“How do I not know your favourite colour?” Rebecca asked, shaking her head. “We’ve been dating for what…”
“Three years at this point,” Ashley cut in, chuckling and gently bumping her hips against her wife’s.
“We must’ve talked about it at some point.” Rebecca loudly clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Is it purple?”
Ashley blinked. “Huh, so you did remember?”
Rebecca bit her lip.
“Rebecca…” Ashley started.
“So, uh… I got some good news and I got some bad news,” Rebecca said.
“Start with the good news,” Ashley teased, throwing her a playful smile.
They continued forwards along the dirt path, surrounded on all sides by a canvas of evergreen trees and wilderness. Athens was surrounded by parks like this, the product of New Urbanism and a fresh canvas to design the city of tomorrow upon.
Not that Rebecca minded. It was comforting to be outside of the city and surrounded by nature. Even if this nature was heavily managed and altered to a level that made it usable by the urban crowds who lived nearby.
With a pack on her back and walking stick in hand, Rebecca forgot about the things that worried her.
She wondered if the settlers who landed here more than a two century ago had felt something like this. This carefree and euphoric.
“Yoo hoo, Thebes to Rebecca, Thebes to Rebecca, over,” Ashley said, waving a hand in front of her eyes.
Rebecca blinked, stirring from her stupor. “Sorry, sorry, got… sucked into the moment.”
“Everything alright?” Ashley asked, looking just a little bit worried.
Rebecca nodded slowly. “Just wondering when we’ll get another week like this?”
“Probably after a couple years of busting our asses and climbing through the ranks aboard the Themiskyra,” Ashley said. “I think my moms got a two week leave after their sixth year aboard?” She sighed. “Are you nervous about going up?”
“Maybe a little,” Rebecca said. “I still find it really strange that we even got picked in the first place.”
“Why’s that?” Ashley asked. “You’re super good at math, and I’m super good at piloting. Plus, we’re lesbians. That’s literally the three most important criteria if you want to get picked for the Sacred Bands.” She snorted. “Also helps that our moms have been grooming us since birth.”
Rebecca blinked. “Your moms have been doing that?”
“They did,” Ashley said, sighing. “Didn’t yours?”
Rebecca thought about it for a moment, looking back to her childhood.
Though before she could really get into these memories, Ashley cut in. “Anyways why don’t you think you’d be a good pick?”
“I just… I don’t know… I don’t feel like a good fit,” Rebecca admitted. “I’m not some brave hero who can…”
Ashley stopped dead in her tracks, wheeling around so she was facing her wife. “Rebecca, babe…”
“Yes?”
“Can you calculate the necessary flight speed of a missile so it can hit a ten-metre target at two-hundred kilometers away?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca nodded.
“Then who cares if you’re brave,” Ashley said. “Leave the bravery to me. Just do your job well and everything else will come naturally to you.”
Rebecca bit her lip. “You promise?”
“I mean I can’t really promise something on your behalf but I have a good feeling about this.” She dipped forwards and gave Rebecca a little kiss on the lips. “Anyways what was the good news?”
“Good news?” Rebecca asked, blinking. “What good news?”
“About my favourite colour,” Ashley said.
Rebecca paused for a moment, trying to process what she meant before she burst out laughing. “Oh, I just wanted to let you know that we had the same favourite colour!”
Ashley snorted. “Huh, go figure.”
Together they made their way higher, traversing the well-kept paths through the park. It wasn’t long before they reached their destination, a little ridge that overlooked the forest and valley below. On the horizon, was the city of Athens.
With all the metal and glass, it seemed to shimmer in the glow of the planet’s distant star.
Ashley took off her pack and placed it next to a tree. She reached inside and produced a blanket, laying it out.
Rebecca also shed her pack before taking a seat. “Wonder when we’ll get a chance to do this again?”
“Have a picnic?” Ashley asked, joining her. “Probably whenever we get ourselves another leave.”
