Page 8 of Pirate by Parrot (Terran Reset #9)
“ARE WE THERE YET? ARE we there yet? Are we there yet?”
She thudded the basketball up and down the halls as she walked. Whee muttered a repeat of her tone as they moved through the ship.
Occorin’s projection was in front of her, and she walked through him. “Stop doing that, Mel.”
She grinned and kept walking. “Why? It’s hilarious. Why did it take only a bit over a week to get to Possitt II, but we have been heading back home for three weeks?”
He projected further ahead. “Because planets move, and the station is moving. We have to make a course to have two moving objects intersect. We are nearly home. You will get to feel actual gravity under your feet.”
She smiled and kept her slow walk with her basketball down the hall until she reached the projection and dribbled slowly. “I will believe it when it happens.”
Whee chirped confirmation. She was developing a jaded personality. She was making Mel proud.
Occorin looked at her and shook his head. “We are about to intercept the station.”
“Like... when?”
The engines ceased, and the hum of the station pull started. “Now. Now would be when. So, yes, Melora. We are here.”
“Where is here?”
“We are on the station, over Vendar.”
“Oh, so all the things.”
“Yes, and can you get yourself under control because we have a guest.”
“A guest?”
She looked down at her bodysuit and the sash that she now considered her daily uniform. The sash made her smile when she put it on.
“Yes. He will meet us on the station, and I am begging you to be on good behaviour.”
“Why?”
“Because Vendar missed a deadline to offer you a home, and this representative can remove you from us.”
She paused. “You are kidding.”
“I am not kidding. He represents your avatar and can make that call.”
“My speech patterns are rubbing off, so to speak. So, when do I meet with him?”
“We finish docking in two minutes, and he is right outside the door.”
“Oh, are you sweating?”
“My body? Yes. Vendar? Yes. He has been very nervous to meet you, so he has been over-fussing on the home he made.”
“Nervous?”
“There hasn’t been a female Vendari in five thousand years.”
“Oh, right. And that is how your folks got into trouble. All boys and really frisky.”
“Correct.”
“Which is why Vendar got excited when my genetics showed up.”
“Also correct.”
“So, has your body been altered to make girls?”
He smiled. “Correct again.”
“Wow. I am really doing well today.”
There was a small thud under her feet. “So, I guess now is the time?”
“Please be on good behaviour.”
She nodded and then whistled sharply. She started walking to the entry point of the ship when two thuds landed on her shoulder. Marko carried the very portly Pohloh and dropped her baby off before she settled with a tired sigh.
“Marko, she can run along the ground just fine. She’s pretty fast.”
Marko leaned over and said, “Find a mirror, bitch.”
Mel laughed and walked to the door, waiting for the scan that would let her out.
The door swung open, and she walked out, looking for the visitor.
The man in the sleeveless bodysuit would have been terrifying if she had still been under six feet tall. As it was, she looked at the sleek black feathers that acted in place of his hair, and she grinned. “You are Alyla’s dad. Imbolt-Zanican.”
He looked at her with designs moving under his skin. “You know me?”
“I spent a lot of time with your daughter and saw some family photos.”
He sighed. “I am sorry I was not there to manage your transformation. I could have made it faster and painless.”
“I would not have said no to that, but I managed.”
“What do you think of your mate?”
She paused and cocked her head. “May I be frank?”
“Please.”
“While I have met projections, I have not met either Occorin or Vendar in person. That was supposed to happen today, I believe.”
Imbolt scowled. “It was supposed to happen months ago. And Occorin and Vendar are in the same body.”
She scowled. “That I do not appreciate.”
Rushing feet approached them, and a male that was flushed or something that made his skin darker. “Imbolt-Zanican, forgive me. I was preparing a meal for her.”
She nodded. “He does do that and medical assistance, and he made sure that I was still on the Rai Station when the Yaluthu came, and I am guessing he and they had a chat.”
Occorin ducked his head. “It was short. They understood your need.”
