Jake's Fortune

Jake’s Fortune

Abdullah Ali

Copyright © 2014 by Abdullah Ali.

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices.

Table of Contents

1. First Contact

2. Answers

3. You can do that?

4. Energy

5. Vengeance is a double-edged blade

6. Consequences

7. The Chase

8. Tansa

9. The Offer

10. The Experiment

11. Safe Harbour

12. Alien Dreams

13. A New Life

14. Undercurrents

15. Soar

16. Oceania

17. Deliverance

1 First Contact

Jake had never felt this way. He was euphoric, so engrossed in his pleasure he felt like he was about to shatter from sheer stimulation.

Let’s just say that masturbation was his forte since he was thirteen. Now he was actually having sex, and with the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes upon!

He thrust his hips up to meet her gyrations, stroke for stroke. He felt his member come in contact with the scorching flesh of her vagina, lubricated by her juices coupled with his own, it was intoxicating.

The tantalising pleasure emanated from her body and coursed through his. And thrust for thrust he met her, he felt like he was going to explode.

But like all good things, this abruptly came to a halt. This is not working, your synaptic activity is too high.

He broke from his ecstasy as the simulation ended.

"Fuck you! I was this close" He said groggily.

The synthetic voice was pissing him off! Not only did it pull him away from the most exhilarating moment in his life, it was already administering drugs to bring him down from his adrenaline high.

Had you finished, you would have been in a wheel chair for the rest of your life it calmly stated.

He sighed and lifted his body from the recliner, undoing the straps, he floated right on top of it, as if top and bottom had any real meaning in the zero-gravity environment around him.

Like I care, I already live in space. My legs aren’t exactly carrying me right now.

He tried to calm himself.

Well, EVA, any idea what went wrong this time? He asked.

The AI responded in a solemn tone. The patterns I collected suggest that your body was reacting too violently to the neural feedback, the pleasure you were experiencing altered your brain chemistry very rapidly and it had unexpected results. I project that 1,824 extra nano-transmitters and an injection of 0.80mg of neural dampener may be required to counter-balance this effect.

I’m not in the mood right now, stow it for later. he growled.

EVA did not respond.

He started pushing against the bulkheads, carefully floating his way out of the workshop.

***

Life in zero-gee was not so different from life in partial gravity. Things were slightly different, and a splatter of water (or a much less benign liquid) could turn your life into living hell, that was certain, but the basic principles were the same. You eat through a tube, you drink through a tube, and you shit and piss through a tube.

In partial gravity though, you had better learn to leap. It’s an amazing sensation to leap through the artificial atmosphere.

He knew this from his brief and uneventful visit to Luna when he was 16, he was with his uncle closing some deal, but his mind was focused elsewhere. The beautiful ladies on the moon and their bountiful, taut breasts. Unencumbered by earth’s gravity, their magnificent anatomy stood out like mountain gods piercing the clouds. Not that he knew anything about mountains or clouds. Being space-born, he’d only heard about them.

Suffice to say, there is no need for bras on the moon.

He reclined his head and could still imagine the way Lunar girls looked as they leapt around the walkways, chests swaying lightly with each graceful jump.

A beeping alarm wiped the grin off his face and pulled him away from his reverie, he checked the sensors and pressed some buttons. Yeah, It’s confirmed, he thought.

He brought the comm gear online and called his uncle. Hey pops, I got something on the sensors, and it’s full of iron and heavy minerals like you wouldn’t believe! He said excitedly.

Oh? How far out is it?

Only 25,000 klicks, not too far out. He responded.

Okay, let’s swoop by and check it out. His uncle sounded as indifferent as ever.

Twenty five thousand kilometres were nothing in the vastness of space. Roughly double the diameter of Earth.

He moved over to the flight console and set a course that would take them near the asteroid. At fifteen kilometres per second they reached it in fifty-three minutes. He spent that time double-checking the sensor readings, something was not sitting right with him.

At first he thought it was a speck of dust on his monitor, a silly thing. There can be no dust on the ship, otherwise the ventilation equipment would go haywire. Besides, dust never settled in space.

As they closed to the asteroid the speck kept getting bigger, and he thought he detected a faint energy signature that was being emitted by it. A ghost beacon? He wondered.

Ghost beacons were somewhat common, ships usually dropped beacons to mark points in space. A ghost beacon was a lost one that could have been adrift for years.

But no, the power signature did not match. Besides, it wasn’t emitting any radio signals to identify itself.

Finally, affirmed that what he was detecting was real, he called his uncle again.

Uncle, we’ve reached the asteroid, but I’m detecting a power signature on a floating object nearby. Want to check it out? He asked.

Boy, you’ve found us a gold mine, this is outstanding. I can feel the credits flowing right into my account. I’m going to be busy drilling into this thing as it is, and I can’t spare anyone on my team. Go check it out yourself. His uncle responded.

Typical uncle, money was all that he was worried about.

Fine! I’ll go see what we’re dealing with, okay? He knew his uncle would say yes.

Yeah, yeah, son. Do what you must.

