Page 47 of Volunteer 4711

“I said I’d rather go back to the farm, and I meant it,” I explain as we enter her quarters, I’ve been here numerous times as she hosts card games here.

“Strip,” she says as she opens her closet and gets out her one prized possession. One royal blue dress.

I stand in the center of her quarters in my plain black, uniform-issue underwear and sports bra.

“You’re going to have to take those off,” she informs me. “The back is completely open on this dress.”

I do as she says, and when I’m naked, I lift my arms, and she pulls the blue dress down over my head. It has many layers that must be smoothed and pulled until it’s finally in place. I can feel the cold air against my entire back. I reach out a hand and can feel the bare skin on the top of my tailbone.

I look up at my friend, who nods her approval. “You look good enough to marry the Commander now.”

“Thank you,” I say sincerely and touch her hand.

“Do you have any jewelry?” she asks.

“No, wait, yes, of course, my necklace,” we both race to my quarters which aren’t far. I grab my grandmother’s necklace and put it on. While I’m doing that, I ask my friend to send a message to the older female, my only other true friend on the ship, to meet us in conference room one. Then we run as fast as we can. My friend holds up the end of the dress, so I don’t trip on it. My breasts feel like they are flying everywhere without a bra.

As we round the corner to the conference room, I pause to catch my breath with my friend. She looks at me. “Ready?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“I knew he always loved you; everyone knew,” she says right as we cross the threshold, which surprises me, but it’s too late to ask her about it now.

My gaze locks with my Commander’s. I can see approval in his blue eyes. He motions for me to stand next to him. I only have a vague notion of how Silver weddings take place, so just about anything could happen right now.

When I stand next to the Commander, he takes my hand in his and then says to his first officer, “I hate to be rude, but quickly now.”

The first officer stands in front of us and begins the ceremony. “Two people in the fleet, a male and a female, have decided to share their lives together. The fleet recognizes their devotion to one another. Marriage is not only the union of people but the joining of two souls. Their commitment will be both of the mind and the body, which is not something to be taken lightly. Do you, Volunteer 4711, promise to uphold your commitment to the Commander of the fleet to be his first wife and all that role encompasses by fleet law?”

“Yes.”

“Do you, Commander, promise to uphold your commitment to Volunteer 4711 to be her husband and all that role encompasses by fleet law?”

“Yes.”

“As the first officer onboard this ship, I decree to all witnesses here, stands a husband and wife before me,” then he adds, “And just in time to make it official.” The first officer presents me with a contract to make the marriage official with the GC with my fingerprints, then the Commander’s fingerprints, and finally our witnesses’ fingerprints. When all is said and done, he sees that the GC’s receipt of our marriage document is transferred to the government’s Fleet Commander, “I am sure he is not going to like that, but it is as legal as it can get in the galaxy. And the dress was a nice touch. No one would guess this was thrown together in less than an hour.”

I look over at my friend and smile.

She says quietly, “Now you will be in the papers, and I will see my dress there. I will tell you all about it.”

I look up at my Commander. “Do you need to go to the bridge now?”

The first officer replies, “Commander, we’ve just received word that the government fleet has acknowledged your marriage, and the charges of stealing have been dropped. You have been issued a fine for making a Volunteer a citizen without the necessary documentation beforehand, but you have a week to complete the necessary documents and pay the fine.”

“Good work,” my Commander says. “You have the ship. I am going to celebrate with my wife.” He leads me towards the exit, still holding my hand. My friend touches my arm lightly as we pass and smiles at me.

* * *

We walk back towards his quarters. I feel like this is a dream. However, I wouldn’t be tripping on my friend’s dress if it was a dream. We enter his quarters as husband and wife, and the door closes behind us in its usual way. I don’t know what I was expecting, for him to carry me over the threshold? The only difference between now and any other day is that I’m wearing a dress, not my uniform, with his name on it. I reflect that I have his name connected with mine in a different way now.A better way, I tell myself.

Being here, I feel like I should be doing my work, and it’s difficult for me to resist working.

“Please sit down,” he says.

I sit, and he does as well.

I can’t speak. Firstly, because my physical body is thinking about being intimate with him and what he might expect. I know almost nothing about Silver sexual practices beyond the weekly masturbation, which he has always been discreet and dignified about. I have no idea about any other sexual customs because they don’t talk about it much, and I’ve had no access to their online information. Second, my mind is preoccupied with my role now as his wife. Do I lose my position as his valet? Do I have to go live on the Home Planet all alone? I don’t want that. I wish to remain here.

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