The Void Captain's Tale

The Void Captain's Tale, Norman Spinrad, Orb Books, 2001

Mankind has reached the stars, through a technology it barely understands. Courtesy of an extinct race who called themselves We Who Have Gone Before, a vital part of the "circuit" is a symbiotically linked human female, the Pilot. Very few can be Pilots, and the result is a shortened lifespan. But, for that tiny fraction of a instant that the ship Jumps (approximately four light years at a time), the Pilot experiences an orgasm many times more intense than anything previously experienced.

Genro Kane Gupta is Captain of the Dragon Zephyr, taking colonists and supplies to a distant colony. On his way to the ship, he meets Dominique Alia Wu, the Pilot. This is a violation of nearly every rule in the book, because the Pilot is supposed to remain anonymous and apart from the crew and passengers during the trip. Gupta can't stop thinking about her, and what happens to her when she pushes the Jump button.

Quite a culture has evolved on ships like the Dragon Zephyr among the Honored Passengers, those who are simply along for the ride. It started as a way to bring some of Earth along for the crew on long voyages between stars, but it turned into a pastime for the rich and idle. The ship contains an appropriately designed area for the Passengers to engage every desire and whim. Lorenza Kareen Patali is the ship's Domo. Sort of a cross between leader of the Passengers and chief interior decorator of the Passengers' living area, part of the expectation is the Captain and Domo engage in a sexual relationship. Gupta is unable to fulfill his part of the bargain, due to his increasing obsession with Pilot Wu. He visits her between Jumps, a violation of more rules, where is able to perform sexually. During the Jumps, Wu gets glimpses of something transcendent, something beyond humanity. She asks Gupta's help to get there permanently, even though it means sacrificing everyone on board.

There is a considerable amount of eroticism in this story. Told from the Captain's point of view, I liked the understated style of language and the future amalgamation of languages. It's also a very good and thought-provoking tale that is well worth the reader's time.