In one corner, the galley kitchen with a few cupboards and a stove. No food processor to prepare dishes and cook them. A small table and chairs for dining, a seating area for relaxation with a bank of screens, which made up the comms and entertainment systems—she prayed it had some decent music stored on it. A fair sized bed that dominated the quarters occupied another side. Behind it was a solitary window, thickly glazed and a metre squared.
She touched the cold glass and peered into the darkness. All she could see were a few stars.
“I’m lucky to have a pod on the outer wall of the habitat. Although, there is nothing to look at. The sun barely makes an impression and Jupiter isn’t visible from this side.” Blake rapped the glass with his knuckles. “Sorry to say, nothing to look at other than ice and rock.”
“The crater?”
Blake pointed to another corner of the room. “About there. The asteroid crashed into Callisto hundreds of thousands of years ago, buried itself. The minerals inside it are rich and we’ll be drilling for centuries to come. Like all the other mining colonies, it’s not the moon itself which has the resources Earth so desperately needs, but the asteroids that crashed into it.”
Lysa was well aware of the reason the colonies had been built on such an inhospitable terrain. Back on Earth natural resources had been so depleted that off world colonies had to be constructed before there was nothing left. Water remained relatively abundant due to the erection of vast desalination plants, but precious minerals and iron ore were all but extinct on Earth. Technology couldn’t keep up with the loss of resources; new ones had been sought.
The impact on the planet had been far reaching. The rise of powerful corporations had led to the downfall of politics and government. Whoever had the mining rights on the Outer Rim held the power. With the Corporation firmly in control, they dictated the shape of society. Jobs were harder to obtain and the decision had been made—only men could work for the Corporation, no women could become miners, engineers, scientists, pilots… The list was endless. What was left remained the role of cheap labourer, or if lucky, a child carer, nurse or teacher. Women were forbidden from applying for employment at the Corporation, except as wives.
Lysa backed away from the window. The miserable sight of nothingness wasn’t what she wanted to see. What lay beneath the surface remained her interest.
He showed her the closet used for storage. Inside were clothes hanging up and weights for lifting and body building. “You can put your things in here. The other door leads into the bathroom.” He chuckled, “Although there is no bath, just the shower. Water is a premium here on the colony. Would you like a drink?”
Lysa smacked her dry lips together and nodded. “Please. Water will be fine.”
“It doesn’t taste great, all recycled.” He walked over to the kitchen and picked up a beaker. “I would suggest adding a taster.”
“Taster?” she enquired, following him.
“Mint or ginger flavour syrup.” He held up a bottle. “One drop is enough.”
“Mint, please.”
He added a small drop of flavouring to the water and handed the beaker to her. Lysa sniffed the water and wrinkled her nose. It did smell of mint and something else. She took a sip, just enough to wet her lips. Thirst drove her to swallow more and she managed to gulp down the contents in one go. Only after it had slipped down her throat did she notice the brackish taste lingering on her tongue. “Thank you.” She hand
ed the beaker back to Blake.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I’ve quite a lot to get used to,” she remarked with a wan smile.
Blake stepped towards her and before she backed away, he snatched both of her hands in his. “You’re trembling.”
She couldn’t help it. Since she’d arrived on the colony, she’d been in a constant state of trepidation. He encased her hands in his meaty ones, which were cool and dry. When he pulled on them, she stumbled forward, almost landing against his broad chest.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he stated. He lowered his head and puckered his lips.
Lysa’s thrumming pulse deafened her ears as if all the blood had rushed into her head. Already tense, she waited with curiosity for his touch on her lips. What if he had terrible breath? Would he shove his thick tongue in her mouth? Those doubts seeped into her mind with ease, pushing aside other ones, those she used to help motivate her to comply to his request.
She sniffed, not quite a snivel, and she caught a waft of his masculine scent. She tingled about her nipples and sex, a slight reaction to his aroma and one she couldn’t ignore. It drew out an act of spontaneity. She tilted her head up, rose up on her tiptoes and met his lips.
His moist mouth pressed on her own. A light caress of his lips and nothing else. By the time she registered his presence on her flesh, he’d released her mouth. Inadvertently she sighed. For what little contact she’d experienced, he tasted good. Minty, like her own breath.
He squeezed her hands—she’d forgotten his grip on them. “I’ve made you tremble even more.” Blake grinned.
The heat of blood bloomed across her cheeks. She needed to compose herself. “Would it be all right to freshen up? The shuttle had even less water.”
Blake freed her hands from his trap. “No problem. A good idea, in fact.”
She rummaged in her bag and found a clean set of clothes, sticking to her choice of pants and T-shirt. The bathroom contained a small sink, a toilet and a glazed shower cubicle. To call it a shower was laughable, because unlike on Earth where she would stand under a drenching spout of water, this showerhead sprayed a mist. She undressed and stood in the cubicle, shutting the door behind her. She flicked the switch and a vapour mushroomed about her body.
It took time for the water to condense on her skin and form a sufficient number of droplets for her to cleanse and rinse. Her hair went damp, rather than wet and clung to her face. The glass fogged over and she could no longer see her reflection. It came as a relief, because the sight of her bare mound still made her uncomfortable. She’d shaved it prior to departure and managed to keep it hairless throughout the journey. A compulsory requirement for all Corporate wives—keep themselves naked of hairs ready for their prospective husbands to inspect them.
Inspect. She knew it would happen soon, perhaps today. He’d want to see her in the flesh and not on some screen. She didn’t feel ready, she needed more time to come to terms with her decision. Seeing him, having him touch her, filled her with dread. However, she needed to talk to him and get to know her future husband.