The Winter War (17 page)

Right now the two blondes were
sitting at one small table in a Mid-town coffee shop calmly
watching mother and daughter go through plans for the registration
ceremony and the party afterward. Aneka was used to planning
military engagements, and Sharissa was employed by the Federal
Security Agency to organise security operations, but it was the two
Narrows who had taken over the operation and were refusing to let
it go.

Not that either of them had
exactly
tried
to get in on the planning. Janna and Ella
enjoyed
this sort of thing, and it could even be argued that
Aneka and Sharissa were doing it for Janna’s and Ella’s benefit
rather than their own.

‘Who suggested it?’ Aneka asked.
‘The formalisation thing, I mean.’

‘I did,’ Sharissa replied. ‘It’s
pure pragmatism. I’m in a dangerous line of work and if something
happens to me, then Janna isn’t going to be homeless. Not that she
put up a fight. At all.’

‘Ella made the same argument,
but I think she was just trying to make it sound practical. It’s
more to do with wanting me to feel like she’s dedicating herself to
me. Or maybe wanting
her
to feel like she’s dedicating
herself to me.’

Sharissa frowned. ‘Trouble in
paradise?’

‘Not really. She did something
stupid on Old Earth, regretted it immediately, and now she’s
overdoing it a little trying to make up. It’s still kind of
romantic.’

‘I think she gets it from her
mother. Both incurable romantics with nymphomaniac tendencies.’

‘I don’t think they’re actually,
clinically, nymphos.’

Sharissa grinned. ‘The term
isn’t used anymore to be honest. People
describe
someone as
a nymphomaniac, or a watemchu, but it’s almost affectionate. Those
two do fit the classification for hypersexuality, but then you
could say the same about half the Jenlay population. I mean, it’s
not like I can’t keep up with Janna. She’s more likely to initiate
than I am, but not by that much. Does Ella ask for too much?’

Aneka grinned back. ‘No, but
sometimes I’m glad I don’t need much sleep.’

‘Janna’s got a little more
responsible since starting work at the university. Her schedule’s
more regular so she has to sleep more regularly. We pull
all-nighters at weekends about twice a month to make up, and it’s
tiring, and amazing, and she’s worth it.’ The blonde spy smiled
across at her lover, her eyes bright.

Aneka smiled too. ‘They both
are.’

Downtown Yorkbridge, 1.6.527 FSC.

‘There is no way I can wear this,’
Aneka said, turning to examine her outfit in the mirror. ‘To an
orgy, maybe. At a club with the intent to get laid, yes. To the
registration ceremony…’

‘Yes,’ Ella said. ‘You look like
a goddess. And you said white was traditional at weddings.’

‘Yeah, it was,’ Aneka admitted
reluctantly. ‘Just… more of it.’ Her outfit consisted of two loops
of white cloth with gold trimming held at her shoulders by silver
rings, and a skirt, which was similarly two near-triangles held by
rings at her hips. The white was not even opaque, though the
sparkly fabric hid
most
of what was under it. White sandals
with ankle straps completed the outfit, such as it was.

‘You’ve seen what I’m
wearing…’

‘Yes, and it’s actually less
risqué than this. I’m amazed at your restraint. So why are you
dressing me in nothing?’

Ella got out of her seat and
walked up behind Aneka. A hand slid over the taller woman’s taught
stomach. ‘Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid
eyes on, and you’ve agreed to be my legal partner, and I’m the
luckiest girl on the planet, and I want everyone to see how lucky I
am. Please…’

She could have said no. Somehow
it seemed absolutely the wrong time to do so. ‘All right, love.
This one you can have.’

Ella smiled gleefully. ‘When are
you going to tell me what you were up to yesterday?’ Aneka had been
missing for several hours and had refused to let Ella go with her.
It had been distinctly mysterious.

‘That you can’t have. It’s a
surprise for the day.’

Ella gave a little pout. Not too
much of one since she had got her way with the clothes. ‘I guess I
can live with that. It’s something special?’

‘Uh-huh. You’ll like it. Trust
me.’

Yorkbridge Mid-town, 4.6.527 FSC.

For a culture that had forsaken
marriage as impractical given their extended lifespans, the Jenlay
formal registration process seemed a lot like a wedding to Aneka.
Maybe one of those Las Vegas Wedding Chapel ones, but a wedding
none the less.