Like he cared.

Jake put down his data-pad and floated out of the helm and started navigating his way to the exterior airlock, he greeted some of the crew as he went along. He averted his eyes a little as Hannah greeted him.

The Asian girl was quite beautiful. Space-born, like himself. And like him, she was still growing up. And for some reason everyone was expecting them to be an item some day. She’d still blush every time someone made that remark. He on the other hand, had no interest in arranged relationships, and his stubbornness beat his lust every time. His uncle would disagree though.

Need anything from the communication bureau?

He smiled thinly at her joke. She was the only person working the comms.

Not at the moment, thank you. Just going out to check on something. he said after a slight pause.

Something? Like what? She asked.

A strange anomaly, that’s all. Could be something with the sensors, so I’ll check out the equipment first. I’ll see you later! hopefully not in the near future, he thought.

He checked his gear, got into his suit, pushed some buttons, and started equalising the airlock with the vacuum outside.

***

He checked on the sensors array, found nothing out of the ordinary, and decided to head towards the energy signature. He glanced at his HUD and estimated it to be 3 kilometres away.

Looking back, the Metanoia looked immense from a distance. Two kilometres away, and it still loomed before him, a huge industrial nexus with mining clamps and giant drills that could devour asteroids whole. All laced with laser arrays and all kinds of sensor suits to detect minerals and even viable salvage.

The ship was a magnificent beast, it simply awed him how much work had been put into maintaining and upgrading it throughout the years. They had even installed a new cargo section aft of the ship last year. He wondered what would have happened had they not invented modular space ships.

The lack of sounds did not bother him too much, you get used to it. As a matter of fact, as a space-born young man, noise scared him. Like that time on Luna when his uncle took him to a crowded cafeteria and he started freaking out.

He enjoyed the quiet as he manoeuvred his suit’s thrusters to bring him closer to the unknown object. His heart rate rose as he got closer, and his AI never failed to notice. Your heart rate is climbing, should I administer beta-blockers?

No was his abrupt response.

His heartbeat was now drumming in his ears and he had trouble breathing. He was very close now. He tried to control himself and push through. That’s when he heard the sweetest voice he’d ever heard.

Welcome, star-farer. a feminine voice whispered.

Who the hell is this? And how are you overriding my comm gear? he said into his comm unit. He was freaking out now as he struggled to breathe, barely forcing the words out.

EVA, EVAAA, what’s going on? minutes passed and his AI did not respond.

You don’t have to fight it. It will only get harder. Let go. the voice instructed.

What? What do you mean…? he managed to let out between heavy breaths.

Trust me, it will be much easier. the voice said.

He tried to fight it harder at first to no avail. After struggling for what seemed like hours he gave up. Relax. he told himself Try to let go., and felt himself tensing as he expected something to happen to him.

Then he felt it. A vibration that felt like it was coming from his brain and spreading all over his body. This is impossible. There’s no such thing as… as… sound in space! he exclaimed.

Let it carry you and be blessed, forever.

Farewell, my most fortunate friend.

And just like that, his body relaxed, and a feeling of relief washed over him. He couldn’t believe what just happened. He could see the reflection of a faint glow coming off of his face. Looking at his suit’s HUD, the energy signature had disappeared.

Jake? Jake? Are you there? Are you okay? Please Jake, please respond. he heard Hannah’s voice over the comms.

Yeah, I think I’m fine. It was nothing. he said. The glow finally started to disperse.

You sound out of breath. She sounded worried.

I’m fine, just a little shaken up, that’s all.

I’ll talk to you when I get back. he said in a low tone, and started heading back home.

2 Answers

Yeah, and I can sprout wings out of my butt and fly! his uncle quipped.

It’s all true! I’m telling you! Jake said in frustration.

Did you wedge your oxygen tube in something out there? Did your brain asphyxiate and make you hallucinate? his uncle said heatedly.

No! I… he tried to say.

Right, I’ve got no time for your shenanigans son, we need to mine as much of this asteroid as we can before somebody else comes and boots us off this rock.

He shrugged. Okay uncle, I’ll see you later.

You get back to that witch and that witchcraft of yours.

Classic uncle, calling my virtual assistant a witch. he replied.

Yeah, whatever that thing is, now scoot.

He sighed, and on his way back to his compartment, he bumped into Hannah.

Is it true? Did you find something out there? What was it? she asked.

I’m not sure, uncle thinks I was hallucinating.

"And what do you think?" was her question.

He contemplated an answer for a moment. Did he somehow hallucinate it all? He’d have to ask EVA later.

Maybe I did, I wish I recorded the whole damn thing! he exclaimed.

Just then, a buzzer sounded and she looked at her belt.

Okay, you go on and get some rest. I’ll see you around she said hastily as she hurried out-of-the-way.

Maybe it was a good idea after all. He headed for his compartment again, wishing for no interruptions this time, and he found none on his way back.

EVA, did I imagine all of that out there? he asked as he looked around.

Imagine what? his AI enquired.

What? You too? Forget it, I’m going to bed. We can talk tomorrow.