---

Chapter 27

Young Love

---

Leah skipped down the hall ahead of Jimmy. He shared her excitement about Cosmos becoming sentient and felt as euphoric as she.

At her door, she insisted he come inside.

“Jimmy, we did it!” She plopped down beside him on the couch and did a fist pump. “We created an AI!”

Leah curled her legs under her and scooted closer so she could lean her head on his shoulder. She reached over and laced her small fingers into his.

Being this close both excited and scared Jimmy. He couldn’t get his mind off what they talked about earlier, and he didn't want his inexperience to ruin their friendship.

Leah placed her free hand on his cheek and turned his face to hers. Her soft lips met his, and she coaxed his mouth open with her darting tongue. His hand wandered to her waist, and he pulled her closer. He wasn’t sure how far she would let him go but gathered his courage and slipped his hand under her shirt and felt the bare skin of her soft belly.

Long moments passed with them locked in a passionate kiss. Jimmy’s shyness melted away, but he was hesitant. Leah instinctively understood that he needed her permission before he would allow himself to go further. She slid her hand under her shirt, took his hand, and guided it to rest on her breast. Jimmy felt the hard nipple beneath the silky material of her bra, and he teased it with his thumb noticing the pleased reaction from his partner. He squeezed the soft mound of flesh, and she caught his hand.

“Gently Jimmy,” she whispered.

“Oh, I’m sorry Leah, I don’t….” “Shhhh,” she said placing a finger over his lips.

She leaned back and began to unbutton her blouse, then removed it and tossed it to the floor. Leah reached behind her and unclasped her bra and before he knew what was happening she slipped out of it, and her perky breasts were so close to his face the smell of the perfume she had spritzed on her cleavage immersed him in it's arousing essence.

Leah took Jimmy’s head in both hands and began kissing his forehead then his eyelids and nose and teased her tongue over his lips. She squeezed his cheeks between her hands then pulled back and smiled at him. She filled her lungs with air, and he noticed her breast rise into his view again. He stared at the rosy nipples then darted his eyes back to hers. She lowered his head to her bosom and gasped when he began to suckle her.

Jimmy squirmed uncomfortably. His erection was bulging and painful, but he was too self-conscious to adjust himself. Leah smiled when she realized the problem and reached for the clasp at his waist. She popped the button of his uniform britches and slid the zipper down.

Later, when they found themselves in the bedroom, Leah sensed Jimmy’s frustration when several attempts to copulate failed. He supported his weight above her on his elbows and groaned.

“I’m sorry Leah, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said.

He was embarrassed by his lack of experience, but that’s what she loved about him. She took his face in her hands and looked him directly in the eye.

“Jimmy, watch!” Leah made a V with the fingers of one hand and wiggled them to imitate legs.

“Imagine a girl laying down like I am now. Instead of approaching me like this,” she used the index finger of her other hand to point vertically into the apex of her fingers. “This is how I think we should try it,” she rotated her hand and pointed horizontally into the V of her fingers.

“Ahhh,” he said, suddenly aware of the problem, "okay, let's try that!"

He repositioned himself, and on his next attempt, both of their eyes widened when his entry was successful. Leah never had to show him again.

Source

“Captain, I have some nanobot designs that would greatly enhance the ability to repair myself. I’d like Mr. Berryman to produce them, with your permission of course,” said Cosmos from the bridge intercom.

John looked over at Kei.

“Cosmos, what will these nanobots be capable of?” she asked.

“Utilizing the existing materials of my construction I can close hull beaches rapidly and also manufacture new devices that will be useful to the crew and me. I should also fix several flaws in my structural design, and with your permission, I would like to send the design of an inter-dimensional force field generator to Mr. Jess for his review. It would protect me from a thermonuclear blast by redirecting the energy to an empty nearby dimension.”

John raised straight up in his chair. “That sounds interesting, what do you think Kei?”

Kei shook her head and shrugged, “I don’t see why not, John, the things she's done to herself already are incredible and she has improved crew morale with the tweaks she did on the Virtual Reality Units. The simulations are astonishingly realistic.”

Where before there were little blurs in the imaging or noticeable repetitions to soundtracks that marred the illusion of the programs, Cosmos had rewritten code and had the engineering staff add modifications to the electronics that made the simulations undetectable from the real thing. She also added simulations of her own that were the talk of the ship. The Virtual Reality Units were booked for months ahead by people wanting to experience her recent additions.

“Okay, Cosmos, I’ll approve those request,” he said. “What is the status of the weapons ring?”

“The weapons ring will be operational in three days sixteen hours and 17 minutes. I can shorten the time if you allow me to use the improved nanobots to speed construction."

“Very well, Cosmos, you have my permission.”

“Thank you, Captain,” said Cosmos and a tweetle indicated the connection closed.

Eric Berryman looked at the design, puzzled. “Cosmos, I don’t understand how these things will work,” he said.

“These nanobots will communicate inter-dimensionally and will be able to replicate themselves from existing materials, excluding living biological material of course, and will consume themselves to finish a construction process. They will maintain a presence, similar to a coat of paint, on all of my surfaces and will activate only when a repair or modification is needed.”

