Frost and Frontiers Read online

  “I’ve wanted to be with you in person for so long,” said Chantal.

  Nessa tilted her head back to let Chantal kiss the tender areas of her neck, angled the leg Chantal was rubbing against. “I’ve wanted to smell you,” she said, as though this were a contest. It could be. Nessa knew she would win no matter what.

  Chantal sounded like she was smiling when she replied. “I’ve wanted to put my mouth on you. I imagined it. I dreamed about it.”

  Nessa breathed out in a curse. She’d dreamed of the same. She’d wondered a few times since she’d seen Chantal whether she was currently dreaming. But then, everything about Chantal had been a dream, and Nessa wasn’t about to question it. That wasn’t how she liked to live. If she woke up in the morning and Chantal wasn’t here, she’d deal with that then.

  “Please do.” Nessa ran her fingers through Chantal’s hair and pulled her close for a kiss that Chantal trailed down, down, down. Nessa surrendered to Chantal and enjoyed every moment of it, returning what she could. Every last tucked away desire seemed to find its way out through their bodies, relief and joy and something Nessa wouldn’t have been able to name even if she tried.

  She loved every last bit of Chantal, loved every moment together.

  * * * *

  The next morning Nessa woke content and happy, saw Chantal sleeping next to her. She couldn’t help but smile. As much as this was what she had wanted, she could have never created the detailed imperfections that were so obvious to her in the dawn: the messy room, the bed in the middle of the floor, even the way Chantal’s hair stood at a weird angle from how she must have slept on it for a while. Chantal’s mouth hung open slightly.

  Nessa wasn’t dreaming. She slid out of bed and made Chantal that coffee she’d promised herself she would, brought it back to find Chantal still asleep, naked body lightly covered by the blanket, so peaceful. She set the steaming cups on the bed stand and slid back into bed.

  “Mmmn,” mumbled Chantal, stirring at Nessa’s movement. Or perhaps it was the coffee, which was the very best Nessa had to offer. “Still on Europa?”

  “And still in my bed. I brought you a coffee.”

  “Thanks,” said Chantal, sitting up and accepting the cup. “You must’ve wanted to make me a cup of coffee forever.”

  “At least as long as I’ve wanted to wake up with you in my bed.”

  Chantal smiled, closed her eyes to breathe in the aromatic steam rising from the coffee.

  “Thank you,” she said at last. “Not just for the coffee.”

  Nessa felt she knew exactly what Chantal meant.

  Orbits

  The accommodations were far better than Ruby had hoped, three hundred fifty square feet of living space complete with a stunning view of the Earth through the nearly floor-to-ceiling window on the far wall. The door shut behind her as she entered, her bags already sitting on the couch which took up the space beneath the window. Directly above her was a loft where she would sleep. The rest of the living space was sparse, meant for her to fill.

  She crossed to the couch, pushed a bag to the floor, and sat. Raft was the first orbital colony in existence, a dare to the universe and a prayer for the human species. At fifty-one, Ruby had hardly dared hope she would live long enough to experience a breakthrough such as this, and now here she was, a functioning part of the Raft colony. Earth looked gorgeous out the slowly orbiting window, a view Ruby doubted she would ever find mundane.

  A glance at her empty kitchenette made her stand.

  “Ready to explore, doctor?” she asked herself, moving back to the door. The sight of her pale, slightly wrinkled skin as she placed her hand on the latch made her pause, then laugh. This was exactly where she wanted to be.

  * * * *

  There was less gravity in the marketplace and Ruby stood adjusting for a few minutes, taking in the multi-level shopping area with one long glance. The pictures and videos sent back to Earth really didn’t do the place justice. Spanning a large section of the very center of Raft, the marketplace was a hub of activity. The noise was loud and excited, like the din in a popular mall, and Ruby allowed herself to be caught up in it. She decided she would wander first, see what the place had to offer, before picking up a few supplies.

