Love in Space

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.

hahahah, brilliant.

Need to see that guys face...

Maybe we will need to come up with rules about breeding with our new cousins when we meet them, unless we want loads of wee half-person half-gnome things running about because our astronauts were lonely and horny in space

reply to post by niblo


It's always bugged me that in programmes like Star Trek the aliens are always human sized and shaped.

Welcome to ATS, by the way

Absolutely brilliant!

If you are not making a living as a writer, you are in the wrong profession!

Thanks for this..it made my day.

OMG I loved this. I wish I could applaud! I felt bad for both of them through out the whole story. I thought wow what a great sci-fi movie this would make! I always enjoy a love story with an ending like this, unexpected!

Are you a writer?!

The problem you have about reproduction in space is that humans are locked to the earth. If you reproduce on mars lets say, how would that make you and how would you feel on earth.

Things that nasa and the secret space programs have to work out.

If you leave earth for any length of time(not space station), what happens to your link to earth, and do you feel sick elsewhere?

reply to post by berenike


Cheers, been scanning for a year or so, just had to make my first post something about that story lol.

Imagine they were hostile as well, an army of gnomes charging at us lol. Mind you, better not joke, I remember mars attacks lol

Thanks everybody, I really appreciate your comments. Actually, I was skipping all round the kitchen

I only write as a hobby and I'm a bit lazy about it.

I should thank tothetenthpower, it was his thread about the drop in the participation in this forum that encouraged me to finish this story and post it to show my support.

Andy- you've got some ideas there that would make a great story. Completely off topic, I hope life is ok with you.

Originally posted by berenike
Andy- you've got some ideas there that would make a great story. Completely off topic, I hope life is ok with you.

Na my life is destroyed forever, by looney police an gov that just wanted to wreck my life.

On topic, yep interesting idea and i would assume nasa already knows that humans are linked to the earth and its energies, so being born elsewhere may bring some other problems, who knows how it all really works. But i would assume humans if they left earth would feel different if they never had the energies of the earth with them.

reply to post by andy1033


I think you should really develop that idea and post a story.

Don't be insulted by this next bit, bear with me. I was stroking some cows yesterday and afterwards I started to itch a bit. I asked my housemate if I could have caught cow fleas or ticks and he said no, cows had a different temperature so their fleas wouldn't be able to live on me.

That's not a million miles from humans not being able to survive away from the Earth and its energy, something like you're suggesting. It's a similar principle, I think.

We're all sort of specialised and need a particular environment to thrive and grow.