Ticonderoga - episode 1 : Adrift

Cast of Characters ;

***

Name : Phillip Irving Graves

rank and file : captain - commanding officer

Call polarity : Pig

History : He was born on old solid ground in the area known as the Western dominion of North America. As a younker he was a trouble maker this, being virtually unheard of in his hundred, forced the armed services to deal with him. He was given a alternative. Join the United satellite peace keeping and research force or be remanded for genial conditioning to fix his behavioural problems. His life history in the military was a groovy example of how not to advance. After twenty geezerhood he was still only a petty policeman third stratum. That was when he was caught pulling off his mop up infraction yet. Fleet admiral Tigrat caught him in bed with his wife, and both of his girl, at the Lapplander time. Phillip was doomed to go back to radical rank again. But instead the admiral made him an offer. Find a wife, get promoted to captain, with a ship, and go deep.

Description : He is six foot tall, with jet black whisker and brown eyes. His body character is thin and muscular with tan skin tone.

Mate : Mrs. Millishia Jaunu Steppen-Graves

***

Name : Mrs Millishia Jaunu Steppen-Graves

Rank : Commander - Ships science officer and quartern in mastery

Call Sign : Marijuana

History : She was born a simpleton farm girl in the Midwest district of Second Earl of Guilford USA. She led an exemplary life, with no problem, until she came of age. Then she found she had a gustatory sensation for bad boys. To try and cut back her appetence for self destructive behavior, she joined the inspection and repair. Her career was in in force order and she was glad after five days but she longed to go deep. The simply problem was you had to be married and no one was asking. There was also the trouble of Phillip ; she thought he was just dreamy. He was everything she wanted in a bad boy, but his vocation meant he would never even manage to make it into quad. She only had one More membership to go then she could go. That would take another six months. Then she was broadsided by a question she never thought any man would ask."Will you marry me I need a wife before I can go deep ?"

verbal description : She is a five animal foot six inch tall, blond haired, dispirited eyed beauty, with spiritualist sized chest. Her body style is svelte and athletic.

checkmate : Phillip Irving Graf

***

Name : James Mitchell Penzo

social station : lord Chief Petty Officer - Chief railroad engineer and mechanic.

Call sign of the zodiac : Jazz hands

account : He was born on the emerald isle of European Union. He was a trade good kid and went to college. After school day he joined the service to set up a short snuggle egg. There he met his wife and fell in love. He had a promising calling ahead of him, and then everything hit the fan. He discovered the medicative issue of the engine solvent. Just a little nip of it could take a crap any man happy. He stayed happy a lot after that. When he was found out, he was offered a choice, armed forces separation or he and his married woman go deep.

Description : He is five foot eight inch tall with dark green center and brown haircloth. His organic structure type is fatheaded with just a slight spare tire.

Mate : Leafa Tiski Mikia-Penzo

***

Name : Mrs. Leafa Tiski Mikia-Penzo

Rank : Senior top dog petit larceny Officer - head of off ship security.

margin call foretoken : Demoness

history : She was born on her native world of Liskia. She is warm and firm and excelled in her career as war machine police, until her husband introduced her to the solvent. Everything still worked well for them until she was called out on an exigency while she was extremely well-chosen. Six hebdomad later she boarded her new vas, The UP Ticonderoga.

verbal description : She is six foot two inches tall. Her race has red pelt and hair with dismount grey eye. Many people say they look like the mythical demons, right down to the two tussock of hair on their forehead that resembled horns. Her organic structure type is slight and lithe with a well defined muscular tissue tone.

mate : James Mitchell Penzo

***
gens : Malcolm Leroy Libbshitz

Rank : lieutenant junior grad - xeno-biologist.

telephone call star sign : Buster

History : He is a native of ling ko, a human colony, joined the serve to go deep, he wanted the life of an explorer, he was also married and his wife joined at the Saame time looking to send out with him. He is an expert in xeno-botany and xeno-zoology and loves to analyse new species of both industrial plant and animals.

Description : He is five foot eight inch tall with mouselike blond hair and gamy middle. His organic structure type is slim and non muscular.

Mate : Melonie Michelle Russel-Libbshitz

***

Name : Melonie Michelle Russel-Libbshitz

Rank : deputy Junior Grade - ships doctor.

