Page 7 of Pirate by Parrot (Terran Reset #9)
MEL SAT IN HER CHAIR and tossed a basketball in the air as the official from the Citadel reamed her out.
“Yaluthu are treasured beings, and they are needed for those who have suffered trauma. To have you simply abduct them as pets is sheer piracy.”
“I didn’t abduct them.”
She kept tossing the ball, and her little friend remained on her shoulder.
“Abduct, stole. I don’t know what you think you will gain by it, but they are not to be disposed of so lightly.”
“I didn’t abduct them. My companion spoke to them and explained our situation, and then two little ones volunteered to be with us. My companion just brought them to the ship. Now, they are sharing emotions and conversing with us.”
She balanced the ball on her fingertip and ignored the angry green man in Citadel robes. “Sir, do you have anyone there with a Yaluthu that can speak to this situation?”
“There is one, but they are in pursuit of your vessel.”
“Fun. I hope they like high gravity.”
“You have the Yaluthu in high gravity?”
He was horrified.
The enthusiastic cheeping made her grin. “It doesn’t seem to mind.”
“What is its name?”
She chuckled. “Whee.”
“What?”
“Whee. It thinks of me and says Whee, so it is Whee.”
She stood so the little creature was visible, and it slid down her arm saying, “Whee,”
before it chirped happily and climbed up her again.
The little red and gold menace was relentless as it climbed up her arm. Beak and pudgy claws, it made it back to her shoulder.
The Citadel staffer was astonished. “You have still stolen it.”
“Great. The great Yaluthu piracy. Give me the information of the representative chasing me, and I will get in touch with them.”
“Why?”
“Because if they want to chase me down, I want them to take the most efficient route.”
Mel grinned.
He paused and gave her the call sign. “All Alliance and Imperium vessels are looking for you.”
“Okay. I am fine with that.”
She got the information, and Ves got to work on it. She waved farewell and ended the call.
Ves said, “They were not kidding. The removal of the Yaluthu from a space station has given you and Marko a pirate classification.”
“Well, that has to be a very interesting thing. I am surprised it was so easy to break the law. All I had to do was pick up some shopping.”
“Indeed. Oh, we can install a com now. Your body is finished growing.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Now. You completed the last surge after you arrived on the shuttle. Don’t you feel it?”
She flexed her hands and felt that the pain that had been in her body, the pervasive ache that had worn on her mood and her thoughts, was finally over.
Whee chirped happily.
“The files I can gain on the Yaluthu indicate that they are empathetic healers who bond and then assist their companion as the Yaluthu continues to their mature state.”
“What is their mature state?”
“Something similar to Marko.”
“Ohh. That would be why she thought they were her babies, though she did give Whee up easily.”
“Marko has carried her youngling into your quarters and is teaching it to grip a stand. It is doing very well.”
“I think we are going to make a united front. Marko! Bring the baby.”
Marko flew in a moment later with her little one clinging to her leg sideways. Mel bit her lip to stop her laugh as Marko landed on her right shoulder, and the little one snuggled in next to her. Well, they were as ready as they were going to be.
Ves sighed. “I am making the connections through as many relay stations as I can. They are serious. They are furious.”
“Right. Start the call.”
A human face with a raptor on her shoulder was glaring at her. “Who are you, and why did you steal Rumble’s babies?”
The woman frowned. “And why are they a different colour now?”
“Is Rumble your Yaluthu?”
“Yes. Those are his fluffles.”
“My bird, Marko, brought them to the shuttle. I must say, since Whee has been with me, I feel better than I did since leaving Earth.”
The woman stared. “Earth?”
“Yes. I am a reset Terran. It’s part of a project run by our avatar and the Nyal Imperium. I have been set for heavy gravity and have been feeling very isolated.”
The woman’s fury faded. “You called it Whee?”
“It climbs me and slides down my arm. Marko’s little one is Pohloh.”
The woman smiled. “I see. Got it. Well, my name is Addy, and I am normally in charge of Citadel Iratho. I was out to Rai to pick up a staff member, but she is down on the surface.”
Mel smiled. “Annabelle. She’s getting some therapy she desperately needs. She wasn’t going to be able to face the bill the Citadel was going to give her for looking for her while she was in stasis after her torture.”
Addy smiled politely. “What?”
“We were notified that her Citadel wasn’t going to take her back without plenty of money, so we collected the reward for her safe return, and then, she got it, paid her bill, and headed down to Rai to figure out what she wants.”
Whee nuzzled her cheek and chirped in her ear.
