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Best Laid Plans
© 2019 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
rabbi-tom
“It’s been wonderful seeing you again,” Marie said as Meredith hugged her birth mother, Thea. The palomino mare then hugged Marie. “We’ll all miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you,” Meredith told them. She gathered both of them into an embrace. “Let me know when my brothers are born, will you? And give Dad my love.” Marie and Thea were both very pregnant, each nearly less than a month away from giving birth, and Javid d’Estcourt couldn’t get time off from work in order to say goodbye. He’d said his farewells to his daughter after dinner the previous night.
Thea grinned as Marie chuckled. “We have a bet on, to see who dumps their passenger first.” She glanced at her cowife and asked Meredith, “Feel lucky?”
The younger mare took two steps back and put a paw to her chin, looking at both of her mothers. “Hmm . . . twenty on . . . you,” and she pointed at Marie.
“Why not me?” her birth mother asked.
“Because I suddenly remembered you telling me that I was late when you had me.”
Thea waved that off as Marie laughed. “That doesn’t matter. The first one always chooses its own time. I’ll tell you, though, that you hung around so long I thought that you were setting up housekeeping.” They all laughed.
Marie suddenly asked, “That reminds me, young woman. When are you going to give your mothers some grandchildren?” Meredith’s jaw dropped, and the older mare linked arms with her cowife. “Thea and I aren’t getting any younger, you know.” As the younger mare gaped, the two older women shared a kiss and started laughing.
“You should see the look on your face,” Thea said.
Meredith finally closed her mouth and gave her mother an indignant look, planting her paws on her hips. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been pretty busy – school, the Navy, the Academy, my job – “
“We know all that,” Thea said, “and I remember you saying that contraceptives were required when you were in the Navy. But what about your job? What’s their policy?”
“What? Um, I really don’t know,” her daughter said. “I honestly haven’t thought of it.” The younger mare sighed, her ears dipping slightly. “I’ll have to check.”
“Just remember,” Marie said, “if you don’t find a good stallion – “
“I had thought Tariano might be a good match,” the younger palomino admitted, “until I found out that half his brain was shit and the other half was ear-mites.”
“Exactly,” Thea said.
“What about artsem?” Marie finished what she was saying. “No muss, no fuss, and you get to pick the father.”
“That’s an idea,” her daughter said, and hugged both of her mothers again. “I’ll look into it, I promise.” Her padd chimed and she said, “That’ll be my ride to the port.”
“Let us know, huh.” Thea smiled fondly. “We love you, Meredith.”
“I love you too,” she assured the two older mares. She scooped up her bag and left the house.
The small vehicle wove its way through the traffic, taking its orders from the arcology’s AI as Meredith sat back and thought over what she and her mothers had talked about. She was twenty-nine, old enough (and, she hoped, responsible enough) to bear and raise a child. She had to admit, though, that she felt a little silly.
It was Naval policy that all active-duty personnel, male and female, receive contraceptive implants, and when she’d resigned her commission and started work for Transcosm she’d pretty much kept using it without really thinking about it. The first order of business, then, was to see what the company’s policy was.
She thought it likely that Elroy and Ginny were discussing the same thing. With Elroy being a beagle and Ginny a rabbit, artsem, a surrogate, or an appropriate cohusband were the only options.
Several hours later she was in a lounge on Magus Station, awaiting a shuttle to take her to the freighter. She sat up as the bartender, a tall whitetail buck, asked, “Need a drink?”
“Sure. Markellan whisky?”
The cervine gave her an easy smile. “Coming up,” and after a moment presented her with her drink. She paid for it, thanked him, and sipped at the whisky while keeping an ear swiveled for the announcement that the next transit shuttle was docking.
The palomino mare was midway through her second drink when the announcement came. She tossed back the remainder and headed to the departure area, rather pleased that she wasn’t unsteady on her hooves. She approached an attendant and asked, “This the shuttle for docking point PT-12?”
