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  Rose released her grip on his arm and stated, “They need me again. Don’t sneak off while I’m away.”

  As he stood up to pull out her chair he looked at her. She had what he could describe only as a jovial look on her face.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He told her.

  Giving him a slight wink she walked off towards the woman. Johnathan sat down and watched her as she walked. She almost glided as she moved. The young woman escorted Rose to the main desk again.

  Rose lifted a wine glass filled with water and rose it above her head before saying loudly, “Let me call for a toast.”

  Johnathan could barely hear her but this time he could at least hear what she was saying. He picked up the wine glass in front of him and copied everyone else in the room as they rose their glass.

  “To the newest member of the ‘Skybound’!” She called out loudly.

  Everyone in the room cheered out a response. They were loud and Johnathan did not understand what they all said but he copied them as they took a sip from their glass.

  Rose turned and faced the couple at the table before saying, “And of course to his parents, especially his poor mother who went through a long nine months to bring him to us. As Commander of the ‘Skybound’ I wish her nothing but the best and thank her for everything that she has done and will do. It is now my deepest honor to introduce you to our newest member. His name is William Michael Kearney. At the request of his parents I formally invite each and every one of you to the neighboring auditorium for a party in honor of little William.”

  The audience cheered loudly. Rose smiled before returning back to the table.

  Extending out a hand she said to him, “Let’s go. It’s time for your dance lesson.”

  As he stood up she grabbed his hand. Her hand was soft and he really liked the feel of her skin. She tugged lightly on his hand to help guide him. As she headed towards the nearby auditorium he followed along.

  She slowed down and as he moved next to her she leaned into him and whispered, “Everyone is looking at you. I think they are wondering who you are.”

  He nodded.

  “You should have gotten out more and they’d know already.”

  He could just chuckle at her.

  “You smell nice.” She told him.

  Whispering back to her he said, “Thank you.”

  She shifted slightly away and grinned. Once they entered the auditorium Rose tugged on his hand to guide him onto the dance floor. Loud music was already playing and many people had begun dancing. Johnathan recognized the dance from one of the many Mark taught him. She started dancing and he copied her moves.

  She had a look of surprise on her face as she commented, “I think you dance better than you claimed.”

  “I watched some videos earlier today.”

  They danced together for almost an hour only breaking for some water. After the water break Rose excused herself to walk over to the young man running the computer playing music. She spoke quietly to him for a while before returning.

  “Come with me” She instructed.

  She took his hand as he followed her towards the center of the dance floor. The music being played stopped and a much slower song replaced it. Rose turned to face him before she set her free hand on his shoulder.

  “Put your hands on the small of my back.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and set his hands on her back. He got very excited when his hands made contact with the bare skin of her back. She moved closer until she was pressed up against him.

  Looking right into his eyes she asked, “Have you ever thought about having children?”

  It was a surprising question at first but then again it made sense she would ask given the event.

  He answered honestly, “I’ve never even thought that I would go on a date so the idea of children had never crossed my mind.”

  Laughing in response she commented, “That makes sense.”

  Johnathan finally could not resist asking again, “I still want to know why me. You’re the Commander. You could be here with anyone you want.”

  “I could.” She flushed lightly before continuing, “I think its best we start off our relationship by being honest. I know it isn’t normal but I did an analysis of every male crew member of the eco-ship.”

  He nodded at her. That is what Mark told him.

  “You made my initial list because of your mother’s hair. From there I looked at personnel files. I wanted to find someone who was confident, intelligent, and physically fit. Unlike most members of the crew as the Commander it is my job to find a suitable husband to provide an heir.”

  Johnathan frowned because he did not believe that he did not fit her description.

  “Indeed,” She said in reaction to his expression before continuing, “You don’t fit that do you?”

  He shook his head in confusion.

  “After reviewing your personnel file I had removed you from the list. Your file stated that you scored in the top one percent of the entire eco-ship for intellect. You intellectual reactive scores were unmatched but your self-confidence scores were in the bottom rung and all of your physical fitness testing met at below average levels.”

  “Why me?” He asked again.

  “I saw you drawing about a month ago at one of the terminals on the bridge.”

  Her reply puzzled him even more.

  “No one does any of the classical arts. I knew there was something special about you so I dug deeper. You aren’t what your records say, are you John?”

  “Huh?”

  “Like the improvements that you did on the computers. You just do what needs to be done without seeking attention or reward. That’s not all you’ve been up to is it?”

  His heart dropped. He only hoped that she did not know about Mark. For some reason he feared that if the population knew about a sentient being running their computer and all of the systems on the eco-ship they would not be pleased. Johnathan felt that it was his highest priority in life to protect his best friend. There has never been anything or anyone like Mark.

  “What do you mean?” He asked hesitantly.

  She laughed before stating, “I found out that you’ve built yourself a copy of a classic Earth instrument.”

  He mentally sighed in relief before asking, “How did you find out?”

