The Lifeboat

Note:

This is a work of pure fiction set in the distant future. The story contains rape and violence. If you are offended by these subjects do not read any further. This is not your mother's love story.

Sometimes you have to risk everything to get the one thing you want most.

*

Day 1:

Traveling for long periods in a spacecraft can take a heavy toll on a person psychologically. It's not that you feel isolated because in the case of the ship that I was on there were more than three thousand people on board. It's not the isolation, It's the monotony that gets to you. It seeps into you slowly, day after day and numbs the mind. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, I have plenty of work to keep me occupied.

My name is Ed Asher and I'm an astrophysicist but I hold degrees in several other fields such as geology, phycology, and medicine to name just a few. I was working on a transport ship named Pegasus. The Pegasus is a new ship, built specifically to transport people, along with massive amounts of cargo to and from the colonies. This was only its third transit to the colonies.

While underway I have been making use of the equipment on board the ship to study a recently discovered Pulsar. The course between Earth and the colonies affords me a great opportunity to study the object. I will chart its exact position by taking a series of measurements then report my findings to the science academy and collect a small consultant fee. This will be my second visit to the colonies. I'm traveling there to start my new job as the head of the science research council at the colonies.

The ship's crew understands the psychological stress that prolonged space travel can create. They work hard to provide work and recreation for their passengers in order to combat the boredom and monotony that cause these mental stresses, but in this third month of a five and a half month transit they were fresh out of new ideas. Emergency drills were done once a week as a matter of routine but now the commanding officer on the ship ordered them to be done at random in order to help combat the monotony.

I was in the officers mess trying hard to swallow at least a little of the stuff they called food. I remember thinking to myself that no matter how technically advanced these space transports have become, they never found a way to make the food taste good in space. I pushed my plate into the recycling chute when an alarm sounded. It was accompanied by an announcement of yet another drill. I began slowly walking to the exit when I felt a violent shudder in the deck. A second alarm sounded, followed by another more violent shaking of the whole ship.

A new announcement came over the ships intercom said that this was not a drill, "all personnel please report to their emergency stations." it repeated over and over. I began running toward the exit when a hand grabbed my collar and pulled me in another direction.

"This way sir, " a woman's voice said to me.

She used her fist to break a red plastic panel in the wall and pushed the button behind it. An emergency door instantly opened and she roughly pushed me through it. I landed on the floor in front of a small control panel. This was an escape capsule that was designed to act as a life boat for the passengers and crew in the event of a real disaster.

I looked back to the door and saw the woman who had pushed me in here standing in the doorway. She called for others to get into the other capsules that lined the walls of the room. Another violent jolt threw her off her feet. She landed on the floor just outside the escape module but quickly scrambled back to her feet and stepped back into the capsule. I could see the floor of the officer's mess flexing and twisting. I knew that something had gone terribly wrong. The woman hit a red mushroom shaped switch that closed the door. Now the only light in the room was coming from the control panel above my head and it was so dim that I could barely see this woman who had so abruptly taken charge of me.

"Hold on," she said without looking back at me.

I grasped onto a railing that ran around the capsule's interior and held on tight. With one hand she gripped a hand rail next to the door and with the other she reached over her head and pulled hard on a lever. There was a loud bang that shook the whole capsule and then the floor seemed to drop out from under me as the capsule was propelled down its escape tube and out into space. after a few moments we were experiencing zero gravity.

"Sir! On the panel above you press the green button labeled start," she said.

I reached up and pressed the button, the room immediately grew brighter and gravity pulled us gently to the floor. I stood up and examined my surroundings before looking at the woman. A hard shock shook our capsule. It shook for nearly a minute before it finally quieted.

I looked at the control panel then turned back to the woman, "We just lost the telemetry signal from the Pegasus."

"I'm afraid it must be a total loss sir," she said.

