Cherry World

The interviews were hell. The applications were secret and highly intrusive. He knew there must be a reason for it all, but he couldn't quite fathom it. He had been in astronaut training for six years. None of his other interviews had been like this. This time, they wanted to know everything about every aspect of your life including feelings and thoughts on a thousand different subjects and scenarios. He wasn't happy about the way they were conducting the weeding out process, but he knew that if he bitched about it, he'd be dropped.

The goal was the only thing that made it worthwhile. Mars! He had wanted this all his life. Oh, the moon was fine and the space station was alright, but Mars! He and his fellow astronauts would do damn near anything to be included in the program.

Part ten of the interview was scheduled for the next day. He really wanted to talk to someone, but the astronauts were isolated from each other and from their families. For that matter, he hadn't seen another human being since the selection process started. Luckily, he didn't have much of a family from which to be isolated. His only living relative was an aunt and she lived in Helena, Montana, a significant distance away. Unbeknownst to him, that was one reason he was being considered.

All the other applicants, male and female, were basically unattached. None of them even had 'close' friends. There had been fifteen hundred original applicants. Now, the field was narrowed down to fifty. There would be ten astronauts on the Mars mission and ten backups on ready alert in case someone couldn't make it. Significantly, there was to be five males and five females on the final launch crew.

"Colonel March to building thirteen!" the loudspeaker announced.

He got up and headed to the building. He didn't look for other applicants or any other people. He knew that he would be isolated completely until the final selections were made. He reported to the robot at the main entrance and was told which room to go to. He went in and took a seat. In front of him were a keyboard and a big TV screen. As he sat down, the TV came to life. "Good morning Colonel" it said.

"Good morning" he replied.

"We have moved your number ten interview up one day. In fact, this is it."

"Okay," he said.

"This interview will be about your sex life."

"What?"

"Your sex life, you do have a sex life, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but I have always considered that to be my business."

"Not anymore. This mission is going to require some unusual experiments. We want everyone to be happy, but more importantly, compatible."

"Compatible in what sense?"

"In every sense. We cannot have incompatibility among the crew. It is going to be a long mission, at least three years and we have to know that everyone will adjust to the conditions."

"I see. Please continue."

"Have you had sex recently?" asked the TV.

"What do you call recently?" he asked.

"Within the last six months. We understand that you have been isolated here for two months."

"Yes, I have."

"With whom?"

"Judy Jacobs."

"When, exactly was that?"

"We dated about two weeks before this training started. I think the last time was a day or two before the program started."

"Who is Judy Jacobs?" the TV asked.

"She is the daughter of the base commander."

There was a five minute wait. Then the TV said, "How often, in a normal setting, do you have sex?"

"If I'm not dating anyone, about every two weeks, depending on opportunity."

"Have you ever had a homosexual experience?"

"No."

"We are going to show you some pictures of women. Press 'enter' on the keyboard every time you see someone you like. Do not press it for all of them. Press it only for your preferences."

The screen came to life. The presentation was slow, giving him time to assess each picture. Out of twenty five pictures, he had selected six. He wondered who was assessing him.

A slot in the desk opened and a stack of papers was ejected. "You have two hours to complete these questions," the voice said. "When you finish, you may go back to your quarters."

The sheaf of papers contained eight pages of questions and six pages with pictures of the women he had selected. Almost all the questions had to do with either sex or domestic situation solving. He was also asked to rate the pictures in order of preference. It took him and hour and fifteen minutes to finish. He got up and reported back to his quarters.

That evening, the loudspeaker in his quarters said, "Congratulations, you have been selected into the final thirty. The selection process continues tomorrow. Report to building five at seven in the morning."

Colonel March smiled as he put down the phone. The final thirty was something he had only dreamed about since joining the program. He knew now that he stood a better than average chance of being a crew member. He drifted into a dreamless sleep.

