Carrie Combs went to her old school in a new dress, as herself, for the first time in her life.
“Class, this is Carrie,” the teacher said. “She’s been with us all along, but she’s a girl, now—”
“I’ve always been a girl,” Carrie corrected. “Just mis-assigned at birth due to some external features.”
“—always been a girl,” the teacher stood corrected. “And now she’s a trans girl.” The teacher asked Carrie if she got it right. “Trans, right?”
Carrie nodded. “With a ‘T’ right here on my left temple, like everyone else.”
“She’s trans, now, and we’re very glad to have her. Right class? What do we say to her?”
“Welcome, Carrie,” the class said in unison.
“Where is Adrien?” Cadence asked, standing behind her Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
Ella stood in front of the desk, as usual.
“I don’t know, Madam President. He’s just gone. He took off! God knows he’s rich enough. Sometimes we don’t see each other for thousands of years.”
“’Madam President’? Ella: You were a Pharoah of Egypt, 3100 T.E., head of state also. We can’t do first name basis yet?”
Ella shook her head. “If I was still Head of State, I’d say okay, but now I’m just an appointee in your administration.”
“You saying the President can’t date anyone? Michael Douglas could.”
Ella smiled and paused. “Date?”
“I think you know.”
“Oh,” Ella thought. “Oh, my. I— Um— I— But I work here.”
“I’ve learned you’ve been offered a job at Caltech, full professor of physics, and that you’ve accepted.” Cadence sat down behind her desk.
“I did?” Ella smiled.
“So I guess you don’t work for me any more.”
“Uh.” Ella walked around the Resolute Desk to sit in Cadence’s lap.
* * *
Lori walked on the sandy beach with her arm around Marie’s waist, looking at the shoreline and the jetties, where she’d gone so many times with her husband and her dog.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve been here since you transitioned me,” Marie said.
Lori nodded. “I know.”
“It was right after Dad passed, wasn’t it?”
Lori nodded. Tears formed in her eyes and began to move down her cheeks. She wiped at them with her free hand.
“You love Dad.”
“Yes. Still.” She turned Marie and embraced her, crying into her hair.
Marie cried with her.
“I just want him to hold me,” she said to her daughter. “I want him so much.”
Marie stroked her mother’s hair. “I know. I do, too. He used to clap me—lovingly—on my ribs with a cupped hand, to make my lungs work like a drum! And it was so funny!”
“You remember that?”
“Yeah, I do. And I used to love it. And I used to try to lick him in the face—the big game!”
Marie turned Lori and began to stroll with her along the beach, barely touching the salt water of the Pacific with their feet.
“He’d block his face with his arms as if he really meant to stop me—but I was fast! I could sneak past them and lick him sloppy right on his nose!”
Lori laughed at Marie.
“And he’d laugh! And I’d growl! Then he’d growl with me.”
Marie’s face was a joy.
“You remember all that?” Lori asked.
Marie nodded. “Yes. And more. You did good work, Mom.” She hugged Lori. “I’m so glad to call you Mom. I have life because of you.”
“I had to do it—”
“I know. And did you know I wanted your help?” She looked at her mother.
“I wasn’t sure. I thought you did, but it was not defined.”
“Because I was a dog. All I knew was I wasn’t feeling well, and I believed you would help me however you could. And you did. You’ve always cared for me.”
Lori nodded. “I had to.”
“The same way you cared for this whole planet. I just can’t figure out if I’m an Alien from Outer Space or not.”
Lori laughed. “I don’t— I don’t know. You are, let me see. You are human, now, female, but beause you started out as a dog and you blended with me and you’ve been through the transmuter, you’re, I guess, hybrid, trans species, trans person.”
Lori waved her hands in the air. “Truth is there are so many variations showing up that people ask for—there’s no template for most of it. People want to be what they feel inside, and it turns out there is very little relationship between that and the old notion of Mr. and Mrs. Heteronormative Square peg in a Square hole. It’s just all different.
