Starchaser Ch. 02

I squeeze her hand with mine gently to help keep her senses about her, "This is just the first of the amazing things you are going to experience with me Noel and soon enough you are going to realize this is just normal for me, and now for us. This is our ride, let's go!"

She looks at me with an incredulous expression on her face. I kiss her quickly the way I always want to kiss her, still holding hands. "Come with me," I say the words to help her move with me and then step up into the Equinox Flyer. I lead the way not letting go of her hand so she has no choice but to follow. Our bare feet step onto the softest surface of the plush red deck rug that matches the upholstery inside, everything chosen to absorb sound. To anyone on Earth, we have just vanished leaving only our last footsteps we trod on the sandy beach.

We are inside together and I smile and look back to get her eyes to see where I am looking. We both look at the back door as it silently closes behind us. All the sounds of the outdoors, of the tropical beach at night are suddenly absent from our ears. The interior atmosphere has no scent to it so the smells of the ocean and beach are also something left behind and all that remains are the scents of our bodies we did bring in with us.

I can now smell Noel without anything to interfere or distract and I suppose if I can smell her then she can smell me too. What I do know is her scent is the most perfect aroma I have ever breathed in and I find myself breathing in deeply as I see her breathing in deeply too. Our eyes are again on each other and smiles become our shared joy.

"This is our primary shuttlecraft, it doesn't have a name because the name I thought of for my first shuttle I gave to my Cruiser before I ever got this. We are going now to Starchaser, and this is where we sit." I lead the way to the front of the small interior and move to the left as I take the pilot seat and I watch Noel move to my right side and the seat immediately merges forming a continuous bench seat for us to sit side by side, exactly how I designed it to be.

I sit back and slip my arm around Noel holding her to my side and fly the Equinox Flyer entirely by neural communicator and Starchaser control. I have the front view screens appear and expand to fill the view for Noel so she can see the full 180 degree panorama of the forward external viewer. It will look to her as if I am doing nothing and the shuttle is flying itself. She will know soon enough that I am in command and able to hold her with both hands.

=N=

Barrett enables the command screens that were rectangular panels on the front bulkhead that take on an appearance like that of an IMAX screen in miniature, while appearing as a screen inside the shuttle manifest physically to afford a full 180 degree view in all directions, of the beach sand below them to the sky above, and from side to side. The look of the surf crumbling onto the shore and the Moonlight stripe of light from underneath the Moon to the waters edge looks no different than it did while standing outside only a moment ago. Without warning, the ground and surf fall away as the view rotates upward putting the ground behind them as they move vertically upward on a path straight out from Earth at a great rate of acceleration.

There are no sensations of this happening as the propulsion system accelerates every particle of matter within the spacecraft at the same rate as it accelerates the vessel itself. Barrett commands an acceleration for speed fast enough to least affect anything in orbit to impart a minimum impulse to everything that is passed by. Acceleration to one quarter light speed took only a couple of seconds, then negative acceleration back to one-thousandth light speed passing the Moon so it would not be just a blur. If Noel had closed her eyes she would not know they had left the beach yet.

The approach to Starchaser is a study in apparent size change with the viewer on 1000x zoom and the starship a distant dot that grows rapidly to a miniature and then large model, to a stadium size airplane-resembling spaceship. Starchaser is not designed to have lift in a planet's atmosphere. Its form looks aerodynamic in its design to pass efficiently through nebulous material, to direct atomic particles and energy down purposely formed micro-channels on the Lexan Matrix hull surface to collectors on the trailing edges. The collectors resemble a pair of airplane tails because they only go up instead of down.

The collectors on the ship's trailing edge redirect atomic particles to replenish replication stores and energy to replenish energy storage banks. They resemble tails because of a design consideration for docking. The collectors rise up on the dorsal side and are attenuated on the ventral side to allow for shorter landing gear and landing anywhere without voids or recessed spaces to accommodate ventral collector towers.

The shuttle transport follows a path Barrett imagined with a smooth inward spiraling arc that passes over the dorsal and ventral sides of Starchaser's hull, then turns to follow the ship's equator remaining at main deck level for a view all the way around the DS Cruiser. Lacking any reference point for scale, it is only the motion of the starship in the viewer against the background starfield that gives any appreciation of its size. About ten football fields long and close to the same width, the 180 degree view is filled substantially with Starchaser as the shuttle gets closer to the hull.

Barrett can see Noel is watching with amazement so he keeps the viewer turned to continuously face Starchaser's hull for an unrestricted view for her first inspection of the shape and surface appearance of their ship. He can well appreciate her not knowing what significance this event has for her, as she does not yet know what her status already is on Starchaser. Everything in due time and when all can be understood and accepted.

