Future Prospect (27 page)

“I’m not currently seeing anyone, other than you.”

“Same here.”

“I’m not interested in doing this sort of thing with anyone other than you.”

“Same here.”

“And I’d like to keep doing this sort of thing with you in the future.”

“Same here.”

She drew away from him then, quirking a smile at him as she regarded him skeptically. “Man of few words?”

“I used up my daily quota in the hearing.”

“Lia!”

Moca’s voice echoed down the corridor, and Lia stopped her forward momentum. She’d been working hard all afternoon after coming in fifteen minutes late that morning thanks to Colan’s insistence on taking his time in the shower. They were lucky he had installed an extra solar panel on his roof considering how much hot water they were using up every morning. But that didn’t excuse her tardiness, and she’d put in extra effort to compensate.

“What can I do for you, Magistrate?” Lia joked with the title as she entered Moca’s office. Although it wasn’t really a joke; with all the new settlers, the staff had started to revert to more formality in their relationships. They’d all been through a lot the first weeks here on Gamaliel, but now that things were returning to a somewhat normal pace, they could act as an actual congressional organization again.

Moca smiled, all her bruises from the explosion healed, and gestured for Lia to take a seat across from her desk. “I’m glad I caught you. It seems like I hardly see you anymore.”

Lia hadn’t told anyone about her new involvement with Colan, at least not anyone directly. She was sure Zashi knew; he’d probably known before she and Colan had, but it seemed Ermil’s gossip hadn’t spread very far in the hallways of the administration center.

“I’ve been busy getting all those new claims coordinated with the monitoring satellites and Myklos’s system. So far, everything seems to be working in real-time. We’ll find out for sure when we start doing live data drops.”

“Great. Anything else?” Moca raised an eyebrow, and Lia wondered if she was asking a personal question. Before she could come up with a reasonable answer, Moca continued, “I ask because it seems like you have most everything scheduled out pretty far in advance, and everything and everyone hit their targets pretty consistently for the last week or so.”

“True, but you never know what sort of disaster will pop up and throw everything into a ruckus.” The scheduler’s creed and one her time here on Gamaliel had taught her to believe in even more.

“You’ve done marvelous work here, and under non-optimal conditions, so I want to thank you for that. You really helped hold us together while I recuperated.”

“Everyone contributed.”

Moca made a noncommittal noise and glanced at a datpad on her desk. “In any case, I have some news for you. You’ve been requested to take on scheduling duties at Herald Complex. They need you immediately and requested I forward your acceptance and travel arrangements as soon as possible.”

Lia’s mind went blank. Herald Complex scheduler? That was the assignment she’d requested a year ago, had placed as her priority as soon as she’d heard funding had been approved. But the job had gone to Judit Feelin, a woman with more political connections than Lia could ever hope to match.

“What about Citizen Feelin? She has the assignment.” There was no way Lia was willing to work as that woman’s second, no matter how wonderful the project.

“Seems Cit. Feelin has not performed up to specifications. Construction is nearly at a standstill and marks are leaking from every aspect of the project, which makes the representatives very agitated. You know there’s nothing they hate more than having wastefulness exposed or the delay of well-publicized pet project. The designer contacted me a few days ago to quiz me about you, and I didn’t have to exaggerate to get him to pay attention.”

Moca smiled as if she’d scored Lia an incredible victory, which she had, but all Lia could think about was that she would be leaving Colan, when things had become so good between them. Her stomach clenched, and her fingernails dug stinging divots into her palms as she tried to process the terrible news.

“So, it’s a sure thing?”

“Absolutely. I want to keep you for at least one more day, so you can set up things for your replacement.”

One day? Only one more day with him and she’d have to leave? Lia tried to take a deep breath and only managed to suck in a shallow gasp as dizziness crept in around her consciousness.

“Replacement?” How could she replace him? She wouldn’t even be able to try. Her chest tightened into a horrible ache and with a great burst of embarrassment, Lia realized she was crying. Moca noticed it too and rose from her seat and came to crouch next to Lia.

