Trip To Mars

The following story is written for fun. It makes use of those staples of sci-fi, like inertial dampeners and engines that we haven't even dreamed of yet to make space travel in relatively short periods possible. Just go with it--you're here for the sex, not the sci-fi. Special thanks to my editor, Kenji Sato, for helping me express my thoughts so others can understand them even when I don't.

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I finally woke up with a start as the sun came through the window. Shit, I had slept through my alarm again. Well, not exactly, it went off an hour ago and I hit snooze, but my alarm doesn't have a snooze. Now, I was an hour late for my flight this morning.

I rolled over and grabbed the jumpsuit I was wearing yesterday and zipped it up. I didn't have time for a shower, so I put on a cap, grabbed an energy drink and a muffin, and headed for the door.

The hallway was filled with light, as the sun came in through the transparent dome over the hallway. As I ran down the hallway, I could see the Earth below us, a beautiful blue orb in the blackness of space. I was born there, but moved up to Regan Station, as soon as I could. I couldn't imagine going back there, with all the rules and regulations originally designed to protect us, but now taken to the extreme to try to protect us from ourselves.

Up here, we believed in Darwin. If you were stupid enough to go into an airlock and push the exit button without a suit, it was just evolution taking its natural path and ridding the species of someone who probably shouldn't be breeding anyway. In the past, this ensured that only the physically strong survived. Today, physical strength is less important than mental strength. The strong, dumb ones get sent to Mars or asteroids to mine. The ones that are too smart for their own good, don't go very far because there isn't any muscle around to protect them. Life is good here.

I made it to the hangar just in time.

"It's about time you got here," said Carlos, my chief mechanic.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled.

"You got that Mars run today," Carlos said.

"Yeah, a week out and a week back with nothing to do but eat, sleep and shit. What fun," I said, sarcastically.

"But it's good money, and you need it to get that sixth Sunset pod working," Carlos grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, as I stepped into the Flyer and started my pre-flight checkout.

The passenger cabin looked to be in order. Not that they would be in here long. We'd get them in their Sunset pod tonight, and wake them up when we got into Mars orbit.

Per regulation, the galley had rations for seven for one week, in case the Sunset pods go out. That happened every once in a while, and that was why we're only running trips with five or fewer customers. The air seal of our sixth pod cracked about two months ago. We took the shell off and sent it in for repairs, but the shop jacked up the price after they got it, and we had been trying to save up some money to get it back ever since. With three pods full, we break even on a trip. Five gave Carlos and me some money we could spend on upgrades. This trip hopefully would pay for the repairs on Pod Six.

The flight deck looked good. Fuel was topped off, flight boosters were all showing green, nav system looked good.

[Who needs a nav anyway. Just fly about forty-eight and a half million miles with the sun behind us, then keep the sun on my right, Mars will show up in a year or two], I laughed to myself.

"Sam," I said, "are the pods ready to go?"

The disembodied voice of the Sunset Assist Monitor (SAM) responded, "Pod Six is inoperable."

"I know that, Sam," I grumbled. "Are the rest of them ready to go?"

"Pods One through Five are operational," Sam replied.

[I hate that thing sometimes. I think it just tries to annoy me. Maybe after we get Pod Six fixed, we can get it upgraded to a newer model with some personality.

Scratch that, with a better personality. This one has plenty of personality--all bad.

I wonder if I have time to go take a shower before...]

I didn't have time to finish my thought before I heard voices outside the Flyer.

I stepped into the passenger cabin, just in time to see a group of four men and a woman climbing the steps into the ship.

"Good morning," I said, as everyone entered the passenger cabin.

"I am Captain Kyle Richardson. I will be flying you to Mars this trip," I said, in my most professional and reassuring voice.

There were general nods of acknowledgment from the gentlemen, as they took their flight seats and started to buckle in.

"Good morning," I heard a soft female voice say.

I turned around to see the lone woman in the group, with her hand extended in greeting.

"I'm Lisa, Mr. Carlson's executive assistant," she said.

"Nice to meet you. Is there anything I can get you?" I asked.

"If you could show me to the galley, I will fix up something for the gentlemen and take care of them," she said.

