Nine hours later, the tears had stopped, but Eliza still didn't have an explanation that could even remotely justify her actions. She doubted the colonel would believe she was simply bored of the endless patrols and needed an orgasm to pass the hours. Or to break the tedium of her life on the asteroid.
The FCM didn't approve of desire, sex being the top of a very long list of actions that were immoral in their eyes. The entire reason the FCM left civilization in a two-hundred generation trip to a distance star system was to flee sex, drugs, and deviant music. The generations born on the ship, such as Eliza's, didn't have that choice. They were FCM from the day they were cloned in test tubes.
As her ship approached the FCM Quantor, the computer chirped as it authenticated itself with the control systems and the computers took control. The tension in the flight stick went slack and she released it, just as protocol demanded. Unable to do anything, she rested her hands in her lap and waited.
The points toward her promotion had disappeared somewhere during her patrol. Now, there was nothing but a blank spot where the numbers used to be. She dreaded what it meant, but stuck in her cockpit, she could only stew in fear.
As soon as she entered the large hanger, a bracket swung up and clamped the belly of her ship. The cockpit shuddered, and all sensation of movement stopped with a sudden twist of her guts. A heartbeat later, the ship rotated before it was yanked down one of the long, endless aisles between hundreds of ship bays. Each carried a fighter ship like her own.
The three minutes it took to bring her ship to its bay were the longest of her life. As the bracket swung her around and shoved the ship nose-first into the bay, she saw three people waiting for her.
She didn't recognize two of them, but they wore military police uniforms and stood at attention with unslung pulse rifles in their hands. They weren't smiling, but she didn't expect any compassion from her greeters.
But it was the third person that caused her stomach to twist violently. Her brother, Duncan, stood with his pistol at his side, a glare on his face, and his arms crossed over his chest. The black uniform of the military police shone in the light above him, revealing that he wore his armor to arrest his own sister. And was armed with the gun that she bought him for his latest promotion.
The feeling of dread rose as she levered herself out of her seat and slipped around. There was very little space behind the seat, enough to access the maintenance panels and not much else. Her feet scuffed against the diamond plate as she headed to the door.
It was already unlocked by the hanger bay computers, so she pushed it open and crawled out. She hesitated at the bottom of the ladder, unwilling to turn around and face her fate.
When she heard Duncan's boots on the ground, she forced herself to turn around.
“Third Lieutenant Midoze 73, you are to come with me.” Her brother's voice didn't even waver as he made the announcement. They both shared the name, Midoze 73 for the Midoze genetic strain, 73rd generation since the asteroid ship first launched.
She took another deep breath and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
Her brother turned and started down the hall. He didn't wait for her to follow.
The other two guards stepped aside, obviously expecting her to pass.
Eliza struggled to say something, anything, but then decided to remain silent and obey. Her boots squeaked on the plate as she walked quickly to catch up to her brother. She started to pull even with him, but a single glare forced her to slow down until she was pacing a meter behind him.
The four of them marched down the hall. Her hopes that Duncan would have picked a less populated hallway were crushed when he strode down the busiest corridor leaving the hanger. Crowds of pilots, maintenance crew, and officers stepped to the aside as they passed, adding to a rapidly growing humiliation that burned her cheeks.
To her despair, there were more than a few looks of glee as she passed. She knew she wasn't popular. She was one of the best pilots on the asteroid, but she was also one of the lowest ranking. Her “deviant actions” were legendary, though with a crew of humans suppressing their sexuality, getting caught giving a handjob was a legend.
That handjob cost her a promotion and sent her lover to the opposite end of the asteroid, but it was one of the greatest moments of her life.
“Third Lieutenant, this isn't a laughing matter.”
Eliza's smile dropped from her face as she glared at her brother. “I didn't mean it.”
Duncan stopped sharply and spun around to face her. “Mean what? Force an unauthorized medical diagnostics? Or violate every flight protocol we have?”
She stepped back but bumped into one of the police behind her. She looked and saw there was at least two dozen people staring at her.
“Or,” he continued, “did you accidentally rip open your flight suit before accidentally,” he spat out the word, “pleasuring yourself like some sort of animal!”
“No—”
“Because that sounds a lot like what you were doing!” His voice echoed loudly in the suddenly quiet hallway.
A prickle of annoyance rose up inside her. “At least I was doing something! Do you know how boring those flights are?”
Duncan stepped up, his shoulders almost even with her eyes. “You are an FCM pilot! Those missions are critical for our safety!”
“They are critical for keeping us from getting bored!”
“Obviously that isn't working!” He raised a fist, but didn't bring it down. His face twisted in a scowl before he stepped back. Clearing his throat, he turned. “The colonel demanded your presence.”
He turned and strode forward. After a few minutes of walking, he stopped at an elevator bank and pressed his wrist against the control. The ETA of the nearest car turned red as his priority override turned it into an express elevator. A moment later, the door opened and she was pushed inside.
Eliza's armor creaked as she turned around, surrounded by the three police. Clearing her throat, she looked at her brother's back. “Duncan—”
“That's Captain Midoze, Lieutenant. Captain Midoze 73 if you want to be proper.”
“Fine, Captain Midoze, let—”
“I didn't give you permission to speak.”
