Making Decisions

Finding One's True Self: Part 4

By Xan Steel

Daniel was surprised to see Sandra and Mathew there with the ship one morning, as he wasn't expecting anyone to show up. He didn't want anyone else knowing about it for fear that he would get mobbed with requests to join him.

With the two of them helping out. Things started coming into place a lot faster. If it had been just him alone, completing the ship would have likely taken another six months. He was very thankful for their help. After a month and a half, all he had left to do was run the power and plasma conduits throughout the ship to make sure everything would be equipped and run a series of tests to ensure it would hold.

A few days later he managed to get everything connected and turned on the power. It felt good to feel cold air blowing through the environmental system finally. He had the computer run a series of tests for a while, at various power levels. While he waited for that to complete, he went and laid down on one of the beds that Sandra had installed. He figured he would just relax for a bit, before continuing to work. Unfortunately, in a few seconds, he was out like a light.

Maria had come home early from work and had planned on taking Daniel out to dinner that night for a change. However, when she got home, she noticed he wasn't there after looking around the house. Maria remembered him mentioning where he was building the ship and decided to go there and surprise him for a change. So, she took some fresh clothes along in case he wanted to change before going out.

Maria arrived at the hanger and was surprised to finally see the ship itself. It was bigger than she expected and appeared to have two levels. Its general shape looked like a plane with elongated wings. Maria walked around to the open ramp in the back, as there was a feeling of cold air coming out. She carefully walked up as she heard loud snoring coming from inside. It was Daniel. ‘He must have tired himself out,’ she thought. She found him lying in one of the small sleeping rooms he had made.

It had been a long time since she heard him snore in his sleep and knew he was relaxed and sleeping deeply for a change. She sat on the edge of the bed and just watched him for a bit. His body and eyes twitched showing that he had reached R.E.M. and wondered what he was dreaming. He shifted a bit in bed, leaving more room on it. She laid down and cuddled up next to him, as she felt his arm wrap around her body. It was comforting to her being this close to him again, that she slowly drifted off to sleep herself.

She awoke in the small room. Being the first to wake up, she looked over and saw that at some point, that the door had shut while they slept. Both of them had only their undergarments on as she was laying on top of Daniel under the sheets. She blushed brightly but didn't move. It had been too long since they shared the same bed, and missed their closeness they had and wondered what happened to cause them to drift apart.

"Good morning my beautiful sister," his voiced softly as he gently brushed her hair back.

She blushed again, “Well, good morning handsome," she replied softly looking at him.

He brought her head down and kissed her forehead as she kissed his chest. It was their typical morning greeting from years ago. All of this was like being close again as a few tears escaped her eyes.

He brought her head down on his chest again, "I know, I've missed this as well. I don't know why I stopped being so close to you. I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

They continued to cuddle for a while until Daniels' stomach gurgled loudly, only to be followed by Maria's. They laughed a bit.

"Well, I did originally come out to take you to dinner silly," she said giggling a bit.

"Oh, and what were we having?" he asked

"Any place you wanted to go, it was a dinner date," she said.

"Ah, well I guess I ruined that plan," he replied to her.

"No, you didn't. I just saw you sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake you, and instead joined you." She was blushing again, while he gently rubbed her back as she laid there.

There came a series loud knocks on the door. "Hey, you two we brought breakfast if you're hungry." Came Mathews voice scaring the shit out of them.

"Give us a minute," Maria said as Daniel grabbed the door and slid it open, "DANNY WHAT ARE YOU..." She dove under the sheet to hide.

Mathew and Sandra were sitting at the table with hot food. "Smells good guys," Daniel said as Mathew and Sandra laughed. Daniel wrapped his arms around Maria and rolled her over letting the sheet fall off as he kissed her cheek and got up. Maria tried to cover herself up with the sheet, as he walked over to the table in his briefs without a care.

They sat at the table and ate breakfast together and talked about random things until Sandra brought up the question. "So, Maria have you given any thought to joining us?"

It hadn't occurred to Maria that Mathew and Sandra, we're going with him. "I didn't know you both were going as well," she replied.

"To be honest, after giving it some thought I wouldn't miss it. I did minor in botany and being able to study off world flora, and fauna is too exciting to pass up." Sandra replied.

"Not to mention I've always wanted to study a black hole up close and since Alpha Century is near one. I figured why not." Mathew finished.

Maria sat there for a moment thinking. She couldn't help herself in wanting to go if it meant having more nights together with Daniel. She didn't want to lose the closeness that she thought was starting to return to them. "Yes, I would like to go. Though I don't know how much help I'll be," she finished.

Daniel turned to her, "It doesn't matter what you can or can't do on this journey, just having you there with me is all that matters." He said softly. She was thrilled to hear him say that, that she leaned over and kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.

After they had finished breakfast, they all pitched in to get the final touches done when Mathew brought in a crate. "Hey, gather around everyone I have a surprise," he said.

They all gathered in the small dining area where they had breakfast that morning. "So, what's in the box?" Maria asked.

"This!" He said as he opened it. "Tada!" They all stared at it. It appeared to be a small lab station with a shelf that you could shelve things.

"So... you brought a computerized shelf?" Sandra said.

Mathew held up a finger and pushed a button on the panel above the shelf. "Coffee. Black," he said.

A computerized voice spoke. "What blend?"

Mathew replied, "Columbian."

A few moments and a bright light later, there sat a hot cup of coffee. Mathew brought it to the table and let everyone look at it.

"Is that for real?" Daniel asked amazed while touching it. Sandra smelled it. It smelled like Colombian coffee. Maria tasted it. It wasn't too bad, at least to her.

"Yes, this is the first ever Matter to Energy back to Matter Duplicator. A prototype." They sat and listened to Mathew explain, just what its full capabilities were and how it worked.

With that excitement over and it hooked into the ship's power systems. Daniel looked back at everything and made sure they had everything they needed. “All right, the last thing we need is a place to take off from." He said.

"Well, that and to bring any of our belongings that we need," Sandra said. So, they parted for the night to get some final things.

As Daniel and Maria had finished getting what few items they needed. She noticed he didn't take his fursuit. So, Maria wrapped it up nicely and hid it in her suitcase and brought it with her. Hoping that she might get to see him in it during their long journey.

The next morning Mathew called the airfield and asked if they could take off from there for a "Test Flight." With nothing scheduled to leave or expected to come in, they were given clearance to take off as soon as they were ready. After completing preflight checks everyone strapped themselves in as Daniel pushed the thrusters to full, and in a few seconds, were in the air and headed to space.