Addy paused. “I am going to get to the bottom of that, but how tall are you?”
“Around nine feet. We have one more stop before I get to find out if my proposed partner is awake.”
“What?”
“It’s a heavy-grav thing. So, they have already bonded to me and Marko, so I don’t know what we are supposed to do now.”
“Oh, right. They only bond if you are suitable and you have a need, and then their lifespan matches yours. What is your lifespan?”
“No clue.”
“Well, when you are stable, they are going to start eating a ton, then they moult, and after that, the fluffles show up. Each clutch is different, but they are self-propagating and don’t become pretty raptors like this until they have littles.”
“That is helpful. What do they eat? Marko is grinding up seeds and stuff for them.”
“Uh, when they start packing on the weight, they want shredded meat. Ration packs are fine.”
Addy smiled. “When they told me a giant blue alien had my Yaluthu, I confess, I wanted to blast you out of the sky.”
“Well, I am glad you didn’t. Vendar would be upset that he has been nosey and tried to get me into his space.”
The human’s eyes flashed, and the voice was different. “Beloved of Vendar, it is good you are here. His solitude has not been good for him. Even our kind suffers from lack of social interaction. Vendar has always been with his people. When he lost them, it hurt him.”
Addy’s eyes flickered. “Well, that was Iratho. He rarely takes over.”
She sighed. “Rumble wants to see his offspring. Can we meet at a neutral site?”
Mel paused. “Ves?”
“We will continue on to our destination. I will send them arrival information, and the proof of life can be held there.”
“Okay.”
Addy smiled. “Got it. We will meet you there.”
The call disconnected, and Whee nuzzled her, chirping in concern. Pohloh and Marko preened each other happily. The concern wasn’t shared.
“They are making plans to arrest you upon your landing on Possitt II.”
“Oh. Well, that sucks. She seemed so nice.”
“Adelheid is a world breaker.”
“What?”
“She creates a concussive blast that can crack worlds.”
“Oh. So, that would hurt.”
“You would survive it, but it would ache a bit.”
Ves sighed. “Agree to their terms, and I will sort it with Iratho.”
“Are you doing that right now?”
“I am. His female avatar is being told that her Yaluthu is upset and worried for his children. She is acting on that worry.”
“I can understand that. I feel that way about Marko.”
She reached up and stroked her big buddy.
She leaned back. “So, what am I wearing to Possitt II?”
Ves laughed. “One of the dresses that you got at the station would be appropriate, as would one of the suits I made you.”
She smiled. “I am going to compromise. How long until we arrive?”
“Three days. Plenty of time for you to get familiar with your new additions. The dispensers have been altered so that the Yaluthu can get themselves food if hungry.”
“I am going to keep plenty of it around the ship. If they grow like I did, food is what will build them up.”
She smiled. “It will also give them endorphins to help them ignore the pain.”
Ves asked. “You were in pain?”
“Oh, yes. My bones ached. Every muscle, every tendon. It all hurt. I was nearly doubled in size, and I am three or four times my standard Terran weight.”
She shrugged. “It hurts because growing hurts, and I am going to try and ease it for the Yaluthu.”
She stroked Whee. “Right, Whee?”
Whee chirped excitedly, and Mel got up with the entire menagerie and headed back to the dining area.
She put her arm down, and Whee slid down with her signature sound. Pohloh jumped, and Marko was behind her, ushering her along.
Mel got food out for the littles, and Marko ground it up for both of them until they were sitting in front of enormous piles of crushed grain.
Mel sat with them and stroked Whee as Marko encouraged Pohloh.
When the Yaluthu had finished their enormous meals, Marko brought out a round nut and nudged it with her beak. Soccer began on the table, and the Yaluthu were fun to watch.
The days flew by, and then, the much larger Yaluthu were on her shoulders, with Marko protectively wrapping a wing around Pohloh.
They stood on the ramp of the shuttle and walked out to Possitt II, and Mel stood straight as she faced the gathered crowd of angry Citadel personnel.
She laughed at the man approaching her with heavy cuffs.
“Melora of Terra, you are under arrest for the abduction and diversion of two Yaluthu.”
She grinned and extended her hands. He blinked and snapped the cuffs on her wrists. They barely fit. Chains dangled from them, and there was the hum of energy.
“Aw, is that supposed to keep me cuffed? How adorable.”
Two of the Citadel members flanked her and tried to grab the Yaluthu. “I would not recommend that.”
Whee was vibrating with fury, as was Marko and Pohloh.
“So, where is my trial to be held?”
The Citadel staffers looked at each other.
