We continue with Part 3: Journey and Conquest. Luigi Cadorna, Commander of the Earth Colony on Kapteyn B, has become a real nuisance and not only that, dangerous. Captains Stehter and Berwick are at their wits end coming up with a solution to the problem. On his best days Cadorna is a petty tyrant, rebuking and redressing subordinates over the mildest of infractions. On his worst, he abuses them with foul language, calling them horrible names and reducing some of them to tears. Berwick and Stehter figure it won't be long before colonists - especially female crew members - hatch a plot to assassinate the man. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to carry out such a deed!
However, that's when B.J. offers an alternative ... one only she could carry out successfully.
Her plan is a simple one: seduce the bombastic fellow and become his girlfriend until the colony is completed. Make love to him; try and re-balance his mind. If it works, it'll be a tremendous relief to the colonists and crew. The trick will be in convincing the little creep of her sincerity.
We continue with Part 3: Journey and Conquest. Luigi Cadorna, Commander of the Earth Colony on Kapteyn B, has become a real nuisance and not only that, dangerous. Captains Stehter and Berwick are at their wits end coming up with a solution to the problem. On his best days Cadorna is a petty tyrant, rebuking and redressing subordinates over the mildest of infractions. On his worst, he abuses them with foul language, calling them horrible names and reducing some of them to tears. Berwick and Stehter figure it won't be long before colonists - especially female crew members - hatch a plot to assassinate the man. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to carry out such a deed!
However, that's when B.J. offers an alternative ... one only she could carry out successfully.
Her plan is a simple one: seduce the bombastic fellow and become his girlfriend until the colony is completed. Make love to him; try and re-balance his mind. If it works, it'll be a tremendous relief to the colonists and crew. The trick will be in convincing the little creep of her sincerity.
Hello, and welcome back to Twin Paradox. I'm King Everett Medlin and what you're hearing is a SciFi trilogy I wrote four years ago under the pseudonym Purple Hazel. Twin Paradox follows my first podcast series entitled Deathwalker Colony, which is now a full length novel available for purchase on Amazon. It's on sale today in E-book format, as well as the first two books in the Rijel 12 Series, The Rise of New Australia and Return of Anarchy.
Tonight we continue with Part 3. Luigi Cadorna, Commander of the Earth Colony on Kapteyn B, has become a real nuisance. And not only that; dangerous. Captains Stehter and Berwick are at their wits end coming up with a solution to the problem. On his best days, Cadorna is a petty tyrant, rebuking and redressing subordinates over the mildest of infractions. On his worst, he abuses them with foul language, calling them horrible names in Italian and reducing some of them to tears. Berwick and Stehter figure it won't be long before colonists - especially female crew members - hatch a plot to assassinate him. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to carry out such a deed! However, that's when B.J. offers an alternative ... one only she could carry out successfully.
Twin Paradox is a SciFi series encompassing three full length novels; all of which will be read in their entirety during the coming weeks. You can go online and download the E-books ... or if you prefer, tune in and listen to me read them to you.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Twin Paradox, Part Three: Journey and Conquest. Chapter Fourteen, Somewhere Anywhere Nowhere ....
It was not long after that when B.J. did indeed devise such a bold “solution”. When she presented it (perhaps one might call it “broached the topic carefully”) during pillow talk after one of their raucous lovemaking sessions, Steinhart was taken aback by her audacity!
“You want to do what?” he exclaimed with dismay, rolling over on his side to face her. “Darling please … not that. No, please put that out of your mind. Really?” B.J. was adamant.
“Yeah, Schnucki. Let me try it. He’s goin’ off the deep end; and everyone knows it. Besides, he is Italian. We all know how they are. Italians are … well, let’s just say he’ll respond to me eventually - I’m sure of it. It’s … well, you know, just something I know how to do. One of those things I’m kinda good at; that’s all I’m sayin’. Can I try it?”
Steinhart flatly refused - for about a month that is. Then he relented, as things got progressively worse with complaints continuously pouring in about the Commandante’s behavior.
What B.J. proposed was to try and coax Luigi Cadorna, Commander of the Kapteyn B Planetary Colony, into an afternoon tryst. Take him off in a surface rover, convince him she was smitten with him, convince him she desired him; then convince him to join her inside one of the “jiffy pops” and have sex with her. She knew just how to propose it, knew just what would work on him, or so she claimed.
