Nude in Space

By P.Z. Walker

Earth, somewhere in the future. The environment has changed. Cities are large, closed structures with permanent air conditioning, and nudist villages have appeared in the warmer areas.

When space explorers encounter problems while trying to 'tame' a new planet, they turn to the nudist population of earth for help. What will these nude space travellers encounter once they've left earth? And will they be able to return to their home planet?

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.Z. Walker
• Release date: Aug 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311559876

P.Z. Walker

Naturist activist and author, luring people into naturism one story at a time, using many genres, from mystery through history to fantasy.

Book preview

Nude in Space

P.Z. Walker

Nude in Space - © Copyright 2014 - P.Z. Walker

This is a work of science fiction, and as a work of fiction any resemblance to people, places or things is entirely accidental. The creation of certain buildings and locations is entirely the work of the author to avoid conflict and comparison with existing structures.

General notice.

This work of fiction deals with nudism and will mention nudity. It's sad that this has to be mentioned, as nudity should not be the shocking state that a person can be in that it's considered these days. Note that nudity simply means nudity and does not imply sex.

License Notes Smashwords Edition

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the site where it was purchased and buy your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of the author.

Jump to Table Of Contents.

1. We've got a problem

And then to think it looked so promising, space cadet Mickels sighed. We can't even live there in a normal way to do our work; it's too hot for normal people. He stood in front of the large screen that gave a view of the planet that lazily rolled through space beneath them. It was the perfect planet for what they wanted: only a few light-months from the nearest wormhole Earth, breathable atmosphere, the most intelligent life-form was an odd, easily scared creature with three legs, two arms, and a head like an overgrown snake that only bleated, and still the space travellers had a hard time living on the surface.

I know, Ronny, said Cassandra Collins, the ship's first officer who stood next to him. The Biology group is still trying to find out what's in the air there that destroys the air filtering system. Once they fixed that we can live there more permanently with the air conditioning going.

Provided they also fix the problem with the plants, Ronny added. That's annoying as hell.

Cassandra nodded. She had come back up only a few days ago after living on the surface for a week and gone through four more sets of uniforms before she had given in and stripped. They had warned her, she had laughed at them and they had proved to be right: the tiny, pretty, purple and pink flowers that floated through the air got stuck on clothes and ruined them. The fabric just started to fall apart after a few hours, and the next day the uniform would be worthless. After a few uniforms she had switched to a bikini, but no matter how little fabric she wore, the tiny flowers had gotten to it and that was the end of that. It didn't feel right, doing official ops naked, but a uniform just wasn't an option down there. Some smart person had come up with the idea of plastic clothing because the little flowers didn't seem to affect plastic as far as they'd observed. The warm, humid atmosphere of the planet had made that a no-go as well; everyone was sweating terribly and lost a lot of weight that way, the plastic made them feel extremely hot and more than just a few people had been moved back to the star cruiser suffering from overheating symptoms.

Cassandra Collins also was a bit scared to be regarded as a sex-object. Oh, the men never laid a hand on her or the other women (unless they were invited to), but it wasn't right. It was good to be on board the Nebula-7 again, in the safety of clothes that didn't fall apart.

Officer Collins, sir, the captain demands to see you, a voice came from the communicator on her shoulder.

Cassandra tapped the thing. On my way. Without another word to the person calling her or cadet Mickels she turned and walked off. The captain didn't like to wait.

*

Collins. Sit. Captain Yorins was often a man of few words. Any news?

No sir. Biology still is working on the filter problem and the effect of the flowers on fabric. The tripeds down there are still curious but stay clear of our perimeter.

Captain Yorins stood in front of the large window and looked out into space while the planet hung below, just within view. That's bad. Our mission is to fix this, prepare the place for the new inhabitants, and do it fast. The previous crew failed. I want this mission to succeed.

I understand, sir, we all do, but someone forgot to brief the planet about that. Cassandra knew she could talk to him this way. The place is almost perfect, with forests, lakes, edible fish and vegetables, breathable air, and even some fruit we never saw before.

It's just a bit too humid. Still no steak running around? Yorins loved his steak. He didn't mention the uncanny electrical storm they'd seen raging over the surface. It had only happened once since the first ship had arrived here and it was in a deserted area of the planet, so that wasn't of much concern. Cassandra thought it best to follow the captain's lead in that.

