posted on Jun, 16 2010 @ 11:27 AM
Love in Space
Brett looked out of the window, watching the stars. He’d thought they would look closer now that he was ‘up there’ among them but they still
looked like small glowing points of light, the same as they had looked from Earth.
Of course he knew that Earth was ‘among the stars’ just the same as very other orb in the Universe. It travelled in space just as surely as he was
doing now, in what was popularly known as a spaceship, as one of a select few chosen to be Ambassadors to an alien, but human-like civilization. It
just hadn’t felt that way when he was actually living on it.
His thoughts drifted from the vastness of the Universe and focused on ‘her’. She was his beloved and he longed and ached for her with a yearning
that was rooted far deeper than the depths of his heart. His soul pined for her.
He spared a thought for all the other members of the crew who were travelling away from their loved ones. He was the only one on board who was
travelling towards his beloved.
She was a technician, part of the alien crew. He had first caught sight of her when she was on the communication screen, working in the background as
her captain communicated with his.
There was a language barrier. The two crews relied on written communications which were translated by the computers but found plenty of ways to
communicate by gestures and facial expressions. Their delight to be the first of their races to meet ‘aliens’ was obvious. There was a great
camaraderie even though they were still very distant from each other.
Brett did his utmost to be on the deck when the channels were open, and his captain and that of the alien crew, soon noticed him and his sly efforts
to look for ‘her’. Sportingly the captains arranged for them both to be about during the exchanges of information.
It hadn’t taken long for her to notice Brett and her shy glances enchanted him even more than the deep frown of concentration that had caught his
attention when she was working.
With the connivance of some of their colleagues they soon found themselves being allowed to send the messages and handle the translations. Sweetly,
they fell in love.
Not everyone on Brett’s ship was as supportive as his captain. A couple of the engineers started to tease him. It wasn’t so bad at first, but the
longer they were isolated in space the more the jealousy grew. Crew who had no-one back home, or those who feared that they would never return to
their loved ones, started to see Brett in the green light of envy.
Some of them took great delight in speculating on how she would sound when she spoke. What if she mewed like a cat or barked like a dog? Worse,
snorted like a pig when she laughed.
Brett did his best to take no notice. She had long dark hair and elfin features. He didn’t care what she would sound like. Anyway, they’d have to
‘talk’ through the translator for a long time so it hardly mattered. Still, it would be nice if her voice was melodic, with just a trace of an
exotic accent. He wondered how he would sound to her. He hoped his deep voice wouldn’t be too harsh.
One day one of the wits wondered out loud if she was really a she. After all, you could hardly ask. It would be impolite. But what if, in that alien
society the boys were soft featured and slight and the women were built like a brick outhouse, in the manner of their captain?
Brett spent days thinking that one through. She certainly was the right shape and well-equipped for child-bearing. Hesitantly, he asked the captain
what he thought. In all the excitement of getting the first contact and then the technology for space-travel from the aliens, had anyone thought to
ask them about their biology?
The captain had hidden a snicker when asked for this information. But since his curiosity was now piqued he set about finding out in the way only a
bloke could. Fortunately for Brett he wasn’t around when the two captains had discussed the question. He missed the great hilarity and was surprised
at how much his captain’s attitude warmed towards him. He wasn’t to know that his question had been quite the ice-breaker.
So here he was, alone again and thinking of her. Playing out all the possible scenarios in his head, how he would hold her, gaze at her, somehow find
the words to explain his feelings. With a pang he wondered how he would cope on the homeward journey. Would she be allowed to come back with him?
Should he beg to stay with her?
He thought about her with great intensity, trying to send his love and longing telepathically. Opening his mind and heart, hoping that she was trying
to contact him in the same way.
Everyone else decided that he was just moping about in his quarters, as usual. They weren’t party to the soaring emotions, the depths plumbed during
the days that seemed to drag so much, the gut-wrenching ache of her absence. Or the beauty he beheld in the Universe as he saw it as only those in
love could ever see it. And she, she may have been the only other person in history to see it as he saw it, for she was in love, deeply in love,
too.
As he yearned and navigated the stormy seas of his love, so did she. And occasionally, as she rode out her own inner turmoil she felt a soft touch,
thought she saw a beacon on the horizon and zoned in to feel a faint presence. Him, it must be him. Even in that small, fleeting contact she knew she
had found a strong man, ardent and enchanted by her.
These brief ‘meetings’ got them through the long journey through space and the day gradually approached when they would finally be together.
Everything was arranged for the alien spaceship to approach theirs and with great ceremony the doors to the cargo hold had been opened to allow for it
to dock. The captain and those of high rank were gathered to greet their guests.
Brett, not being of a high enough rank, had duties to perform before he would be allowed to ‘meet and greet’. He could hardly concentrate and
nervously counted off the minutes, beside himself with longing to see her.
When he was called, it was unexpectedly early. A young officer came flying onto the bridge and, stumbling over his words, informed Brett that his
presence was required immediately.
With great anticipation Brett hurried to the cargo hold, passing a couple more officers who were wreathed in smiles and made a point of beaming at
him. He smiled inside, relief flooding through him. All was well and now he was about to meet her.
Trying not to rush too much, he gathered himself up to make a dignified entrance. His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst right out.
And, as he went through the doors in to cargo bay almost stopped altogether. There she was, with her captain and all her crew. And none of them above
six inches tall.