A New Beginning Ch. 02

Chantelle then did some good old fashion detective work and found out that Ronald repeatedly won at Hole Poker. He frequently seemed to have a match for the Hole Card dealt to him, more often than the law of averages would allow. Chantelle gave this information to Butler.

Butler told Ronald that there was going to be a trial. He told Ronald that some evidence surfaced which seemed to incriminate him and that he should get someone with a little knowledge of the law to help him out.

We had no lawyers onboard so Butler asked Ronald how he wanted to defend himself at the hearing. Ronald didn't know. Butler suggested Vickie because he knew the communication officer had at one time worked as a paralegal for a law firm.

Butler wrote my name, Joseph's name and Joshua's name on slips of paper. He put the slips into a can and drew out my name. I had to be the judge. He ordered me to go to the ship's library and read some of the law books on disk.

For twenty-five days I did nothing but study law. Butler even ordered me not to stand watch so that I could devote all my time to learning the law -- he had Joshua fill my watch for me. I got some advice from Vickie on where to begin and what direction to go and then spent the next three weeks plus in the James Cook's library.

Butler then convened a trial and acted as prosecutor.

Butler, Vickie and I then selected seven officers to act as jurors. Vickie put on a good defense. While I was studying the law, she was busy gathering evidence, talking with Ronald's roommates, friends and acquaintances. She called several character witnesses, all of whom claimed that Ronald would never cheat at poker, that he was one of the most honest persons they knew. Even Father Ray came to his defense.

But in the end, she couldn't overcome the two men who claimed that they suspected him of cheating, were watching him and actually saw him put the Hole Card on the top of the deck.

Nor could she get around the law of averages which says that you're lucky if you get the Hole Card dealt to you more often than two or three times during a couple hours of play. Butler called eleven witnesses -- some who won and some who lost -- but all of whom said that they were at Hole Poker games where Ronald won more often than seemed possible. Ronald seemed to get the Hole Card at least six or seven times every time he played.

The seven officers found Ronald guilty. After a recommendation from Butler and Chantelle, I sentenced him to three months in the brig with a loss of three month's pay and forbid him to play poker again while onboard the James Cook.

But I don't think the latter was really necessary. The trial was held in the cafeteria. It was packed to overflowing with spectators. There wasn't an empty seat there. After Ronald was found guilty I don't think anyone would have played poker with him anyway.

But either way, he lost a lot of money both from the fine and from lost poker money. I don't believe he ever forgave Butler, me or the seven officers who acted as jurors and found him guilty.

I was told that someone from among the laborers invented Hole Poker. I don't know if that is true. I never heard of it before I came aboard the James Cook. It did become one the most popular card games onboard the spaceship. If it was invented onboard then that is one foreboding invention. Little did I or anyone know how ominous a hole would become.

Butler told me that one of the good things to come out of the trial was that if the need ever arose he would use the same method for dispensing justice onboard. Also, Vickie volunteered her services free of charge for legal advice to anyone who wanted it. Luckily no one needed it after the incident with Ronald.

Another good to come out of it was that after the trial, Butler used the cafeteria as sort of an auditorium to give general information to everyone. He disliked using the ship's intercom -- he said it was too impersonal -- and he didn't use the onboard television stations to send a message to everyone because there were many crew members who just didn't watch television; I myself seldom watched it.

So, a few days before he wanted to give everyone some general information, he would post a notice on the menu board of the cafeteria stating the date and times of the next general announcement. Along with the notice, he advised everyone to attend the meeting. He always called three meetings, spaced eight hours apart so that everyone would be able to come.

Then after the meetings he would post a written note on the menu board of what he said. It worked. Several times he had some junior officers take a census of those attending. Almost everyone onboard attended at least one of the meetings.

I can only recall Butler making three calls over the ship's intercom after that. In each case, Chantelle was looking for a particular person who was involved in a fistfight. They were not in their berth when she went looking for them and she didn't want to search the entire ship looking for them. She had the captain call them over the intercom. He ordered them to report to the brig or suffer even worse consequences. They reported without incident.