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"Oh, I insist, it's part of my job duties. You fly the ship, and I will keep our team out of your business," she said.

"Okay, if that's what you want. I'll show you around once we've gotten underway," I said. "In the meantime, have a seat and relax.

"If I can have your attention, please. We will be leaving in about ten minutes. If you would please make sure you are buckled in until we have gotten underway, I would appreciate it," I said, in my captain's voice.

I have to say it. They never do it, but under regulations, I have to say it, so I did, I thought, as I returned to the flight deck.

"Sam, is everyone buckled in?" I asked.

Sam's disembodied voice replied, "Seat 4 is buckled in, the rest remain unbuckled."

Okay, it's going to be that kind of trip, I thought to myself, as we softly detached from the docking ring and drifted a few hundred feet away. At that point, I hit the down boosters followed by the up boosters for a microsecond. Just enough to toss the men up into the air briefly before bringing them crashing back down into their seats.

"Sam, are they buckled in now?" I asked, after a few seconds.

"All occupied seats are secure," Sam answered.

"Mars Flyer 12, this is Regan Control. Mars Flyer 12, this is Regan Control. You okay out there, over." The radio crackled to life.

"Regan Control, this is Mars Flyer 12. Regan control, this is Mars Flyer 12. Yeah, just had to convince some people to buckle in before we left," I said. "No problem, over."

"Okay, Mars Flyer 12, take departure path Baker Alpha Three. We'll see you in a couple of weeks, and don't give them too bumpy of a ride," Regan Control said, laughing. "Over and out."

"Roger that, Mars Flyer 12, out," I said.

I punched the exit path vectors into the nav computer and pressed the submit button. Then I sat back as the ship's auto navigation system took over. Eat, sleep and shit for the next two weeks, what a life. I switched the communication system to the passenger cabin and keyed the microphone.

"May I have your attention please?" I said. "We will be accelerating slowly for the remainder of the day until we are past the lunar orbit. At that time, we will get everyone settled in their pod and begin inter-planet acceleration. You are free to get up and move around your cabin until that time. Captain out," I finished, as I switched the communication back to the ground.

I got up and headed back to the passenger compartment. When I got there, the young woman, Lisa I think was her name, greeted me.

"Can you show me the galley, now?" she asked.

"Of course," I said, as I led her to the back of the cabin.

"We have a limited supply of fresh protein bars, enough for a couple of light meals for seven," I said. "It's best not to go into the pods after a heavy meal or drinking alcohol."

"Is it dangerous?" she asked.

"It's not dangerous, a heavy meal won't have time to start digesting and will likely be thrown up when you come out of the pod, and the alcohol will leave you with the worst hangover you have ever had when you come out," I said, smiling. "But your team is welcome to do whatever they want."

"No, thank you. I would just end up cleaning up after them, so let's just not give them the option," she said, grinning.

Lisa was very pretty. She was wearing a mid-length skirt and heels that showed off her calves. When she came on board, she was wearing a blue business jacket and had her black hair in a bun off to the side of her head, as was the current fashion. After settling in, she had removed her jacket to reveal a white blouse that was sheer enough to show a white silk camisole under it. Her breasts were probably about the size of my last girlfriend, or a 'C' cup. I couldn't tell if they were natural or augmented. Her skin was lily white which suggested a life of privilege and indoor work. Only people from the Earth that work outdoors have tanned skin. That disappointed me a bit. I always liked the look of tanned skin. I thought it made a woman look warmer and more inviting.

Wait, she is talking, what did she say?

"Are you there?" she asked, with a smile.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I was just thinking through some of the details of the flight, what were you saying," I asked.

"Can I make you anything?" she said, again.

"No, no thank you. I have my meals already prepared and on the flight deck ready to reheat and eat," I said, with a grin.

"Okay, but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I'll be happy to whip up something for you if you want it," she said, with a warm smile.

I left her in the galley and headed back to the flight deck.

[When was the last time someone had offered to fix me a meal? I must have been two, maybe three years old. As soon as I could reach the kitchen counter, it seemed like I was on my own. My mother and father both worked. My father was a mechanic and my mom booked and scheduled flights. They had been proud the day I got my pilot's license and signed on with the Flyer. I'll have to stop off at Luna One and say hi to them on the way back. That is, if I don't find any passengers to bring back.]

