Identity Crisis by Sarah Ettritch

Author:Sarah Ettritch [Ettritch, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: lesbian fiction, lesbian characters, lesbian science fiction, totalitarianism
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

DILEMMA

Yawning, Mo lowered herself into a kitchen chair and smiled gratefully when Jayne set a mug of tziva in front of her. “I wonder if it has anything to do with the evacuation on 72,” she said, rubbing her swollen belly.

Jayne sat opposite her and threw her a quizzical look.

“It seems coincidental that on the same day there’s an evacuation, Les doesn’t come home, and now she wants to talk to us in the middle of the night.”

“She did come home. Then she went out again. Didn’t you read her dispatch? She ate the last piece of cake.”

“Yeah, I read it. I was, uh...” Being dramatic. “She didn’t say anything about the cake in her dispatch.”

Jayne jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “I noticed the empty plate in the dishwasher.”

Mo waggled her eyebrows. “How did you know I didn’t eat the last piece of cake?”

Jayne’s eyes narrowed. “If it was you, the plate would have been on the counter.” She blew on her tziva. “What do you think she wants to talk to us about?”

“She’s been working pretty hard. Hopefully she’s not coming home to tell us that she’s taking one day off for the birth and then going back on duty. Because if she says that, I’m going to beep Laura, or Blair, or whoever else thinks it’s okay to—”

The front door thumped shut. Mo quickly picked up her tziva and tried to appear casual. Yep, she and Jayne always hung out in the kitchen at flaming 04:00.

Les strode in and heaved a sigh. Still in her cloak, she pulled out a chair, sank into it, and rubbed her eyes. She looked terrible.

“What’s going on?” Mo said. “Does it have anything to do with the evacuation on 72?” Her worry that Les would go back on duty the day after the birth fled her mind. It had been a stupid thought, anyway. Les wouldn’t wake them up for that.

“Do you want tziva?” Jayne asked.

“No.” Les looked at Jayne, then met Mo’s eyes. She swallowed. “Yes, it’s related to the evacuation. Before I tell you anything, you have to know that you’ll be required to sign a document that will make it a capital violation to ever tell anyone about this conversation or anything related to it. We should receive the documents within the next hour.”

Mo gripped her mug and exchanged a glance with Jayne. They were both wide awake now. “Do we have a choice?”

“No. I have to talk to you about this.”

Jayne pushed her mug aside. “We won’t tell anyone.”

“It started a couple of days ago, on the Osprey.” Les paused. “They ran across a Danlion cargo ship.”

Mo listened as Les described the boarding operation, the roomful of deceased Danlions, the baby they’d discovered that now lay in 72’s infirmary, and what would likely happen if that baby was returned to its people.

“So we didn’t make a decision during the meeting on 72, but the wind seemed to be blowing in the direction of giving the child back.”

Mo forgave her for lying about working late; she’d had to obey Hall.

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