Page 4 of Pirate by Parrot (Terran Reset #9)
MEL HAD brEAKFAST WITH Marko, and Annabelle walked in, looking around. “This place is huge.”
Mel grinned. “You know, your house and your pets start to look like you after a while.”
Annabelle chuckled. “So, you turned into Marko?”
“Clever. Breakfast is set up. Just press the big blue button.”
“Thank you.”
Annabelle pressed the button, and there was a loud chime as the dispenser sent out the tray.
Mel kept eating as Annabelle staggered over. She grinned as the tray slid onto the table, and Annabelle hopped up onto the chair. “I feel like a fucking toddler.”
Mel shrugged and kept eating. “Eat your oatmeal like a good girl, and maybe, we can go for a walk when you are done. Or do you need a nap?”
“Hah. You are funny. You know I can see up your nose, right?”
Mel spluttered and put a hand over her face as the aforementioned nose provided an exit for her breakfast. “Ow.”
Annabelle laughed and snorted as she watched Mel struggle.
It was the start of an interesting day.
The ship was astonishing. It looked like a manta ray but was tall enough for Mel to move in easily.
Ves said, “Clothing has been created for both of you and is in your quarters. Food for Marko and rations for both of you for a minimum of three months, and a pressure tank is available for Mel when she needs a break from the suits she’s wearing. Are you ready to travel?”
Mel looked around and found her bed ready for her long limbs. “Yeah, I guess we are. Are we going straight to Rai?”
“The Alliance has requested that we make a short stop at Veth so you can meet another Reset.”
“Veth? Who is the Terran?”
“Identity is Liona Kix, mate to Neevath, the Drai Avatar.”
“Wow. They are telling you everything.”
Ves chuckled. “I am a trustworthy station. Now, everyone to their takeoff seats. We are going to leave the station.”
Marko flapped to the front of the vessel with its twenty-foot ceilings and settled in a half-egg pod lined with some kind of soft backing.
Mel found the large chair, and Annabelle set herself in the smaller one. They buckled in, and Ves said, “Route currently is Veth, Rai, and Possit Two.”
Mel paused. “Why stop at all those places?”
Ves chuckled. “They all have a Reset Terran.”
Mel grinned. “Freakier than me?”
“That is why we are stopping at Veth first. Liona has had extreme changes, and it will do you good to see someone who has settled into her transformation.”
Mel asked, “Alyla’s suggestion?”
“She is wise for a young woman. The permissions have been obtained, and we are underway. First planet will be reached in twenty-six hours.”
“I didn’t realize we were moving. That was smooth, Ves.”
Ves chuckled. “Thank you. I love what I do.”
Mel grinned and asked, “Can we walk around?”
“Certainly. I will announce dinner. For now, explore, but don’t try to use the exits.”
“Funny.”
There was a chuckle, and Marko nestled into her little safety egg, tucked her beak under her arm, and had a comfy nap.
Mel unsnapped her harness and got up, going exploring beyond her bedroom. She found the food dispensers, the recreation room, a gym, and a cargo area.
She looked at the cargo area, and something was being built. “Ves, what’s that?”
“You will need a shuttle, which I will also fly. I do not trust your attention span with atmospheric flight,”
Ves murmured.
“Mean. Accurate but mean.”
She looked at the gym and said, “Will you call me for lunch?”
“Of course.”
She headed into the gym, set everything for her new levels, and got to work. She was still growing, but it had slowed down. It seemed that she didn’t have a partner on the horizon, so the reproductive clause in the contract was going to burn out in three years.
Whatever she was going to do after that was probably going to be odd. She had never done the predictable thing.
She took a break and sat, thinking about her brother and his heart attack. He had been older than his years and ignored his kids. Giving her house and accounts to her niece had just felt like the right thing. Make up for family failings.
She leaned forward and held her head in her hands. The reset didn’t undo her life; it just meant that she could choose not to make the same mistakes again. Of course, she could still make the same mistakes, but right now, Mel was choosing the other path.
“Mel, are you all right?”
“I am old, I am an unidentifiable species, and I just bench-pressed more than my SUV. I am coming to grips with my dwindling humanity.”
She snorted. “Hell, I think I am not too far from weighing more than my SUV.”
She looked at Annabelle. “How is your day going?”
