followed by a discussion of situations where this kind of control would be useful, and then a few more minutes of meditation.
I had never really paid that much attention to my body. It was always just there, often just taking care of itself while I engaged in some kind of activity. After just an hour of focusing my attention on, for example, the sensations in my resting hands, I felt things I had never felt before. Even with something as simple as my body, the Scouts were going to show me amazing things.
By the end, I was more than ready for lunch. We ate, chatting about the morning’s studies, and how they fit into the life and work of a Scout.
After lunch, we had a free hour before our next class.
I gave Shirley a hopeful smile as soon as I finished eating. “Could Valka and I just take a walk together? We haven’t had any time alone since we got here, and . . .”
“Certainly,” said Shirley. “You know where the main entrance is. Through there is a promenade that leads out to the oxygen deck. Don’t wander too far, but I doubt you’ll get lost. Your tablet has your schedule; it’ll signal you if you’re in danger of being late. And remember—no orgasms.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Discipline, Challers. Discipline.”
I loved walking with Valka. She took my left hand in hers, wrapped my arm around her back, and held me close. I shortened my stride a little for her as we walked. When we started, I felt some slight worry that the intimacies I had shared with Shirley would get in the way, but we fell into our accustomed places with ease. It felt good to do something so familiar, even if the place we were doing it was not.
The promenade was lined with little bars and eateries, but having just finished lunch, neither of us was interested. We looked them over, sampling the music that wafted from open doors, drawing a few interested looks from passersby. Having spent the whole morning in our cadet uniforms, I’d forgotten how revealing they were. I felt suddenly self-conscious.
“Maybe we should go back,” I said. “I don’t see any other cadets out here.”
“How many other opportunities like this are we going to get? If there aren’t many other cadets out here, that must mean they don’t get away often. Let’s just walk.”
We continued down the promenade. It wasn’t crowded, but the wide corridor had plenty of traffic, both white-clad Scouts and those in more colorful garb. We figured out soon enough that only active-duty Scouts wore the white outfits. Everyone else was either a native of the station who had never served, or retired. Even off-duty Scouts seemed to dress in white.
At the end of the promenade, a wide gate led out onto the oxygen deck. It was like nothing I had seen before. Wonder upon wonder had been presented to me that day, but they all paled in comparison.
This wasn’t just an oxygen garden. We were in the main ring of the station, standing on the edge of that ribbon of blue and green we had glimpsed when we docked. The blue was water, an impossible amount of it, flowing in a wide stream. The green was grass and trees and plants, artfully arranged and jubilantly healthy. Just from where we stood, we could see dozens of robots working in the fields and orchards, tending to the marvelous greenery.
Still, I hesitated. It didn’t feel safe to be out in the open like that. The enclosure above us, holding in the air, seemed impossibly far away, and too transparent. My skin felt itchy, my breath tight. I wanted a spacesuit.
“Is this safe?”
“Come on,” said Valka. “It has to be.”
Slowly, the promenade shrank behind us and we made our way down to the water. There were voices, shouting and laughing. As we got closer, we could see that there were people in the water. Valka and I stared.
“Are they supposed to be there?” I asked. Valka just shrugged.
As we got closer still, the figures bobbing about in the water saw us and shouted, “Look! Cadets!”
They waved
I had never really paid that much attention to my body. It was always just there, often just taking care of itself while I engaged in some kind of activity. After just an hour of focusing my attention on, for example, the sensations in my resting hands, I felt things I had never felt before. Even with something as simple as my body, the Scouts were going to show me amazing things.
By the end, I was more than ready for lunch. We ate, chatting about the morning’s studies, and how they fit into the life and work of a Scout.
After lunch, we had a free hour before our next class.
I gave Shirley a hopeful smile as soon as I finished eating. “Could Valka and I just take a walk together? We haven’t had any time alone since we got here, and . . .”
“Certainly,” said Shirley. “You know where the main entrance is. Through there is a promenade that leads out to the oxygen deck. Don’t wander too far, but I doubt you’ll get lost. Your tablet has your schedule; it’ll signal you if you’re in danger of being late. And remember—no orgasms.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Discipline, Challers. Discipline.”
I loved walking with Valka. She took my left hand in hers, wrapped my arm around her back, and held me close. I shortened my stride a little for her as we walked. When we started, I felt some slight worry that the intimacies I had shared with Shirley would get in the way, but we fell into our accustomed places with ease. It felt good to do something so familiar, even if the place we were doing it was not.
The promenade was lined with little bars and eateries, but having just finished lunch, neither of us was interested. We looked them over, sampling the music that wafted from open doors, drawing a few interested looks from passersby. Having spent the whole morning in our cadet uniforms, I’d forgotten how revealing they were. I felt suddenly self-conscious.
“Maybe we should go back,” I said. “I don’t see any other cadets out here.”
“How many other opportunities like this are we going to get? If there aren’t many other cadets out here, that must mean they don’t get away often. Let’s just walk.”
We continued down the promenade. It wasn’t crowded, but the wide corridor had plenty of traffic, both white-clad Scouts and those in more colorful garb. We figured out soon enough that only active-duty Scouts wore the white outfits. Everyone else was either a native of the station who had never served, or retired. Even off-duty Scouts seemed to dress in white.
At the end of the promenade, a wide gate led out onto the oxygen deck. It was like nothing I had seen before. Wonder upon wonder had been presented to me that day, but they all paled in comparison.
This wasn’t just an oxygen garden. We were in the main ring of the station, standing on the edge of that ribbon of blue and green we had glimpsed when we docked. The blue was water, an impossible amount of it, flowing in a wide stream. The green was grass and trees and plants, artfully arranged and jubilantly healthy. Just from where we stood, we could see dozens of robots working in the fields and orchards, tending to the marvelous greenery.
Still, I hesitated. It didn’t feel safe to be out in the open like that. The enclosure above us, holding in the air, seemed impossibly far away, and too transparent. My skin felt itchy, my breath tight. I wanted a spacesuit.
“Is this safe?”
“Come on,” said Valka. “It has to be.”
Slowly, the promenade shrank behind us and we made our way down to the water. There were voices, shouting and laughing. As we got closer, we could see that there were people in the water. Valka and I stared.
“Are they supposed to be there?” I asked. Valka just shrugged.
As we got closer still, the figures bobbing about in the water saw us and shouted, “Look! Cadets!”
They waved
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