Imbolt looked at them. “You aren’t enraged at him?”
“He’s the only guy my size in the universe. I am not trying to pare down the dating pool. I can kick his ass later, after I stop wearing the restrictor suits.”
Imbolt looked and narrowed his eyes. “What is it doing?”
“It keeps me from moving ‘too big’ on planets. The horseshit about me flying apart isn’t really plausible for short situations, but this keeps me moving normally around smaller people so that I can manage it. I have some dresses without it and am looking forward to wearing them where I can twirl without anyone watching.”
Imbolt scowled at Occorin. “Why wasn’t her home ready?”
He mumbled, “When I saw her, it wasn’t good enough for her, so I made a new home that is better with gardens and fountains and pools. Places for Marko and the Yaluthu. It has everything to act as a base between travels if she wants to travel.”
Occorin looked at her hopefully.
Imbolt asked, “You have arranged food and clothing?”
“Yes. The bots have been planting and harvesting. Fresh fruit is there, and we are going to cultivate that fruit that she got on Veth to help hormonal shifts in case of pregnancy.”
Imbolt smiled. “I heard about that. Now, what are your plans for a population?”
“Lottery system and an adaptation station next to our main station. It is already under construction.”
Mel paused. “People want to live here?”
Occorin nodded. “But the qualifier was that no male would be in charge of any Vendari outpost. Our worlds are lush and peaceful. We are relatively safe from attack due to the gravity situation. If you are willing to adapt to heavy grav, it is a wonderful place to live.”
“Whoa, so I am going to be in charge?”
“Yes, Melora, you will get the laws and the rules and the power to enforce them. Your education will begin now that the pain is gone.”
Imbolt put his hand on his head. “You didn’t tell her?”
Mel shrugged. “To be frank, I was in enough pain to cause me a lot of distraction. Learning anything wasn’t plausible. To be fair, the Alliance didn’t give me any information either, and I had a very long trip out here. It could have been added to my language and etiquette program at any time.”
Imbolt blinked. “Oh, I—”
His voice changed pitch and vibrated with energy. “We apologize for the mishandling of your case. You are the first heavy-grav adaptation that has been deliberately created away from the world they are destined for, and your destiny changed frequently.”
Mel smiled. “No, it didn’t. Vendar is just very good at mimicking other signal origins and body projections.”
She glanced at Occorin. “He wanted me transformed by inches, so to speak, so that my experience would not be all screaming.”
OccorinA molten silver overtook Occorin’s eyes. “You understand more than we gave you credit for.”
“Well, frankly, it was Whee’s addition that let me put things into perspective, and she helped me to hack into Ves’s records so I could look up transformations into a heavy-worlder.”
She sighed. “They rarely survive. The pain is extreme and drives many to suicide.”
She grimaced. “The screaming was excessive.”
Occorin flinched. “I didn’t know what you were looking at. There was a firewall made of singing kittens that distracted me while the data was acquired and sealed off, and the trail was erased.”
Mel shrugged. “Well, I have been on the station and ship for months. I picked up a few things.”
Imbolt frowned. “Where did you get the kitten images?”
Mel grinned. “Alyla. She felt like hell over my situation and did whatever it took to help.”
Occorin-Vendar looked at her. “Interesting. Are you willing to see your home at long last?”
“Well, I just saw my mate, so why not the house.”
Imbolt paused. “This is your first time seeing him?”
“In person? Yes. He has been a projection on the ship for this whole time but only made himself visible in the last month or so.”
“So, you have not consummated your connection?”
She chuckled. “I haven’t even shaken his hand.”
Imbolt asked softly, “You aren’t feeling uncontrollably aroused?”
“Um, no. He’s pretty colours and all, but I am more aroused by a good dessert lately.”
She shrugged.
He exhaled and looked at Vendar’s avatar. “You have kept your word but not your timing. Earn her touch, and let me know if you need anything. When you are ready, the candidates will come.”
“Candidates?”