There were more of Aneka and
Ella’s friends there than those belonging to Janna and Sharissa.
Janna had only recently moved to Yorkbridge and there were only a
couple of people from her old life who had been able to make the
trip. Sharissa simply had few friends; a couple of people from the
agency she worked for had come, including one Aneka was finding
very suspicious. On the other hand, the entire crew of the Garnet
Hyde was there, as were Abraham Wallace and Cassandra, and Katelyn
and Dillon, which definitely made up the numbers. Everyone was
sitting in the registration room on little straight-backed chairs,
looking vaguely uncomfortable and happy at the same time.

At the front, on a small stage,
where they could be seen easily, were the subjects of the ceremony.
Aneka was feeling a little uncomfortable about her outfit, but now
that she had seen what everyone else was wearing, it did not seem
so bad. Sharissa was wearing a long, black gown which flared very
wide at the hem. It was made of black lace and was pretty much
transparent. Janna’s dress was also lace, in white, and slightly
more opaque, but not by much. It was also much shorter, showing off
her long legs, accentuated by ridiculously high heels. Ella was in
a pale-blue and white skirt and top, and white heels with bows on
the toes. The skirt was opaque, but the top was largely white
appliquéd netting. No one was dressed for an Old Earth wedding.

At least the man presiding over
the ceremony was dressed in a high-collared suit. He was mature,
Aneka would have said, even distinguished-looking. There were hints
of grey in his hair. Unlike a wedding, however, this man was a
lawyer. His job was to be the legal representative of the Federal
Administration and to make sure all the paperwork was filed
correctly, but he did seem to have a sense of ceremony about
him.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he
intoned as the onlookers settled down, ‘we are here today to
officially recognise the partnerships of these two couples. While
this is merely a formalisation of their relationships, a matter of
legal contract, it is also a display of the love they have for
their respective partners and a time to rejoice in that true
affection. I, Donald Kirk, am honoured to be among you at this
time.’

He smiled far more warmly than
Aneka expected a lawyer to smile, and they all smiled back. ‘Now
then, we’ll go through the process one at a time. Just repeat after
me. Janna first. I, Janna Narrows, wish to formally recognise you,
Sharissa Torrence, as my legal partner under the laws of the
Lorenti Federation.’

Janna swallowed, suddenly
nervous, and turned to Sharissa. ‘I, Janna Narrows, wish to
formally recognise you, Sharissa Torrence, as my legal partner
under the laws of the Lorenti Federation.’ She grinned brightly as
she finished, and turned back to Kirk.

And so it went on until only
Aneka was left and she turned to an Ella who was almost glowing
with pride. ‘I, Aneka Jansen, wish to formally recognise you, Ella
Narrows, as my legal partner under the laws of the Lorenti
Federation.’ Ella closed her eyes and sighed, almost as though she
had never thought she would hear those words said by anyone to her.
A message appeared in Aneka’s vision field asking for
identification verification and she accepted it.

Kirk checked a small PDA and
nodded. ‘We have your identity codes and those of the witnesses.
That’s the legal part out of the way, but before I congratulate you
on your new, legal partnerships, Aneka has a small addition to make
to the ceremony, I believe?’

Aneka nodded. ‘Thank you, Mister
Kirk.’ Gillian had got up from the front row of seats to hand over
something and Aneka took it, holding up a small box. ‘As I think
everyone here knows, I’m not originally from this time. Back in my
time what we’re doing would be called a wedding, or at least a
civil partnership, and there was a custom at such ceremonies which
I think is worth keeping.’ She opened the box to reveal a pair of
rings. ‘Traditionally they would be gold, but I decided that
something a little more hard-wearing would be better considering
our lifestyles. These are platinum alloy, which should outlast us
both.’ She pulled one of the rings out. ‘Left hand, Ella.’

Timidly, Ella held out her left
hand and Aneka slipped the ring onto her third finger. Then Aneka
held out the box and her own left hand so that Ella could repeat
the procedure. Ella lifted her hand, looking at the Hani characters
inscribed in the upper surface of the white metal. ‘Yungyen tzai
ishi,’ she read aloud.

‘Together forever,’ Aneka
translated.

‘It’s beautiful.’

