Terraformer Read online

  “Please don’t alienate me,” I pleaded, “You might be okay with loneliness, but I’m not.”

  She simply shook her head just before she wrapped me in her arms and hugged me tightly, “I’m not okay with loneliness. It’s just the world that I naturally create for myself. Let me simply put this all back on you, Cuttar. Please don’t alienate me. Please don’t let me do what I always do, even if I stupidly force you away.”

  “So, you’re authorizing me to fight, even if you push me away? Even if you tell me you hate me?”

  She drew back and looked at me with a very stern expression. Our faces were just inches apart as she forced me to hold her gaze.

  “No matter what I say or do, you fight me with everything you can muster. Take that beautiful heart of yours and remind me,” she said, leaning in and kissing me tenderly.

  I held her to me again, feeling my heart melt yet again as she teased my lips and tongue with hers. Then she breathed a full string of obscenities against my lips followed by a hearty laugh.

  “Can you believe that’s what I started my response with?” she continued to laugh.

  “I know,” I laughed, “I read it before I came in here to find you.”

  “Could you imagine our reception after that?”

  NINETEEN

  We had spent the next several minutes discussing those people living on Inglenook and what they’d probably been through over the many decades that separated our two worlds. We imagined their surprise when they finally learned of a ship arriving from Earth. And then we envisioned what they’d think when they realized that we hadn’t even come here to rescue them.

  Because of our shared imaginations, Sydney and I found ourselves feeling sorry for those people who somehow found a way to survive on a dead planet. Then we started laughing all over again as we recalled her response that I had intercepted.

  “Listen, Cuttar,” Sydney said, facing me on the sofa where we still sat nearly an hour later, “My extensive education, my scientific position, and let’s just say it for what it is - my arrogance insists that I’m now the captain of the Frontier. Would you agree to this?”

  “It’s not arrogance considering that you are certainly the most qualified. But yes, I agree,” I said.

  “Well, then as captain of the Frontier, I understand that my first mistake could have caused us some serious problems. Thank you for your firm and intelligent interference. As such, my first direction from this point forward is that we will reply to no messages immediately. There will be at least a thirty minute buffer for all replies,” she said, raising her eyebrows to see if I agreed.

  “Certainly!”

  “And I expect you to give an opinion on every communique, even if I ultimately shoot it down,” she said, “We’re a team and I obviously respect what you have to say.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “And finally, as captain of the Frontier, I expect you to fight with me just like I said earlier. I’m a cruel, spiteful, and bitter person who hates to be corrected. And I blurt things out without thinking. I’m going to hurt you, Cuttar. I’m going to alienate you and probably even make you cry. When that happens, I want you to fight to get things right. I want you to put me in my place and to remind me of your heart. Can you promise me that?”

  “I won’t allow a single night to pass us by without one of us lying in the other’s arms,” I said.

  Her smile grew wide as she breathed out a long sigh, “That’s exactly the sort of reply I needed to hear. Now, let’s go to the bridge and set these people straight.”

  And just like that, we both rose from the sofa and made our way back to the bridge. I didn’t want to hover, so I approached the giant window while Sydney returned to her workstation. I gazed down at the planet, listening as her fingers danced across the keys.

  “What do you think of this?” she asked, “Dear people of Inglenook: Our space program had been cancelled generations ago, explaining the overall lack of communication or visitation. Then along came a man with too much money and too little business innovation, Cuttar Larkin, who decided to fund a mission in order to relocate to the tropical paradise we once knew as Inglenook. Then finally, due to some medical and scientific idiocy, we lost the majority of our crew. So here we are, two people stranded on a ship built for ten times the existing crew. Best of all, sarcasm implied, we don’t know the first thing about flying or landing this ship. So, if you have any suggestions, we’re open to them. Sincerely, Harper Larkin.”

  “Harper Larkin?” I chuckled.

  “Hey, that sounds pretty commanding if you ask me,” she said, “Should I hit send?”

  I turned around and nodded, “That sounds perfect.”

  I heard her tap a few more keys, then she rose from her seat and joined me at the enormous window. She tucked her arm around my waist and pulled me close.

  “What do you think of Harper Larkin?” she asked.

  “It really does sound strong and regal. I could imagine it being the name of a powerful law firm,” I grinned, looking at her, “Been injured in a shuttle accident? Call Harper Larkin!”

  She laughed, “Well, I was thinking of a more intimate union. Harper Larkin… as though we’re one entity. You know – for all intents and purposes husband and wife.”

  I pulled her tightly to me as I turned to her, “Is that a proposal, Sydney Harper?”

  “You level my senses, Cuttar. You force me to stop and think. You make me see things with my heart, which makes me see you all the time with my heart. And you draw pictures of me when I’m at my best,” she held my gaze, “Yes, I’d say that I’m seriously asking if you’ll be my other half in this frightening new world.”

  “I don’t even have to think! Yes! Of course!”

  She grinned as she looked at me with shimmering eyes, then she kissed me sweetly.