“Well, you have made accusations and are claiming ownership of the free symbiotic beings that Yaluthu are known to be. They are protected by the Citadel, not controlled, and definitely not owned. They choose their partners, and these two little maniacs have chosen.”
Addy walked forward next to another Terran woman in Possitt formal wear. The raptor on her shoulder looked at Whee and Pohloh and then began to shriek happily.
Addy’s expression was stunned. “You are kidding.”
Her buddy chirped and chortled happily then flew over to Mel and rubbed up against his offspring, and Whee chattered angrily, muttering. It flew around and talked to Pohloh, and the little one and Marko chewed him out.
Addy blushed. “I am so sorry, Mel. Let me get those cuffs.”
Mel shrugged and just brushed the cuffs off. “Bondage isn’t my thing.”
Addy stared. “You weren’t cuffed.”
“Yes, I was. Until I didn’t want to be. Molecular density is a fun toy.”
The Possitt Terran came forward. “Melora, I am so sorry about this. Ves contacted me because he thought you would like to meet with another Reset.”
“Yes, I can see how well that is working out for me. Rumble, go back to Addy. She needs you now because she can feel the fuck-up washing over her.”
Addy blushed. “I...”
“Didn’t believe I was human? Didn’t believe that I was in pain? You don’t have sole ownership of agony. The Yaluthu go where they can do the most good, to the people who need them. Rumble says that he fought your niece and was mad at her for being close but not right, so he knew. Why did you believe his judgment and not that of the littles?”
Whee made a noise that sounded like a raspberry.
Addy blinked. “I didn’t know they could make that sound.”
Mel smiled. “They are learning from a freaking parrot. They are going to be talking in a few days. They are already three times as heavy. These babies are prepping for heavy gravity. Their offspring will be heavy gravity Yaluthu.”
The woman wearing the dress and the circlet said, “Hiya, Mel, I am Amber. I set up tea before the Citadel asked to greet you when you landed.”
Addy stood, and her eyes flickered wildly. “Oh shit.”
Mel walked toward Amber, and Addy was in the way.
Addy looked at her. “I could destroy you and this world.”
“And I can smash you flat. My bones don’t turn to jelly, and I don’t pull punches. Step aside. I take up a lot of room.”
Addy stared and blushed and then winced as Rumble returned to her and began to shriek in her ear.
Amber smiled. “This way. We have set out a lunch.”
Mel chuckled. “Music to my ears.”
Amber chuckled and led her way through a paved street where traffic had been stopped. Folk were staring at her, but they were smiling, which was a nice change.
Amber said, “That’s a nice outfit and lovely sash.”
“Thank you. A friend bought me the sash on Rai Station.”
They walked to a lovely palace, but Amber walked her around the main structure and out back to a wide stone patio with a very large bistro set. Mel grinned. “Aw, you shouldn’t have.”
“I thought it would be nice for you to be comfortable.”
“I really appreciate that. It has been a rough few months.”
“What advice did Imbolt give you?”
“None. I haven’t met him. He was on a delivery run while they started processing me. I got launched into space while still growing with Marko here, and from there, I was at a base and trying to keep my balance while I kept getting bigger.”
Amber looked at her in shock. “You had to do all of that on your own?”
“Well, I had Marko, but yes, that was the reason that the Yaluthu came. They heard our pain. How did the Citadel reps all get here?”
“They are trying to set up a Citadel on Possitt II. Given their behaviour today, we aren’t going to allow that. This behaviour was unhinged, and with a very talented population, we believe in decorum and that does not involve attempting to arrest a guest before they are greeted.”
Someone served a large teacup to Mel and a smaller version to Amber. Amber poured for both of them. “You actually were thinking of smashing Addy into the floor?”
“If she attacked me, yes. Nothing unprovoked.”
“I must say, I thought you would be leaping over tall buildings.”
“Ves figured out I may get a little over-enthused, and this outfit has what is basically a set of resistance bands in it. If I move too freely, it pulls back. It also stops me from being faster than a locomotive.”
Amber grinned that she had caught the reference. “Wow. That confirmed it.”
“I know, I don’t look Terran.”
“Your features are, but your body says smash.”
Mel giggled, and Whee and Marko chuckled. “It feels that way sometimes, but I just want things to get to my new normal.”
“You aren’t there yet?”
“I have only had Whee for a few days. I am feeling better; I have stopped growing. Now I can find out what this body can do, but Ves continues to taunt me with images of him. Physical him is back on the station, and a different version is out making me a home on one of Vendar’s worlds.”