Rebecca nodded and grabbed a large aluminum container, placing it between them. When she opened it, a faint cool breeze touched her hand.
“Old tech is always better at this type of stuff,” she commented.
Ashley smirked. “Not a bad find for twelve dollars. Think it’s really from Earth?”
“I mean it does say that it’s a product of Vietnam,” Rebecca said. “I think that may have once been a theme back on Earth?”
Ashley reached inside her backpack and grabbed a bottle of wine, twisting it open. Rebecca produced a pair of plastic cups, holding them out. Ashley filled each about half full before recapping the bottle and placing it between them.
Rebecca handed her a cup and together they held them out.
“You want to do the honours?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca hummed. “To a happy marriage?”
“Babe,” Ashley said, cocking a brow. “We’ve toasted to that like five times this week. How about…” She snapped her fingers, “to a lifetime of adventures?”
Rebecca smirked. “I could drink to that.”
They tapped cups and each of them took a sip. The wine was sweeter than Rebecca expected. It almost felt like it should’ve gone with dessert and not the main course.
Speaking of which…
She reached into the aluminum lunch box and pulled out a platter of cheeses, cold cuts, and various vegetables, followed by a long loaf of bread.
Ashley withdrew a hunting knife, using it to saw the bread into more agreeable pieces.
“What do you think we would’ve done if the Bands hadn’t recruited us?” she asked.
Rebecca pursed her lips. “I mean, likely we would’ve gone into factory work. The Bands need more than just bodies after all. Somebody has to make the missiles and steel and fuel and well everything that goes into a war machine.”
“I think I would’ve liked to get into farming,” Ashley said, grabbing an olive and chewing on it. “Imagine getting to spend every day out here.”
“I don’t know, I think I’d miss the city. Be pretty hard to go clubbing, or get dinner, or well, do a lot of things,” Rebecca said.
She grabbed a piece of bread and started to spread goat cheese on it.
“I’ll admit that being away from the city would put a bit of a damper on the number of cute girls that we get to hook up with,” Ashley said. “Think any of the girls onboard the Themiskyra would be open to hooking up?”
Rebecca cocked a brow. “Babe, they essentially crammed a thousand lesbians into tight quarters with very little to do with their free time. Yes, yes, I think we’ll be able to find other girls to hook up with.”
“Conditions are ripe for drama,” Ashley commented. She took a sip of wine before nibbling on a piece of cheese. “Though I suppose our moms are doing alright.”
“They do seem pretty close,” Rebecca agreed.
She glanced at Ashley and Ashley looked back at her. Both of their eyes had widened.
“Do you think…” Ashley started.
Rebecca snorted. “Our moms? No way.”
“Maybe we should talk about something else,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca nodded in agreement.
Her gaze flicked back towards the city as she stared absently at it. Occasionally, she would swirl the contents of her cup and take a sip.
“You seem awfully stoic,” Ashley teased.
Rebecca smirked. “Don’t I always?”
“Something on your mind?” Ashley asked. She slid over, leaning against her wife. “Or are you just taking in the view.”
“Just taking in the view,” Rebecca replied.
She reached for the plaster between them, picking up a piece of meat and taking a bite. It was spicy and salty but she adored the flavour. Spice was always a good thing to add to any meal.
“I wonder how many planets have a view like this,” she whispered, glancing at Ashley.
Ashley shrugged. “I’m sure every planet has its own special view. But a view exactly like this one?” She shook her head. “I don’t know, maybe twenty planets, a hundred? There are an awful lot of rocks out there, babe.” She grinned. “Hell, when we’re in space, we can find a view like this on one of our moons, or the next planet over. Imagine that?”
“It’d be wild,” Rebecca agreed. “Though those views would be missing out on one pretty important detail.”
“What’s that?” Ashley asked.
Rebecca drew an inch away, placing a hand upon Ashley’s cheek. She gently caressed her complexion, making sure to look her in the eye.