She ground her jaw together. “Permission—”
“Denied.”
“Damn—”
“Denied!”
She flinched at Duncan's bellow. Ducking her head, she stared at her boots for the remainder of the elevator trip.
Depressing seconds later, the door opened at the officer levels. They were the leaders, lawmakers, and judges of the asteroid ship. Ultimately, everyone reported to Ship General Poldin, but her chain of command started at Colonel Ritan, and she doubted she would ever see a higher rank.
The officer floors were silent and carpeted. Instead of the crowds in the main corridor, only a few uniformed individuals walked along the hallways. Eliza didn't see anyone ranked under a major.
Eliza struggled with her fears as she was marched down to the colonel's office. The muted thump of marching boots echoed her own steps. The sound felt like a death march to her own execution.
She had never been to the colonel's office, but there was no question about his power on the asteroid. The outer office was manned by a single secretary with a desk almost as large as Eliza's ship.
The dour-faced woman looked up as Duncan approached. She struck a button with one hand and said, “The colonel is expecting her.”
Her. The woman spoke as if Eliza was a mere beast or an unintelligent animal. Eliza felt herself bristling at the tone, but there were far more terrifying things beyond the opening doors.
Colonel Ritan's office was a massive room larger than the ship bay. The entire back of the office showed a view of the stars beyond the horizon. She knew it wasn't glass; they wouldn't risk decompression to something as trivial as glass. If it wasn't for her record displayed twenty meters high behind him, she would have assumed it was transparent.
The picture to Ritan's right was an older one. She recognized the small, pert nose and dark eyes, but her hair was longer during her last promotion. There was so much joy and hope in her expression, a young girl who was just promoted to ship pilot. Her body was still slender, almost thin. Her breasts stood high underneath her black uniform, though only she knew how hard the nipples were below the thick fabric.
Duncan continued forward, and the police behind her shoved her forward.
Eliza whimpered softly in the back of her throat as she covered the thirty meters across the mirror-smooth floor to stand in front of the colonel's desk.
Colonel Ritan sat there, his eyes fixed on her and a scowl etched across his face. He looked the same as the last time she saw him—nine hours had done nothing for his mood.
Duncan and the military police snapped to attention. Eliza followed suit a heartbeat later, saluting properly and thankful that her hand was no longer dripping with her juices.
“Third Lieutenant Midoze 73.” The colonel's voice scraped against her senses, a deep bass rumble that shook her to the core.
She blinked to avoid crying and straightened her back.
“For seven years, the FCM has invested a large amount of time, personnel, and training on you.” He steepled his fingers and leaned forward. “And somehow, you have managed to insult us every step of the way.”
Eliza shuddered and swallowed, her throat was dry.
“You have been demoted six times and have yet to gain a single net rank in that time. If it wasn't for your brother's recommendation,” the colonel's eyes flickered to Duncan and back, “you would have been discharged years ago.”
“I'm a good pilot, sir.” She gulped with the realization she spoke out of turn.
“Yes,” came the growl. “You rank in the top thousand of every pilot we've had in a hundred years. Your test scores are exemplary, and your tactics are above par.”
She prayed it was enough.
“However, you are inflicted with a sickness.”
The tightness in her chest and throat increased. She found it hard to breathe, but there was nothing she could do but hold her salute and wait.
“Unlike your brother, or anyone else on this ship, you are incapable of moving beyond your baser drives. Your libido has risked the safety of this ship, this crew, and everyone that depends on you.”
Eliza wanted to say something. It wasn't wrong to enjoy pleasure. It was a part of being human to enjoy sex. It didn't matter if it was fingers or cock, she knew her body was built for it, just like everyone else.
She released her held breath. If she wanted to remain a pilot, her career depended on her keeping her mouth shut.
“With this realization, I would hope that you would have the honor to do the right thing and take a long walk out of one of the airlocks. In fact,” he growled, “I'll even authorize you access to the airlocks for said walk—”
The computer at her wrist chirped in acknowledgment.
“—but time and time again, you have failed to understand what damage you are doing to the morale of the space fleet and the crew.” He took a deep breath, and the silence was deafening. He stood up and brought his wrists behind his back.
“Third Lieutenant Midoze 73, you are hereby discharged of your duties as a space pilot and sentenced to two years of hard labor in the prison levels.”
Eliza let out a sob and staggered. Her salute faltered.
“Stand straight!”
Tears running down her cheeks, she forced herself back up. She tried to lift her hand to her temple, but couldn't. Her sobs filled the room but didn't echo against the distant walls.
“In deference to your service and skills, you will be given a single opportunity to regain your former rank. If there is even one report of fornication, copulation, or deviant behavior on your record in two years, you will spend the rest of your life in prison.”
He stared at her for a long moment before he continued. “In the rare chance that you somehow manage to keep your legs together and your mind pure, the same restrictions will apply to your resumed duties. As far as I'm concerned, if I see a single violation point cross my desk, you will never fly again.”
Eliza drew in a gasping breath. She wanted to scream, cry, and throw herself at his feet for mercy. Everything inside her begged to turn to Duncan, but she knew her brother couldn't save her anymore.
“Do you understand, Prisoner Midoze 73?”
Barely able to see through the tears, she thought she nodded.
“You are dismissed.”