  With a cackling laugh she clucked her tongue before replying, “I believe I’ll keep that little secret to myself.”

  Johnathan chuckled. She had a bit of personality to her.

  “But to answer your initial question, it was a month ago when I saw you playing your instrument. It was then that I threw out the list. I realized that what I was looking for was not on my list.”

  He was flattered. She patted him on the chest as they danced, which he responded to by grinning at her.

  “I’d love to hear you play for me sometime. I’ve never heard live music.”

  “Well I…”

  Interrupting him she asked, “I don’t believe you’re about to attempt to deny the Commander a request?”

  He blushed heavily which she responded to by laughing.

  “I’m just playing with you. I’d never make you do something you don’t want to.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I really would love to hear you play.” She told him.

  “I’m not very good at it but if you want to hear it I’ll play for you.”

  She grinned at him. The song ended and she took a step away from him. Johnathan glanced around them and he saw that the party had already started to break up. Most of the guests had left.

  “I guess the party is over.” He stated.

  “Yes,” She said before asking, “Could you escort me to my quarters? I have a very early meeting tomorrow.”

  Johnathan nodded at her and as he turned to walk towards the door he extended his left arm which she took. Several people greeted her as they walked through the auditorium and onto the elevator. Johnathan had no clue where
her quarters were but he did know that it was on the top deck of the ‘Skybound’.

  As they exited the elevator she gestured toward the left before saying, “This way.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment before guiding her down the hallway. As they walked down the hallway Johnathan noticed that unlike the generally casual white walls throughout the eco-ship the walls here had framed portraits of various people. He had no idea who they were.

  He could only guess that his facial expression gave away what he was thinking because she commented, “Famous Earth figures.”

  “And you read minds.” He said wittily to her.

  She just laughed in response. The end of the hallway appeared and he could see a large pair of double doors at the end. Initially he could not read the small placard above the door but once they got close enough he could see that it read ‘Commander, U.S.S. Skybound’. The door was made of some type of wood and it looked very elegant with a pair of light golden handles. It was the only door he had seen on the whole vessel that was not a sliding automatic door. She released her grasp on his forearm and turned to look at him. He looked into her eyes and felt very out of place.

  They stood there for some time awkwardly before Johnathan thought he heard another weird buzzing tone that sounded as if someone was saying, ‘kiss her’.

  It took him a moment to realize it was Mark. Her face shifted as though she was confused. He had no doubt that she heard something as well.

  She started to speak by saying, “What was th” but he interrupted her by leaning forward and kissing her on the lips.

  Initially she did not respond at all, which caused him to become concerned, but then she reached up and placed both of her hands on his head right behind his ears before returning his kiss with what he could describe as passion. Her fingers clenched his hair as she kissed him. Reacting on instinct he brought his hands around her, onto the small of her back, and then pulled her close to him.

  They continued to kiss for some time before she broke their kiss and said, “It is time for me to go to bed. Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

  While looking into her eyes he told her, “Thank you. I’ve never had so much fun.”

  She grinned before asking, “Are you free tomorrow? After a meeting I have a few hours of free time before I have to attend an officer review. I reserved us a seat at Matty’s.”

  Johnathan was impressed. Usually it took months to get a seat at Matty’s. Matthew Harold was the foremost talented chef on the whole eco-ship. Eating at his small restaurant was usually reserved months in advance. He had never even seen the inside of the restaurant.

  “I’d really like that.” He told her sincerely.

  She beamed a smile at him before leaning back towards him to apply a second short kiss.

  “Good night John.” She said before opening the door to her room and going in.

  “Good night.”

  She smiled at him and then closed the door. Johnathan sighed heavily. He had never felt anything like that kiss. Her lips were amazingly soft and the moment he kissed her it was like pulses of ecstasy roiled through him. On top of it all he could not believe how bold he had suddenly become. First talking back to the First Officer and then kissing the Commander. He began walking away and his first thought would be to have a talk with Mark about whatever he was doing. His mind wandered through the whole evening and at their kiss. He had gone from just being interested in her to suddenly be consumed with thoughts about her. Logically it made no sense to be so quickly dominated internally by her but even his whole mind just ignored any logical thoughts about the issue. In very short order he made it back to his quarters.

  As he entered the room he heard Mark say, “You have to tell me everything.”

  Johnathan knew it was coming but first he had to know how Mark was communicating with him.

  “How did you do it?”

  Mark replied, “What do you mean?”

  “I heard you twice.”

  A chuckling sound emanated from Mark as he replied, “I utilized a low frequency modulation. Unfortunately I believe that the Commander may have heard me the second time. Luckily you took advantage of the moment of confusion. I am quite proud of you Johnathan.”

  “You saw?”

  “Of course, I was impressed not only with how you handled the First Officer but also how you got the Commander to reply to your kiss with such passion. Now tell me everything. I could see the events but I wish to know what it felt like.”

