Deep Space Destiny Ch. 01

Copyright © February 2018 by CiaoSteve

CiaoSteve reserves the right to be identified as the author of this work.

This story cannot be published, as a whole or in part, without the express agreement of the author other than the use of brief extracts as part of a story review.

This is a work of fiction. The events described here are imaginary; the settings and characters are fictitious and are not intended to represent specific places or living persons.

Author's Notes

Foreword #1 : All sexually active characters in this series are over 18

Foreword #2 : This is a story and intended as such. It is fantasy and hence the events contained may not happen in real life.

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By the early twenty second century life had changed a long way from what we might know of today. The human race never heeded the warnings over pollution and global warming with predictable yet damning results. The Hitchhiker's Galaxy to the Universe, a famous piece of Earth fiction, once described the little blue planet as "Mostly Harmless". These days though it would have been more apt to say "Mostly Harmful". Seas and oceans had long since been turned to cocktails of toxicity by the amount of pollutants they contained; plastics, chemicals, organic waste to name a few. Even the climate had changed, the most moderate of climates now suffering large swings in temperature between the seasons.

It would be fair to say that The Earth was a planet in crisis, a planet in turmoil, a planet on the edge of existence.

Food was in short supply as a direct result of the years of neglect given to the environment. Famines were rife and global populations in rapid decline. Democracies crumbled as anarchic reign took control of all but the most developed countries. It was a far cry from that little blue planet that Neil Armstrong famously described.

"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."

What was obvious though was that something needed to be done before that tiny pea was blotted out for all eternity. Maybe it was already too late, but something definitely needed to be done and something indeed was being done. If there was a single positive out of the turmoil, it was that the leaders of the world's most developed nations had come together under a single banner to find a solution. The United Nations had become The United Earth, with a single mission in sight . . . survival.

From each corner of the globe, leading academics, scientists, engineers, philosophers, were all focused on that single goal. Teams worked around the clock. Some focused their attention to saving the little blue planet, defending those lands not already in chaos whilst at the same time trying to reverse the decades of neglect to the environment. Others though looked outside of the known universe, already fearing the worst, in search of new worlds.

All though was under the banner of one United Earth.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The end had arrived for the latest for the latest batch of space cadets. It was graduation day, the culmination of four years hard study in readiness for postings to one of the many space stations now dotted throughout the universe. Their destiny was to join the race to find a future; a future outside of this little blue planet.

It was a chilly Spring afternoon deep in the former Soviet Union. The might of the Russian Air Force had once occupied the base, but they had long since disappeared with the base becoming a training centre for the next generation of colonisers. It was a tough call to make, four years of hard graft followed by a lifetime away from the world you knew, but for some it was the only viable option given the state of the planet they called home. It was as if they were doing their duty for the future of humanity.

The group of some forty or so cadets marched swiftly out onto the parade ground, all resplendent in their military uniforms, knowing that this would be the day of reckoning, the day when they found out their final destiny. Nervously they took their place on the parade ground, standing to attention and waiting. One by one cadets were called forward, stepping out of line and marching to the presentation rostrum at the front of the parade ground. A quick salute, the receipt of a certificate of graduation and a gold envelope, and then the cadet would return back into line.

It was all run with military efficiency, devoid of any of the emotion you might have seen at a university graduation. These though were tough times and the graduates in question knew they were making their ultimate sacrifice. Already they had been through a lot. Endless physical and medical tests to prove they were capable of meeting the stresses and strains of a life in deep space had been the basis of the first two years. After that came two more years of learning the skills needed for a life out there; survival skills, engineering skills, military skills, diplomacy skills and finally life skills.

From an initial intake of just over a hundred, the four gruelling years had whittled down the group to the forty or so who lined the parade ground that afternoon. All had started out strangers, from every corner of the developed world, but over the four years deep friendships had been forged. These cadets had been through it all, learning to trust and rely on each other whatever was thrown in their way. Now though was the end. They would be split apart, going their separate ways to fulfil the destiny they had trained for. For some this was the start of their new life whilst for others there was the realisation that it was the end of the old.

There were obvious nerves as the procession reached each individual cadet. Candace Lee, a twenty four year old medical student from Taipei, was next to be called. Heart pumping she took those first steps, out of line, and marched towards the presentation area. She was a picture of beauty beneath that uniform and not at all what you would expect of a would be space cadet. Short of stature, slim of build with perfectly toned pale skin, Candace would have easily passed as a model. Jet black shoulder length straight hair framed her oriental face, the rest of her features hidden beneath her uniform. She collected her certificate and returned in line.

Next up was Polina Tereshkina, or Polly to her closest friends. Polly had previously worked in engineering before, at twenty three, signing up for the cadet programme. She was, for a woman, rather on the tall side standing at a little under six feet tall. She was large framed, albeit by no means fat, with a curvaceous body. The word was zaftig and there was no way that any uniform could cover up her feminine charms. Polly was a natural blonde. She too collected a certificate and returned to the line.

