Page 2 of Pirate by Parrot (Terran Reset #9)
MEL LOOKED AT HER FRIEND from the confines of the tank. “You are sure about this?”
“Yup. Your canister is set for you. You are ready to head off to the supply station, and from there, you will be picked up by the Skevarik. You are going to be asleep the whole time, and Marko is watching over you. She has a bunch of alerts that she can trigger if you go off course or something goes wrong.”
“Okay. It is a cuckoo and canary on Earth to alert and warn of disaster, but I will take a giant parrot in a spaceship.”
“The ship we are sending you in is a heavily armed and armoured drone. It is programmed to get you to that station safely, and from there, you can come out, and you need to call me immediately. I worry.”
“Yes, miss. Send flowers to your mother tomorrow. It’s Mother’s Day, and it’s important that she feel appreciated.”
Alyla stood with the medical team. “Got it. Ready to travel?”
“How long will I be under?”
“Four months. This pod is heavily defended and fully supplied for years. It won’t take years. If we don’t hear from you in five months, we are going to have every seer and tracker that we have in search of you. You will need to remain on heavy-grav worlds, or you will have side effects. The density programming starts the moment you leave here.”
Mel put one hand up, and Alyla clasped it, blinking as they smiled. “Right. Operation mail-order giant commences as soon as I am out, with the expansion pack of a cussing cyber parrot standing by.”
Alyla put her hand down and tucked Mel’s hand back into the capsule. The team went to work, and everything went black.
MARKO WATCHED THE STARS go past. It was wonderful. So many places to fly, and her favourite person to be her companion. It had been kind of Gaia to provide a companion for the strangeness of space, but Melora was a good companion. She was strong, she was funny, and she encouraged vocalizations of any kind.
Marko chuckled and looked through the tiny viewing window in the long tube that held Mel. Mel was changing colour. She was going from her plucked skin colour to a beautiful and vibrant blue with red hands. She was finally looking like she was supposed to be. Her hair was vibrant green in keeping with the contract that Gaia had arranged.
Marko’s feathers had turned glossy silver, but Mel now wore the colours. It was right that they didn’t die. She was going to look splendid. Marko looked to the front of the empty vessel. She wondered what colour Mel’s mate would be.
MEL FELT THE CAPSULE blow open and breathed in air that did not smell like Lunar Base. It wasn’t bad, just different.
“Get up, bitch!”
Marko was at the edge of the opening and moving from side to side rapidly.
Mel struggled up, and she looked at her limbs in comparison to the opening. She was six inches taller at least, and she felt weighed down.
“Call me!”
She looked around. The shuttle was gone, and the pod was all that was left.
The ceilings of the station she was on were a comfortable twenty feet, and a light was cascading further into the hallways, letting Marko lead the way. The silvery wings were definitely developed, and Mel staggered after her, bracing herself on the wall as she followed her buddy.
The lights in the station kept directing her, and she moved slowly until a com unit was found under the grip of Marko’s claws. Marko was squawking, and Mel staggered to the terminal and put in the code for the lunar station.
She braced herself against the wall, and to her amusement, a chair whirred in. Surprisingly, it was scaled for her.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome,”
a deep male voice reverberated in the chamber.
She jumped, but Marko remained calm, so she waited for the call to go through.
Alyla’s face flared into the screen. “Mel! Where are you?”
“Uh. No clue. Trace the call.”
The voice came out again. “Vendori Station. The pod was jettisoned here six weeks ago.”
Alyla stared. “Jettisoned?”
“The vessel the pod was on was under attack. Once the pod was safe, the vessel drew fire and proceeded with all speed.”
Alyla paused. “Is that the station talking?”
Mel shrugged. “I dunno. I have been awake less than an hour.”
“Yes, miss, it is the station. The Vendori have been notified of her arrival, but as she is contained, they are not in a hurry to make their way here.”
Mel sat back and said, “Am I even needed for this?”
Alyla sighed. “The Skevarik are claiming that we are not upholding the contract.”
The station answered that. “The Skevarik were the ones attacking the pod.”
Alyla blinked. “Do you have video?”
“Yes, and communications recordings. They did not see the vessel drop the pod.”
Alyla paused. “Why did the ship drop the pod?”
“Marko asked them to.”
Mel looked at her bird. “Did you do that, you clever lady?”
Marko hopped onto her shoulder and started grooming her hair. Mel noticed quickly that her hair was bright green, her hands were dark red, and a glance into her suit said her body was dark blue. She looked at Marko, and the silver bird kept preening her hair. She knew those colours.
The ship stated, “Recordings have been sent.”
Alyla nodded. “Received. Thank you. This is not going to be a quiet issue.”
“Did we ever get clothing for me?”
“How tall are you?”
“The subject is two point six metres tall,”
the station stated. “Clothing is being fabricated in the available materials based on style options offered by Marko. Her systems are very easy to speak with.”