“Those views would require a space suit and if we’re wearing space suits…” She chuckled. “Then we can’t kiss.”
Before Ashley could reply, Rebecca leaned forwards, pressing her lips hungrily against her wife’s own. They lingered like that, basking in the bliss of one another’s presence. Though their hands soon joined in.
One of Rebecca’s ran down her wife’s side.
And one of Ashley’s came forth, grabbing the collar of Rebecca’s shirt and holding her tight, keeping the kiss going.
A spark crackled between them and a hunger seemed to fill Ashley. Her fingers were clumsy, fondling at the buttons on Rebecca’s top. Slowly, she popped them open, one after another, until there was enough room for her to slide a hand underneath. She cupped her wife’s breast, giving it a gentle squeeze through her bra.
It was enough to etch forth a moan from Rebecca. She could feel a fire smolder within her core and soon she joined in, sliding a hand down to Ashley’s hip before slipping it under her blouse and groping clumsily at her.
There were two opposing factions battling within Rebecca’s mind. On one hand she wouldn’t dare break away from her wife at a time like this. Her kiss, her touch, her breath and scent. It was all so intoxicating, drawing her inwards like a woman enraptured by the very essence of the Goddess Aphrodite.
On the other hand, pulling away would make stripping much easier.
The kiss lasted for only a couple more seconds before the two of them snapped back in unison. Their minds were truly linked in this decision.
“Are we seriously doing this outside?” Rebecca asked.
Ashley nodded quickly. “Come on, hun. We haven’t seen anyone else all day. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Rebecca paused for a moment, wondering if this was really the best idea. But in the end, her wife made rational thinking almost impossible.
“You’re right,” she whispered.
She reached for her belt, pulling it off quickly. “No one is going to find us.”
It turned out that Rebecca really should’ve trusted the rational part of her brain.
Though by the time they were discovered, they were already done with things. They were in the afterglow, tangled together upon their picnic blanket with their clothing littered around them.
Their voyeurs turned out to be two young men who yelped in surprise as they stumbled upon the newlyweds. They were petrified and were about to bolt off, when Ashley held up a hand.
“Sorry!” she called. “Didn’t think anyone else would be…”
“No, no,” one of the men said, stumbling back. “We totally should’ve knocked.”
“Knocked?” Rebecca asked.
“Knocked,” the other young man repeated, looking at his partner. “We’re outside?”
The two parties stood at an impasse, looking at one another like deer in the headlights. The men seemed frozen in place and Rebecca couldn’t very well get dressed with them watching.
Ashley grinned, nodding towards their backpacks “How about you guys come back in like ten minutes and you can help us finish off our second bottle of wine?”
The two men looked at each other and nodded.
“Yeah, we can do that,” the first said.
He had a green mohawk and chocolatey skin. A pair of glasses rested on his nose and he was pretty scrawny compared to his partner.
The second man nodded in agreement. His skin was pale like Ashley’s, while his hair was a fierce red compared to her blonde. His was kept long and tied into a ponytail. He was also fairly bulky, looking very much like someone who had done his fair share of hard work.
Both were young, no older than Ashley and Rebecca.
“Ten minutes,” Ashley repeated.
They nodded and went back down the hill, leaving them alone.
“No one will catch us?” Rebecca repeated, cocking a brow.
Ashley grinned. “Technically true. We were pretty much done with things when they showed up.” She drew the blanket away from her naked body, getting to her feet. “Come on, let’s get dressed. We have a double date in ten minutes.”
“Double date?” Rebecca asked. Then it clicked. “Oh! Do you think they’re…”
She started to pull on her outfit, doing her best to smooth out the creases. Though this proved to be futile, no matter how hard she tried.
“I have a good feeling that they are,” Ashley said. She then grinned. “They were probably planning to use this spot themselves.”
It didn’t take long before they were both dressed and ready for more polite company.
As promised, the two men returned, waving as they approached.