  She bought a coffee in a degradable cup and walked, taking in the variety of restaurants, the retail shops. The marketplace was very much like a mall in a way, with the exception of the various services scattered throughout: a dental practice, an optometrist office, a veterinarian. Raft thrived on the swell of scientists sent to keep it running and the wealthy people who invested in the colony—Ruby had heard their living spaces were even more impressive than her own.

  As she passed the veterinary practice, a woman and son pushed past her, what looked to be a Savannah cat in the boy’s arms. Ruby stepped aside for them, though she doubted they paid her much notice.

  “It had better not be Dr. Barrett’s day off,” the woman, white, middle-aged, and pinch-faced, was saying. The boy, about twelve Ruby guessed, glared.

  Ruby doubted it was the same Dr. Barrett, but her heart fluttered for a moment all the same. The memories she had…she smiled to herself and lingered, finishing her coffee. She’d had a lot of lovers over the years, but there was one who would always hold a special place in her mind. She wouldn’t be surprised if somehow Jennifer Barrett was here—they had run into each other enough over the years. What was one more place?

  After disposing of her cup, Ruby filled a canvas bag with eggs, vegetables, spices, a bottle of wine, even a small selection of chocolates from a tiny specialty place at the very edge of the marketplace. Although she would need more than just food, she decided to return home, tired from the long space flight and the buzz of the marketplace.

  The Savannah cat ran across her path on her way back, nearly tripping her. She moved out of the way as the boy followed, then turned back to see where the mother was. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat.

  Standing in the entrance to the veterinary practice and nodding calmly to the pinch-faced woman was Dr. Barrett. The Dr. Barrett Ruby knew and loved. She froze, unable to keep from staring. It had been years, but Jennifer still dazzled her. Long black hair braided and pulled back from her round face, russet skin smoother than Ruby’s was now, expression calm yet hiding amusement—Ruby knew her well enough to know that. She stepped closer before she could stop herself.

  “Yes,” Jennifer said to the woman. “If my scanners were operational, I could use the GPS in Sandy’s chip to locate her on the colony. But I’m told those won’t be completely up and running for another six weeks at least. Something to do with having to install more tech on certain floors with high living standards. Apparently everyone wants to move in ahead—”

  “But what are you going to do?”

  “Direct you to law enforcement. I’m sure their scanners are running fine.”

  The woman muttered something and stalked off, and that was when Ruby’s eyes met Jennifer’s.

  “Jen,” she said, crossing the last few feet between them. It was suddenly very hot, which was odd, since Raft was kept at a temperature Ruby generally found to be a little too cold.

  Jennifer smiled, then turned and entered the veterinary practice. Ruby followed.

  “Why am I not surprised to see you here?” asked Jen, once they were away from the flow of the crowd.

  Ruby set her bag down on a chair in the waiting area. The place was empty—not even an office worker was present. She and Jen were a step apart.

  “I felt the same way when I heard there was a Dr. Barrett at the veterinary practice.”

  Jen smiled and gestured to the small room with spread arms.

  “I finally got old enough to consider settling down. What do you think?”

  “You need more staff,” said Ruby, closing the last bit of space between them. She reached up and brushed Jen’s cheek with a hand, trailed her fingers down Jen’s throat. She was treated to a familiar touch in return
when Jen rested her hands on the small of Ruby’s back, nearly on her ass. “Who knows what can happen when there’s no one around to look out for you?”

  “No one around to keep me from behaving unprofessionally, you mean.”

  Ruby couldn’t help it. She had to kiss her. God, she loved their easy banter, how they just seemed to fall together perfectly, again and again. Her heart pounded and she reached up to brush against Jen’s face, but Jen was thinking of other things. She led Ruby around, hands fully on her ass now, until she was nearly at the desk. Jen’s hands moved lower, to Ruby’s thighs, and before she knew it, Jen had slid her onto the desk and was wedged between her legs.

  Ruby didn’t care that anyone could walk into the waiting room right now.

