Fantasy Making of a Starship Captain

Taylor was laughing hysterically to himself through his oxy mask as funny looking space suited figures crossed the extendable docking corridor from the Indomitable into the Charleston.

"Hey guys!" Taylor said, waving at them. "Thanks for coming!"

"Where is the crew?" One of them asked.

"I can't tell you," said Taylor.

"You can't tell us?"

"It's classified!" said Taylor, his eyes wide.

"Fan out," said the leader of the boarding party.

"All right, all right," said Taylor, as they started to walk past him. "I'll take you to them. Walk this way, please."

And then, with exaggerated stretching footsteps, he started to walk to the landing bay. Looking back, Taylor was disappointed to see that they weren't imitating his steps. When they got to the landing bay and the hatch opened, the medical team from the Indomitable was treated to quite a sight.

There were piles of moaning bodies, all over the landing bay. Some had obviously soiled themselves. They were moaning, and groaning. Some were crawling around like blind worms. Others were talking to themselves, or laughing.

And each and every one of them wore a tall, pointed party hat.

"Let's get started," said the leader of the boarding party, walking past Taylor into the chamber.

"No," said Taylor, his eyes wide. "What are you doing? You can't take them! They're mine, mine, all mine, do you hear! All mine!" Taylor was dimly aware that someone was screaming and yelling. Who was that?

"Jose," said the leader.

Taylor didn't see the compression pistol being drawn on him. But he did feel it when the blast hit him in the back.

And after that, nothing.

Taylor was vaguely aware... of voices.

"Stabilized, but what about...."

"Contagion....."

"No longer airborne, but it's still a biological factor in their systems-"

"Have to figure out a way to metabolize the infection-"

That he was he heard. What he saw was white.

Everything was bright white.

And into that whiteness came faces, familiar faces.

"Michael!" Taylor's mother cried.

"Careful. He may not recognize you. He's delirious."

"My boy would always recognize me!" said Sara. "Michael, do you know me?"

"Of course Mom!" said Taylor. He blinked. "Dad. Darden. Val." His voice was calm, detached, as if someone else were speaking.

"You see? He does know us!" Sara cried. "Michael, how are you feeling?"

"Feeling? I feel fine, Mother." Taylor sat up in bed. He was in some kind of hospital. "Better than fine. I feel great!"

Sara gave the Doctor a "I told you so" look. "Michael, dear, we're all so proud of you. You saved that ship of yours, and everyone on it."

"Of course, Mother," said Taylor. "I am the greatest. I am the greatest officer the Survey Service ever has or ever will."

"Easy there, Mike," said Darden.

"Darden! You promised to call me Captain when I became Captain. Well, I was the captain of the Charleston. Call me Captain, Darden."

"Mike-"

"Captain Mike to you, swabby!" Mike said, with a maniacal grin.

"Mike, you're sick," said Sara.

"I'm not sick, Mother! In fact, I've never felt this good in my life!" Taylor said. He paused, looking at her slyly. "I have had an epiphany, Mother. May I share it with you?"

"Of course, dear."

"I am the greatest man to have ever lived. Greater than the greatest. All of you, all of you are of no consequence. The universe is of no consequence. There is only I, Super Taylor! Stand there and be proud, mother, proud that your noble vagina disgorged the highest form of life in the entire uni... universe...." Taylor's voice dropped off as he felt something pressed against his arm, and he slumped back into his pillow. But even then he didn't lose consciousness, not totally.

"A curative treatment-"

"-will take some time-"

"-have to wait and see-"

Time passed. Taylor heard a high pitched laughter in his hospital room. It was most curious. Every time he listened for it, however, the laughter stopped. He couldn't figure out the source of it.

"-starting to stabilize-"

"-too soon to know if he'll make a full recovery-"

"Michael?" A pause. "Michael, are you awake?"

It was the sweetest sounding voice in the world.

Taylor opened his eyes.

"Cherry."

"That's right, Mike, it's me," said Cherry. And with her was-

"Sophie," said Taylor.

