Where No One Has Gone Before Pt. 01

"Don't let it scare you, Commander," Axel whispered to me. "It's not as complicated as it looks. It's pretty much like any other ship, just laid out a bit different. I nodded my head and walked to the Operations console. The Lieutenant on the station looked up as I approached him. He saw my name patch and my rank and stood up.

"Senior Flight Lieutenant Greene, sir," he said as he extended his hand. I accepted it and introduced myself.

"Lt. Commander Jones, good to meet you, Lieutenant," I said. "Quiet shift this morning?"

"Yes sir, very quiet," he said. I knew that basically meant nothing had gone awry as the ship was being prepared for launch, a process that continued 24 hours a day. "Everything is in the shift log. With your permission, sir, I'll go ahead and sign out."

"Of course," I said. He logged out of the system and turned to leave.

"Have a good shift, sir," he said as he left.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," I told him. I sat down and logged into the system and spent some time familiarizing myself with the layout and the display. Axel was right. It was basically the same as what I had seen before, but it was laid out quite different. To me, the layout was far less clunky and made more sense than what I had seen before.

At 0800, I joined Axel, Leesa and the other senior officers in the Captain's ready room for her morning briefing. She started by introducing me to the rest of the officers. After a brief introduction, she continued with the meeting.

From what I could gather, the launch preparations were proceeding as scheduled. Better yet, some sections seemed to be ahead of schedule. While Leesa was pleased to hear that, she urged the section heads to take some time to double-check everything to make sure no corners were cut.

After she dismissed everyone, Axel took me on a tour of the vessel and introduced me to a number of my new shipmates. I knew I would never remember all of their names after this brief intro, but I knew I would get to know them much better in fairly short order.

I was especially impressed with the communications section, and the officer in charge explained some of the challenges we would face once the faster-than-light engines engaged.

Since electromagnetic waves don't require a medium to propagate, the chief comm officer explained, they can travel through the vacuum of space at the speed of light. The only problem with that, he added, is that once the FTL, or faster-than-light, engines engaged and we reached our operating speed, we would be traveling faster than those electromagnetic waves.

What that meant, he said, is that standard communication technologies weren't practical for our use. If we were to send a message to Houston from Alpha Centauri, for example, using the old standards, we would literally reach Houston a year or more before the message we sent, providing we returned at our maximum operating speed.

To get around this, he explained, scientists and engineers used a combination of quantum tunneling and tachyonic emissions to achieve what was called superluminal communications. They jokingly referred to it as "subspace," using a term made familiar by an old science fiction series.

The only problem, however, was that the signal degraded significantly over about three light years or so. To overcome that, they developed a relay that could clean up and boost the signal before sending it on to its destination.

Two of these relays had already been placed in strategic locations above and below the ecliptic plane of the Solar System. Two more had also been launched into interstellar space using experimental FTL engines.

One relay would end up about halfway between Alpha Centauri and our sun and would be in operation well before we needed to use it, while the other would be placed between our sun and Bernard's Star, which was just over five light years from Earth.

He went on to say more relays would be launched in the coming months and years in preparation for further exploration. According to him, engineers and scientists had been hard at work on this technology for at least the last 15 years.

"You know, Commander, I can see a time when we'll have a whole network of these in place. Hell, before long, we'll have whole relay stations out there that'll double as depots for things like refueling, or even R&R," he said.

"Impressive," I said.

"You bet it is," he said with a smile. "Welcome to the future."

From there, Axel took me to Engineering, where I got yet another mini-education. I was used to seeing the engineering sections of the ships I had been on before, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to see here.

Although the Enterprise had the standard thrusters for maneuvering, and plasma-ion fusion power plants for interplanetary operations, the FTL system was what I was interested in seeing. Admittedly, it was way over my head, in terms of understanding the technology. The lowest-ranking crew member on the team had two doctorates from MIT and spoke tech-talk almost like it was his first language.

