Nude in Space 3 - The Station

By P.Z. Walker

The Earth is in a more and more desperate state. Storms, fires and earthquakes are some of the problems the diminishing population is facing. Food shortages and rising temperatures make life even more difficult. Clothes become less and less an option, because of the heat and the lack of manufacturing possibilities.

When a group of military space scouts return to Earth, they bring news of an amazing find. A giant alien space station with no life on board. Despite that fact, the station comes with a drawback. The military want to get a group of volunteers together to 'fix' that drawback, and make the space station habitable for many thousands of people.

Will they manage to get the group together? And is there more than just that one drawback to deal with?

Find out in this installment of Nude in Space 3 – The Station.

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.Z. Walker
• Release date: Dec 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223663393

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

The Station

Nude in Space 3

P.Z. Walker

Copyright © 2023 by P.Z. Walker

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. and international copyright law.

No AI was used to create this story.

Contents

1. Burning world

2. Volunteers

3. Old ships

4. Close to countdown

5. Leaving

6. The station

7. New surroundings

8. First night

9. Teams

10. Aliens

11. Discoveries

12. Close encounters

13. New things

14. Moon visit

15. The next section

16. Ezeon

17. A trip

18. Surprises

19. Moon base.

20. The search

21. Space battle.

22. Attack

23. Explanations

24. Intelligence

About the author

1. Burning world

There’s one more fire…

That was not the news anyone wanted to hear. On all continents, even in the arctic regions, huge fires raged. The living areas for humans and animals were shrinking at an incredible pace. Millions of lives had already been lost, as there was nowhere to go for the unfortunate ones who were trapped in the flames.

The next one, who brings in more bad news, is going out there with a bucket and a shovel, to put out some flames, a commander said. The man was sweating terribly.

No one in the control room dared to say another word. Everyone knew he was mad enough to actually do what he announced.

*

It’s really unbearable again today, Jefferson said as he looked out the window. Hazes all over.

His girlfriend, Tonya, said she’d seen it too. We need a way out of here, Jefferson. We should have been gone already, and you know it.

Yeah. Sorry about that. He closed the shutter, which was meant to keep the worst heat out of the house. With temperatures not dropping at night, it was a futile move, but it was an automatic gesture, muscle memory.

There had been a series of flights away from Earth over the past few years. Tonya had gotten tickets for them, but Jefferson had managed to make them miss their flight. She still wasn’t sure if that had been intentional or just bad luck, but it meant they were trapped here, in this nudie village, waiting for the end or better times. Everyone here hoped for the better option, but the end seemed much more likely.

Predictions of earthquakes and landmasses tearing apart because of the heat escaping from the inside of the planet weren’t exactly optimistic. From more and more places around the world, those exact events were being reported.

At least we’re not in a fire zone, Jefferson said as he sat down. It was too warm to sit next to Tonya, which sucked. Feeling her skin was amazing, but not if she felt like burning up with fever. He knew his own skin felt the same way.

Have you dared to check the news yet? she asked.

Checking the news lately was a hit or miss thing at best. At times, there was no news because the systems failed, due to the heat and the odd signal disruptions that seemed to come from nowhere. Or anywhere. The whole world was so messed up now, no one knew where the distortions came from.

Jefferson shook his head. Don’t dare to. He looked at her. Really.

Tonya understood. She was scared to look for news as well, these days. There was only so much misery a person could take in on one day, and lately that amount was stretched out of control. Why can’t we have some good news, she sighed, if only once a month. She slowly wiped her face. I should get up and drink something, but…

Their supply of drinkable water was low, and every movement would make them sweat harder, and need more water, so they were in quite a serious fix. It was no consolation that everyone else in their small community had the same problem.

I have to go out, Jefferson said.

I know. Tonya touched his hand for a moment. I don’t like that. She’d have to go out soon as well.