“Not that we could replace you. But we will need a scheduler when you’re gone. A poor substitute.” Moca tried to be cheerful as she patted Lia’s shoulder.

Wiping her fingers against her cheeks, Lia tried to gather her thoughts. All she wanted to do was run from the magistrate’s office and find Colan. If she only had a few hours, she wanted every moment she could with the man.

“Of course. I’ll prep the schedule and create as many alternate paths as I can.” Lia answered automatically, her mind bouncing around the fact she didn’t want to leave. She’d be several million light years away from him in mere hours. “They really want me?”

“Of course, the contract is right there on my display, I wanted to tell you in person before I forwarded it. You were still listed as available for transfer.” Moca paused. Lia wished she could stop crying and look happy instead of as heartbroken.

“Lia, you’re unhappy about this, aren’t you? You wanted the Herald Park assignment. You were very upfront about that when you signed on with me for Gamaliel. It’s a big step up for you.”

Lia nodded. Everything the magistrate said was true.

“So what’s making you so upset?” Moca leaned down to peer in Lia’s watery eyes.

“It’s just a shock. And I was just getting used to it here.” Lia lied a little, and Moca, a very astute judge of people, shook her head once and grabbed Lia’s hand.

“No, it’s something else. Are you involved with someone here? Stev? Zashi?” She sounded disbelieving as she mentioned her security chief, and Lia let out a little huff of overwrought amusement at the idea.

“No, it’s not Stev. Or Zashi. Stars, I can’t even imagine that.”

“Me neither, the man in unassailable. So it’s someone else. Who?”

Lia licked her lips and swallowed as she stared at the carpet. “It’s not. He isn’t.”

She closed her eyes and felt the tears leaking past her lashes. Why couldn’t Judit Feelin have done her job? Then, none of this would be happening now. Lia would be finishing up her work for the day and anticipating seeing Colan again and enjoying whatever meal he’d conjured up. They’d have some disagreements and then end up playing in bed for a few hours before sleeping the night away. Then she’d get up and do it all over again. She grown to like it—no, love it—over the past few weeks, and now it was being torn from her with a few words and an official transmission.

“Lia, I’m sorry. You need to talk with him. Maybe you can work something out if he’s Civil Service. Get him a transfer later, I don’t know. Go on. Tell him and message me later.”

Lia huffed an unamused laugh. Right, talk with Colan about it. He’d go silent and angry within the first two words, they’d fight and she’d never see him again. He’d disappear into the cocker forest until her shuttle departed. He’d never answer one of her messages, send a vid, come for a visit. She was losing him at this very moment.

“It won’t matter. He’ll shut down as soon as I say something.”

“Oh, it’s Colan Nestor.” Moca realized with a satisfied nod. “I had a suspicion. I’m a little surprised he managed it. He strikes me as being too solitary and argumentative, but that can be quite stimulating when you know how to make up with each other. I assume you’ve reached that stage in your relationship?”

Lia stared at the magistrate, managing to nod her head once. It was so bizarre having Moca speculating about Colan’s temperament, let alone giving romantic advice.

“Are the two of you casual about this or is it meaningful?”

“Meaningful. At least to me. I’m not sure about him.” Lia wondered. Meaningful in a painfully bone-deep way she hadn’t appreciated until now. They’d spent every night together since he’d returned from the new settlement, committed to monogamy, but it wasn’t as if there were lots of pulls on either of them, no family here, no temptations, nothing but each other in this very small bubble of Pearl and Gamaliel. Easy to be wrapped up in each other when there was nothing to draw them apart. Like her imminent departure. Stars, her heart was hurting so much now. She was as disoriented as she’d been after the explosion.

“Then go find out.” Moca rose from her seat and rubbed her hands together, another problem solved. The magistrate nodded her head and started to shift small displays on her desktop. “It’s your career, so you need to decide what direction you want to go. And if Colan Nestor is going to go with you.”

