Chapter 3: Arrival

Spica II shone as a blue-green marble below the Dr. Joseph Lister as she emerged from hyperspace. It didn't take more than a few hours of travel in normal space to near Spica II's spaceport, the children on board watching excitedly through the viewers as the ship drew closer and closer to its destination.

Captain Jane Ordman and her senior staff saw them off. "We hope you enjoyed your trip," said the ever-polite Captain.

She introduced the young shuttle pilot, Lieutenant Parker. He was tall, handsome, and blond. Millie was instantly smitten. Fortunately she was not thinking ahead (a typical teenager's flaw), otherwise, she'd have remembered she'd be nude in front of him very, very shortly, and would have been instantly very, very embarrassed.

"He's been on missions to Spica II before, so he has some cultural familiarity. I hope that you enjoy the ride over to the spaceport."

As they boarded the shuttle, Micah asked his parents, "When do we start being nude?"

Lieutenant Parker turned to Micah. "As soon as the shuttle door closes. We'll have to all be nude when the door opens at the spaceport docking bay. The rules of Spica II are very strict that way. It's a serious fine for anyone who is wearing clothing that isn't sanctioned as 'job-required protective gear'. It's probably a good idea to get undressed now, before we leave, that way there won't be any suspicious delay when we dock with the station."

Millie's ears immediately turned bright pink. Her first public, social nude experience ... in front of this man ... in front of this very attractive man...

She turned around to discover her father, mother and little brother all in an advanced stage of disrobing. "Hurry up," her mother advised, "We have to strap in shortly."

Briefly she wondered if she could wait until after the shuttle docked, but remembered the young Lieutenant's words. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her top over her head.

After finishing his pre-launch check-list, Lieutenant Parker stood up and stripped off his uniform overalls and underwear. He then made sure that his passengers were properly strapped in for the trip, and their luggage and his uniform safely stowed. Shuttles had fewer redundancies than larger vessels in terms of artificial gravity, and Parker was being even more careful than usual, as his passengers were not only civilians, but VIP's.

The trip across was uneventful, and at the other end of the line was a small welcoming committee: Mrs. Hardaway and her youngest daughter Linda, the ambassadorial administrative assistant Yuki Kawamori, the Spica Minister of Foreign Affairs, his assistant, and a couple of others from the planetary government. All were, in keeping with Spica II laws and customs, nude aside from sandals and what looked like a wristwatch.

Mrs. Hardaway and her daughter greeted them, accepting (to the Millers' discomfiture) hugs from each of them, and their condolences.

"Will you be heading back on the Lister?" asked Maggie.

"We will be," said Mrs. Hardaway, "but we'll be back soon. Linda starts university in a week, and the two of us will be sharing an apartment at Science City. It is cheaper for me, and practical for her to have someone to still do her laundry and cook her food while she devotes her time to her studies. Besides, Linda has literally nothing to wear, she's been here through three years of growth, and I've grown used to this place."