Same here, babe. Jefferson looked at his girlfriend, her dark skin glistening. He loved that face, and it pained him to see her like that, so hot and skinny. Food, like water, was hard to get by. Several people in their friends circle had already died because of that, which was another reason to avoid the local news. They didn’t want to hear about more people dying.

Slowly Jefferson got up again and looked at the rail near the door, where their protective suits hung. The suits had seen better times, and he wondered if he’d be safer without one.

As if she read his thoughts, Tonya told him to put it on, because even with a failing cooling system, he’d be safer with the thing than without it.

As usual, you’re right, he said, taking his suit from the hanger. It’s just such a damned hot nuisance, putting it on.

I can do it too now, if that makes you feel better, she offered, but he told her to stay seated. Putting on one suit was bad enough, moving the warm air. Two at once would make it unbearable, and they’d be in each other’s way too.

Slowly he got himself into the suit, hating the feel of the thing against his skin. This was so against how he wanted to be, but the outside made that necessary. Before closing the helmet, he blew her a kiss. Take care, babe.

You too, babe, Tonya said, smiling at him. As he reached for the lock to the short tunnel which would lead out of the house, she braced for the additional heat that would come into their small living room.

*

Inside most cities, the heat was everywhere. Due to the lack of power, most air conditioning systems had been switched off. People were advised to move as little as possible, and those who had to do things were given the option to wear as few clothes as possible.

Dolores Carter was one of those people. She worked in a factory that prepared food for the general population. Wearing a bikini and sandals, she went down the street, walking to work slowly. The temperature in the city hadn’t been below ninety-five degrees in months, and today was going to be a hot one. That was why she was out very early. Once the sun hit the roof over the city, things would get cooking quickly.

At the door into the factory, she met her friend Marcia, who had come in entirely naked, apart from the necessary footwear. Dolores admired her friend for that. It made sense to do that, but stripping off the tiny bits of fabric she herself wore was just a step too far for now.

Hey, still clinging to the sweat-patches? Marcia asked, pointing at the tiny top.

Yeah. Gotta keep up the modesty, right? It was Dolores’ usual response to that, even though the bikini didn’t hide anything about her figure. So when are you moving out and into one of the nudie villages?

They went inside, checked in and went to the work area, where they had to handle the machinery to create food out of reprocessed almost anything.

Not me, Marcia said. I’m not a nudie. I’m just walking around like one of them.

Ha, that makes you a nudie, Dolores pointed out, as she switched on the first collection of processors. How’s Donny? Donny was Marcia’s brother.

Not good. Marcia hesitated before starting the activation process of her machines. Getting weaker by the day. She tapped a gauge that showed overheating. Already? The machine wasn’t even on yet. The heat and the food aren’t helping him.

I feared so much. Got a problem there? Dolores noticed Marcia’s tapping and went to look. Oh. That’s not getting switched on today, she said. Maybe it did the last run of processing forever.

Three men, in various state of undress, also came in. One of them whistled at Marcia, out of habit. They all knew it didn’t mean a thing.

Hey Sam, come over here. I think we have another dead machine, Dolores called out to one of them.

What? Another one? That’s almost half the factory down, Sam said. He only wore a loin cloth and the unavoidable sandals, because of the hot floor. He came to check the machine. After ripping off a few maintenance panels, he agreed that the unit was a goner.

That sucks, Marcia said. It was the first machine in a sequence of processors, and with this one down, the rest of the line was unusable as well. Any chance of finding a replacement?

Sam rubbed his chin. We’ll try. Maybe there’s one on a higher floor that still works. He didn’t look too happy about the prospect of having to bring one of those machines down here. It was hard, heavy work, not something to look forward to in this heat.

Marcia suggested he should look first, and perhaps move one of the units down in the night. It’s a bit cooler then.

A few degrees less hot was indeed cooler, Sam admitted. He and another man walked off, going slow to save energy.

