It was effectively invisible, and the light of the stars, especially that of Stinz, was all that illuminated us.It was effectively invisible, and the light of the stars, especially that of Stinz, was all that illuminated us. I lied when I said Kathy was the only thing for orientation. There was the cleat, and the life support module next to it, affixed to the wall behind her in a place she couldn't turn her head far enough to see. I reached down for the pair of scissors on my belt, and with a few judicious snips her clothes came free. Bouncing freely about the room, I tied them in place next to the cleat. From the cleat I could reach out easily and stroke her buttocks; she moaned loudly. "Slave," I said, prompting her. "Yes sir?" she said, a tone of desperation in her voice. "I'm going to leave you alone for a little while. Make yourself... comfortable." I actually didn't go anywhere, but instead descended to the bottom of the sphere, slightly behind her. I settled down, removed my clothes, and tried to breath quietly. Katherine hung there, suspended, spread eagled and alone, with nothing apparent between her and the entire universe, the stars shining in on her in a blacker than black background. I imagined the loneliness, and the trust she must have felt. The room was comfortably warm, and the life-support was silent. The sensory deprivation must have been getting to her as well. I waited, occasionally glancing at my watch, which illuminated with a soft red color. I waited two full hours, meditating almost. Occasionally she would moan and fight her restraints. She must have known I was there; I would never have left her alone in her present state, and she knew it. But she would subside, sometimes sobbing gently. I rose quietly from my position, grabbing ahold with my toes of one of the many recessed holds along the inside surface of the sphere. My eyes had long adjusted to the light, and even at five AU's out Stinz was a very bright star, and I could see her clearly. |