Fleet Academy

by M. Scott Cottrell

  “Command, go ahead EVA one.”

  “Training stick of fifteen requesting EVA.”

  “Roger EVA one. You are cleared as per logged training plan for EVA.”

  “Roger comm. Thank you.” Matt said before turning the command frequency to monitor and switching his suit back to intercom mode. “Ok we are cleared to go. Petty Officer Jenkins, would you cycle the lock please?”

  “Aye sir!” he heard her report crisply. Within seconds the air began to bleed off until there was none left in the lock. The outer lock door opened, revealing the second lock, which everyone moved into. Matt made sure the last person had cleared the doors before he closed them. As soon as they were closed the gravity began to bleed off as well. He had done this enough that he had no difficulty allowing his suit to float gently free of the deck, but many of the others, who had never done this in real space before kicked off unevenly, causing them to fly off at an angle before hitting another wall of the air lock or another person. The NCO’s quickly corralled them and got them back lined up, using their thruster packs to push them around like little more than cargo. Once he was sure everyone was settled, Matt cycled open the outer door.

  “Ok. Single file. Let’s move out.” Matt ordered as the cadre moved out of the lock and set up line to catch anyone who thrusted their suits too hard. It took a couple minutes for most of them to get the hang of the suit thrusters and form a line outside the ship. Matt watched as the NCO’s corralled one or two who seemed to have trouble keeping their suits in line. Matt watched Joan to make sure she was doing ok, identifying her with the big number ten on her back. She quickly got the hang of the thrusters and made a nice graceful turn at the cockpit window, waving to the pilot as instructed. The stick returned to the air lock without incident, the whole EVA taking less than thirty minutes. Following cycling back through the air locks, the NCO’s pulled the numbers from their suits and helped them into a rack. It took several more minutes for everyone to get unsuited and standing back in a gaggle near the suit bay lock.

  “Ok. Last step is to strip off your cool suit in the locker area and put it into the sealed compartment in the locker. The system will automatically clean the suit while you hit the showers. Once you’re done there you are dismissed to your normal duty.” Matt told the group while the air lock door cycled open. He followed the trainees into the air lock along with the NCO’s that worked the EVA and cycled the lock. It didn’t take long, since the air lock didn’t need to equalize pressure, only gravity, allowing the group to file out and find their lockers again. Each person was handed a tag with their name, to place on their lockers, by the equipment NCO that had issued them their cool suits. Matt went to his locker and stripped his suit and underwear off. Joan undressed next to him and teased him by wiggling her chest at him as he undressed whenever she thought no one was looking. He gave her a cross look, causing her to pout at him before she turned and headed toward the showers. He noticed that two of the guys were taking a bit longer to get stripped down than the rest of the group, both of them also wearing briefs.

  “Is there a problem gentlemen?” He asked as he walked down the line.

  “No sir!” they both said.

  “Well let’s get going then.” He said sharply.

  “We will sir, in a minute.” One of the two said.

  Matt looked down and saw the problem bulging out the front of their underwear. “Look gentlemen. Either learn to not get turned on by your fellow crew mates, or get used to having them see it. Now move your cans into the showers.”

  “Aye sir!” they both said as they snapped to attention, before quickly stripping off their briefs and heading to the shower room.

  Petty Officer Jenkins was walking back from the shower room already, totally naked, her dark red hair a stark contrast to her light freckled skin.

  “You were a bit rough on them sir.” Jenkins said as she stopped at her locker and started pulling on her clothes.

  Matt stepped down to where she was dressing, having only gotten on her bra and socks. “You think so?”

  “Hell yes sir. Some of these Ensigns have only seen half a dozen naked female bodies before. I can’t blame them for getting turned on.”

  “Oh? Do you?”

  “Do I what sir?”

  “Get turned on in a locker room?”

  She smiled at him. “Actually sir. Sometimes I do.”

  “Well the difference is, that it’s harder to tell on you.” Matt said quietly. “If they can’t keep from getting turned on, then maybe they should get used to having it hang out.”

  “Really sir?”

  “You bet.”

  Jenkins looked over her shoulder and then looked down at the front of Matt’s briefs. “Does that include you sir?”

  Matt looked down. “Damn… I guess it does.” He said as he turned and headed back to his locker to finish stripping

  “Good sir. And by the way, that does turn me on.” Jenkins said, making sure Matt knew exactly what she was referring to.

  “I think I better go take care of that shower now Jenkins.”

  “Aye sir.” She said with a sly grin.

