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eBook Category: Science Fiction/Romance
eBook Description: An Erotic Science Fantasy Romance Begins! Starship commander, Xinia Lee faces the greatest challenge any woman ever faced. One woman, who must choose between two lovers, she must live three lifetimes to solve the problems that face her--and her crew! As one woman, Xinia challenges destiny... Powerful and confident, she is the commander of the Naiad colonization mission, responsible for the safety of the 200,000 souls aboard, who have been frozen in stasis for the 300-year flight. Xinia's leadership skills are deeply honed, but she is unaware of their true origins until she experiences her past lifetimes while frozen in stasis--and learns secrets hidden from her all her life. Meanwhile, Xinia's two lovers clash to keep her... John Larson and Henri Fricol are strong and commanding men who are both in love with Xinia, and determined to have her. As they lie in stasis, their own memories carry them through scenes of vivid romance and exotic locations in lives where they loved and fought for Xinia. She knows that one of them is Rovu, her soulmate with whom she bonded during her first human existence. But which? Xinia will need three lifetimes to understand whether it's John or Henri she truly loves. But when the colonyship crash lands on an alien world, Xinia will discover her decision may spell life and death for all involved. Light erotica, adult situations.

eBook Publisher: Renaissance E Books/PageTurner, Published: 2005
Fictionwise Release Date: May 2005

This eBook is part of the following series:

• Sally Swanson's Soul Desire Series

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Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [1.2 MB], eReader (PDB) [238 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [225 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [198 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [218 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [258 KB], hiebook (KML) [541 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [292 KB], iSilo (PDB) [184 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [230 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [289 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [288 KB]
Words: 66231
Reading time: 189-264 min.
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Chicxulub Base, Mexico

February 2703

I was late for the first time in my life.

Mallisie and I rushed through the empty complex. The regular staccato rhythm of our steel-heeled boots broke into an awkward syncopation when I let her run ahead of me. I didn't want to argue any longer, especially since I knew Mae was right.

A distant echo curved down the corridor and intruded on my heavy thoughts. Taking a couple of steps back, I heard it again, more so through intuition than a real noise. No one was authorized to be inside the ship; everyone had been ordered to attend the ceremony over an hour ago.

"Zee," my name slipped over the smooth metallic surface. "We're in a hurry, remember?" Mae's hand twitched nervously over the gelpad.

I didn't even try to explain.

Her normal hoarseness rasped even more deeply. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. You've totally glard-out..." The Identification System interrupted her with its dull monotone, and the static door deactivated.

"I'm the most sensible person you know." I shouted, but the instant after she passed into the expansion tunnel the glow returned. The static door hummed with sufficient current to stun the nervous system for a minimum of two hours and leave one hell of a hangover. My hangover from last night was more than enough to contend with; perhaps that was why I still couldn't stop thinking about him, about the way I felt when I was with him.

The door deactivated again, and she shouted, "Zee, come-on," before it reenergized.

Moving onto the pad, I placed my palm against the warm gel and quickly negotiated the deactivated portal. Immediately, Mae's chastisement started again. "I mean in that brilliant mind of yours, you've got to understand the basic concept of the jag." She grabbed the front of my flight suit, pulling me along. "Let me put it into the Twentieth Century vernacular you like so well, 'one night stand.' It means you select a guy, satisfy yourself, and go on with your life the next day. It's the next day, Zee."

"That's all I had intended to do, but there was a familiarity about him." I knew she wouldn't understand, but I had to explain, not so much for her, but to make sense of it all myself. "It was unnerving; the force of his..."

She snapped. "I wouldn't have suggested a jag if I had known you were going to become unreasonable."

"I never felt like I was leaving anything behind until now." My breath caught as she hesitated for a heartbeat; Mallisie was leaving behind more than anyone. The unintentional barb stressed her forward; her long strides now equaled two of my steps, which made it difficult to match the rhythm of the bouncing flextube. "There was a sparkle, a gleam. I don't want to forget it."

She abruptly stopped in front of the lift; her golden eyes flamed. "Every man gets that look; it's called lust."

"His hands were more than just hands when they touched me; they were like those of a gifted musician caressing a delicate melody. He was a perfect lover, as if I had created him in the simulation chamber, but sims don't feel real, not like that."

Sighing deeply, her grimace relaxed. "In my professional opinion, you are projecting an attachment onto this man, who represents your last link to Earth."