Dolores carefully took a deep breath. The warm air wasn’t kind on her lungs. And we were going to do a food run for the nudies, she said. They won’t be happy. With life getting harder and harder, the management of the food factory had decided that creating rations for the nude people outside the village should be done once or twice a week, provided that the city’s population would have enough.

Marcia and the remaining man, Esteban, nodded. We did a good one yesterday, Esteban said. Perhaps we can shave off some of those rations and get those out.

No way, Marcia said. They’re all counted and sealed already. Any change in stock will be noticed, and how would you get them into the storage houses anyway?

Esteban shrugged. There’s always a way if the need is high.

Marcia sighed.

Come on, we don’t give up just like that, Dolores said. We have a few lines that still work. We can run those a bit longer and get the rations done. Most of them anyway. She looked at Esteban. If you can help us for a few hours, that would make a huge difference.

Esteban pursed his lips for a moment. It’s a good thing that I know you, Doll, or I’d swear you were one of them and you had infiltrated into the city, wearing just that bikini. Okay, I’ll help you. And maybe Sam can do something too.

They started up the two remaining lines that were still operational on this level. The ones on the higher floors would be used later, to preserve energy for the failing cooling systems.

*

Commander Brown sat at his desk, only wearing shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. He’d love to go barefoot, but the floor was too warm for that, as it was everywhere. He was waiting for a report from a reconnaissance mission which had just returned. Their short, encoded message of ‘a peculiar find’ had Brown on his toes from the moment he’d read it. Protocol, however, demanded that nothing was transmitted. If the find was interesting enough, this should be mouth to ear only, for now.

Commander? Major Flint has arrived. His secretary hadn’t wasted time using the comm system. She stood in the doorway, and after her announcement she stepped aside, to let three people through. After that, she left and closed the door again. The three wore the smallest amount of clothing they could get away with under military rules.

Commander Brown wished he had the power to change those rules and do away with shirts.

Major Roderick Flint waved his hand. Salutes had been abandoned when they became too warm to perform. Commander.

Major, welcome. Captain Wong and Lieutenant Suni, welcome also. Please, take a seat and tell me everything, Brown said.

The three sat down. It was Captain Sally Wong who started talking.

We found a space station, sir. An alien space station, and it’s abandoned after what seems to be some kind of murder spree.

We found bodies, Lieutenant Ramdas Suni added. Alien, but looking like us humans in a remarkable manner.

The commander stared at the three. Space station. Aliens. He said the words as if to make it clear he’d really heard them.

Yes, and yes, sir. Major Flint got up and powered up the wall-screen, so he could point out in which quadrant of space they’d found the remarkable item. A trip of six weeks, with current technology, he said.

"You mean latest technology?" Brown wasn’t a fan of the new Faster Than Light systems. He preferred good old wormholes, even though those didn’t always got you exactly where you wanted to go.

Exactly that, sir. Wormhole jumps will probably take around five months longer. Flint turned to the screen and pulled a small tablet from his pocket. He typed on it, and the wall-screen image changed. The view showed a space station, hanging near a small sun.

Holy shit, how big is that thing? Brown got up and studied the find. "It is as big as it looks, right?"

It does, and it’s very big, Sally Wong said. We estimate that over a hundred thousand people can live there.

Brown turned to her. Over a hundred thousand… Are you sure?

No, sir. As I said, it’s an estimate.

On the low side, Ramdas added. It’s the minimum, as long as people don’t demand huge lawns and swimming pools with each residence. His comment made everyone grin. Those things had become extinct since a long time.

What’s on the inside of that thing, Roddy? Brown asked. You said dead bodies. What kind of dead bodies, apart from alien ones?

Roderick, who preferred Roddy, tapped his device again. A view of an operating table in an Earth-based spacecraft showed a somewhat humanoid shape. Its legs were longer and skinnier than that of an average human, and its arms were a bit shorter, but it was definitely humanoid. This is one of them. We brought it to our ship for proper examination. There is no visible cause of death, so we’re not clear what happened. Perhaps a kind of poison. Air checks showed everything was clear, and we did survive taking off our helmets.