Call foretoken : Melons

chronicle : She is a indigene of Ling, a homo Colony, and was married to her college sweetheart. She joined the service to go deep with him.

Description : She is five metrical foot six inches tall with platinum blonde tomentum and very large breasts. He body eccentric is voluptuous.

Mate : Malcolm Leroy Libbshitz

***

Name : Lorka Dumont Willock

Rank : commandant - Security police officer, second in command.

cry preindication : batch

History : He is a Tithian warrior. Born on Tithia and joined the service to get a prospect to do battle in this time of peace treaty. He is very popular with the ladies because his race believes that love play should be as tender as war is violent.

description : At well over seven understructure tall and four hundred and L hammering of strong musculus he is by far the magnanimous member of the crew, except for his wife. His Negroid skin looks like a tincture come to life. The only break in his swarthiness is his red eyes.

Mate : Tanka Lundt Cravis-Willock

***

epithet : Tanka Lundt Cravis-Willock

social station : commanding officer - Weapons police officer, thirdly in mastery

Call Sign : Mt. Everest

chronicle : She is a female Tithian warrior. She joined the service with her husband, in the Bob Hope of finding battle. She is a metrical foot taller than her husband, and a hell of a lot meaner.

Description : She is eight feet four inches marvellous with dwarf black hide and red eyes. Her torso type is extremely muscular.

Mate : Lorka Dumont Willock


-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -

I stared at the space view screen in front line of me. My ship had been adrift for three daylight. There was only one problem when you were deep ; there was no one to help when you hit hassle. The near ship to us was two months travel away. It had taken us two geezerhood to get this far out.

"Going mysterious"is a euphemism for getting lost. We were sent out here to find out habitable planets that we could colonise or resourcefulness we could mine for. The fun part, the formula say the first crewman to set understructure on a satellite gets to distinguish the planet.

The united subspecies had managed to colonise or mining camp every rock for sixty light geezerhood around land. We were one hundred and twenty out. It took about a twelvemonth to travel sixty light age with the snort drive as it was called. It got its name because the thing and antimatter explosions inside it made it sound like it was snorting. We could put up with the annoying sound to journey at sixty clock time the pep pill of light. The job right now is our snorter had a stopped up nose.

I thumbed the communicating panel on my chair to life."malarkey hands, What the hell is taking so long down there ? If you are nipping at the solvent again I'm going to lead you off of moderation rotary motion for two calendar week."

"Not a chance, Pig, I am trying to vivify the hoot damage those cockbiter informer did to the locomotive engine wiring. The fucking fiddling beasties chewed through every light wire in the independent ardour ascendence cabinet."

"How long before we have engine tycoon again ?"

"Another day at to the lowest degree, we have over a one thousand wires to put back in this cabinet."

"That is what you said yesterday, the day before, and the day before that, damn it, I want this ship moving by the end of this gyration !"

"Captain, even if I get this repaired that is no warrant we will be capable to strike. We have no idea what else they damaged before we could kill the little love child. Go take a ministration break and let me do my damn job."

I stalked off of the bridge. The damn airlift were down so I had to climb up down the admittance ravel to get to the crew decks. I guess we could send for ourselves lucky ; those little varmints had not reached the life musical accompaniment equipment yet. twenty dollar bill cockbiter so-and-so had managed to chew through our main power ascendance, uprise dominance systems, helm command interlink, navigation, and locomotive engine fire controller in less than twenty four hr. Twenty rats had crippled a ship, with crew of one hundred people on board. Only circumstances knows what else was damaged. Jazz hands was right I needed tension relief ; it was fourth dimension to head up to the crew lounge.

There is a major set of ruler about going cryptical. The initiative one is all bunch members must be mated duo. The endorse normal is all relationships are open on the ship. When off obligation personnel need stress ministration any off responsibility mortal of the opposite sex is available to them, unless they are in their sleep cycles/second. Any same sex contact are not prohibit but are open to be refused. Your after part were kept monogamous, only you and your spouse enjoyed that location. The lounge is where you go to coiffure contact with other crew appendage. That is also where the"education"room are. There is one for just about every taste, from the pleasant to the downright kinky.

Rank has its prerogative as well. Command officers are allowed to take stress geological fault during responsibility if there is no pressing need for their attentions. As of right now, there was no pressing need for me. I could not control this ship to displace if I were a god.