"My life is the Naiad Project. My home is more so on Sirius Seven than Earth."

"Then why are you chewing on your lip? I've seen you do it a thousand times, when you're really drummed up. The reason I even suggested this jag in the first place was to give you an outlet for the tensions you accumulated during the prep, not to make more with some sort of schoolgirl crush on a man you'll never see again."

"I just never experienced waking up with his arms around me. His hand was on my hip, cradling me from behind, his breath passing over my neck." A sensual shiver quaked from my very core, which was ready for him again, but now it was too late.

Sensibly, Mallisie didn't say anything when we passed into the monitored terminal lift, which stopped for decompression every fifty feet. The camera's lens focused in on the bar code on the left shoulder of our uniforms. I hated being watched all of the time; working or asleep, someone was always there, taking notes. Soon, I would be free from oppressive scrutiny, parsecs away, but the thought tugged heavily on my heartstring. How could a man have affected me so quickly?

"Come-on," Mae tugged me out of the lift and toward the distant noise. "I never took you for the type who would just walk out after you were done. You really never stayed with a man all night?" When I didn't answer, her tedious expression lit in surprise. "Glarz! You had never been with a man before, had you?"

"Of course I have," I added weakly, "in the simulation chamber."

"Sims aren't real." Her voice rose annoyingly loud for the delicate topic. "You were a thirty-four year-old virgin?"

I didn't know what to say, and thankfully, the President of the Earth Union's voice drowned out any possibility of speech. Her detailed explanation about the new suspension units reverberated off from the dome's curves. Trying to focus on the mission, I purposefully listened as we cut through the long lines of teams until we reached the rear of the staging area.

"...The Synergetic Fours are far superior and provide the security of suspended hibernation without the side effects of frostbite, hair loss, and disorientation previously experienced in the Science-Exploration flights. Each team member is in prime physical condition, between twenty and thirty-five, with a minimum of thirty pounds above their suggested average weight in order to maintain their limited bodily processes during the extended stasis. In the S-Four, the heart is reduced to one beat per hour, effectually eliminating the aging process. The men and women of the Naiad Project will arrive at Sirius Seven, a scant sixty-seven days older than their departure age, an improvement of almost two hundred percent from the S-Threes..."

A small, young man threw up his hands as we approached the remaining members of my leadership team. "Where have you been? The President's been filling in with scientific data for twenty minutes."

Mallisie towered over him. "Commander Lee was ... occupied." Tipping her head toward me, she couldn't contain a chuckle. "The President will understand. Go on like a good boy and tell her we're here, so we can get on with this."

The youth weaseled his way through the lines of Biology, Technology, Engineering, and Resource team members to the edge of the stage, giving the thumbs-up to the President.

Her tone lightened. "...But enough about the technical side, the Naiad Project is really about the people who have made these incredible advances, the people who will bring this new technology into the void, which sparked man's curiosity since his primitive birth. I am now proud to introduce the adventurers who are enabling the colonization of Sirius Seven. These prime examples of humankind are the backbone of the Naiad Project. Their combined effort will create a second homeland, where mankind can continue to grow and prosper while relieving the ever-increasing burdens upon our world. I am proud to introduce the members of the Resource Team, Henry Thompson, Derek Wailen..."

Although I tried to drown my thoughts, they irritatingly bobbed at the surface. All of the team members were expected to reproduce; the subject had been brought up several times recently. The Earth Union Commission selected each individual by not only their abilities and training but also their DNA structure to ensure a sound foundation of viable combinations for future generations. There were two hundred men to choose from the set-up teams and another hundred thousand male colonists who were already frozen in stasis within the ship, but I couldn't fraternize with any of them, at least not until the democracy held the first vote and relieved me of command.

Why did I have to meet Lonz last night? I rifled my hand through my hair as he had done, and sensual sensations shivered through me. All I had intended was to have a few drinks, but Mae was so insistent. She pointed out several prospects, fully expecting me to jag with some stranger just like she was going to do. After finding one who suited her impulse, I insisted she go. Conspicuously alone in a room jammed full of hot-blooded people, I slumped into my chair in the new get-up that she made me buy, over 400 Union dollars for all of the cosmetics and dress, but the money didn't matter. I couldn't have used it all anyway.