  Matt walked off to the shower room, knowing full well how he must look, but refusing to allow his embarrassment to show. He found an empty tube and slipped inside and hit the water and over ride, flooding the chamber with cold water mist. It had the desired effect and after two cycles he was down to a less obvious state. He hit the dryer and stood in the warm air for several seconds allowing the flow to dry the water from his body. After it detected that the moisture content was low enough, it turned off and he stepped out. The room was mostly clear as he walked out to the locker room and dressed at his locker. The two Ensigns that had difficulty had apparently made record time getting dressed and out of the locker room.

  After getting dressed Matt made his way to the armory and entered, heading to his office. Joan was already there, sitting in the office chair.

  “You were kind of rough on those two.” She said a she pulled the zipper of her jump suit down slowly. “I mean everyone gets turned on sometimes, don’t they?”

  “I suppose they do.” Matt said, watching more and more cleavage slowly appear.

  “I need to put on my bra yet. You don’t mind do you?” she said standing up and sliding the zipper down to her waist. She didn’t wait for him to answer, before she pulled the material off her shoulders and let it slide off her body, leaving her naked above the waist in front of him.

  “Sometimes I think all the women on this ship are exhibitionists!” Matt said, shaking his head. “By the way...” He whispered. “There’s a security camera right over my shoulder, and you’re probably giving the guys in security a real hardon by now.

  “Damn!” she said “Why didn’t you tell me?” She squeaked as she quickly pulled her sports bra on and started stuffing her breasts into it.

  “You didn’t give me a chance.” He said as she shoved her arms into her jump suit and zipped it up.

  “Thanks for nothing.” She said with mock sternness as she stepped past him and out the door.

  Matt sat down and logged into the computer. He quickly pulled up the training record and sent the appropriate annotations to each person’s personal training files. He logged off and headed for his quarters, intending on packing his gear and moving to his new billet. Joan was laying on the bottom bunk half naked when he stepped inside, her hand down the front of her jump suit. “Damn.” She said pulling her hand out of her pants and trying to quickly zip them up.

  I guess watching all those guys in the shower room really turned you on.” Matt said, shaking his head as he walked to his locker.

  She was still breathing heavily as she lay back on the bunk. “The problem with this place is there isn’t anywhere that gives a girl any privacy.”

  “Like you give to me?” He asked as he pulled his sea bag out and began filling it with his gear.

  “Where are you going?” She asked as she stood up from the bunk and
watched him pack.

  “I need to change billets, remember?”

  “Oh yeah.” She said quietly, disappointment obvious in her voice.

  Matt finished packing his bag and walked out the door headed for his new quarters, leaving her sitting glumly on her bunk. He quickly found his new cabin and opened the door to the empty room. Looking around he realized that there were already three occupants, so he quickly set things on the one vacant top bunk and unloaded his gear into the locker. It didn’t take long for him to get his stuff put up before heading to the mess for lunch. He had another stick of trainees at 1200 and wanted to eat before then. He made a plate of some kind of pasta casserole and fresh baked bread, and then found a table to sit at. He was nearly done eating when Sparks showed up with a plate.

  “Hey stranger, can I sit?”

  “Sure Sparks.” Matt said once he had swallowed his food.

  “So. What do you think of our new roommate?” She said with a grin while she began to eat some chicken and potatoes.

  “She’s ok.” Was all he responded.

  “You are a real pain sometimes mister two words,” she said with a laugh. “I want to know what you think of her.”

  “No you don’t. You either want to know if I’m interested in her, or if I’m hot for her, which both equate to wanting to know if I’m more interested in her than you.”

  “Well, that’s pretty good. I didn’t know I was so transparent. So… which is it?”

  Matt sat for few long seconds. “I don’t think I better answer that. You might get angry with me.”

  “I know I will if you don’t answer,” she said slightly testily.

  “Ok. She’s nice, but I’m really not interested.”

  “Ohhhhh… very good.” She practically cooed at him. “Not only hot, but smart too.”

  “Mama didn’t raise no stupid boys,” he joked.

  “Well, tell mama’s boy to get ready… I got some catch up to do tonight!” She said with a wicked grin. “I happen to know that Bounce and Joan both have bridge duty to night and I haven’t had any snuggles for what seems like a week!”

  “And how would you know what their duty posts are?”

  “I’m a resourceful girl.” She said with a cheshire cat smile. “And I know what I want.”

  “Well, it seems you do.” He said, smiling back while he finished his food. “Except that it’s not going to happen. I already moved to my new billet, sorry.”

  “Damn!” She swore softly. “I was hoping you’d wait on that a while more.”