“And from there, well … we’ll just let nature take its course,” as she put it. He was a man like any other. Likely missing his wife who’d passed away years before. Missed having a woman comfort him. Missed having a woman “straighten him out” from time to time.
“Hell, you know how guys are,” she explained. “He’s probably just stressed out like all the rest of us. Shit, this place … it’ll make most anyone go insane. I know it’s driving me crazy that’s for sure. A lot of folks are going nuts. And besides, if I’m wrong and the little shit loses his mind again in a few days…fuck, I’ll do him again just for good measure. Give me some time. I’ll fix him right up; you’ll see.”
Steinhart saw it differently. He knew if he allowed something like that – though it disgusted him even entertaining such a thought – reality would be quite different than what his energetic young lover was imagining. It would be much more involved. Much more permanent. The only way to pull this off effectively was to give up his beautiful companion for the duration of their time there … until the colony was completely finished … and finally they could return to Santa Maria for launch. In a few months the colony would be established. Farms would be planted - plus the gigantic laser would be constructed which would send the mother ship hurtling back toward Earth. At that point, they could put this whole ugly mess behind them. Only then could they be lovers again. They could return to Germany together; perhaps marry, then live out their lives together as man and wife, Steinhart still in his early forties and B.J. pushing thirty-three.
Yet, for now there was dirty work afoot. B.J. would need to become Luigi’s girlfriend and convince him she was totally sincere. Anything short of that, and the suspicious fellow would see through the ruse. Then they’d have an even bigger problem. Could B.J. pull it off? Of course she could; and she would. Steinhart had no doubt about that. She was the most incredible lover he’d ever known. But … could he actually let her go? Put their relationship on hold for that long a period of time? The very thought of her with that … “that Sohn einer Hündin” … turned his stomach. Was this really the only solution? Could he manage himself (and his temper) without strangling the “little turd” as B.J. liked to call Luigi? He could only hope he’d be able to control himself.
Of course, they'd have to do something. Then again; three more months of Cadorna’s temper tantrums and most likely the colonists would solve the problem for him. He might in all likelihood find the man dead one day; disappearing from B-lander, never to be seen again. They’d do it eventually - secretly one afternoon when they’d found a way to get him alone. They were clearly capable of it, all those disgruntled colonists fearing the future once Santa Maria took off for Earth. None of his officers would ever admit to knowledge of the plot. Kelvin for one would probably do the job for them! That is, if the young Lieutenant could get to the nasty fellow before all those angry female crew members did him in first. Chances were they’d gas him in his sleep. Or maybe they’d attack him out in the open … mow him down with a surface rover. Ten kilometers of barren seabed in all directions? A body buried out there would never, ever be found. What’s more, if something did happen to Cadorna, what could Steinhart and Captain Berwick do in response? Who would they accuse? Everyone hated the man. They’d have 197 probable suspects. For that matter just how hard would anyone try looking for the little creep if he did vanish one day? This was truly a crisis, for the sake of the colony’s survival, and B.J., with her specialized skills, was offering the only apparent alternative.
That’s why he finally gave in.
“Alright then,” he said to her one day when they were alone together. “I’ll permit it. Go … do whatever it is you do, my dear. He’s all yours. I won’t protest.” B.J. wasn’t sure how to react; realizing he was temporarily giving her up.
“It’s okay then? You want me to uh …,“ she asked timidly, not sure how to react. Steinhart looked defeated.
“Yes, yes, yes. Please… yes. Just be discrete, won’t you? You know folks will figure it out within a week or two. But you’re right my dear. We’re at wit’s end. If you think you can pull it off, then yes, I will allow it. Only be careful, please. I will miss you terribly, you realize this don’t you?”
“Oh, Schnucki,” she retorted. “It’s not permanent, my love. I’ll make a new man out of him … in one or two afternoons; you’ll see.”
Only Steinhart knew it could never be that simple, no matter how she spun it, no matter how she tried sparing his feelings. To accomplish this, he knew she’d have to become his “padrona” – his mistress - for the balance of their stay. Until the agricultural center was completed. Until the first crops were nearing harvest. Until the laser was built. Only then could he pry her away from that testy Italian and demand she return to her post onboard Santa Maria. Then and only then could he “pull rank”. Only then would he get her back.