Fortunately, his boss, Lt. Commander Sorenson, was present, and she translated what her crew member said into something that almost resembled English. In layman's terms, the system, once engaged, formed a "shell" or bubble, around the ship. When the FTL system engaged, everything inside the bubble operated as normal, while the entire bubble was propelled at speeds faster than light.

As I understood what Cmdr. Sorenson said, it was literally impossible for the human body to travel at speeds faster than light, since human nerve impulses are slower than the speed of light. To alleviate that, the "warp" bubble, as it was called -- again, borrowing terminology from an old science fiction program -- was designed to protect the ship and its inhabitants, while being propelled at the greater speeds.

In short, life would go on as normal inside the bubble, even as the bubble itself was transported at speeds faster than light. There was, however, one problem. Well, there were other problems, but one of the biggest problems, at least to me, was what might happen if the bubble deteriorated, or disappeared, while traveling so fast.

Commander Sorenson explained that in the unlikely event something like that were to happen, then the ship and everyone and everything inside would be instantly dematerialized into subatomic particles. But, she assured me, the system, which had three levels of redundancy, was designed to prevent that from ever happening.

While the system accepted a certain amount of fluctuation, and automatically made adjustments as necessary, if the bubble deteriorated beyond a certain point, the vessel would drop out of FTL, or "warp," mode and revert to the plasma engines until the bubble could be properly reformed.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Commander," she told me. "This technology has seen hundreds of hours of testing, and we've got the best crew in the Corps. There's nothing we can't handle."

"I hope so, Commander," I told her.

"If you have any questions, Commander, please feel free to stop by and see me," she said.

"I'll do that, Commander, thank you very much," I said. After we left Engineering, Axel turned to me with a smile.

"I hope you got all that," he said. "There'll be a test later today," he added with a wink. We spent the next couple hours going to various parts of the ship, meeting the officers and crew in those departments. The more people I met, the more impressed I was with what Leesa had put together.

Of course, being a weapons officer, I had to see the ship's defensive systems. Axel took me around and showed me the upgraded weapons platforms on the vessel, which were quite impressive. From what I could gather, if this ship had been in operation during World War II, it could probably have single-handedly decimated the German military machine.

By the time we finished, it was lunch, so we wolfed down a ham sandwich and made our way back to the bridge. I spent the next four hours poring over manuals, learning as much about the Enterprise as I possibly could. I had a long way to go, but I made good progress that first shift.

I messaged Kyra and had her meet me in the galley for dinner. I wanted to see her and I also wanted some prime rib. She met me there and we got our dinner. I was concerned when I saw how little food she took.

"You know, you're gonna need to eat more than that to keep your strength up," I said.

"Thanks for your concern, but I've always been a very light eater," she said. We sat down and jumped into our meals.

"I'm curious, Kyra," I began. "Captain Hawkins tells me you helped design that compatibility profiling system. Can you tell me a little bit about it?"

"Sure," she said. "What would you like to know?"

"How did you come up with that?"

"Are you familiar with someone named Lawrence Wilder?" she asked.

"No, can't say that I am," I told her.

"He did some ground-breaking work back in the early part of the 21st century," she said. "He hypothesized that the key to a perfect relationship was already programmed into us, in our DNA. He put forward the theory that genetics dictates a person's perfect 'soul mate,' not emotions. From what I could gather, he had a great deal of success with his process. Unfortunately, much of his work was lost after the world-wide Internet hack back in the 2050s."

"Interesting," I said.

"I certainly thought so," she said. "I pieced together what I could, and that's how I came up with the test. Think about it for a moment. You remember your reaction when you first saw me?"

"Yes," I told her.

"You said you hadn't experienced that since you met your ex over ten years ago. Likewise, I hadn't felt that way, well, ever. Have you ever wondered why it is you can have such an intense initial reaction to one person, but not another?"

"To be honest, I never thought about it," I said.

"Take a look at that Lieutenant over there in the corner," Kyra said. I glanced in the direction she indicated and saw a very pretty brunette eating her meal. "Would you say she's quite pretty?"

