Baby, it's Cold in Space: Eight Science Fiction Romances

by Margo Bond Collins

  He's easy on the eyes, too.

  It was impossible to deny her physical attraction to him. She’d never been drawn to a man with the intensity she felt with Pukak but she wondered if it was only because she’d been celibate for so long. No. That wasn’t it. It was definitely him.

  She fiddled with the TalkBack, took out the battery and reinserted it but she was having a hard time concentrating on the device with Pukak so close to her.

  That was a dangerous path to follow, though, because even though The Siku seemed very much like native peoples she’d expect to meet on Earth, she hadn’t been here long enough to really know and understand them. She’d only be here for a year and she’d have to return to Earth alone. There were a million reasons that acting on her attraction was a bad idea.

  “Should we get back to Egakik?”

  “We should.” Pukak rose from the captain’s chair.

  After shutting down all the systems and double-checking her work, she said, “I hope you enjoyed the visit.”

  He smiled, small lines crinkling beside his eyes.

  God, he’s gorgeous. But you can’t, you won’t, do anything about that, Hascamp.

  “Let me pack a couple of things and we’ll head back to the village.” She grabbed the wool sweater, a couple of ration meals and her book. She wanted to show it to The Siku and ask them to help her compare their world to the one pictured on the pages. After tucking the items into the backpack, she said, “I’ve got everything. Ready?”

  He nodded and she pressed her index finger to the biometric panel beside the door.

  When it opened, she was totally unprepared. She’d read plenty of scholarly articles and old diary entries about blizzards but she had no idea they were so violent, so loud, so fierce. It had a hypnotic effect on her and while she felt the tiny snowflakes biting into the skin of her face, she couldn’t close her eyes.

  “Shut the door,” Pukak yelled over the howling of the wind. “The snow is coming inside.” He grabbed her hand and placed her finger on the biometric box. The door closed with Lauren still facing it.

  “It’s a blizzard.”

  He looked at her as if she were a child. “Yes, it is.”

  “I’ve never seen it snow before.”

  “Never?” He knitted his brow. “It doesn’t snow on Earth?” He pronounced so that it sounded like the word “ear” with a “-th” added as an afterthought. It was charming.

  “It used to, many, many years ago but after significant global warming, it stopped. There hasn’t been a blizzard in well over a hundred years.”

  It was clear, from his expression, that he was having a hard time believing her. “Never?”

  “Nope. Will the storm pass in time for us to get back to camp?”

  “I doubt it. We should shelter here for the night.”

  “But we have no heat.”

  “We have cold fire.”

  “Cold fire?”

  He shucked off his backpack and tossed it onto the floor of Kalevala. “I will show you.” He pulled out two small tubes. He tapped one of them against the other and then used a small syringe-like object to inject a gas into the membranes covering the tops of the tubes.

  “That should do it,” he said, placing the tubes on the console.

  The inside of the Kalevala heated up immediately. She watched the small tubes glow purple, then blue, then white. Even when the flames disappeared, heat continued to radiate from the tubes. She took over her cap and unwound her scarf.

  “How does it work?”

  “It’s simple really. We just use both heptane and methane we harvest from volcanoes in the west. When it burns, it not only consumes the fuel but the toxic gasses the combustion produces.”

  If only we’d thought of that, Lauren thought. “Looks like we’re here for the night,” she said. “At least we’ll be safe from wild animals.”

  “But not the judgement of the others in Egakik. That might be worse.”

  “Why?”

  “As The Keeper, I’m forbidden to enter into any relationship that might take me away from my work. If we spend the night together, with no one else around, it will be assumed.”

  She didn’t have to ask what the “it” meant. “But there’s no way to get back safely.”

  “The Highest Priest will say I should have never come out here with you alone, that I should have planned better, that a man in my position should never put himself in a situation where impropriety could be assumed.”

  The Highest Priest sounded like a prick. “Is he your boss?”

  “He’s everyone’s boss.”

  “Maybe he’s the one who’s been talking to my bosses back on Earth.”

  “He would never do that,” Pukak said. “He’s the one who enforces the rules set forth in The Age of Change.”

  “It has to be a scientist or an academic. All the maps, linguistic information and climate data have been extremely accurate.”

  Why would The Siku invite us here and then deny it?

  “Not possible. We’re all closely monitored. There’s always someone looking over our shoulders. Plus, if it really were one of us you’d been talking to, they’d never send you to Egakik.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s a backwater, a place for people who need to get away from the rest of the tribe for a while. It’s nothing like the capital where all the decisions are made.”

  “The capital?”

  “Eramosa. It’s in the south. Two or three days travel on a ZipperSled.”

  Holy shit. The Highest Priest, whoever he is, is dirty. No doubt.

  This was becoming more and more complicated by the minute. “How is the Highest Priest chosen?”

  “The Great Knowing tells the previous one who will follow him upon his death.”

  There were all kinds of holes in that system. It smacked of favoritism for starters. Back on Earth, people had abandoned organized religion in the twenty-third century. “So the people have no say?”

