The weeks fly by, switching between the ansible workshop, my loft, and re-charge lake as situations permit. Katie is exceptionally tolerant of my need to work inside the lake itself after a long day of enchanting. For the exchange, I allow Katie to plan most of my days until Jembit arrives and she proves a grueling taskmistress.
The day arrives and Atropos alerts us that a large, 5km vessel warps into the system at a standard 100k kilometers from Astoria.
->>]Hail Jembit Engineering, this is Astoria. Do you require assistance or supplies?[<<--
->>] Astoria! We come bearing gifts! And ordered parts of course.[<<-
->>] Will you be coming planetside, or do you wish a meeting aboard your ship? [<<-
->>] We see a low-gravity construction facility on your moon?[<<-
->>] Copy, Jembit. Rendevous 2 hours?[<<-
->>] Agreeable. [<<-
I tell Katie and since she wishes to tag along on the assembly operation, she’s excited about the meeting.
When we get up to Mercy, I upgrade the Habitation units to manifestors, so that I don’t have to re-supply the place so damned often, if ever. Katie approves the change and I know Beecham would appreciate it. Andromeda, I am spending so much on infrastructure without a populous for it to support. Save this ansible installation. This will serve billions if not more.
A lumpy but functional shuttle lowers itself into our deep cavernous hanger. When the bay doors close, a veritable explosion of atmosphere emerges in the space. I pop my helmet when it is safe, and minutes later, after a tricorder-like device emerges, so does the Jembit ambassador.
The helmet reveals a bipedal Capybara-like being with an extra set of appendages. Damn, these fuckers must be gizmo wizards with those extra hands.
“Greetings Jembit representative, I am Empress Astoria. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
The large rodent taps its fist to its chin, “An honor, Empress. I am Chiddy of the Febbles. I am the expendable mouth of the Jembit and I wish us a favorable work experience.”
Oh, did they provide expendable fodder should I be angry? Interesting that they would risk offending me with intentionally feeble representatives. “Chiddy, please. While host, I have also been hired as an enchanter and an engraver. Call me Artisan Astoria if you must. We are under contract after all.”
“It is well artisan. Our Chief Engineer requires an in-person engraving onboard the Jembit Vessel 47 if you are currently available.”
“A reasonable offer. My trade and contract officer wishes to be present, is this agreeable?”
They look at Katie with fear and apprehension. “She is restricted from all predator activities while onboard. Is this agreeable?”
“It is Chiddy, my thirst is also for knowledge.” Katie states, her aura of authority causing the Jembit to tremble a bit.
In the end, Chiddy lets her board the shuttle after scanning the both of us for weapons. He scans my toolkit and sees some improvised tools, but lets it go after seeing my welding laser and cutting torch.
The Jembit ship is simply massive. The fabrication bay they drop us in is the size of my hangar on Mercy, but far more full of tools and work stations. There’s a damned forge down the hall and a conveyor system. I might be taking notes. Katie might be rolling her eyes at me while doing the same.
A larger, scarred version of the Capybara that I met before walks down the bay with a smile in his sneer. His aura seems male, so sue me.
“Empress, I am Captain Roshmee. I have six Alaris months to complete this work and I need your enchanter to meet that timeline. Please present your enchanter and engraver.”
I wait a moment to make sure he was serious, and then I raise my toolkit—aka my hand—and say: “Yah, that’s me captain. My assistant requires a review of our prospective tasks and the overall schedule of the assembly.”
While the captain did care for our demands he capitulated and connected Katie with their project overseer. I’m sure Katie’s trying to ping their systems too, making a proper menace of herself.
“So what would you like me to demonstrate? I have some of my work with me and a half-finished engraving of the same kind.”
“Both perhaps? I would see you work for a time on the half finished engraving.” He seems to be making an attempt at politeness. For a gruff pirate.
I give him a thumbs up and walk toward one of their work stations with a wide, short, stool while grabbing some things in my purse of holding. Put a
I work for about a half an hour before the Captain is satisfied with my “proof” he must have had questions about the newness of humans in the System and a worker that can produce work that should normally take a decade. Andromeda gave me cheat codes and I use them to make sticks to reduce asteroids to mini-dice.
“Your work is of an acceptable standard. Will you need accommodations onboard?”
“It would be appreciated to have a place to rest when we cannot make it home. Would you prefer us to dock outboard or for us to land inboard?”
“If you intend to use your shuttle often, outboard is preferred.” I nod at the Captain and he sicks his steward on us, getting our berthing preferences and dietary requirements and asking about weapons on the shuttle and our person.