I sat down and had a quick sandwich and spent the next four hours going through the communication and booking companies trying to find passengers coming back to Earth. Deadheading back, or coming back without passengers, was a waste of fuel and time, but sometimes it had to be done.

"Excuse me," I heard a voice behind me. It was Lisa.

"Yes," I said, slightly startled. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering how long it would be before we have to get in the pods?" she asked.

"I'm just getting ready to check in with lunar flight control, and then I'll be coming back to tuck everyone in," I said.

"Do you mind if I sit up here until it's time to go back?" she said.

"Sure, there isn't much to see, the moon is just coming out from behind the Earth, so it's behind us," I said.

"Then why do we have to check in with them?" she asked.

"It used to be because all flights went past the moon before beginning a slingshot around the Earth to pick up speed. Now, it's more of a matter of courtesy, and letting flight control know we are out of the Earth system," I said.

I picked up the microphone and keyed the mike.

"Luna One, this is Mars Flyer 12. Luna One, this is Mars Flyer 12, passing through en route to Mars. Over..." I said.

"Mars Flyer 12, this is Luna One, we have you. Have a safe trip, over," the radio said.

"Okay, that's it," I said. "Let's go get everyone tucked in and ready for bed."

We walked back to the passenger cabin.

"May I have your attention, please?" I said. "If you will please go to the cabins and put on your sleeping attire and come back to your pod, we will get you set up and ready for the trip."

"I've never understood why we have to change clothes before getting into the pods," one of the men said.

"While you are in the pod, our system monitors your vital systems, provides you nutrition, and keeps your muscles from atrophying," the disembodied voice of Sam said.

"What he said," I said, pointing at the ceiling. "If the systems can't get to your thighs and forearms, it will tear up your clothes trying."

"Now, please proceed so we can stay on schedule," I said, in a commanding tone of voice.

One by one, the men went into the changing room and came out in their pod suits. The standard-fashion pod suits were skintight, short-sleeved tops with short mid-thigh pants in a variety of colors. It was always amusing to me to see the color patterns and how they reflected people's personalities.

The head guy had on a grey suit with thin red stripes up the sides. My guess was he was very conservative or at least wanted to be seen that way. Two of the other guys had on very similar suits, with dark blue and dark green stripes up the sides. They both wanted to be noticed, but still seem conservative. Whether that was to kiss up to the head guy, or their true personality remained a mystery. The final guy's suit was multi-colored with diagonal stripes in red, green, and blue complementary colors running across it. The two guys in suits with blue and green stripes saw the smile on my face, and laughed. They pointed toward the guy with the diagonal stripes and just said one word--"Marketing." I smiled in acknowledgment.

I was just finishing getting the men settled into their pods and asleep, when Lisa came out. She was wearing a mid-thigh length t-shirt with a cute teddy bear on the front of it.

"Are they all tucked in?" she asked.

I was quiet, realizing how beautiful she was, now that she was out of her business attire.

"I like to make sure they are all under before I come out. I don't like them seeing me like this, it's not the image I want them to have of me at work," she said.

"I understand," I managed to stammer out.

"Please do me a favor and wake me up first, so I can get dressed before you wake them up when we get there," she asked.

"Yes, ma'am, I will," I said. "Sam, make sure Ms. ..." I paused. "I don't believe I got your last name."

"Oh, it's Thomas. Lisa Thomas," she answered, with a smile.

"Sam, make sure Ms. Thomas is revived first, before the gentlemen traveling with her, when we arrive at Mars."

"Acknowledged," said Sam's hollow voice.

"I couldn't help but notice, that you aren't wearing the typical pod outfit," I said.

"Do you know how much those things cost?" she laughed. "Is this, okay?" she continued, as I helped her into the pod.

"It should be. The monitors have clear access to your arm and thigh to monitor your vitals and administer any needed nutrients. You should be fine," I said.

"Thank you," she said, as I closed the pod door and watched her as the automated systems took over and she drifted off to sleep.