He was awake, showered and ready at ten minutes to seven. He knew it was an eight minute walk to building five. He strode across the complex with a bounce in his step, confident of his ability to get past the next phase. The door to building five opened automatically for him and he stepped inside. It shut behind him. He stood there for a minute or two, unsure about where to go. A voice said, "Follow corridor B to door fifteen and wait."

He quickly located corridor B and walked rapidly down it, finding door fifteen about half way. He faced the door and stood at attention. Five minutes later, the door swung open. "Come in," came the command.

"Strip your clothing off and put on the flight suit provided."

He complied, noting that his name tag was on the flight suit, but not his rank.

He stepped through the door and stopped. In front of him was a large mock-up of what he assumed was the mission capsule. "Enter the capsule."

He climbed the ladder to the portal and stepped inside. "Sit down in the number two seat."

He swung easily into the seat. Ten minutes later, the door to the capsule swung open and a female astronaut, number one on his list, stepped through the portal.

The voice announced, "Captain Murray, this is Colonel March. You two will be in this capsule for two weeks, so I suggest you get acquainted."

This was the first person he had seen since he left the doctor at the input physical.

He stared at her for just a moment. "Hi, my name is Sterling March." He introduced himself.

"I'm Tanya Murray." She replied.

"Do you have any idea what all these questions are about or what 'experiments' they are talking about?" he asked.

"No, I am as mystified as you are. Some of those questions made me uncomfortable." She said.

"They didn't exactly soothe me, either." He answered.

"What do you suppose we are supposed to do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. They said 'get acquainted' whatever that means."

"Did you have to select someone from a group of pictures?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," he answered.

"So did I. If I might be so bold as to inquire, who was your number one selection?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, you were," he replied.

"I thought so. You were my number one, too."

"You don't suppose we are in some kind of high tech match making scheme, do you?" he laughed.

"It sure sounds like it. I'm starting to understand what 'get acquainted' means,"
she replied.

"Since they have been leaning so hard on compatibility, I wonder if they are finding out if you and I are compatible."

"I guess the question now is, how 'compatible' do they want us to be?'" she smiled.

"These people are very deceptive. Pressing on with a relationship might bounce us out of the program. On the other hand, not pressing on might bounce us out of the program. We must examine both options in detail, including whether either of us wants to deepen the tie."

"Well, I, for one, wouldn't mind exploring a relationship, at least at this point. But I think we need to know each other a lot better before we press on." She answered.

"I wouldn't mind some exploring, either. You are right, though, we need to be very careful with our responses to this phase of the training."

"Let's assess our current situation. We have never met each other and are now locked up in a mock-up of the Mars mission capsule together. We were told we would be here for two weeks. I have not seen another human being since starting the program. Is that pretty much your story too?" he asked.

"Yes, that's it in detail. Let's discuss the testing. Maybe we can see the hidden agenda here," she replied.

"As I got further into the program, the focus shifted from technical issues and engineering to domestic problems, how about you?" he said.

"Yes, in fact, they seemed to lean more heavily on sex issues as we got closer to this point," she answered.

"If we add up the 'compatibility', 'get acquainted' and 'domestic issues,' what do we have?" he asked.

She pondered the question for a while. Looking at him, she said, "I think they want us to have sex."

"I came to the same conclusion," he answered. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to rush into anything. This might be the flunking point in this phase. We'd better think this over carefully and analytically."

"I agree," He said, "after all, we're not a couple of horny teenagers. Let's get to know each other better before we think about taking that step."

"Did you get the part about 'unusual experiments?" she asked.

"I heard it, but I have no idea what they are talking about."

"I have no idea, either. Maybe we should try to figure out what kind of experiments they are planning. We may discover the purpose of all this mumbo-jumbo."

"They are doing remarkably well," Major Jackson, the assessment team supervisor, said.

"With the Colonel's reputation, it is surprising he isn't drilling her right now," replied Sergeant Nichols.

The Major shuffled through the test results on his desk, keeping an eye on the capsule TV monitor. These two had scored higher than the other applicants in every phase. Now they were down to the final stage, the selection stage.

"What do you think they'll do?" asked the Sergeant.