********
For the next couple of weeks, B.J. shadowed Luigi Cadorna. Followed him like a stalking lioness. Memorized his routines and got to know his habits. Figured out just when the guy would be alone so she could get to work on him – talk to him, warm him up. It was challenging! Lately, he spent most of his waking hours in the command center on board the B-lander. Hardly ever went outside. Just sat and read through reports which he compared to projections and timetables established by Space Programme 14 years before which were only vaguely relevant now. Besides that, he mainly just yelled at subordinates whenever they informed him of the colony’s progress. Seemed no matter what anyone told him or detailed for him; it wasn’t enough. Not good enough. Not fast enough. Not strong enough. Not sturdy enough. His staff had to walk on eggshells. Tried anything they could not to set him off.
Steinhart aided her as much as he could, having Tommy Berwick reassign her to “courier duty” so she could operate a surface rover back and forth between exploration and test sites. This got her off building crews and meant she’d be free to work on her target. Berwick barely pulled it off. Had to send one of his most reliable female crewmembers to go work for Cadorna; and suffice it to say the gal was not too terribly pleased with the arrangement. Meanwhile B.J. figured out his weekly regimen. He usually knocked off work every few days to trudge across the long expanse between B-lander and the Santa Maria to go have a shower. This seemed to be his sole opportunity to be alone with his thoughts. He could have used one of the two hygiene chambers on B-lander but it appeared he just wanted to get away for a time. That’s what it looked like to B.J. anyway. She had a knack for sizing up men correctly.
She observed him making that long, exhausting walk one day and a thought occurred to her. Watching him shuffle along, slumped over dejectedly with his hands clasped behind his back, she started thinking: he seemed like a sad, lonely, depressed little fellow with the burdens of the entire mission on his shoulders. This she'd never considered. Could it be that he was simply missing his wife ... could it be he’d never really had time to grieve for her? Had he run from his past by applying for this mission, using his family connections to get him command of the colony? If so, perhaps it all made more sense, the way he'd been acting, she concluded. He just wasn’t right in the head anymore, and if that was the case how could she blame him for being so prickly? Saddened and weakened emotionally, then the shock of being revived from 14 plus years in a cryogenic freezer? Though such things never would have crossed her mind before, she actually began to feel bad for the “little turd”. That’s what gave her the idea for her first try at wooing the man.
As B.J. knew from experience, a person in authority who is petty and abusive toward subordinates is usually an individual who feels insecure regarding their own competence. It’s rarely any more complicated than that. They feel threatened by those who seem to question their ability with every little gesture or remark. Dealing with those holding the same rank only exacerbates this whenever they sense their fellow officers consider them an outsider. Add to that temporary psychosis brought on by the chemical process used in reviving him – or maybe a malfunction in the machine itself – and it was a sure-fire recipe for paranoia. The argument with Kelvin over “discovering” the Kapteyn Ocean was most likely the first of many things that provoked him.
Her first attempt at following him across that wide expanse of dry seabed to the Santa Maria didn’t go exactly the way she’d planned. Shuffling along behind him from over a hundred meters back, she gasped and panted and kicked up a cloud of dust - but she caught up to him nevertheless. It startled the poor man. His reaction was, to say the least, standoffish.
“Che cazzo?” he exclaimed when turning to face her, “Chi diavolo sei…?” But B.J. was only put off for a second.
“Oh, it’s you Commander, buon pomeriggio!” she replied, feigning ignorance. “I was heading back to Santa Maria for a shower … mind if I join you?”
To this he merely shook his head in frustration and muttered something that sounded like, “Suit yourself.” After that they walked together the rest of the way. B.J. tried several times to start up a conversation; but with the wind blowing across the dry seabed and dust kicking up, things didn’t work out quite the way she wanted them to. In fact, it wasn’t until they reached Santa Maria’s air-locked entry chamber that she finally got much of a reaction from him. The young brunette persisted until he realized he’d have to talk to her or she’d never shut up.
“And you know what? Even if no one’s pointed it out to you yet,” she rattled on, as the door lock sealed behind them creating a gasping, hissing sound, “all of us working on the irrigation canal have really been impressed with the planning that went into it. We figured you had a hand in that, so… well … what can I say? Good job … uh … I believe it’s ‘ottimo lavoro!’ right?”
