This is a slight departure from my previous stories. I had seriously considered posting this under Sci-Fi, given that it takes place far in the future on a planet far from Earth. I decided to put it here anyway, since it deals with a cheating spouse and a husband who seeks to set things right.
As always, constructive comments are always appreciated and welcome...
And for those awaiting my next installment in the "Revenge in Advance" series, please know that something is on its way very soon.
Obviously, this is a work of fiction and not a docu-drama...
*****
It's really a shame that no matter how much our technology advances, humanity basically remains the same. Avarice, greed and lust have always been and always will be a part of human nature no matter how scientifically advanced we become as a species. I considered this as I thought about the events of the last two weeks - events which changed my marriage and my entire life.
Just two weeks ago, my wife, Charis, and I were on board the faster-than-light interstellar passenger liner
Roddenberry
as it entered our home system on its voyage from Earth to Pacifica. We had been together exclusively for seven years with five years as husband and wife, and decided to take a vacation from Earth, still struggling to rebound after the Great Nuclear War of 2510, a devastating conflict that lasted only 90 minutes but managed to kill over a billion people. The war had been over for 50 years, but the scars were still present.
Charis and I were part of the effort to stabilize and rebuild what was left of the information infrastructure, which included what people in the 21
st
century called the Internet. We had been there for three years and decided it was time to take a break. So we headed home for what I thought would be a long vacation filled with sun, fun and of course, lots of wild, uninhibited sex with my beautiful wife, something that seemed to have dropped off considerably in the last couple years, due to the fact that our work had kept us separated for most of our time on Earth.
As I looked out the port in our small stateroom, Charis said she was going to the comm area to place a call to our families, letting them know we would be home soon. I nodded my head to acknowledge my agreement and kept looking out the small window, hoping to catch a glimpse of our home planet.
She returned a half-hour later, having made her calls and came up behind me, looking over my shoulder at the blackness outside.
"We're still too far out to see home, dear," she said. "Maybe in an hour or so, we'll spot it. Don't worry, we'll be home soon enough." I turned to look at her and wrapped my arms around her small waist.
"Yes, we will, and I can't wait to get you on the beach at Westmoreland," I said. Westmoreland was an area on the western coast of the only continent on Pacifica that was known for its beautiful scenery and sandy beaches. Of course, the beaches were all clothing-optional with areas set aside for open-air sexual activity.
Charis laughed and pushed me away.
"Dream on, buddy. Just because we're married doesn't mean I
have
to screw you on the beach," she said, smiling. "Maybe at the dance club, but not the beach. You know I hate to get sand in my pussy and the last time we did it on the beach I got sunburned and couldn't wear panties for a month."
"Maybe we need to use a more powerful sunscreen on that shaved pussy of yours," I said.
"You're such a naughty boy," Charis said.
We both turned back and looked out the window, hoping to be the first to spot our home world. Finally, we saw a tiny blue dot and knew we were getting close.
Pacifica, settled over 300 years ago after some 75 years of surveys, was considered to be one of the first successful human colonies outside the Solar System. Like Earth, Pacifica had its share of dangers in the form of poisonous plants, wild animals and carnivorous fish, but the powers-to-be decided the dangers were no worse than what humans had faced on Earth for millennia.
In fact, the benefits significantly outweighed the dangers. The ocean, which covered over 85 percent of the planet's surface, contained almost everything a human colony would need in the way of food, and desalinization units easily converted the salty water into something fit for human consumption. Better yet, the edible delights that came out of the sea proved to be quite beneficial for the humans who call the planet home. The same applied to the edible plants and fruits that were quite abundant.
As a result, colonists found they lived much longer and healthier lives than they would have on Earth. Researchers suggested that a person born on Pacifica could, in theory, live to be 150 years old if their entire diet consisted of local food. It also helped that the environment was free of the chemical and radioactive waste that polluted and suffocated Earth.
Being healthier and more active meant that native Pacificans tended to be more sexually active than their Terran counterparts - and for a considerably longer period of time. While Terran women were encountering menopause, native Pacifican women were just hitting their sexual peak and Pacifican men were still fathering children well into their 70s.