After just a few minutes, the drunken noise became unbearable. I wound my way to the main staircase through the veritable sea of wine-blurred bodies, waiting patiently behind the crowd who was conversing more than walking. A bronzed hunk was causing the problem; he had attracted several women who were actively vying for his attentions. Conspicuously alone, I leaned against the railing, gazing down into the lobby. Many people were milling around, but it was as if something drew me to look right at him, meeting his dark, penetrating stare. A tingle shivered across my flesh, and my legs weakened, wobbling in the high-heeled shoes. I grabbed hold of the banister; the brass was cold beneath my sweaty palms.

Always keeping his eyes on me, the dark stranger meandered easily through the crowded room. Leaning one elbow against the newel of the staircase, he surveyed me with a predatory grace.

With a lassiez-faire laugh, the man causing the delay finally selected a brunette and a blonde, leading them down the stairs. He greeted the darker gentleman and motioned for him to join them, but the man waved them on. His attention swung from the threesome and rolled softly up the banister back to me. When he smiled, an incredible rush of déjà vu flooded my senses, becoming stronger with each step of my descent. He extended his arm gallantly, like an old-schooled gentleman, and led me out onto the veranda.

It was still hot and sultry, though the sun was long since down. My dress clung tightly, little more than a second skin. We exchanged just our first name, a jag rule, but beyond that, he didn't ask any questions and neither did I. Lonz's gaze said everything I needed to know. He wanted me, and I craved his attention. Every fiber heated with readiness for him to make love to me, and his subtle overtures were as deliberate as my desires.

Instead of following the other couples toward the bedroom suites, he drew me down to the transport dock, and a military skyjet winged us to Cancun. The unfiltered air carried a natural blend of heady scents; the deep and musky richness caressed my lungs just as his fingers caressed the curves under my red dress.

On the light Caribbean breeze, the sailboats' halyards clanked lazily against the metal masts. Lonz led me by the hand, slowly but with definite purpose, down a long wooden pier, past rows upon rows of luxury crafts to the next to last gangplank. The small vessel's glistening white body reflected the filtering moonlight. Lonz steadied my waist, lifting me effortlessly over the corded railing and down onto the dipping deck. While he unlocked the hatch, I watched the dark clouds sweep under the glistening dubnium sheeting, dancing in the sky with the meandering electrical currents radiating about the moon's glow. It had its own beauty, but before the shield, people could actually see the features of the moon with their own eyes.

Strong hands slid around my waist from behind me, kissing the tender triangle near the top of my ear. Impassioned by my delicate shiver, Lonz turned me to him and pressed his mouth to mine. I felt alive, every nerve, every impulse quaking with sensation. Our tongues danced, and through the soft silk of my dress, I felt his stiffness rise, thrilling me with instinctual expectancy...

The line moved, and reality snapped me back to my senses. Each team member shook hands with Singja Lon, the President of the Earth Union, and then took their place on the risers behind her. When a platform was full, it rose to its programmed height.

I wondered why she insisted on individual introductions; everyone looked alike in their flight suits, except for the team insignia emblazoned on their left arm. I wouldn't have even been late if I hadn't had to go back into Naiad to retrieve the thing; I could've had another ten minutes...

Drifting into the boat's cabin, the soft moonlight silhouetted Lonz's erection against the open hatch, and my naked skin trembled in spite of the warm night. As if we had always been lovers, we acted and reacted in unison, building our passions while our hands explored the intimacies of each other's flesh. In this erotic harmony, we moved to the triangular berth at the bow. His body advanced under the low deck, pressing me into the soft padding. Above deck, the halyard clanked loudly, slapping out a coded message against the metal mast, exposing our every motion.

My soft, inner flesh consumed his length. He was so hard, and he curved, arching right to the tender spot. Never had I felt anything so encompassing. Low, shuddering moans signaled my explosion of passion. Though he was my first real lover, I could have sworn I had witnessed his most intimate expression before, a mixture of denial and possession.

With delicate gentleness, he sweetly kissed me, a languishing kiss which lasted until our internal tremors insisted we satisfy our primal hunger again. We explored our creativity, wrapped in each other's sexual embrace five, then six times, clinging desperately as if we each knew the unwhispered fact. This was all we were ever to have, for the hazy dawn brightened into the full light of day...

"Come-on," Mallisie nudged me toward the stage. She just didn't understand how deeply I was moved. But how could she? I couldn't even explain it to myself.