“Now,” Lori summed, “because of the popularity of it, everyone’s simply ‘trans.’ With this huge spectrum, it’s the only word that seems to fit. They’ll outnumber cis, before long. And, yes, you’re part Alien, because you have a lot of my memories.”
CHAPTER
34
“Is everything ready?” Flight Director “just Lori” sat in a control room on the Earth side of the huge operation’s center in the Faraday Space Station, orbiting Earth at an altitude of 674 kilometers. Sixteen other people sat at control stations in a semi-circle around holographic displays of the intended mission: send the next, ready-built space station to Mars.
“Orbital planning’s a go.”
“Orientation’s a go.”
“Fuel systems, go.”
“Computer systems, go.”
“Communications, online.”
“Debri’s all clear. Thank God you all cleaned it up!”
“All sections closed and latched.”
Lori wore no headset. Her audio was emitted by her console and directed to her ears. Other people could not hear, but it was clear to her.
“Captain Ollie,” Lori asked. “Systems check.”
Oliver imaged in her holodisplaly. “All a go. I can’t find anything else to check.” Oliver had become a woman a hundred years before but kept her original name.
“And I’m glad for it, Ollie,” Lori said. “The days of a precise departure are gone. We can take all the time we want, make sure we do it right. You’ll make course corretions enroute.”
“The space station’s just a bloody big ship, it is,” Oliver said, imitating Scotty. “Kirk would love to get his hands on it. I’d love to get my hands on Kirk.”
“It’s the Star Trek age,” Lori said. “350 years, and we’re still talking about it.”
“Living it.” Oliver looked professional on the bridge of her space station-ship.
Lori stood at her station and looked out around the control room. She looked at the A.I. port on her console, which read her eye movement and switched her to multi-channel. “I find no reason not to continue,” she said. “Anyone have a problem?”
“Everything set,” everyone agreed.
“Alright. Then, Captain Ollie, it’s all yours.”
“Aye,” Oliver said, turning to her work.
The massive A-Jon Mar type space station was tiny, compared to it’s Earth-orbital dry dock—so small it was barely noticeable behind a survey bulkhead. It pulled slowly forward—“Clear,” said Captain Oliver—then emerged on the Mars side of the F.S.S.
“Looks fine from here,” Lori said.
Oliver’s bridge was clear on Lori’s holodisplay. “No problems. I say good to go.”
“Have a nice trip,” Lori said.
“You want to look after her for a while?” Lori asked her associate.
“Sure.”
Lori got up to leave the control room.
As she walked, Lori looked at a small holodisplay near her left eye and scanned her iPhone 269 for messages, indicated one of them, sent a symbol reply, indicating her E.T.A.
She scanned another area of her phone’s holodisplay and blinked. “How long you think you’ll take getting to Mars, Ollie?”
&nbs
p; Her display showed Oliver’s bridge. Oliver gave a couple instructions to crew then addressed the com panel. “I’d think inside a month. We’re not going to rush it. Some cool microbiology experiments going on, and there’s no need. When you coming to visit?”
Lori smiled at Oliver as she entered a lift. “Top of the World restaurant,” she said to the lift, then to Oliver, “When is Alexander coming to visit you?”
Oliver looked warm. “I, uh— He’s proposed to me, you know.”
A.I. had gained the status of legal persons over two hundred years before—inspired by Commander Data on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
“Congratulations! Now you can have little holograms!”
Lori exited the lift onto the restaurant level and stood in the lobby area.
“You know, he’s considered getting a transmuter to make him a human body? Pattern the brain after his thought process. They could, but if they did, I think it wouldn’t be actually Alexander but a copy. God—” Oliver stopped for a second to respond to a crewman with a question. Then she leaned into her com panel. “He drives me crazy! In a good way.”
Lori chuckled. “What about his datacells in the skull, connected to a real, functioning human body—circuitry as a brain. Cyborg.