“Surprised to see anyone else out here,” green mohawk called. “Usually, these paths are pretty deserted at this time of the year.”
Ashley smirked, motioning to the other side of the blanket. “We’re on our honeymoon.”
“Oh!” the bulky one beamed. “Are you two from the Bands?”
“We are,” Rebecca answered. “Well… going to be.”
Ashley grabbed the fresh bottle of wine but then looked at the two plastic cups on the blanket. The only two cups they had thought to bring with them.
She smirked. “Do you two care about cooties?”
“We do not,” green mohawk said.
Ashley took a pull straight from the bottle before handing it to him. “My name is Ashley and my wife is Rebecca.”
Rebecca offered a polite smile.
“I’m Theseus,” the bulky man said.
Green mohawk bowed his head. “Asterius.”
“Oh, like the first king of Athens?” Rebecca asked, looking at Theseus. “Well, the first king of the Athens back on Earth.”
“The very same,” Theseus said.
Asterius smirked. “Our parents were pretty amused when we first told them we were dating.” He then nodded towards the duo. “So, which one of you is going to be the pilot?”
Ashley raised her hand.
“Makes sense,” Theseus said, grinning. “You kind of have that pilot look to you.”
“Pilots have a look?” Rebecca asked.
Theseus shrugged. “I mean she looks like one of those women from the posters they have in town.”
“Oh, are you two from around here?” Ashley asked.
“For now,” Asterius answered. “We’re heading up ourselves in a couple of weeks.”
“You are?” Rebecca asked.
They passed the wine around, each of them taking a pull. By the time it reached Rebecca, she looked at it, subtly cringing at the germs. She denied herself a sample and simply passed it along to Ashley who drank from it without complaint.
Theseus grinned. “They needed more bodies to man the stations at Thermopylae, so we signed up. Orientation is in two weeks.”
“What will you be doing up there?” Ashley asked.
“I’ll be working communications,” Asterius said. “Hell, maybe we’ll be hearing from each other at some point?”
“Maybe we will,” Rebecca replied.
Theseus puffed out his chest, holding a hand to it. “And I’ve been given the glorious task of…” He snorted. “Working as manual labour.”
“It’s very important work,” Asterius quipped.
“Someone needs to make sure those cannons have shells,” Rebecca said.
Ashley smirked. “Glad we’re sharing our wine with you then.” She then wagged her finger at them. “Just remember how good it was the first time we call in for support, okay?”
“Will do,” Asterius said, giving a very informal salute as he grinned at her.
Theseus grabbed the bottle and took his own sip. “This is pretty good wine.” He spun it around and read the label. “Ah, made over on the Champagne Islands, I shouldn’t be too surprised. Where did you get it from?
“A wedding gift from our former roommates,” Rebecca said, leaning against Ashley. “Though between you and me I think they were more excited about getting that apartment to themselves than they were about our actual wedding.”
“Places are hard to come by in Athens,” Asterius commented. “Why we’ve lived out here our entire lives.”
Theseus nodded. “Though we are close enough to the city that we get to enjoy the night life whenever we get a long weekend.”
“Which clubs do you guys go to?” Ashley asked.
She draped her arm over Rebecca's shoulder, rubbing it gently.
“Are you familiar with Dionysius Orgy?” Theseus asked.
Rebecca blushed at the name. “Can’t say that I am.”
Ashley on the other hand nodded. “Yeah that’s the gay club down near the shore, right?”
“The name is way more pervy than the reality,” Asterius said, winking at Rebecca. “Just a really good club. Booze is cheap and they have some extremely good DJs.”
“But if you’re looking for a sex club,” Theseus cut in, bearing a dangerous smile. “Then…”
Ashley cleared her throat, gently squeezing Rebecca’s shoulder. “I think we’ll be a little busy with uh… the Bands to get involved in that kind of stuff.” She leaned over and kissed Rebecca on the cheek. “Plus, Rebecca here is a little shy.”
