What Happens in Orbit

Within minutes of being introduced to the group, Cora regretted it immensely. They were all from the United States, like her, of approximately the same age, but likely from different states.

And most of them scrambled backwards when she walked in. A conversation containing distinct accents tapered off as the door shut.

Cora huffed, taking a seat.

A woman with curly, dark hair spoke up, her accent unfamiliar. "What did they

do

to you?"

Cora resisted the urge to cross her arms as she surveyed the four others before her. There were some scars, some bruises, but none of them looked like her.

"From the looks of things,

not

what they did to y'all."

Two more women entered the smaller room, stopping short when they saw Cora. "Holy shit."

There were only two young men in the group, one of them motioning sharply at the woman who spoke. "Shh. Quit it."

"What? You're fucking scary looking."

Cora scrunched her nose, trying to stop herself from glaring. "Super helpful. Thanks. It's not like I want to go back to Earth anyway." From the way they stood, none of them were particularly familiar with each other.

One of the women, a brunette with a low bun, was especially shocked at this. "Why wouldn't you want to go back?"

Giving her a long, dry look, Cora weighed the pros and cons of telling the truth. "Ugh. Fine." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "I have a family out here. A life. And kids."

Cora had prepared herself for many reactions, but not the one she got.

The woman reeled back, making a disgusted cry. "You let them- you- oh, ew!"

No, Cora. Don't engage.

"Unlike whatever they took you for,

that's

what I was taken for. They changed me down to my DNA. But the crewmembers weren't willing to see it through, and risked their lives to get me out of there."

Her expression didn't change. "And now you're some alien sex toy. With Stockholm Syndrome."

Cora's blood pressure spiked. She could imagine it. She could imagine the consequences of losing her temper. Staying in her seat, she closed her eyes. "Stockholm Syndrome isn't real. It's just an urban myth like... like MSG causing headaches."

"MSG

does

give people migraines. Everyone knows that. But that doesn't matter. Are you pregnant right now? You gonna bring one of those freak babies back to Earth?"

Cora opened one eye, looking at the others. They'd started to shrink back. "Just leave me alone."

"You might not care about your health anymore, but I do. They've done something horrible to your mind. Don't worry. They'll fix you, they'll make you normal again, and if those fucking freaks put something inside you, they'll get rid of it."

I'll get rid of you.

Cora stood quickly.

Ah, nope, time to stop. Stop it.

"Are there quarters here? Is there somewhere I can go and

not

get... whatever the fuck she's doing right now? I just want to rest."

One of the other women moved to speak, but stopped herself. The man standing next to her had a patchy buzzcut and similar sweatpants. He looked over, then sighed. "Come on, I'll show you. And quit running your mouth. That motherfucker at the door won't save your life if you piss this chick off. You see them teeth?

I

wouldn't."

Cora staunchly refused to look around as she left the room. The man, who introduced himself as Kevin, led her to an empty room. There was a pallet on the floor, freshly rolled out blankets and even a pillow. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." The door shut behind her.

How long had it been since Cora slept alone?

She didn't want to think about it.

Maybe I can stay in here until we get there.

She wasn't sure how long she slept for, but it was long enough that she'd got a crick in her neck. Someone was knocking.

"Yes?"

"They brought food." The woman from before opened the door and came in, carrying a plate. Successfully keeping her face scowl-free, Cora accepted the plate. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The woman sat on the edge of Cora's pallet.

"If you're gonna talk to me like you were earlier, please just don't. I'm already going through enough."

She sniffed. "I can tell. You've even got a tail now."

Cora inspected the food. A hard, dry biscuit, and what was definitely cream of chicken that'd just been poured out. She tested it. Ice cold.

Oh, well. Food is food.

She began to eat, trying to ignore the woman's stare.

She's just trying to help. She's been through a lot, too.

"You know, you have to give up on what you had out here."

"Hm?" Cora looked up, chewing on the galaxy's driest biscuit.

Maybe they got Popeye's out here.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't

belong

out there. You can find a nice man, or, uh, lady, someone on Earth, especially once you get that tail removed. It'll all get better."

Cora swallowed, trying not to choke.

They made this biscuit out of plaster, I know it.

"I know that's what you want for yourself, and I'm sure you'll all be able to live wonderful lives. But that's not for me. I was happy. When we get there, I'll be heading down to a base in South America, and hopping on a flight back to my family."