The schedule we were handed says we start work in 3 days outside of my Neptune-sized gas giant, but I have a completely different schedule that tells me when I owe components that have to be enchanted and engraved. Luckily the symbols for what they want are included in the schematics, or I’d be screwed. Yeah, I can do this work but I think that Katie is going to be bored off her ass.
I ask the steward if I could collect some of the parts to be engraved, well, the portable ones anyway, there are some large pieces on the parts list that aren’t exactly gravity friendly. He wholeheartedly approves of setting the crew ahead of schedule so he checks me out the first fifteen portable items and then loads them up on the shuttle that would take us back to Mercy. Once we’re unloaded, the Jembit crew chittered their goodbyes and left back to Ship 47.
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“Are you coming to the Loft, or are you staying up here?” Katie asks.
“Loft, absolutely. That is my happy place. Nearly a workshop for every project in my head? Yes please.” I hook a finger into her belt loops and pull her in and just put my hands on her. “Are you getting tired of me?”
“Not in the least. I am just accustomed to you Isolating on Astoria while you are working.”
“Think less about then and think about the last month of us working on our Atoll. How far was I from you while I was working?” I reach down and anchor my thumbs on her hip bones and squeeze a little. I get the smirk I am looking for.
“Not far.” She pulls gently on the bottom of my hair, tilting my head up for a kiss. Its as polite a kiss as we’ve had lately, and it feels so comfortable I ache for weeks in jammies with my fiancée just lazing about with personal projects and touches.
“I would like to keep doing that as applicable. It’s, I don’t know. I just love it. But I do understand if you have things to do that don’t support me hanging onto you like a parasite.”
She bites my lip in admonishment. “While I do have things I would prefer to do in my Ansible work room, I have never barred you from the space, you just never chose to visit.”
Okay, that makes me feel bad. Her tone opens up into an intense sadness of having watched me and felt distant. It was back when Melissa was the only person I was seeing, so I understand, but I also didn’t think she still loved me at the time.
“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t feel comfortable at the time, okay?” I pinch her butt and it startles her out of a very intense stare. “Plus I thought you were still elbow deep in Francesca at the time.”
“The hell? She’s not a mare birthing a foal, Penny. Let’s get these parts to your loft so you can stop being ridiculous.”
I chuckle at that. I was just joking before, but her straight delivery has me imagining her reaching into Francesca with a clinical disinterest looking to turn a baby or some shit. Kay sighs dramatically as I bust out in laughter.
I drop Katie off at our ansible and proceed to the lab building to deposit my parts. I bring them down to my actual workshop and just . . . begin. Katie ends up pinging me for dinner before I realized any time passed. I get so damned hyper-focused sometimes.
I come up to the Loft and see Francesca at the sink washing vegetables and Katie pulling something that smells like port out of the oven.
“Anything I can do?”
“Oh hey Penny.” Francesca says, turning toward me for a moment before tending to the vegetables again.
“Wash up and set the table, please.” Kay replies.
I search practically every drawer and cupboard to find what I need, having used the kitchen so little even when I lived here. We have cloth napkins apparently and it seems to be an up-scale type of dinner, so I order up a trio of wine glasses and a selection of wines. I don’t want it to look like we’re trying to seduce the Botanist, so I leave the candles out of the equation.
Katie plates three beautiful meals with what looks like an herbaceous mash with a sauce adorned breast filet and some spring vegetables. “Wow, ladies, this looks amazing! And thanks for the ping, I would have been sad to miss this.”
“Of course,” Katie says, “thanks for the wine. Were you at least productive in Penny’s fortress of solitude?”
“Heh, not wrong. But yes, I was. I don’t really understand the scheduling though. I’m progressing much faster than scheduled and I’m barely qualified to do the work. It’s gotta be something with my ink production and the way I form tools.”
“Does that mean you’ll be able to squeeze in some battery production for my satellites?” I should know better than to tell her that I have more time to work, but it’s for her, so I don’t really mind.
“Yes dear. We talking trickle discharge, low-current on demand, or performance on demand?”
“I would like a few pairs like your laser pistol, but larger storage; and as many hand-sized long-life crystals for a new data network.” I can see that her eyes drift off of me in a clear sign she’s looking at her hud.
“Sorry about that Francesca, how has your solo colony mission been? And thanks for the food, by the way.” I hold up a purple leafy thing at the end of my fork appreciating the newness of it before stuffing it in my face. Oooh, peppery!