Rebecca’s cheeks warmed further.
“I’m not shy,” she interjected. “I just believe that sex should be enjoyed in a more private setting, is all.”
“Well you’ll be in for a bit a culture shock once we’re aboard the Themiskyra,” Ashley teased.
“Is it true that they have public baths and pleasure lounges aboard?” Theseus asked.
Asterius rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t believe those rumours if I were you.”
“I have no idea,” Ashley admitted, shrugging. “I’ve never been aboard before. Though I doubt that the colonial administration would really spare the money for something like that.”
“Your mom did say…” Rebecca began.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, louder than any Rebecca had ever heard in her life. It was like a hundred cars all backfiring at once or a dozen parades happening simultaneously within the same city plaza.
“Oh, my gods,” Theseus whispered, all the colour draining from his face.
He was looking at something that was happening behind them.
Ashley mirrored his phrase as she was the first to look over her shoulder.
Rebecca did so a moment later, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.
There was a streak of fire in the sky, like Artemis’ arrow curving along the horizon, tipped by the flames of Apollo. The scientific part of Rebecca’s mind knew this to be some sort of space debris, crashing through the planet’s atmosphere. But it was hard not to fall back upon the gods at such an awe-inspiring sight.
It arched through the air with such fury, much like Ares, and as Rebecca ran some numbers in her head, she knew its likely course.
“Fuck,” she whispered. “It’s… it’s heading for the city.”
“No way,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca could see disbelief in her gaze but as the debris made its path, slowly her eyes fell to a hollow acceptance.
“They’ll make it to the bunkers,” Ashley whispered. “Right?”
“Right,” Rebecca lied.
Some would but there is no way that an entire city could evacuate in such a short amount of time.
The debris continued on its course and Rebecca watched it like a woman possessed. It was horrifying, yet she would not dare flinch away.
“It’s not going to hit dead on,” Arsterius whispered. “Thank the gods.”
And Rebecca realized that he was telling the truth.
Though before she could voice this, it impacted, smashing into one of the southernmost suburbs of the city. It landed like thunder from Zeus, sending up a mushroom cloud of debris into the sky. A shockwave shot out from the impact site, battering the rest of the city with even more lethal destruction.
A shockwave radiated outwards, washing over the city. A shockwave that was also heading directly towards them.
“Get down,” Ashley barked.
She grabbed Rebecca and pulled her down, pinning her to the earth and covering her with her own body.
Rebecca couldn’t see anything, she was blind. All she could do was feel, counting the seconds with fear and apprehension.
The shockwave hit them, though had dissipated greatly, being more like a warm burst of breath than what had surely been hellfire within the city. It passed within a second, leaving nothing but an eerie silence behind.
There was no sound, nothing, not even the swishing of trees or the song of birds. The world was dead.
Ashley eventually got off of her, allowing her to sit back up.
Rebecca looked around in awe. The entire forest was covered in dust and ash. Though this eerie sight paled as she looked back towards the city.
The mushroom cloud lingered, reminding Rebecca of a photo she’d seen in a history textbook. It was of a nearly identical pillar erupting from one of a dozen cities which had met a similar fate back on Earth.
Beyond the decimated suburb, the rest of the city was still standing. Though it was obvious that there was much destruction left behind. There were already many fires spreading and she could see that one of the massive skyscrapers was leaning at a terrifying angle. If it survived the next few hours would be an important question that determined how much higher the causality count would climb.
“We…” Ashley started, though her words faded.
She was pale, ghastly, unable to peel her gaze away from the horrors of the city.
Rebecca couldn’t honestly blame her. Her eyes were also affixed to the carnage, refusing to flinch away. She was speechless. Every attempt to muster so much as a syllable would die upon her tongue.
“Fuck,” is what she finally said. That was the only word that could even begin to articulate the maelstrom within her mind.
Ashley could only nod in agreement.