"Hello, Michael," said Sophie Astor, with her customary deadpan face.

Both Cherry Oteri and Sophie Astor were wearing their full black and blue Survey Service uniforms. Both had the permanent rank of Ensigns now. They had passed their training cruises with flying colors. Taylor's fate, however, was yet to be seen.

"How're you feeling, Mike?" Cherry asked.

"You're as beautiful as I remembered, Cherry," said Taylor, looking at her shiny black hair, and her sparkling dark eyes. How long had it been since he had last seen her? Had it only been months? It felt like years!

"Thanks, Mike," said Cherry, giving him a nervous smile. "I hear you're getting better."

"Stronger every day, Cherry," said Taylor. He gave her a sexy grin, but saw her frown. What was wrong? "I've missed you, Cherry."

"And I've missed you, Mike," she said, but there was something in the way she said it, something else was there, something that Mike couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Remember the first time we fucked?" Taylor asked.

"Mike!" Cherry said, gesturing to Sophie with her eyes.

"I'll never forget it," said Taylor. "The first time I saw you naked—when you were dripping wet, coming out of that cold river—there's nothing sexier than seeing a pretty woman wet and shivering all over."

"Mike!" said Cherry, giving a nervous smile and looking again towards Sophie.

"And when you seduced me—remember that, Cherry?—rubbing your wonderful pubic hair against my penis, making me so hard, it was the most wonderful experience in my life."

"Maybe we should go," said Cherry, turning to Sophie.

"No, stay!" Taylor pleaded. "This could be so educational for Sophie. You know, Sophie, I finally figured out why you're a Passive Observer. You've never had sex, have you? I'm sure you haven't. That's what you need, a good fuck to teach yourself the joys of living life. Though I suppose it might be wasted on you. I can just see you now, with your legs spread, observing with detached interest as a man puts it in you. And instead of feeling the erotic pleasure of a man coursing inside of you, thrusting, rubbing, taking, needing, you would be like 'The male moved three inches inside of me. Then he moved three inches out of me. There seems to be a distinct pattern here. I must study further such movements for a thorough data analysis'. Ha ha ha ha," said Taylor.

"Let's go, Sophie," said Cherry, starting to pull Sophie's arm.

"Wait! There's so much I wanted to tell you, Cherry!"

"There's something I wanted to tell you too, Michael," she said, and she looked like she was about to cry. "Something important."

Something important!

"I'm all ears! But let me go first. After all, I am the greatest man who ever was or ever will be!" said Taylor.

"Yes Michael?" She took a deep breath, causing her breasts to momentarily swell. "What is it?

Taylor stared right into her eyes. "What I want to say, Cherry, is that you were the greatest fuck ever."

"Michael-"

"Oh, Sarah Blade knew some things that you didn't. But when I fucked you, there in the forest, there was such an... innocence to you, even though you had seduced me, such a wholesomeness to you, that was so incredibly sexy. We had sex a bunch of times after that, but having you then, in the great outdoors, for the very first time, was a once in a life time experience that I could never hope to have again. With anyone."

"I'm... I'm glad you feel that way, Michael," said Cherry, starting to sniffle. She looked incredibly pained. "Michael, there's something I need to tell you-"

"And something I need to tell you!" said Taylor. "I should have done it!"

"Done what, Michael?"

"Resigned my commission," said Taylor promptly.

"Michael?"

"I should have resigned my commission and become a stay at home Dad. You could go off and have your Survey Service adventures, and come home once every few months and give me a pity fuck. Eventually you'd pop out a baby or two. I'd stay home to take care of them while you were out roaming the stars and saving the galaxy-"

"Oh Michael-"

"It would be so worth it! Even if I could only have your body once in a while, it would be so worth it! So what do you say, Cherry? Will you marry me?"

Cherry tried to speak, not once, but twice, but each time her words got caught in her throat. Sobbing, she fled the room.

Taylor looked at Sophie Astor, who was still observing him like an entomologist would study a bug. "And what have you learned from this experience, young Ensign?"