Occorin smiled. “We need a population, and since there are only a few who could be citizens, we have to take those who want the heavy-grav adaptation and run a medical centre to create it.”
“Oh. Will it hurt them?”
“We will use sedation and tanks. They are not being changed to our height. That was the cause of most of your discomfort.”
“Got it.”
Imbolt scowled. “We should adjourn to the surface so I can make sure it is suitable, Melora.”
“Okay. Sure.”
She looked to Occorin. “Are we good to head down?”
He nodded. “If you will come with me?”
He held out his hand, and she blinked.
She slowly extended her hand to him, and his fingers closed around hers. He smiled at her shyly, and she smiled in return. “I hope you like feathers. Whee has started moulting, and she needs a place to nest.”
He smiled. “I hope you both find it suitable for making yourselves comfortable.”
She nodded. “Back to the shuttle?”
“No. We are using a drop-ship. Zanican can get himself up and down and back to his ship.”
Mel looked at the other avatar, and he grinned and nodded.
She nodded. “Right. So, I finally get to see where I am going to be living.”
Occorin kissed her knuckles, and she smiled slightly. With her buddies on her shoulders, she was walked to the drop shuttle, strapped into the chair, and each of her little ones had their own safety seats. Occorin sat at the controls, and the ship they were in lifted off and cruised down a long hall until they were near the field that kept the atmosphere in. They punched through, and then she saw Vendar for the first time.
“Oh, it’s beautiful. Wait. It looks like us.”
Occorin laughed. “It does. That was on purpose.”
She blinked and saw a mountain sculpted in the profile of her face. “Wow. This is like a messed-up theme park.”
“He wanted to make sure that you knew he wanted you here. The execution has been rough, but the intent is to your benefit.”
The ship eased into the atmosphere and glided toward a structure made of stepped-down gardens leading to a fairy castle. A waterfall came out of the upper level and cascaded down to fill a pool that fed the gardens.
“Oh, wow.”
Occorin exhaled slowly. “He is very glad you like it. Your past has been so hostile that he wanted to make sure you felt serene here. This is a place for new starts, so he wanted it to be beautiful.”
He flew around the castle and settled on a gravel pad. “Your clothing was wrapped up and packed on board.”
“Oh. Cool,”
she murmured, but her eyes took in a light spectrum that she didn’t even know she could see. There were colours that she didn’t have names for, and she wanted to learn them.
Occorin undid his latches, and as she did the same, he opened the safety pods and helped her menagerie out.
“How are you feeling?”
She shrugged. “The same as on the station.”
She got up and loaded her crew onto her shoulders.
Occorin took her hand and led her out onto her new world.
They went through the castle, and her eyes took in all the details. Marko was flying, and Whee was in the bedroom making a nest out of Mel’s favourite sash.
When they joined Imbolt in the kitchen, he was sitting and talking on his com to his daughter. He glanced up. “And here they are.”
Mel called out, “Hi, Alyla.”
The hologram turned to see her. “Mel. Oh, gosh. You look amazing. Marko, you are stunning.”
“Thank you, Alyla.”
“Pretty birdie!”
Alyla paused. “Did Marko just speak without cursing?”
Mel smiled. “She feels it’s a bad influence on the young ones.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. How have you been keeping?”
“Well, we have a number of other Resets lined up for when Dad gets home.”
“You are taking good care of them?”
“No one is in a hurry. One is a half-Lrrko, and they are shocked that she showed up.”
Imbolt blinked. “I thought that all of them had been found.”
“Yes, and no. One of them had their ovaries extracted, and based on the existence of this woman, she was born shortly after that event. Someone used the harvested eggs.”
Mel asked, “How is that a reset?”
“Lrrko have different attributes. She needs to let her dominant genes come to the surface. In her case, it is a makeover.”
Alyla shrugged. “They are going to send a representative for her, but things are a little complicated.”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t like the way he looks. Her instinct is to make him prettier when he arrives, and he isn’t going for it.”
“Prettier, how?”
“She’s a tattoo artist.”