Marko fluffed her feathers.
Mel chuckled and made affection sounds that made Marko lean in, and they touched heads.
Alyla smiled. “Well, I am glad that you aren’t there alone. Vendori Station, do you have food?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Okay. Good. Will you let me access this terminal again for an inbound call?”
“Of course, miss.”
Alyla looked at Mel. “Mel, we are going to sort this out.”
“Good, because it is hard to move this body around. I am going to have to work out hard.”
Alyla smiled. “You have never shied away from hard work. Get hopping.”
Mel made a face, and Marko pitched in, “Fuck off, bitch!”
“What the bird said.”
Alyla laughed and said, “I will be in touch in a few days. I am getting to the bottom of this.”
She ended on a grim note, “I am calling my dad.”
Mel sat up. “Whoa. Okay. Let me know what the big guns think.”
“It’s going to start with curse words, and he knows a lot.”
Alyla smiled. “Glad you are safe, Mel. Stay that way.”
“Fuck off!”
Alyla smiled. “Nice to see you, too, Marko.”
The screen went dark.
Mel knew that a whole bunch of live relays had been used to get that message through so quickly, so Alyla had been waiting for that signal.
Mel looked at the walls. “Station?”
“Yes, Terran?”
“Call me Mel. I don’t qualify as a Terran anymore. There is not one fucking person on my world this tall.”
“Very well, Mel. You may call me Ves.”
“Thank you, Ves. You mentioned that there were rations.”
“There is a food centre if you follow the blue light. Marko has already been.”
Mel nodded and got up, walking slowly along the wall.
“You are doing very well, Mel. The gravity on the station is set to five times your Terran standard. I applaud your range of motion coming out of the med pod.”
Mel paused. “Five times. Wow. Well, it explains why the folks attacking the pod didn’t want to come in. Skevarik are a level three. They would have been crawling around.”
She walked with an arm on the wall and pushed herself upright now and then. Marko flew ahead of her, and the blue light continued to lead her further into the station.
Despite her knowing that she should be all stressed out, Mel just wanted to see what she could get out of the food machine. Being big burned a lot of calories.
IMBOLT STARED AT THE com. “They did what?”
“They tried to destroy the delivery vessel, but the vessel stowed Mel in a high-grav station and then used itself as a decoy. The station defended itself after that. I will send you the video.”
“Thank you, little star.”
He watched the delivery unit skim beneath the station, eject the pod, and continue on without pausing. The followers had no idea that the woman was no longer in the delivery unit. The station took the pod in quickly, and the hunters were none the wiser.
“She is all right?”
“She and her cursing bird, but I am going to have to ask Mom why she let a parrot pick the human’s colouring.”
Imbolt frowned. “Show me.”
The visual of the woman with a green crest of hair, blue features and crimson extremities made Imbolt smile. “Oh, I know what those markings are. I need to send a message to the Vendori home world.”
“What about the Skevarik?”
“They are banned from getting a Terran in perpetuity, as are the original species. No guardian, no defender. Nothing. Spread this news through surrounding systems.”
Alyla frowned. “What did you see when you saw her colouring?”
“Something old and familiar.”
“You are old and familiar.”
His daughter laughed.
“You sound like your mother.”
He grinned as his fingers tapped messages, and then, the core of him sent a message and waited for a reply.
“She’s been an amazing influence. At least I called you first thing.”
Imbolt sighed. “Thank you, Alyla.”
She chuckled. “You are welcome, Dad. What the hell could they have been thinking?”
“The factions can be divided. A scenario is forming, and it is the only one that is partially understandable.”
“What is it?”
“If the male she was compatible with died, they needed a bride for his funeral.”
“Holy shit.”
“There’s your mom again. If they were actually bound, it would be necessary to put her out of her suffering, but as they have never met, it would be for optics. To show he was cared for and a good leader.”
“How can having a dead wife make that clear?”
“I have no idea. I would burn out solar systems for your mother, so I am not really a good judge of what is appropriate, but I would do that for her but not to her.”
Alyla nodded. “When are you coming home?”
“If I can get this straightened out, in ten days; if not, I will have to remain out here and possibly take a visit to the station.”
“Right. Of course. Mel is a priority.”
She nodded. “I just have one question.”
“Yes?”
“Where was the delivery unit for the last six weeks? How did it get so close to the station? How did it communicate with the station?”
Imbolt nodded. “Excellent questions. The queries are out in the air now. We have to wait.”
He felt a tapping on his mind and opened his thoughts to the avatar.
Zanicon, I got your query. Is there really such a female at my station?
Imbolt snorted. Yes, and you are aware of it.
Am I?
No one gets on that station without your permission, and yet, you have invited an altered Terran in for safety only.
How unusually generous of me.
And she is pigmented like one of your avatars. As in, the avatar you are currently speaking through.