“Uh, pretty benign compared to that. Thanks for doing this. For asking Ves to do this.”
“I need to thank him. I think I just told him what I wanted, and he made it happen.”
Annabelle chuckled. “That’s what I guessed. You made him bring me in, too.”
“Um. Yeah. Pretty sure I was considering going out after you.”
Mel scratched the back of her neck.
“How would that have worked out? Not a clue. Probably not well.”
Ves spoke, “I would have put a tether on you, and you would have had five minutes to find a handhold before I reeled you in.”
“I can hold my breath that long?”
“No, but you are dense enough not to lose all your body heat immediately.”
“Thanks. That is what all the ladies like to hear.”
Annabelle chuckled.
Ves sighed. “You have been remade for a Vendari.”
“According to your records, all the Vendari are dead, so that is like saying I am the only girl in the cemetery.”
“Arrangements have been made, Mel. Do not worry.”
Mel snorted. “I can worry if I want to. Marko even has started calling me a giant freak. It’s working on my nerves. And I can put up with her calling me a lot of crap.”
Ves clicked on and paused, “You are speaking the truth. Your companion has been blunt about her opinions.”
Annabelle said, “It isn’t that bad. A few of the male Citadel members are eight feet tall.”
“Based on the gap in my clothing, I grew four inches overnight... again. I don’t know when it’s going to stop, and I feel like seeing if my pituitary gland can be extracted.”
Ves said, “No, your maximum height will be achieved in a quarter of a metre.”
She grunted and nodded.
“You are going to get a foot taller?”
Annabelle put her hand on Mel’s shoulder.
“Apparently. Wonderful.”
Her head stayed in her hands. Mel sighed and said, “I am interfering with your workout. You should go, and do what you want.”
She smiled and stood, swaying a little.
“I don’t think this equipment will fit me. I am not trying to hustle you out of here.”
“No, it’s fine. I need to go to my room.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No. If I didn’t know better, I would say this is PMS. I am all dark and moody.”
“Aren’t you neutralized?”
“Apparently not. Delightful. If anything would make me think twice about the reset aside from the height, it would be a period. I feel so lucky.”
She got up. “I am going to check the med scanner just to confirm.”
Annabelle stood there, and Mel could hear talking voices behind her, so Ves was asking what the issue was.
She went into the medical space and settled into the scanner, keying in what she wanted to check. Mel lay back and waited for the scan, and when it finished, she looked at the results. “Of course.”
She was a day away from a period, and hers had never been gentle and polite.
“What are you seeing, Mel?”
“A menstrual cycle is going to knock me on my ass tomorrow. I thought I had a suppressor shot.”
“It was insufficient for your physical situation.”
“Oh. Delightful.”
“What do you need?”
“A dark room, chocolate, and a warm blanket,”
she muttered. “Maybe a sad movie.”
“Will you be able to meet with the avatar of Veth?”
“Probably. Why would I need to?”
“Because his mate is another Reset.”
She felt her eyes burning as negative emotions swamped her. “I will be ready at the time. Just give me some quiet time.”
“I am worried.”
“It will be fine, Ves. Tomorrow, the mood will turn to pain, and that is easier to deal with.”
She chuckled. “And then we have a reprieve, and it will happen again.”
“Oh. I will contact Zanican for advice.”
She snorted and headed for her room. “Contact whomever you like. I am going to lie down.”
Mel felt the internal self-pity hitting her in waves, and she curled up under her light sheet and turned the lights down.
“Mel, it is time for your meal.”
Ves’s voice was calm.
“Not hungry.”
“You are still growing. You need to eat.”
She mumbled, “If I stop eating, will I stop growing?”
“No, but you will end up in medical jacked full of supplements, and you will miss your chance to walk on an alien world. The Veth don’t generally allow visitors, but I think this will be good for you. They have made an exception for the two Terrans on board.”
“Annabelle and Marko?”
“Just get up, Mel. I know you feel terrible, dark, and weighed down, but it will pass.”
Ves paused. “Please.”
She groaned and sat up. She was hungry, thirsty, and dark. She felt the darkness in her all the way. The thin sheet flipped to one side, and she slowly stood. The first thing she learned was that standing fast was a tremendous error.
Mel put on her shoes and walked to the food dispenser area. Annabelle was sitting, and Marko was shifting nervously on her perch. Mel went to the dispenser, got her trays, and sat at the table. She started to eat. “How long was I out?”