She grinned. “Apparently, I was a surprise.”
Amber smiled. “Just as I was for my husband. Well, less of a surprise and more of a custom modification that came with extras.”
“When are you due?”
“Two more months.”
“Your husband isn’t here?”
She grinned. “No, he’s at the Imperial court for the day. I won’t catch hell until he hears about you and the Citadel.”
“Why?”
“All of their combat specialists were ready to attack you. It wasn’t a great place for a preggo lady.”
Mel sighed. “No, and I am sorry you were in that position.”
“You have always been in the way.”
She didn’t take offense. “Yes. My mother died, and my father was a bastard until he died, and he taught my brother to be the same way. When he died, he left me his children and a swearing parrot. I got the kids through school but couldn’t do much for Marko, so I brought her with me.”
Marko lifted her head. “Pretty girl. Lovely bitch.”
Mel smiled and sipped her tea and ate her sandwich. “The food is nice.”
“Thank you. You are fairly near to our system. I would love another visit. I would offer to do it, but my husband is attached to this system.”
“I understand. Just issue an invitation, and I can do some travelling. I don’t mind it. I have a personal pilot and good friends.”
Amber chuckled. “Your shoulder-bound companions?”
“Yeah. They are great, and I feel so much better.”
She was feeling relaxed. “Can Marko go for a flight? We haven’t been in the atmosphere much. She’s self-contained, so no worry about bio-contaminants.”
“Oh, certainly.”
Marko launched herself skyward, and Pohloh snuggled in and rubbed against Mel’s head. “One day, you will fly with Marko. You, too, Whee.”
The Yaluthu cuddled up next to her.
Amber smiled. “They both are affectionate toward you.”
“We all play together, interact together, and work as a group.”
“Any sign of your mate?”
“Yes, he’s holograming himself into public areas of the ship. We are chatting, and I am learning about him. It could just be an AI, but it’s company.”
I am not an AI, Melora. AIs can’t communicate on the psychic plain.
Mel smiled. “He didn’t like me saying that.”
Amber blinked. “He’s listening?”
“Yes, I have filaments for tracking and communication as well as biofeedback in my brain. He put them in himself.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, well, they were necessary to control my growth and get my body to alter pigment. The Vendari were the third species I was prepped for because the first two had easier growth stages.”
“Wow. So, what did you do back home?”
“Bits of anything. Waited tables, drove an ambulance, drove an ambulance in combat, back to waiting tables, and finally retired to my hometown and helped my brother’s family after his death. The cancer kind of took my career plans and trashed them. The fumbling of my transformation to giant kind of suits my track record. The attempted arrest was new.”
“Addy was upset because she wanted to keep the babies. She thought that there was no way they would take off on their own, so kidnapping was the only thing that sprang to mind, and she has a thick mama-bear streak.”
“I get it. I don’t blame her.”
“May I ask her to join us? She doesn’t get off Iratho frequently. She wanted to do something nice for her Yaluthu, but intent and execution often fumble.”
Amber raised a hand, and a servant appeared out of nowhere. They nodded and scuttled away.
“I guessed you would say yes. Now, we will see what the secondary avatar says. She just woke up after years of being stored because of the danger of her talent. They let her go on Iratho after an entire island had been prepared for her so she wouldn’t break the world. She learned to control herself, and then she got her Yaluthu and calmed right down.”
Amber sipped at her tea. “Now we see if she can flush her embarrassment and make a friend.”
Mel looked up and watched Marko soaring happily.
A few minutes later, Addy walked in with the servant, and a chair was set for her at the table with a full set of implements and a service.
Addy sighed, and Rumble hopped off her shoulder, ran up to Mel, and flapped his wings. Mel put her hand on the table, and he ran up her arm to preen Whee. She reached up and moved Pohloh to the other side.
Addy blinked. “What were you doing on Rai Station?”
“Oh, I was on Rai dropping off a Citadel specialist that washed up outside my station. We brought her in and talked to her, talked to her Citadel, and they told us that for her to get any help, she needed a quarter of a million credits to pay off the search and rescue efforts from when she was stolen.”
Mel smiled as she listened to the family reunion on her shoulder. Whee was already bigger than her progenitor by a few inches. They changed to match their others.
Mel continued, “So, we contacted the Imperium, and they said there was a million-credit reward for any lost Terrans, so we made arrangements and handed her over to the Guardians, who paid the Citadel. Then, we took her down to Rai so she could get some therapy for the multiple sexual assaults and find the things that light her soul, which is what Kyna is good at. So, she will be retrained as a guardsman if she chooses to be and will get the help she needs to stop screaming in her sleep.”