I looked around the passenger cabin to make sure everything was stowed and locked down, ready for our acceleration to cruising speed. Even with our inertial dampening systems working, the initial firing of the main drive engines was loud and pulled more than a couple of Gs making the first day of our trip a bit uncomfortable. After that, people would get their space legs and the trip would be fairly pleasant.

With everything locked in place, I gave one final look at our passengers' vitals and made my way to the flight deck.

"Luna One, this is Mars Flyer 12, preparing for acceleration to Mars. Over," I said, into the microphone.

"Mars Flyer 12, this is Luna One. Roger, have a safe trip. Over," said the voice on the other end of the radio.

I pulled the straps tight holding me into my seat, verified our destination in the ship's nav system, turned on the autopilot, and hit the submit key. The sound of the main engines igniting, sent a shudder through the ship as it lurched from normal speed and started accelerating to cruising speed. It would take a day's acceleration to reach cruising speed, but it would be safe for me to get up and walk around in a couple of hours. So, for now, I decided to turn on some music and take a quick nap.

"Sam, wake me up at twenty-hundred-hours Earth-time."

"Acknowledged," was Sam's dry response.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep to the steady roar of the engines and the acceleration holding me firmly in my seat.

-----

An alarm sounded!

"What the hell?" I screamed, as I woke up immediately aware of my surroundings. My eyes scanned the console in front of me, and listened for any abnormal sounds on the ship. All the lights and gauges were as they should be. They showed us on track and running normally. The engines continued to drone on, as usual.

"Sam, status!" I yelled.

"All systems are normal," Sam said, as the alarm went silent.

"What the hell was that alarm?" I screamed.

"It is twenty-hundred-hours Earth-time," Sam said.

"You couldn't have found a quieter way to wake me up?" I hissed.

There wasn't any response from Sam.

I got up and made my way to the passenger compartment to check on our guests. All of the displays showed normal readings. The marketing guy's eyes were twitching back and forth rapidly. He was having a great dream. I paused in front of Lisa's pod. She had a beautiful look to her. Her hair was hanging down about halfway down her back. Her face was round and soft. There was one stray hair floating around her face. I wanted to open the pod and put it back in place, but that would mean waking her up and she would then have to stay awake for the remainder of the trip.

The pod cycle was carefully calibrated to provide the most comfortable trip possible. While someone could be pulled out in an emergency, placing them back in wasn't possible without running the entire cycle again. For some reason beyond my understanding, that's the way it was. Carlos had tried to explain it to me once, but I think the answer had something to do with the planet's alignment in the zodiac. That's when I figured he was just giving me a load of BS and stopped listening.

I climbed into Pod Six which was out of service and had no door to sit and rest for a while. It was more comfortable than my bunk, and I fell asleep looking at Lisa's quiet face. I dreamed about Lisa. Her face floated in and out of my dreams. It wasn't anything in particular, just her presence. I was not happy when I heard Sam's voice calling my name the next morning.

I spent most of the next day sitting on the flight deck, searching for cargo, or people wanting to make the trip back to Earth sometime over the next week. I played some virtual 'Tillum' with some friends. It's a card game similar to the old Earth game called 'Poker'. However, this was played with a deck of seventy, six-sided cards, and a pair of standard dice. I'm not very good, so I don't allow myself to lose much. As usual, everyone was glad to see me come and thanked me for my donation when I left after about a dozen hands.

I went back to the passenger compartment to eat my lunch of protein bars and water. Around sixteen-hundred-hours, I decided I could smell myself and went back to my cabin to take a shower.

I stripped down and climbed into the shower bag, zipped it closed, and pressed the start button. The suction below the perforated floor started pulling a slight vacuum in the bag. Then a mixture of air and water was blown down from above. All the water from the shower is recycled in a closed system. The air and water mixture blown in from above is carefully regulated to maintain a slight negative pressure environment pulling the water down over your body as you wash. Once I finished, I pressed the stop button. The water stopped but the airflow sped up, essentially air-drying me. After I felt dry, I pressed the stop button again and exited the bag.

I turned around to grab a fresh jumpsuit.

"What the hell!!" I screamed.

There was Lisa at the entrance to my cabin.

Lisa screamed and turned away running back toward the passenger cabin.