Chapter 3 - Terra Firma

Rorcht Space Center was a crowded, loud, confusing chaos.

Mutogen Food Corp. had sent a "representative" to meet me and conduct me to the ceremony.

At least that's what she said. "She", was one Miss Slavovich. Who at present, was dragging me by the arm through the crowds, accompanied by at least twelve fully armed soldiers, and two cameramen from the planets largest tv network.

The twelve soldiers were not really out of place. Living on a planet run by a single dictator, you tend to see your fair share of military presence, and the two cameramen didn't really bother me at all really. However, Miss Slavovich was an entirely different story.

On a planet comprised mostly of rain forests, mutant/hybrid crop farmers, and military "police", Miss Slavovich shone like a beacon in the night.

She was tall, not quite up to my six feet four inches, but tall for a woman never the less. And she was beautiful!

Again, please bear in mind my limited interaction with the female species. However, at the time I was sure that she had to be the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.

She sparkled... Everywhere. Her dress, her hair, her jewellery (which must have weighed close to two pounds alone), everything about her sparkled. It even looked like she had applied glitter to her skin. And Gygax knows her dress was cut low enough to show far more than her fair share of glitter! Was that a belly button ring?

And all that sparkly, glittery stuff was bouncing along in a most animated way, just in front of me!

My hands twitched.

I was wondering if it might not be considered just a little rude not to acknowledge all those jiggly bits with a little pinch, when we suddenly came to a stop.

Cameraman one pointed his picorecorder at my face. The other, I was pretty sure was pointed about halfway down to Miss Slavovichs' belly button ring...

"All right Mr. Black. May I call you Morgan? Okay Morgan, here is the shuttle that is going to take you to Lave Station and your brand new Cobra Mark Three spaceship. Which was so kindly donated by the Mutogen Food Corporation. Are you excited to be going into space?" she asked, all in one breath.

Cameraman number two and I both watched in awe as she recovered that breath.

"Morgan? Are you excited?" she asked again with an ever so slight grin.

"Oh, umm... ya, sure... Oh! The spaceship, ya, I can hardly wait." was my witty reply. My eyes clawed their way back up to her face.

"Miss Slavovich, we are ready to leave." said a man dressed in a pilots uniform.

Once again, I found myself being pulled along by the hand, like a lumpy, malformed kite. Up a small set of stairs into the passenger compartment of an equally small shuttle craft. Four chairs, all turned to face one another and the center of the ship. Miss Slavovich sat in one and pulled me down into the seat next to her. Cameraman one and two plopped in the two remaining seats across from us, picorecorders quietly humming as they zeroed in on our faces. Or at least on my face...

"I am sure you would like to thank Mutogen Food Corporation, as well as our benevolent supreme leader and Chairman of the Board for Mutogen, Dictator Ragnnosti, for sponsoring such an amazing contest?" the belly button ring asked.

"Wha... Oh uh... Ya, thanks for the ship... And stuff..."

Hey, I never said I was good at makin' speeches.

"Attention passengers, we are about to lift off. Please make sure all loose items, as well as your safety belts, are secured." came a voice over the cabin speakers.

I fumbled at my belt, trying to get the ends to match up, but my befuddled brain just wasn't up to the task. My breath caught in my throat as Miss Slavovich reached into my lap and took the buckles from my suddenly numb fingers.

Click went the buckle.

I heard someone gulp. I'm pretty sure it was me.

The belt grew just a little bit tighter.

"There you go Morgan." Miss Slavovich said with a decided smirk.

"I'm sorry if it's a little tight, but you're such a big boy!"

Cameraman two snickered.

I was just about to shoot him a glare, when all of a sudden my skin began to tingle all over, and a low hum enveloped the ship. My stomach flipped upside down and I grabbed for the armrests as I began to... fall?

"Relax Morgan..." said Miss Slavovich. "It's just the Anti-Grav plates on the bottom of the ship. The field they generate makes your skin tingle. It can be quite... enjoyable, if you let it. They will push us away from the planets gravity until we are high enough for the pilots to kick in the main engines. In the meantime, we will be completely weightless."

Cameraman ones' tie was standing straight up, and cameraman two had to make a quick grab for his hat.

I looked at Miss Slavovich.

She had her head back against the seat with her eyes closed, and a smile playing across her luscious lips.

My eyes fought their way lower.

The lack of gravity was doing things to the front of Miss Slavovichs' dress... I mean, all the floating was making her... Well, she was spectacular to begin with, but now, both of them were...

Someone gulped again. Ya, pretty sure it was me.

Cameraman two snickered.