Priestess of the Heavens

He woke to the feeling of her sliding into bed next to him. Her hand groped hungrily for his morning stiffness.

"It's that time, huh?" he murmured with a smile; sleep still heavy on his eyes.

"Oh yes, it's time."

This time, her desire was so strong they had to schedule work shifts in opposite sections of the wheel if they wanted to get any work done at all.

Their favorite spot was always the waterfall. They would bathe -- purify each other in the water and then retreat to the marriage bed in the sacred grove. They tried nearly every position, but would most often end up in the missionary position -- still the tried and true method with the best odds.

Kari was almost certain of the exact time when she conceived. Pax had been taking her from behind when she had sensed him growing close. She had quickly pulled off of him and then fell to her back on the ground, raising her feet high in the air, she had welcomed him into the deepest angle possible, her ankles actually resting on his shoulders. When he came, she gasped at the sensation of his heat shooting into her. It seemed to go deeper this time, so deep in fact that it almost hurt in a way. A bell seemed to go off somewhere -- she wasn't sure how, but she knew.

"Is something wrong?" asked Pax, seeing the tears on her face.

"No Pax," she said. "Everything is wonderful."

The epiphany that she'd just conceived seemed too private silly to share, but she fixed that moment in her mind and knew it was one she would never forget.

The next few nights she kept herself apart from Pax -- but a bit over a week later, he found her in his bed when he went to his room.

As he entered her, she sighed and kissed him gently.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank you for what?" he asked.

"For giving me a baby," she replied.

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah," she said, kissing him. "It's definite."

"Boy or girl?"

"Well, we won't really know yet," she said, "but I'm not going to find out. If we're going this old school, I'm sure as hell not going to find the answer to that question."

***

She continued going to his bed. It was hormonal, she knew it, but there was something in her psyche that wanted comfort, companionship, and yes -- protection, during this time. They didn't make love every night, but she discovered a new tenderness for Pax now that she was pregnant. She also had to admit that the mindblowing orgasms brought on by the changed hormones of pregnancy were nothing to complain about.

She mused at times on their relationship. How many women over the ages had made such a compromise? How many had been willing to share their lives with someone who was at least a good man. She imagined herself in 1950's America, or most of the world in pre-industrial times. If she'd been forced down the marriage route in times like those, she would have counted herself lucky to have a companion like Pax to share life with.

The wheel staff had been so busy with the logistics and loneliness of space that they actually hadn't spent much time thinking about the forty people with whom they would be living for the rest of their natural lives. That idea hit home four months later when they received a hail on the comm. They were nestled together in Kari's bed when they heard the signal.

"Wheel 2-3, this is wheel 2-4. Wheel 2-3, please come in."

Something in the voice sounded familiar to Kari, though she couldn't quite place it. She and Pax dressed hurriedly, throwing on the nearest available clothes.

Kari typed her wrist comm and spoke a quick reply.

"Wheel 2-4, this is wheel 2-3. On the way to the vid screen. Looking forward to having a real face-to-face."

"As are we," said the voice. "Just thought since we're going to meet up in a week we should make some introductions."

Again, the voice sounded familiar. Kari and Pax stood in front of the vid screen.

"Comm, please enable video communications with Wheel 2-4."

Standing on the other end were two women, one was a short but voluptuous woman with rich chocolate skin. The other was beautiful in her own way. Though a bit unconventional in her looks, she was tall with fair skin, angular features, and jet black hair which contrasted amazingly with her striking blue eyes. Both of them were dressed in formal, but civilian attire. Clearly they had made effort for this first impression.

Kari's hand went to her mouth in surprise.

"Grace!" she said in shock. "Grace, is that really you? I had no idea."

"Corporal Graciela Perez reporting for duty," said the sensuous Latina. "Glad to see you dressed up for us."

"Grace, by the gods I never... how are you?"

Kari found herself crying. All four of them, in fact, found themselves overwhelmed at the first approximation of direct contact with anyone in nearly a year and a half.

"I didn't know you were up top either," said Grace. "I saw your name, but I thought I'd wait to actually talk to you until I... I'm glad to see you're alive Kari."

"So am I," agreed Kari.