  “We trust the Highest Priest.”

  “You, too?”

  Pukak took too long to answer.

  Lauren knew better than to press him. She could tell by the ways his eyes went wide when she questioned his loyalty to the big guy. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lauren stood up and went to the console. She pulled up the window shades and stood in the near dark watching the tiny flakes swirl and toss in the wind. In her book, she’d read that every snowflake was totally unique, like DNA. It was hard to believe, now that she saw how small they actually were, that no two were ever exactly alike.

  “What do they taste like?”

  “What?”

  “Snowflakes.” She licked her lips and tried to imagine the grainy coolness on her tongue. Even though she didn’t hear him get up, she felt him standing behind her, the heat of his body imprinting a warm shadow on her back. He squeezed her shoulders and said, “When the wind dies down, we’ll go outside and you can answer that question for yourself.”

  When she turned, his face was only centimeters from hers and the attraction they’d both been trying to fight surged between them and before Lauren realized what was happening, his lips were on hers. She knew she should push him away, explain why kissing him was wrong, but it didn’t feel wrong. In fact, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

  He touched his tongue to hers and liquid fire spread through her body, igniting every cell. He wrapped his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss. It was hot, demanding and filled with passion she had to answer with her own.

  Lauren tugged at his clothing, pulling at the skins and knitted fabrics until she felt the warmth of his skin beneath her palms. She broke the kiss and stepped back so that she could see him. Even in the dim silvery light, it was easy to see the well-defined muscles of his arms and upper body. Against his skin, hers was as white as paper and she loved the contrast.

  “Now, I want to see.” Pukak’s voice was low and husky.

  She eased off the white
uniform, starting with the bodice. She unzipped it revealing her white tank top. Her nipples were as hard as diamonds and strained the fabric. She removed it, baring her skin to the chilly air inside the Kalevala. Pukak stepped closer and gently ran the tip of one finger along her sternum, between her breasts. He was so gentle, so tender.

  “Touch me here,” she said, guiding him to her breast. His eyes never left hers as he used his thumb and forefinger to squeeze her nipple.

  A warm wetness spread between her legs and she ached for him. Seeming to read her desire, he placed both hands on her hips and shimmied the tight pants down to the floor of the spacecraft.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he whispered. After stripping off the rest of his clothes, he pulled her body into his.

  Lauren grabbed his ass and rubbed against his erection. She dug her nails in and kissed him again, even harder this time. “I want you inside me.”

  “I want that, too.” He turned her around and bent her over the console. He rubbed his cock against her, teasing her, coming tantalizingly close to entering her.

  “Now,” she said, when she couldn’t take it anymore.

  He thrust into her, filling her completely. With one arm, he reached around her waist and fingered her clit as he pumped into her. The cool metal of the console touching her breasts, Pukak inside her, his breath on her neck, all the sensations brought her to the edge.

  She moaned, finding her release, and he shortly found his.

  “Oh, Jesus,” Lauren said. “That was amazing.”

  He kissed her on the back of the next. “It sure was.”

  ***

  Overnight the snow stopped and the wind calmed. When Lauren opened the hatch, the day was sunny and bright without a cloud marring the sky.

  “The sooner we can get back to Egakik, the more damage control we can do before the Highest Priest arrives.”

  “Damage control? I never knew you’d get in trouble.”

  “It’s my responsibility to keep my word. Not yours.”

  “If they find out we—”

  “They won’t but even if they do, I don’t regret it.”

  “Me, either,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “I’d do it again. And again.”

  He knew she was trying to make him feel better but his heart was pounding in his chest. He’d never broken his word as Keeper and he was disappointed in himself. He wouldn’t trade last night with Lauren for anything but at the same time, he worried about the consequences. With any luck, they’d make it back to the village well before the Highest Priest and his entourage. Maybe they could convince The Siku in Egakik, who all had problems of their own, to turn a blind eye.

  It was an easy walk into the village but as soon as it came into view, Pukak’s heart sank. He’d underestimated the speed at which the Highest Priest would hurry to Egakik. When he and Lauren walked into the village, it was clear that the holy man, along with his large entourage had already arrived. The Zippersleds they used to travel from village to village were parked two deep alongside the path leading to the community igloo.

  He dropped Lauren’s gloved hand. “They can’t see us exhibiting any affection for each other.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “You’re supposed to live your entire life without a partner?”

  “It’s what The Great Knowing asked of me.”

  “I think it’s bullshit,” she said, never breaking stride.

  “Today is not the day we change it.” He hoped he’d taught Lauren everything she needed to know about The Siku: their religion, their laws, and beliefs. “Just remember everything I’ve told you. I know it’s difficult but if the Highest Priest takes offense at your visit or our friendship, he might punish the whole tribe.”

  “I’ll do my best.” There was worry in her light eyes, despite her obvious contempt for religion. “I don’t want you to get into trouble over me.”

  He realized what a large burden he was placing on her shoulder but there was no way around it. Until he figured out who she and her tribe had been talking to on Utuquq, he had to play it close to the jacket, as Lauren would say.