I no Oklahoman walked into the lounge when Melonie saw me and came over. I knew what she was after, she loved my viva technique."pauperization some emphasis relievo, captain ?"

"At least a hebdomad's Worth, Melons."I said as I took her by the arm and guided her towards the bar."I believe the gentlewoman is drinking a atomic number 27 surf, and I would enjoy a calum tea."I told the barkeeper as I caressed melon venter. I always enjoyed her very large breast and today would be no exception.

When we received our beverage, she took a sip from hers then asked,"Floaty ?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea,"I nodded towards the one of the zero-G rooms. When we entered the way I adjusted the controls on the holographic display to make it front like we were in the clouds. I had seen enough virtuoso already today. All of them lead I couldn't ambit. We attached the lids to our glasses so our drinks would not drift out and then I touched the activate button. Watching her breasts suddenly float upward as the gravity stopped was an amazing treat. We floated in the air together as I started to undress her. As was touchstone when in the lounge, her clothing was simple and well-situated to remove. She wore a pullover shirt and miniskirt with no panties on underneath. Her shoes were simple slipper very comfortable and quite attractive. The thin static electric charge caused by pulling her shirt over her caput caused her hair to abide out like a hallo of platinum blonde silk. By a lot of measure this woman would be considered overweight. She weighed about twenty pounds over saint weight for her five foot six inch frame. To me the additional fogginess just made her voluptuous.

Once her wearing apparel were floating around the elbow room like cast off plumage, she started to unclothe me. My uniform was a little more rarify to take away. It was a rugged button up bloomers and shirt, with a jacket over it, all in black. The shoes were polished paragon in black lifelike leather. Underneath it all was my regulating underwear, also fateful. Add the dark grey-headed belt and bureau bandoleer as well as my police captain's hat to the whole thing and I looked like a trained monkey. Soon all of these apparel were floating around the room as well.

I pulled melon vine to me and began to kiss the hide of her neck and chest. This elicited several moans of delight. Her legs wrapped around my stomach and squeezed me knockout enough to be slightly painful. She began to twist her hips rubbing her pert merchant ship on the top of my cock. I was very tempted to subscribe what she was offering decently then but I had other approximation. Zero-G has one real advantage to making know on any surface. I guided her legs out from around me as she pouted with those full back talk that were just made for what I had in mind. Once she was relinquish I spun her in the air and brought her legs around to my face. There in forepart of my centre was a humble landing strip of platinum blond haircloth that pointed right to the object of my desire. I moved my head forward and inhaled the fragrance of her stimulation. With deliberate slowness I extended my glossa and began to make minor roofy through that sweet-smelling put down striptease.

I felt her mouth as she started to figure out and osculate along the rotating shaft of my cock. Her mouth and backtalk were delicious warmth on my skin. The vibrations of her moan made my tool leap and vellication as I touched the tip of my tongue to her clit and flipped it quickly back and Forth River. I nearly forgot what I was doing when I felt my cock swoop down her throat. She was so smooth and hot on the interior. I moved both of my hands around her delightful bottom and started wetting my fingerbreadth in the honey flowing from her tight slit. When I felt her legs starting to stiffen around my head, I slid two fingers from one hand into her tight kitty. My middle digit of my other hand pushed into her sleek dickhead. I started pumping my digit in and out of her at different speeds. Sometimes they would be moving in and out together, others they would be in a counterpoint rhythm.

I felt her abdomen Begin to constrain and oscillate against my chest. Then her legs slammed shut on my promontory like a clamp. Her flow was floating in droplets around my head as she orgasmed. While she was still vibrating and shaking through her orgasm I spun her through the air until I was behind her. I plunged the duration of my rock hard cock into her from bum. She let out a moan that was bordering on a scream. I began to pound sterling with all my might as we floated in the air. Then we both arched our back as we thundered into our climax together.

Ten min later we left the floaty way freshly showered. As we exited the room, I set the controls to clean and sterilize the room. I kissed melon and left her drinking and smiling at the bar. As I was walking out of the bar, the unhurt ship lurched and then vibrated with a moan that sounded like it was dying.

I slapped the communications panel at the room access."Jazz helping hand, are we moving ?"

"Yes sir, but not under our own power any more."King James answered.

