Where No One Has Gone Before Pt. 03

"Actually, they're both retired," I said. "My father served 32 years in the Corps and retired as a Master Chief Engineer. My mother was a science teacher and retired about the time Dad did. We moved to Idaho just before I started high school. Right now, they pretty much do whatever they want."

"Thirty-two years. That's a long time," Tom said. "How long have you been in?"

"A bit over ten years," I said.

"Plan to make a career out of it?" he asked.

"I do," I said.

"And what are you going to do while your husband is off gallivanting in space?" Gloria asked Kyra sarcastically.

"I plan to gallivant with him," Kyra said with a smile. I smiled at her.

"What do you mean?" Gloria asked. "What do you have to offer that would let them send you out there with him?" Kyra started to say something, but I beat her to the punch.

"Actually, Dr. Williams, your daughter's work played a significant role in the success of our mission. Significant." I saw Gloria's eyes widen a bit and I pressed the point. "Because of her work, 250 men and women traveled farther and faster than anyone in human history and returned -- safe, sound and sane." I looked at Tom and saw surprise on his face. I continued.

"Kyra has literally gone where no one has ever gone before. She has seen things and been places no one else has ever been. Because of her work, people like her will be on every interstellar flight from now on, serving as ship's counselors," I said. "Kyra has even been given a field commission to Lt. Commander and will serve as ship's counselor on the Enterprise."

"What?" Gloria asked, stunned. "No. I will not permit it."

"It's not your decision, Mother," Kyra said, further astonishing her mother. "I'm a free woman and I'm over 21. It's my decision, and it's already been made. Where my husband goes, I go."

"I know people. I'll make calls. This cannot be allowed to happen," Gloria said. Kyra slammed her fork on the table, stunning all of us.

"Dammit mother, don't even think about it," she said. "So help me God, if you even try, you'll never see me again." Her parents were stunned at what she had to say. Gloria turned her hateful gaze on me.

"This is all your fault," she hissed. "You turned her against her own mother." I shook my head.

"You know, when I first met Kyra, she was a borderline submissive, afraid of her own shadow. Meeting you, I can see why. But when I look at her now, you know what I see? I see a strong, confident, smart and yes, sexy, woman. With her own dreams and her own accomplishments.

"I know you have a Ph.D., and I know you've written books and gone on television. But she has two doctorates. And she uses her knowledge to actually help people. While you go on television to get your accolades, she's been out there, where the rubber meets the road. She's helped a lot of people, myself included.

"You know what else I see when I look at her? I see a woman I'm proud to call my wife. That's right, I said, PROUD. Have either of you ever told your daughter you were proud of her? Just once?" I noticed that Tom was looking down, embarrassed. Gloria was also looking away.

"That's what I thought," I said. I put my fork down and looked at my food. "This shrimp salad is delicious. Unfortunately, I've lost my appetite. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a walk." I got up and started for the door, and then heard Kyra.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to join you," she said. I nodded my head and held out a hand. She got up, took my hand in hers and together, we walked out of the room and out of the house. We went to the gate and nodded as the guard opened it for us. From there, we began walking down the street.

"Did you really mean it when you said you were proud to call me your wife?" Kyra asked.

"I did," I answered.

"You know, I think that's the first time anyone has ever stood up for me," she said quietly. "And I'm pretty sure it's the first time anyone has ever stood up to my mother. Did you really think I was a borderline submissive?"

"When I first met you, yes," I said. "But you've grown since then. A lot."

"I have you to thank for that," she said. "You know what else?"

"What?"

"I got so hot when you were talking me up. I wanted to rip my clothes off and do you right there at the table," she said.

"Your mother would probably have had a heart attack if you did," I said, causing her to laugh.

"Or a stroke," she said. We both laughed at that. It was almost dark when we finally made our way back through the gate. We entered the house and was met by Tom, who gave Kyra a hug. I could tell he had been drinking.

"Kyra," he said. "I know I haven't been the world's best father, but Bill's right. I love you and I am proud of you. Really, I am. I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner." She smiled and hugged him back.

"Thank you, daddy," she said. "That means a lot to me. I love you too, and yes, I'm proud of you. Where's Mother, by the way?"

"She took off in a huff, said she was going to the country club. Didn't say when she'd be back. Listen, Bill, would you mind stepping into my office for a bit?"