“Sounds impossible from what I see. What makes these bots so special?”

“They will be able to do their work at an exceptional speed and move between interdimensional space. I think you will be pleased when you see them in action.”

“Okay,” said Eric, “I should be able to have a reasonable quantity in a few hours, I’ll contact you then.”

“Thank you, Mr. Berryman,” said Cosmos.

Eric began typing the commands for his army of nanomachines to start assembly of this new technology.

“I don’t know how this thing works, but she want’s it placed in the bow and told me to contact her when we get it there,” said Carter. He and Jimmy had just loaded a device about the size of a bushel basket and mounting brackets onto a maglev cart and were strapping them down. They spent the morning assembling the thing from parts delivered by Eric’s people. A printed diagram accompanied the pieces.

Leah turned the sketch upside down and turned it over to check the back for more printing.

Source

“What are we going to do when we get it there,” she asked, “ it doesn’t say what to do on this schematic?”

“We’ll ask Cosmos, I suppose, let’s go,” said Carter pushing the maglev cart toward the door.

They drifted down the central core with Jimmy and Leah holding on either side of the cart and Carter letting the thrusters of his lowgrav vest move them along.

Jimmy used a screwdriver to remove an access panel once they got to the bow and they unstrapped the device from the cart and pushed it ahead of them into the crawl space behind the forward telescope array.

“Okay Cosmos,” said Carter tapping his temple to activate his NI, “the package is in place.”

“Thank you, Carter," replied Cosmos.

“WOW,” said Leah pointing at the device.

As the three watched, the bulkhead before them blurred and morphed, then folded over the machine. It disappeared into the wall.

Jimmy tapped his temple and selected the view from the bow cameras. “Wow, is right,” he said, “that thing just passed through the hull, and she’s attaching cables to it next to Lydia’s telescopes.”

“I guess we’re through here?” asked Carter speaking out loud.

“Yes, Carter, thank you again,” he heard Cosmos say over his open communicator.

“Uh, I guess we’ll break for lunch guys.” He looked over at Leah and Jimmy and shrugged.

“Great, I’ll race you to the lift,” said Leah maximizing the thrust of her lowgrav vest.

“Oh, no you don’t,” said Jimmy pushing off the wall to chase after her.

"What’s up with those two? Carter wondered. It wasn’t like Jimmy to leave him to secure the access panel alone.

“My place is closer than yours,” said Jimmy as he caught up with Leah at the lift. “Okay,” she said, struggling out of her lowgrav vest.

The doors opened, and they ran hand in hand down the hallway to Jimmy’s door. He placed his hand on the entry pad and followed her inside. When the door hissed closed, he wrapped her in his arms and pushed her against the closed door. She met his kiss with her hungry mouth. He stopped long enough to hook his thumbs into the waistband of her uniform pants and slip them down her slender legs where she kicked them off on the floor. Jimmy grinned at her lacy thong and pulled the little garment to her knees, and while she wriggled free of the sexy underwear, he dropped his pants. Bending down, he hooked her knees behind his forearms and lifted her against the door. Their eyes met, and Leah grinned wickedly at him then gasped when he urgently buried himself inside her. After the initial shock of his sudden invasion, she smiled and kissed him passionately enjoying the steady rhythm of his eager thrusts.

“Captain, you're needed in the central core,” said Eric Berryman over the bridge intercom.

John got up from the desk in his stateroom and headed toward the door.

“What’s up Eric,” he asked on his communicator as he passed through the bridge?

“You need to get down here Captain. You’re not going to believe this.”

He raised his eyebrows and said, ”Kei, with me, Lydia you have the bridge.”

John stumbled as the door of the lift opened, and the floor of the central core rose up to meet him. Eric stood at the entrance to the elevator smiling.

“What is this?” asked John.

“Gravity!” exclaimed Eric.

“I can see that, but how?”

Eric turned his hands up and shook his head. “I don’t know Captain. Ever since we released those nanobots she ordered, she’s been redesigning herself. Look at this.” He took a small gray cube from his pocket and showed it to the Captain.

John turned the material over and over in his hands. “What is it?” he asked.

“I’m not through analyzing it Captain, but I asked Cosmos for a sample when I noticed her bots were busy working over the hull. This stuff is one hundred percent radiation proof, I think it could take a direct hit from a rail gun with minimal damage, and it seems to absorb high energy beams directed at it. She’s been busy changing the whole outside surface to this stuff. As far as I can tell, her nanobots take our original material and transform it into this. And Captain," he paused scratching his head, "the habitat rings have stopped spinning. We have an artificial gravity all through the ship. She hasn’t changed the manufacturing ring but everywhere else….” He waved his hand across the floor indicating they were standing where once they floated.

John looked up from the object in his hand.

“Cosmos, explain the gravity.”

“Certainly Captain, gravity is the attractive force between….”

“Cosmos, you know what I mean,” interrupted John.