"Not necessarily," I told her. "The Pegasus is a modular design. If there's trouble the captain can eject the effected parts of the ship in order to save the rest. The problem is that the Pegasus cannot stop. If they use their engines to stop and come back for survivors they would be stranded without enough fuel to reach their destination." I took a deep breath and looked at the control panel to assess our situation.

I turned to the woman and was startled to see that she was beautiful. She was tall and lean and even her uniform could not hide the fact that she was all woman.

"I guess I should begin by saying thank you," I said to her.

"I was just following procedure sir", she replied.

"My name is Ed, Ed Asher".

"Yes sir I know who you are, my name is Lieutenant Sarah Marsh".

"Sarah do you suppose we can drop the formalities? We're going to be stuck together in here for quite awhile and besides, I'm a civilian so drop the sir and just call me Ed, OK?"

Sarah thought for a moment then spoke, "Do you think we'll be here long?" she asked.

I pondered her question for a moment then did some quick math in my head, "I'm afraid we'll be stuck in here for a long time. From this afternoon's position report I think the best case time line for rescue is around twelve weeks, and that estimation is based on the Nemesis not departing from the colonies before they receive news of our plight. If that happens they will attach a spare propulsion module and drop it near us with a minimal crew to recover any escape pods then bring them back to the colonies. If they depart before they know about us all they can do is wave as they pass us by. They would however do a quick re-fuel of the Pegasus and send her back for us, so best case three months and worst case five months.

Sarah shuddered visibly from this information then drew a deep breath, "These capsules are equipped to support four people for four months so surviving until the Nemesis or the Pegasus arrives should not be difficult".

Day 2:

I awoke the next day and in the dim light I saw Sarah exercising by doing sit-ups. I couldn't help but notice what a fine body she had. She was a security officer so it was expected of her that she always remain in top physical condition. Still she lost none of her femininity, for anyone who saw her there would be no mistaking that she was all woman. She looked to me like she was in her mid twenties, her body was lean and well toned. She had pert breasts that needed no outside support.

"Good morning" I said to her.

She looked up at the control panel and said, "It's only oh two hundred hours. You've only been asleep for a few hours."

"Yesterday was so exciting that I couldn't wait to see what today would bring" I said, in an attempt to seem clever.

"You should exercise to maintain your strength and bone density in this low gravity".

I grinned at her, "Yes I should, but I believe I'll sleep in this morning".

I lay back down and closed my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep her voice snapped me back, "Wait!"

I opened my eyes again to see her kneeling next to me but reaching up to the control panel above me. The scent of her body was intoxicating to me. My cock immediately jumped to attention.

"The distress beacon stopped working," the concern in her voice was evident.

"That's not a problem," I told her, "It's programmed to transmit continuous for the first twelve hours then to save energy it transmits for six minutes at the beginning of each hour. Every radio operator from Earth to the outer colonies are trained to monitor the distress frequencies for the first and last ten minutes of each hour in case of a time error."

"When will they know that something happened to us?"

"If the communication satellite orbiting the colonies is able to receive our signal , which it might, but it is unlikely because it is not looking exactly in our direction. If it does however It will happen in about in about eleven days. The Pegasus, or whats left of her will be in communication range for the colonies in about a month.

The look on Sarah's face told me that she was dreading the long wait until rescue.

Day 9:

I honestly think I'm loosing my mind. I can't get Sarah out of my thoughts. Every time I sleep I dream of having sex with her. I find myself obsessed with her. I want to possess her and keep her all to myself forever. I've begun exercising with her just to be able to smell her. It drives me crazy that she insists on sleeping on the other side of the capsule from me. Every time I see her it makes me want her more. I believe that stress is causing this reaction. I believe that our time here would make an excellent case study.

Day 17:

Something happened yesterday. I couldn't help it. Sarah hasn't spoken to me today. I fully expect her to attack me somehow, maybe when I'm asleep. I tried doing a couple hundred push-ups to clear my mind but it didn't help.