"Sure," I said. Kyra gave me a kiss.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she said. "All that walking has made me break out in a sweat."

"Of course," I said. "I'll see you after a while." I watched her go up the stairs, then followed Tom to his office. When we got there, he closed the door and offered me a seat.

"Care for some brandy?" he asked.

"Yes, please," I said. He poured some in a glass and handed it to me.

"Cigar?" he asked.

"Please," I said. He pulled two cigars out of a wooden box and handed one to me. I looked and saw it was the same brand Dad like to smoke.

"My Dad smokes these from time to time," I said.

"Well, your father is a man of impeccable tastes," Tom said as he lit his cigar. He lit mine and we sat back in our chairs for a moment. "You know, I think that's the first time anyone ever stood up to Gloria like that," he said after a few minutes. I chuckled at that. "I don't think I've ever seen her so flummoxed."

"Sometimes, it just has to be done," I said.

"Listen, I want to apologize for the way she treated you at lunch," he said. "It was rude and uncalled for."

"Apology accepted," I told him.

"Thank you. I thought I recognized your name. Then it hit me. You're that officer who tossed his superior out of an open airlock about six or seven years ago, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes, I am. But you should know that it was in self defense, and I'm not really proud of that episode in my life," I told him.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," he said. "My reporters covered that incident and the inquest, by the way."

"Yes, I know. I caught some of the reports," I said.

"It would've been nice if you could've said something to our reporters," he told me.

"We were all under orders not to speak to the press. Nothing personal. It's just the Corps likes to keep a handle on what goes out to the civilian news agencies," I said.

"That's understandable," he said. "Have you heard that your ex-wife was released from prison?"

"I heard something about that when I was in Idaho."

"I've heard rumors she joined up with a group of pirates," he said. "Don't know if any of that is true, though."

"I haven't heard anything," I said.

"Imagine that. Space pirates," he said with a laugh. "My God, man. What's next?"

"Who knows," I answered.

"Listen, I'd like to talk to you about something for a bit," he said after a couple minutes. "I hope you understand where I'm coming from."

"I'll listen," I told him.

"It's just that Kyra will be coming into a fairly large trust fund," he said. "Naturally, as her father, I'm concerned for her best interests."

"And you're concerned that I might be going after her money," I said, finishing his thought.

"Yes, that did occur to me," he said.

"You have nothing to worry about, Tom," I said. "I love your daughter and I intend to stay married to her for the rest of my life. I don't care about any money that she might get. That's hers to do with as she pleases."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Bill," he said.

"I am curious about one thing, though," I said.

"What's that?"

"About a year ago, I saw a report by Duncan Wyoming about an incident at a concert in Texas," I said.

"Oh yes, the Kentucky Fried Mutha Fuggas," he said. "What about that?"

"Whatever happened in all that?"

"Well, the cowboy who sliced Dick Bigman's penis got a fine and a suspended sentence. Bigman got hit with a 30-day sentence for public nudity along with the cowboy's wife. The group put their tour on hold, but they're back at it. I hear they're gonna be in Los Angeles in a week or two. If you're interested, I can get you some tickets," he said.

"No thanks, I'm not into that garbage," I said.

"I don't care much for it, either," he said. We continued talking and as we did, I found myself warming up to the man. I couldn't help but wonder, though, why he remained married to a shrew like Gloria.

"Listen, Bill," he finally said. "I really like you, and I think you'll be a great husband to my little girl. I'd just appreciate it if you could find some way to make peace with Gloria."

"For Kyra's sake, I'll try," I told him. "But I won't tolerate any more disrespect from her."

"Fair enough," Tom said. We raised our glasses and drank to it, then finished our cigars. We had a late dinner that night as Gloria didn't get back until 10:00 pm. Tom carried her into her room and helped clean her up.

Kyra was a wild woman that night in bed. She was practically screaming for me to fuck her brains out. This was a bit unusual for her, but I went along with it, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The next morning, Gloria gave us both the evil eye at breakfast.

"What was all that racket last night?" she asked Kyra.

"It's called 'sex,' mother. It's what married couples are supposed to do. You should try it with Dad every once in a while. He might just like it," Kyra said smugly. For a moment, I thought Gloria was going to have a stroke. I glanced at Tom, and saw he was fighting hard to keep from laughing out loud.