Fascinating. Well, we are busy working on some renovations on one of my system worlds. She is safe where she is. That creature of hers is amusing as well.
You did it on purpose?
She is worth far more than those two idiots could offer her. She has to simply wait until we have time to introduce her to her new worlds.
Stellar avatars are a pain in the ass.
The voice chuckled. We see so much, and our avatars are both dense and radioactive.
We’ll, dense fits the bill. How long are you going to leave her there?
A few months or years.
Fuck you, you pasty bitch. I am going to come get her now.
You do, and the station will destroy you.
It will destroy my vessel; I will be fine. Imbolt was irritated. You will not be fine when I catch up with you if you don’t agree to at least make contact with her.
I am making her a lovely home to live in and relax in.
This is a woman of action, a woman who depends on others for equilibrium. She is not the placid type.
Ah, I had not counted on that. Others in this project are placid.
No, they aren’t. They have guardian-level strength, others have open minds, another has skin of flame, and another has death as a companion. They are not placid.
My host is intrigued. We will make our way there within thirty days. Acceptable?
Acceptable, but we are watching.
Understood. If she is to be a companion, I will have to make alternate arrangements and get him to control his burn.
That would be appreciated. We are watching the time. We are expecting progress.
Yes, Zanican, I understand.
The connection thinned to a micro connection, and Imbolt-Zanican conferred with each other on the likelihood of Vendor actually going to the station in the next month. Fortunately, from her file, Mel could entertain herself.
MEL RACED DOWN THE court and jumped as she launched the ball into the hoop Ves had set up for her. Marko struck the ball and knocked it away from the hoop, and Mel landed in a crouch. “Damn it, Marko, you are ruining my groove.”
“Loser. Try again, dumbass.”
Mel huffed, sprinted back to the other side of the court, and then began dribbling and running back down the court. Jumping into the air, she swatted Marko away and got the ball into the hoop.
“Bitch. Smack yourself!”
Mel laughed. “Hah. That’s two-two. I am catching up.”
The proximity alarm sounded, and she sighed. “I am going to beat you, bird. Don’t think this is over.”
She lifted her head. “Ves, what’s going on?”
“There is a raider vessel, and it is drifting close to me. I am about to destroy it.”
There was a pause. “There is a life sign.”
“Vertical or horizontal?”
“Horizontal and very cold.”
Mel looked at Marko. “Scan the ship, and tell me what you find.”
Marko settled on Mel’s shoulder and started to flap excitedly.
“Marko has detected a Terran life sign. I am detecting Citadel insignia. If I bring it on board, it will be crushed.”
Mel paused. “Can I go out?”
“I don’t have a suit for you yet.”
“Can Marko?”
Marko screeched and flew for the cargo bay.
“Uh, I hope you let her out because it does not look like she is gonna stop.”
Ves stated, “I am opening a hole in the screen.”
Mel headed for the cargo area where her tube still was and watched through the display that Marko projected as she screamed for entry to the vessel, and the door opened. As the ship rotated, the gouge on the other side of the ship showed that it had seen some rough events, and there was no atmosphere in the vessel.
The sarcophagus-like pod wasn’t Alliance issue. The markings on it were written in some kind of marker or pen. It appeared to be pricing.
“Ves, were they selling it?”
“Her. Designation female. Citadel specialist by the insignia on her robes.”
Ves paused. “If she can be brought inside, I can arrange a lighter gravity for her. You will have to wear a pressure suit. Your body will have difficulty after an extended period of time in lighter gravity without it.”
“Great. How long until I get the suit?”
“One has already been prepared in anticipation of your need to walk with your own kind.”
“Cool. Where is it?”
Ves paused, and Mel grinned. His pauses were like a deep sigh. “The medical bay. That is where the extruded suit is.”
She skipped all the way to the med bay and mentally thanked Marko for her nagging during workouts. Three weeks and three days in and she was moving around like it was her natural habitat.
“Wow. I like the suit.”
“Thank you. It is attractive as well as functional.”
She grinned and stripped, pulling the shirt with the net and webbing on before pulling on the leggings. The two items nearly met in the middle, and that was good enough for her.
“Activate it. Clip the top to the sides. Press the icon on the front.”
There was a distinct hum as the suit powered up. “Wow. Very nice, Ves.”
“Thank you, Mel. I gained inspiration from your favourite clothing and crossed it with the need for the compression field. It is powered off your body heat.”
“Nice. Lord knows I am hot with all this density involved. Oh. Boots.”
“Marko has expressed your interest in them.”
She deactivated the suit, put the boots on, and reactivated it.
“You have the hang of it. The gravity field is being reduced to tolerable levels for your species.”
“Nice. I do feel a little lighter. When are you bringing the ship in?”
“Now, Mel. You can head back to the hold now.”
Mel grinned and started to run through the halls, enjoying the freedom that came with the suit. She felt like she was running in hero wind.