  “Sorry Sparks. I was getting quite uncomfortable with our new roommate, who incidentally did have the hots for me! Besides I need to go get ready for my next training stick.” He said getting up. “I’ll see you later.”

  “You better!” She said crossly, her face decorated with a frown.

  He walked away from the table shaking his head. Matt made his way down to the office, where Joan was working on paperwork for the afternoon training stick. “Hey Joan, how is it going?”

  “Ok for me, sucks to be you though.” She said.

  “Why is that?”

  “Captain asked to see you when you got back from lunch. What did you do wrong now?” she kidded.

  “Who knows?” He groaned. “Probably wants to read me the riot act for having you half naked in my office. I’ll be back.”

  Matt made his way up the decks and the length of the ship to reach the Captain’s cabin. He pressed the button to announce himself and the door slid open to admit him. Matt stepped smartly into the cabin and snapped at attention in front of her desk. “Lieutenant Molter reporting as ordered ma’am!” he snapped out.

  “At ease Lieutenant.” The Captain said as she leaned back in her chair. “Please have a seat.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He said taking his seat.

  “How did the first suit training class go?” She asked.

  “I think it went real well ma’am.”

  “Good, any problems I should know about?”

  “No ma’am. We had a problem with a couple of the new Ensigns being a bit shy at getting undressed in a mixed crew, but I think we got that resolved.”

  She sat back in her chair with a smile. “I can still remember my days as an Ensign. It was easier for the guys back then because they were in the majority. Now days it’s more equal and it can make them a bit embarrassed.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Matt replied out of courtesy. She was obviously thinking back to something that happened years ago.

  “Anyway, that’s not what I called you here for. What do you know about the class three emergency suit?”

  “Portable, limited mobility, emergency egress suit. Once was standard on all shuttles and fleet ships, but today sees little use.”

  “Correct, I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you ma’am.”

  “Have you ever donned one?”

  “Yes ma’am. I did once during academy training. They still make us don them but the instructor said we probably wouldn’t ever see one again in our career.” He replied. “To be honest, it wasn’t all that easy to get in to and even harder to move in.”

  “I see. How did Ensign Light do on her suit training this morning?”

  “Excellent ma’am. She’s a natural with the thruster pack. We had to get her some special equipment, but it didn’t seem to bother her.”

  “Good. I want her to take the afternoon stick. I’d like you to pull some class three suits from storage and check them out. I’d like a class set up starting tomorrow for the shuttle pilots. They’re mostly paired up in working teams, so train each team in groups of two. After the incident on Mars I’m having all the shuttles refitted with class three suits. I don’t like losing people if we can prevent it.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Any problems with getting that done?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Very well. Now, how are things going with Ensign Light? Any problems?”

  “No ma’am. The three girls are getting along fine.”

  “Moved to your new quarters yet?”

  “Yes ma’am. I moved my gear today, but haven’t had a chance to meet my new roommates yet.”

  “Ok Lieutenant. If you decide you want that separate billet you’ll let me know?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  The captain smiled. “Very well Lieutenant. Carry on.”

  “Aye ma’am.” He said standing up and heading out of her cabin.

  “That has got to be one busy young man.” She said to herself after he had gone. “Just wait until he realizes that he just changed one frying pan for another.”

  Matt headed back down to the office where he found Joan working on some paperwork. “Change in plans. The Captain has another duty for me. You’re going to need to take the training stick.”

  “ME?” Joan squeaked in surprise.

  “Yep. I’ll have the computer assign your suit from the parts you used this morning. That will be your permanent suit. I meant to do it earlier but I hadn’t gotten to it yet. If you want I can have the Master Chief go out with you.”

  “No. I can handle it.” She said nervously.

  “Yes you can. You have exactly twelve minutes to get it together and meet your afternoon class.” Matt said, stepping out of the door. “I’ll check on you in the cage room if you want me to.”

  “No. That’s ok. I think I can handle it.” She said nervously.

  “Good. I need to go to the suit room and pull some gear. Have fun!” he said as he walked away.

  Matt walked down to the suit room and had the suit tech pull three class three’s in their cases. Then he looked around for Petty Officer Jenkins, finding her in the suit maintenance office reading a skin magazine.

  “Do you really read that stuff, or just look at the pictures?” Matt asked her from the doorway.

  She quickly jumped to attention, dropping the magazine to the floor. Her jump suit was nearly all the way unzipped and bagged apart, exposing her braless ch
est as she stood there.

  Matt bent over and picked up the magazine. It was open to a picture of some guy impaling a tall blond chick. “At ease Jenkins.” He said flipping idly through the magazine as she relaxed.