What Happens in Orbit

Things seemed to be a lot less tense, but Cora didn't trust it. She had no idea how things worked on their planet.

Roshak,

she told herself, trying to get used to using that word. She had no problem with things being a mystery, because otherwise she'd get overwhelmed.

I can't stay like that, though. It worked for me when I was a cashier, but I'm in space now. Kidnapped by aliens. Never going to see my mom again, likely.

Cora had been trying not to think about that, because she knew it would hurt.

I need to be brave and play my part. Whatever that is. They seem reasonable and maybe I'll be able to go home again someday.

Against her own wishes, she started tearing up. The others had started preparing the ship. It had been comforting knowing that she was in orbit, but that was going to be taken away from her now.

It's fine, Cora,

she told herself.

They're not going anywhere. Earth will still be there. All your shitty coworkers and your moldy apartment a thousand miles from your childhood home.

This was better to think about. She wasn't losing much by leaving Earth.

Wait a minute.

"Hey, Ray, I know you're busy and stressed out, but I've got a really important question before we leave orbit."

He turned to her, not as upset as she thought he'd be. "What is it? Oh, wait. That phrase, it's.. Oh! What's up?" He seemed proud of himself.

She laughed quietly. "I only just realized, you guys are accessing our internet. Is there a way I could send a message to my mom? I wouldn't say anything that would, like, cause mass panic and chaos."

He tilted his head, thinking hard. "What would the message say? We aren't close to our parents on my planet. But I know humans are."

Cora thought about the unsent message in her text drafts. She'd tried to text her mom the minute she could, but quickly realized it was pointless. "I'd just tell her that I miss her, I'll be gone for a while, but I'm not dead. Hopefully," she mused with a pointed look at Ray, "I'll see her again."

"Oh, definitely. That would be wrong of us to kidnap you for our own benefit and then keep you on our planet for the rest of your life." The thought made Cora nauseous.

"Yeah, please don't. Like, I'd even be down to help with a recruitment campaign if you guys decide to use humans for your population issues. I'll just get on Twitter and tweet 'Yo, who's down to fuck aliens?'"

Ray looked surprised. "How'd you know?"

Her face went blank.

"Please, God, don't tell me that I'm going through this because of something on my fucking Twitter."

Ray clapped, loudly. "Let's get that message to your mother!"

"You didn't answer my question, Ray."

He was avoiding her gaze. "Come on, I'll show you how to use the tablets to send a message."

He never did answer her.

To her amazement, Ray allowed Cora to message her mother over Facebook.

<Hey mom this is gonna sound kind of wild. People may have already reached out to you about me being missing but I'm fine. I'm on an expedition of sorts. I'm not in danger or gonna die but I will be gone for a while. I love you and tell Sophie I love her too. I'll message you again the minute I can.>

Her mother was understandably freaked out, and replied immediately.

<Cora call me now. This isn't a texting conversation.>

<I can't. I'm sorry. And you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you what was going on.>

Cora exited out of the page and handed Ray his tablet back. She tried to manage her emotions but they were quickly becoming unmanageable. "I need some time by myself for a while. Thank you." He gave her a sympathetic look. "That's fine. We're going to go through some turbulence on the trip, so when you hear an alarm, find something to hold on to." Cora took a steadying breath. "How long will it be?" Ray thought for a second, counting on his fingers.

Uh-oh, he's doing math. I'll have to double-check with Mar.

"In your understanding of time, the trip should take maybe four or five weeks. We use gravitational anomalies to skip most of the long or dangerous parts, hence the turbulence. It should only happen three times if everything goes according to plan."

Cora was relieved to hear that there was no mention of "warping" or black holes. She couldn't take any more new information today.

I'm deleting my Twitter the minute I get a signal again.

Cora spent the rest of the day huddled under her blanket, crying. The lights were still on when she fell asleep. She didn't sleep for long, however, and woke up sometime during the night cycle. Something had woken her up. Suddenly, a tidal wave of panic hit her.

What? What is it?