"Now I have the pleasure of introducing our Flight Command Team." The President's authoritative voice barely echoed from here. "These five extremely talented and competent individuals each lead the individual teams you just met and will form the governing board. Five years after the arrival of their sister ship, Naiad II, they will turn over the fledging world to the democratic populace which we hope will have grown more than three fold by that time. Please join me in congratulating the best our world has to offer." The President arched her arm toward the wing with the flair of a stage actress. "The leader of the Resource Team, Lieutenant Commander Jamous Lee Cottrell..."

As his degrees flowed like the alphabet, famous Jamous strode like a seasoned soldier and fired a flaring salute. Under his professional exterior, Jam was a person who not only liked to talk but also was eager to listen, and his lighthearted attitude made tedious hours pass smoothly. Though we usually agreed with each other, our favorite topic of dissention was potential genetic deviations in accelerated growth enzymes. We'd create monsters out of mice by tracing their historic evolutionary path and turning into other branches to alter the development of a species.

Touching my arm before stepping into the spotlight, Mae's hand was clammy, but the skinny muscularity of her grip was oddly comforting. Usually endowed with a dancer's grace, Mallisie hesitantly stumbled. Today must have been too much for her. Normally, I could tell her anything, but I couldn't really talk to her about this.

Before the aide could give him his cue, Lieutenant Commander Mikel Leifton sauntered onto the stage like an arrogant model, striking a postcard pose for the media to eat up his sassy, Boy Scout grin. No one would ever think him to be a brilliant engineer to look at him; worse yet he knew it too, cockily thinking himself better than anyone else in any situation. It gave him good leadership skills at times, but as a team member, his attitude was mildly annoying, as were his few overtures of more than friendly attention when we first started working together. I would never let emotions arise within a working relationship, and anyway, he had to have some ulterior motive. My percentage of Sirius Seven's planetary resources was much more attractive than I was.

I could barely contain myself as Gigori Sirlock was preparing to sneeze when he received his cue. He managed it well, pulling his face even longer, adding to the severity of his normal, dour expression. If he had sneezed on the President, it would have been the picture renown in perpetuity.

Gigori's generational namesake, whom I affectionately termed Gigori the Great, had been part of the SciEx XIV Mission, which first discovered Sirius Seven. The older man had an inner wisdom and helped me a great deal with the adjustment upon our arrival to Earth. Maybe it was because he respected my father, who had not only been his commanding officer for years but also a close friend. Though both Gigoris were sturdy and deliberate, the elder held a kindness within his eyes. Gigori the Great's return created an odd situation for his family, which had turned over three hundred years of generations since the mission's departure. When Gigori the Great introduced me to Gigori the Younger at the SciEx banquet, I could feel the tension between them.

The President continued, "Lieutenant Commander Gigori Alexander Sirlok will guide the Technology Team in a combined effort with Engineering to immediately complete the renewable energy shielding designed to collect and harness the photons from its exceptionally bright binary hosts and establish the ground base downlink into the generator facility. Science Expedition XIV originally seeded the upper layer of the planet's atmosphere with dubnium crystals, which was intended at that time as an artificial ozone protectant. Since the original mission, we have discovered how to tap into its stored energy, providing for all of the planet's power demands."

Gi relaxed, absorbing the applause. He winked at me unexpectedly when he turned to take his place on the riser.

I was ready to walk on stage, but the aide placed his hand upon my shoulder, stalling my advance.

"The last team member and Executive Commander of this mission is a woman whom the entire world remembers as the first human born in deep space. Her parents, the leaders of the SciEx XIV Mission, originally identified Sirius Seven for colonization and biologically planted our future into this fertile new world. Since no one anticipated the birth of an extra crewmember, they both decided to live out their last years together, placing their daughter into one of their stasis tubes upon her cellular maturity. Their devotion to each other and to the Naiad Project advanced today's launch date by eighty years. Dr. Vlanha Churbalvsky and Dr. Alin Lee will live forever in the history of mankind. Today their daughter, Commander Xinia Ilys Lee will make history again, following her parents' path to the world they began. Commander Lee spent her first sixteen years in deep space helping her parents interpret the initial data and extrapolate the feasibility for the development of sustainable life. No one is more familiar with the intricate workings of Sirius Seven than this very capable woman."