"Well, they've got seventy two hours to decide. If they don't reach a decision by then, we'll have to bounce them."

On the monitor, he watched Sterling and Tanya as they chatted. They were trying to decide what mission control wanted them to do. He knew they knew someone was watching them. That would be the way it was all the way to Mars.

Twenty four hours later, the Major saw them hold hands for the first time. How far would it go? He wondered. He hoped they would pass. They were the best of the best, but they had to leap this final hurdle.

"Couple number two are ready, sir," announced the sergeant.

"Send them to capsule two," replied the Major.

The Sergeant complied immediately, issuing the appropriate orders.

Soon, they saw the female half of couple number two enter the second capsule. The monitors revealed approximately the same scene that had been played out in capsule one.

The Major looked at the capsule one monitor. The Colonel and the Captain were facing each other and seemed to be conversing earnestly. They had not yet touched each other.

Twenty four hours later, they still had not engaged in anything other than polite conversation. The Major was starting to worry about them. Only forty eight hours to make a decision. Of course, had they decided to hop right into bed, like couple number two had, they would have been bounced, like couple number two had. The next twenty four hours were 'prime time' for couple number one.

Sterling looked at Tanya. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think we've got to make a decision today. Patience is not a biggy with the Space Corps." She replied.

"I think you're right," said the Colonel, "You're the woman here. I'll go along with whatever you suggest. I think we don't have much time left, either."

Tanya took Sterling's hands in hers. Smiling, she said, "Let's go for it. You're a very sexy guy and my hormones are killing me. It isn't like we met in a bar or something. They must think there is some hope for success here. What do you say we sort of relax into it and let it run its course?"

"I have always been a risk taker. I think our chances are better if we do as you suggest than if we just sit here for two weeks," he replied.

"Okay, let's retire to the berth area. You know, I thought those beds were awfully large for one person. Maybe this is some kind of space saving plot!" she giggled.

They walked aft into the berthing area. She lay down on one of the beds and he lay down beside her. As he sank into the mattress, she put her arm around him and kissed him for the first time. He returned the kiss, this time with a lot of tongue.

"I hoped you would be a French kisser," she remarked.

"I believe in enhanced experiences," he replied. He rubbed her tits through the flight suit.

"Maybe we should get out of these suits," she suggested.

"Good idea!" he agreed.

They unzipped each other and peeled their suits off.

"I wonder if we get extra points for cooperation," she smiled.

He looked at her body for the first time. She wasn't in the Dolly Parton class, but she was nicely endowed. Her tits were smooth and pointed, topped by eraser sized nipples that were standing straight out. He bent and kissed one then the other.

Her hand went to his crotch. She squeezed his ample cock. It wasn't porn star sized, but it was just about right for her. "I wonder if they're taping this," she murmured.

"I hope so. I always wanted to star in an X rated movie with a beautiful costar," he laughed.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" she asked.

"Don't you own a mirror? You've got to be joking," he smiled.

"I guess I just never thought much about it," she quietly remarked.

His hand slid down to her pussy and started to fondle her labia. "Are you a virgin?" he asked.

"Of course not," she answered. "But I haven't exactly been the slut queen either. I don't have a lot of experience."

His fingers found her clitoris and he gently pressed on it. He felt her shudder and suck in a huge amount of air. Her grip on his cock tightened and she started to stroke it. Soon both of them were breathing heavily. He sucked a nipple into his mouth and bit down gently. She writhed and moaned at the welcome attention.

"We can experiment later," she said. "Let's get with it. I'm having a hormone overload."

"We're both overloaded," he answered as he rolled on top of her.

She caressed her pussy with the tip of his cock. She slipped it between her lips and slowly engulfed his dick. She felt him start a slow, steady stroke into her hungry cunt. It was better than she thought it would be. It would be very easy to learn to love the Colonel.

"God, she's so sweet!" he thought as his dick bottomed out in her. He heard her grunt a little as he fucked her slowly. "I'm lucky I never found a girl like this before the program. I'd be married with children by now!" He thought.