Sorry sir, but no. All animals that run around on land have been pronounced inedible lacking volunteers. That was quite the understatement: four members of the previous group of world builders had died from eating one of the tripeds, two of their own crew had perished from eating a giant slug. After those deaths the order had gone out that no wildlife from the planet's surface was to be eaten. Fish had not been a problem so far, if one could call the small, oddly shaped creatures in the water 'fish'. And meteorologics is still baffled why their chemicals don't affect the humidity.

That's bad too, Yorins said. That and being stuck here. Find us a solution for the problems, first officer.

Cassandra rose. Working on it, sir. They both knew there was no easy solution for either problem, but she took his words as a dismissal for now. After leaving the captain's office she paced to Biology. Guys? Anything new? she routinely asked through the intercom. She didn't feel like going through the entire cleanroom exercise, dressing in a funny overall after being made particle-free. The latter procedure gave her a headache.

Hi Cass, nothing yet. No progress on the air nor on the plants, Will Grant reported. It's nude or bust down there, and we all would love to come down with you to see you in the nude.

Of course, Cassandra groaned.

Yes please, officer Collins sir, said Will.

She had left the intercom on and could kick herself for that. Laughter came from the others in the Biology lab. Forget that, and forget what I've just said, or you're going on report! she snapped. She couldn't allow this kind of frivolity on her behalf. After all she was a first officer, not some space sailor.

*

After a few months in which hardly any progress was made, the star cruiser was preparing to go back to Earth. Another cruiser with a fresh crew of world builders had arrived and was ready to take over the job. Its crew was informed of all discoveries so far, and the new ones were convinced they could fix the problem with the air conditioning and the flowers, just like the people on the Nebula-7 had been. As the new arrivals had the same equipment as those who were leaving, no one on the Nebula-7 had much hope, but there was always a chance.

Captain Yorins ordered the entire crew on standby as the Nebula-7 drifted away from the strange planet. They had been here for a long time and there was no telling if anything that still looked safe had secretly taken a beating from some tiny, stellar object. At departure, all systems showed readings in the safe zone though.

Take us home, was the captain's order. The navigators aboard the Nebula-7 had already selected the best trajectory towards the wormhole so the ship would dive into it smoothly. The trip home would take half a year at best, and most crew members would be in cryo during that time to preserve air, water and food, all precious commodities during such a trip.

2. Not an ordinary day

Temperatures up to normal today, dear, Neil said. Eighty-something. Nothing like a regular day to get some things done around Starkdale.

Just you watch yourself, Neil. Casey Gilberts, Neil's caring wife, wrapped her arms around her man and pulled him against her. I love to feel you, you know.

Neil smiled as he put his arms around his wife. I know, and I can't get enough of you. They stood together like that until Casey let go. A sigh of reluctance escaped her. Where are you going to work today?

Jenny hasn't decided yet.

Jennifer Marks, to each and all simply known as Jenny, was the leader of their community of about three hundred people. They had moved here not long ago and most things were still in the early stages. The houses had been put up quickly; the benefits of modern prefab were not to be frowned upon. Most work that needed to be done now was clearing some space for vehicle parking, playgrounds for the children, and a machine was ordered to dig holes for a few pools.

Must be gratifying to see how much has been done already, Casey said. She kissed her man on the cheek. Careful out there. Last time you came home with more scratches than I care for.

Oh, count on that, Neil assured her. All the rocks are moved out of the way and we're almost done near the tree-line by now. Oh, there they are.

They were a group of about a dozen people who came sauntering towards the house of the Gilberts in the morning sunlight. Some carried shovels and saws, a few had wheel-barrows with them. Neil waved at the people, kissed his wife one more time and started walking towards his friends. Before he reached them, the whining sound of a small hovercraft made everyone look up. The machine was entirely closed so it had to be from the south, from one of the cooler regions.

What the hell's that then? Barbara, one of the women among the workers, gave air about her wonder out loud as the group watched the hovercraft slow down and come to a full stop at a safe distance The pilot of the thing at least knew his trade, making sure that sand and small stones weren't spraying over the people. The hovercraft sank to the ground and after a few moments its wing-door opened. They're gonna be hot, Barbara voiced what everyone already knew. Three men and one woman, all dressed to the nines, emerged from the hovercraft. They saw the group of thirteen, upon which one of the men pointed and said something to his companions before they started walking. The pilot of the hovercraft made himself useful in closing the door again so the cooling air would stay inside.

Neil felt a hand on his arm. It was Casey's, who had joined the group of curious people, as had many others. They waited in silence. Dressed people were sparse around here; they didn't like the temperature. Of course not.