Sophie blinked and considered carefully. Then she said, "That sometimes there can be a method even to madness."

And then he got better.

It happened so gradually that Taylor didn't really realize it until it had already happened. His crazed laughter ceased; his delusions, his mania subsided, and one day he felt completely... normal.

He was astonished to learn that five weeks had passed since he had returned to Earth.

He was pleased that the entire crew, all of them, had recovered, or were well on their way to recovery.

He saw his parents, and was pleased that they were pleased with his recovery.

And all was well until his lawyer showed up at his hospital bed.

"I'm Michael Rabinowitz, your lawyer," said the short, curly dark haired man wearing a Survey Service Lieutenant's uniform.

"Lawyer?" Taylor said. "What do I need a lawyer for? This is a joke, right?"

"I wish it weren't," said Rabinowitz.

Taylor learned that now that he had been officially declared sane once again, he was to be put on trial, for dereliction of duty, disobeying the orders of a superior officer, endangering the lives of the crew of the USS Charleston, and launching an unprovoked attack on two civilian ships.

Taylor sat there stunned as Rabinowitz read the charges. It was only later, much later, that he realized that his lawyer was in fact one of the Rabinowitz's from the veritable law firm of Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz, and Rabinowitz, the same company which produced the Robolawya. Michael Rabinowitz, it turned out, was the great nephew of Miriam Rabinowitz, one of the prime founders of Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz, and Rabinowitz.

Michael Rabinowitz could have joined the family firm and cashed in. but after he got his law degree he decided to join the Survey Service instead, because of his sense of obligation to help others. Taylor, who had joined the Service for similar reasons, admired the man when he eventually learned about his background.

But the two were far from fast friends at first.

"You're a mess, Cadet," said Rabinowitz, rubbing his balding head. "You go out for a little training cruise, and you come back with every charge in the book leveled against you."

"It wasn't exactly a typical training cruise," said Taylor.

"So I hear," said Rabinowitz. "Let's take the charges one at a time. The biggest is the claim that you fired on civilian vessels, and kidnapped several Ramadhan citizens."

"All untrue. They boarded us and tried to take over the ship."

"But you did fire on their ships first, right?'

"Well.... yes, but that was after they attempted to take the ship by force."

"And what evidence do you have of that?"

Taylor gave a laugh.

"Cadet?"

"Just ask Mark Stratford. He was there, in the shuttle bay. He shot them while they were trying to take the ship."

"I have interviewed Crewman Stratford. He says that because of the ravages of the virus, he doesn't clearly remember any of the events of the mission."

Taylor shouldn't have been surprised... but he was. He thought Mark was his friend. Mark had even told him that he was Taylor's "GBF", though Taylor had forgotten what those initials stood for. Taylor should have realized that Mark was not going to stick his neck out for Taylor, because if Taylor were convicted, and Mark spoke up for him, it could hurt Mark's own career in the Survey Service.

"The Ramadhans who you captured claim they were invited onboard to help repair your ship. They say you took them captive in an unprovoked attack and destroyed their ships."

Taylor thought for a minute, and then snapped his fingers. "The landing bay. There's a continuous monitoring system there, right?'

"Yes."

"Review the recordings. You'll not only see that I was telling the truth, but you'll hear them confess that they planted the virus which affected us in the first place."

Rabinowitz's eyebrows shot up. "I'll review the recordings."

Rabinowitz returned a few hours later. "You were right." He sounded stunned. "That was incredibly brave of you two, to take on all those pirates."

"Mark got most of them... even if he says he no longer remembers it," Taylor said, his voice heavy with skepticism.

Rabinowitz nodded. "Before we move on to the other charges, there's just one more thing. After you took the Ramadhan pirates into custody, I can see why you fired on the Ramadhan ships first. It was clear they would attack you once they learned their boarding party had been captured. You destroyed one ship and damaged another." He paused, wetting his lips. "But then you destroyed the second ship, even after it stopped firing on you. Why?"