Addy was staring, and Amber teared up. “Oh, damn.”
“So, Annabelle got the money and bought me some scarves to fancy up my outfits, and that was the moment when Marko headed out and hijacked the babies because they knew they were needed.”
Addy asked, “How much money is left?”
“I dunno. I don’t have any accounts. There was no sense in installing a com or chip with me growing so rapidly. It would have been an irritating pain that I didn’t really need at the time. I am stable now, thanks to Whee, but that is a new situation.”
Addy sighed. “I am sorry. I got this so wrong.”
She scowled. “Who was the Citadel official who told you about the debt load?”
Mel frowned. “I didn’t get her name. She was pale green and had a fin kind of thing on either side of her face. The hair was yellowy green and had a seaweed and mossy texture. She had a chipped front tooth and looked like she didn’t have much use for Terrans.”
Addy blinked. “Right. I think I know who Annabelle was talking to. We don’t charge for rescue efforts if the personnel was on duty.”
“She was on bodyguarding duty. She appears to be a heavy-hitter with an energy discharge.”
Mel shrugged. “Seems that she will have an easy time finding a new assignment or posting if she goes with the Guardians. She can fly, too.”
Addy smiled. “I will leave a message on Rai. If she wants to come back, we would love her on Iratho.”
“I think she will be on a journey of self-discovery for a while. I am not really able to be in contact with her. She needs to find out what is left of herself and what she can remake into something that works for her. I hope she becomes a florist.”
Mel smiled. “The world needs more flowers.”
There was a low rumble coming from her shoulder, and Whee headbutted her father off them. Rumble flapped to regain his balance and return to Addy.
“I think the kids are rejecting curfew.”
She chuckled and petted the little ones, returning Pohloh to the other shoulder.
Addy picked Rumble up and blinked. “Your Yaluthu cursed at her. A lot.”
“Oh, that’s Marko’s love language.”
Pohloh was grumpy.
“They appear to be taking on heavy-grav characteristics,”
Amber stated.
“Well, some kind of Vendari adaptation as heavy-grav folks are usually shorter. Well, with a few exceptions.”
Mel shrugged. “I have just been able to start my education.”
Amber frowned. “Really?”
“That kind of growth hurts like hell, makes it hard to concentrate. I was glad that Whee arrived after the worst of it.”
We will work on your education. It was promised to you, and we will deliver.
She smiled slightly and murmured, “That would be interesting. I have never been able to get an education before.”
Then, you shall have it and plenty of flowers.
Mel smiled.
Addy blinked. “You have a mate that talks in your head?”
“Um, I suppose.”
“Do you want to know how to talk to him without speaking out loud?”
“Oh. Sure.”
“You know how you talk to your... Whee?”
“Yes.”
“Project that with words, and see if he can hear it.”
“Hey, Ves. Can you hear this?”
I can always hear you, Mel. You don’t need special effort.
“I don’t want to look like a giant crazy person.”
Ah, understandable. Right. Yes, I can understand you very well. This is very clear.
She looked to Addy. “How much did my lips move?”
Addy smiled. “Not at all.”
“Yay. You taught me a thing.”
Amber laughed.
They sat around, ate the snacks, and drank two more pots of tea.
When Marko returned, Mel sighed. “Well, ladies, thank you for the visit. I miss talking to people who don’t have beaks.”
Marko chortled, “Fussy cow.”
She laughed and got to her feet. “It was nice properly meeting you, Adelheid, and lovely to meet you, Queen Amber.”
Addy got up and extended her hand. “You don’t shake hands?”
Mel smiled and extended two fingers. Addy looked at their hands and burst out laughing. “Okay, I get the point.”
“Thank you. Amber, I will simply incline my head to you. I don’t want any parts of you squished.”
Amber smiled. “Thank you. I hope we can meet again soon.”
Mel nodded, and they walked back to her shuttle. She held the littles toward Rumble, and there was a lot of head rubbing.
Mel looked at Addy. “When you see them again, they are going to be raptors. They are fluffing already.”
Addy blinked. “Wow. That’s fast.”
She walked toward her ship, and Marko remained on her shoulder until she was standing on the ramp. “Thanks again for the very interesting visit. Have a great life.”
She waved at the ladies as they got to a safe distance.
She laughed and headed into the vessel, settling in and smiling at the strange turn to a stressful day. She set the babies in with Marko, and Ves soon had them up and travelling.
The next stop was Vendar’s territory and Occorin and his clone and Vendar himself.