Callisto 2.0, Susan English [i love reading .TXT] 📗
- Author: Susan English
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“I know that look,” she said, a glint in her eyes, “but it will have to wait.” She brushed past me on her way to the bathroom, her hand lightly skimming the front of my body.
“Order room service. I need to refuel after last night.” She paused at the doorway, her eyes traveling down my body, clad only in a towel, and grinned seductively. “Oh, and don’t bother to get dressed,” she said.
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Later that afternoon, as I lay in Amélie’s arms, she said, “Calli, tell me about your work.”
My project was the furthest thing from my mind. “I can’t imagine you would find it interesting,” I said, lightly tracing circles on her smooth, muscular stomach.
“I’m interested in you,” she said.
I glanced up at her and she responded with a moue. I smiled. How could I say no?
She was gorgeous. “My colleague and I are working on a warp drive, it’s like a motor for a spaceship, one that can take us farther than we ever thought possible.”
She played with my hair, twirling a strand around her finger. “I may not be a scientist, but I want the details. I want to hear everything. There’s nothing sexier than an intelligent woman.”
Sighing, I snuggled deeper into her, luxuriating in her intoxicating scent, her astonishingly soft skin. I started talking. I told her all about the drive, the problems Hadley and I were having as well as our successes, and she was a great listener. The more I talked, the more captivated and intrigued she became. When I tried to change the subject, asking her questions about herself, she would brush them off with a wave of her hand. “Tell me more about Shambhala,” she would say. “I love the idea of a community of women.” And I indulged her. She was so beautiful, with her enchanting eyes, her easy smile, and her tantalizing body. I was lost, buoyed by her attention, her gentle caresses, her sensuous French accent.
◆◆◆
We spent the entire week together. Our connection was incredible: desire without attachment, tenderness and affection without any future expectations. Maybe it was the knowledge that we would likely never see each other again. I basked in the sensation of her hands on my body, and my own hands soaked up the feel of her soft, silky skin. I couldn’t get enough. We spent most of our time in bed, talking, making love, ordering room service, with occasional forays out to see the sites. But then, once we had managed to escape the hotel room, she would glance at me, or I would touch her arm or brush a strand of hair from her face, and, overcome by passion, we would head back to our room, barely containing our desire until we closed the door behind us.
On Saturday I saw her off at the station.
“Goodbye, Calli with the beautiful eyes.”
I hugged her tightly, certain I would never see her again. But she had given me so much. My body felt alive, renewed, my heart lighter.
◆◆◆
The next morning, I took the eleven-a.m. shuttle back to Shambhala. At breakfast I had gotten some good-natured ribbing from the women at Arcadia, especially Berit. She 127
wanted all the details, but all I offered was a brief, G-rated summary.
“Come on!” she had implored. “I’m single! I need to live vicariously.”
Yasmin snorted with laughter. “Really, Berit? Didn’t you just, what, two weeks ago have an affair with one of the waitresses from the bar?”
Berit shrugged. “But that was two whole weeks ago! I’ve been celibate since then, and it’s been pure torture.”
Later that afternoon Naomi and I were sitting on her couch in her quarters. Unlike the Arcadia women, when I tried to be evasive about my time with Amélie, Naomi was having none of it.
“Come on, Calli, you know you’re going to tell me eventually, so might as well do it now!”
“It was incredible,” I said, laughing. “I haven’t been with anyone, you know, in that special way, since Olivia.”
“I know! So, how was it?”
I raised my eyebrow.
She smacked me lightly on the thigh. “No that’s not what I meant! Do you fancy her? Will you see her again?”
“No, I don’t think so. She lives on the Earth, and I’m here. Anyway, we don’t have much in common. It was just a moment in our lives, like ships passing in the night. A serendipitous encounter, now a beautiful memory.”
“Listen to you, all poetic.”
I laughed again. “It was nice. And she was fun to talk to.”
Now it was Naomi’s turn to raise her eyebrows at me. “There was time to talk? Calli, now I’m a bit disappointed!”
“Don’t worry. We weren’t talking the whole time, I promise. But she was really interested in my work, even though she’s not a scientist. We talked for hours about the warp drive, the problems Hadley and I are having with the bubble collapse, and lots of other stuff, too. She was fascinated with the idea of Shambhala, wanted to know all about the research going on here.”
“Of course, it’s captivating.”
“I think so! But most non-scientists would be bored, listening to me ramble on and on about all our achievements.”
“Perhaps she liked the sound of your voice,” said Naomi.