"It was broadcasting a distress call. The Charleston was immobilized. I had to stop it from calling for assistance. I eventually managed to get the Varonkov drive working again, but even then we just barely made it to the rendezvous point before more raiders caught up to us."

Rabinowitz considered what Taylor had said, and nodded. "I think we can get the Ramadhan charges against you dropped. But that still leaves the serious charges of disobeying a direct order, and needlessly endangering the lives of your crew."

He paused. "You purposefully issued a general signal distress call. That attracted the attention of the Ramadhan pirates. If you hadn't done that-"

"Just a minute," said Taylor. "I issued a distress call, but that was on the direct orders of Captain Hauslohner. I argued against it, but he ordered me to do it."

Rabinowitz looked at him oddly. "Captain Hauslohner tells it differently. His report said that when the Charleston became immobilized, you became panicked, and requested permission to issue a general broadband distress call. The Captain said he told you not to, but you disregarded his orders."

"That's not true! That's not how it happened! It was his idea!" said Taylor.

Rabinowitz sighed. "Furthermore, Captain Hauslohner charged that you entered the nebula without orders, and endangered the lives of the entire crew when the oxygenerator failed."

Taylor took a deep breath. "It's true I entered the nebula without orders. By that time Captain Hauslohner was fully incapacitated, and incapable of making rational decisions. But I had to do it because we were being tracked by three Ramadhan ships. We never would have made it to the rendezvous if we hadn't entered the nebula."

Rabinowitz paused, considering. "I think we can make the case that the nebula was a worthwhile risk. But that's only if we can prove that you didn't issue the distress call on your own authority. Everything springs from that; if there hadn't been a distress call, there would have been no encounter with the pirates, and no need to risk the ship in the nebula."

"I'm telling you, the order to issue the distress call came from the Captain," Taylor said.

"But do you have any proof?"

Taylor paused. He really didn't. He shook his head.

"Just think how this will look at the trial," said Rabinowitz. "I put a cadet on the stand, and he testifies one way. Then I put a Survey Service captain on the stand, and he testifies the other way. What is the jury going to think?" He didn't wait for an answer. "All things being equal, they will think that the cadet was way in over his head. They'll think you lied to avoid taking responsibility."

He sighed, and rubbed his balding head, which was perspiring. "Mike, I think I can get you off with six months and a dishonorable discharge."

"What?" said Taylor.

"We can plead diminished capacity," said Rabinowitz. "We can say, quite credibly, I think, that you were not fully responsible for your actions because of the virus. I can get you off and you'll be out in six months. A year, at the most."

"No!"

"Mike, we're not talking the stockade here. Some of the minimum security Survey Service prisons are quite attractive. Some even have nuclear golf courses, kinetic tennis, hover ball-"

"I am not pleading guilty to this," said Taylor. "I am innocent, do you hear me, innocent!" He paused. "You don't believe me, do you?

Rabinowitz said, "Mike, it doesn't matter what I do or do not believe. What matters is what we can get a military tribunal to believe, and right now I think you are going to have a very uphill battle winning this thing."

Rabinowitz launched into a description of how wonderful life was at a minimum security prison, as if he were some kind of tour promoter, but Mike wasn't listening. He was thinking of the time he argued with Captain Hauslohner about the distress call. There was a key detail that was lacking, he could feel it. Taylor remembered the Captain ordering him to make the distress call. Taylor remembered objecting. Then Hauslohner insisted, so Taylor had issued the call. But what was the key detail that kept nagging him?

The bridge.

Taylor hadn't gone to the Captain's quarters to argue with him, he had done it over the comm, from the bridge.

And the bridge was continually monitored and recorded, just as the landing bays were.

He smiled as he told Rabinowitz. Rabinowitz's eyes shot up. At that moment it was obvious that he really hadn't believed Taylor. But he promised to go and check the records, if they existed.

Taylor was restless for the next few hours. It occurred to him that if Hauslohner was smart, he would have arranged to erase the records.

But Hauslohner had arrived back on earth in medical quarantine. He hadn't had any time to go anywhere near the records.