She expected him to lash out at her, or at the very least tell her she was full of shit (which she was of course – the original plans for the irrigation canal had been scrapped months ago and scientists on the work site had long since redesigned the thing to make it flow more consistently). Yet she continued.
“Hey, sometimes a guy just likes to hear when he’s doin’ well - I’ve always found anyway.” After that the system completed its air-locking process which was signaled by a large green indicator light overhead, giving them the “all clear” sign. The two brushed curious insects off their pressure suits which had collected during their long walk.
“Never hurts to pay a compliment, I guess,” she added, then she promptly removed her pressure suit … stripped right down to just her panties and tank top! Luigi tried not to notice, even when she bent over to remove her feet from her gravity boots. But how could he not? She was so shapely and gorgeous. Long flowing locks of chestnut brown hair. And himself? It had technically been years since the last time he’d seen a half-naked female standing in front of him.
“Hey Commander could you please help me out of this?” she suddenly asked and the poor man fumbled for an answer as he stood with mouth agape.
“Eh…aiutare fuori di che cosa?” he clarified, not even thinking to translate into English. But by then B.J. was already lifting her tank top over her breasts and bending toward him as if to indicate he was to help slide it off. Luigi pieced it together quickly, and instinctively slid the shirt over her head, watching in amazement as her breasts jiggled and bounced.
“But uh … signora …you … I mean, it’s very cold in here. Should not we wait until to the showers we get?” He was so nervous looking at the mostly naked woman, that he suddenly couldn’t speak clear English.
“Cold? Nah. But that’s just me I guess,” she giggled playfully, “I’m kinda weird. To tell you the truth I usually crank up the temperature inside my pressure suit whenever I’m out on the surface rover. Then o’ course, I got all hot and sweaty catchin’ up to you out on the “flats” (that was the nickname folks came up with for the expansive dried-out sea bed since it was basically a 12 square kilometer wasteland). “How about you?” she continued cleverly. “Do you ever get really … hot … in your suit I mean?”
She asked this with an innocent smile. Her comely demeanor was designed to put the man at ease. Would have worked on practically anyone. She couldn’t possibly imagine it working this time though – and for a few moments she thought she just might be right! Commander Cadorna seemed to freeze in shock as he stared back at her. She just knew she was stone cold busted; and he was going to redress her shameless behavior with a vicious retort.
But he didn’t.
Instead, the little man sighed deeply and recomposed himself, all the while trying not to look down at her big boobs – nipples rigidly prominent in that cold changing room. As he sighed, his breath turned to vapor in front of his face as it suddenly occurred to him he needed to act like a gentleman.
“Signora, please, let me get you something to wear … you’ll catch your death,” he stammered, but within a few moments the interior heating unit activated.
B.J. promptly quipped, “No big deal, Commander … heater just came on.“ Then she pranced past him playfully, grabbing and pinching his shoulder while she bent over and let the air vents blow hot air onto her cleavage. When she turned 'round to warm her backside, that was just about when Commander Cadorna had had enough. He hastily averted his eyes, to B.J.’s immense disappointment, but she could tell her work was done. There was nothing more she needed to do that day. By the time he’d finished his shower – alone with his thoughts inside one of those hygiene chambers – and later that evening when he crawled inside his sleeping berth, she knew his head would be filled with images of her naked body and her warm, inviting smile. He'd be filled with desire.
Just how long had he gone, she had to wonder, without a single person being kind to him: really, genuinely friendly? Had no one even greeted him cordially since they’d landed? Probably not. It had been nothing but business since the day B-lander had touched down. He was commander of the colony wasn’t he? Outranked most everyone he came in contact with. Chances were good he’d never experienced anything joyful besides casual laughter down hallways – laughter which would promptly cease the moment he approached.
“How unnerving that must be! A guy suffering from a lack of self-esteem, suddenly thrown into a leadership role with crewmembers just as confused and overwhelmed as he is?”
What’s more he had to portray himself as the strong-willed type… the sort of man who could drive them hard to achieve their goals. Again B.J. felt bad for him.