At an appropriate moment he makes the final approach to the docking bay where the shielding panel on the lesser curved ventral hull slides open at their approach revealing the interior space of the docking bay. With the docking bay shield panel open, the Equinox Flyer moves up and into the defined space in the ventral surface in the middle of the main hull. The shielding panel silently closes behind them as they pass through to the forward end of the docking bay, the sides of the bay slightly curved with brackets and panels across the surfaces. The shuttle's Photon Shielding is deactivated to reduce power drain as the shuttle returns to a lower energy state.

With the shielding panel closed and the vastness of space is no longer in the viewer, zoom is at 1x and the gymnasium size docking bay is in view in its nearly pure green-white color with only one other sleek shuttlecraft resting on the deck facing the docking bay shielding panel exit. A balcony deck big enough to park many similar shuttlecraft on rings the docking bay but it currently is just unoccupied space.

The docking bay can accommodate 80 similar sized shuttlecraft or fewer other vessels up to a considerably larger size. The +B shuttle is parked to the left of a circular entrance portal in the forward bulkhead. The +A moves to right of the portal where the shuttle rotates on it's vertical axis so the back door is nearest to the entrance portal before it settles onto it's landing gear.

-/v\-

I'm not sure what to make of what I am seeing, something is happening in front of my eyes but Barrett seems totally at ease like nothing unusual is happening. I can see it is some kind of bright red line that gets wider revealing a sitting room. It looks like a very nice plush sitting room and it is in my most favorite red color. I can actually see around the corner inside the door opening and inside this bubble that seems to exist somehow in thin air. Barrett is holding my hand and he gives my hand a squeeze. Then he's kissing my lips with the most amazing kiss. He can kiss me this way whenever he wants too and since he is mine I am definitely going to let him.

The way he is kissing me just makes me suddenly feel calm like this is totally normal, and hell yes I want this to be our normal! Barrett says "let's go" and I just let him lead me stepping to follow where he goes trusting him completely. Then I'm not standing on sand anymore but on the softest carpet I have ever had touching my feet. Compared to the sand it is like it has no sensation at all underfoot but it is so soft and lovely on the sides and top of my feet it is making my groin tingle.

My eyes follow his to where we just came from into this amazing place, and I watch the door close. It is so quiet, if I wasn't seeing it close I would not know it had. I am definitely not closing my eyes now, if that could have gone unnoticed I wonder what else can go unnoticed.

I feel like my ears have stopped working it is so quiet in here. I experienced a sound deadened room at a science museum before and this is definitely a dead sound space. I follow Barrett to the front where there are seats on both sides and a gap between them we pass through. No sooner do I move next to the him than the seat completely closes forming a full bench seat. I can't see how it did it but I can sit on it all the same and it is the comfiest seat I have ever put my butt cheeks on. A fabric square on the front wall suddenly moves towards us and expands like a big ball in all directions around us and I can see the most amazing view. It looks like we have nothing in front of us at all, like we are still standing on the beach, only the sounds are missing and I still have my butt on this super comfy seat.

Then it all moves, the view in front of us moves around so the sky is now straight ahead of us and as I look to the side it's like watching a NASA rocket launch movie except in ultra fast forward. The sky goes black and the stars suddenly go clear without any kind of flickering. The moon zips by wickedly fast and then everything is just black space in all directions. A tiny dot is in the center of our view and it starts to take a shape that is like an airplane, then an expanding model airplane, and it just keeps getting bigger. I only just realize I have not felt anything, I was so right not to close my eyes because all this has happened as if we were going nowhere.

We start to zoom around in this spacecraft airplane thing and I look at Barrett. He is holding me closely and tenderly while looking like he is just doing nothing, just sitting there, but I look at his eyes and notice he has that look again, that focused somewhere else way he does, but he feels totally relaxed as I lean into him. This would be like the best Disney or Universal ride ever if it wasn't totally missing the bumps, lurches, and sways. This ride is by comparison boring and only visual. I don't know what to make of it. It could just be an amazing rendering of computer imaging and maybe we have really gone nowhere and just going to be stepping back out onto the beach when it is done.

I would not be surprised at all to find he had some magic trick to hide this room on the beach. Since I am still with Barrett I would care less and it would be just fine, and this is still the most amazing night of my life. The view of this spaceship though is really amazing and so much more detailed than anything I have seen in the movies. The ship itself looks so good my eyes are drawn to it and I just can't stop looking at it. If a spaceship was ever intended to look sexy then this is what it would look like in my estimation, and I have more tingles where Barrett seems to be causing lots of them tonight.