"Well, I see these two know each other," said Pax. "Grace, I'm Pax Trentor. And you are?"

The other woman looked to Pax with those bright blue eyes and flashed him a smile that spoke volumes, though Pax didn't seem to pick up on it.

"I'm Kyriana," she said in a strong Australian accent. "Pleased to meet you, truly."

The four of them then exchanged pleasantries, compared notes, and then talked a lot of shop about their upcoming merger -- though they didn't go much below the surface on the personal level.

When they signed off, Kari gave a deep sigh and tried to marshal her many conflicting feelings. Ten days. Ten days before she and Pax would no longer be alone.

"So, you know each other?" said Pax, softly.

"Oh yeah," said Kari. "We did a shift up-top together. "

Kari didn't need to go any further -- Pax was able to infer the rest.

"Well, she's pretty," he said softly.

"So is Kyriana," offered Kari, not sure of what else to say.

"Who knows which way she leans, though."

"Oh Pax," chided Kari. "I've got the most accurate Lesbometer you've ever seen. If Kyriana could have crawled through the vid screen, she would already have you in the bedroom... if she could have waited that long."

"I see," murmured Pax.

Kari's guts were churning more than she had been willing to let on.

"Pax, we knew."

His vacant face was worse than any tears he might have shed. In a desperate, lonely time they had found a way to love each other in a fierce, protective way. Kari evaluated her feelings toward Kyriana and she realized she was also jealous of the Australian girl, in her own way.

Whether or not Kyriana and Pax ended up together, Kari had a deep love for him that she knew would never go away and she dreaded the idea that someone else might hurt him emotionally. Yet, she couldn't deny that things had changed between them in that brief video call. She knew that her heart had leapt upon seeing Grace, or that her libido had jumped up a couple of notches at the thought of having a woman in her bed again.

"Come here," she said to him in a kind but firm tone.

She sat him down in a chair and then straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck and staring directly into his eyes.

"Can you answer me something?" she asked. "Can you honestly tell me that you weren't a bit excited to see that lithe and supple-looking straight girl? Answer me truthfully, because something pressing against my pelvis seems to run counter to you answering anything other than 'yes'. Did you find her attractive? Were you excited by the prospect?"

Pax looked away, but she took his face in her hands and brought him back to her.

"Pax, answer me."

"Yes, I was excited by her," he said shyly.

"And you should have been," she said, quite serious. "Pax, baby - you win. If we really would have been stuck here on this desert island in space forever, with just the two of us - I would have chosen you over any man I've ever met. I would have been happy, too. We would have been happy -- as happy as possible given the fact that both of us are innately attracted to women. I am so excited to be having your child, you have no idea. But no matter how we slice it, both of us would have always been hollow in here."

She put her hand over his heart and took one of his hands and placed it over her left breast.

"And in here."

"We have a new world coming to us. Thirty-eight other lonely souls, and you'll end up partnering with Kyriana, or someone else, or several people over your life. Looking at the usual odds, Grace might be my only choice for while -- but who knows. You and I will find someone who makes us whole. That's so important in this lonely cosmos."

"You're right," he said as he hugged her.

***

Grace and Kyriana would be arriving in less than a day. They had reached out to the wheels beyond that. 25 would reach them in another week, 26 two days after that. In wheels 21 through 40 there were - luckily -- twenty-two women and eighteen men. Six of the women were lesbian and two of the men were gay (and the men were already partnered together). This left a good mix of couples for at least temporary bonding in the years to come.

Wheel 24 was now visible to them and growing larger by the hour.

Kari and Pax were watching it, their heads resting on the comforting grass of the sports pitch. They were still tired from a vigorous game of soccer.

Kari had been surprised. They hadn't made love again. Pax, actually, had been the one to suggest it.

"A)," he had explained, "I think it will make it harder. B) whether I hook up with Kyriana or someone else, I'd like to have that tension, you know?"

They sat in silence, Pax's head resting on her leg, both of them staring up through the glass toward the stars and the approaching wheel.

"Pax..." she started.

"Shh," he said. "Close your eyes and listen."

"Listen for what?" she asked, but still, she closed her eyes.

"For the children," he said. "Before we know it, we'll hear them playing here -- playing soccer and cricket and who knows what else. Maybe we'll even create new games up here."