“Don’t envy the little turd, that’s for sure,” she mused privately as she put on her protective head gear inside the hygiene chamber. That said, he’d only made things worse for himself, hadn’t he? A blinking light and soft-toned buzzer alerted her that cleansing powder was about to be sprayed over her bare skin. She smelled gamey after that hot, sweaty jog across the “flats” to catch up to Cadorna; could only imagine how Luigi must have reacted to her odors. Bending over and pulling her feet out of her work boots? Lifting up her arms to remove her tank top? Fluffing out her long brown hair while the heater was blowing hot air across her bare breasts? “Whew,” she mused out loud, “Ole Luigi musta got a snout full of that I reckon.”
Of course she’d been careful to deselect the laser hair removal function. If all worked out well, she assumed the little Italian would be delighted to see a nice hairy bush staring back at him when he someday got her panties down. First things first though, her objective was to get him alone, and the best way to accomplish this wasn't particularly difficult. She needed to get him into her rover. Take him out for a “surprise field inspection”. Take him for a ride to go inspect the work sites in person and get him out of that command bridge for a few hours. That would be problematic, no matter how she managed to arrange it. It would make her severely unpopular among the crew, for starters. Bringing the detestable man out to the worksites would be a disturbance no one would enjoy. He’d likely rant and rave that they were doing it incorrectly. He’d criticize everything, from the way the irrigation trench was dug to the connections of the piping; on down to the speed at which they were working! But she knew this was necessary. What's more, it had to be impromptu, otherwise she’d never con him into going. She’d literally have to sell out her crewmates in the interest of luring Commander Cadorna into her surface rover for the day; and about the only friends she was going to make would be members of his staff working in the command bridge. Those poor souls would be about the only ones who’d appreciate what she was doing. They’d heave a collective sigh of relief the moment he stalked off with her. She could only hope they’d kindly transmit to work crews what was coming their way. If not, then oh the hell she’d be causing for all those exhausted scientists and engineers working out there.
It took a while for her to pull it off. She caught up to him a few days later when she saw him trudging off to the showers again. Once more, he seemed surprised at her presence; especially when she drove up in her rover and rapped her gloved knuckles on the windshield, motioning for him to ride along with her. She even activated the outside transmitter which emitted a rather distorted version of her sultry voice saying provocatively “Commander Cadorna … hailing Commander Cadorna … please report to Surface Rover Five … over.”
It sounded so devilishly comical, not to mention bizarre, that the little man had to pause for a moment and glare inquisitively through the windshield until he could make out B.J.’s pretty smile beaming back at him. What he saw next was her waving and beckoning him to hop in with her – like she was some ravishing brunette inviting him into her convertible-top sports car for a cruise through the streets of Milan.
He thought about it long and hard - B.J. could tell he was - especially when he looked back at B-lander, then toward Santa Maria as if making sure they were not being seen together. He appeared like some middle-aged married man gazing both ways down a sidewalk before entering a gentleman’s cabaret. That's when he looked at her again and put his hands on his hips. How could he resist? B.J. could sense what he was thinking.
“Ah, the little trollop from America. The one with the grandi tette … oh, and those panties … and that smile looking back at me now, welcoming me in.” She could read him like a book.
She kept on motioning to him, playfully yet adamantly, as if to say “What are you waiting for? Hop inside where it’s warm and cozy!” After a few agonizing seconds, he gave in. Nodding and bowing slightly at the shoulders to let her know he was game, he then hastened around the front of the vehicle and climbed in through the passenger door. He was so short he fit through with little effort; and when he sealed himself inside, that’s when she finally hit him with her bold proposal.
“Abord benvenuto, buon uomo! Feel like taking a little ride Commander?” she asked innocently. Then she pressurized the cabin so she could take off her helmet. This was against procedure naturally; just her little way of seeing how far she could go before he’d pull rank. He didn’t protest, merely gave out an annoyed “Hmmph.” Wanted to, no doubt. No one was ever allowed to remove their helmet while outside of B-lander or the protective confines of the mother ship. But he held his tongue as she shook out her hair and fluffed it up, filling the cabin with her aroma. She’d already showered earlier – just in case her plan worked out, so she smelled much like dish soap – nonetheless a far cry from the stink everyone had become so accustomed to up on the command bridge. She looked at him with a grin and could see: Luigi was putty in her hands.