“Maybe.” I smiled, thinking of Amélie’s enchanting body. “But now I’m happy to be home, and ready to get back to work!”
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After my lunar holiday, I felt like a new woman, and tackled the problem of the warp bubble collapse with renewed energy. I had a few new ideas, and was looking forward to sharing them with Hadley when she and Andrea returned from their trip to Earth.
At the next staff meeting, I sat next to Elena, the station’s astronomer, and, as Hadley had mentioned, the genius behind the spectacular mosaic in the hub. She was a small, sturdy woman, and from her features I guessed she was from an indigenous tribe in Central America. We hadn’t exchanged more than a few words the entire time I had been on Shambhala. I would have to make an effort to get to know her.
Fae and Mei Xing reported on their progress with manufacturing food balls—one step closer to full self-sufficiency for the space station. We were already preparing our water and beer balls on Shambhala, using Zoe’s algae. Mei Xing was describing their experiences so far.
“All is going well, with a few minor mishaps.”
Fae stared at Mei Xing, her eyes wide. “Minor mishaps!” She laughed. “If you call exploding globs of food a minor mishap.”
Mei Xing laughed, too. “Okay, it’s true the filtration and vacuum systems were working overtime in the kitchen for a few days.” She caught my eye and I suppressed a giggle.
“What a mess! There were bits of food floating everywhere. I think I had food in my hair for a week.” Fae touched her hair, as if checking for overlooked food particles.
“But despite the minor mishaps,” she gave Mei Xing a look of disbelief, then winked at me, the corners of her mouth twitching, “I’m happy to report we’ve got everything under control, and the new food balls are on the menu tonight!”
Mei Xing held up a hand, palm out. “Don’t get too excited. It’s a brand-new recipe.”
“Don’t mind Mei Xing, she’s just being modest,” said Fae, rubbing Mei Xing’s shoulder affectionately. “This new recipe is delicious. She’s a master chef.”
Mei Xing looked down at her feet. “I hope everyone feels the same as Fae.”
That night at dinner, we were treated to Mei Xing’s creation. The food balls were delicious, as I already knew from our food fight in the kitchen. They had a slightly crunchy texture, and were a little spicy, with a hint of sweetness—a burst of competing flavors. It was the first meal made entirely from food grown on Shambhala, and it was a milestone. Everyone took turns congratulating both Fae and Mei Xing. Fae, gracious as always, reiterated Mei Xing’s pivotal role as head chef, and Mei Xing looked abashed but immensely happy.
◆◆◆
At the social that night, I sat with Raven and Jordyn, a vibrant woman from Australia 129
with an athletic body, light brown skin, and lustrous black hair. We had a bin of beer balls in front of us, and another bowl filled with Mei Xing’s masterpieces.
“This is really good,” said Raven, popping another food ball into her mouth.
I nodded, my mouth full.
“Calli, you seem relaxed,” said Jordyn. “How was your Moon visit?”
Thinking of my tryst with Amélie, I felt myself redden. I swallowed my food. “It was fun. I needed a break.”
“Yeah, it’s good to get away from the station now and again,” said Jordyn. “Keeps us sane.”
“I need a Moon trip at least once a month or I go stir-crazy,” said Raven.
“Me too,” said Jordyn. “Then again, I have a compelling reason to go to the Moon.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“Jordyn has a terrific boyfriend, Jesse, who works in the university sector,” said Raven.
“Oh, that’s great, Jordyn.” I looked at her more closely. I could have sworn she was a lesbian. So much for my gaydar.
“It’s weird, thinking of J as my boyfriend,” said Jordyn. “When we met, she identified as a queer woman. Jesse’s genderfluid.” Jordyn smiled, her face softening. So my gaydar wasn’t completely malfunctioning. “I usually go to the Moon every other weekend.”
“How’s that going?” I asked. “Long-distance relationships can be hard.” I mentally rolled my eyes—like I would even know. Some expert I was, I had barely touched the tip of the relationship iceberg with Olivia before she broke up with me, and a week in a hotel bed with Amélie hardly counted as anything serious.
Jordyn shrugged. “It’s okay. It would be nice if we were both on the Moon, but right now my work is here. I can’t imagine giving up my lab, and my collaboration with Tanya.
She helped me understand where Jesse is coming from. Before J, I was always with women who identified as lesbians or bisexuals. Tanya explained that for Jesse, gender is a bit like what clothing J feels like wearing on any given day, though not in a superficial way, it’s much, much deeper than that. It’s been a real learning experience for me.”
I leaned forward, elbows on the table. “In what way?”
“You know how humans have this propensity to
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