  “Come to dinner with me,” said Jen as she pulled away from Ruby’s lips and rested their foreheads together. The palm of her hand pushed into the sea of heat between Ruby’s legs as she spoke. “Tonight? Seven?”

  “Whatever you want,” breathed Ruby, pressing herself against Jen’s hand, wanting more.

  But Jen pulled back, smiling knowingly. “If I don’t stop us now, we’ll do something where anyone can walk in on us.”

  “And?” asked Ruby. That hadn’t exactly stopped them before. She could list off a good number of daring places they had been together, from a conference table minutes before people arrived to a courtyard in broad daylight.

  Jen’s eyes sparkled. “And you want to keep pushing our luck?”

  “You don’t?” Ruby leaned up, took Jen’s face in her hands, kissed her. “You have exam rooms back here, right?”

  Jen didn’t have to be asked twice, something Ruby loved about her. She counted herself lucky as Jen stepped back and offered a hand. Ruby slipped off the desk, pleasantly tense, and heard the door open. Immediately Jen put her other hand on top of Ruby’s.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, switching into her vet persona as a man entered with a cage. Ruby swallowed back her lust and tried to look sad rather than angry. “But you did the right thing. It was time to let Kerfluffles go.”

  Ruby didn’t know what she wanted more—to make out with Jen or laugh—but holding back her amusement made her eyes water. Ruby nodded, unable to respond, and though Jen looked completely sympathetic, her fingers traced light, tantalizing patterns over Ruby’s wrist.

  “Thank you, Dr. Barrett,” she finally managed, and turned to go. If the man with the cage thought it was strange for her to leave with a bag of groceries, he didn’t look it. She left Jen to her next patient and retreated back to her place to rest up for the evening.

  * * * *

  There hadn’t been much for Ruby to unpack, but she was glad now she had brought a few nice outfits along rather than donating them all before leaving Earth. She had the same flattering skirt and blouse combo she’d worn a few years earlier when she and Jen had met at a solar system exploration convention. She smiled at herself as she got dressed, remembering the feel of Jen’s hands sliding up her legs, the thrill of being in her late forties and still getting away with wild sex in a bathroom during panels.

  She and Jen had always been that way, colliding into each other one place or another and simply exploding. Ruby was not sure how exactly it had happened—for a while in their twenties they had tried seeing each other, but it just hadn’t worked out. They had their own paths and different life goals, which brought them together now and again, but were just not compatible. It was as though they had orbited each other their entire lives, always linked and yet never close.

  Ruby smiled, watching her crow’s feet grow more prominent in the mirror. She was paler than normal, a result of recent years spent mostly indoors. She hoped Jen would remember her outfit. At a tone from the door, she turned.

  “Sorry I’m early,” said Jen when Ruby opened the door. She wore clothing Ruby remembered, too, from about five years ago, black with splashes of purple, like the universe. “I didn’t specify I would drop by, so I wanted to catch you before you went off looking for me.”

  “Come in?” asked Ruby.

  Jen smiled at the offer. “We’ll skip dinner altogether if I do that.”

  “I have food.”

  “I wanted to take you out,” said Jen, making her protest face. Ruby could never deny her when she asked. She supposed there wasn’t any reason to—they’d had precious few meals together over the years that weren’t part of some group of intellectuals.

  “Then I put myself in your perfectly capable hands,” said Ruby.

  Jen’s eyes glittered as she led Ruby out. “Are you insinuating something?”

  “I’m always insinuating something.”

  “I’d love to hear the specifics, but we’re in public,” said Jen, her point proven when they passed a family in the corridor. She led Ruby to one of the nicer restaurants in the upper levels of Raft, with a view to the galaxy beyond. Ruby could barely believe how breathtaking it was. Jen ordered a bottle of white.

  “So,” she asked once their wine had arrived and they had both figured out entrées. “Taking an early retirement, Dr. McCullough?”

  Ruby could not help but grin.

  “Retirement? What’s that?”