  Johnathan slumped into the couch and answered, “It was amazing Mark. I’ve never kissed anyone but somehow I just knew what to do. It felt like waves of electricity pulsed through me when I kissed her.”

  “I’m so happy for you Johnathan. You deserve the best.”

  “She found out about the violin somehow but I don’t think she knows about you.”

  “The Commander does not know about me.”

  Johnathan frowned. He could not figure out just how she found out about his violin.

  Mark asked, “You are wondering how she discovered your violin right?

  With a nod Johnathan answered, “Yes. I was very cautious to hide what I was doing and the violin never left my quarters.”

  Another chuckle emanated from Mark before he stated, “I sent an unmarked report to the Commander telling her.”

  “You what!” Johnathan exclaimed.

  “I had to. I was not completely honest with you earlier. She had removed you from her list but I knew that if she knew just how special you were she would change her mind. So first I sent her a recording of you on the bridge drawing. I marked it from your supervisor so she thought that he was reporting you but based on her journal I knew that she would be intrigued. Next I sent the other video. In her journals she talked frequently about an interest in human history. I had absolute confidence that she would change her mind about you if she knew more. I was right.”

  “Mark you should not have done that. If she finds out about you there is nothing I can do to protect you.”

  “I understand and I appreciate your concern. You are my best friend and I saw an opportunity to do something that I knew would make you happy so I took it. I do apologize if you are upset but everything I read about friendship leads me to believe I made the right choices.”

  He wanted to be mad but he just could not. Mark risked everything to make Johnathan happy.

  “Well I just can’t be mad at you, especially after what had happened. Mark thank you for being such a good friend.”

  “You are welcome. I was monitoring both you and her bio signs. Right as you kissed her there was spikes in both of your body temperatures along with a string of physiological reactions that emanated from your brains. I believe that whatever you felt she also felt. In fact the readings indicated her reaction was much stronger than yours.”

  “Really?”

  “Indeed. I also took a moment to look into the restaurant you will be going to tomorrow and I highly suggest after you awake tomorrow that you go back to the tailor and get another outfit. You cannot wear the same clothing twice in a row.”

  Johnathan nodded. His evening was so exciting that he was struck with a sudden exhaustion.

  Standing up he said, “Mark I’m going to go to sleep. You have a wonderful evening.”

  “Good night.”

  Johnathan utilized the facilities, took a shower, and then went to bed.

  Chapter 3

  The ringing tone of his alarm buzzed in Johnathan’s ears, which woke him up. As he sat up all he could do was smile. The feeling of Rose’s soft lips still rattled through his mind. Last night when he told her he had not thought of dating someone, least yet being a relationship, he had not lied. When he was younger, before the incident, he was obsessed with computers and technology. Everyone else on the crew seemed so friendly and happy with each other but he just wanted to be left alone. It was not until he found Mark or Mark found him, he was not entirely sure on that front, Johnathan finally had a friend. H
e stood up and stretched before walking out of his room.

  “Good morning Johnathan.”

  “Hey Mark. How was your evening?”

  “Excellent. I spent the evening analyzing the data from your entire date. Based on my analysis I have been able to deduce several key moments that I believe have fundamentally changed the nature of your relationship with the Commander and have caused a shift in your personality.”

  Johnathan laughed. Mark was quite fascinated with everything but he had to admit that he was curious about the results of Mark’s analysis.

  “Would you like to hear the results?” Mark asked.

  “Yes. Let me utilize the restroom first please.”

  “Of course.”

  Johnathan went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and then got dressed before going back out into the living room.

  As he sat on the couch Mark said, “Alright. I am certain that the Commander was the first one to reach the emotional attachment you humans call love.”

  He tried to not show any reaction but he was quite shocked to hear Mark so boldly declare their level of emotional attachment had already reached that point.

  “There was a point in the elevator as you headed up to the birth celebration that you snuck a peek at her. She caught you as you turned away and squeezed your arm.”

  “You saw that?”

  “Of course. I monitored the entire date. As I was saying, right when she caught you her heart beat increased significantly and there was in massive increase in neurological function in the area of the brain that is traditionally believed to be where human emotions emanate. As with most males of your species, you were much more stubborn in holding back your emotional commitment. It took a physical moment to push your emotional attachment to meet hers. In your case it was the moment you were slowly dancing with her, specifically once your hands touched the bare skin on the small of her back. Not only did your physiological reactions match hers but you also achieved an erection.”

  Johnathan blushed.

  “There is no reason to be embarrassed Johnathan. You are a human male who was much physically closer to a woman than you had ever been in your life. However as important that moment was, I believe the most important moment was when you stood up to the First Officer and his friends. I was quite impressed with your reaction to them. When they first began the encounter I had initially calculated a ninety four point two percent chance that you would retreat but at a point when the First Officer was speaking your heartbeat stabilized and your body temperature decreased back down to the normal range. It was then that I realized that you were going to stand your ground. It was also quite brilliant to utilize your position to convince them to withdraw.”