"What do you mean any more ?"

"We got the system online, and fired the engine up. They immediately shut down. It seems our inactivity control system is down as well."

"security measures I want every one of those tinker's damn dirty dog killed again."

"Sir, we have no arm control, would you like my married woman and I to throw rock at their floating corpses ?"flock said back facetiously.

"No, throw Buster at them ; he's the prick that brought those fucking rats on my ship."

"How soon, Jazz workforce ?"

"We are looking at the impairment now but I say at least a day."

"You always say a day. I want this damn ship moving under its own might by end of bicycle or I am going to break you to Everest and mint as a objective pinhead !"

"Yes sir. Have you gotten that stress sculptural relief yet ?"

"No, and I am looking for your wife right now, so move it."

As I moved back to the bridge deck my mind wandered back to the case that led up to this spot. We had found a planet with no beacon on it. It was unexplored. CAT scan showed it to be a exuberant oxygen copious major planet with plant and animal life sentence abundant on the surface and in the seas. I organized a landing party to investigate the surface.

***

The party, consisting of Marijuana, Demoness, broncobuster, Melons, raft and myself, left the ship in a shuttle. several orbital passes and scans later we determined a rich surface area to land and investigate.

It was a soft touchdown null at all out of the ordinary. There was the scramble for positions to see who could seduce it through the threshold first. I had to laugh as the doorway slid back and my married woman muscled Mountain out of the way. I walked down the ramp to see my wife dancing in a force field of member. Yes I said that rightfulness, all of the industrial plant in the arena were abruptly maybe twelve inches grandiloquent and shaped like that portion of the manly anatomy.

I looked around to see the trees, thank god they looked more like trees, and they even had beautiful flowers growing on them. A closer look at the flowers made me think I had lost it. They looked like garden pink member with two clump hanging underneath them. I thought it was pretty appropriate that my married woman would get to discover a mankind covered in member shaped plants.

"My god it is a domain of dicks !"my wife exclaimed as she looked around.

"So plant the beacon, consecrate it a name and register it. The beacon will send back the info via short space."I said as I walked down and resisted the impulse to reek any of the flowers.

My wife set up the beacon fire post, as the rest of us looked around.

"I don't want to bend over on this planet."plenty said quietly beside me, making me laugh.

"It does experience a sealed menacing comportment doesn't it ?"

baby buster was the initiative one to see an animate being. It was floating gently on the duck soup towards one of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. It had big flat wings with bladders underneath them. These bladders probably contain some gas light-colored than the air around us. By paddling its feet it would propel through the air like a duck swam across the water. As we watched it swam up to one of the tree diagram and put its mouth around one of the blossom. A few seconds later it left the flower hanging limply from its stem and moved to another flower. One by one it drained the"nectar"out of the stiff flowers leaving them flaccid.

"We need a couple of those birds on the ship,"fellow said as we watched."I bet we could take them back to UP space and sell them for a fortune."

"Get some samples for subject field, we will rest overnight and take everything back in the morning."I told fellow and his married woman. They set about collecting works and animal sample. They caught one of the birds but it died in less than an hour in the coop. They must take to eat constantly.

Buster gave me a report a couple hours later. The flowers on the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree produced nectar that made the shaft stiff. When the vesica Winged Cocksucker Birds would suckle at the flower they would void out the nectar and engage some of the pollen away on their backtalk. Those moving from efflorescence to blossom accomplished fertilization for the plant. The limp flower would take about an hour to generate a full-of-the-moon load of nectar again. There were several early creature and plants that he reported on.
My married woman had decided to call this place, appropriately enough, prick's World.

As evening started to darken the skies we saw respective, rat like, creatures come out of holes in the ground. They started to climb up the tree diagram. We watched as they moved to the conclusion of the limbs and bit the flowers off the trees and ate them. Every man in the grouping cringed watching this. I think Mountain even turned a little pale. These animals quickly became known as cockbiter rats. bronco buster thought they wouldn't sell well.

Our sensors could not detect any creature larger than the birds within five one hundred clicks of us so we bedded down in the shuttle for the night.

I awoke the next dawn and shook Demoness awake next to me. She smiled as I retrieved two cups of burnt umber from the vigor solidifier. I looked around and noticed all of the others had already moved outside. dude must throw awoken my wife when he got up to check his traps.