Ves said, “Eighteen hours. How are you?”
“Awake.”
Annabelle smiled. “Ready to see your first alien world?”
“Sure.”
She ate the food and bused her table.
A med bot trundled in, and a cuff snapped around her arm to hold her as an injector pressed to her abdomen, and then, it did it again on the other side, through her suit.
“Ow. What was that?”
“Hormones. Suggested by your avatar. They should assist so that you are able to interact with the avatar and his mate.”
Mel grunted. “Great. I will be in the lav until we land.”
Ves indicated, “That was mentioned. We are in the system and will be near the station in two hours.”
“Great. I will try and purge quickly.”
She headed for her bathroom quietly, stripped out of her suit completely and proceeded to get very ill for an hour and a half. Progesterone was a bitch.
When she was dressed in a dark silver compression set and had brushed her hair out, she was feeling a bit better, and the mood was lifting slightly.
When they met in the cargo hold, Marko sat on her shoulder and rubbed her head and beak against Mel’s temple.
“Don’t suck up to me. You know what you said.”
“Oopsie daisy!”
Annabelle jolted. “Wait, she’s fully sentient?”
“Oh, yes. Her linguistic skills are that of a four-year-old, but her cognition was boosted a lot when she went from green to silver.”
Annabelle looked at the silver parrot in astonishment. “I thought...”
“She’s not just a mimic. Never has been. No one is ever listening to the meaning behind her cursing. They just listen and laugh.”
“Shut up, bitch.”
Marko rubbed heads with her. The words were softer.
Annabelle chuckled. “She’s saying you are always listening.”
“You are translating. Nice.”
She chuckled.
Annabelle asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Empty. Hollow. Blanked out. But, otherwise, delightful. Hormones are rough. Going insane from the inside out. It hit me hard. I was out of practice.”
Annabelle smiled. “Suppressor shots are lovely, but I guess they have to wait until you stop growing to give them to you.”
Mel nodded. “Yeah, I was firmly in menopause when the avatar came to get me. Riddled with lung cancer. Not a lot of action on my side.”
Ves spoke cautiously. “You are ready to land on Veth?”
“I am ready to get in the shuttle. Landing is up to you, Ves.”
He seemed relieved. “Correct. Now, please get into the shuttle and strap in.”
“Strap on! Everybody, strap on!”
Marko chortled.
“Oy.”
Mel headed into the shuttle and smiled that it was made for her height and a little bit more.
They settled in, and the door sealed and pressurized. The vessel lifted off and glided through the energy screen that kept the station free of debris.
Annabelle smiled. “I love the idea of Resets.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. There were so many applications for the original volunteers that I don’t doubt some of you were left behind.”
Melora chuckled. “Is that what you think? I was shipped off to a war zone when my acceptance letter arrived. Another lady was too old when she applied. She was already outside the limits. We weren’t left behind; our applications were put on hold until there was a program to take us. Or until we were on the fine edge of death. Alyla told me all about it.”
Annabelle asked, “Who is Alyla again?”
“The daughter of Minerva-Gaia, the avatar of Earth, and a black hole named Imbolt-Zanican. Alyla is great. Her dad is running most of the Resets to their new placements, but no one was headed out this way, so I was delivered by unmanned transport.”
Annabelle blinked. “Oh, right.”
Marko squawked, “Dark and cold.”
Mel shrugged as they could see the stars ahead of them and the station in the distance.
Marko muttered, “Make friends. Influence people.”
Mel chuckled. “Yes, Mom.”
Ves stated, “We have bypass authorization for the surface. The lady of Veth is waiting to greet you.”
He flew next to the station slowly. There was a chime, and then they began to move toward the surface.
Mel slowly exhaled and inhaled as they jostled through the entry to the atmosphere. They began a controlled descent, and Mel’s eyes widened as she saw a dragon in brick-red and gold flying next to them. Ves brought them down in a meadow near a small settlement, and the dragon settled next to them.
There was the hiss of atmosphere as the rear of the shuttle opened so Mel could get out. Annabelle stepped out in her Citadel robes as Marko jumped onto Mel’s shoulder. They walked out, and the dragon opened a claw, showing a golden woman with dragon wings that moved into a familiar position that made Mel smile.