There was a discrete glance from Polly to Candace, a slight smile and a quickly grabbed handshake. Over the years the two had become great friends. Oh how they both hoped that they would share the same destiny when they opened their envelopes. Only time would tell. Turning around they both glanced at the row behind where stood Jennifer Johnson, or Jen to her friends. She was the oldest of the three women at thirty. Jen had already served in the armed forces before taking this change in direction. She was British by birth but had spent most of her later life across various conflict zones, evident by a row of shining medals above her left breast. Jen was the toned one, a picture of pure physicality. Short cropped red hair finished off a look which was as much masculine as it was feminine. She smiled back at the two friends.

Eventually every one of the cadets had taken their moment in the limelight, collecting a certificate and golden envelope. There was a final salute, standing to attention before the class was dismissed. Cadets milled around in small groups. Now it was the moment of truth, the moment some loved and others dreaded, when you found out quite where your destiny would be. It was just like exam time, when you collected that brown envelope and didn't know whether to open it or not.

The three women stood in a group of around twelve cadets all of whom had become close during the four years. It was a case of nobody wanting to be the first and they simply stood there, looking at each other, hands shaking as they held their destinies in their hands. Unsurprisingly it was Jen who made the first move. Maybe it was her military background but she was unfazed by anything. With military precision she opened the envelop and pulled out her card, announcing to the group.

"UESS (United Earth Space Service) Colonia 5, in the Delta Quadrant," came a confident reply "looks like I'm off into space."

With the ice broken the group went one by one opening their envelopes. A couple were off to the Gamma Quadrant on Colonia 2. A further couple on Colonia 1 in Theta Quadrant. Next up was Candace, she almost dropped her envelope as nerves took over. Finally she ripped open the top of the envelope and pulled out the envelope, staring intensely at the writing before finally smiling.

"Colonia 5," she announced, looking Jen in the eyes, a huge smile on her face.

The process continued as the rest if the group opened their envelopes. A couple more announced Colonia 5, a radio operator and an engineer. Another was Colonia 1, another was due to remain at Base Camp to train the next batch of cadets and yet another was off to Colonia 4. The last to open was Polina. She read the card to herself, her heart sinking and her face visibly subdued.

"Base Camp, first reserve," she announced, looking over at Jen and Polly. "Guess Cinderella's not going to the ball after all," she announced.

The group split up and started to disperse. The coming weekend was already planned to be a celebration ahead of everyone going their separate ways. It was Candace who approached her friend, wrapping her arm around Polina's shoulder and whispering.

"You never know Polly. First reserve isn't a no and there's still a fortnight before we are due to leave for our new homes. Mark my words, a lot of things can happen in that length of time. For now though, we're gonna make sure that Cinderella does get to the ball. Let's have some fun at the weekend, what d'ya say?"

There was half a smile on Polina's face as she tried to look happy. Deep down though she was distraught, The three women, although from very different backgrounds, had become such close friends over the years that she almost thought of Jen and Candace as being sisters. Now though it was just as if the family had been torn apart. Would it have been easier if they had all received different marching orders? Maybe, but even that would have been hard to take. Ultimately Polly knew that there was no guarantee on where she would be placed. There had even been a recommendation not to become close with the other cadets, yes treat them as friends but not more, in order to avoid just this situation. It was human nature though that some friendships would become deeper.

Polly trudged off, following the others back towards their accommodation block.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The following weekend was to be one of celebration. It was a very relaxed affair but for most was the pinnacle of their time at cadet school. Gone were the military uniforms and instead each of the cadets was allowed to let their hair down, wearing literally whatever they felt comfortable in. Training was over and it was time to relax before they got ready for their onward journeys. Everyone was there, all of the cadets had made an effort. It was meant to be a true celebration of what had been achieved and for most it was just that. In fact for all bar a couple it was just that. The couple in question, Polina and another young medical cadet, had both received first reserve invites.

It was a real party atmosphere, drinks flowing and plenty of food to eat. Rock music provided the ambience in which to party, a mixture of modern tunes and the odd classics from the across the last two centuries.

All three women were there. Jen dressed in shorts and a relatively tight fitting tee shirt. She never went for the girly look and tonight was no exception. Her muscular chest stretched the fabric of the shirt, two firm mounds clearly visible underneath with nipples visibly prominent. It was obvious that there was no bra, not that she needed one with the way her body was toned. Polina had gone for a more respectful look, a black tube dress accentuating all of her feminine curves. Respectful she thought, but to be honest eyes were turning everywhere she went, if nothing else to get a glance of the way that the fabric stretched seductively across her curves. Candace though was the sexy, slutty one, and who could blame her with a petite figure like that. A black mini skirt, belt may have been more apt as a description, matched a pair of strappy ankle length sandals. Up top her tiny breasts were covered by a tiny strip of stretch fabric in the form of a cropped top. It was a toss up as to who was more admired, Polina or Candace.