Her breathing became more rapid as his strokes increased in urgency. "I'm gonna cum!" she screamed as her orgasm took her to a new, different place. She felt him empty his seed into her. It was a warm, welcome feeling. She had had sex with a few other boys, but this time was different. The Colonel was no boy. He was a man. She loved his weight on top of her, his hairiness, his aroma, his sweat. She knew if she had met him five years ago, she would have five kids by now.

He was quivering on top of her. She had to have the best pussy in the world. He knew in an instant that even if their action got them bounced, he would never let her go. He had searched for her longer than he had searched for the Mars mission. He would happily chuck it if he could keep her. He rolled off of her and looked deep into her eyes.

She put a finger on his lips. "Shh," she whispered. "I know, I know."

He didn't say a word. He just kissed her deeply and rubbed her body with his. "I can't get close enough to you." He said.

"Ain't it the truth!" she answered.

"It looks like the Colonel and the Captain have consummated on schedule," remarked the Sergeant.

"It is time to send them to the next phase," replied the Major. "Get 'em out of there."

"Yes sir!" answered the Sergeant. He stepped to the microphone and said, "Please don your flight suits. Both of you report to building seven, room 2011."

Tanya and Sterling zipped each other up and exited the capsule.

"I wonder if we flunked," she said.

"That's unlikely. If we had flunked, we'd be on our way to the gate." He replied.

"Yeah, that's true. Tell me, was it just sex or did you generate some deep feelings?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'm drowning in my feelings. They seem to be over my head. If we did flunk, I'd like to date you," he said.

"Sounds about right to me," she answered.

Hand in hand they walked to building seven. Room 2011 was on the second floor and they took the escalator. They entered the room. Inside were the Major and two extra chairs.

"Please have a seat," the Major said. When they were seated, he continued, "You have successfully passed into the next phase. The purpose of the last phase was to find out if you were sexually compatible and it looks like you are. From now on, you will stay with each other twenty four, seven. The purpose of this phase is to find out how long your compatibility lasts. We will also find out how dedicated you are to this mission. Soon, you will be joined by the other members of the mission crew. You two are the first ones chosen to the number one flight crew. We have four months to train you to completion. You must be ready by then. If you are not, we will lose our window of opportunity and we'll have to wait."

"I assume this means we will be living together," Tanya said.

"That is correct. This final phase starts tomorrow. You will report to the recently completed condo complex in the center of the base. Your room number is 4562. Speak to no one. Any questions?"

Getting no indication of questions, the Major got up and departed.

They exited building seven and headed for a small condo complex near the center of the base. "I often wondered why they built this place," remarked the Colonel.

"Now we know," she replied. "We're officially room mates."

"Things couldn't be better," he replied.

They rode the elevator up to the fourth floor and easily found room 4562. The door opened at their approach. He picked her up and carried her inside.

"We're not married," she smiled.

"Well, you never know." He answered.

The small closet held uniforms with no insignia of rank on them. They fit perfectly.

"Remove your clothing and deposit it in the laundry chute," said the loudspeaker. "Take a shower immediately. Your training starts tomorrow at five in the morning. Order your food on the intercom. The menu is in the desk."

They shucked the flight suits and got into the shower together. It was just the right size for two. "They did say 'immediately'" he laughed.

"I guess we'll have to adjust," she replied as she wrapped her fingers around his hardening cock.

"We better get squeaky clean," he remarked as he soaped her front and then her back. He rubbed her ass cheeks vigorously. She turned around and he rubbed her pussy, then her tits.

"Oh, that feels so good. I hope we can stay together. I would miss you terribly if they drove us apart." She commented.

"We just have to be strong and focus on our mutual goal. Nothing can part us unless we let it. I'm sure they'll have some sort of terrible tests for us to overcome, but if we stay true, it can't hurt us. Geez! I sound like I'm giving a lecture to a high school class," he exclaimed.

"Well, we know it can't last any longer than four months. That's when we fly," she said.