The founders also wanted to avoid the mistakes that led to Earth's ultimate downfall. By the time the colony was officially established, the crime rate on Earth had hit an all-time high. Gangs of armed thugs roamed the streets of the planet's cities taking whatever they wanted - food, money, possessions, women, you name it - with little or no repercussions. Illicit drugs were sold over the counter to anyone with a few pennies to rub together regardless of age and the planet's sense of morality was all but gone.
As a result, over 95 percent of marriages in the so-called "civilized" nations of Earth ended in divorce, with adultery being the cause for more than 80 percent of them.
So the founders, perhaps imbued with a false sense of righteous indignation, set up a tough system of justice that was swift and at times brutal and to some, unfair. Adultery, for example, was made a felony with harsh penalties. But as imperfect as it was, the system seemed to work and the crime rate on Pacifica was quite low, less than 10 percent that of Earth.
So while Earth continued its plunge into chaos, crime and endless war, Pacifica flourished.
Then the last Great Nuclear War happened, plunging much of the planet into something that resembled the Stone Age. Almost all of the great cities of Earth were completely demolished and all of the planet's electrical grids were smashed, rendered inoperable by EMP. Many of the remaining occupants of the planet lived in squalor, killing each other for a gallon of fuel or a stalk of green celery.
It took thirty years for the radiation levels to drop enough for off-world teams to begin the job of rebuilding the planet's infrastructure. And for the last three years, Charis and I were part of that effort. It was hard, to say the least. The hours were long and the work could be backbreaking. Food and medicine had to be imported and security for the teams was tight. Native Terrans had forgotten what it meant to be civilized and would literally kill for a tiny piece of bread or fish.
After three years of that, Charis and I decided we had to come home just to keep our sanity and reconnect.
Finally, the
Roddenberry
, named after a man who created an ancient but still popular science fiction program, docked at Pacifica Station, an orbital platform that served as a port of entry for the planet. The intercom came to life announcing our arrival along with instructions for disembarking.
"Finally, home at last," I said, looking at Charis. She seemed lost in thought and didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Yeah. Finally," she said quietly.
"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she said in a neutral tone of voice. I didn't quite believe her, though. I would have thought she'd be happy to be home. Something was on her mind but I was unable to figure it out and she apparently didn't feel like talking.
We left the ship, grabbed our bags and headed for the shuttle that would take us to the planet below. After going through customs and the mandatory medical screening we walked into the main terminal and headed for the exit. My wife said nothing to me the whole time and barely acknowledged my presence.
She suddenly stopped and turned to face me. She didn't look happy at all.
"I'm sorry, Jere," she said.
"What? What are you sorry for, Charis? I don't understand."
I saw her divert her eyes and sensed the presence of two other men next to me. I looked and saw they were Pacifica Security Police officers. What was this all about?
"Jere Kondrake?" one of them asked.
"Yes," I answered. "What can I do for you?"
"You're under arrest, sir," the officer said. "Please drop your luggage and place your hands behind your back."
"What am I being arrested for?" I asked. "I've done nothing wrong."
"Adultery," the other officer said. "To be precise, multiple counts of first-degree serial adultery."
I looked at my wife who was watching the whole thing.
"Charis, what is this?" I asked. "I've never cheated on you, ever. You know that. Why are you doing this to me?" She took a deep breath before answering.
"Like I said, Jere, I'm sorry," she said, refusing to look me in the face.
"Can you at least call my attorney?" I asked. "These charges are false."
"I've already called your father. He's contacting an attorney. I think it would be best if we said goodbye here," she said before turning around and walking away.
My mind was in turmoil. What the hell was going on, I wondered. I've never even thought about cheating on Charis, even before we became exclusive. I loved her more than anything and was looking forward to spending my life with her.
The officers read me my rights and escorted me out of the terminal. I felt ashamed, as the eyes of everyone in the terminal were on me. Someone being led off in restraints by police was a rare sight on Pacifica.
I was placed in the back of the police cruiser and taken to jail where I was processed and deposited in a clean but tiny eight-foot by eight-foot square room with a single bar light, a bunk and an infoscreen built into the wall.
An hour later, I was taken from my cell and placed in a reception room where my father was waiting for me.