She concentrated and she could hear them - children laughing, parents cheering. Digging further she envisioned feasts and celebrations, binding ceremonies and graduations, and (hopefully, far in the future) funerals.

"I can hear it," she said happily.

The next day found them helping each other get ready. They'd showered together and were rushing about, sans clothes as they often were.

Kari held up a blue dress and a summer-yellow jump suit.

"Which one?" she asked.

Pax's eyes were having a hard time focusing on the clothing, since Kari's naked body was between the two items.

"Do you really expect me to answer that?" asked Pax. "With the bounty in front of me?"

"Oh please, Pax," Kari said admonishingly. "You've already moved on."

"Moved on?" said Pax in a wry tone. "Moved on from breasts? From a naked woman's body? Not likely."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, well -- the yellow dress is what I'd choose," said Pax. "The color suits you and it shows more cleavage. You've gotta do something to compete with Grace's bad girls."

"I can't compete," said Kari, "but you're right, I might as well share my wares a little bit. Couldn't hurt."

"Hang on one second though," insisted Pax.

Still naked, he knelt in front of Kari and looked up into her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her legs, he leaned in and kissed her belly where there was just a bit of a bump starting to show.

"I'm not sure how many more chances I'll have to do this," he said tenderly.

"Hey you," he whispered to her belly. "A few months now and we get to meet you for the first time. You're mom and me, we're different in some ways. We... we found ourselves in a situation no one ever would have expected and we made the best of it. We made more than the best of it -- I think we did better than anyone else in our situation could have. You need to remember one thing, though. I love your mom more than anything else in the universe, and she feels the same way about me -- but we're... we're just the priestess and the shepherd -- and the equinox is over. She'll fill you in on the rest when you're old enough to understand."

He kissed her belly once more and then hugged her tenderly, his cheek resting against the baby below.

"Hey shepherd," said Kari in a loving tone.

"Yes, Inanna-incarnate?"

"Equinox isn't quite over."

Before he could protest, took his hands and lifted him up to face her. Tipping her head back, she beckoned him into a passionate kiss.

"But..."

"We need this, Pax. Come on."

Kari led him into the bedroom laid him down, climbing astride of him and lowering herself down to rest on his chest.

"Let's see if I remember where that thing goes," she mused as she slid downward. "Mmm, how does the expression go? If you fall off the horse get right back on? Well, this cowgirl seems to be ready to climb back aboard."

It was tender, intense, and final. When Pax exploded within her, much like when she had known she had conceived -- they both felt a bell of realization -- a note that this unusual but lovely chapter was indeed over.

The merging of the two wheels was a complex process better left to the computers than any piloting they could provide.

Pax and Kari found themselves sprinting toward the joining spoke and arrived just as the airlock connected and the system started its final check -- which involved a fifteen minute external inspection by service droids and full pressure check.

"Are you alright?" asked Grace's voice from the comm. "We couldn't get ahold of you for a little while there."

"All fine," replied Kari. "Probably just magnetic interference from the docking engines."

A few minutes later saw the doors opening at either end of the corridor which would be connecting the two wheels for the foreseeable future. The two pairs walked toward each other slowly. For some reason, Kari felt the need to loop her arm through that of Pax and walk with him -- as a couple -- toward their new companions.

As they drew closer, she could see the slight disappointment in Kyriana's eyes -- and the curiosity in the eyes of Grace.

They stopped and faced each other, a strange and surreal tension filling the air. The people of their world were dying and they had been living with only one person for so long. It was as though their minds wouldn't accept the reality of having someone else there... of the possibility of a society actually becoming real again.

Not knowing why, Kari made the first move. She took Pax's hand and led him not to Kyriana, but to Grace. She took Grace's hand in hers and placed it into Pax's.

"Grace, I'd like you to meet Pax -- a truly wonderful man."

Grace smiled into his eyes and reached up on tiptoes to kiss him gently on the cheek before hugging him.

"It's nice to meet you, Pax. Thanks for taking such good care of Kari."

"We took care of each other," he said softly.

Kari crossed to Kyriana and took both of her hands in her own.

"How hard has it been?" she asked tenderly.

