Watching and waiting, visitors from the Moon orbit the planet. Their mission: Conquer Earth. Of course, that’s the easy part…
Regulations were explicit. Intimate relations while on mission are strictly forbidden. There is to be no kissing. No hugging aboard Spaceship One. Even handshakes suspended. Only a salute, and a very brisk one at that, is allowed.
Of course, such restrictions only whetted appetites to an unbearable edge. One could hardly open a broom closet without some couple tumbling out.
None of this bothered Jennifer Tate. Actually it did. She had never had a boyfriend. Now, with a thousand eyes watching, with every word and gesture scrutinized, it was unlikely her romantic life would improve. For the time being, at least.
“Did you hear about Lt. Kalikio?” said Amber Stollwell, breathlessly. The petty officer had rushed to the bridge in search of Ensign Tate. Amber was one of those people who cannot keep a secret. Who literally cannot sit still, especially if sworn to secrecy.
“What about her?” Jennifer put aside some charts.
Amber checked this way and that for eavesdroppers. Especially the captain. “She’s got the bump!”
“You don’t say!” said her superior. The bump was crew-speak. It meant someone had been especially negligent, and managed to get themselves pregnant. Jennifer’s first reaction was envy, well hidden. Someone had been having plenty of fun. Her second was to see Lt. Kalikio immediately. The bump got you sent back to the Moon, and in short order. Kalikio had borrowed her best earrings.
“Who do you suppose bumped her?” Amber could barely contain her enthusiasm. In addition to not keeping secrets, she was a keen gossip.
Jennifer certainly didn’t know.
“I’ll bet it was Commander Kern!”
“Mr. Kern?” Jennifer’s voice rose in surprise. “I’m sure it can’t be him.”
“Why not? He’s got the eye. I’ve seen him with Kalikio a lot. And I mean a lot. He made her cry the other day.”
Jennifer kept it to herself. But she simply couldn’t see it. Kenneth Kern was no lady’s man. He was all about duty, first, second, and last, and those beady black eyes had nothing to do with flirtation. Quite the opposite. He was forever opening doors or bursting into rooms with an “Aha!” or the equivalent. Catching someone in delicto would have delighted him.
“Well,” Amber enthused. “Then maybe it’s the captain!”
“Petty Officer Stollwell!” Jennifer admonished her. “Such speculation is unacceptable.”
“You don’t think he’s handsome? Why, any woman on this ship would fall over backward if he so much as winked.”
“That will be enough! This borders on insubordination. You will not discuss these things and in such a way with me or any crewmember. Do you understand?”
The Second Mate closed hands in anxious little fists and pressed her lips tightly together. She looked away. “Yes, Sir. I mean, Ma’am.”
She bolted the bridge, doubtless for the commissary and a chance to continue broadcasting her information. Some people are like that. As she left Captain Rollhagen walked in with his typical, brisk assurance. He picked up charts and glanced at the door. “What’s with her?”
“Stollwell? I had to talk to her.” Jennifer duplicated the captain’s efficient manner. “She’s a terrible gossip.”
“Well, here’s some gossip. Lt. Kalikio’s headed back to the Moon. She’s pregnant.”
“I see.”
“She has a boyfriend. He’s going too. It was Kern who got to the bottom of it. Said the whole crew knew.
“You know what, Ms. Tate?” The captain looked away from the charts. “It seems you and I are the only ones who miss these things. Does it bother you?”
“Oh, no, Captain. We’re much too busy with the ship, and our work together.” She could not love him more. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Richard Donnelly lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Classic flyover land. Which makes us feel just a little… superior. He publishes a weekly column of essays on the writing life at richarddonnelly.substack.com