Rosy is the working title of a soft science-fiction story. Rosy is an Android, named after the robot maid in the Jetsons cartoon. The story follows her, though she shows up later in the story. We open with Ashley and Emily, a married, but non monogamous couple. Both have their own story to tell.

Chapter 1

Ashley Norba held hands with her wife, Emily as they stood on the observation deck.

Emily squeezed Ashley's hand, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ashley didn't respond for a moment, and sighed, "No, I'm not but we don't have a choice. We need the money. We've already burned through most of what you got for this surrogate pregnancy. Besides, with all the routes established, people with my talent aren't needed in the core worlds. Plus--"

Emily interrupted, "I'm getting another lump sum when the baby is born in a month. The father is still asking for… bedroom services, and pays a good price. I can tell him that I'll go to New Life and tell them that one of their customers is asking for favours from their surrogate. He'll pay me more to keep quiet."

Ashley patted Emily on the head, "You're so cute when you are being unbelievably naive."

"Hey, stop that," Emily batted Ashley's hand away. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"But you're just so cute when you are like that."

Emily frowned, and placed her free hand over a spot the baby just kicked, "Then I will tell his wife. She doesn't know about her hubby's bit on the side."

Ashley reached over to pat Emily on the head again, Emily parried and flapped her arms a bit. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?" She managed to grab Ashley's hands, and kissed her.

Ashley smirked, "Of course she knows love. Why do you think she leaves when you come to visit? That rich son of a bitch just gives her more credits to do what she wants, and he gets to screw whoever he wants."

Emily breathed out hard and leaned back, putting all her weight on the railings behind her. "I'm not going to enjoy going back to Earth you know. The gravity on this station and the transport we came here on, both run at ninety percent of Earth gravity. I don't feel nearly as heavy."

A small shuttle went past the window and they both watched as it slowly traveled the length of a two kilometer-long freight hauler.

"I wonder if that's the rest of the crew for that rust bucket." Ashley said.

"Hang on," Emily grunted and reached out for Ashley, "can you pull me up? If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was carrying twins again."

Ashley grabbed both of Emily's hands and pulled. The gravity fluctuated, and Emily was squishing Ashley against the glass. Emily kissed Ashley, and said, "Maybe he will pay to watch us?"

"No, then he will want to join in, or, ew. Just, no. I don't go any way like you do. What about the wife, is she cute?" Ashley teased.

Emily looked over Ashley's shoulder and stared at the piece of junk Ashley would be calling home for the foreseeable future. "That's not right," She pushed off Ashley and pressed her face to the glass.

"What is it?"

Emily scowled, "I am really not sure about this… Look at it, that's not the standard defence grid for a transport, and look, there, between the freight containers."

Ashley called up the ship's details on her arm computer, the holographic screen sprang to life. She zoomed in on the wireframe model, rotated it so she could see the same view that Emily was looking at. A few gestures later, the model ship was stripped to its hull, all cargo containers scattered around.

"There's nothing in the schematics there."

"Look closer. Down the middle row, it…" Emily exhaled sharply through her nose, "Maybe you're right. Might just be a trick of the light."

Ashley shut off the display and peered closer at the ship. "Yeah, still not seeing anything. Defence grid looks new all right, and those aren't the standard ISL Jump Drives that all the cargo ships use."

"Maybe that's why they need a human navigator and not one of the navigational AI units?" Emily said.

"Probably but… even then it should all be pre-programmed and preset. We're just a bunch of glorified babysitters on these things now. Maybe out on the fringes where they get pirates and otherworlders and such, but… Oh, I really don't want to go."

"You don't have to Ashley," Emily took on that tone of voice. "We can find- "

Emily's own arm computer beeped, the holographic display popped up, reading "New Urgent Message"

Emily opened the message, and her face turned ashen. "They can't… We paid on time…"

"What is it?"

"I'm so sorry, but you need to go. The bank is demanding three month's payment on our flat. Need to secure it because of our past payment problems or some other bullshit. We can't afford this plus your contract termination fees. If we don't pay up, they will be sending the bailiffs to take everything to pay what the bank wants, and still leave us with nothing. Bunch of crooks."

Ashley was about to speak, Emily put her fingers on Ashley's lips. "Look, it's going to be OK. Let them take it all, there's enough to clear all our debt to the Corporation. Danny, remember him from school? Well he has a spare room I can sleep in, and the last of the surrogate money will be coming soon. My job at the commissary will keep me ticking over. You've got room and board for… however long we need to get back on our feet."

"But, if I stay, I can find something to help. Sure it won't be as good as this navigator gig, but we will- "

The grungy communicator attached to Ashley's tunic interrupted her and crackled, "Novice Ashley Norba, report to Shuttle 3 for immediate departure."

Emily smiled and said, "No, no. We will be fine. I'm sure once the bank finds out you're on a freighter with a guaranteed six-month contract they'll go easy on us. We will be OK, you can go. You're still the best damn navigator I know."

Ashley kissed Emily again, "I'm the only navigator you know. OK, OK, I will go. This conversation isn't finished yet. I will call you as soon as I can." She paused long enough to grab her duffel bag. "Oh, my first planetfall stop is in three months' time and they've got a telepresence chamber there. You can show off your body after you've had the baby, and then I'll do things to you that you've only imagined." They kissed one last time, Ashley ran for the shuttle.

Emily waited until Ashley was out of sight, fell to the floor, and started crying, wailing until she could no longer breathe in the thin atmosphere.