“Oh. Wow. Does she do heavy-grav skin?”
“I can ask. She might need a pressure suit.”
Occorin asked, “You would mark your skin?”
“Yes. I always wanted some tattoos. I think that designing something for the position I suddenly find myself in would be cool.”
Imbolt asked, “Like what?”
“A thick band of gold across my shoulders and wrapping around to keep the band even. And then, if I have kids, add one after each one.”
Occorin swallowed. “You are willing to have children with me?”
“Well, pace yourself. I still haven’t done more than touch your hand. Not even a hug.”
He nodded. “I was hoping we would be alone for that or, at least, as alone as it was possible to be.”
Imbolt asked, “Melora, are you satisfied with this situation?”
“I am satisfied that this is a good start. I am here to start over again, not just wallow.”
She smiled. “As Ves, he was there for everything I needed, and anything he couldn’t figure out himself, he asked other Terrans. He attempted to provide me with a social network. The Yaluthu were brought on board by him for assistance and pacification. If he is from a species where the men ask for help, I will gladly sign up to start the next generation.”
Imbolt smiled. “I wasn’t aware of those other actions, and that is easing my worry a bit.”
Mel smiled. “Good. It sounds like your daughter needs you.”
He frowned. “I am going to return in six months, and you had better be settled and happy.”
She laughed. “I will probably be settled, but happy is up to me. I am getting there. Whee is helping a lot.”
Imbolt said, “May I give you a hug?”
“Sure, but don’t make it weird.”
He laughed, disconnected the call to his daughter, and then came around to hug her. He separated and said, “The dysmorphia is usually dealt with in the tubes with audio counselling.”
“Well, I am good with me now anyway. It took a bit, but I think I am nearly there.”
“Minerva will be pleased. She’s been worried.”
“Her and me both. Now, scoot, Imbolt-Zanican. I look forward to your return in six months.”
He smiled. “I need to talk to Occorin-Vendar first, but thank you for your dismissal.”
She grinned. “I am going to be out in the gardens if anyone is curious.”
She left the avatars alone and carried her buddies outside.
Looking around, she used her com and sent a call. “Hey, Minerva. How are you doing?”
“Melora? Oh, my. How are you doing? How are you settling in?”
“I just arrived at Vendar today. It looks nice. He put a lot of effort into making something I would like.”
“Wait. You just got there today? Imbolt said you were on your way months ago.”
“There were detours, and as Vendar has lost his entire population once, he wanted to make sure that I would be content with limited interaction with others. He is trying to prove that this time he will be different.”
Minerva smiled. “That is progress. Hey, you have a com!”
“Yeah. I am as tall as I am getting, and nine feet is enough for anybody. A Yaluthu found me and has stopped the panic in my brain. Whee is almost about to have her little ones. The first high-grav Yaluthu.”
Minerva sighed. “Crossing my fingers that there is only one.”
“And Marko’s Yaluthu is going to have some as well.”
Minerva gasped. “Marko has her own Yaluthu?”
“Yes. Its name is Pohloh.”
“Marko-polo... oy.”
Minerva smacked her forehead.
“I get my fun where I can. Speaking of, Imbolt is inside chatting with Occorin.”
“You mean, Zanican is talking with Vendar. If your sector is lighting up again, there will be a lot of heavy grav and just folks who want the quiet life coming in. So much vetting of the files.”
“Well, I guess it will be fun to learn if I get to participate.”
Minerva smiled. “You will be. Congrats on getting a com.”
“You said that.”
“Yeah, but that is high speed. You have consul privileges.”
“Neat.”
“You don’t know what that means.”
Minerva smiled.
“Nope. But I finally have time to start learning, and Whee is calming me enough that I can remember important stuff.”
She smiled. “I can breathe. I am not in pain anymore. I know that I will make it through the night and Marko is safe. Anything else is just a bonus.”
“What about Occorin?”
“He’s nice. He’s thoughtful and careful, sometimes too careful. At this point, I just want to jump him and strip him just to find how everything works at this scale.”