  “Then as the captain of the Frontier, I guess I simply need to declare us as a married couple! Welcome to Harper Larkin,” she breathed against my lips, “You may kiss your bride, Cuttar.”

  TWENTY

  We spent the remainder of the afternoon under the covers in her bed, taking our time exploring each other in all the ways possible. It was perhaps the most wonderful afternoon of my entire life. Then, shortly before dinnertime, the communications chime started ringing every few seconds, alerting us to another message. We managed to ignore that for about a half hour before we couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

  We got dressed, then made our way back to the bridge. She immediately shut off the alarm, then pulled up their reply while I sat down in the seat beside her. I just sat there and enjoyed watching her while she read whatever their reply had been.

  “Okay, they seem sympathetic to our situation, but really have nothing to offer us. Listen to this,” she began reading, “We’re sorry to hear what you’ve been through and you two will be in our prayers. If you do manage to find a way to safely enter the atmosphere and land the ship, we’d be happy to welcome you into our community. There’s actually still an old airfield next to our Western Entrance, so we will be sending someone there to switch on the lights and the Alpha Beacons which should help to guide you in. This isn’t to suggest you should attempt to land that ship. Only you can determine when you would feel confident enough to attempt such a feat. Just know that we will have our lights on for you when the time comes.”

  She stopped reading, then swiveled her chair to face me, “No suggestions on atmospheric entry or how to maneuver a ship.”

  “Well, in their defense, they hadn’t had any trained pilots in their midst in probably a hundred years. But they do seem welcoming,” I added, “Though I have to wonder how it is that they are even still existing after all this time? And is it the sort of uncomfortable existence we would want to be a part of?”

  “Good question! How about we ask?” she pointed at me as she spun and began to type.

  “You’re breaking your own standing order, Captain,” I said with a grin.

  “Oh! You’re absolutely
right!” she smirked as she rose up from her seat, “You know what? I think it’s high time for a glass of wine while you get your VID5 system hooked up. If we’re going to honor the thirty minute delays, I think we might need to delve into some of your video games.”

  “Yes, Captain!” I stood up and saluted just before we both started laughing, “Could you bring me a glass of wine as well?”

  “How about two glasses and one bottle?” she said just before she darted off toward the restaurant while I then headed toward my room.

  Five minutes hadn’t even passed before Sydney was seated on my sofa drawing the cork out of the bottle while I finished connecting the cables of my VID5 to the large monitor. The system started booting up while she poured two glasses of wine.

  “So, what type of games do you have on your VID5?” she asked, getting comfortable in the corner of the sofa while she sipped from her glass.

  “You name it,” I joined her on the sofa now while the intro screen came up, “RPGs, battle games, gambling, puzzles, and even racing games. What’s your preference?”

  “Do you have Wrecker’s Quest Three?” she asked.

  “Heck yeah! I actually defeated the final boss on that game shortly before we left Earth,” I offered.

  “Do you mind if I start a file of my own?”

  “Not at all! That’s one of those games that’s equally as fun to watch as it is to play,” I said, handing her the controller while I took her glass of wine.

  She seemed to be watching me instead of the screen as I took a sip from her glass. I noticed a warm smile on her face, just before she turned toward the screen and started the process of creating her avatar.

  “I’ve always believed that to be the sign of true love when I watched other couples,” she said, scrolling through character faces on the screen.

  “What? Allowing someone to create a new file on a game?” I chuckled.

  “No, sharing a drink without even giving it a second thought,” she said, nodding quickly toward the glass in my hand.

  I shrugged, then finished off her glass and set it onto the coffee table next to my own glass.

  “I had simply thought the wine would taste better after having touched your lips,” I said.

  “And did it?” she raised her eyebrows, selecting the elvish-looking avatar with purple hair.

  “It tasted just like you, so I drank down every drop,” I chuckled.

  She moaned just then, shaking her head. I looked over at her, wondering if I’d upset her. She looked over at me with a pleading expression.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m all out of energy after everything we’d done today, yet you keep making me think of things that I shouldn’t be thinking about. You’re making me want to forego this game and… you know,” she whined.

  “Yeah, I’m a little exhausted too,” I sighed, “I guess that sleeping for twenty-some years inside a cryo-chamber can really take its toll on the muscles.”

  “Seriously, are you aching all over as well?” she asked as she set the controller down and started to massage her neck.

  “Yeah, even before we went all crazy in your bed. I feel the same way I imagine the Steelers feel after a long game,” I reached out and took her hand in mine, noticing that her self-induced neck rub was causing her to squint, “Here, let me.”

  “What?” she looked at me as I tugged her toward me, “If you hurt as much as you seem, let me see what I can do.”

  “But you are hurting too,” she argued, though she wasn’t resisting my efforts to get her to turn around.

  “Not so much in my hands and fingers,” I said, discovering her shoulder muscles to be exceptionally tight.

  I kneaded the thick strand of muscles that extended from her kissable neck to those beautiful shoulders. This caused her to expel a long, drawn-out moan.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She grabbed the bottom of her tank top and quickly tugged it upward, removing it completely, “Please don’t stop.”