  “Where is everyone?” Lauren asked.

  “Probably inside the community igloo.” He pointed to the large structure in the center of the small village. It wasn’t a good sign.

  “Is that where we’re going?”

  He nodded, reached out for her hand and then thought better of it. “We don’t have another choice.”

  ***

  It was still hard for Lauren to think of the large teepee like structures as igloos.

  When she stepped inside, everyone turned to look at her. It was incredibly unnerving, dozens of pairs of onyx eyes silently accusing her of something she didn’t understand. At the front of the room, standing on a raised podium, there was a large, corpulent man dressed in skins and wearing a large white hat on his head that clearly represented a polar bear. Even from meters away, the hatred in his eyes was clearly visible.

  “Come forward, Pukak,” he bellowed in a sonorous voice. “Bring the alien with you.”

  Pukak’s gaze met hers and in it, she saw an apology. “We’ll be fine,” he said, under his breath. “Just let me do all the talking.”

  She hoped to hell he was right. Stuck on a planet with no way to communicate with Earth and no way to get home, she was at the mercy of The Siku and that scared the shit out of her. Reading the logs listening to the radio transmissions had given her the impression that The Siku were a peaceful, loving tribe. Up close, she was beginning to see all the complexities she saw in her fellow humans on Earth. She should’ve stayed with the Earth to Mars route. It was boring but at least it had been predictable.

  They walked down the center aisle. The silence was as thick as the pelt she’d slept under her first night on Utuquq. When they reached the front, the Highest Priest, he looked down on them with disdain. His upper lip quivered and his jowls shook.

  “Where were you last night, Keeper?”

  “Stranded in the blizzard.”

  “Alone with her?”

  Pukak looked at Lauren and then back at the Highest Priest. “Yes, sir.”

  "The one who carries my symbol in her pocket?" Lauren had no idea how the Highest Priest found out about the Polar bear.

  "She didn't know that it was a sacred symbol to The Siku."

  The Highest Priest laughed. It was a high-pitched, juvenile sound that made every hair on her body stand up. "She speaks our language but didn't know our sacred symbol? I find that hard to believe."

  "Did you go with her, back to her ship, willingly?"

  "I only went to help her carry some supplies and then the storm came—"

  “You’ve left me no choice. You’re banished to the Unknown. I will appoint another Keeper by the setting of The White Star. Good luck.”

  “But you invited—” Lauren spoke up. Nothing about this expedition was going as planned and she was beginning to feel like everyone was working against her. What she couldn't figure out what the reason might be.

  The old bastard shut her down immediately. “Please escort the alien and He Who Shall Not Be Named from my sight.”

  Two brawny men, both young and muscular, stepped from either side. One grabbed Pukak and one grabbed Lauren. They pushed them down the aisle toward the door.

  “You’re hurting me,” Lauren said. The man squeezed her upper arms until it felt like they were going to break like twigs. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  The man wouldn’t meet her gaze and he didn’t ease his grip. He shoved her out of the door and she fell into the snow.

  Chapter Six

  “WE MUST HURRY. It’s not that long until dark, not this time of year,” Pukak said.

  “What just happened?”

  They walked along the pathway toward Pukak’s borrowed igloo. “We were banished.”

  "I heard that part." Lauren stopped in the snow and placed both hands on her hips. “What does that even mean?”
r />   “It means we’re not welcome among The Siku. We are dead to them.”

  “But they’re the only game in town. How will we survive without them?”

  “It won’t be easy.”

  “Mother fucker,” Lauren yelled in her native language. Even though Pukak didn’t know the meaning of the words, her anger and frustration was clear. “I came here to learn from them and I’ve been here two days and they exile me for some religious bullshit I can’t even begin to understand.”

  “Lauren, please.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “We must hurry. There are things in my igloo that we must take on the journey.”

  “Where is the Unknown?” Her face was blotchy and red and she was nearly out of breath. “This is already the middle of nowhere.”

  “Come on. I’ll explain later. Please.”

  She huffed but she started walking.

  In the igloo he’d been using for the last few spans, he hurriedly collected his most important journals and books. He stuffed them into his backpack and then said to Lauren, “Open your pack. I’ll need to put the rest of them in there.”

  “What the hell good are these books going to do in the Unknown? I don’t know the place but it sounds pretty foreboding. Shouldn’t we be packing food and extra mittens?”

  He didn’t expect her to understand; he only half-understood himself but he was taking a big risk even being inside this igloo and he needed her to stop talking so he could focus. “We need them. Trust me.”

  “At this point, I don’t trust anyone.” There was a sharp edge to her voice. “I should’ve stayed the fuck at home.”

  Pukak couldn’t quell her anger and collect his things at the same time. It was too much. He concentrated on getting the most vital things and then he took her hand. “We have to go. I’ll explain when we make camp tonight.”

  “Let’s just spend the night in the Kalevala. Bring some Cold Fire and we’ll sort this out.”