Besides Vickie's services, other free services included laundry services, medical services, gym services, library books and cafeteria food and drink. Although many individuals claimed that they should be paid for having to eat the ship's food. I personally didn't think it was all that bad. True, it was not as good as mom's home cooked meals but for processed food it wasn't too bad.

There was one other free service -- listening to the radio. Each day Sam, one of the forward TV lounge bartenders, would program up enough easy listening music to run about 24 hours and pipe this over the ship's intercom. After getting permission from Butler, he had Natalie write him a program so that he could play the music through the spaceship's computer. For those who liked this type of music it was always available in their cabin.

He even made commercials that reported that the music was brought to them compliments of the forward TV lounge, WTVL he called it. Most of his commercials were redneck jokes, lawyer jokes, dumb blonde jokes and the like. Other commercials were just plain WTVL announcements that he made up -- this music brought to you compliments of WTVL and Sam the Man -- but everyone loved them regardless.

Each person had a speaker at the head of his or her bunk with a volume control. You could put it on standby, which meant that you could not turn off announcements from the bridge but you didn't have to listen to the music. But, like I said, the captain rarely made any announcements over the intercom after Ronald's trail.

But all these statistics were mute. It didn't make any difference what people did for entertainment, how justice was served onboard, how many people lived or died or what caused their deaths. Without the cargo hold the missions was a failure. Without the materials to build a space station, we had no mission.

This is what was running through my mind since, a little over an hour earlier, I issued the order to get us away from Jupiter. I don't know what the rest of the crew was thinking. But if they were thinking differently, then they were not facing up to reality.

I returned to the bridge and ordered Joshua to go below.

I thought about maybe sticking around and getting some photographs of Europa's surface using our onboard telescopic camera. But I vetoed that almost immediately. We were too far away from the satellite and the telescopic camera isn't powerful enough for the detailed pictures that MC3 would need without getting closer.

I wasn't about to return into the chaos we just left; I didn't think James Cook would survive. So, after an hour of just heading away from Jupiter and the electrical storm, I radioed below and ordered Joshua to work with Aleks Michelle and chart us a course back to Earth instead of just away from Jupiter. He immediately queried that order.

"Captain Antoinette you sure you want to do that?" he radioed back. "Shouldn't we stay out here and get some more info on Europa, get some pictures of its surface or something?"

"Joshua, do you want to go back into that maelstrom we just left? Do you want to subject what's left of the James Cook to more lightening strikes?" By this time the lightening had stopped hitting us. Thankfully.

"No, you're right. Aleks and I'll get on it now."

"Thanks." Then I whispered into my microphone. "Has George reported to the lower flight deck yet? He's not up here and Louis told me earlier that he was in his cabin when he was checking for survivors."

"No . . . and Toni?"

"What?"

"I'm with you on this. You're right. I think we should go back, no sense subjecting the James Cook and the crew to more catastrophes. I wasn't questioning your orders a moment ago, just making sure that that's what we should be doing."

"Thanks Joshua I need that, your support I mean. Give me the new course headings as soon as you and Aleks get them. Then I want you to go to sickbay and check on those two injured laborers, see how they're doing. Get back with me on that will you?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

It sounds like I issued the order to return to Earth as the "man" in charge; as though I had just assumed command of the James Cook and made that decision without consulting anyone. That's because I was in charge; it was my decision to make. I didn't have to consult anyone.

Before we left MC3 we were given written orders that if anything should happed to Butler then I would assume command of the James Cook and if anything should happen to me then Joshua was to assume command, then George after him. This was orders from UNESA and MC3 because Joshua had flight experience, George didn't. No one said who was to become captain if anything should happen to George. I guess it would fall to Juan.

This was confirmed about ten months out from MC3. I had to assume command when Butler had an abscess tooth pulled and was out for two days. One day for the operation and one day to recuperate. The day of recuperation was on the orders of Doc Yves -- he also served as our dentist.