“We’ve thought of that. Who knows. It’s up to him.”
“You want him to be male or female?”
“That’s also up to him. Me? I could go for either, and in this day and age, what difference does it make.”
“Okay. So if he comes up there in a month or two, I’ll see if I can hitch a ride.”
“Okay! See you then.”
Lori looked around the restaurant, a rotating dome above the Faraday, Earth very large on one side, a waxing gibbous moon distant but large on the other. Because the restaurant was rotating, celestial objects slowly moved left to right around them. Normally—because of the light of the earth, moon, and sun—the stars and other planets would not be visible, but the dome dimmed the sun’s disk and accented the planets and starlight, bringing it all in.
“The sky is more visible inside here than anywhere in the solar system,” Cadence said as she approached.
“Ah. Hello,” Lori said.
“The dome was a lovely touch,” Cadence said. “Glad you recommended it. This way to our table.”
Cadence led the way past a table where a family with two children were trying to dine out.
“Nice looking family,” Lori said to the mother.
“Oh! Hi! Lori. It’s good to see you.”
Lori smiled and followed Cadence to their table.
“We have a dome like this on Gene,” Lori said. When they got to the table, she found Ella and Marie already there.
All greeted and sat.
Though the culture had matured and technology had advanced, the classic restaurant with someone waiting on you was a time-honored nurturance that people refused to give up. The culture tried it without servers for several years back in the 21st Century. People could sit at their table and order to an A.I. chef from the table, and even have the food produced right there in a replication device, but then the atmosphere became sterile. The bustle of servers moving abuot the restaurant carrying trays of food adds to the pleasure of time spent with both friends and a meal.
With one modification.
“Good day, everyone,” the android said as she approached the table. “I’m Ranell 5, and I’ll be your server, today.”
“Well, Ella said. What do you have to drink?”
“Anything’s good with me,” Marie said.
“We do have some real alcohol,” Ranell 5 said, “as a little can be good for your biological health—those of you who need that. And we have some synth, if you want that—” A hologram projected in front of Ranell 5 that displayed various drink products.
Ella reached out only slightly with her right hand and moved a finger. The holomenu rotated to suit.
“Why don’t we have a bottle of that stuff we had on the moon, once,” Cadence said.
“Do you know what that was?” Ella asked Ranell 5.
In 4.3 seconds, Ranell 5 responded, “Yes. This one?”
“What took you so long?” Ella asked the android.
“The data was on the moon. Speed of light. Turn around time.”
“Yes, that’s the one,” Cadence said. “One of those, please. Lori?”
“Sounds fine.”
The android radioed in the order, but hurried off as if to complete it.
“So?” Marie looked at Lori for an answer.
“A needle pulling thread,” Lori answered.
“No! I mean, how is it going with Nate?”
“Now there’s a good one,” Cadence said.
“How is it going in xenobiology, Cadence?” Lori asked to deflect.
“Nate sure is tall and handsome,” Cadence said with a smile.
“I could be a man for you if you wanted,” Ella said. “I have before.”
“No problem here! I love you, I don’t care what gender you are. Oh!” Cadence pretended she was in a B-Play, clasping her hands together. “I’m so happy!”
“And Nate is into you?” Marie asked again.
“Yes, I’m sure he is,” Lori said.
“300 years since you had any, Mom! Since Father died.”
“Well,” Lori said. “Maybe 299.98.”
All three women looked at Lori and burst into happiness for her.
“Mom!”
“Lori!” Ella said, clasping Lori on the back.
“The perpetual hermit from hell! You didn’t! You got laid? And didn’t tell us?”
Lori’s smile grew as she tried to recoil from her friends.
“Lori got laid! Lori got laid!” chanted Oliver from the ship.
Lori started to object.
“You never hung up! I’ve been listening.”
Lori smiled at her holo and with a glance, the line to Oliver was closed.