Everyone knew what the evening was all about. Yes it was a celebration of what had been achieved, but at the same time it was seen as the last chance to enjoy some quality time together out of the watchful eyes of the commanders. Despite the recommendations not to build close relationships, it was human nature that this was to happen. Postings though did not take relationships into account so for some this was the end of one journey and the start of another. As time went on and drink flowed, couples started to pair up, intent on enjoying this last party together.

Jen was herself, taking no prisoners as she latched on to a fellow male cadet. His name was Tom and by coincidence he was also due to be stationed on Colonia 5 as an engineer. Candace had a choice of around three wannabe partners before settling for a tall muscular guy by the name of Mathaus. He was of German descent and also a medical cadet, albeit due to travel to Colonia 1. Polina though didn't seem to be so interested and chose instead to sit and drink whilst watching the others having fun. Eventually, about half way through the evening, she discretely upped and left hoping that nobody was watching. It wasn't the case though and within seconds Candace was already making excuses to her partner.

"Be right back Mathaus, call of duty needed," she winked at him as she turned and left.

Keeping her distance, Candace followed her friend as she left the Mess Hall and walked back across camp. Before long the destination became obvious, Polina was heading back to her flat. Taking refuge behind a large shrub, Candace watched as her friend climbed up the stairs of the two story block and along to the second door. There was a fumbling for a key in a pocket and then Polina was gone inside, out of sight. There was a look of contemplation on Candace's face as she wondered what to do next. She must have decided as, before long, she was gone, returning moments later with a half filled bottle of wine in hand.

She rapped her free hand against the red door to the apartment and waited. There was no answer so Candace repeated her knocking, this time continually until finally a frustrated voice shouted out from inside.

"Enough, enough. Who is it?"

"Polly, it's me . . . Candace."

"What do you want?"

"I was worried about you. Can I come in? I have wine and a friendly smile."

She stood on the doorstep for what seemed an eternity before the door was finally opened. There, standing inside, still in her black dress, was Polina. From the black streaks around the eyes she had been crying. Candace walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"You've been crying Polly."

"Full marks for observation," came a rather snapped reply "now did you come here just to gloat or was there something else?"

"Polly," came a rather shocked reply "it's me . . . Candace. Please don't be like this. I came because I care about you and it really upsets me to see you like this. Let's talk."

The flats on base were rather simple three room affairs; a basic living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. It was on the sofa in the living room that Polly finally sat down.

"Do you have any glasses?" enquired Candace.

"In the cupboard over there," pointed Polly as she replied.

A moment later and two full glasses of wine sat on the little coffee table. Candace joined her friend on the sofa and handed her one of the glasses.

"It's the postings, isn't it Polly."

"Yes . . . I've spent the last four years working for this and all I get is a first reserve, when I so wanted to be with you and Jen. You have every cadet's dream posting and I have . . . have . . . nothing."

"I know Polly, but it is still a door which is ajar rather than closed. So much can happen in a few days and I really think things will work out the way you want them. You just need a little belief."

Candace took the now empty wine glass from her friend and finished off her own. Setting them down on the table she turned to face Polly.

"When I believe something can happen more often than not it does happen. You just need to do the same."

"It's easy for you to say Candace. You and Jen are already sorted. I though have nothing, no posting, no future, no you."

There was a moment's pause, both women staring deep into each other's eyes. You could hear a pin drop, the room swimming in emotional silence. It was Candace who finally made the first move, inching forward slightly on the sofa before leaning in towards Polly. There was a light kiss as their lips met and then she pulled away, her heart skipping a beat.

"I'm sorry Polly, I shouldn't have . . . . "

Candace didn't have the chance to finish off her apology, her words cut off by a reciprocating kiss from Polly. This time it was a more intense, lingering kiss as the two women embraced. Finally they pulled apart and sat again looking each other in the eyes. A hand reached out, taking Polina's larger one in its grasp. There was a nervousness in what Candace said next.

"I've wanted to show you for so long how much you mean to me, but I guess . . . I guess I was scared it wouldn't mean the same for you."

"Oh, Candace, my dear Candace. I've thought the same since we first met."

The two kissed once more, eyes closed, hands clenched together in an unbreakable grasp.

"We'll find a way Polly, I know we will. Now that we've found each other there's no way I'm letting us part again."

The words, those heartfelt words, must have hit home as Polina smiled for the first time that evening.

"Candace, I trust you. I know you will do whatever you can, but can you do one thing for me now?"

"Anything Polly, anything for you."

"Stay the night Candace . . . will you stay with me? If this is to be our last time together then I want to spend as much of it with you as I can."

It was a roller coaster evening of emotion. First the despair from a realisation that she would not fulfil her destiny, and what's more that her two best friends would share their destinies together. From despair came anger and finally, the most unexpected emotion of all, love. Love from somebody she had known for the best part of four years. An undiscovered love which had lain hidden until just this evening. A love which now seemed more natural, more right, than anything else. Polina stood up, her friend's hand still grasped in her own.

"Come with me Candace. Whatever the future may bring, let's be together for at least this one moment."

Following on behind, Candace was led into the bedroom.