"You do this a lot?" Gloria asked.

"What, have wild monkey sex with my husband? Hell yes. Every chance I get," Kyra said. "Isn't that right, dear?" she asked, looking at me.

"Yes, ma'am," I said with a smile. Gloria glared at me and I thought I saw daggers forming in her eyes.

"You've ruined her," she hissed.

"No ma'am, but I think she did a pretty good job on me last night," I said. Tom couldn't hold it in any longer and suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so damn funny?" Gloria screamed.

"You," Tom said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"My God, Mother, how in the hell did you ever get pregnant with me?" Kyra asked. Gloria said nothing, but her faced stayed red through most of breakfast.

"So what do you kids have planned for the day," Tom asked.

"I don't know," Kyra said. "I thought we might go out and take in some of the sights."

"James will be more than happy to take you wherever you want to go," Gloria said.

"Nonsense," Tom said. "Ever drive a Bentley, Bill?"

"No, can't say that I have," I told him. He reached into his pocket and handed me a key.

"Well, today's your lucky day," he said. "In fact, you can use it while you're here. Just do me a favor and keep it charged up, okay?"

"Sure, thanks," I said.

"You're going to let them drive your Bentley?" Gloria asked, shocked. "You won't even let me drive it."

"It's okay," he said. "It's insured. Besides, if Bill can handle a trillion-dollar spacecraft, I'm sure he can handle a Bentley." After breakfast, we headed out, with Kyra showing me where she grew up and went to school. We even drove up to see the Hollywood sign and looked over the sprawling city.

Over the next two and a half weeks, we went out nearly every day. We visited Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and a number of other places in the area. One day we came back and heard strange sounds coming from upstairs. Kyra looked at me funny and we slowly made our way upstairs.

As we drew closer to the bedrooms, we heard the sounds even louder and noticed they were coming from Gloria's bedroom.

"Oh God, yes, fuck me baby. Fuck me harder. Don't ever stop," we heard her moan.

"Here it comes, baby," we heard Tom say. Kyra looked at me, shocked.

"Yes, do it," Gloria said. Then we heard them both cry out when they climaxed. We slowly inched our way back downstairs, not wanting to interrupt.

"Why did we ever stop doing that," we heard Tom ask.

"I don't know," Gloria said. "But I wish we hadn't. Let's do this more often, okay?"

"Okay, dear," Tom said. After a while, we heard him coming down the stairs. Kyra looked at him with a knowing smile.

"What?" he asked when he saw us.

"Oh nothing," Kyra said smugly. He smiled at us and went into his office.

Eventually, it was time for us to leave. By then, Tom and I had become friends and we spent a lot of time talking about things over cigars and glasses of brandy. Gloria even started warming up to me a bit and I was shocked when she gave me a motherly peck on the cheek as we waited for James to load our baggage in the car.

"I want to apologize for the way I treated you, Bill," she said. "It was crude and unbecoming. I misjudged you and I'm sorry for that."

"Apology accepted," I told her.

"Promise me you'll take care of my little girl," she said.

"I promise," I said. She smiled and turned to Kyra. With a tear in her eye, she hugged her daughter and kissed her on the cheek.

"I know I haven't told you this, but I really am very proud of you, Kyra," she said. "You've grown so much and you really do have a good man there. You'd better take good care of him."

"I will, Mother," she said. "I love you."

"And I love you too, sweetheart," she said. Tom shook my hand and hugged his daughter.

"How long will you be out this time?" he asked.

"Don't know," I said. "Could be another five years."

"Good luck to you. And don't be strangers, you hear me?"

"We won't, I promise," I told him.

"It was a real pleasure meeting you, Bill. I look forward to seeing you two again," he said.

"As do I," I said. We got into the limousine and James drove us to the airport, where we boarded our flight to Houston. The plan was to visit my old sensei at the Academy, where Kyra and I would test for our new belts and show him the video of the two-person kata I had developed with her.

Don Jacobs, my old sensei, looked as though he hadn't aged at all in the ten years or so since I had last seen him. We shook hands and I introduced him to Kyra. We caught up a bit and then got down to the purpose of our visit.

He put us both through our paces and seemed impressed with what he saw. I was happy to see that Kyra had scored well enough to earn a second-degree black belt. I tested well enough to earn my ninth-degree black belt. Then I showed him video of our kata. He watched it twice, saying nothing. He didn't say anything until he finished scrutinizing the entire thing.