She slept next to me for the first time two nights ago. I couldn't sleep at all the first night and barely the second. It was last night that I made a terrible mistake. Sarah had been asleep for a few hours but I just lay there next to her, watching her lay sleeping face down next to me. I moved closer to smell her hair. One sniff and my head began to spin. She must be releasing a lot of pheromones I thought to myself. I reached down and pulled my cock out of my shorts. It was so hard that it hurt.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to her.

She suddenly woke, "What? Is everything alright?"

I put my hand on her shoulder and whispered to her, " Everything's OK. Go back to sleep."

"I thought I heard you say something," she said.

" I was just saying," I stopped and quickly rolled on top of her, reaching up under her arms and grasping her wrists to hold her still. I slid my cock up to her pussy , managed to get it around her panties and into her pussy. It was wet enough to allow me to slide in most of its length without resistance. I pulled it part way back then plunged it in to the hilt. Sarah struggled but I held on tight.

Thousands of years of evolutionary forceses were now driving me. With my survival in peril I was seeking to plant my seed into a strong, healthy young female so that my bloodline might continue. I knew it was wrong but continued anyway. I plunged my cock deep into her over and over again. She cried out and struggled to break free of my grasp but, the shock of my attack gave me the precious few seconds I needed to lock her into a nearly impossible position for her to escape from.

I wanted Sarah and I wanted to plant my seed in her as soon as I could. Primal forces drove me on in spite of her protests. I knew there would be ramifications for my actions. I was forcing myself on a woman who was trained in combat. I had the upper hand now but I knew it would not last, but I had to plant my seed in her.

The sensation was intoxicating. I felt a sensation wash over me that told me my climax had arrived. I felt a extreme sense of relief as I felt my seed pumping into her. I relaxed a bit but I was not done with her yet. I wanted to hold onto her a little longer to give my seed time to fulfill its purpose. The whole event was like having sex with a tigress. She was strong and dangerous and beautiful, and I knew as soon as I let her go she would likely kill me.

I felt her try to roll me off of her but I held my place and kept her pinned under me.

"Get off", she yelled.

"Not yet", I replied softly.

She struggled harder but I managed to hold on. The scent of her body, hot from struggling and smelling of sex excited my senses even more. I kissed the back of her neck and shoulders then I put my nose next to her skin and drew her scent in deeply. It draws me to her like gravity. I felt my cock grow hard once again. Instinct drove me again as I slid my cock back into her freshly used pussy.

"No, don't!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry sweetheart but I must", I said softly into her ear.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

I spoke without thinking. I didn't even know what I was going to say until the words came out, "I love you," I said to her.

"No you don't," she replied angrily.

I kissed her shoulder and whispered to her, "I love you, I want to possess you, and I want you to have my children."

I began pumping my cock in to her more slowly this time, "When this is over you can kill me if you like, I surely will deserve it, but just let me love you for this one precious moment."

"This is wrong," she said. She spoke much more calmly but her voice still betrayed her anger.

"I know. It's very wrong," I kissed her again on her neck, "But I had to do it," I said. "I can't explain it, but I just had to do it."

I continued to slowly slide my cock in and out of her. The sensation was electric, partly because I was indulging one of man's most primitive instincts which is to take a woman by force and impregnate her, and partly because of the danger I was facing if she ever got loose. I felt her body tremble under me and a soft moan escaped her lips. I kissed her cheek softly. The stress of the past few weeks were now being vented in a very primitive fashion.

"It'll be Ok, I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I know you don't believe me but I really do love you."

I felt her body tremble and then shake violently. I thought at first that she was making another attempt to escape but quickly realized that she was in the grips of a powerful orgasm. Her climax triggered mine and we both found ourselves joined in ecstasy.

I felt the last bit of throbbing from my cock as it completed its task of delivering my seed into Sarah.

"Ok it's done, now let me go," she said.

"I must be mad," I thought to myself, but I can't let her go. Not yet. I let go of one of her hands.

"I know you must really want to kill me right now," I said to her.

She made no reply.

"I know it's confusing to you about how I can love you and do this to you."

Still no reply.