We got dressed and moved outside. bronco buster was studying a John Milton Cage Jr. of 20 of the cockbiter rats he had captured during the night. They seemed a bit brave than the birds. I oversaw the samples being packed in over crates to be taken back to the science lab on the ship. Then we did a low level fly over of the major planet to involve CAT scan and persona of the plant and animal life. In dozen hours we cataloged over six thousand new species.

The flight of stairs back to the ship was uneventful and unruffled. We were in the shuttle bay unloading when the lab geeks all showed up to see the samples. I tried to order broncobuster to make certainly the crates were in the lab containment area before he opened them, but I was too late. He popped the door latch on the rat crate and squealer exploded out and ran all over the pack of cards. It took LE than a minute for them all to disappear down an undefendable access code hatch. They had chewed through the plasteel of the John Milton Cage Jr., this should feature warned me of what was about to happen.

"Do not open any early crates !"I yelled."At least we don't have any penis efflorescence here for them to eat. I want them all caught and then you are to see me in the command agency, Buster."

"Yes sir,"he said with a gulp.

I stalked to the bridge to get my status written report. That rabid science eccentric had let rats loose on my ship. I was on the bridge receiving my report when the maiden sign of trouble happen. The pilotage concealment went blank shell. We were suddenly flying blind."navigation, what the hell are you doing over there ?"

"I didn't do anything, sir, my console just lost liaison with engineering."

"Helm restraint, bring us to full stop, now !"I shouted as I stood from my chairperson. Suddenly my ship lurched and I fell on my face."shucks it, helm, you can't just cut the locomotive, how long have you been flying this crate ?"

"I didn't even touch the ascendence, sir, the consol has lost link."

I stood and slapped the communications panel on my hot seat."applied science ! written report ! What the netherworld are you doing down there ? You can't cut links while we are in flight !"

Jazz Hands came on the intercom,"Sir we didn't do anything. When the seafaring bank went mightiness dark, we opened the venire and rats came running out. How the hell did we get informer on the ship ?"

We all heard the pounding of the engines wind down as they shut themselves down."All script find those mother fucking bum and vote out them ! Now ! Security, topic inducer to everyone with fingers. lock up them all on stun, we don't want any accidents. I will have everyone that stuns a rat an extra relaxation cycle."

Turning to our tactical place,"Everest, take us to alert status."She thumbed the alarm scheme on her console to on.

The yellow word of advice lights on the ship came to life. The computers voice could be heard all over the ship as she said,"Alert, all force are to exert Alert Statuuuuuuuussssssssss…"Then the warning Light Within went out and the bridge went dark.

***

I shook myself out of my reverie as I entered the nosepiece. The first affair I noticed was the persuasion blind was no yearner blank. It now showed a large, dumb star-shaped field, and we were moving towards it slowly."Everest, give way me a situation report."

"We are drifting towards the asteroid theatre of operations at approximately 15 C kilometers per secondment. Estimated time to entrance into the discipline is six hours."

"Bring our shields and targeting online. Get the gunners in their stations and state them we may need to have a little target practice."

"The artilleryman are reporting to stations, but the weapons links are all still down, we have no guns. The shields are on but we can not notice if they are working."

"So my day just got worse. We may or may not own shields, we don't have guns. And we have no dominance over where the ship is going. Does that sum it up ?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let's get crew in the two shuttles and see if we can tow the ship into a new course."

activation the communicating in my death chair I called down to engineering."jazz Hands break me some good tidings. Please."

"Pig, I promise you I will induce the helm dominance and inertial ascendancy back on bloodline in eight minute. My the great unwashed are working around the clock."

"That is good news, now I have some great news for you. In six 60 minutes you will no longer have to interest about repairing the ship. Those big rocks out there are going to finish the job those so-and-so started. At the speed we are traveling one of those rock 'n' roll is going to grow this ship into slag."

"Do you know a dear wrecker armed service that may be in the area ?"

"We are sending the shuttles out."

I thumbed off the com panel."Babe, ease up me some honest news."

marihuana spoke without looking away from her console."We have an estimated impact time of seven hours and four minutes. Then we are going to be landing on a large asteroid dead ahead. We are caught in the solemnity well of that large gas hulk on the former side of the battlefield. I am running the calculations on the shuttles now."

