Gabrielle and the Leviathan Now Available!

Two months ago I posted a short teaser from my erotica/science fiction novella Gabrielle and the Leviathan. I have received a number of communiques from my readers expressing dissatisfaction that it was only available in the VIP Lounge. Following in Ms. Erickson's footsteps, Gabrielle and the Leviathan is now available in e-book format from both Barnes and Noble and Amazon for 99 cents. I hope you enjoy.

The quiet hum of the engines filled the darkened compartment and the only source of illumination came from one of the lit computer terminals. A console of green and tawny lights blinked sporadically, casting alternating gold and emerald hues across the control room. There was an air of quiet despite the steady thrum of the converter, slowly but surely changing the meta-stable metallic hydrogen into gas before it was burned. Four chairs were arranged around the control room, one at each station, but only the position at the master engineering board was occupied.

She was blond and her regulation French braid kept her golden locks tight against her head. The artificial gravity field would have brought her hair almost all the way down to a point between her shoulders, but like most space faring vessels, it was almost a religion that everything was either tied down or secured. Zero G was nothing to laugh about and floating through a veritable cloud of debris during an emergency was not fun. Neither was trying to hold on during a pressure hull breach while thousands of small objects pelted you from above.

Straight backed, she kept a close eye on the monitor board. She enjoyed working the third shift. Her job was simple. Inventory the various tools stored in the control room and monitor the main engineering console for problems. Anything major was handled by informing the on-duty bridge officer and then waking the chief engineer. It was an important responsibility and she had been pleased when she was selected for it. Once more she glanced at the board. Everything was in the green and she settled back into her chair, slowly pouring over an engineering manual on one of the side screens. Perhaps during her next cruise she could get promoted to Engineering Mate, rather than one of the lowest grades of engineering crew.

She fidgeted in the ship suit, a solid one piece gray coverall that zipped all the way from her collar, down the front, between the legs and half way up the back. While sounding uncomfortable, in reality it served rather well. Using the restroom was dramatically easier and the suit’s built in protection shielded the wearer from stray radioactive isotopes, gamma rays, and even stabilized temperature. It could even serve for a limited time as a pressure suit. It was the perfect apparel for shipboard duty and if Amber had selected a rather tight fitting size, it wasn’t due to a vain or self-conscious attitude, but a genuine desire to fit her lithe body into an appropriately contoured uniform. A small sensor bundle was woven into the material just above her left breast, a spot which also sported her rank.

Suddenly a sound came from the elevator shaft and Amber stiffened in her seat, trying to look studious and professional. She heard the telltale whine of the lifter field cushioning the elevator and then the normal hiss of the doors told her she was no longer alone.

“Hey Amber,” a soft voice said from the doorway. Amber looked up from the main engineering station and saw another tightly fitting ship suit in the doorway. She grinned as Lori came into the control room, shaking out her long brown hair. It was definitely a violation of regulation, but Amber knew that Lori was off duty and frequently bent the rules when it was unlikely that an officer would find out. As it was, Amber knew that the ship’s executive officer, Rebecca, wouldn’t do her rounds for a few more hours.

“Hi Lori. What are you doing down here this late?” Amber asked curiously as Lori sauntered in. They had both worked together on the second shift before Amber had been promoted, ostensibly with a pay bonus, to the solo third shift. Their friendship had just begun to get interesting when it was nipped in the bud and Amber had felt the loss rather disconcerting.

Lori walked over to the control station and laid one hand on Amber’s shoulder. The touch was light and almost a caress. “I came to see if you needed anything sweetie, maybe keep you company for a little bit?”

Amber laughed. “I’m good. I’ve got one of the updated manuals on the transfer conduit control system and after that I can read the field system control manual,” she said brightly.

Lori shook her head and clicked her tongue. With a little push she turned the chair Amber was sitting in so that rather than facing the indicator console, the blond girl’s knees were touching Lori’s thighs.

“Isn’t that boring?” Lori asked, leaning forward slightly, her face getting closer to Amber. The little blond blinked as the large and dark brown globes of Lori’s incredible eyes glittered inches away and Amber could smell the scented strawberry lipstick that she knew Lori favored. Amber swallowed, but then twisted her head to look at the console again.

“Uh… no. I mean… it’s… I’m… I should be…” Amber said, stuttering, but the words seemed to melt away as Lori let her finger glide down Amber’s cheek. The little blond stiffened slightly and let out a tiny moan.

“Hush now, Amber” Lori’s fingers slid down the blond girl’s neck and across her shoulders, only to come back in at the nape of Amber’s throat. Slowly the zipper tab was pulled downward, opening Amber’s suit.