what had happened to their communications. "Consistent pressure ... an oxygen content level ... warmth."

When the man finally turned to look at her, Gaia smiled politely to him. "Please ensure that this body's requirements are secure ... then we will talk about the future ... my future as decision maker of this world ... I believe you would call me a ruler ... or monarch...? And your future as liaison to the human population of this world ... your future ... at my side, Robert Anderson."

 

[EroticLiteracy]

What was she talking about?! And why was she acting so strange? Anderson thought as he struggled to get the communications back up. He was dismissive of her and her words not connecting them to understand what she was TRULY saying. He fiddled a few more switches before he cursed slapping his large hands against the monitor before turning back to her.

“Look Ella” Anderson said floating over to her and grabbing her shoulders “I’m not sure what in sma hill you are talking about but were in the middle of a situation. Our fellow crew members are dead and now we can’t get in touch with earth!”

He let her go floating back and pointing downstairs to the guts of the space station.
“Now if your done playing we can focus on getting communications back up and running” He said his eyes flashing as he regarded her.

“I want you to stay up here and stay by the monitor I am going to go down and see if there is something wrong with our network and you tell me if it flicks on okay?” He said not bothering to wait as he pushed himself towards the exit. He was already in the guts thinking about what he would do to fix the issues they were currently facing.

 

[CarlyConners]

Gaia had assumed that her human mate understood that his former crew member, Ella, was no more. He hadn't understood, obviously. So ... she helped him to understand.

Unlike Robert, Gaia didn't have to grasp hand holds or push off of fixtures to move about the cabin: she simply willed it, and it happened. She moved through the Zero G to a position that allowed her to see the man ... then very much as she'd moved herself, did the same with him. She watched the expression on his face as her mind took control of his body, controlling his arms and legs such that he couldn't reach out to halt his movement. He floated back through the air lock and turned gently until he was just out of her reach, facing her.

"My name is Gaia," she said, as if having met a stranger in a coffee shop. As she continued with words, she also filled Robert's mind with enough knowledge to understand that what she was saying was true. "The human Ella is no more."

She studied him a moment, unsure if he would respond verbally or not, then continued, "I sense that this concerns you ... this loss of your colleague ... your friend. You had feelings for her ... feelings unexpressed ... feelings upon which you wished to act ... but did not ... could not."

There was sudden jolt throughout the International Space Station, followed by a cacophony of alarms and alerts. Warning lights began flashing on boards throughout the station.

"Those feelings..." Gaia continued as if nothing else concerned her, "...may now be expressed ... acted upon. At my side, you will be more than slave ... more than servant ... you will be partner in the conquest of this world you call Earth..."

She reached a hand out and pressed it against Robert's chest in a way that was intimate and -- in Robert's mind, somehow -- obviously sexual in nature.

"You will be my partner in all ways," she continued, finishing, "so long as your loyalty is without limit."

(Sending you an important PM.)

 

[EroticLiteracy]

She spoke and with it her words his mind was suddenly filled with information he knew was true. He winced and his hands flew up pressing against his temples as he was forced to reckon what was happening. He struggled to resist as she entered his mind trying in vain to gain control of his body. The words she previously said finally connected as did the weight of what they meant.

Humans weren’t alone in the universe anymore.

Ella was no more… replaced by this creature known as Gaia. She spoke but his mind was still reeling trying to come to terms with it all. Not only were his fellow crew members dead but so was she! Replaced by this thing who stood before him. His mind recalled the first contact protocols NASA gave him in case they did meet an extraterrestrial but promptly discarded it. They would tell him to try and aim for peace or something along those lines.

But humans were dead.

“You killed them” He said as she finished talking “They were innocents and you killed them!”

She continued speaking but he didn’t care. Innocents were dead and she was asking as if everything was fine! As she spoke the station shook and warning lights began to light up and dot the equipment.

“You might as well kill me now” He said as he felt control come back over his body “I’m not loyal to murderers! You aren’t Ella!”

He pushed away from her moving to the equipment banks. His hands flew over the interface as he checked the connection to command back home. Relief flooded him when he realized that communications were back. He wasted no time opening a secure channel back to Houston.