The aide urged me forward onto the stage. On the rolling applause, the previous night set; too much was at stake for me to glar-out now. I owed it to my parents to be just as selfless in my pursuits. After she returned my salute, I smartly shook the President's cool hand and posed for the media as instructed. Flashes burst from every angle.

"Commander Lee holds doctorates in Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Physics, and Medical Science, receiving two of those degrees under the tutelage of her parents. She represents and epitomizes the exceptional abilities of humankind. Xinia has dedicated her entire life to the Naiad Project and will lead her teammates and colonists to their destiny. There are no doubts of the colony's future with her at the helm of this historic mission."

At the dismissing bob of her head, I joined my leadership team, and the riser vibrated as it slowly rose. The media hounds maneuvered their hovering cameras before us, immortalizing the crew of this historic endeavor. While remembering to smile widely, I ticked off the seconds on my fingers. We would have to hurry the launch preparations, since the President insisted on this officious ceremony.

Finally, the risers lowered, and the teams streamed like ants back into the base. Mallisie and her crew immediately started preparing the members for stasis while I checked the final systems for the 0800 launch with renewed vigor. The guys really had everything well in hand. Gigori glared at me down his hawkish nose because I wasn't actually doing anything. My real work would begin once we got to Sirius Seven. Since I woke up from my first stasis, my focus had been that planet. This flight was just a means to the end.

Everything was in the green except for the suspension units whose occupancy percentage was climbing more slowly than projected. Deciding to help Mae, I impatiently waited for the static door, which was exceptionally thick and therefore slow. I stepped from the command module, which encompassed the core of the spherical craft, and passed into the viscous silicone tunnel.

The zone directly adjacent to the outer hull had been filled with the two hundred thousand colonist units over the past two months. Even with the staggering numbers, their stasis units were miniscule in comparison to the overall ship. The command teams were in a separate concentric layer, two zones closer to the core. Suspension units sporadically slid along their tubes, bobbing into this water-based, tertiary lining. In between were the essential components to begin operations. All of the generator units, the command boards, and pre-manufactured panels had been stowed for easy assembly.

As I approached the medical bay, team members lined the corridor, waiting expectantly for their turn to be frozen. I didn't want to look at their faces. Right now, they were an impatient burden to be managed; nearly sixty percent of my crew remained.

When I entered the collapsible unit, Mae rolled her large amber eyes and waved the palm monitor, attached to her I.S. implant. "Well there's the star of this mission, the woman who needs no introduction, but received the longest of us all." She launched the five filled tubes, which slid through the floor with an electric hiss before others descended into their place.

I smiled. "All systems check green, and the guys are running the last of the flight checks. I came to help if I could. What's causing the delay?"

"The human factor," she sighed expectantly. "No matter the amount of training in the sims, they freak and don't breathe in the stasis fog deeply enough, so I have to clear their lungs and start again. Some didn't even drink their entire nurit tube."

"And they call themselves professionals?" I sassed. "I told the board we needed two extra hours to anticipate just these kinds of delays, but they insisted on having the fluff and puff program..."

"Girl," Mae waved me silent, "if you weren't late in the first place the whole thing would have been over sooner. You have no room to bitch about any..." She quieted when the next group of five came in from the prep chamber. Their professional military attitudes were as naked as their chubby, hairless bodies. Some dabbed at the gelatinous oxygenated ooze sliding from their nostrils while others tried to hide their nudity.

Mallisie held up her monitor and called out. "Ketelin Leif, Technical, please enter the first unit on the left. Tingau Chen, Biology, enter the next chamber. Lotitia Purlotti, Engineering," Mae motioned at the petite woman, "Hey, congrats on getting the weight up; I knew the supplement would work." Mae waved to the central tube, which looked similar to an enlarged, alkaline battery casing.

Purlotti's delicate fingers grabbed onto both sides of the opening before she stepped into the casing. When she turned, her face had lost its color as if she were already frozen. After giving her a thumbs-up, she eased slightly.

"Evlenka Delekto, Resource. Elton Gibson, Engineering." Mae scanned each of their palm chips before attaching the scalp cap which dangled from the node at the top of the cylinder. It was intended to monitor and record the brain activity for later study of the S-4. Mallisie had previously voiced their uselessness because by the time we actually got to Sirius and sent back the analyzed data, the S-4 would be ancient history in Earth years.