“My agricultural project is now a full farm. I’ve made enough money on eggs and chickens to start automating the food stuffs and feeding, but with this influx you sent me, I should be able to prep more land and start on a wine project.”
“Oh, yes please. Send Katie a proposal and we’ll see about a subsidy until the first bottles are ready? Oh! I should also ask if you want Your Station to stay low-key, or if you’re okay with it being a city.”
“Now that I’ve lived here for so long, I’d prefer if it stayed a farming burg?” She looks guilty asking for that, but it is why I asked.
“Okay, cool. Then I will need everyone’s assistance in planning a city.” I hear a small squeak of a chair moving and before I can look I’m being picked up and hugged. “Wow, I didn’t know you liked city planning this much.”
Francesca coughs from across the table, “Shouldn’t we have ships first?”
“Beecham’s working on finding a crew and wands to head our ship building himself. Besides that, we only have room for like 100 people. I figure we build some high-density housing near the Capital and then give people the ability to decide what they want to do when they get here.”
Katie pulls her head back to look at me in the eyes, “No. I will not have ramshackle planning. There will be districts and zones and well-laid out thoroughfares and utilities. And a palace.”
“No palaces Katie. Big veto on that one.”
“A ruler needs a place to rule from. You’re getting a Captitol Manor of some kind.” I groan at that.
“Fine. I trust your judgement. I expect your ‘ideas’ for our city to come in under a million. Credits.”
Then Katie fully creeps me out with the largest smile I have ever seen on her face. “We are going to wed on the steps of the Estate I will build for us.” She lets me go and wanders off, eyes already planning in her HUD.
“Did she just threaten to marry you?” Francesca, stammers with uncertainty.
“Sounded like it didn’t it? I think she’s just overstimulated thinking about the pile of money I handed her and the amount of experience the Matrix is going to hand her when she finishes.”
“Ah, that makes sense, she really enjoys the system and the advancement. How are you doing with all of this? Earth seems to have stressed you out.”
I deflate as if she threw a dart at a birthday balloon. “Yeah, there were a lot of people trying to beg or bully for more that the Matrix gave them. I didn’t tell them that I set their parameters up, but they got 7.3 billion credits spread out over 137 countries. If they burn through tens of millions of credits in six months, another five thousand won’t fix anything.”
“Interesting to know where the money you gave me was from, but I was more interested in why Melissa isn’t with you.”
Fuck. I don’t want to talk about this, but who else am I going to tell to get this off my chest? “Ugh, you got any of that shine? I’m gonna need something stiffer than wine for this conversation.”
She stands up, gets to small glasses from the cupboard and a flask out of her pocket to fill them. I drink about half and let the clean burn slide down my throat.
“Oh wow, this is much cleaner than last year. This tastes like a good vodka.”
“Yes, I built a more professional setup. I have some bourbon in barrels right now that you’ll probably like in a few years.” She stops to take a sip.
“Consider it purchased! I do love a bourbon.” I shoot the other half and slide the glass back to her. She mild surprise infuses her face as she pours me some more. “So I don’t think it really hit Melissa that we’d actually get back to Earth until she saw her parents.”
“Back before she started making out with Katie, Melissa seemed to be ‘all in’ on us being together and even talked about starting a family here. As the parts started coming together for our return home she seemed more uncertain, and I just thought that it was tension with Katie. Things seemed to get a little better for a while on Earth when Katie and Mel started to get along really well. Part of me thinks that’s true, and another part thinks that she was playing a part until she could tell me that her parent’s disapproval and my disregard for my own family, are deal breakers. She moved back in with her parents a month before we left. Now that she can go back to the life she wanted before we got stranded, I don’t think there’s room for me with her anymore.”
“If I’m being honest, if I had a lifetime of arguing with my parents ahead of me and had to look at how well you and Katie fit together, I’d have my doubts too. One of those is doable, but facing both of those and the pressures of being part of a new government? That’s a lot of stress Penny.”
I thought I had been doing alright about not pressuring Melissa about anything, but I guess I wasn’t very reassuring about her insecurities about the throuple thing after Katie said that she would never develop the same feelings for her as she had for me, despite them growing closer in the more recent months. It is also hard for me to reconcile how intolerant she was of my non-sexual behavior toward the both of them after telling me they’ve been making out for a while. Not that I was an attentive girlfriend on the best of days.
Ugh, this isn’t productive. I’ll make an effort to pay more attention and change the things I can.