much already that he couldn’t put up with their ivory-tower esoteric theories that had absolutely no relevance to contemporary space travel.
Gary yawned and glanced at the digital time-piece set into the console. It was time for making the rounds. He finished his mug of coffee and reached for his clip-board. “Got to get moving,” he mumbled. He stuffed the keys into his pocket and strapped his laser around his waist. That was another of Holly’s new rules. “An armed watch! I wonder why they made an hysterical woman like that commander anyway!”
Holly was nearly asleep. It had taken a while for her to relax. She’d considered downing a couple of pills but she didn’t want to be out of control should she be called upon during the night. She wanted to be ready to exert her full mental and physical powers if need be.
Holly was just drifting off when she was brought back to consciousness by a noise outside her door. She got out of bed and listened for it again. She had a case of jitters and her heart beat rapidly. She took a step closer to the door and called out, “Is anybody there?”
“It’s me—Kate. Are you still awake?”
Holly’s tense shoulders dropped in relief. She opened the door. “What’s up?”
“It’s cold out here in the hallway,” Kate complained. “Can I come in?”
Holly stood to the side to let her pass, then closed the door behind her. “Okay, what can I do for you. It’s late.”
Kate felt terribly uncomfortable in Holly’s presence at that moment. “Maybe I’d better leave.”
Holly realised she was making it hard for Kate. She eased up and let some warmth flow into her manner. “Come on. Open up. What’s eating you?”
Kate threw her head back causing her long brown curls to tumble across her shoulders. “I . . . I can’t explain what I feel, but I want to try. Today I lost a good friend and I killed a colleague. Ricky and I were on rotation together. I mean, last night we were making love and today I killed him.” Kate was close to tears.
Holly moved closer to her. “Here, sit on the bed next to me. Cry if it makes you feel better.”
“I would, if only I could. You know, it’s so damn hard being a woman. We’re supposed to be hard as nails—chew up days like this and spit them out again, just like a man. Just like you, Holly. But damn it! It’s so difficult to be like that.”
“We’re not born like that,” Holly told her. “It’s something that takes time to learn. We have to control our emotions. The only way I got where I am today is because when the chips were down I knew I could be hard as a rock.”
“But . . .” Kate tried to interrupt.
“Let me finish. You mentioned Ricky. That you slept with him and now you’ve killed him. Well, that just proves the concept of rotation works. If you had been emotionally involved with him you’d never have been able to pull the trigger. And where would it have got you? You’d both probably be dead right now.”
Holly moved close to Kate their legs were pressed against each other. From above, the reading lamp shone down through their nightclothes revealing contrasting bodies. They were both the same age, twenty-six. Kate was taller, her breasts and hips smaller. Holly was muscular and buxom with nicely shaped round hips.
Holly managed to get out a weak laugh. “You think it’s easy being hard? I don’t tell people this, but more than once I’ve come back to my cabin at night, locked myself in and cried my heart out. I don’t care what they teach you at the Academy. It’s impossible to block out all emotion. All human emotion. I know it has no place on intergalactic missions like this but hell, you spend two, maybe three months fucking a guy. You get to like it and you get to like him. Then it’s time to rotate and you’re landed with someone you can’t stand and he’s balling your best friend.”
That brought a smile to Kate’s drawn and weary face. “I’m glad you understand. I really
Gary yawned and glanced at the digital time-piece set into the console. It was time for making the rounds. He finished his mug of coffee and reached for his clip-board. “Got to get moving,” he mumbled. He stuffed the keys into his pocket and strapped his laser around his waist. That was another of Holly’s new rules. “An armed watch! I wonder why they made an hysterical woman like that commander anyway!”
Holly was nearly asleep. It had taken a while for her to relax. She’d considered downing a couple of pills but she didn’t want to be out of control should she be called upon during the night. She wanted to be ready to exert her full mental and physical powers if need be.
Holly was just drifting off when she was brought back to consciousness by a noise outside her door. She got out of bed and listened for it again. She had a case of jitters and her heart beat rapidly. She took a step closer to the door and called out, “Is anybody there?”
“It’s me—Kate. Are you still awake?”
Holly’s tense shoulders dropped in relief. She opened the door. “What’s up?”
“It’s cold out here in the hallway,” Kate complained. “Can I come in?”
Holly stood to the side to let her pass, then closed the door behind her. “Okay, what can I do for you. It’s late.”
Kate felt terribly uncomfortable in Holly’s presence at that moment. “Maybe I’d better leave.”
Holly realised she was making it hard for Kate. She eased up and let some warmth flow into her manner. “Come on. Open up. What’s eating you?”
Kate threw her head back causing her long brown curls to tumble across her shoulders. “I . . . I can’t explain what I feel, but I want to try. Today I lost a good friend and I killed a colleague. Ricky and I were on rotation together. I mean, last night we were making love and today I killed him.” Kate was close to tears.
Holly moved closer to her. “Here, sit on the bed next to me. Cry if it makes you feel better.”
“I would, if only I could. You know, it’s so damn hard being a woman. We’re supposed to be hard as nails—chew up days like this and spit them out again, just like a man. Just like you, Holly. But damn it! It’s so difficult to be like that.”
“We’re not born like that,” Holly told her. “It’s something that takes time to learn. We have to control our emotions. The only way I got where I am today is because when the chips were down I knew I could be hard as a rock.”
“But . . .” Kate tried to interrupt.
“Let me finish. You mentioned Ricky. That you slept with him and now you’ve killed him. Well, that just proves the concept of rotation works. If you had been emotionally involved with him you’d never have been able to pull the trigger. And where would it have got you? You’d both probably be dead right now.”
Holly moved close to Kate their legs were pressed against each other. From above, the reading lamp shone down through their nightclothes revealing contrasting bodies. They were both the same age, twenty-six. Kate was taller, her breasts and hips smaller. Holly was muscular and buxom with nicely shaped round hips.
Holly managed to get out a weak laugh. “You think it’s easy being hard? I don’t tell people this, but more than once I’ve come back to my cabin at night, locked myself in and cried my heart out. I don’t care what they teach you at the Academy. It’s impossible to block out all emotion. All human emotion. I know it has no place on intergalactic missions like this but hell, you spend two, maybe three months fucking a guy. You get to like it and you get to like him. Then it’s time to rotate and you’re landed with someone you can’t stand and he’s balling your best friend.”
That brought a smile to Kate’s drawn and weary face. “I’m glad you understand. I really
Similar Books