"I asked for good news, you could hold told me you smuggled a bottle of whisky on board or something."

I stared at the view screen that I now wished was space again. My mind started to drift back to the scab again.

***

We were hunting rats ; they seemed to move about the ship with impunity chewing on anything that glowed. The light wires were natural targets."We need one of them alive so buster can recite us why they are after the scant wires."

Our radical split up into distich. I was teamed with Demoness, our plan was simple-minded ; move about the ship opening approach panels. If anything ran out pull the trigger and stun it. I noticed mountain had put on his ceremonial armor for the James Henry Leigh Hunt. It had a blockheaded codpiece for protection down there.

yakety-yak over our helmet com was kept to a minimum. Demoness opened the first panel, it was to life support. There was zilch. We moved to the lift control dialog box. When I opened it there was an explosion of fur and teeth. Then there was incredible hurting as I was hit by the blast from the inducer. Damn I am gladiolus it was set to stun.

I woke up in the medical exam lab with a huge brace of knocker hovering over my font."Hi, Melons,"I mumbled as I shook my nous to clear it."Did we at least manage to get one of the rats ?"

"Demoness caught four of them, and bagged a captain with only four shots."Melons said as she leaned to see past her breasts and into my face.

"tinker's damn ! That hurt."I could see Demoness out of the corner of my eye."Why did you sprout me ?"

"We had to stop the rats, I knew the arm was on stun and wouldn't hurt you."Demoness said with a mater of fact tone.

"melon's dear, would you please hand me my inducer ; I want to show Demoness just how small they hurt."As Melon's looked at me with big eyes, Demoness quietly slipped out of the way. I reached over for the com control panel next to the bed."fellow, distinguish me some good news."

"My retirement account is up fifty thousand."

"Don't worry, if you don't stop the rats you are not going to demand a retirement account, now what about the so-and-so ?"

"I am studying them now ; I should consume a story in two hours."

"In two minute they are going to eat every luminousness wire in the ship. How do we stop them ?"

"The simply thing I know is they are attracted to the illumination wires because they glow on the same wavelength in ultra violet as the flowers do. As to why they are attracted to them."

I jumped out of the bed and headed for engineering. Mountain was in the mansion."Get every marksman armed with rifles and meet me in applied science. We are going to have got an old fashion turkey shoot."

Mountain headed off to tuck men and charwoman. I went to technology."Jazz hired man, get over here, I have an idea."

"Yes sir,"James said as he ran up."Sir we are really busy trying to renovate the damage. Can this wait ?"

"No. How long would it take to get a pile of spare abstemious wire in the inwardness of engineering science and confiscate it to the briny generator ?"

"About twenty minutes."

"You have ten, I also want the main tie-in from the generator to the balance of the ship ready to disconnect on my command."

"You want us to tack to the backup man ?"

"No I want power cut completely. We need to get all the outer threshold closed and all of the lift calamus shut down."

"The elevation are no trouble the rats chewed them up about fifteen hour ago. The outer room access may be a problem. The master birdie bay doors are stuck open and the observation window in the forward mapmaking lab is non-operational."

"Evacuate those areas, tell everyone they have twenty minutes to secure everything and get out. We are going to bait a bunker for the rats."

"But sir, If we cut the main world power then the computer will go down. We will be completely defenseless."

"We are facing a superior enemy, in an terra incognita tactical situation. We are completely defenseless now. If the git continue at this rate we will give no ship in twelve hours. It is clip to realize a last stand. The rats are attracted to the light wires so we will give them the simply batch of glowing telegram on the ship to come for. Now get them set up or I am going to hang you from the fore of the ship like a figurehead."

"Yes sir."

I moved to the upper balcony, as the others started to gather. I set people up in status so we had wax insurance coverage of the technology deck below. The cumulation of telegram was a substance of fervidness anything that moved was a target area."All correctly people there are sixteen of these strikebreaker to shoot down. I want everyone's arm set to overkill. We can not afford for a one rat to escape this trap."

As I took my military position as the last of the personnel left the lower level. Then the lights went out. It was such a long wait. But after almost an hour the first rat came out of an approach hatching and started moving toward the telegram. He was hit by the beams of over 40 weapon. The little illegitimate was nothing but a lump of charcoal.

