Chapter 04

Janine Hudson was in her room, the first officer was reading a letter she had just received from her fiancée, and best friend Rick Berenger. She was looking at her picture screen which kept changing mostly with pictures of both of them, but there were other pics with her family.

She had just opened this piece of artificial paper created by the Cloning printer, which can replicate or create practically anything and lasts as long as the originally made item, usually. Somethings it can’t replicate or can replicate but can’t be used for the purpose it has been replicated for too long. For instance, the use of paper was illegal in most countries, because of the tree problem, and everyone used a personal Tab or Ipad. Janine and Rick created A4 printer paper from the Cloning printer, however the Ink disappears after a while, give or take 24 hours.

Nearly 85 years ago, 49 years before World War 3 began, because of overpopulation in the world, most people from other area across the world, decided to colonise the arctic. Which also had catastrophic implications for the animals living there sea and land. But the humans had little choice,

Rick’s and Janine’s families were such people, Rick’s grandparents moved there from Buffalo, New York and Janine’s from Amsterdam, Netherlands. They both brought a piece of personal and commercial real estate in the arctic and started living and working there.

Jan and Rick have known each other since they were kids, played with each other, were either at one or the others house, every free moment. From Primary school to High school, from friends to lovers and from university to the UESF, they were inseparable. Their Interests were so similar, both were selected for the deep space missions, at 27 Jan and Rick were first officers aboard Starships Salvation and Deliverance respectively.

As Jan started reading the letter, her mind wandered again before she began to the time where they first started writing letters to one another as a joke, they were taught that during centuries past, when people didn’t have communications or any sort of machinery to deliver letters, they were hand delivered on something called ‘a paper’, and the news too, on something called newspapers.

The two lieutenant commanders took the same courses at school and the GenTech space academy. Both were skilled kickboxers, black belts in Karate and world class swimmers.

Jan my love, the letter started. I am in Space dock waiting your arrival, as you know all 5 ships are waiting to leave earth’s orbit in 8 days. I want us to spend our last 7 days together,

All 5 ships were going to leave earth’s orbit at once, so space dock was like 5 large aircraft hangers but in orbit around the Earth and a huge tourist attraction and hotel accommodations built around it. There were Virtual reality simulation rooms, food courts, swimming pools, Tennis and Badminton courts, Movie theatres, etc.

Both Jan and Rick had beach blonde hair, the looked like they were married for years. Rick was about 6 feet tall with a well-toned bod, he wasn’t that bulky, and he was medium build, sort of Lanky and recently started growing a moustache, which Jan hated. Rick had grey eyes and he loved to smile and show his teeth. Always in a happy mood, Jan only saw him lose his temper only once.

Jan was average height, 5 feet 8 inches to be exact, was the exact slimmer version of Rick, with 32b breasts and 29-and-a-half-inch waist, she was one hell of a fit woman. Both of them always use to swim or be in the gym when time permitted.

You have no idea how much I miss you. After being together with you for about a third of my life, I don’t know how I survived these few weeks, let alone our 3-year missions without you.

He was wrong, she knew. Jan knew how much he missed her, because she missed him the same way too, but she also knew he was in a way professing how much he loved her. And how they did love each other, they stood by each other and helped each other out with every problem together, celebrated every victory together, they did almost everything together.

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She missed him so much too, she was barely keeping it together as a tear role down her cheek, and 3 years was a long time to be away from him. Even though they were evenly matched in everything, Janine had hoped that both will be posted to the same ship; she never realised that they would both be put in the same position as XO on two separate ships.

I want you to meet me when you get back to Space dock, at the restaurant ‘The Mango Valley’ for a night you won’t forget, we only have 8 days together, let’s make them count my darling.

Jan could see hi grinning after writing that, she grinned too, unconsciously without her knowing.

Before she could read anymore, the red alert started going off, “senior officers to the command centre.”

Michelle Braxton looked up from her diagnostic table as she heard the alarms blaring all over the ship. She was the exploration head of the ship, even though there was a captain, the 35-year-old doctor was the civilian in charge where exploration was concerned.

Michelle was born Michael Jerome Braxton, in her high school years, junior and senior both, she was teased for being very girly by the other students, even as a boy, Michelle had wide hips, and she used to swing her arse will she walked. At about 5’7 and a half, she had long legs, and didn’t have much hair on her skin. She also had a very high-pitched girly voice.

When she was 17, she had a girlfriend, Rachel. Michelle genuinely loved Rachel, and Rachel her. Rachel didn’t care about the taunt and the teasing, she never felt when Michelle was Michael, that he was less of a man because of his ways. At the year-end dance they were so much in love Michelle was going to ask her to go steady, to be Rachel’s guy for the rest of her life. But unfortunately, during the couples’ dance, Rachel was shoved aside by the football team, and every teammate stated to dance with Michael, and started to shove tease and even slap him. Michelle felt so embarrassed that day, even though Rachel never had a problem with even that, Michelle never spoke to her after. Rachel tried so many times after Michelle went home that night alone. That was the day Michael decided to turn into Michelle.

Michelle as Michael grew up in a small town in New York called Greensville, which was founded in 2065, called Greensville because South Carolina, already had a Greenville. Michael had no problem with schoolwork, in actuality he topped his class. He was a decent in sports too, but that fateful day after the year end dance, everything changed for him. So, Michael Jerome Braxton became Michelle Janet Braxton, she told her parents and within a week totally and legally changed her name.

Michelle grew her hair really long, about waist length and for 5 years took female hormones to get breasts and for her facial hair to stop growing. Only at 23 She had the operation, during that time she had no social life, she concentrated on her studies, she even did her high school exams privately.

Only outside news she was interested in was the development of science especially Biology. However, when she was 25, one of her colleagues at GenTech made an announcement that he was getting married to a lovely girl called Rachel and he passed the picture around and then she saw it was her Rachel.

All her memories came flooding back, how Rachel was the only person who cared about her, other than her parents. She missed her, but she realised she had lost her that day at the year-end dance, when she pushed her away. Rachel must have waited a long time to see whether Michelle would talk to her, but she didn’t. Without another thought Michelle concentrated on her career which has brought her to being the project head on a Starship and she never looked back on her decision.

As the red alert kept blaring, she got up. “Braxton to the Captain,” she called to the captain via her small communicator on her shirt collar, a small silver stud gleaming on the left side. “What is going on?”

“I have no time to explain,” the captain’s voices rattled through panting. “I am on my way to the command centre now, but if you like to find out please join me there, Renton out.”

Michelle sighed got up and started walking to the ship’s lifts.