“Well Signora,” he chuckled … “you seem to have something in mind do you? Where are you taking me? Realizing you must of course, that I still have a colony to run, yes?” B.J. was fearless. She patted him on the thigh and returned to fluffing her hair.
“Oh yes my good man. Somewhere. Anywhere. Nowhere. Non ti dispiace … vero?”
To this he rolled his eyes and replied, “No, I don’t mind. Please proceed. Only to have me back for chow-line later of course, will you?”
At that point she knew she had him. Her sparkling eyes and feminine scent were melting his icy heart. She reached over and grasped his wrist then squeezed.
“Ooooh. Havin’ lasagna tonight Signor?” she asked.
He merely made a “pffft” sound then said humorously, “Ha ha. Oh no bella ragazza. That’s for tourists. Fegato al Veneziana tonight! You try some no? Calf’s liver fried with onions. Served with Risi e Bisi … rice and peas in a creamy sauce. Moto delizioso.” He said this while placing the tips of his fingers up to his helmet lens and making a kissing sound, then splaying his fingers the way B.J. had often seen Italian chefs do in movies.
“Deal!” replied B.J. as she replaced her helmet and twisted it into place before locking it – which made a brief hissing sound. Luigi smiled.
“Ah, si … safety first … you must wear your helmet at all times when outside the ship, mio giovane amico. It can be very dangerous outside.” As he said this he held up an index finger and waggled it a bit as if giving her a fatherly warning.
“Not to worry, Signor Comandante,” responded B.J. “You’re safe with me … I promise.” After that she engaged the solar battery system and the vehicle took off with a lurch, stirring up a cloud of dust as it rumbled and whined across the dusty surface.
********
Oh, how they talked that afternoon! Of course, it was pretty much always “afternoon” on Kapteyn B. One might even say “evening”. The planet rotated so slowly on its axis that the habitable side of the planet remained in constant sunlight. It rotated around its red dwarf sun every 48 Earth days, but to those crewmembers living on the planet surface, all they saw was a dancing fireball up in the sky that never ceased to light up the landscape - yet never seemed to give off much in the way of heat. By human standards it was almost like a freezing desert right after sunrise. Workers performed exhausting six hour shifts, then limped back to the mother ship for chow each day, only to slip inside sleeping births to catch six or seven hours of much needed shut-eye. The oppressive gravity was only slightly offset by their gravity boots, and at the end of most work shifts their bodies felt like they’d been beaten with a rubber hammer.
Yet that was someone else’s problem. They talked, and talked, and talked. Talked about their lives back on Earth. Talked about their hobbies. Luigi wanted to know everything about her, and she gladly obliged him, limiting her answers to one or two sentences in hopes he’d tell her more about himself. Stuff she could use. This she’d learned to do with boys. “Men only want two things: to talk about themselves and screw.” That’s about it, she’d found over the years. “They make conversation just long enough to figure out how to get a girl naked.” It was always the same.
She never redirected questions. Just gave brief but enthusiastic answers and then paused to see if he’d feel inclined to speak of his own past, his own family, his own hometown, and his favorite things – besides his career in Space Programme which she “couldn’t really give two shits about to be honest”. He’d occasionally do that. Tell her about his meteoric rise in rank after he’d finished college. Tell her about his office back in Darmstadt. Things like that. But sensing she wasn’t too terribly interested, he’d inevitably return to asking her about herself: what she liked to do for fun. That’s when she knew she had him. “Guys like it when it’s they who are doing the seducing; not the other way around.”
They toured work-sites. Drove around essentially incognito. That was B.J.’s idea of course. She wanted him to see his colony transforming around him. Let him see what he’d been in charge of creating all these long stressful months on Kapteyn B. True to form, he’d notice things out of place and orders not being followed according to his directives. He’d bitch about it, but by now B.J. found him to be adorably comical. Didn’t fear him anymore. She’d admonish him in a motherly tone and tell him:
“Now, now, Comandante. You selected these people and put your confidence in them. Just let them bring your ideas to fruition… in their own way, adapting as they need to … to the conditions they’ve encountered, I mean. It’s all to your credit Signor. Don’t you see? Just look at how hard they’re working.”