‘And a beautiful sentiment,’
Kirk said. ‘Now, this ceremony is complete and your partnerships
have been legally recognised by the Lorenti Federation. May all of
you live in happiness for many long years.’

~~~

‘You know where the name “Kirk” comes
from?’ Aneka asked. Gillian and Ella were sitting beside her on
stools at the little counter which Sharissa had in one corner of
her apartment. It was currently serving as a bar; Bashford was
behind it playing barman.

‘I know it’s a very old name,’
Gillian supplied. ‘Some of the families bearing it can trace their
lineage back beyond the Long Dark.’

‘It’s Scottish,’ Aneka said,
‘for church.’

Ella giggled. ‘So were weren’t
married in a church, but we were registered by Mister Church.’

‘Yeah. I found that vaguely
amusing. Mind you, it was also the name of the original captain in
Star Trek, and he was a total horndog, which I feel is appropriate
to the current age.’

The party was currently in full
swing on three floors. The apartment was right at the top of the
building and reminded Aneka of a loft conversion. Down on the
ground floor were the lounge, kitchen, and bathroom. There was a
chromed pole in the middle of the lounge which Sharissa had had put
in because she loved watching Janna dance, but it was currently
occupied by one of Janna’s friends who was naked aside for some
platform pumps. On the half-floor above were two large bedrooms and
at least one of those was currently in use. Above that was a
rooftop patio. Aneka had not been up there yet, but there was music
and some very close dancing going on according to Shannon.

Later on the two couples would
be retiring to the bedrooms. Apparently the concept of a wedding
night still existed, even if weddings did not. There was a fair
expectation that the lounge would host a pile of intertwined bodies
for the remainder of the night, and the following day it was more
or less expected that things would just carry on. Aneka would
really have liked to just take Ella home rather than upstairs, but
they were taking the next few days off, so she figured she would
have plenty of time alone then. Right now she was entertaining
thoughts of them never leaving the bedroom.

‘This is going to be quite a
party,’ Ella said, grinning.

‘Uh-huh,’ Aneka replied. She
spotted the mysterious woman she had seen earlier heading for the
stairs. She was going to have to have a word with that one. ‘It’s
going to be quite an experience, that’s for sure.’

~~~

Janna was on the pole in the lounge,
currently suspended by what seemed to be too little support, upside
down. She had changed into one of her old stripper outfits, but
most of that was lying on the thick carpet now; she was dressed
only in a red G-string, lace-topped stockings, and high heels. She
had been dressed similarly the first time Aneka had seen her, which
was quite a way to meet your girlfriend’s mother.

‘She’s incredibly talented.’ The
voice came from Aneka’s right and she glanced that way to see the
mysterious stranger standing there. ‘Sharissa is a lucky
woman.’

‘She is. So am I.’ Aneka’s eyes
swept over the figure beside her, not entirely amazed at what she
was seeing, but close enough. ‘What are we calling you?’

‘Xenia,’ the woman said. She was
a little on the short side, pretty, with a toned body. She had a
little too much make-up on, and long, bright red hair which fell
over her breasts. Her outfit was a sort of swimsuit in translucent
Ultraskin, which sparkled in the light, red hold-up stockings, and
very high, platform pumps. She looked like a dancer from Janna’s
old club, but Aneka’s facial recognition software was hard to
fool.

‘Isn’t it a bit crazy coming to
a party like this when there seem to be people trying to kill
you?’

‘Sharissa’s apartment is as
secure as some of my safe houses, and you’re here. And, most
importantly, no one knows
I’m
here. I think you’re the only
one who’s worked it out. Besides, do you know how many times I’ve
had a chance to let my hair down in the last few decades?’

Aneka smirked. ‘Even if your
hair is pinned up under a red wig?’

‘Even then.’

‘That’s quite an outfit too.
Getting into the role?’

‘I am. I’m rather hoping to get
myself really, well and truly, fucked into oblivion later.’

Aneka frowned, quickly pushing
the expression off her face. There had been a hint of something
like depression in Winter’s voice. ‘Are you okay?’

Winter glanced at her, giving a
too-quick smile. ‘I’m fine.’ Aneka’s eyebrows twitched upward.
‘You’re too perceptive. I have a feeling that I may not get many
more chances to make a complete fool of myself. I intend to make
the most of this one.’