Chapter 52

Time: January 2, year 204,894 5:00 AM Honolulu Local Time (T plus 19 hours)

One hour before black-hole injection, the slip ship jumped from one hundred kilometers to seventy-five kilometers from the geodesic center of NBHX35. The black hole's event horizon was a mere 3.5 kilometers beneath them. The orbital period jumped to 1.61 milliseconds. The ship was now traveling 97.64% of the speed of light. Each second of Kyle's and Brianna perceived time appeared as 4.6291 seconds to Honolulu flight control. From Honolulu's perspective, the next slip jump would occur in twenty minutes. From the slip-ship's perspective, the jump would occur in 4 minutes and 19 seconds.

Kyle was on the bridge with Brianna. He shook his head in wonder at the displays around him and shuddered. "After all the work, the theories, the modeling... To experience it for real... It's so different... To be face to face with the cosmic power of it all! This is so incredible Brianna! It's so incredibly scary, and yet so exhilarating at the same time!"

He turned and looked at Brianna. She was gripping the command chair and her knuckles were white. Kyle came over and held her. All his elation evaporated as he felt her tremble. "This jump position is our last call to abort," Kyle whispered. "Time will be moving so slowly on the next jump, we won't have the chance..."

"Yes..." whispered Brianna as her body continued to shake.

"Brianna," whispered Kyle. "Do you want to turn back? It's not too late..."

There was a moment of silence, and then Brianna stopped trembling. "Just hold me Kyle. I'll never fear death with you by my side."

Kyle and Brianna held each other by the shoulders and waists. In front of them on a tactical display, a counter for simulated Hawaiian reference time was racing towards zero.

Time: January 2, year 204,894 4:00 PM London Local Time (T plus 19 hours)

Corporal Caroli and Private Anupa were standing rigidly at attention. Jim thought they both were shivering, and he didn't think it was due to their being buck naked either. He could see his semen running down both of Caroli's inner thighs as she stood at attention, and Jim felt embarrassed for her.

For himself, he was allowed to sit on Kyle's sleeping mat by the side of the room. Jim kept shaking his head, trying to clear it. His body felt worn down, tired, abused... It also felt as if he were waking up from a bad dream. He took a deep breath and tried again to clear his head. He looked up, and saw the sergeant looking at him thoughtfully. He gave her a sheepish smile back.

The sergeant came over and bent her knees, squatting deeply and putting herself on his level. Jim risked looking at her eyes; and for the first time since he got here he thought he saw some genuine kindness. The sergeant started talking softly to him, "There's a good boy. Good boy Kyle. I don't want to hurt you. There's a good boy."

Jim sighed and blinked. "Yeah... Thanks... I'm okay... I'm so sorry..."

The sergeant blinked twice. "Yeah... I still can't get over you talking... This is so strange... Kyle, you're a good boy... I'm not going to hurt you fella..."

Jim nodded. The sergeant gently petted his head for a moment. Jim recognized it as an offer of pure compassion. There was no sexual overture at all.

"There's a good boy... Good boy Kyle... there's a good dog..." the sergeant whispered. "Be a good boy. Lift your head for me Kyle. Good boy... Now be still... I'm not going to hurt you boy. Just trust me Kyle..."

"I trust you sergeant..."

The sergeant blinked again and then nodded. She bent her head and moved her face directly to Jim's. For a brief instant Jim thought she was going to kiss him, but instead she placed her nose very near his lips and sniffed. Jim saw her face break out into a deep, angry grimace. She rose up and returned to her two naked subordinates. "Stim Sticks! You used stim sticks on someone else's dog! You people disgust me! Don't you realize how badly you can be busted for this?! How badly you are busted?! Straight to harvesting!"

Caroli just stood there and shivered, but Anupa started to lose it. "I had no part in that," she whined. "The stim stick was all Caroli's idea!"

"Anupa, you sinkhead! How did you EVER make it passed your last control gate?! Who's the bigger FOOL Anupa, the FOOL with the stim stick, or the FOOL who follows her?!"

"Uh... Uh..."

The sergeant shook her head sadly. "Idiots! Don't you realize what you did was illegal? Brianna has every right to press charges when she returns! And she's going to be world famous! The first woman to enter a Black Hole and live to tell about it. Want to bet she doesn't have a lot of strings to pull? Want to bet she couldn't send you two directly to harvesting? Want to bet she won't want to?! What the sink were you thinking of?! And the dog Kyle talks! We can't hide this! Your lives are finished! Busted out of the corps for sure, and sitting chickens for the courts and the recycling medics."

Anupa started to cry, and even Corporal Caroli started to tremble as the sergeant's words sank in.

Jim sat there listening. The sight of the two women and their ruined lives filled his heart with compassion. His mind wandered back to the intense and intimate sexual moments they shared. He knew he'd be safe if he just kept quiet. And yet... He and Caroli had shared each other's orgasms. Caroli had eagerly accepted him into her body, just as Jim had eagerly accepted Anupa's finger up his ass.

Jim sighed and spoke up. "Uh... Sergeant?"

The sergeant turned and looked surprised. "Yes?"

"I just want to let you know mistress... I forgive them, forgive them both, Corporal Caroli and Private Anupa. I realize now they used a drug on me. I still want to forgive them. I want to tell Brianna about this, but I think I can do it in a way... well, she won't press charges. Just let them have their lives back Sergeant. Please?"

The sergeant stared at Jim for a long moment. "Well if this doesn't beat all? You sure pup?"

Jim nodded. "Yes, I'm sure mistress."

The sergeant turned to the two naked soldiers. "And what do you two say about that? The pup you just abused is offering to give you your worthless hides back! So what do you say about that?"

Caroli blinked in confusion, but Anupa understood what the sergeant meant immediately. She cleared her throat. "Thank you Kyle. Thank you for forgiving me."

Jim nodded. "You're welcome mistress."

The sergeant shook her head in wonder. "One for the books," she muttered. "You two! Back to the barracks both of you! You're both on discipline duty for a month! Move!"

"Naked?!" cried Caroli. "It's cold out there!"

"MOVE!!!"

The squad left, leaving Jim and the Sergeant alone for a moment. They stared at each other. Jim finally spoke first. "I don't even know your name... mistress..."

The sergeant nodded slowly. "Oria."

Jim nodded. "Thank you Sergeant Oria. I wouldn't want to have two people die because of this... Brianna wouldn't either..."