Lust in Space

The crew of roughly 200 ate and mingled for their private engagement in the mess hall. Many of them already knew one another --or at least knew of one another. Their reputations preceded them; each having been hand-picked by the captain herself for what they knew would be a landmark journey. The Omega Space Station floated idly on the outskirts of Space-Corp's map. The station was a new addition to the corporation's growing list of stations and fleets. The crew's home for the next several months, Pandora's Hope, was a model exploration ship hovering within view of a long span of windows stretching across the far wall. Pandora's Hope was fitted with the newest and most modern of technologies, making it a coveted vessel among captains and crew members alike. It had enough supplies and facilities to house two times the slated capacity, if needed, for up to seven years without restocking--although such provisions in this case would only be necessary should technical error or alien attack extend the journey well beyond the crew's plans. The vessel presently underwent last-minute tests, as well as compartment-by-compartment fumigation for space roaches; while the crew anxiously awaited the commencement of their assignment. Seven people sat at the captain's table, proudly wearing their officers' and managers' uniforms while sipping from glasses of red wine. Capt. Nora Bradley, a stunning woman with dark skin and long, sleek limbs, sat at the head. She did her best to divide her attention evenly between her new colleagues and hide the numerous distractions racing through her mind. Although a seasoned captain, she had never before led an exploration through uncharted territory. Nora repeatedly caught herself gazing out the window at the massive ship, and struggling to keep up with the conversations on at either side of her. She managed to pulled off the task with grace and eloquence, reminding herself that the rest of the crew were likely fighting off the same pre-flight jitters. To Nora's right sat First Officer Robert Smith. He was stationed at the Omega Space Station for three years prior to his assignment on Pandora's Hope, and was elated to learn of his reassignment. He and Nora knew one another from flight school. They graduated at the top of their class; and the captain knew Robert to be an honest man and hard worker. The two kept in touch over the years, following one another's career as they shamelessly flirted over the telecom. Now face to face, both worked hard to drop the pretense. Nora and Robert addressed each other with the utmost of professionalism, masked only by an intermittent blush here and there. To Nora's left sat Tactical Officer Suxien "Susan" Kasri, one of the few nonhuman crew members. Suxien stood taller than six feet and had no pigment, except a faint wash of blue in her eyes. She had long, silky white hair, and a prominent forehead accentuated by a short, hornlike protrusion centered just above her eyes. Suxien was one of only a few thousand refugees from the planet Esira. The novelty of their appearance, in conjunction with the rarity of her race, gave the Esirians the nickname, "Unicorn People." Suxien exhibited a level of intelligence unheard of among humans, and was fluent in more than two dozen languages--including all three of the remaining Earth dialects. Moreover, she was able to decipher unknown languages within a matter of days. Navigator Geoffrey Stanton sat beside Suxien, uncharacteristically intimidated by her. Sporting a baby face and well-defined body, Geoffrey generally had no problem approaching women, which he did often. He was proud of his reputation as a ladies' man. The mutual attraction between the two was immediately apparent; and neither did much to hide it. Still, Geoffrey found himself tumbling over his words as he spoke to Suxien, her stature and intelligence unnerving him as he worked to impress her with a long list of exaggerated feats and past assignments. Staying relatively quiet on the far-left end of the table was Engineering Manager Andrew Wallace. In his late 20s and far cuter than he realized, Andrew was na?ve and painfully shy. Just the same, he was a brilliant engineer who knew the inner workings of all of the most recent ships better than even the most seasoned veterans. His first assignment was under Captain Bradley's command. He had dazzled her immediately with his conduct and skill. Although Corporate found Nora's selection of Andrew as a manager for Pandora's Hope suspect and questionable, Nora refused to budge on her decision. To Captain Bradley's far right sat Security Manager Brad Parker and Doctor Sandra Johnson, both looking somewhat annoyed with the social setting. Although they participated in the idle conversation at the table, it was clear both were more concerned with getting on with the mission than mingling. Nora stood, lightly tapping her wine glass with her spoon, and the din of voices filling the room quickly turned to hushed silence. "First off, I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today," the captain began. "I know that uncharted space exploration is not for everyone, and I commend you for your commitment and bravery." A small clamor arose as a number of people began to clap. Nora quickly hushed them with a wave of her hand. She continued: "I know many of you have already worked with one another, and I hope those of you unfamiliar with the rest of the crew have had the chance to get to know some of your peers. We're going to be stuck together for nearly nine months, and in the coming days we will have to put an enormous amount of trust in one another. It is my hope that things run smoothly and our journey is safe; but we must be prepared, and we must be sure to have one another's backs at all times." Applause rose once more, and this time the captain allowed it. She smiled and nodded while waiting for the enthusiasm to die down, and then turned to her fellow officers. "Ladies and gentlemen, your commanding officers and managers." Nora pointed as she continued: "First Officer Smith, Tactical Officer Kasri, Navigator Stanton, Engineering Manager Wallace, Security Manager Parker, and Dr. Johnson." The applause continued. Nora raised her voice to overpower it as she pointed to a dainty young woman crossing the floor with a fresh wine bottle. "And don't forget our entertainment and bar manager, Ms. Leah Jones," the captain said, glowing as the woman gave an impromptu display in response to being put on the spot; stopping where she stood to offer a quick, skillful dance as she uncorked the bottle of wine. "Does this woman know how to host a party, or what?" The applause continued, and then slowly transformed into the din of chatter that previously filled the room. A young woman wearing an Omega Space Station team engineer's uniform entered, walking directly to the captain's table and whispering into Nora's ear. She stood by as the captain moved to quiet the room once more. "It looks like we're ready to board," Nora said with a smile. "We're at boarding dock B-21. Take your time, and get a feel for the floor plan; we leave in the morning at 0500 hours." The room filled with cheers. The captain and first officer quietly exchanged words. Geoffrey raised a brow, watching with growing curiosity, as Suxien caught eyes with the young engineer as she left the table. Suxien shifted her gaze from the woman to Geoffrey, flashed a provocative smile, and walked off. She turned back once before exiting the mess hall along with the first wave of curious and eager crew members.