"That was... beautiful," he finally said. "Two souls, bound together, making an unbreakable, invincible bond. I can see the synergy between the two of you. It was almost... erotic. May I have a copy of this?"

"Of course," I told him, copying the file to a storage disk.

"I'd like your permission to show this at the upcoming Grav Tac exhibition," he said.

"You have our permission," I said.

"Thank you," he said. "You might even win an award for this."

"You really think it's that good?" I asked.

"Most definitely," he said.

We visited for a while, and finally said our goodbyes. It was now time for us to head back to Mars. We boarded our flight and watched the planet fall away from us. Actually, we were getting farther from it, but from our perspective, it was the other way around. Both of us had fond memories of the last four months and had unshed tears in our eyes as we watched the blue-green ball known as Earth get smaller and smaller.

We were eight days into the 14-day trip when I felt the craft start to decelerate. I looked out the porthole in our cabin and saw two small craft. They looked like old-style combat shuttles, the type used by the Corps some ten years ago. Most had been replaced by newer, faster craft, and the old ones had been banished to a "graveyard" on one of the moons orbiting Mars.

Then I had a sinking feeling in my gut. Pirates! I woke Kyra up.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Get up," I said. "We're slowing down. There's ships out there. We need to get dressed."

"Ships? What kind of ships?"

"I don't know," I said. "They look like old three-man combat shuttles. Hurry, get dressed." She quickly got out of the bed and we dressed as fast as we could. By then, the passenger craft had come to a stop and I heard the sound of a docking port making connection. Then I heard a second dock connection. We were being boarded.

"What will we do?" Kyra asked, scared.

"Just stay calm," I said. "No matter what happens, stay calm. I'm right here with you." She nodded her head and we listened for any activity. I heard footsteps and some shouting. I heard other passengers screaming. Then I heard our hatch rattle as someone tried to open it. Whoever it was then started banging on it.

"Open up, NOW," I heard a female voice command. I looked at Kyra.

"Remember, stay calm," I told her. I reached up and opened the hatch to find myself staring down the business end of a hand-held laser pistol.

"Commander and Mrs. Jones," the woman said. "Come with me. Both of you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I said so. Now MOVE!"

"Alright," I said. "We'll come with you. Just let the ship go."

"Don't worry. We'll let them go once you're out of here," the woman said. We got up and followed her to one of the docking ports. Another woman was behind Kyra, prodding her with a laser pistol. I felt the gravity decrease as went through the tube, then remembered those old shuttles didn't have gravity units.

I thought seriously about using Grav Tac to take the woman out in front of me, and I probably could've done it, but there was the woman behind Kyra, and I wasn't about to take any chances that would get her killed. So I worked my way down the rest of the tube.

We finally entered the cramped shuttle. These old vehicles only had room for two or three people, tops. Kyra was forced to sit on a bench along one bulkhead. A long cylindrical object sat on the deck behind the main seats. Looking at it, I realized it was an old nuclear device.

"Put him in the co-pilot's chair," a somewhat familiar female voice commanded. I recognized the voice. It was a bit deeper than I remembered, but it was definitely the voice of my ex-wife, Tabitha. I was roughly forced into the chair and my arms and legs were secured with velcro strips.

I looked up and hardly recognized the woman I had once been married to. Her once graceful, delightfully feminine figure was gone. So was her long hair. It was now cut extremely short, with a flat-top and colored purple and green. The sides of her head were shaved bald and she sported tattoos of an extended middle finger on both sides of her head, right above her ears.

Her arms appeared more muscular, and sported tattoos as well. One arm had a tattoo of a snorting bull's head with long curved horns. No doubt, a tribute to her lover, Bull Travers. The other arm had a 12-inch long erect penis with a set of hairy testicles at the base. The letters, "KFMF" were written under the testicles.

She had other tattoos as well, probably from her time in prison. One tattoo simply read, "Fuck." Another read, "Eat Me." I was also somewhat surprised at her manner of dress.

She wore a short sleeveless top that showed her bare midriff. Her navel was pierced and it was obvious she wore no bra. The top looked to be crocheted in such a way that her nipples were visible. Like her navel, they, too, were pierced. She also wore a pair of cutoff shorts that left almost nothing to the imagination.