But no sooner had Yves given Butler a local anesthetic when George issued an order to turn the James Cook 12 degrees to port. He didn't tell anyone why. He just waited until he knew that Butler was under anesthesia then he went to the lower flight deck and issued his orders.

I was on the upper deck at the time with Juan our junior flight officer. As soon as I realized that the James Cook was turning I radioed below to ascertain what was going on. Aleks and Beth were on duty at the time. Aleks told me about the order and Beth told me that George was acting like another Napoleon Bonaparte, saying that he was in command of the ship now and that everyone would have to obey him.

I put Juan -- who I trust more than I do George -- in charge of the upper flight deck and went below. I told George in no uncertain terms was he to issue any orders without first consulting me or Joshua. Then I ordered Aleks to put us back on our original course.

George balked but I told him to consult his flight orders. I was in charge of the James Cook when Captain Butler was incapacitated in any way. George just glared at me and stormed off the deck. He then spent the next two days in his bed. He claimed he had a stomach ache. I didn't care. I, as well as almost everyone else, was glad to be rid of him. I had Joshua fill his watch for him.

I didn't tell Butler about the incident. I didn't think it was important enough. I just registered it in the ship's log and forgot about it. Besides, the whole incident was over in about two minutes. But a week later Butler and I were in his berth. We had just finished showering together and were drying each other off. We were massaging each other's naked bodies and bringing ourselves to a higher level of sexual arousal.

He put his right hand in the small of my back. He cupped my right breast and kissed my nipple. I put my hands on his shoulders and raised my right leg up around his waist. Then I pressed my pussy against his dick. He let go of my breast and grabbed both my ass cheeks, pulling me into himself.

He was very erect; I was very hot. I threw my head back. He kissed me on my neck and then on my lips, pushing his tongue deep into my mouth. I sucked it hungrily. It was a long, passionate kiss, during which I reached down between our bodies with my right hand and began to stroke him.

"Are we going to make love or play around?" I asked in a very sensuous voice after we broke the kiss.

"Yeah, but first I'm going to have to spank you all's ass."

"You spanked me yesterday when we role played. Now you want to do it again?" I again rubbed my vagina against his cock.

"Well that was for fun. But now I have to discipline you all. I have to spank you all for being a naughty little girl."

"Ohhhhh," I pouted, ignoring his vain attempt to mimic my New Orleans accent. "What have I done to displease my noble Captain, Sir?"

Every now and then we did a bondage and discipline role play scene. I would pretend to be his sex slave, his student, his nurse or some other subservient role and he would be my Master, my teacher, my doctor or some other dominant role.

Sometimes he would tie me up and spank my ass; other times he would just put me over his knee and spank me. Still other times he would order me to just stand in the middle of his cabin with my hands behind my neck and my tits thrust out. Then he would proceed to beat my thighs, my ass, my pubic mound, my stomach and my breast with either his belt or his flogger.

But it didn't matter what position I was in or whether he used his hand, his belt, his flogger or whatever, I loved the sex. I looked forward to it.

"You all didn't tell me about George changing the course of my ship last week."

"Ohhhhh, Master Captain Sir, I forgot all about it," I purred. "It was such a little incident. I didn't think you'd want to be bothered with it Sir."

"Well slave, I want to know whenever he screws around with my ship. You all didn't tell me of his attempted mutiny so now I'm going to have to punish you all. I'm going to have to beat you all's ass."

"Ohhhhh, Captain Sir, I'm sorry. Please don't beat me. I'll do better next time. I promise." The role playing was going great, except of course for Butler's futile attempt to mimic my southern accent. But I was ignoring that.

"That's not enough slave. I want to make sure that if George ever tries to assume command of my ship again then you all will let me know about it immediately. Now you all go stand in the middle of my cabin."