She asked her brain, like it was a dog that wouldn't stop barking. It didn't respond. She looked around, trying to make sense of her dim surroundings. It was still practically arctic in the ship, but Cora could feel faint tides of heat in the air, which ebbed and flowed with her anxiety. The panic had something to do with how cold she was. It had to. She felt like she was wading through mud as she walked, following the heat. This part of the ship was unfamiliar, but all she could feel was how horrible the chill was in her body. It hurt so badly, like she'd walked naked into a snowstorm. She went through an open doorway, into a storage room. The quiet pulsing noise she'd always heard in the background was loud here. It was getting warmer, but now the heat was flowing from above her.

I can do this. I just need to thaw out. Maybe it's another side effect of that medicine, like fucked-up homeostasis.

She climbed a ladder, pulling open an access panel on the ceiling. When she entered the space above the storage room, she shut the panel behind her. It just seemed polite. The pulsing muffled into a whir in this space, which felt small.

Nice and warm.

It was pitch black, but from the way everything echoed, it felt safe. Her heart rate finally slowed down and the pain in her bones subsided. Cora took off her sweatshirt, leaving her t-shirt underneath, and put it under her head.

This is a great place to sleep.

Mar and Ray were in the front of the ship, with Mar piloting and Ray navigating (and napping). They'd been at it for a while, taking four-hour shifts of each task to avoid any mistakes. Mar was about to finish his second round of piloting.

[Ray.]

He reached over and poked his co-pilot. Ray slurred himself awake.

[I'm awake, I'm awake.]

[Good, I'm going to go eat then come back. I won't be long.]

Ray grunted, hopping into the pilot's seat.

[Hurry up.]

Tor was in the engine room on the opposite side of the ship, looking at a thermal map of the engine and its vents. The engine room was a round room, with a massive columnar structure in the middle of it, maybe ten feet in diameter. The engine was in there, with seven vents coming out of the top. They were long tunnels that stretched to the ends of the ship. Each one was on the map, with a reading of the temperature in each. Tor frowned. There were odd fluctuations in the readings from the tunnel leading to the left side of the ship.

[A leak.] He muttered to no one.

Leaks weren't the end of the world, but they affected the efficiency of the engine. And Tor was far too much of a perfectionist to allow something like that. He climbed the ladder on the engine housing and entered the access hallway. It was blistering up here, reaching temperatures high enough to vaporize water. And Cora was curled up asleep directly under the cracked section of sheet metal.

[Shit.]

Tor scrambled back towards the door, as fast as he could go, before shutting it quietly. The leak would have to wait.

As Mar entered the kitchen, Tor charged in, nearly knocking him over in the process.

[Are you okay?]

The Engineer didn't respond. Instead, he pulled a bunch of purple root vegetables from the cooler and put them in a metal container on the stove. Adding some water, he turned the heat on.

[I need the salt.]

With a mouthful of cold fried rice in his mouth, Mar passed him the salt. He'd never seen Tor like this.

In fact,

he realized,

I've never seen Tor leave the engine bay during an active flight period.

Normally, they'd have to bring him food or he just wouldn't eat.

Tor added salt to the pot before clamping a lid down on it and turning the heat up. Then, he fished the vegetables out with a long fork and put them in a bowl.

[That hungry, huh?]

[No.] Tor began mashing the vegetables. He tried a bit, burning his mouth in the process. [Fuck.] He added more salt, as well as a handful of Roshak herbs and tried it again.

[You look like you've done this before.]

[I have.] Tor began fanning at the food, trying to cool it.

He ran out of the room, full speed, into Cora's room. Mildly interested, Mar followed him. When Tor yanked her blanket off the bed, he realized that Cora wasn't there.

[Where-]

[Move.] With the same urgency, he ran back to the kitchen and threw the blanket on the counter. He rummaged in a cabinet, grabbing several bottles of water, a massive bowl, and some washcloths. He piled everything into the bowl, balancing the food in his other hand and ran towards the engine room.

Cora woke up, disoriented. There was a stabbing pain in her lower abdomen. She hadn't eaten in a while, so it wasn't that. She wasn't sure what was going on, but it

hurt

. Another wave of pain set in, causing her to go stiff and hit her head on the floor. Her vision went dark. "Fuck, fuck, fuck-" There was a scuffling noise and a metallic

clang

as Tor rushed back in and dropped everything. "Tor, wha-" Gently, he pulled her sweatpants off. "I-" When he tossed them aside, Cora realized they were soaked in blood. Her vision blurred and her pulse shot up.

"Stop holding your breath." Tor's voice was smooth and calm. "Sit up."