“When did you get with Nate?” Marie asked, scooting closer to her mother and leaning in, conspiratorially.
“I don’t know—”
“Yes you do!” Cadence begged.
“God!” Marie said. “You got with Spock. I know who that is; I watched ‘em all on Netflix.”
Lori tried to explain. “He was just—”
“Yeah, I know,” Ella said. “Just nudging society along in Star Trek when he hoped they could use it.”
“And we could use it.” A tall, handsome man walked up to the table looking like—Leonard Nimoy on steroids.
“Nate!” Lori jumped up to hug him, and he kissed her softly on the mouth.
Lori swooned, melting into him.
“Oh, she’s got it bad,” Cadence said, looking then to Ella. “Look at that.”
“You want me to be a man,” Ella said.
“No, I don’t. I just miss that, I think.”
“I could change this afternoon.”
“No! Please don’t. I— I love you the way you are, too. Please stay?”
Marie jumped up to stand beside Nate and Lori to watch them kiss.
Ella pointed her fingers at her own eyes then to Cadence as in “We’ll talk about this later.”
“Put your hand on her breast,” Marie told Nate, who broke off kissing Lori to give Marie a hug.
“Ugh!” Marie groaned. “I am now so missing Gadin.”
“Who would have thought we’d stay with a mate so long?” Cadence said. “What is it with that? People changing sexes, changing looks, but we stay together?”
“Habit?” Marie asked.
“Love?” Lori asked, taking a seat and offering one next to her to Nate.
“Maybe stability that comes with age,” Ella said.
Ranell 5 returned with the wine and glasses for everyone. “Any preference for the General?” Ranell 5 asked General Nathaniel Green.
“No,” Nate said. “I’m fine.”
“Need anything else?” the server asked.
“
I’ve got 4 lovely ladies—and you to take care of us. What more could I ask?”
Cadence noted, “He sounds like Spock.”
“I’m switching today,” Ella said.
Lori looked aglow, kept steeling looks at Nate.
“You knew me on the ship, Lori,” Nate said. “When we first came to earth.”
“Yeah, but— I don’t know.”
“And we served together for a couple thousand years before that, exploring this region of the galaxy.”
“But something changed in you.”
“We all evolve,” Nate said.
“You didn’t know he was Ahleth when he was Spock on T.V.?” Cadence asked.
Lori shook her head. “Can’t tell by just looking, if they don’t make it obvious.
Nate smiled confidently and teased the ladies.
“Well, everybody’s happy looking at me,” Nate said. “I didn’t do anything.”
Marie was aghast. “You— You kidding?”
Cadence summed for her. “It’s like you single-handedly created all this.”
Nate waved them off. “No way! I just tried to inspire desire.”
“And that you do.” Lori leaned over to kiss him again—long and lingering, and kept it up, and kept it up.
Marie looked around as if she were embarrassed.
Lori broke the kiss to look at her. “You’re not 1st Century, any more, kid-o. So why shy?”
“My mom’s a slut.”
Lori smiled at her. “Your mom—in love.”
Nate addressed the women. “Back then, Lori was kind of like the navigator, and I was a researcher. Kind of like the science officer—”
“No way!” Cadence blurted out. Then she laughed as if she had just heard the best joke. “So the part came—” She laughed some more.
“The part came natural,” Nate said—so Spock at his station. “When I heard they were auditioning, I did my best.”
Ranell 5 returned to the table and displayed choices with his holomenu. Everyone ordered, and she left.
“Are you green-blooded?” Cadence asked.
“I don’t know!” Lori acted as if she’d never considered it. “I’ve never seen him bleed.” She squinted at him.
“I—” Nate let it linger for them.
“What!?” Marie demanded.
“I—think it’s red— Ah, no. I’m sure it’s blue unless oxygenated.”
“How many times have you been through this conversation in the last 300 years, Nate,” Ella asked.