Now I can see a big panel opening on what I assume is the belly of this airplane shaped spaceship. It is right in the middle of the hull and I can see inside the ship in what appears to be a warehouse size space we are moving toward. Then just as quickly we rise up and go inside and below us to the side as we seem to spin, the panel closes so I can see how we are in a big bright room with another cool looking little spaceship sitting by itself next to what looks like an airlock or doorway. Barrett wasn't kidding about adventure, this is totally cool how everything looks and I am impressed. I just realized I have not said anything since we got in here.

"If this is real Barrett it is totally amazing. I can feel you are real and this seat I am sitting on feels real. Are we really in outer space and on a spaceship?" I'm at first surprised that my voice hasn't been absorbed by this sound deadened space and I can hear Barrett's clothing rustle as I move against him. I hope I don't sound doubtful to him but I also don't want to kid myself or get my hopes up too high. I just want to know what is going on because it is all so surreal and I want to know everything I can of this life that Barrett leads to be a real partner for him.

o/o

The launch and flight was routine and we were soon at Starchaser. I notice Noel looking around at everything while I communicate with Starchaser and send a Central Cortex message to the Avalonian Combine Fleet Directorate notifying them of new crew aboard Starchaser. The Datastream packet includes all information mined to document Noel as First Mate to include her Avalonian Human genetic markers.

I have Starchaser bring the shuttle in on an inwardly spiral pathway to give Noel a good introductory view of her new home as we approach, no time like the present to get eyes on before getting aboard. A Cutlass Class DS Cruiser never fails to impress anyone seeing it for the first time for its flowing lines and substantial proportions. Once its true potential is learned, the full effect of its capacity and capabilities impresses with its prowess at the top of the line for a spacefaring vessel. I sometimes let Starchaser's appearance have its affect on me but this time it is all for Noel to appreciate.

Final approach is from astern avoiding the propulsion system outer drive units to arrive aft underneath the docking bay shielding panel. I signal the security system to permit entry and the panel swiftly glides open, we move up inside, and it closes sealing us safely inside the hull. The effect on me is profound every time I return in the shuttle, returning to the safest place in the universe. I note the +B is exactly where it is supposed to be and +A spins on its axis and settles us exactly where we are supposed to be.

Noel looks up at me and asks if it is real. I think back to the rides I had taken at Disney and Universal thinking how bad their machinery was that gave the riders so much sensation of motion that some became sick. If she was expecting that while we were moving from Earth to Starchaser then I suppose this real experience would be somewhat of a disappointment and that is pretty much what it sounds like in her voice. "This is all real Noel. I suppose the total lack of inertial cues is disconcerting. There is a lot of that where we are and I think you are going to be thankful of it sooner than you think. If you ever start to feel queasy or like something is overwhelming, just close your eyes."

There is no hurry to move along so I continue with explanation. "The Avalonian-Farpoint propulsion system accelerates every molecule of matter within a vessel's hull at exactly the same rate as the hull is made to move so there is no sensation of motion or movement. So, here on the shuttle and whenever we are aboard Starchaser, you are not going to feel any movement that you don't make yourself. Your chance of getting motion sickness is pretty much zero, and that is a good thing when, without the gravity plates in the decks, there is no up and down."

Even the deactivation of the Proton Shielding and the landing of the shuttle on the docking bay deck had no sensation of anything happening nor was it heard. "Welcome aboard our Cutlass Class Deep Space Cruiser hull number 50883. Her name is Starchaser and you belong here. This ship was built for me and was commissioned the same day I graduated from Farpoint Academy as Captain. You, Noel, are the first crew member ever and you are only the second person to ever come aboard."

"The Farpoint CCDSC shipyard has no people involved in the construction of these ships. That is because the shipyard is fully automated in an atmosphere free state, it keeps people safe from injury or death, and it keeps all the components from being contaminated before the systems are fully functional. Where we are is about halfway between the orbits of Earth and Mars, as far away from both as we can be in what is known as a null point for the gravitational pull of all planets in the Sol System."

I put my hand on hers and hold her one hand in both of mine looking down wondering if she will find any humor in my repeating her gesture of holding one of her hands with two of mine and me not having any cleavage. "Noel, we are going to begin your familiarization of Starchaser with a tour of the ship to get you acquainted with our ship. You must ask questions as soon as you have them and I already know you don't have any background with space ships and space travel so everything is permissible. Once we get to the bridge as the last stop on the tour, there will be an official welcome." I know I said much more than she will be able to process but I said enough to open her mind to what is around her. We have all the time we need and there is so much more to come.