Her voice grated near a whisper, "As previously briefed, you will first receive a gel coating over your body. You must keep your eyes and mouth closed. It will be cold, but not nearly as cold as the stasis cloud. You must breathe the vapor deeply into your lungs, but only through your nose. If you don't do it right the first time, it's much more difficult on the second attempt because the nasal membranes will be irritated from having to be cleansed and re-injected. Relax and focus people, and you will be fine."

The clear tubes closed around them, and they stood firm. The sticky silicone bonded to their exposed skin, but when the vapor cloud commenced, a wash of surprised terror froze. The cylinders continued to darken with the increased density of the fog until the bodies were just ghostly shadows in the silvery mist.

Receiving the clearance code, Mae punched the final sequence and launched the units out of sight. I helped by doing the speaking part while she checked the I.S. chips and cap numbers for the next three hours. The guys met us in the prep room right on schedule, and we endured the same treatment except for the nasal wash before launching the prep assistants. When we left the room, the flexible walls folded back upon themselves.

General Norsen was waiting with Gigori the Great and their entourage of reporters in the command module. We had to squeeze past the cameras to get to our stations. The General carried on and on, repeating what we had done and said a thousand times, not for our benefit but for posterity's.

The team I thought I knew so well was very different without the defining characteristics of body hair. Oddly, Jam's dark features were much deeper, almost nefarious. Mikel lost his distinctiveness and looked like an engineer. The slick smoothness of Mae's flawless skin accentuated her high cheekbones, and Gigori, well, Gigori hadn't changed. He kept his stoic focus straightforward.

I never really cared much for how I looked. I was too short and sturdily built without any exceptional or distinguishing features, so the change wasn't important to me. Hair or no, I was Xinia. But I still felt conspicuous in front of the cameras, wondering if Lonz was watching the event. Would he see me leaving?

"You are the heart of this operation. How go you, so go the teams." The General paused. "Sirius Seven is a giant unknown. SciEx XIV left it in the hands of an artificial nature, which has developed on its own for nearly three hundred and fifty years, which will be almost seven hundred by the time Naiad I arrives. There is no possible way to accurately account or plan for every permutation within the biomes. As you know, we have since discovered aggressively engineered organisms tend to evolve over only a few generations. You will have to rely on your wits and courage to prepare this fledging world for colonization.

"This is a great time in the history of mankind; the year 2703 marks a new era for the human race. Our technology is only a tool; It will be through your perseverance and perception that will make this planet hospitable before the next round of 500,000 colonists arrive. You have so much to accomplish in a limited amount of time. I know you will make us proud." A bubble formed under his resolute control. He saluted just before the com beeped, 07:40; turning on heel, they left the five of us alone in the heavy silence.

I sighed deeply, "Destiny is in our hands as well as the lives of those who preceded us into lovely stasis. When we wake up, I'm going to need each of you to perform at your best; even though, your minds will be clouded for days."

Mae interrupted. "The new S-4s aren't supposed to have the sensory delay."

"Let's just be prepared. You may," I nodded at her, "experience moderate to severe disorientation. As you are going under and breathe in the stasis fog, clear your minds. If you don't, whatever thought will rattle around in that brain of yours for over three hundred years before you wake up. It could be a hell of a long nightmare."

"Our brains will be frozen, we can't possibly dream." Mae rolled her eyes.

"We'll just need to be prepared for anything. This new system has never been tested in this long of a flight, and you know as well as I do sims don't represent all of the factors." I smiled at Mae.

Strapped into our respective stations, there was really nothing for any of us to do during the automated countdown except stare at the green panel lights, which alternately flashed as the systems disconnected from Chicxulub base. With the final detachment, Naiad bobbed up to the calm surface, physically expanding with the change in pressure.

"Initiate the gravitational drive at negative 90." The ship sank to the bottom of the ancient Chicxulub crater through the crystal blue water of the Gulf of Mexico.

"Let's go find our destiny." I grasped the arms of the com. "Positive 90 on my mark, three, two, one, engage."

The ship catapulted from the ocean, quivering like a delicate bubble. The antigrav field multiplied the momentum until we popped right out of the atmosphere. The interior hull rotation increased, initiating the internal gravity. The weighted base under the floor's grid swung back and forth until it finally stabilized, pulling our metallic heels firmly to the floor.