  Jen sighed, but it was a pleasant sort of sigh. She swirled her wine, looking relaxed and happy. Ruby could not take her eyes off her, even with the stunning view of the galaxy to their right. There was no comparison. No comparison at all.

  “What’s your current project?” asked Jen. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  Ruby sipped her wine, debating what to say. She hadn’t been planning to leave Raft. She would have enough work to do here the rest of her life, groundbreaking work, and she knew it would only be increasingly difficult to travel. No, for once in her life, she was going to stay in one place.

  “Talking about work,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Is there nothing else we can talk about?”

  “Maybe I’m curious about you being here. I’m beginning to think you’re following me, how often we bump into each other. Going to defend yourself?”

  “You must be following me,” said Ruby. “I had a place on this colony before they opened applications to fill missing positions.”

  “And I haven’t?”

  Ruby smiled.

  “I guess we’re both too good at what we do.”

  Their food arrived and Jen set aside her wine.

  “You still haven’t told me what you’re here for. I’m legitimately curious. What’s there to do with linguistics here?”

  Ruby poked at her couscous. She’d explained this to relatives and friends, too, who seemed equal parts distressed she was leaving for good and jealous she would be able to live on Raft while they would likely never even be able to visit. Unlike them, she was aware Jen wasn’t being antagonistic.

  “One of the exciting things about Raft,” said Ruby, knowing Jen would understand, “is how it gives us such a great ability to research and document things as they’re occurring, like we could never do with any other kinds of settlements in history.”

  “I completely agree,” said Jen, nodding. “With the kinds of tech we have today, what we can track, organize, and understand is like at no other time before. The data…” She trailed off.

  “Exactly.” Ruby felt her pulse pick up again, a mixture of excitement at someone getting what she was talking about and how hot it was that person was Jen. “I’m here with a team of sociologists and other various cultural specialists to track in real time what exactly shifts in a colony community, how it defines itself, separates itself, distinguishes itself from any place on Earth. What it chooses to keep and toss out when it comes to influence—Raft isn’t completely isolated, everyone here has internet, satellite, so forth. We’re anticipating some distinct, fascinating aspects to unfold.”

  “It’ll be interesting considering the populace here is mainly intellectuals and the insanely rich.”

  “And various staff.” Ruby paused to refill their wine glasses. “We already have cl
ear class distinctions.”

  “But even staff is highly educated,” said Jen. “People would kill for any job here. The only people I’ve met who don’t have a Master’s are children or those still in schooling.”

  “It will be interesting to track that over the years, too.”

  “Sounds like a lifetime’s worth of work.” Jen looked distant now and Ruby became uncomfortable. If she was truly going to stay here like she planned, the days of her and Jen bumping into each other might be over.

  “Your turn,” said Ruby, wanting to go on the offensive. “Tell me all the secrets you have about Sandy the Savannah cat, or I’ll leave you with the full bill.”

  Jen smiled, the distant look immediately gone. Ruby loved that smile. She wanted to wake up next to it.

  “I believe I said I was treating?”

  “I’ll think of another threat, give me a moment,” said Ruby as Jen sipped at her wine.

  “Hold that thought for when we’re naked later. I’m pretty sure Sandy’s problem is she doesn’t like Raft. Most of the animals have been presenting with anxieties, behavior problems, or they’re eating less.”

  “Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

  Jen nodded, set her glass down.

  “Yes, and that’s mainly why I’m here. There are actually going to be quite a few veterinarians and animal specialists here on Raft—it’s crucial we figure out how various creatures fare on the colony and what we can do for them. We still don’t have good answers to questions regarding fertility, development, or even things like how animals react long-term to the atmospherics.”

  Ruby nodded. This had to go beyond novelty pets.

  “Which is important for raising food animals. The eggs I bought today were shuttled in from Earth,” said Ruby.

  “We do have several chicken populations in different areas of the colony, but it’s too soon for results. I heard there was still debate about whether we should have bees and other vectors on board, or go for genetically modified crops that don’t need pollination. And don’t get me started on fish.”