Hello, said the woman as they were close enough. Can we go inside somewhere please? There was something about her that made Neil think. He'd seen her face before.

Jenny wasn't around to speak with these people. Since he was something like assistant mayor of the community, he sighed. Okay, but I hope you're making this a short visit. We have things to do and you weren't exactly announced. Casey and he led the group of four to their house and sat them on the porch out of the sunlight. Everyone wanted to hear what these people had to say and they wouldn't fit inside the house. Right. You're out of the sun. What's your reason for visiting us out here? And feel free to take something off if you're still too warm.

The men took off their jackets and rolled up the sleeves of their shirts. The woman persisted in her attire. We're sorry to bother you, she said.

Neil was certain of that. Dressed people often looked down on naked people who lived in communities like this one. Many dressed people hated coming settlements like theirs. After the big problems that the Earth had seen when scientists had tried to influence the weather in order to battle climate change, too much had gone wrong. Floods, dry spells, hot and cold areas trading places, that and more had been the unsteady rhythm of life for years. After the atmosphere had calmed down, many people migrated to areas where they felt most comfortable. An interesting change in attitude happened when several groups of nudists chose to build small communities away from the big, closed cities, where they could live the way they wanted: naked. Many of them had jobs in 'clothed' communities, for which they dressed before going there, but more and more these small communities had become self-sufficient, like the one Neil and Casey lived in was meant to be. There was no rivalry between the nudist communities and the large, air-conditioned domes of the dressed, there just wasn't much reason to visit each other often. Neil understood that these people were more annoyed having to come into naked-people territory than about actually bothering them.

My name is Ann Winthrop, the woman introduced herself. Winthrop. Of course! Neil knew the name. She was a well-known scientist for the industry leader in space technology. To keep things simple, the name of the organisation she worked for was called exactly that, Space Technologies. That was why her face looked so familiar. I'll make this as short as possible because I can't understand why you people prefer to live under these conditions. We are looking for people to help us. We've discovered a planet that supports human life but we run into problems with climate control. The people who work on the planet complain about the heat there, and they're unable to perform their duties for more than a few weeks before they need to return to their starship. Ann Winthrop looked at all the naked people around her. Conditions there are rather similar to what you live in, just a bit more humid. That is why we hope that a group of you is willing to go to the planet we found and work there for us. Well-paid of course. Her words met a wall of silence.

Only after Jenny, the mayor of the settlement, appeared from behind several layers of people, that wall was broken. Hi, I'm Jennifer, the local dictator, and I managed to hear your words. I wonder why you turn to us for that. Where's the catch? What's so dangerous out there? she asked.

One of the men hurried to answer there as sweat trickled down his cheek. Excuse me. I am Martin Jones. Let me assure you there is no danger. The planet we're talking about is very docile, there are no dangerous animals. Not dangerous unless you eat the kinds that are poisonous, that is. All animals there are unfit to eat as far as we know. That's the only danger. The main problem is the discomfort of our people in this obnoxious heat. The man unbuttoned his shirt a little.

Let them wear swimwear, Neil said. Should fix your problem.

That's not how things work, sir, said Ann Winthrop. Martin left out a little detail that should be addressed. On this planet there's a tiny plant floating in the air everywhere that dissolves fabric. We don't understand how that happens yet. It seems to be attracted by our clothes. The flowers stay away from bare arms or legs, so we had to dispatch our people in the nude.

Jenny nodded. And they're not very comfortable with that, I gather.

Ann Winthrop shook her head. We send people out into space, on a journey that takes about half a year. Of course most of them don't notice it in their cryo-chambers, but when they get there we want them to be comfortable at their job. Being undressed all the time is not helping them.

One of the people in the crowd raised a hand. I'd think they'd get used to being naked after a while. Most people do.

Martin Jones shot him a look. "We are not most people."

So if I understand you correctly you're looking for a group of people who are okay with working naked in warm conditions, said Jenny, stepping up before more smart comments were launched. And you're looking at us for that.

Yes. You among others. It makes sense, said one of the other dressed men who had so far remained silent. Your settlement is closest to our city. You live under conditions that are quite similar to the planet we're targeting. We'll supply the training you'll need, reimburse your families for all the trouble-

Wait. Neil raised a hand. Reimburse our families? What about the people who will actually go there?

They will of course be the ones who actually get paid, said Ann Winthrop, but I'll be honest with you. As this is a space mission there is always a chance that not everyone comes back alive, and that's why we usually mention the payment that way. Neil frowned. The whole thing intrigued him, but there obviously was quite a risk involved