Science Fiction: The Last Astronauts
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Four hours later, Pavel had radar-locked the old satellite. Its orbit had deteriorated a bit from Pavel’s remembered position, but nobody was the least bit discouraged by that. If anything, it seemed to lend more credence to his story. There had been a brief discussion-slash-argument, when the Captain told me that I was going in Pavel’s place. I had argued fervently against it, but between the five of us, I was the only one that had ever even been to China, much less knew anything about the Chinese language. During my travels I had passed through the startling country, bedding down for a while in Hong Kong. It was a former British territory, and the Chinese there were still pretty cosmopolitan by most standards of measure. I had picked up some of the alphabet and a few phrases, but was mostly counting on a laptop with some translation software. It was inevitable that an engineer go, though. No one else was qualified to certify the old capsule for flight. Zagovich and Pavel and I would be going to the Chinese satellite.
We had a few hours to kill while the fueling took place, so I paid a visit to Juliette. She and I had been very cool around the others recently. The stress was getting to us, and of course, the best thing for stress is the first thing stressed people forget to do. She was very receptive. A true gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, but I’ve never claimed to be one. It was gentle and at the same time quite randy. Urgent. We used a sleeping bag to keep us together, which floated around in her tiny berth as we made love, bumping us randomly into the walls and floors, and adding a level of intrigue to the impassioned lovemaking. Once we had both had our fun, so to speak…
“David, do you think we’ll really get out of this?” Juliette whispered. Her voice was barely louder than the low buzz of the ventilation system.
“This whole situation is pretty loony. Either Pavel is a pillock, or there’s really another capsule out there.”
“We have a chance, then,” she said as she nuzzled me closer. I was struck by how sensitive she could be, for such a well-respected scientist. Amazing how we break down into our constituent parts when the going gets rough. I was happy to see that beneath the polish of her scientific persona, and beneath the lusty young woman she had shown me until now, that there was a gentle and loving woman who needed me as much as I needed her. At that moment, I vowed to myself that I would do whatever it took to see her safe and sound.
“I…I love you, Juliette,” I spoke softly into her hair. She moved slightly, and glanced upwards to me from her cuddling position.
“Oh, David, of course you don’t. It’s sweet to say so, though.”
“No, seriously Jules, I really love you. I’m not just some dumb bloke that has it off with a chippie and thinks he’s found true love.” I pulled away from her slightly in the confines of the soft sleeping bag and turned her to face me. “I will do whatever it takes, Jules, to see you through this. I love you, and that’s that. I don’t care a whit if you believe me or not, right now. You will.”
She said nothing, but pulled closer to me, burying her head into my chest again, nestling closer once more. I took that for assent, having nothing else to go on.
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