* * * *

Tilting the display over his head to catch the early evening light better, Colan contemplated the outline for the book he was writing about MU-91. It had been a fascinating planet to map and explore with a uniquely layered tectonic plate structure that resembled nothing so much as expanding puff pastry. Reviewing his reports ignited a spark to get started now. Lia was busy at work during the day which was leaving him at loose ends, so he’d started making organizational notes and planning a publishing schedule. Her habits were wearing off on him. If it all went as he’d estimated he had a solid two years of writing ahead of him, but he wanted Lia to go over his plans and offer her expert opinions.

Smiling as he anticipated the look she’d have on her face when he told her that plan, Colan allowed the display to fall to his chest as he pushed a bare foot against the decking and moved the hammock back into a lazy swing. He’d made tomato soup, thick cheese crackers, and a salad for dinner and was hoping she’d show up soon because all the outlining he’d done earlier had given him quite an appetite.

He heard the door open and Lia’s familiar steps as she walked through his house and came out onto the back deck. Colan decided to close his eyes and pretend to sleep, just to discover what she’d do. He could sense her approach. She lifted the display from his chest and set it aside. With some bumps of the hammock, she lowered herself next to him and curled against his side.

Unable to maintain the pretense any longer, Colan circled his arm around her and pushed with his foot again so they could rock together. Her warm curves fit tightly against his body. She didn’t say anything, and he was just relaxing into a contented half doze when he felt something damp on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, Colan wondered how rain could have made its way under the deck’s roof. Instead, he saw Lia was crying silently as she pressed her face to his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”

She nodded and sniffled, still not opening her eyes. Concerned, Colan sat up slightly in the hammock, the whole apparatus shifting as he moved. Lia clung tighter to him. “What is it?”

“I, I…” Lia stammered and opened one red, watery eye to peer at him.

“You what?”

“I’m being transferred.” Her lips trembled, and she watched as Colan stared at her, trying to understand what she’d said.

“How? Why?”

“Moca spoke with the head of Herald Park complex earlier this week, and he put in a priority request for me.”

Colan shook his head. “But you’re assigned here. Until the project is complete, and that’s at least a year out.” He’d planned on at least a year with her; he’d write, she’d work, they’d argue every day, and when her transfer came up they’d put in requests for reassignments together. Simple.

“I never revoked my request for transfer. I forgot about it. A lot’s happened around here.” Lia shuddered in a deep breath and watched him as if he could solve the problem.

“When does your transfer go through?” They’d have some time to make plans, a month at least, and he’d figure out what he could do by then.

“Immediately,” Lia whispered as tears flowed down her cheeks. Her answer shattered whatever control Colan pretended he still had. The foot he trailed along the deck slipped and he overbalanced. Automatically clutching at Lia made his center of gravity shift too far her way, and the hammock made a dizzying spin, flipping him and her out of the sling as Gamaliel’s perfect gravity pulled them with a crash onto the deck. Lia cried out, and he rolled away from her to look for injuries.

“Where are you hurt?”

He peered at her, anxiously inspecting her limbs. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she stared up at him, lip trembling. “Colan, what can I do?”

Satisfied she was crying from emotion and not physical pain, he sat next to her and helped her sit up, the hammock swinging erratically overhead. The facts rolled and bounced in his head. Lia had been transferred and she was leaving as soon as she packed. He didn’t want her to leave and there was nothing he could do to keep her.

“Why didn’t you take your name off the rotation?” Why hadn’t she made her assignment here permanent, once they’d become involved? Wasn’t he worth it? He’d changed his request for a new planet the morning after they’d reconciled upon his return from the forest. Gina had been surprised but very accommodating. Lia hadn’t bothered with it and considering what a planner she was, it meant only one thing. She had no interest in adding him to her personal schedule.

Disappointment and hurt stewed in his belly in a painful twist.

“I forgot.” Lia’s tears fell down her cheeks as the swinging hammock overhead cast wild shadows over her face.

“Right.” Colan stood up suddenly, and the hammock wrapped around his head. He pulled it off and stomped into his house, desperate to get away from Lia, her sad eyes, and her lack of care for him.

“What do you mean,
right
?” She was behind him and the thought of confronting her in the small confines of his house made his skin crawl. Let her go back to her rooms and start packing so he could sink into despair in peace.