The first time she said this Luigi twisted his head inside his helmet and leaned back so he could look into her face. A vicious comeback was forming in his mind, and he could feel it gelling inside. Yet it never surfaced. All he could say was “Oh? How is it you see this … this thing of which you speak? You seem so accepting of this flaunting of my orders by my subordinates, no?” B.J. knew by now she was wearing him down. She needn’t worry about his temper.
“Because, Signor … you are their great leader,” she replied patiently, with sparkling eyes that melted his heart. “You are the commander of the first Earth mission to an alien planet outside our solar system. A pioneer. A man that history will remember for centuries to come. Veramente, you’re the first human to ever set foot in the surf … the man who discovered the Great Kapteyn Sea. Mare Cadorna, right?” And that’s when the little man’s chest swelled with pride. No one had ever said something so kind to him. Not that he could readily recall. Not since his dearly departed wife had mouthed “ti amo” to him as she slipped into unconsciousness years before and passed away later in the night. He could only sigh longingly.
Yes, he remembered that awful night. How long had it been now? In reality, about seventeen years – in Earth time that is. And yet here was this lovely young female telling him just what he'd longed to hear. He’d abandoned hope of ever being appreciated for what he’d accomplished after his wife's death. Yet here, sitting right next to him, was this gorgeous creature who finally understood him. Someone who understood his pain; like an angel from heaven.
He looked out the windshield of Rover Five and remembered even more from his past. He’d wanted to die that day… the next morning when doctors pulled him aside and told him his devoted wife had passed away in her sleep. Wanted to join her. She was everything in the world to him; and her steady decline including those agonizing last few days had left him drained of all direction. His soul had been emptied. For nearly a year he’d wandered aimlessly, showing up to work in a daze, not even remembering the daily train ride into Darmstadt. He’d been but a shell of a man. A ghost floating about the living world, not knowing who or what he was anymore. Only the urgings of his colleagues at Space Programme to apply for the position of Colony Commander served to bring him out of his malaise.
It would do you some good, they’d told him. Perhaps they just wanted him to go away; stop haunting the hallways.
“And who could have blamed them?” he’d often thought. Maybe they felt he was a burden upon their lives and careers. He’d never really sorted this out. But he’d turned in his application, just like they’d suggested, and no doubt due to his connections he’d made it into the final round of interviews. Only then did it dawn on him that he could still make something of himself. Do something his wife would be proud of. All of these feelings came gushing over him once again, and as he connected the puzzle pieces – after nine months struggling to command all of those overworked crewmembers and colonists - he was filled with a renewed sense of purpose.
Si! Ora lo vedo! he thought to himself. This lovely young thing had confirmed and reaffirmed just what he’d been trying to believe in his own self. Deep down inside he truly was the man he’d wished to become. Or at least nearly so. She had inspired this within him, and his heart filled with gratitude.
“Giusto … I mean you’re right Ensign,” he replied, correcting himself into English.
“B.J. please. Call me B.J. won’t you?” she interjected, “I like that much better.”
At this he chuckled and choked back his emotions. She’d given him such an immense feeling of joy. He was ever so thankful! A weight was lifted from his heart that had been dragging him down ever since he’d been revived and endured the agony of physical therapy. He’d never really recovered. Something about his mind wasn’t the same. And to make matters worse he’d been thrust into a position of responsibility that he could barely handle. Now he began to see everything differently. This person sitting next to him was just what he needed to free himself from his despair. If not temporarily, maybe permanently! And if he requested it, she could also be under his personal control, for at least the next three months. That thought also lingered in the back of his mind.
He would need her by his side constantly, in whatever way he could justify it. He had limited power. Couldn’t simply replace a junior officer on his command bridge and have an inexperienced Ensign take over their duties. No one would buy into that and the other staff would resent her presence. No, what he needed now was just a friend to go see regularly, meet up with at the end of each duty shift - if not more often, God willing. She was exactly what he needed; and at just the right moment in his life. She was like a wonder drug that was being pumped into his veins. Just breathing in her breath. Just inhaling the aroma of her body and her lovely brown hair; that would suffice. It would send him into a euphoria which would cure him of his troubles. He could see it unfolding - imagine it happening.
“Then you shall call me Luigi,” he answered. ”Per favore. Only when we’re in private of course. Outside you know – around the crew I mean…,“ and to this B.J. interrupted by waving him off.
“Oh yeah, I know. You’re still my superior officer of course.”