I let one of her hands go but she didn't move. I stroked her hair with my free hand but still she remained silent.

"You have every right to hate me. Even I can't explain what drove me to do this, but the one thing that I do know is that I want to spend my life with you."

I reached up and quietly slid open the medical supply drawer. I pulled out a roll of wound dressing and quickly wrapped the hand that I still held on to and tied it to the frame of the long seat that was attached to the wall. Now I had two free hands so I used them to grapple with her remaining free hand and bound it next to her other hand.

Sarah thrashed wildly trying to escape but her bindings held tight.

"What are you doing? Why are you doing this?" She screamed.

This time I had no reply.

I left her there to give her time to calm down.

"I really have a tiger by the tail now," I thought to myself.

Day 19:

Sarah is still not speaking To me, nor is she accepting any food or water. I'm becoming worried about her health.

Day 21:

I finally convinced her to eat a little bit of soup. I put sleeping medicine in her soup to make her sleep because I wanted to fit her with more comfortable bindings.

Day 22:

Sarah awoke and immediately noticed that I had changed the bindings that held her. I made her new bindings much more comfortable and gave her a little more freedom of movement. I also removed the last of her clothing and took the opportunity to wash her thoroughly.

"What did you do?" she asked angrily.

"I wanted to make you more comfortable," I said.

There was a long silence between us.

"When was the last time you were injected with SK-340?," I asked. SK-340 is what the space security forces used for birth control. It was mandatory for all female personnel. It had to be injected once monthly.

"Why do you want to know?"

"That should be obvious. I want to calculate the odds successfully impregnating you."

"How do you know about SK-340?"

"I'm a doctor."

"You're an astrophysicist."

"I'm also a medical doctor and an exobiologist."

"You are obviously a brilliant man, you must know what you are doing is wrong."

"When was your last injection?" I asked more forcefully.

Sarah glared at me, "Three weeks before the accident," she said angrily.

I added up the time and made a quick calculation, "Then your last injection is now in the low thirties as a percentage of effectiveness. Even factoring in the current stress level of your situation it's not low enough to guarantee your Impregnation. I guess I'll have to continue until I can be sure. But then, you're an intelligent woman so I'm sure you've already come to the same conclusion."

Her eyes grew wide.

I reached out to touch her but she pulled away. I moved closer, grabbed her leg and pulled her to me.

"Fighting me is nothing more than a futile gesture at this point. I have captured you so now you are mine to do with as I please. I have no desire to hurt you but if you fight me I can't guarantee that I can subdue you without inadvertently hurting you."

I placed my hand on her shoulder, she flinched but did not pull away. I ran my hand along the smooth skin of her arm and shoulders. I could feel her body tremble as I bent down and kissed her softly on her neck.

"Have you ever heard of a ancient custom called marriage by capture?" I whispered into her ear.

She shook her head no.

"It's a custom that dates all the way back to the beginning of mankind itself. Up until about one hundred years ago it was still being practiced in some Earth cultures."

I reached around and cupped one of her breasts in my hand. I felt her breathing quicken.

"Just as a woman is driven by evolution to select a man who will give her strong healthy children, and provide well for them, a man is driven to select a woman who is able to survive and bear him healthy children. For about ninety five percent of mankind's existence on Earth, humans practiced this custom where a man would take his woman and breed her by force. After that they would generally remain together as long as it was beneficial to both. Around twenty five hundred years ago Contemporary culture added a new twist to this dynamic. It was called monogamy. It was then that the concept of a single man and woman remaining together for the rest of their lives originated. This practice grew to become the standard in a majority of cultures."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked angrily.

"Just passing the time," I said, "But if you want me to not speak, I'll stop."

I kissed her neck and continued kissing her along her shoulder. At the same time I allowed my hand to slowly explore her body. I could feel her body respond to my touch. I could smell the delicate scent of her arousal. I pulled her back against me and caressed her with both arms. She struggled to break free but I restrained her with little effort. In spite of her strength and training, in these close quarters my greater size and strength was a great advantage.