"Very nice and right on schedule," I glanced over my shoulder at Mae who swallowed down her queasiness. "Let's buckle down the basics because we'll be bouncing from gravitational field to gravitational field for the next 2.65 parsecs. It's a hell of a long pinball game with lots of bonus rounds."

The outer hull compressed toward the command center, condensing the striated supports into a firm mass. The silvery stasis tubes slowed their bobbing as the water lining congealed. The edges of the newly formed ice cracked under the stress.

Mike ran through the ship's systems, his nimble fingers checking the controls. Navigation held exactly on course; even though, the hull continued to compress.

Mae's voice was deep. "Stasis units down to twenty below, twenty-two, twenty-four, twenty-five..." The temperature dropped in degrees Kerns, which the original deep-space flights developed since terra devices were not sufficiently calibrated. "Thirty-five," Mallisie's voice slowed, "thirty-six, oh come-on baby, keep dropping."

"The hull must still be holding the residual warmth of the burst." Gigori ran his hand over his baldhead.

"Thirty-seven."

"I don't think we'll hit forty until we've swung around the sun." Mike peeked out from under the central, navigation dome. His gray eyes were almost the color of the dubnium sheeting, which was now just a speck in the distance.

"Thirty-eight."

Jam's voice became excited with the increasing light wave count, "Velocity, mark .5"

"Why do they even have us here? Any monkey can pilot this baby, or should I say any baby can pilot this monkey?" Gigori muttered while clenching and unclenching his fist, while casting a "go to hell" look at Jam.

"It's like laser corrections; the only reason a doctor is paid to push the button and stand there is if something goes wrong." Our hyperbolic swing around the sun increased the velocity. "We set and checked all of these functions ourselves. Nothing is going to happen."

"Thirty-nine," Mallisie inhaled the word.

Jam's voice glowed. "Velocity rapidly increasing 0.6, 0.625, 0.7, boy this baby can fly. 0.8, .875, 9, 9.25, 9.33, 9.68, 9.85!"

"Stasis at forty!"

"Ten," Jam shouted.

"Lock 'em in." I took a deep breath. "Run through breakdown."

Mike choked down a lump. "Navigation systems green, picking up the next three beacons."

"Maximum velocity locked in at .989." Jam called out from the helm.

Mae's tone had settled back to normal. "Stasis temperature locked at forty precisely."

"That's the way to do it, sweet and pretty." I smiled at Gigori just to irritate him before unbuckling myself from the com. "Now who's first for the dunking booth?" I laughed at their startled expressions. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of a dunking booth. It's a simple leverage device. A contestant throws a ball against a target with sufficient force to trigger the lever's release, causing a person, normally a pretty female, to fall into a cold cylinder of water."

Mae laughed from across the circular room, "You and your silly Twentieth Century facts. Where did you learn that stuff?"

"I know what she's talking about." Gi's unexpected comment surprised me.

I shrugged off the déjà vu when our eyes met. "Okay guys, let Mallisie tuck you in for the night." Mae gave the nasal wash to Jam while I took care of the other two men. "Have you heard this one? Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite." While we stripped off our flight suits, I continued, trying to ease the awkward situation. "Prior to sleep modules, people used beds. Under the mattress, ropes were tied across a rectangular wooden framework. They needed to be tight or else the mattress would sag. The mattress itself needed to be well-stitched or else bugs would get in to live amongst the feathers."

The cylinders swept closed with an electric swish a heartbeat before the silicone encased their skin. The stasis vapor pulsed into the units.

"You ready Zee?" Mae bounced from one bare foot to the other. "The floor's getting cold."

I briefed the control panels one last time before closing down the holographic displays. "It's nothing like what you're about to feel." I laughed, stepping into the container so much more boldly than all those years ago. I was a grown woman now, yet the fears I experienced as a child chilled me more than the stasis cloud ever could. That time I had left my parents, knowing I would never see them again, and now, the thought of leaving Lonz tugged at my heart. Hesitantly, I smiled. "Sweet dreams, Mae."

She administered my nasal injection, which stung like a menthol blast, opening up my sinus before the oxygen started to ooze.

"Quit chewing your lip." As soon as I felt it slip from my teeth, the silicone spray stung. Before I could even shiver, the stasis vapor blasted into my lungs, and the quiet blackness of time enveloped me.