Delta-V

As the orgasm finally passed she collapsed back into the chair, panting and sweating. She had intended to make this a marathon masturbation session, trying to see how much she could make herself come and maybe experimenting with a few of the more exotic toys in the collection once she was loosened up. But the intensity of that climax left her exhausted as though she had just run a hundred-yard sprint. Months of pent-up sexual energy unleashed in a single explosion of sexual delight. Her head was spinning and her arms felt limp as noodles. Sweat trickled down her breasts and stomach, mingling with her pussy-juice between her legs. Her pussy throbbed from the aftershocks of the intense sensation.

She tried not to think too hard about her reaction to the camera.

-----

Selena's mission had begun six months earlier with an interview. She was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in front of a trio of Hyperion executives. Hyperion corporate culture was unusual and all three dressed in identical black suits. Gene-manipulation gave them gray, almost silvery, skin and they were completely devoid of body hair. Their features were pleasant and symmetrical, attractive even, but she couldn't identify any apparent gender. The only way they varied significantly was in height: the one thing that couldn't be easily tweaked with genetic editing.

One of them pushed a thick stack of papers across the table towards her. "We will need you to complete these within the next 24 hours."

Another executive, this one a bit taller, spoke up. "However, we would like to ask you one last time: are you certain that you wish to take part in this mission?"

"And you fully understand the risks and requirements?" The third executive added, this one a bit shorter than the first and significantly shorter than the second.

Selena nodded, "I do."

"Reaching Proxima Centuri will take sixteen months." The taller one said.

"We do not have an effective means of communication once you enter the Kuiper Belt." The one who was neither short nor tall spoke.

"You will be, for all intents and purposes, completely isolated." The shorter one tapped their finger on the table.

"There's always the Delta unit if I need someone to talk to." Selena shrugged, trying to look serious but unworried. She had all of this information already. Every fact and risk had been clearly laid out and hammered into her head weeks ago. They were testing her. Trying to see if she would lose her cool. It wouldn't work.

"Yes, Delta V."

"We have high hopes for this sentience."

"But remember, their role is support. Not companionship."

"I understand. I've done isolation training before." Selena kept her tone carefully level. Relaxed. Unworried.

"Three months."

"A fraction of your trip."

"Not to mention your return."

"Once I get to Proxima Centauri, I'll be back to Earth within the week." Selena raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the whole point?"

"The theory behind the Crichton wormhole drive is sound."

"But no test on this scale has ever been performed."

"You must be prepared to return via more conventional means."

"With all due respect, you're wrong about that." Selena met the half-lidded eyes of the middle-most executive and she thought she caught a slight smile on their lips. "Either the Crichton drive works or I end up diving into the sun. Either way, I won't have to worry about the drive back home."

"You could choose to abort the mission."

"Not going to happen." Selena couldn't help but let a little bit of her annoyance creep into her voice. "I really do need to get around to filling out all of these forms. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

The three executives exchanged enigmatic glances but it seemed that Selena had passed their annoying little test of character. They nodded simultaneously and rose to their feet. The tallest one spoke.

"File the papers with Human Resources once you've completed them. You'll be meeting with Delta V tomorrow to begin your orientation."

They filed out of the room, leaving Selena alone. She let out a deep breath. Her heart was pounding and her neck and shoulders ached with tension. This was it. Selena Wan was going to be the first human to leave the solar system. Selena Wan was going to prove Einstein wrong.

Sixteen months in a metal box was nothing.

She was going to become a legend.