Annabelle rushed to the Drai female and introduced herself.
“Lady, it is an honour to greet you.”
The woman arched her brow and looked at Annabelle. “You are not the Reset.”
“No. I am a volunteer who was kept in stasis.”
“I am glad you have survived, but I need to speak to the... holy shit.”
Mel walked up and crossed her arms. “Goliath was my favourite.”
The lady grinned. “Hello, I am Liona. Full-body cancer patient.”
“I am Melora, Mel. Lung cancer and emphysema from secondhand exposure in the service industry. This is Marko. I think she has a crush on your husband.”
“Hot damn, that’s a tall drink of water.”
Marko chortled.
The dragon gave her a look.
Mel launched her. “Go make friends, but he walks on two legs, and the beast might be hungry, so stay out of snapping distance and speak Drai or common.”
Liona chuckled. “I have never seen... is the bird Terran as well?”
“She is. She has been remade a bit.”
Mel made a face. “Should I sit or kneel?”
“I am good. Neevath isn’t as tall as you, but he’s about your chin height. As long as you aren’t trying to makeout with me, I am fine.”
Liona stretched and flexed her wings, unhooking them at the collar and stretching. “So, we are both majorly physically altered.”
She turned to Annabelle. “I am sorry, dear. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t have long to speak to Mel. She needs more intervention than you.”
“Intervention?”
Liona smiled. “You were eased into your change. I had it explained the whole way, and Neevath took over the details, mostly. He was very excited about the wings. She was made for a partner that hasn’t manifested. She’s experiencing something none of our kind have, and there is little time to enjoy it. She has been frantically adapting and doing what she could to keep on top of the changes.”
Annabelle cleared her throat. “I am going to go to the village for a bit. Ves will recall me when it’s time.”
“Excellent, dear, there are Guardians in town today. You might be able to talk shop with them.”
Mel was concerned. “Stick to the ladies. Men in the Nyal Imperium are a little forward, and you still need some help.”
Annabelle frowned. “I can manage.”
Mel looked at Liona. “So, you sound like you have been briefed.”
“I have. Zanican is freaked out that you are out here in this condition. No one has seen a Vendari in centuries, and the other species wouldn’t dare mess with you.”
“Ah. Right. So, armour-plated for convenience.”
“Social strictures. Vendari set themselves up as gods in a number of systems. How did you end up with this?”
“No idea. I was being changed into a Skevarik but woke up coloured like Marko’s before picture.”
“Ah. Well, at least you don’t have to learn about wings and how they work. My wing thumbs used to tangle a lot, and Neevath would just come up to me and unhook them with a smile. How long has your transformation been so far?”
“Um, three or four months? I had to do most of it at the Lunar Base, and then I was launched in an unmanned vessel. I can’t seem to get the hang of moving. I feel slower every day.”
“Dance. Learn to dance. Move, and every day it will be easier. You need to keep in touch with how far your limbs stretch and how hard it is to change direction. If your mate isn’t around to help, you are going to have to master your own body and try to have fun. You need to find fun in your own body again. I know it has been a while. Possibly decades are involved. Move until your limbs are under your control and you feel comfortable in your own skin. It is what kids literally do. They wiggle around and learn how their bodies move. That is your assignment.”
Mel smiled. “So, I should wiggle?”
“You should accept that this is your body, and you need to control it.”
Mel nodded and looked at Marko and the dragon. The bird was squawking and had her arms wide as if she was telling the dragon a story. The dragon was looking at her and nodding intently.
“Aw, she made a friend.”
Mel chuckled.
Liona looked and blinked. “Wow. She’s talking to Veth.”
“How can you tell?”
“The eyes. The eyes change when a celestial being is talking through their avatar.”
Mel blinked. “Are there a lot of them?”
“It’s a one-in-a-thousand situation. It is far rarer to find a Drai out and away from their world. To find a female with Drai wings... unheard of. The Reset Project is having fun with this.”
“Well, someone is. I am having my first period in twenty-five years and am slightly miserable. Ves loaded me full of hormones to balance me out, but I still have that gloom-and-doom thing going on. I wish that I was less moody meeting another Reset.”
Liona smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I got a Drai, and your mate has yet to make themselves known. I can only imagine the frustration. If I had to go through growing the wings without him, I would have gone insane.”
“I had Marko, and Ves is a good sport.”