It took about an minute for the rat to lead off showing up. It took twenty minutes for the conclusion one to pass. I stood and hit the com panel. It was bushed like everything else."malarkey hands, lets get the system rebooted and repairs started."

***

I rose out of my woolgathering to see a with child rock on the view blind."Tactical, how far out is it and estimated time to affect ?"

"We are five point six seven million kilometre from the asteroid. Estimated impact prison term is one hour and three minutes."Mt. Everest answered.

"Reduce the magnification to ten times."

"It is already at ten prison term, sir."

"Shit ! How big is that thing ?"

"It is four G kilometers long by two thousand wide."

"So if we hit it, it will dent my ship ?"

"Definitely, sir."

"How is the attempt to change our line with the shuttle going ?"

"Not good, sir, the attitude correction jets are firing and locking us on course."

"Bring them back in. We are going to need the shuttles along with the lifespan sauceboat to evacuate."I looked at the CRT screen. My heart sank. This was not exactly how I had envisioned ending my bid. If we made it back alert we would get wide-cut award and retreat benefits as admirals. My mind drifted back to the day I had been informed of my choices.

***

"Petty officeholder third course of study Phillip Irving Steffi Graf, reporting as ordain sir."I said as I walked into admiral Tigrat's office. He looked up at me with a dirt eating grin on his face. He motioned with his hand for me to sit and be at ease.

"Phillip, I am at a personnel casualty for what to do with you. If I press complaint then everyone in the fleet is going to love what you did. If I don't press charges then you get off George C. Scott free and I can not let that chance either."He looked at me with open hatred in his eyes.

"Sir, we could just let this go with a secret punishment."

The smile that cracked his face was one of pure evil."My mentation exactly, so here is the passel. I am going to recommend you as the headwaiter of the Ticonderoga. It is scheduled to depart at the end of the month. Then you are going to go deep. Your charge will be two years transit out, then 16 days exploring. When you return, you will have admiral's benefits."

"Sir, I am not married."I knew the platter, not s single ship had ever come back from going deep. Most disappeared without a touch. He was consigning me to a death sentence. My own program line weighed heavy on my mind. I had always thought I could do it better than any of these vaunter. Out there I would be the vocalization of dominance. I would be the merely control chain. The sawhorse would finish with me.

"You have until the end of the calendar month to observe a wife or I will choose one for you."

The grin he gave me had me thinking through the women I knew. I sure as hell would not let him decide. Then Millishia came to listen, she was one Inferno of a skill officer. Her vocation was golden. Maybe I could get one over on the old ass in presence of me yet."Do I get to choose my bunch ?"

"You will be given a list of unpaid worker for deep service. You may choose XXX couples from it. The other nineteen couples I will choose. I already have one of your engineer and doctors picked out. Plus a couple of security people you will just love."

"Do normal deep rules apply ?"

"Yes, the ship must run efficiently."

Millishia and I were married a week later, we saw the ship for the initiative time a seven days after that.

The Ticonderoga was a thing of ravisher, long and sleek with four engine nacelles under her consistence carriage. She hung in space like a phantom, the ribs of the shipyard frame surrounding her. The long narrow physical structure looked like an arrow with atmospheric stabilizers on the rear half. The broad head of the arrow was where the bid decks sat. The slightly wider body was the crew expanse. Under the briny body hung applied science and medical checkup. She was designed to cut through distance like a arm. She was one of the aphrodisiacal things I had ever seen. I was supposed to report aboard and select my gang via interviews.

A few of my bunch was already onboard, my engineer, James Mitchell Penzo, and his married woman, Leafa Tiski Mikia-Penzo were two of them. I had read their Indian file, they were resolvent junkie. She was also a Liskian, they were reputed to be a tough lot.

I had looked at the file cabinet of over a thousand military volunteer couples, I had to blame XXX. I had discovered something profound. Most people that wanted to go late were nut slip. These were no exceptions. The volunteers ran the gambit from mad scientist to psycho killer whale. I was at a departure for anyone I trusted on a long flight of stairs let alone wanted there.

I spent the next week interviewing wannabee ; it was the hardest hebdomad of my life. If it had not been for Millishia, I probably would have begged the admiral to Court marshal me. The following three twenty-four hour period were spent choosing my bunch and filing their new social station. One thing nice about being a chieftain of a deep ship, rank onboard your ship was your selection. You set the Chain of instruction and the tariff roster. The police captain was the first live on and just line of command once you left the space port.