“Houston please come in” Robert barked bringing the microphone up to his lips “There is a-“

His tongue suddenly felt like it was rolling back into his mouth. His eyes bulged and he coughed shaking his head from side to side. He tried to speak again and again all that came out was a strangled cough.

“ISS are you there?” Houston said over the speaker “Say again?”

He looked at her his eyes wide as he tried to figure out what was going on.

 

[CarlyConners]

Gaia floated through the zero gravity to hover near Robert.

“You cannot tell them, she said softly as, with her mind, she turned Robert to face her. Houston continued to call to the station, but Gaia only talked over them as if they were not calling at all. “I will not allow it. I cannot allow it. The method by which I transported here is no longer available to me. This station ... this station and its transport -- I believe you call it an escape pod -- are my way to the planet surface now. It is why I have caused your main solar array to detach from your station ... it is why I will momentarily cause a breach in this station's hull … permitting the oxygen and pressure upon which your body survives to escape into the void of space.”

She reached out to lay an open oalm upon Robert’s fir chest. “You will die. This body … your friend ... which I inhabit will die. But I will not die. I will remain alive and well and I will use my abilities … abilities that I am certain you are coming to understand as being beyond your experience … I will use these abilities to cause the detonation of the thousands of weapons your race has created ... weapons that harness the power of the atom. While still in their silos or on their trailers or in the bellies of their flying transports these weapons will explode, killing millions instantly … and billions over time.”

She lowered her hand and moved closer to his incapacitated form. “Or you can follow me … as your queen … serve me in every way that I require. Robert I do not come to your planet to cause destruction ... to take lives. Your friends aboard this station would have prevented me from accomplishing all that I must do. They were a necessary sacrifice. But the rest of your race … the rest of all life on your planet … whether human or otherwise ... this life does not need to end. Serve me. Dedicate yourself to me and my mission. And I will show you a world and a life that you could never have even imagined ... let alone fulfilled.”

As she finished, Gaia released her hold on Robert's mind and, thus, his body. She did not move away to a safe distance. She had no need to do so. He couldn't harm her. Suddenly there was another jolt and sound, followed by additional alarms. Houston would register the hull breach in a moment, but Robert surely knew what it was already.

"Please ... request our return to Earth, Robert. You can save yourself. You can save your people. You can save ... your planet."

 

[EroticLiteracy]

He simply starred at her his mouth agape as she spoke. She moved him turning him around to face her with only her mind. He already knew she was telling the truth but seeing her wield these powers with such skill and ease only heightened the sense of danger Robert felt he and the earth was in. Of course, she already proved she could reach into a man’s mind and kill them. Yet the idea of controlling a man, ANY man was just as worrisome. If he brought her down to earth she could easily take over the free world!

She spoke telling him what would happen unless he obeyed. His heart seized in his chest as she spoke about nuking the world from afar. She couldn’t possibly…. But how could he know?! Simply put there was nothing he knew about her and her abilities. From everything he saw so far she believed she was capable of raining nuclear fire down on the world. She could be bluffing but he couldn’t be for certain. He needed to treat everything she said as truth and every threat she gave would have to be considered to be the real thing and valid.

Which meant Robert was left with one and only one choice.

“I understand” He said as he heard another set of alarms go off. Houston became louder behind him squawking intently as their instruments said he was in danger. The “hull breach” she was causing began to pull on him dipping the air pressure down as he floated back over to the communications system. He brought the microphone back to his full lips and cleared his throat before speaking.

“Houston this is Anderson” Robert said glancing back at the thing that was once Ella “we are experiencing catastrophic danger to the station. My fellow crew members are dead and Ella and I are the only survivors. We are both going to take the escape pod back down to earth now.”

He let the microphone go not bothering to hear their reply back. He came over to her still not touching her but guiding her to the pod. It was at the bottom of the station pointed directly down to earth and waiting for them both. He floated in and strapped himself into the navigation console. His hands flew over the system as he brought it to life. Another explosion rocked the space station causing him to hiss as he finished the before flight prep and hit the manual release.