“Ves?”
“Vendari Station. That is where I woke up. The consciousness of the station has been making equipment and getting rations and snacks for us.”
Annabelle smiled as she walked by with arms loaded with fruit. “Just passing through. I’ll be back.”
Mel looked and blinked. “What the hell?”
Liona laughed. “Do you have internal coms?”
“Yeah.”
“Did Annabelle get one?”
Liona chuckled. “Someone is telling her to get the breeding fruit.”
“Breeding... No fucking way.”
“It is a soother for hormonal upsets. You might be able to keep blues at bay with one of those. If the vendors hadn’t shared it with me, Veth was going to destroy every single crop on the planet. They would wither and die because they wouldn’t let me try one.”
“Good spouse.”
“Oh, yeah. So, what’s the deal with the suit?”
“Oh, I am set for heavy grav now, so it keeps me from losing molecular density.”
Liona’s eyes went wide. “So, are you super strong?”
“Dunno.”
“Can you jump over tall buildings in a single bound?”
“Not a clue. This is the first atmosphere I have been in since I passed seven foot five.”
“You are moving so calmly.”
“I don’t bounce out of vessels. I get the feeling at my current size that it might cause some kind of armed response.”
Liona blinked. “Oh... right.”
Mel smiled and watched Annabelle walk back to the village with a grin on her face.
“She’s having fun.”
Liona smiled. “I think this is what Veth was doing earlier. He ordered... things for you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Someone is almost ready to court you.”
“What?”
“Sure. This is how they do things when you have established hobbies. Food, clothing, making you comfortable, and then the seduction. Frankly, by the time they get that far, you are just willing to pin them down and jump them. No social mores here, no other Terrans making faces at you for falling in love with another species. No guys calling you unpleasant names. If you want to, and they want to, go for it, but make sure you understand their social structure. For example, there is one species that has a trigger word. Hospitality. If you ask them for hospitality and they accept the responsibility, they are duty bound to make you cum until you pass out and your body has no need.”
“I can’t find any information on the Vendari. I don’t know if Ves is missing the info or hiding it from me.”
“Probably hiding it.”
She sighed. “The Vendari were a little on the brutal side from what Neevath has told me.”
“So, they had a reputation.”
“They did, which is why the planets and celestial bodies got together and exterminated them, diluting their population with others until they were effectively eradicated. It was about five thousand years or so ago, and the Vendari are kind of the boogeyman species now.”
“Wait, were they always so tall and heavy?”
Liona sighed. “No, I think that was the consolation that they agreed to for Vendar. He needed a female, and they had to make you unable to be happy on any other worlds.”
“So, they put a tether on me. I have to wear the reinforcement and live in heavy grav, so no friends for me.”
She nodded.
“Well, Annabelle is with you, and you are here now.”
“And if my suit blows, I start coming apart.”
Mel rubbed her forehead. “And the station has to be on light gravity for her to be there, so I can’t even change clothing without my body feeling really weird with things on light.”
Liona touched her arm. “I am sorry.”
Mel nodded. “I wish you and your pregnancy all the best. Congratulations on the next generation.”
Liona looked down. “I am not even showing yet. How did you know?”
“I can hear the heartbeats. Big slow for you and rapid hamster for the baby.”
Annabelle walked by with more armloads of fruit. “Ves says we can go now.”
Liona frowned. “So soon?”
“Yes. We are taking Annabelle to Rai. She needs therapy and someone to look after her for a while.”
“Why?”
“Confinement, torture, and sexual assault before being told that the Citadel needs their money back before she can get treatment.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah. Well, it was nice meeting you, Liona. I wish you a lovely life and prosperous union.”
“Um, I want to hug you.”
Liona fidgeted.
“I will be careful.”
Mel leaned down, and Liona wrapped her arms around Mel’s neck.
The whisper, “Just give it time; you aren’t done yet,”
made Mel blink. She patted Liona’s back carefully, and when the small woman let her go, she straightened.
Annabelle looked at her and said, “Are you ready?”
Mel lifted her hand, and Marko squawked and flew to her wrist, and then she sidestepped up to her shoulder. Marko looked at Liona. “Bye, bitch!”
Liona laughed, and Mel headed back to the ship with her buddy riding high.
They settled in, strapped in, and Ves lifted off. On to Rai.