Four days later the mooring lines fell away from the ship. My new helmsman only managed to hit the dry wharfage once on the way out. I now had an untried crew, a new ship with all the hemipteran built-in and two yr to turn them into a operation crew before we made our first major planet fall.

***

Again I pulled myself out of my memories, that rock was much bigger. The countdown on the screen said thirty-one minutes. My mind started flying through the possibilities. I had to get up with an reply. I would not mislay my ship and dictation after our inaugural planet fall.

A programme came to me. It would take some fondness flying. I hit the com unit of measurement in my chair."wind Hands, Prepare to unplug all ability on my command. Demoness, I need your piloting attainment, you have shuttle two, I have shuttle one, we launch in five."

malarky handwriting came on the com unit,"Captain we have to have power to do mend, if you make me cut it off again it will take an hour to completely restart the system."

"I know, Jesse James, if what I have planned piece of work I will buy you the sentence you need."

"And if it doesn't ?"

"Then it won't topic anymore, you don't have time to fix the ship before we make our mo satellite fall. Do me a favor, Jazz."

"What, sir ?"

"yield care of my wife."I thumbed off the console and left the bridge circuit before anyone could ask any questions. I had a plan ; if it worked I would save my ship. Either way I was going to die first.

I burst into shuttle bay one and walked aboard the shuttle. I could hear the com traffic as Demoness launched. I thumbed the com whole between the two shuttles to life."Demoness, I am going to fly this ship into target contact with the consistency of the Ticonderoga. Then I am going to feature nothingness helping hand cut all power. That should stop the pusher from firing. Once that is set I am going to fire up the engines in the birdie and give her the gas. If this works I will distract the ship by enough to turn tail the asteroid field."

"Sir, if you do that your engines will overheat and flame out in sec. The inside of the shuttle will be a half million degree fireball."

"That is where you come in. I am going to eject, I need you to trump me up fast and get me clear. Get my body back for a comely funeral."

"You don't have a spacesuit, Pig, have you lost your mind ?"

"I don't have time to put a suit on ; if this is going to bring I have to do it now."I shut off the com channel. It took me less than a minute to military position my birdie. I contacted jazz hands,"Cut the power now !"Then I put the engine office to entire and locked the throttle. The on board reckoner started telling me I was going to die.

"Imminent railway locomotive overload in 20 seconds. Imminent engine overburden in nineteen bit. Imminent railway locomotive overload in 18 seconds."I dove for the restraint for the forcing out system. I let all of the air out of my lungs and pulled the hold."System detects non suited force, projection system disabled."

Fuck ! I pulled my incline arm and shot the console. Then I yanked the handgrip again, there was a mind numbing boom as the air exploded out of the ship. My pass hit something solid a few second gear later and the world went dark. My last view was,"fucking, that hurts."

***

"police captain grave accent, I do not expect you to come back from this. I expect you to die a bloody and horrible death."admiral Tigrat said as I was in my last interview before launch."Do not disappoint me."

"Respectfully sir, my full crew will be at your one hundredth birthday party. There I will have your wife and daughter a kiss right in front of you. How did you ever deal to get a doughnut on the finger of that woman ? She has to be at least forty days younger than you."

***

My head was pounding out a calendar method of birth control that sounded like a hangover."Where ?"I managed to ask around the pain in my head.

"Med lab,"the huge pair of breasts above me said quietly.

"How ?"

"Liskians are problematical than humankind, she had the shuttle decompressed and waiting on your ejection. Once you flew onboard she put up the emergency fields and re-pressurized. You may have a few ache and striving plus muzzy imagination for a few twenty-four hour period, but you will be fine soon."

"Melon's, what about the ship ?"

"The ship is out of danger and flying under its own power again, police captain. You got us clear of the asteroids and bought him the time to fix the ship. By the time I let you out of here we will be fully functional again."

"Tell idle words helping hand and Demoness to take an duplicate rest cycle, they even earned a nip of the solvent."

"malarkey flushed the residuum of the solvent out the airlock. He said any man that would do what you did to save the ship deserves a sober mechanic. ”