  I massaged her neck, shoulders, and back in the same exact way that I secretly wished to be massaged. In an effort to accommodate a more thorough massage, she lie face down on the sofa and even requested that I tug her shorts off. I knelt next to the couch and then proceeded to massage her perfect bottom as well as her thighs, calves, and even her Achilles tendon.

  As much as my hands were getting tired, I couldn’t even think of stopping. I enjoyed those sweet moans of enjoyment that I felt completely responsible for. I worked my way slowly back up to her neck where I finally kissed her shoulder and then rested my head on her back.

  “Thank you, Cuttar,” she whispered.

  “It was entirely my pleasure,” I chuckled.

  She then patted me on the back, “Now it’s your turn.”

  “I don’t think I can handle it. I might cry,” I shook my head.

  She laughed, then sat up and put on her tank top. She was content however to just remain in her black panties as she gestured for me to lie down on the sofa. I finally submitted, but not before she directed me to take off my shirt.

  I had initially been joking when I said that a massage might make me cry. But then as she started kneading the muscles near my spine, the embarrassing tears sprung up. She thought it was funny, especially as I almost began to sob while she worked her strong fingers roughly into my lower back.

  “Are you sure you’re enjoying this?” she asked, perhaps growing more concerned now that she might have really been hurting me.

  “I love it,” I choked out, laughing at myself in the process, “I don’t know why I’m reacting this way. It’s stupid.”

  “Well, I warned you that I was going to make you cry one day,” she said, working her way slowly back up my spine, “I guess it was easier than I expected.”

  We both laughed in spite of my emotional distress. She worked on loosening my neck muscles, then moved down each of my shoulders and arms. She finished the same way I had by kissing me on the shoulder.

  “Thank you for saving my life, Cuttar,” she said, resting her head on my back.

  I spun around on the sofa, holding her head to my chest as I raked my fingers through her hair.

  “It was the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. Thank you for loving me, Sydney.”

  “Now, that was something I had no control over. You might as well thank me for breathing,” she whispered.

  “Thank you for breathing, Sydney.”

  She laughed and slapped me on the chest, “How about we go get some info from those people on the planet?”

  TWENTY-ONE

  We collaborated on a long list of questions to ask just so that we could satisfy our selfish curiosity about those people on Inglenook. But more than mere curiosity, we ultimately wanted to discover if we really even desired to join their community. We wanted to examine if the risky concept of trying to land this ship would be worth it. If not, we’d just as soon stay up here in orbit for as long as the food, water, and air allowed. After all, for the time being, we had our own little slice of heaven with plenty to occupy our time and attention.

  She sent off that long message, then we returned to my room where the VID5 game and the half bottle of wine was still waiting. She quickly made herself comfortable again while she finished creating her avatar. I took that time to gather up my colored pencils and sort them back into the wooden box.

  “Greenhouses,” Sydney said, just as her digital mission began on the screen.

  “What?” I asked, confused by that random word.

  “I’m a qualified and educated terraformer, Cuttar. All this time, I kept thinking about how I’d survive down there on that planet,” she said, her eyes still on the screen where a shady character handed her a folder in an alley, “In a dead world that used to be vibrant and very much alive for a little while, a wise community could essentially build an unlimited amount of greenhouses. Unlimited sand means unlimited glass. Glass, rain, and sunlight… greenhouses. There’s a porti
on of the answer we’re going to get as a response, I guarantee.”

  I reached over and retrieved the glass of wine she had initially poured for me and then took a sip of it while I watched her avatar jab a plasma blade into the gut of an ugly assailant. I then set the glass down onto the table and turned to her. Her attention was still completely focused on the screen in front of the sofa.

  “Okay, I’ll play along. You’re living down there on a planet where it’s evident that the oceans are slowly being overrun with algae while at the same time, the trees and plants are all starting to die for some reason. What else do you do besides build a lot of greenhouses?”

  “Well, first of all, I wouldn’t have allowed all that to happen in the first place. Someone should have been testing the soil to see what was going wrong and then they should have begun a process to stabilize it or to turn the damage around. It shouldn’t have gotten that far. None of this happened overnight, Cuttar. And even in regards to the oceans – I can’t imagine how they witnessed the slow deterioration and didn’t see the need to do anything about it. There are dozens of ways to get that under control, even if it’s a matter of creating fisheries to breed the necessary components in the higher food chain. This all should have been nipped in the bud a few generations back,” she seemed to rant angrily, “I’m really sort of disgusted by the level of complacency that had to have existed fifty, sixty, or seventy years back.”

  “Could it be that they didn’t notice until it was too late?” I asked.

  “No, there would have been major warning signs,” she argued.

  “Then, what if they weren’t educated in terraforming, biology, or agriculture? What if they were all people like me?”

  “Although that would be the best explanation, it doesn’t seem likely. This planet was populated initially by terraformers. Many of the people who arrived a generation later would have likely all been terraformers as well. There would have been some educated people down there on the planet when things started to go bad.”