"You have no idea," said Kyriana, sobbing.

Kari pulled her into a tight hug.

"Grace was lovely," Kyriana said, whispering into Kari's ear. "But it's just... just so..."

"Lonely?" offered Kari. "And I do have an idea, trust me. You're in good hands now, dear."

The four of them turned to each other. Now Kari crossed to Grace and Pax walked slowly to Kyriana.

Kari's hand went to Grace's cheek, then her other hand followed and she took Grace's face in her hands and brought her into a slow, loving kiss.

"Oh my god," moaned Grace as their bodies melted into each other. "I've never felt anything like that before in my life."

"I know," murmured Kari.

Her own skin was singing at the contact. They fell into a kiss again, more passionate this time. Grace's hands were clasped around her back, pulling her into a deep and dizzying embrace. Their bodies melted together -- their nerves crying out at having found a companion once again.

"Damn, girlfriend," said Grace.

Her hand had drifted down to Kari's breasts.

"Did you do something? Get work done? I don't remember them this big, and I knew 'em pretty well."

"No work," whispered Kari. "Nothing unnatural. See if you can guess."

Grace looked at her in puzzlement for some time. At last, a light dawned in her eyes and she gasped. Her hand pushed further down and came to rest on Kari's belly.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "How far?"

"Three months," said Kari.

"We decided to wait," said Grace. "Thought we'd get to know everyone, you know?"

"Sure. Good plan," agreed Kari.

At the same time as Kari and Grace's meeting, Pax and Kyriana had been meeting each other for the first time.

Pax reached out a hand to Kyriana for a handshake, but she would have none of it. She pulled him quickly to her and hugged him so fiercely he wondered if she'd ever let go. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in deeply.

"Oh my god, the smell," she said happily.

"What?" asked Pax. "I just showered. Just before you got here."

"No, you smell like a man," she said with a chuckle.

"We smell different?" he asked.

"Only a man could ask that," she said.

She had a good smile, a warm and open kind of smile that was purely inviting.

"Pax, can I ask you a question?" asked Kyriana. "And please tell me if it feels too forward."

"Anything."

"Would you kiss me?"

Generally, Pax wasn't a big fan of Australian accents -- but the word 'kiss', sounding like 'keese' with the differing 'i' vowel sound was one of the most seductive words he could ever remember hearing.

"Absolutely," said Pax.

Their lips soon touched and Pax now knew what Kari had been speaking of. Though he'd been with Kari, his body had never truly had the chance to appreciate the difference of the imperceptible chemical/psychological magic of attraction. The feel of Kyriana's body responding at every level to the touch of his gave him his first true glimpse of what would have been missing had they been fated to live their lives with only each other.

Kyriana's tongue danced with his and her hands caressed his back, his chest, his face. His own hands sought out her body, caressing her supple back and his fingers pushing hungrily through her hair.

"Oh my god," whispered Kyriana.

She was dizzy to the point of feeling wobbly on her feet.

"Oh my goddess," said Pax.

Kyriana smiled, but didn't understand the full weight of what Pax meant.

When they were all well 'acquainted', Kari made a suggestion.

"I think," she said, "that we should have a right and proper feast at the waterfall. Do you want to use yours, or would you prefer ours?"

"Yours is better," said Grace. "I did a shift on this wheel a couple of years ago. It's much more romantic."

As they walked, each couple hand-in-hand, Kyriana whispered to him softly.

"I need to make a confession," she said.

"What's that?"

"Well, since this is going where I hope it's going -- I thought I should be totally up front with you."

She was blushing furiously.

"Go on," said Pax.

"Pax, I slept with Grace. A lot. I'd never, ever had sex with a woman before. It was just so lonely. I'm not ashamed of it, or anything like that -- but I thought you should know in case you had any problems with it."

Pax chuckled.

"Kyriana, that would make two of us who slept with a lesbian during the lonely times. I can state with good authority that they make excellent companions, in bed or otherwise."

***

They had feasted. They had consumed generous quantities of alcohol (except, of course, Kari -- though she found the mood alone intoxicating enough). They were now all naked and seated in or around the waterfall pool. They had spent their time beneath the cascades, but had now moved to the far end of the pool, away from the deafening noise of the water.