Then she winked; and on the drive back to B-lander, without anyone ever knowing he’d been inside that surface rover, he finally began to open up. He was tentative about it at first. Baby steps initially. But within an hour of driving around viewing worksites, he ultimately confessed to his transgressions.
“I have been a rude man. Difficult and unyielding. This is much to my discredit. It is not who the man I once was,” he summarized, struggling with his English. B.J. remained silent and let him rattle on. No priest to go see; she was all he had now. By the time they neared Santa Maria, the poor fellow was practically in tears. Only then did B.J. interrupt.
“Luigi, honey … it doesn’t matter. What you do tomorrow: that’s all that matters. Trust me, you can fix this,” she said with the wisdom of a mature woman. It was something like a caring mother would say, and Luigi responded immediately.
“Si, sono d’accordo. Tomorrow is what matters. You are wise like my Nonna, you know? Always telling me what needs to be said. Always so gentle. Yet so beautiful and radiante.” At that point his eyes widened and B.J. could detect feelings of lust boiling up from within his long-dormant libido. She figured it was as good a time as any to move in for the kill.
“Yeah … I know,” she casually quipped, and Luigi scoffed at her brashness. She then giggled through her transmitter. “And while we’re at it,” she went on to say, as she noticed him reaching over to place his hand on the thigh area of her pressure suit, “how about we meet up later on – after chow I mean – after you get your uh … shower.”
He patted her thigh lightly as he smiled with curious delight. “Oh? Do you not have further duties to perform this day?” he inquired. B.J. slowed the surface rover to a more manageable speed and let it coast to a stop.
“Sure. But I was just thinkin’ … maybe I could show you around some more? Talk some more? Whatever you feel like doing. Cool?”
Luigi was beginning to get the picture. Shower. Dinner. Another ride around with her in Rover Five. Then it occurred to him, what if they got stuck somewhere? Rovers were supposed to travel in pairs after all. Going off completely alone – which was essentially just what she was implying and he could easily see it – that was highly inadvisable … downright reckless. Of course rovers did transport workers out to the irrigation line and back. He knew that as well. Those vehicles didn’t have to go in pairs. They’d carry out four fresh workers and ferry exhausted crewmembers and colonists back from the site at the end of their duty shifts. But was B.J. suggesting they go on a “private” exploration junket – out into the wilderness or down to the ocean cliffs where crews of engineers were surveying for a food processing plant to be constructed there someday? That would seem almost logical. Each surface rover carried its own “jiffy pop” tent for exploration teams to pile into for rest breaks. Teams working down by the ocean used several of these. Knocked off work to sleep inside of them whenever they’d be overcome with fatigue. Is that what she was suggesting?
Most certainly she was. Those tents were plenty large enough for two people to get quite comfortable inside of. She’d experienced this many times with Captain Stehter, although she wasn’t about to bring that up, even if Luigi had heard the rumors by now.
“You mean perhaps we could go down to the ocean together, you and me?” asked Luigi cautiously, hoping he wasn’t rushing things when in fact he was being snared by B.J.’s web. She merely needed to clarify she was a “sure thing”, leaving no further doubt in his mind that lovemaking was in the offing.
“Yeah, tesorino. Ya’ wanna? They’ve already got enough tents down there for themselves. Maybe we could, you know… take a little break and get out of these damn suits for a little while. Just you and me. Pressurize the tent. Get some relief from the gravity? Turn the heat up? Warm up together inside? Whaddya say to that?”
Luigi squeezed her leg and sighed happily.
“Oh yes Signora … penso che sarebbe meraviglioso. I would like that.”
She’d done it. All that was left was the sex, but that was a foregone conclusion. In a few hours, like she’d told Steinhart, she’d make a new man out of Luigi Cadorna....
This concludes tonight's podcast of Twin Paradox, Chapter Fourteen: Somewhere Anywhere Nowhere. I hope you enjoyed it. Watch for episode fifteen; which I'll be posting very soon.
Also, and don't forget, my latest full-length novel ... Deathwalker Colony ... is available right now in E-book format and can be downloaded today on Amazon.com, along with the first two books in the Rijel 12 Series, The Rise of New Australia and Return of Anarchy. A link to these can be found in the transcript for this episode.
I'm King Everett Medlin. Thanks for tuning in.
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