"Yes Master," I said in the most demure voice I could muster. I knew that this role play scene was his way of telling me in a friendly, sexual sort of way that he wanted me to inform him every time George got out of hand while on my watch. I was getting hotter just thinking about what he was going to do to my ass.

Using a length of rope, Butler next tied my wrists to some pipes running across the ceiling of his cabin. All the berths have exposed pipes and none of the berths are more than about two meters high.

He then proceeded to beat my thighs, my ass, my pussy, my navel and my breasts with a leather belt. He beat me until my whole body was crimson and stinging. I looked like a boiled crawfish. But I was so hot when he finally stopped that I thought my Venus mound was going to erupt without any input from his cock. When we made love after, I had one of the most rewarding orgasms of my life.

Oh by the way, he also told Joshua and Juan to let him know if George ever did something stupid again. But his order to them was not nearly as sexual. He also asked Joshua to try and be on duty whenever George was on duty.

After about five minutes, Aleks radioed up the new trajectory coordinates. I asked her if Joshua had gone to sickbay. She told me that he left just seconds before she radioed up the info to me. I thanked her and gave the new trajectory information to Juan and ordered him to head us back to Earth. Then I radioed below and told Joseph to increase the engines to half power.

I was heartbroken. Not only because of the failed mission but also because I had lost a great friend and lover just a few hours earlier.

But seconds later I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the ship's engines revving up a notch. Another twenty months, twenty-one months max, and I would be able to retire on Nuda Earth and spend my days living naked and making love by the poolside.

But just when you think it's safe to go back into the water . . .

The James Cook began to shudder . . . violently. Which was odd; that shouldn't have been happening. Vibrate a little, yes.

The ship has some powerful thrusters attached to her rear. When these are turned on -- as we had to do several times for minor course corrections during our trip out to Europa -- the whole ship can feel the surge in power. But the way James Cook was shuddering, I thought that she was going to be torn apart.

I was about to call Joseph to ask him if our engines had been damaged by the lightening strikes, maybe something Chantelle might have overlooked during her inspection, when I just happened to look out James Cook's upper starboard window. I hadn't looked earlier because I was too busy watching readouts on the monitor in front of me.

I noticed a piece of rock about as big as a house streak by the ship. It was moving quite fast and heading for the area above Jupiter's north pole. That too seemed odd; it shouldn't have been happening. Then I looked out the main window. I noticed that although the James Cook was facing the right direction -- away from Jupiter and towards the Sun -- she wasn't heading towards Earth.

We were moving backwards and upwards towards Jupiter's north pole! How could I tell this, I do not know. A flight officer just gets to know the ship he or she is commanding is the only answer I can give.

My first thought was that Joseph had thrown the engines in reverse by mistake. But I knew that he was too good of an officer to do that. So, I curiously crossed the two meter distance to the very nose of the ship and looked up through the upper starboard window.

Have you ever seen a bullet hole through a plate glass window? There's a little black hole surrounded by shattered glass with cracks going out from the hole in every direction. That's what was above Jupiter's north pole. There was a hole in space!

We were being sucked toward it along with everything nearby it, rocks, debris, small pockets of liquid oxygen from the exploded tanks, wreckage from the explosion and the destroyed tail section of the James Cook.

For several seconds I was totally immobile. I was frozen. I had never seen anything like that in my life. The only thing I could think of was that the explosion or possibly the lightening together with the explosion must have somehow punctured the universe.

I remember when I was a little girl a bolt of lightening struck the utility pole in front of our house. It knocked out the electricity on the whole block. It also, somehow, put a small hole in the windshield of my father's car. That I could understand. But a hole in space was beyond my comprehension.

A hole in space is absurd thinking, I know. But I didn't have time to devote to rational thoughts. I didn't know what we were being sucked into and I didn't want to stay around to find out. As soon as I came to my senses I immediately returned to my station and ordered Joseph to throttle up to full power.

"Joseph I want full emergency power now!" I radioed to him. Yes, I was worried about the ship's vibration and what full throttle might do to her. But I was more worried about going through that hole.