She tried to sit up, realizing that her very distended stomach was in the way. "Wha-" He pulled her upright, so that she was kneeling in front of him. With a free hand, he grabbed her blanket and tucked it under her. Mar entered the tunnel, only to be met with a gutteral snarl from Tor.

The Officer, a very smart fellow, bolted.

"Tor, what's happen-" "Breathe."

Obediently, she took a deep inhale and was met with a rolling cramp so intense that she saw stars. "Breathe." It was all she could do to focus on his voice. Shadows crept up on the edges of her vision and her eyes rolled back in her head. Tor pushed her forward. Cora tried to support herself on her hands, but her arms gave out. Now he was beside her, holding her up. His voice was in her ear. "Breathe." There was another horrible convulsion and Cora thought that she might die. "But breathing hurts," she managed to gasp out.

"I know." He pushed down on her lower back, making her knees spread a bit further apart. There was an intense pressure under all the cramping, a pressure that was suddenly fading. She sighed heavily as he fixed the blanket then laid her down on it, propping her up against his leg. She heard water splashing, then a cool cloth was on her legs. "That's- that's nice." Color started bleeding back into her vision. She was vaguely aware of the sound of the engine slowing, but she was more aware of how dry her throat was. "Can I-" There was a water bottle in front of her, the lid already removed. "Oh, thank you." He helped her sip from it, then set it aside.

"You won't want to, but you should eat some of this." He offered her a spoonful of what looked like mashed potatoes.

Cora giggled weakly. "I love mashed potatoes." She still felt like a very sore sack of flour, but she was starting to get her consciousness back. It kicked in just how hungry she was. "But I- I can do it." Gingerly, she shifted into a seated position and took a bite. "These are really good." Tor sat back, watching her cautiously. His eyes darted to her right. She was aware of a warmth next to her, and when she looked, she made a tiny

ah.

Beside her was a group of three eggs, iridescent black in color. They were each about the size of a large grapefruit. "Those are from... me?"

Tor nodded, looking at the bowl in her hand.

She took another bite in response, looking back at the eggs. "I thought I was going to die for a while there."

"I was worried. You're too small."

Cora shifted, feeling a tug of pain from her insides. "I think I'm okay. Most human women are a lot worse off after giving birth. Have you seen how big babies are?" Tor shuddered in response. "I have. You were only given a fraction of the time your body needed to do that, though." He stood. "I need to go out there and see why they stopped. Just eat and rest now."

Tor walked out of the engine room, only to run smack into Ray. Mar was right behind him.

"Why have we stopped?"

Ray didn't answer. [Is she okay?]

Tor nodded. [She's fine but we need to get to the spaceport. I'm taking care of her. You two, go.]

Surprisingly, Ray didn't argue, instead turning to go back to the cabin, pulling Mar behind him. Tor followed.

[We're going to need a lot more supplies than we thought.]

Ray sighed, his brow furrowing. [I know. They're not going to like this.]

[We don't need to worry about that right now.] Mar plopped into the co-pilot's chair, opening up a map. [We need to stay on schedule.]

The engine wound back up, the pulsing picking up speed. Tor left the room, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Tor had convinced Cora to leave the maintenance tunnel. To keep the eggs warm, he'd packed them in a supply box with a spare blanket and several small heating elements. She wouldn't go more than five feet from the box, though. She now slept in her quarters with the box wedged between her bed and the wall, her hand draped over it. The ship had stopped in a random orbit for rest, so Tor made his way back up to the maintenance tunnels, using his tablet to check for any electrical issues. A persistent beeping caught his attention and he crept forward until it was just below him.

A call?

His suspicion was confirmed when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

[I got your message.]

Ray spoke with a tremble in his voice. [I just don't know what to do.]

[I spoke with everyone this evening. They do not, under any circumstances, want any offspring born in a colony situation. When you arrive at the spaceport, dispose of the eggs.]

[What? No. That would be beyond cruel. Humans are creatures that bond, that would do horrible things to her mental health.]

The caller scoffed. [If her mental health were a priority, we wouldn't be placing her in the breeding program.]

There was a lengthy silence.

[Here, since you clearly need motivation. We have the data from your... event in the common area. It's my understanding that your pretty little Foshar fiancee and her family have no knowledge of heat, or colony behavior. It would probably look like

infidelity

to them.]