Minerva coughed and flicked her fingers.
“How long have they been behind me?”
“Two minutes. Nothing more.”
She turned, and Occorin looked slightly embarrassed, but Imbolt was grinning wide.
She muttered, “Gotta go, bye.”
She stopped the call and looked at the two avatars. “How much did you hear?”
Occorin smiled slightly. “There is a perfectly good bed in your room if you want to check the specs of a Vendaran.”
Imbolt chuckled. “On that note, I am content that things are progressing in a positive manner, and the residence cannot be faulted. I will see you in five months, Melora.”
“See you. Hug Alyla for me.”
“I will. Vendar, glad that you are back in the universe again.”
Imbolt’s eyes glowed, and he simply hovered and then flew away from the surface.
“Oh, right. Avatar.”
She watched him fly off and then looked at Occorin-Vendar. “Fine. Down to basics, what actually happened to your people?”
Vendar’s eyes widened, but he sighed. “I made them powerful and arrogant and irresistible. I occupied myself with minimizing natural disasters and pretended the people just loved them, not that they were hurting their populations. So, a council of avatars was convened, and I had to destroy my people. I didn’t kill them; I isolated them and sterilized them. They died out in less than a century, and my worlds went quiet. That was two thousand years ago, by your reckoning. I have been silent ever since, just maintaining my worlds. When Zanican mentioned the project, I put my genetic requirements out there. You appeared, and it was a scramble to get my one remaining body out of cold storage and functioning, so I used a cybernetic form to get the house ready and rejoined Occorin when we were ready for you.”
She blinked. “So, you had to destroy the people you had designed to live on your worlds because they were unstable and bratty, and yes, I have an idea of what they got up to because people fall all over themselves to do whatever I need, and some needs are louder than others.”
Occorin looked at her cautiously. “You are referring to sex?”
“I am not referring to board games. Why do you think I play so much basketball? I need to equalize the blood flow.”
She looked at him. “How do we stop the next generations from becoming the same kind of self-entitled assholes?”
“The next generations will have something that my first gen didn’t have. A mother. I have no doubt that you will pull in any misbehaviour. We will also have high-grav Yaluthu for those who have emotional issues now. That is a lovely piece of chance, but I am holding onto anything that will offer a calm future.”
She smiled. “I like the uncertainty. I can live with that. You can adapt to uncertainty.”
Occorin smiled. “You are willing to try with me?”
“I am willing to adapt with you.”
He grinned and eased her toward him, making eye contact with the Yaluthu and Marko. He angled his head and kissed her.
Her body reacted like she thought it would. She had been remade for him and that was what she was feeling. She sighed as the kiss started and kept going.
She saw a flash of light in the sky, broke the kiss, and shouted, “Stop peeping, Imbolt!”
There was a thread of laughter in the air as they returned to their first kiss on their first world on their first day together.
SIX MONTHS LATER.
Mel watched the shuttle slowly descend to the spaceport, which she just considered the back-backyard. Vendar spoke softly in her thoughts. Are you ready to greet the new arrivals, Melora?
“Yup. I am going.”
She used a bit of the energy that he had provided her with and flew slowly to the shuttle area as it settled.
She landed near the ramp, and Marko and Whee were with her. Pohloh was at home nesting. It had finally gotten to the point where it wanted to spawn.
Occorin was in the city getting the residences ready for the new citizens.
As she thought of him, he landed next to her and kissed her quickly. “Did I miss them?”
“The new high-grav citizens? Nope.”
He kept his arm on her back, and they stood together as they watched the first members of their carefully chosen population. Different ages and different species, they all wanted to live quietly on a high-gravity world, and Vendar fit the bill.
They stood as the cargo ramp descended with the new colonists slowly lining up and walking down toward the hard surface of the landing area.
Mel shifted from foot to foot as she waited for a familiar face, and when she saw her, she walked forward. “Annabelle!”