"Yes, I would," I said.

"But did she take your breath away? When you looked at her, were you rendered speechless, overwhelmed with the desire to approach her, possibly have sex with her?"

"Not really," I said.

"Of course not," Kyra said. "And there's several possible explanations for that. One, it could be that you're a gentleman who has already given your heart to another woman, or, you're simply not the type to act like a cad in public. It could be your military training and discipline prevents you from engaging in what you know to be fraternization. Or it could be that genetically, you already know she's not your soul mate. You told me you dated after your divorce, but you didn't fell a connection to any of them. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right," I said.

"Did none of them take your breath away? Or render you speechless?"

"No, none," I said.

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"I honestly don't know," I told her. "Maybe it was just too soon after my divorce."

"That's possible," she said. "But I doubt it. Before you met me, when was the last time you were with a woman?"

"I don't know, maybe five or six weeks," I said.

"And did anything happen in those five or six weeks that took away your anger and trust issues? Did anything happen in that time to make your nightmares go away?"

"No," I said. Damn, I thought. This woman is good.

"When was the last time you had a nightmare?" she asked.

"About three days before I reported here," I said.

"I can help you with that, if you'll let me," she said quietly. "But it'll cost you," she added with a sly smile.

"Really?" I asked. "What do I have to do?"

"Play your guitar for me," she said.

"Is that all?" I asked.

"It'll do for a start," she told me, smiling. "How long have you been playing?"

"My Dad gave me my first guitar when I was just 10 years old and I've been playing ever since. They let me take lessons and I used to play in a band when I was in high school. We had delusions of reviving the old music of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s," I said.

"Oh wow," she said. "Talk about oldies."

"Yeah, well, in my view the music of that time was some of the best ever made."

"What about Tabitha? Did she like to hear you play?"

"Her taste in music was a bit different. She likes that electro-splooge crap," I said.

"Yech," she said. "I can't stand that stuff. It's just porn with some noise disguised as musical notes thrown in for good measure." I couldn't help but laugh.

"My thoughts exactly. She dragged me to a concert once and I thought I was gonna get sick."

"Who did you see?" she asked.

"Some group called the 'Kentucky-Fried Mutha Fuggas.' Believe me, I wasn't impressed. In my opinion, they'd have to improve to suck." She laughed.

"Really? I read somewhere the lead singer claims to have a 12-inch dick," Kyra said.

"Artificially-enhanced, I'm sure. They did one song that almost sounded like it could be decent. Then the lead vocalist dropped his pants and started masturbating while moaning into the microphone."

"No way," Kyra said.

"Yes, way. The girls went nuts, Tabitha included. I thought I was gonna have to hold her down to keep her in her seat." I recalled that concert with revulsion. Tabby had torn her panties off and started rubbing herself as the lead singer stroked his giant dick on stage. Several girls in the audience had thrown their panties on stage, spread their legs and exposed themselves.

One girl stripped completely nude and ran on stage. She jumped into the singers arms, wrapped her legs around the guy and let him fuck her to completion right there on stage, standing up. When he put her down, she bent over and spread her ass cheeks so everyone could see his goo dripping out of her.

Tabitha was a wildcat in bed later that night. I had no doubt she was thinking of that vocalist while I was fucking her. A friend of mine later told me that was tame compared to what they normally do on stage. When I looked them up, I found he was right.

"Well, that should've been a clue to you right off the bat," Kyra said.

"I guess so," I said. "Did they ever produce anything that made the charts?"

"I think they had one song that was on the top 40 list for a couple weeks. It was called something like, 'Whose Cum Is Running Down Yo Leg, Bitch?' At least that's what I think it was called."

"Sounds like a real classic," I said sarcastically, causing her to laugh.

"Yeah, in the key of X minor," she said, causing me to bust out laughing.

"So, what kind of music do you like?" I asked her after I had calmed down.

"Depends on my mood. Sometimes I like to listen to classical music, other times I like to listen to soft acoustic music. I'm not really a fan of a lot of the modern stuff. I'd love to hear you play some of those old songs though," she said.