The caller's tone was vicious, like he relished the power he held over Ray. But Tor didn't wait to hear the Scientist's answer. Tearing along on four limbs, he propelled himself through pitch-black shafts and tunnels until he flew through an opening, landing squarely on Mar's chest. Mar, who had been sleeping in his quarters, wheezed awake.

[Fuck! What-] Tor clapped a hand over Mar's mouth and hissed in his ear.

[We have to get Cora and the eggs out of here.] Mar was bewildered, but Tor continued speaking. [Ray told the royal family about the eggs. He's going to dispose of them while we're at the spaceport.]

Mar thrashed, throwing Tor off him. The Engineer landed silently on the floor, but had to immediately throw himself left to block Mar from leaving the room.

[What are you doing?]

Mar's voice was calm, but he continued to try to leave. [I have to go stop him. What makes you think he won't just go and kill them now?]

Tor shook his head. [Not everyone is like you. He'll wait until he can sneak them out. We need to pack up and go. Even if we save the eggs, she's bound for the breeding program.]

Shock flashed across Mar's features. [They swore they wouldn't. The matriarch told us that subjects were going to be treated with respect and-]

The Engineer scoffed, hard. [There's no way

you

believed that. Why would they treat another species better than their own?]

Mar sat back down on his bed, foot twitching. [I- Wait, I think I know what we can do. A-at Port 34, there's a smuggler I worked with on my last mission, maybe she could help.]

[That's good. The minute we're docked, go find her or someone that can help us. I'm packing. Whether you find someone or not, we're getting her off this ship.]

Tor was gone before he could reply.

After about eight more hours and a bout of turbulence, they'd reached the spaceport. Mar had tried to hide his resentment from Ray while navigating, but it proved to be difficult. He'd spent most of the trip bitterly quiet. Before the ship had even finished docking, Ray stood. [I need you to tell the Engineer to meet in the common room when the lights come back up. I need to rest now, but we should have a meeting before we head out to restock.] He refused to meet Mar's gaze. [We- we need to have a meeting. But good news! Port 34 is oxygenated so Cora can come... too.] His voice went thin and he hurried off to his quarters.

Mar pulled out his tablet and sent a message to Tor.

<Ray is holding a meeting when the lights come back up. Be ready.>

He walked across the common room to the ship exit and tested the door. The monitor by the handle showed good pressurization in the port, and there was no loud

hiss

as he pressed the handle down and pushed. Unlike the rest of his crewmates, Mar had been here quite a few times. Spaceport 34 was intended for those who were used to oxygenated environments, so it was ideal for his kind.

It was a massive station in the orbit of an uninhabitable terrestrial planet, with solar panels covering every inch of walkway, wall, and even some docked ships. Through the glass-like barrier surrounding the station, he could see a faint glow around the silhouette of the planet above. He picked up his pace, rounding a corner and going down a steep ramp. It was even darker here, lit only by tiny battery-powered lamps and the faint glow from the ships docked nearby. He stopped in front of an arching stall. The ship docked behind it was intimidating, massive, and made of dark gray metal. As he reached the entrance, something struck the ground before him, denting it. It was long and thin, like a spear, and darted back into the shadows. Mar sighed in relief. She was here.

[What do you want, Hunter?]

[You recognize me?]

The voice hissed back at him from several feet above. [I forget no-one. Answer my question.]

[I need your help. Oh- I'm no longer a Hunter. You need to know that.]

[I am glad to hear that. Now, if you don't answer me, I'm not going to help you, I am simply going to eat you. And don't consider lying to me. You know I hate your kind.]

[I'm not Foshar-] he started, but then heard her shift. [I- it's a complicated story. I need to hide myself, my crewmate, a small, bipedal creature, and her- our-] Mar looked at the ground, wondering what words would describe them. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

Amola, upside-down, swung into the light. Her face was a slate gray, with clusters of white dots on the high points of her features. She had no hair, instead a smooth skull with more gray-white eyes dotting the temples and crown. [I know that look. You have spawn. Children!] His eyes darted back in the direction of his ship. [Ah- yes. We're a colony species, so it's my crewmate and I, her and three eggs. Both him and I can work, he's an Engineer and I've got combat training. We can also pay.]