“Sure thing,” the otter replied, and he looked at his padd. “Kiss Me in the Dark, huh? That a threat or a promise?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her. He gave a short laugh before she could reply and said, “Sorry, I’m sure you get that a lot. You’ll be the . . . hmm, there’s a couple more still unaccounted for – “
“We’re here,” and several heads and a lot more ears turned as a burly skunk and a Scottish Fold came walking up. Mikhal and Vinzen looked as if they’d been running. “Shuttle from dirtside was slow,” the mephit growled, giving Meredith a glare. “D’Estcourt.”
“Hi, Boss.” She craned to look past him. “Hi, Vinzen.”
Her nostrils flared.
The feline waved a paw. “Hi, Merry.”
The three joined up with the other merchanters headed out to their ships and after clearing with Traffic Control the shuttle undocked from the station.
The Kiss Me in the Dark was loaded and ready to go, headed for Downtime Station again. Vinzen went to his quarters briefly to freshen up, as his shift was the one scheduled to pilot the ship out of This Far’s system. Kwinton and Meredith headed for the dining room to get coffee.
The skunk spooned some sweetener into his drink and Meredith said, “The shuttle wasn’t late, Boss.”
Kwinton mumbled something irritably before saying, “Had to go drag Garry out of a brothel. He was halfway into the femme he was doing.”
“I thought I smelled something,” Meredith said dryly. “I have a question,” and when he perked an ear in her direction she asked, “What’s company policy on pregnancy?”
The skunk rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the mood for this, d’Estcourt. Let me get some sleep, and if you can’t sleep, take a look at it yourself.” He stamped out of the room.
© 2019 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
rabbi-tom“It’s been wonderful seeing you again,” Marie said as Meredith hugged her birth mother, Thea. The palomino mare then hugged Marie. “We’ll all miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you,” Meredith told them. She gathered both of them into an embrace. “Let me know when my brothers are born, will you? And give Dad my love.” Marie and Thea were both very pregnant, each nearly less than a month away from giving birth, and Javid d’Estcourt couldn’t get time off from work in order to say goodbye. He’d said his farewells to his daughter after dinner the previous night.
Thea grinned as Marie chuckled. “We have a bet on, to see who dumps their passenger first.” She glanced at her cowife and asked Meredith, “Feel lucky?”
The younger mare took two steps back and put a paw to her chin, looking at both of her mothers. “Hmm . . . twenty on . . . you,” and she pointed at Marie.
“Why not me?” her birth mother asked.
“Because I suddenly remembered you telling me that I was late when you had me.”
Thea waved that off as Marie laughed. “That doesn’t matter. The first one always chooses its own time. I’ll tell you, though, that you hung around so long I thought that you were setting up housekeeping.” They all laughed.
Marie suddenly asked, “That reminds me, young woman. When are you going to give your mothers some grandchildren?” Meredith’s jaw dropped, and the older mare linked arms with her cowife. “Thea and I aren’t getting any younger, you know.” As the younger mare gaped, the two older women shared a kiss and started laughing.
“You should see the look on your face,” Thea said.
Meredith finally closed her mouth and gave her mother an indignant look, planting her paws on her hips. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been pretty busy – school, the Navy, the Academy, my job – “
“We know all that,” Thea said, “and I remember you saying that contraceptives were required when you were in the Navy. But what about your job? What’s their policy?”
“What? Um, I really don’t know,” her daughter said. “I honestly haven’t thought of it.” The younger mare sighed, her ears dipping slightly. “I’ll have to check.”
“Just remember,” Marie said, “if you don’t find a good stallion – “
“I had thought Tariano might be a good match,” the younger palomino admitted, “until I found out that half his brain was shit and the other half was ear-mites.”
“Exactly,” Thea said.
“What about artsem?” Marie finished what she was saying. “No muss, no fuss, and you get to pick the father.”
“That’s an idea,” her daughter said, and hugged both of her mothers again. “I’ll look into it, I promise.” Her padd chimed and she said, “That’ll be my ride to the port.”
