First up I would strongly suggest that if you haven't read chapter 1 please do so first, it will explain a lot things...
Apart from that, enjoy. BB1212
The Mayflower was named after some historical ship that most people have pretty much no memory of anymore. The first Mayflower floated on water and used the wind to make its way around the world. It was one hell of an expedition, but not wanting to gloat or anything ours beat the shit out of it.
Our Mayflower was built in an off planet yard, because the boffins were worried that the pure energy used to take off for the first time could actually rip a hole in the atmosphere, and let all the oxygen out, killing everyone. She was capable of on-planet take-off, but we were going to test it for the first time on one that was uninhabited.
Anyway, the Mayflower had twelve thermal propulsion units, and these were the new one hundred year models that had four times the power of the previous model and only had to be charged every six months. She was a funny looking ship. By then the idea of putting wheels on an aircraft was long gone, but even after that the design of the Mayflower was new. She was cylindrical and quite long, hence her nickname of 'the lonely lingam', and she had four wings near the end of the cylindrical body that in flight would be called left, right, top and bottom. To land her we had to learn to come in parallel to the ground and then lift the nose to vertical and put her down in the upright position. Given all the computer assistance we had in the beginning it wasn't all that hard. Later on though, it really tested our skills.
But the Mayflower created a whole new set of rules, and we had to learn on the job as it was. She was the first ship with more than four thermal propulsion units, she was first ship designed to travel in excess of forty L and she was designed to travel for just one voyage that would take about six years in each direction. Inside it had to be a miniature planet. It had gravity, oxygen regeneration, hydroponic gardens and densely farmed chick-sheep for food. Drinkable water had to be created in previously unheard of quantities. We had to have work areas, sleep areas, exercise areas and relaxation areas too. The ship was armed, but because we had been at peace for so long the weapons she had were of an old design, and the skill of using them had almost died out.
Bira and I worked as a team throughout the training. We practiced daily with the small hand weapons known as M2K's. They were a small laser based device was powerful enough to slice cleanly through an apartment block. We also used the larger artillery, the A5K's, but this was rare because we had to go off world just to fire them. They were far too dangerous to use on our own planet.
We also got to practice flying a scaled down version of the Mayflower, known amongst the pilots as the Janbud, and as usual we spent hours working on strength, fitness and stamina. Bira and I were almost an item by then, and we used up a lot of our relaxation time fucking, and as such working on strength, fitness and stamina during those times as well. We also were put through intensive science courses, as we would need to perform part of the science officers' jobs due to the low numbers of volunteers.
Our hard work paid off in the long run, because I was made Captain of the third shift, and second in charge of the expedition, while Bira was made the second shifts number two pilot and ODC, which is Off Duty Commander. Basically that meant that while that shift was in their relaxation time she was the boss. This was done to give the shift Captain a chance to relax a bit, and in the long run it worked well. Bira was the only pilot to be made an ODC, the rest were all science officers.
I tried real hard during this time to get Bira to arrange for Tish and Tash to come and join us for a test session, but both of them had boyfriends, and wanted to be loyal to them until they left. I said it before, I don't think that any man, anywhere, will ever understand the female mind. But despite that little setback there was nothing wrong with our sex life, and during this time we tried swinging (going to a party that pretty much turned into an orgy) and Swinging (sort of like fucking, bungee jumping and paintball all thrown into one). We did clamp sex, where you are locked together, totally immobile, during intercourse, and given stimulants to heighten your arousal. We pretty much did anything we possibly could that involved getting our rocks off. This may sound pretty weird these days, but back then there was fuck all else but fucking to keep us occupied.
The subsequent Galaxial awareness of Earth has given us a purpose again, even if that purpose is fight or die. But those were golden days all right. Like I said we trained and screwed and slept together for near on two years before the Mayflower was finally ready to leave, and then, in the last few months, the madness got even worse as we tried to say goodbye to everyone and to sell off all of our stuff.
Like most of the people getting on the Mayflower I didn't think I would ever see Earth again. There were just so many unknowns in the mission that the chances of success were just about zero. We were all signed on to the ambitiously titled 'Inter Galactic Navy' for a period of twenty-five years. For that time we would be paid, but there was no need for money on the Mayflower, so the money would be added to our Global Bank accounts that we had opened to put all of our worldly assets into. I took the 'gamblers clause', which meant that if I didn't come back in the twenty-five years my family would get all the money in the account, but would not be paid any interest. If I did come back I'd get the money and the interest multiplied by ten. If that happened I'd be able to buy a small island and tell the whole world to fuck off. Bira just took the normal deal, and the capital including interest would be paid to her after twenty-five years, or to her family if she didn't make it back.
We finally left on August the eighth two thousand and sixty-five, and this was the day that Bira and I had moved into our quarters. A few of the officers had been on board for a few weeks to get things running, but we had the luxury of the late boarding because as the Captain of the third shift I was also Commander and pilot of the shuttle. We had said goodbye to the crowds of family and friends as we boarded the shuttle that had the last of the passengers in it, and I flew it into the Mayflower through the pressure portal and parked it in the shuttlehold. Pressure portals were new then and just flying a craft through the side of the ship was unnerving at first, but it was much quicker than parking in a depressurised area, closing the door, pressurising the area and then disembarking.
We were the last to board, and as soon as the shuttle was secure Commander Gibson Alexander, the Captain of the first shift and overall commander of the mission turned the Mayflower away from Earth and lit up the drives. I heard later that Neale Chuang, his number two pilot had asked him quietly about the speed restriction zone as the bridge crew saw the stars blur, and his answer was 'By the time we get back it'll be past the statute of limitations." Right or wrong, it was a singularly spectacular departure, and it set a good mood for the mission.
Bira and I were shown to our quarters and, as senior officers, we were among the lucky ones who had space for a double bed and a private toilet and shower. The more senior you were the better you got, but the lowly menial workers just got dormitories with eight bunks down each of the two long walls. In the recreation area there were lots of small rooms with beds that could be used for sex if you had no facilities to do anything about it where you slept. I unpacked the small bag I had brought and looked at the room that, if all went well, was to be my home for the next twelve years. If things went badly it would be my coffin.
The bed was hard up against the wall, and at the foot of it there was a single chair and a small desk with a communications terminal. The bathroom was behind that, and a small passage past it went to the door and out to the rest of the ship. My private area was just three metres by three and a half, but it did have picture walls, so I set it to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, a place that both Bira and I loved, and suddenly it was like I was standing on a path in the middle of nowhere. At least it created the illusion of more space. Then Bira buzzed me.
"Yeah?"
"What's on your walls?" she asked.
"Cradle Mountain, yours?"
"The Blue Mountains," she said, and paused, "I think I'll come to you and we can christen your bed first."
"Sounds good, bring an umbrella."