“Hang on” He murmured more to himself than her. He guided the pod away from the station and towards the earth. It took it a matter of seconds to enter the atmosphere. The next thirty minutes were a wild ride as they left the calm serenity of space and let earth and its turbulent gravity take hold. There pod vibrated and glowed red hot as they plummeted down to earth. He guided as best he could ignoring everything else as he focused on getting himself there in one piece.

Finally they broke free of the upper atmosphere and were falling through clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds. There was a vast sea underneath them with no clear markers to indicate where they were. Robert flipped a few switches and out of the back three billowy parachutes unfurled out. There was a jerk as the parachutes caught the air slowing them down to a stop as they began to softly float. In a matter of minutes they hit the water sinking slightly before the pod rose back up and rested on the sea.

 

[CarlyConners]

It was the strangest of feelings, this gravity. How long had it been since Gaia had felt the real thing? Since long before this mortal human had been born. Since before his father and his father's father and father's father's father's father had come into existence.

She felt the downward tug of it upon the body she was occupying, but unlike the second corporeal form in the pod, it did not have the same physical effects of disorientation, pressure, even potential nausea. She felt it, but other than making its presence known, it had no affect on Gaia.

The pod hit the water and bobbed for several minutes as Robert hurried went through his post-splash down checks. Gaia didn't concern herself with him: she could monitor him subconsciously -- checking and preventing any potential betrayal as easily as Robert breathed without thought -- while turning her true attention on the world beyond the pod's thick window.

Gaia had never seen water before. Well, not a body of it. And to think that this particularly body of water -- she would learn it was called the Pacific Ocean -- encircled the land masses of the globe, though the humans on said globe divided the ocean along gray borders giving the whole of it other names such as Indian, Atlantic, and more.

As Robert continued checking the pod and talking to Houston, Gaia would make casual inquiries of him. He sometimes answered promptly, sometimes didn't. Gaia didn't know whether it was because he didn't know the answer, didn't want to share the answer, or didn't have the time to formulate the answer. No matter. She had time to get all the answers she wanted. Unlike the humans and other life forms of Earth, Gaia was immortal.

She turned her attention to Robert and studied him for a moment. His features and the aging of them told Gaia that he was somewhere near the middle of his mortal existence, possibly even beyond the middle by a decade. She wondered how he would react when he soon learned that through her powers, he would no longer age and -- presuming his total and absolute obedience and loyalty to her -- would be a pseudo-immortal, never aging and living forever so long as accident did not befall him.

Gaia presumed he would be pleased. Who didn't want more life? Who didn't want an unlimited number of years to experience the world about them? Of course, Gaia didn't know these humans well. Not personally, anyway: she knew the general history of Earth and the living things upon it; and she knew the history of the interactions between her kind and the intelligent species that had or now did live upon the Earth.

But ... she didn't really know people. And she didn't know how they would react to her demands upon them. Only time would tell.



It would be more than two hours before aircraft could be heard buzzing over the top of the pod. Another two hours later a civilian fishing vessel pulled up near the bobbing craft. The pod was secured to the ship yet continued to bob on the surface, waiting for a military presence to arrive as was some procedure Robert explained to Gaia.

"I wish you to know and understand something, Robert," Gaia said when finally the cables hooked to the pod were lifting it out of the ocean to the deck of a US Navy destroyer. She had begun calling him by his given name more and more over the past many hours -- nearly every time she began speaking to him -- after coming to realize that that was how friends spoke to one another. "I am not a monster. That is the word, yes...? Monster. Evil being that causes harm, damage, death to others...? I have come to understand the effect that the death of your fellow humans has had on you ... and I have come to wish I had dealt with your friends in another way.

"But there is nothing I can do to fix that now. What I can do is promise you that if you obey me ... if you do my bidding ... as your Queen ... as ruler of this planet ... no more innocent lives will be sacrificed as a direct result of my actions."

She gave him an opportunity to respond if he wished, not knowing whether or not he cared to respond or if whether or not he believed and trusted her. Then she turned to a subject only tangentially associated to the previous topic.

"I wish for you to stand at my side not because I force you to do so," Gaia continued with a sincere tone. "I wish you to stand at my side not because I threaten you ... because you fear me ... fear what I may do to you ... to your people ... but because you believe that what I do in the days and years and centuries to come is for the good of the planet and the life upon it..."