Annabelle ran toward her and thudded into her with a solid thud. “Mel! You are looking great.”
“Thanks. So, where is he?”
Annabelle looked behind her and smiled as the Rai walked down the ramp behind them. “Hai-sko, this is my friend Melora of Terra, bride of Vendar, companion to Yaluthu, and queen of the Vendari.”
Hai-sko was dressed in a battlesuit covered by an open kimono in the manner of Rai Guardians. Annabelle was dressed in the kimono of a lady of Rai.
“You look lovely, Annabelle.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t believe it when I made up my mind to come here, and Hai-sko was in the same high-grav prep class.”
Hai-sko came up to them and stood behind Annabelle.
“You don’t mind the one-way trip?”
Annabelle smiled. “I need stability. I need a place just to be me. This entire world is starting over, and that energy is a powerful draw.”
Hai-sko said, “My family is gone, and a new start on a new world appealed to me. If you don’t mind our effect on local fashions, we will be happy to make a home here.”
Annabelle smiled. “I got into silk painting. He’s from a family of kimono makers. I see you have gone casual.”
Mel knew that her skirt and light top were fluttering in the breeze, matching what Occorin was wearing. They looked like they were on a Caribbean vacation in silky pyjamas.
She nodded. “We are still in search of a traditional costume.”
Hai-sko asked, “What are the wedding rituals here?”
Mel paused. She couldn’t say that a post-coital high-five had sealed the deal. “Let’s start a council of new arrivals, and we can set up rituals, holidays, and that sort of thing.”
Occorin smiled. “Hello again, Annabelle. You are looking much better now.”
“Ves?”
“Occorin-Vendar.”
Mel smiled. “Ves when we are on the station.”
Annabelle smiled. “Taller than I thought.”
He smiled and inclined his head.
Mel looked to Whee. “Oh, this is Whee. She’s my buddy and a Yaluthu. She has had one fluffle. Her sibling is Marko’s Yaluthu, and she is currently having her fluffles. Its name is Pohloh.”
Annabelle caught it immediately. “Oh, my god.”
She giggled.
Hai-Sko asked, “What is the amusement?”
“I will explain it later, but it is a child’s game.”
Annabelle grinned. “So, where are we staying?”
The bots were organizing their shipmates and getting the cargo.
Mel realized she was the hostess. She walked over and said, “Good day to you all. I am Melora of Terra, now of Vendar. I am half of the Avatar of Vendar; the other half is Occorin. I would like to welcome you here and thank you for volunteering to start out all new on a new world. We are all finding our way here, so if there is something you feel is missing from your life here, mention it. If it is a mate, we have twenty thousand applications for new citizens right now. Just file your requests and specifics, and we will filter those available persons and move them to the front of the list.”
She breathed in. “And if you are looking for multiples, do keep in mind that not everyone feels that way. There will be no force, drugging, coercion, manipulation, blackmailing, or anything else of other members of the population. Punishable by being turned into paste and being used as fertilizer. All unions have to be registered for consent. Even temporary ones.”
The colonists looked at each other. One woman asked, “Why?”
“Because the previous Vendar used and abused the people on their worlds, at will. They took without asking, so this time, we are putting that in the regulations. First, you ask, and when the answer is yes, you are free to go and do whatever in as large a group as you can manage.”
Mel smiled.
Occorin chuckled. “Now, let’s walk to the city centre, and you will be assigned your quarters until things are settled and you choose your occupations and locations.”
He put his hand on her back, and they walked into the enormous city with the bots carrying everything ahead of them. The consent registrations were every three blocks, so there was no way that it wouldn’t be covered for the next population. It was a stupid thing to focus on, but it had caused the extinction of the species. This was a step that she was willing to take. If they were able to eradicate the early issues, more would crop up, but Mel had to live a life, and no one was going to mess with her second chance.
Mel breathed in deeply and looked at Marko with a smile. She looked at Occorin and felt Vendar behind her eyes. It looked like it was second chances all around, and they were bringing the new volunteers into their reset.