Somebody Else's Space Program
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Chapter Thirty "...your looks, or your acts, or your glory..."
"Doctor Drummond! The hruss group is here."
Drum nodded, distracted. "I'll be down to see them in a minute. Pat, set up the next test for a plus point three -- we're that close."
The young woman at the bench nodded, and started to change dials, making notes in the notebook as she worked.
Drum took a quick look in the mirror as he put on his suit jacket. He had met the last delegation with a black smudge across his forehead, and he wasn't about to do that again.
The hruss were in their customary dark, loose clothing. But conspicuous among them was someone with lighter hair, and a bit of a tan, even though his hair was the slightly unkempt length that their minor noblemen wore -- Good God, that was Ross Colburn! A glance at the woman beside him -- Drum remembered her, too, even though they had only met the once. Something Ree Something...
Ross smiled. His face folded into laugh lines -- what little age sat on him suited him well. "Drum! I didn't realize it was you we were going to be visiting." Ross's voice had changed -- it was deeper, and had lost some of the sharp edges of his own language, although he didn't slur words the way some of the hruss did.
"Ross? Ross Colburn? What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were on the race car circuit."
"I do fuels." Ross stopped, turned to Mairyonven. "You remember Nat Drummond. He was with me on the beach when you watched our test firing."
She smiled. "Of course. Dr. Drummond. We're very interested in your research here. I understand you are having some difficulties getting funding?"
Drum sighed. "Always. I've had to let people go."
"Perhaps we can be of some assistance."
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Drum watched the two together. Ross was attentive to Mairyonven, sometimes even affectionate, but he wasn't behaving like a man with his wife or even mistress. "How is your family, Mairyonven?"
Wrong question. "You met my brother, those many years ago... he was killed in a race accident. Other than that.. my children are well, thank you. My father is aging, but is still in good health, as good as can be expected."
No mention of a husband. Interesting.
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Pat LaRoque finished the setup and put the notebook on the desktop. The voices from below were animated, the rhythms of the speech ever so slightly off from what her ear was used to. The strange baritone sounded nice, though... she had heard that the hruss were somewhat liberal when it came to casual liaisons, and she wondered...
She didn't have a dress close at hand, but the hruss women wore trousers anyway, so that was not a problem. She gave her face a quick wipe and considered a touch of makeup -- no, she was out of practice. Just hair in place, rely on the smile.
When she came down the stairs, she saw her boss in animated conversation with someone... too light to be hruss, but dressed as one of them. That's where the nice voice was coming from... then he reached over and brushed a strand of hair up out of her boss's face. His hand lingered for a moment, then it dropped.
Drum froze, staring at Ross. "What was _that_ about?"
Ross stopped... Oh. "I'm sorry. I've picked up some bad habits, apparently..." His voice didn't sound apologetic -- the words were there, but didn't match the expression or the tone of voice.
A sweep of Drum's hand, let it go, it's nothing. "I should have asked about your family. Your uncle is gone, we both attended his funeral." Drum's eye flicked over to Mairyonven. "Are you married? A whole bunch of kids and puppies, all in a pile in the living room of an old farmhouse?"
A faint smile, "No. I've had some romances, but no one's landed me yet. Still looking around. My work takes a lot of my time -- it isn't fair to ask someone to take second place to that."
"Don't put it off too long -- you'll be too old to enjoy their company."
Ross grinned, "Oh? and where is your horde?"
Drum grinned back, "Well, yeah, I know what you mean."
Ross's head turned, just a touch, and saw Pat coming down the stair. He rose. "This is the assistant you told me of?"
"Yes. Patrick LaRoque."
Pat laughed. "Patricia. Drum, you'll confuse him."
Drum looked from Ross to Pat and back. "Maybe he needs to be confused. My friend and former colleague, Doctor Ross Colburn."
---
As they toured, Pat tried to get information out of Ross. His voice tickled something deep inside her, made her want to just throw her arms around him and try for a kiss. No, he wasn't married, never had been. Dating... not the way she thought of it.
"It's not something I'm doing right now. The work..."
She nodded. "Dr. Drummond is like that a lot. But Sarah caught him while he was on a trip scouting locations. They've got two kids now -- apparently he gets to see her _once_ in a while."
"Apparently." Negotiation through a warehouse stacked with half-unpacked equipment. "Why did he call you Patrick?"
"Because I'm always trying to be one of the boys. I don't see how my being a woman should make any difference in how I do my job."
Ross grinned, but changed the subject, "Were you interrupted? Why is this gear sitting out half-assembled?"
"Budget cuts. We can test, we can unpack. Choose one. If we don't have test results, they'll cut us even further."
"That makes sense."
"... Why are you grinning?"
"I was just wondering if you went down to the bars with the rest and picked up women."
"_What_?"
Ross shrugged, still grinning. "It's a logical extension of what you said."
Firmly, "_No._"
"Alright."
---
She tried all the teases she knew, no response. Was he that dense? Or just that polite? Finally, she leaned over and whispered a direct invitation in his ear.
He pulled away from her, at least he wasn't angry. Mildly amused, maybe? "Miss LaRoque. I'm flattered. You're very intelligent, and very pretty. And you have a lively personality. But... no."
"The work takes all of your energy? Don't you ever take vacations?"
"Once every few years. I usually cut them short."
"So when's your next one? I could meet you..."
Ross sighed. He looked around. No one else was in earshot. "Patricia. Pat. Give up. You'll cause yourself less grief in the long run. I'm just not interested."
"Something short and round and stupid, then?" Her hand swept out, pointing to the rest of the party. "Or one of them, instead of one of your own kind?"
"It's not your business, actually. Look. I've tried to be polite. I don't have an infinite amount of patience. Drop the subject."
"Or? You'll tell my boss I tried to get you into my bed?" That came out louder than she expected.
"No." Ross turned on his heel and walked off. Not toward Drum and Mairyonven, thankfully, but toward the rest of the group.
She stood there, staring after him. Then she moved toward the others, staying on the edge away from Ross. He watched her, no expression.
---
Mairyonven watched the little display between Ross and the other woman with some amusement, especially when Ross walked away. Two rooms later in the tour, she moved to stand next to LaRoque. "Is it Patrick or Patricia?"
"Patricia. Patrick's a man's name."
"I see."
A long silence, until Pat grew uncomfortable. "Does it matter?"
"Does it matter to you? Would not Patricia and Patrick be different people?"
"In some ways, yes. Not in others."
Mairyonven looked Pat up and down. "Dr. Drummond was playing a cruel joke on both of you when he introduced you as Patrick."
Pat froze. "No."
"Yes. Patrick would have had a chance at Ross. Patricia does not. And it will be more pleasant for all of us if you do not continue to pursue him."
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