She hesitated for just a moment, then added, "...and I hope that we will become lovers ... as you wished to be with the body I now possess."

Gaia registered Robert's reaction but didn't not further respond to it. She had reviewed Ella's memories in that instance in which she claimed the woman's corporeal form and knew the history of these two humans from Ella's point of view; and -- while she could simply read Robert's mind -- she had made observations about him and his previous interactions with and feelings toward Ella. He'd wanted to be her lover just as much as she'd wanted to be his. Only Ella had acted on those wants, shedding her clothing before him in invitation, only to be rebuffed for a reason Gaia didn't yet understand.

Would Robert repeat this action -- this rejection -- when the day came that Gaia presented Ella's bare body to him again...? Time would tell. These humans and their interactions with one another -- physical, mental, emotional -- was going to be far harder for Gaia to understand than was crossing the galaxy to begin the conquest of their planet.

 

[EroticLiteracy]

Robert continued to fight the urge to throw up as she spoke and he waited for the US military to come get them. Earth now had a hostile alien force on it and it was all his fault. He brought her here which meant that anything she did was on his head. She made it clear when they were up on the space station that she wanted to rule and had the means to do so. He didn’t know what the limits were to her powers or if she even had any. It took her a matter of seconds to drop everyone on the station except him. It also seemed to take her mere seconds to take over Ella’s body.

If she could do that to anyone or mind control them then the Earth was doomed. She could take over in a matter of hours if placed with the right people! And he was delivering her right to them! Practically on a silver platter! The worst part of it all was that she was being so casual about it speaking to him as if they were friends and asking him questions. Whenever he tried to ignore her he felt a subtle push on his mind that caused him to answer.

Eventually a USS destroyer bearing the name USS Georgetown came up to them. They were hooked in brought up to the deck just as the alien called Gaia began to speak once more. She was clear with him stating her intentions for him and the rest of the world. She spoke of her friends and expressed regret for what she did to them before quickly promising not to kill any more humans. Due to their mental connection he felt as if every word from her was sincere and without subterfuge. His shoulder sagged and he sighed still wary of any subterfuge but happy she seemed to be speaking the truth.

Then she dropped another bomb on him.

She talked about them standing side by side and he starred at her in confusion. Why was she so obsessed with him? Did her kind imprint on the first male they saw or was it because of Ella? Surely she would want someone by her side that was powerful and important like the president! He opened his mouth to tell her that beginning to speak just as she talked about them becoming lovers. His voice died in his throat and he simply blinked in shock as he tried to make sense of her words.

“Commander!”

Before he could say anything more A seaman was pulling him out of the pod. The kid who pulled him out was young with a fresh out of boot camp look. His eyes danced with excitement as he regarded the commander a look akin to that of a fan meeting a celebrity for the first time. His eyes flickered over to Gaia silently begging her not to kill any of them.

“Thanks for coming to get us” Robert said doing his best to sound confident “What’s your name son?”

“Kenny sir!” The kid exclaimed grinning “The captain sent me to come fish you out. He wants you both to go down and get into medical right away!”

“Of course” Robert said glancing over at her once more. Without a second thought he took her hand grasping it firmly and making it clear he wasn’t letting her out of his sight. He walked with her to medical following the young sailor as they moved below deck and the destroyer started moving. They reached medical in a matter of seconds and both of them were given a physical as they began their journey back to the states.

During the physical he replayed her words over and over again. She was intent on taking over but wanted to do so without bloodshed. Her powers would make that possible as long as she didn’t use them like she did on the space station. Then there was the fact that she wanted them to rule side by side… What did that even mean?! He was a soldier and not a politician! He would make a crap king or whatever she wanted to be called! He was also married! Which meant any thoughts of them being lovers would have to be blown out of her mind.

He wanted to talk to her about those things but he couldn’t. They were both surrounded by people the entire day. The doctor did his best to keep the sailors from coming to see them but it was no use. Robert found his bedside surrounded by men and woman who wanted to know what it was like to be a former navy pilot turned astronaut. He did his best to answer them all the time watching her and trying to figure out how he was going to tell her no.