Somebody Else's Space Program
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Chapter Fourteen
A knock on Ross's door. He rolled over to face the door, too sleepy to get up to see who it was. "Yes?"
One of the helpers. "Tarpeian wants to see you in his office."
"I'll be right down."
If Tarpeian wasn't waiting for him to get downstairs, did he have the time to get a shave? Ross brushed his hand along his chin. Not too bad... He'd gone out to town the night before, so his last shave was less than twelve hours before, not twenty-four.
Ross threw on a clean coverall and tried not to kill himself on the stairs down. Tarpeian's door was open, and there were others inside talking.
"Ross. Good. Get your personal gear together -- your shop is already packed. We're going home."
Ross blinked, then panicked for a minute. "What are you talking about?" His voice came out a bit more shrill than he expected, no one else seemed to notice.
"We're leaving Trafford." Ross could suddenly breathe again. He had had visions of having to go back to live with his aunt and uncle... you know, _home_.
Home? Tarpeian's home? The hruss? "Arthulais?"
"Yes." Then he noticed Ross's stunned expression. "Do you want to stay here? I forget you aren't one of our people."
"I have no place here."
Tarpeian grinned. "Quite literally, if you aren't on the transport with the rest of us. This place has already been sold to someone else."
---
Medlen stopped by while Ross was packing. He had someone with him, one of the hruss technicians. "Yes?"
"Ah... I'm staying here."
Ross stopped. Medlen was his bed-mate, yes, but there wasn't a lot of emotional attachment. That was probably the result of that birthday night -- Ross hadn't had to get himself worked up to hunt in forbidden fields, or talk himself into thinking he was in love. "I'll miss you. But Tarpeian says he has me signed up for university starting in the fall."
Medlen nodded. "I did most of the legwork for that. But that's not why I'm here. Ross, this is Keidrych. He'll help you get adjusted to living in Arthulais. It's hard to start somewhere new with no friends."
Keidrych was older than Ross, but not as old as Jheraind had been. And there was an appraising look to his eye that gave Ross an idea of what kind of "friend" Keidrych could possibly become. "Ah, Medlen... a word with you? Alone?"
"Certainly."
Keidrych nodded and left the room, closing the door behnd him. Ross laughed nervously. "Setting me up with a date?"
"He was one of Jheraind's companions. He would have invited you to his bed sooner, but you're an outlander, and he wasn't sure how you would react."
Ross shot a look at the door. "But he knows about you and me."
"Most of the crew know. We certainly weren't trying to hide. And you could have found someone else at any time. Ross, nothing we did was wrong."
Ross nodded, slowly, "Why are you staying?"
Medlen grinned. "I'm getting married."
_That_ was unexpected. "Wait a minute... no, I'm not jealous, but... I thought you ..."
"I like women, too. Especially this one. Her family's here, one of the other race teams. So I'm staying." Medlen chin-pointed to the door. "Keidrych asked me about you, whether you were going to stay with me. I don't think so."
Ross laughed. "Your wife would object."
"Very likely." Medlen picked a book off the shelf and tossed it to Ross. "I've got to go supervise the rest of the packing. See you when you're back downstairs."
Ross heard the door open and shut, but he didn't notice any footfalls in the room until someone behind him touched the side of his neck. Ross froze... "Keidrych?"
Sense memory -- the same blend of spices that Ross associated with Jheraind. "Yes, Ross." Hands at Ross's waist, pulling him closer. "We have time now, if you like. I asked Tarpeian."
Ross reddened. "Did you tell him why you wanted the time?"
"I just asked him when we were leaving. We have a couple of hours." Hands sliding up under Ross's shirt. A different style of touch from Medlen, more like Mairyonven's, even though Keidrych didn't have any particularly feminine mannerisms -- at least not ones Ross recognized -- Ross remembered finding out _some_ of the signals the hard way. Hands exploring... then a nibble on the back of his neck.
Ross's hand went up, not really to brush the irritant away, touched the other man's face. Warm skin, softer than Ross expected. "Wait."
Keidrych stopped. "Is there something wrong?"
"Is it this easy? To go to a new lover?"
"Sometimes. Outlanders find it harder than hruss. The hruss tend to stay friends after." Keidrych pushed at Ross, turning him around to face. "If you get tired of me, we'll find you someone else. In the mean time... " Keidrych leaned forward and kissed Ross.
Jheraind's scent, and a taste Ross had only imagined before, except as an echo from Mairyonven's mouth. Ross's arms swept around the other man, pulling him close.
---
A wisp of breath in Ross's ear. "Well. What did _I_ wake up? Was Medlen neglecting you?"
"No, not at all." Ross was tired, not just from the lovemaking, but melancholy. Keidrych _wasn't_ Jheraind, all the little differences added up, and while he was pleasant enough as a lover ... better than Medlen, truth to tell ... Ross had expected...
Ross sighed. He would never have what he expected, because it wasn't anchored in anything. Nothing more than the faintest of touches and a voice.
The difference in voices was a major part of it. It might almost... Where was Mairyonven? Could he even manage with her?
Someone knocked on the door. "Time to get rolling. Tarpeian wants everyone in the garage in ten minutes."
---
Goodbyes to the other teams, and to those who were staying behind. Medlen gave Ross a hug, whispered, "Well?"
"Okay, I guess. I have to get used to him."
"He said..." Medlen looked over at Keidrych, "... that you were trying to find something. And he didn't know how to supply it. Jheraind?"
Tight lips, the slightest of nods, "Yes. And it's not fair to Keidrych."
"No, it isn't." What was the ghost of a smile on Medlen's lips? "I'm afraid you have some uncomfortable years ahead of you."
"I'm afraid that the rest of my life is going to be uncomfortable. Maybe I should just stay away from any hruss?"
More of a smile. "No. Just don't fall in love for a while."
That startled Ross. "That happens between two men? Just like..."
_Big_ grin. "Oh, yes. Exactly like. Humans fall in love. Humans fall out of love, too, unfortunately."
"What did you mean 'for a while'?"
Medlen was trying to hide something, Ross couldn't quite tell what. "Ever hear of something called 'rebound'? When you break up with someone and immediately latch onto someone else, no matter how unsuitable?"
"If he's unsuitable, you shouldn't have brought him up to me."
"It's different. We didn't break up. No emotional baggage. Or at least not until you brought the ghost into bed with you."
"What do I do?"
"Your aunt and uncle tried to force you into a mold that didn't suit you. Don't do it to someone else. Enjoy them as they are."
"That would be good advice even if there wasn't a ghost."
---
Medlen picked up the envelope. Jheraind had left it up to him whether to give it to Ross... the legacy of the Golden Rose.
Medlen tossed the envelope into the fire with all the other obsolete notes and debris.