And frankly, even now, when Taylor no longer considered himself to be Super Taylor, and no longer called himself Taylor the Supreme who thought so highly of himself, Taylor still wasn't very impressed with Captain Hauslohner's ability. Survey Service officers were supposed to be the best, and Survey Service Captains were supposed to be the best of the best, but Captain Hauslohner didn't strike Taylor at being the best at anything. Taylor realized he had seen the Captain at his very worst, when the virus had made him obsessive about his ass cheeks, but from what Taylor saw, he considered Hauslohner to be mediocre... at best. Hauslohner, Taylor concluded, would not have even been smart enough to realize or remember that their conversation had been recorded.

But, nevertheless, Taylor continued to worry. Would Rabinowitz find the records intact?

When Lieutenant Rabinowitz returned a few hours later, he was grim faced.

Taylor immediately felt nervous.

And then his lawyer burst into a broad smile.

He was a national hero.

The World Government media ate it all up.

A cadet, on his first training cruise, had fought off a boarding party and destroyed two Ramadhan pirate ships, all on his own. His entire crew had been stricken with a terrible illness, but this same cadet had tended to them and single handedly piloted the ship back to safety, saving all of them.

Michael Taylor was a hero. Interviews with him were featured on all World Government free press outlets. His parents were extremely proud of him. He even got a very nice letter from Commandant Renton, who said that his confidence in him had been justified, and that he "saw a very bright future" for the young Ensign.

Taylor's rank of Ensign had been confirmed, the first time in Survey Service history that a Cadet's promotion to Ensign had been confirmed over the negative recommendation of his own Captain.

As for Captain Hauslohner, when it became clear he had provided false testimony, he claimed his memory had been distorted because of the virus; he was quietly prompted to retire from the Service, and he did.

Commander Kinneret continued on, but he too retired (or was dropped) from the Service two years later, after a series of unrewarding desk jobs.

Chief Hillary Ashanti was promoted to full Commander's rank, and given a job teaching engineering at the Academy, where she continued to serve as a wonderful role model for women and girls. And Lieutenant Commander Missy Burns was eventually promoted to full Commander as well, two years after she became an adjutant to Admiral Nokamura, becoming the first Starbase supply officer with the permanent rank of a full commander.

And....

Taylor did a little research and found out that yes, in fact, Missy Burns really did have an identical twin sister named Melissa, but whether Missy was really Melissa was impossible to say.

Taylor, in addition to being promoted, also got a citation of merit entered in his profile jacket.

"This is the Michael Taylor we were expecting," said Galactic Hope.

"He performed quite well under extraordinary circumstances, didn't he?" said Ambition. "To be honest, I always pushed him to do his best, but even I didn't think he was really capable of what he did!"

"It's only the beginning," said Galactic Hope. "Michael Taylor is going to be one of the greatest officers the Survey Service has ever seen."

"But... how do you know that?"

"Because, from my perspective, it's already happened," said Galactic Hope.

"Hello Michael."

Taylor felt a tightening in his chest.

It was Cherry.

Taylor's recollection of his time in the mental ward was not entirely clear. But he remembered enough to know that he had said some outlandish things to Cherry. Offensive things.

You were such a good fuck!

Worse, he said them right in front of Sophie Astor!

Taylor was incredibly embarrassed.

"Cherry, I want to apologize-"

She cut him off with a holographic hand gesture. "Michael, you don't need to apologize for anything. You were sick. I realized that. Sophie realized that."

"But the terrible things I said...."

Cherry gave him a sad smile. "They weren't so terrible, Michael. They were just... a little inappropriate. In a different time, a different situation, I might even have found them... flattering. Just a bit."

He felt encouraged by her little smile. Taylor's heart beat wildly. "So you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Michael," she assured him.

Taylor felt a wave of relief.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Back on the Sulaka. We launched two days ago. It's a shame you didn't recover sooner. I really wanted to tell you... in person...." Her voice faded off.

Taylor felt the familiar tightening in his chest again. "Cherry, what is it?"

"Michael, I'm getting married!"
​