“Let us know, huh.” Thea smiled fondly. “We love you, Meredith.”
“I love you too,” she assured the two older mares. She scooped up her bag and left the house.
The small vehicle wove its way through the traffic, taking its orders from the arcology’s AI as Meredith sat back and thought over what she and her mothers had talked about. She was twenty-nine, old enough (and, she hoped, responsible enough) to bear and raise a child. She had to admit, though, that she felt a little silly.
It was Naval policy that all active-duty personnel, male and female, receive contraceptive implants, and when she’d resigned her commission and started work for Transcosm she’d pretty much kept using it without really thinking about it. The first order of business, then, was to see what the company’s policy was.
She thought it likely that Elroy and Ginny were discussing the same thing. With Elroy being a beagle and Ginny a rabbit, artsem, a surrogate, or an appropriate cohusband were the only options.
Several hours later she was in a lounge on Magus Station, awaiting a shuttle to take her to the freighter. She sat up as the bartender, a tall whitetail buck, asked, “Need a drink?”
“Sure. Markellan whisky?”
The cervine gave her an easy smile. “Coming up,” and after a moment presented her with her drink. She paid for it, thanked him, and sipped at the whisky while keeping an ear swiveled for the announcement that the next transit shuttle was docking.
The palomino mare was midway through her second drink when the announcement came. She tossed back the remainder and headed to the departure area, rather pleased that she wasn’t unsteady on her hooves. She approached an attendant and asked, “This the shuttle for docking point PT-12?”
“Sure thing,” the otter replied, and he looked at his padd. “Kiss Me in the Dark, huh? That a threat or a promise?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her. He gave a short laugh before she could reply and said, “Sorry, I’m sure you get that a lot. You’ll be the . . . hmm, there’s a couple more still unaccounted for – “
“We’re here,” and several heads and a lot more ears turned as a burly skunk and a Scottish Fold came walking up. Mikhal and Vinzen looked as if they’d been running. “Shuttle from dirtside was slow,” the mephit growled, giving Meredith a glare. “D’Estcourt.”
“Hi, Boss.” She craned to look past him. “Hi, Vinzen.”
Her nostrils flared.
The feline waved a paw. “Hi, Merry.”
The three joined up with the other merchanters headed out to their ships and after clearing with Traffic Control the shuttle undocked from the station.
The Kiss Me in the Dark was loaded and ready to go, headed for Downtime Station again. Vinzen went to his quarters briefly to freshen up, as his shift was the one scheduled to pilot the ship out of This Far’s system. Kwinton and Meredith headed for the dining room to get coffee.
The skunk spooned some sweetener into his drink and Meredith said, “The shuttle wasn’t late, Boss.”
Kwinton mumbled something irritably before saying, “Had to go drag Garry out of a brothel. He was halfway into the femme he was doing.”
“I thought I smelled something,” Meredith said dryly. “I have a question,” and when he perked an ear in her direction she asked, “What’s company policy on pregnancy?”
The skunk rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the mood for this, d’Estcourt. Let me get some sleep, and if you can’t sleep, take a look at it yourself.” He stamped out of the room.
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Horse
Size 74 x 120px
File Size 40.1 kB
that's a fact - or relies on other sci-fi established tech...
on a separate note, I got to experience a bit of retirement time on this vacation (nothing to do but the daily routine) and I was really enjoying it. I even got to write a story 'just because'. I'm off until next Monday but now have to go work on the mother-in-law's place. We're getting it into shape for selling. In the mean time my yard is calling my name very loudly.
Cheers,
V.
on a separate note, I got to experience a bit of retirement time on this vacation (nothing to do but the daily routine) and I was really enjoying it. I even got to write a story 'just because'. I'm off until next Monday but now have to go work on the mother-in-law's place. We're getting it into shape for selling. In the mean time my yard is calling my name very loudly.
Cheers,
V.
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