"Do you play anything?" I asked her.

"I took piano lessons when I was a little girl. I've also learned to play the violin and the flute. I've messed around with some other instruments. Do you know what a mountain dulcimer is?"

"Yes," I said. "Dad took us to a little town in Arkansas once. Mountain View, I think it was called. They were having a folk music thing going on and I got to hear some of those folks play. That was a good time, believe me. You know how to play one of those?"

"Yeah, I do," she said. "It's been a while since I've played one and mine is in storage now."

"I'd love to hear you play it one of these days."

"Maybe one day you'll get your chance." I found myself enjoying this time with Kyra and I couldn't remember ever having such a nice discussion with Tabby. "If you're finished, why don't we go back to the cabin and you can entertain me," she said with a smile.

"Sure, why not," I said. "I'm a bit rusty, though."

"That's okay," she said. "I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you play." We put our trays away and made our way back to the cabin. After we got out of the lift, she took my hand in hers. I looked at her and smiled.

When we got to the room, she took a seat on the couch and looked at me in anticipation. I grabbed my guitar case and pulled the instrument out. I tuned it up and sat next to her on the couch.

"So, what do you want to hear?" I asked.

"Your choice," she said. I strummed the instrument a bit and stretched out my fingers as I thought about what I would want to play. Then I made my decision.

"Here's one of my all-time favorites," I said. "As I recall, it came out around 1968. In my opinion, it's one of the greatest instrumentals ever made."

"What's it called?" she asked.

"Classical Gas," I said. "Ever hear of it?"

"I don't think I've ever heard that," she said. I started playing and watched her reaction. As I picked up the tempo, she started bouncing her head to the music. Her eyes literally twinkled as she smiled and "bopped" to the tune. I had to admit, I liked seeing her reaction. When I finished, she clapped her hands.

"That was wonderful," she exclaimed. "Play another song, please," she begged.

"Well, okay," I said. "What would you like to hear?"

"I don't know. How about something with words. I'd love to hear you sing. I bet you have a great singing voice."

"Only if you're into torture," I said, causing her to laugh.

"I don't believe that. C'mon, sing for me. Please? Pretty please?" How could I resist that?

"Well okay, you asked for it," I told her. I thought for a bit and picked a song that I thought would make her laugh. "Here's a real oldie, put out by a guy named Arlo Guthrie back in 1967. It's called 'Alice's Restaurant Massacree.' You ready?"

"Yeah," she said, laughing. "I'm ready." I began picking the guitar and when the time came, I began singing as best I could.

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant

From there, I went into the 15 or 20-minute story and I could see her laugh as I got deeper into it. I used my best Arlo Guthrie imitation, causing her to shake with laughter.

"You ready? You have to sing the ending with me," I told her as I picked the tune. "We just have to wait for the song to come to the guitar here."

"I have to sing with you?" she asked.

"Yup," I said. "Wait for it. It's coming real soon." I picked a bit more. "Alright, here it is, just follow me, okay?"

"Okay," she said nervously. She joined with me as I began singing the end.

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant

We finished the song and Kyra gave me a big hug, kissing me on the face.

"That was excellent," she said. "It was funny, too. I've never heard that before. And you have a wonderful voice."

"Did you enjoy that?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," she said. "That was fun." Just then we heard the door chime sound off. I opened the door to see Axel standing there with a much shorter woman sporting a long mane of raven hair. I figured this was Myra.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he asked. "We were just walking by and thought you guys were having a party in here."

"Come on in," I said. "We're just playing some old songs. Wanna join us?" Myra looked up at Axel with a smile.

"Let's do it," she said. "Please?"

"Oh, what the hell," he said with a smile. They came in and I invited them to have a seat. "What was that you were playing, anyway?" he asked.

"An old tune from 1967 called 'Alice's Restaurant Massacre' by a guy named Arlo Guthrie," I said. Myra looked at Axel.