So that station is habitable already?

For a few thousand people, indeed, Sally said. We secured a small area and found a way on how to repair parts. All we’d need is time and people to do the work. People who aren’t afraid to leave Earth and-

Ha! Brown shook his head. Put out the call and you have your hundred thousand in an hour. That won’t be the problem. He pointed at the window. Show me a million people who want to stay here, with the planet in this crappy state.

There was a silence in the room. They all knew that, and the biggest problem would be getting so many people off-world and to that station.

There is one detail we haven’t mentioned yet, Roddy then said. The station is a lot cooler than Earth but still too warm for people wearing clothes.

Oh? Brown frowned. Meaning?

All the bodies we found were naked, like the nudies out there, Roddy explained. We went through some of their, ehm, homes, and there was no clothing anywhere.

Strange, Brown said.

I guess the aliens would call us strange for wearing clothes, Sally said. The station is very close to the sun and it follows a very stable course around it, as if they planned it to be like that. It almost looks as if they were a naked people, sir.

Okay, okay, enough of that. Commander Brown held up his hand. This is surely a great find, but… He looked at the guests. You found dead bodies, probably poisoned. Do we know more? Was the station invaded and its inhabitants murdered? Did you do an air analysis for viruses and other nasty things? In short, do we know for certain that it would be safe to move people there?

Ramdas raised a hand. We can assure you we did all the necessary tests there, and a few more that we invented while we were near that station. The air is absolutely clean; cleaner than here on Earth-

That’s not so difficult, Brown interjected.

And there is no radiation, there are no viruses we could detect, and the station itself appears to be in a very good shape. We didn’t see big holes in the hull.

Brown nodded and thought for a while. We could give this a try, he then said. I’m not going to risk the lives of city-citizens though. We could approach this in a different way first. A plan formed in his head, and he started detailing it to the guests.

2. Volunteers

A heavy vehicle made its way through a storm. Esteban, who was driving, cursed the weather, while Marcia tried to decide where they were.

We should be inside a house by now, Esteban said as he stopped the truck.

We’re not, Marcia said. We’d have noticed. The satnav is off by miles, trust me.

Okay, tell me which way to go.

Marcia peered through the storm and hoped for a calmer moment, which suddenly came. Over there! Less than half a mile, and we’re at the nudies village.

The two were out for a delivery of the rations they’d made especially for the folks out here. The factory owner had assigned this task to them, because they were the ones who had family out here. Dolores had asked if she could come with them, but the cabin of the truck was too small for three people.

Esteban drove the truck into the direction she’d pointed to, fighting the wind that wanted to push the vehicle over. It was too heavy and wide for it, but at times the wind seemed to win, making their hearts jump.

Stop, stop! Marcia exclaimed when she saw a wall very close to her.

The truck came to an immediate halt.

Glad that part’s done, Esteban said as he sounded the horn as usual. Oh. They probably won’t hear that.

Marcia reached for the mic on the dashboard and called out a few names. We’re here with the food, so if you’re brave enough, come and get it. Otherwise we’ll wait for the wind to calm down a bit.

Heavily distorted by the electric storm, a voice replied that they would come out soon. Just stay… was the last bit the two inside the truck heard.

…put, Esteban completed the sentence. No way I’m doing anything else. Outside is not inviting.

The truck shook, as if to agree with him.

*

The little while ended up being half an hour, but then the storm vanished. There even was a dirty blue sky when Marcia and Esteban left the truck. Too much pollution was in the air for the sky to be really blue, but this was a lot better than what they’d seen before.

From several houses, people appeared and walked up to the truck. Some had to wade through fine sand, left by the storm, but getting the food packages was all worth that.

Tonya was one of the people to pick up some rations. I think it’s awesome that you get to do this, she said as her carrier box was filled up.

We think so too,