“Yes, Captain," she said with a humorous tone to her automated voice, "I recognized that my human occupants could function better within an environment similar to Earth. I determined that spinning rings to produce artificial gravity was an inefficient method, so I had my nanobots design a ship-wide gravity generator. Areas, where it is advantageous to have zero gravity, have been left alone. I can undo these changes if you wish Captain.”

John was amazed. “No, Cosmos that won’t be necessary, carry on,” he said sounding stunned.

“Thank you, Captain.” “Tweetle”

Carter turned the screw head on the last Dzus fastener on Sagan’s fusion drive cowlings. Jimmy held a ladder for him as he climbed back to the shuttle bay deck. It was much more comfortable working on machinery in a gravity environment. He was eager to query Cosmos about how this artificial gravity worked.

“Okay Leah,” he called into the open hatch, “have him rerun a diagnostic.”

Source

A few minutes later the air beside Carter wavered, and the holographic image of Sagan appeared. He put both thumbs up and smiled at Carter.

“All systems are functioning correctly, Mr. Jess, thank you! You also Jimmy and Leah,” he said as Leah jumped down beside Jimmy from the shuttle.

“Let’s call it a day guys I’m pooped,” said Carter.

Leah winked at Jimmy and rushed for the door.

“See you tomorrow boss,” said Jimmy tossing a greasy rag onto a work table.

Carter shook his head as he watched Jimmy hurry after Leah.

“What has gotten into them?” he asked.

“Ah, young love!” said Sagan clasping his hands behind his back and smiling at Carter.

Jimmy kicked his work boots off in the corner of Leah’s bedroom. Dropping his pants and work shirt on top of them he slipped out of his briefs. Glancing up at Leah’s bare bottom disappearing into the bathroom Jimmy paused to watch. The shower came on, and he walked in to find her shaking her face into the warm spray. Rivulets of water and suds ran over her perky breast. He stood mesmerized by her beauty. “What on Earth did this gorgeous woman see in him?” he wondered. He stepped into the warm spray to share her shower.

Leah followed Jimmy into the bedroom rubbing her wet hair with a towel. She watched him walk around the room and turn on every light he could find.

“What are you doing?” she asked curiously.

He looked up and said, “Oh nothing, you’ll think I’m silly.”

“Really Jimmy, what are you doing?” she insisted.

“Well, I want to see what’s going on, you know?” His ears turned red when she giggled.

She noticed his embarrassment and then softly said, “You know, I want to watch too," and grinned at his surprise.

Later he lay on his back looking up at the ceiling. He could hear Leah in the bathroom cleaning up. Not only had he been able to see, but she encouraged him to explore her body and ask questions. He thought he had a mental image of every soft fold and crevice she kept private from others. She wanted to explore too, and her gentle touch in sensitive places thrilled him. She showed him her erogenous zones and told him how she like him to touch her. She encouraged him to ask questions and tell her what he liked for her to do for him. She stressed nothing was too embarrassing to ask, and he shouldn't be ashamed to express his desires. Leah discovered an area on his perineum that he hadn’t even known was pleasing until she softly kissed him there.

He heard the toilet flush and she walked in grinning at him. She stood at the side of the bed, and he threw back the covers to get up.

“Oh, no you don’t mister,” she said pushing him flat on the bed and crawling on top of him. “You’re going to make love to me again!”

He grinned wickedly at her.

“Okay," he laughed, "but can I pee first?”

She rolled off him and giggled hysterically.

When he returned, she was staring at the ceiling smiling. He slid in beside her and pecked her on the cheek then gathered a pillow under his chin.

“What are you thinking about,” he asked?

“Oh, nothing,” she said blushing a bit.

He let that hang for a minute.

“Well, a person can’t think of nothing, what is it?”

“You’ll think I’m silly.”

It seemed like he had heard this before.

“What?” he insisted.

She turned her head sharply toward him.

“Well, I’d like to try something.”

She blushed and covered her face with her hands.

“What?”

She hesitated.

“Leah, you know how you encourage me to ask and explore and not be ashamed? I want you to know, anything you care to share with me is safe too. Don't be scared to ask anything of me either. I love you!"

She gazed into his eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You do? You love me?"

"With all my heart," he said brushing the tear from her face.

I love you too Jimmy. I think I have since the moment we first met."

She sat up, and he rolled to the side to see what she was doing. She got onto her knees and put her shoulders flat on the bed parting her legs and exposing herself to his astonished gaze. She looked back at him and smiled.

“I want you to take me like this,” she said.

Source

At that moment he was confident that he loved this crazy girl, he wanted to be with her for a very long time. He had never been so happy in his life and discovering her love for him was a sobering feeling.

He stared at her a moment not saying a thing. The pause made her think she had gone too far and she moved to get up. He placed a hand on her back and sat up to kiss her softly on the bare cheek of her buttocks.

“Please, Leah, I want to have you that way too,” he said and kneeled down to position himself behind her. "I love a girl with a sense of adventure!"

She fell asleep a little sore that night cradled in his strong arms.

---

---

Thanks for reading Chapter Twenty Seven
in my first attempt at
Science Fiction

---

Read Chapter One here​

---

Thumbnail Source