She shook her head, pity and fear apparent on her face. "Babe, no. They don't love you. You're not one of them."

"You don't have a clue."

The woman shook her head again, this time harder. "Look, I'll tell them when we get there. They're gonna help you."

"Who is 'they'?"

"The United States Government," she said.

Cora tried not to laugh, coughing instead. "Like, the whole government? Or just that one person in NASA that worries about space bacteria?"

"No, there's a whole department. They let us speak with them earlier. They'll make sure we're okay and healthy, and then help us restart our lives."

"Oh." Cora feigned pleasant surprise. "They could help me?"

She nodded. "I see how you're carrying yourself, and how you reacted when I said earlier that you're probably pregnant. It's okay. They'll help."

And when you say help, you mean kill it. Study it, put it in formaldehyde. I'd rather eat glass.

Cora had reached a level of anger that scared her. She stood, resting the plastic spork on her plate. "I'm surprised they let you come talk to me. That guy was really worried for your safety."

She drew herself up. "I don't need anyone worried about my safety. And I told them I was going for a walk."

Cora nodded, slowly. "A walk could be good. Do they come collect the trash when we're done eating?"

"Yeah, but the guy that does it

hates

doing it. He's always saying something under his breath and glaring at us."

The words tumbled forth, her heart pounding. "That's a Foshar for you. I think they're always in a bad mood because they don't have any eyebrows. Want to walk with me back to the garbage disposal? I'd rather avoid dealing with them more than I have to. They already

really

don't like me. They call me 'troublemaker' in their language. Come on, let's go."

Cora stood in front of the disposal opening, regarding it with some curiosity and disappointment. No matter whose ship she was in, they always put it at far end, and it was always a circular opening, about a foot wide.

I guess they all buy it from the same people. Too small to shove anyone down it, though.

Anything too large was likely just pushed through the airlock.

The hall was completely empty, save for Cora. The silence was welcome, but very unsettling.

"Idiot," she muttered.

A few minutes later, there was banging on her door.

Cora jumped up, throwing it open. "What?" All four of the others stood in the hall. One of the women spoke first.

"Where's Tanya?"

"You mean- she brought me food earlier and asked if I wanted to go on a walk."

"And then? Why isn't she back?"

Cora plastered a concerned expression on her face. "I walked with her to the back of the ship, we threw our plates away. She wanted to keep wandering and I said no, because I know they have Noxis working on this ship, too."

It wasn't untrue.

"What's a Noxis?"

Regarding them with disbelief, Cora groaned. "You're kidding. Giant flesh-eating spider people? Their queen is the one that ordered us back to Earth for our safety. But, uh, she's got no control over her spawn."

A woman with close-cropped curls was mouthing the words

flesh-eating spider people

over and over again.

"What are we all yelling about?"

They turned to the left and Cora peeked out the door. A particularly exhausted-looking Foshar stalked their way, both pairs of arms crossed.

"One of us is," Cora looked back at the group. "Missing, I think?"

One of them spoke up, indignant. "Hey!"

Whoops

. She'd replied to the officer in Roshak. "What'd you say to him?"

"I told him that I think the reason we're yelling is that one of us is missing. He didn't come in speaking English so why would I assume he knows it?"

"Because- oh."

"Yeah,

oh

. You're focusing on the wrong thing right now." She turned back to the officer. "I showed her where the garbage disposal is. She decided she wanted to go bother the Noxis patrolling the back of the ship."

"There's no Noxis on this ship."

"Hm?" Cora froze, slowly turning to look behind her. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

He leaned forward, irritated. "There's. No. Noxis. On. My. Ship."

Cora giggled nervously. "That's funny, cause, uh, there were two walking around back there. You can't mistake them for anything else. Especially not by the noise and smell. There's at least six total somewhere on the ship. I really... thought... they were crew... members?"

She watched, stomach turning, as the little bit of color in the officer's skin faded, turning him solid gray. He whipped around, hitting a keypad with excessive force. "Szaal!"

"What?"

"Crisis recall the entire crew to the common area, now!"

A soft, pleasant tune began to play over the loudspeakers. It sounded almost like a Nokia ringtone. The officer drew a small sidearm, toeing the door in front of him open. "Tell them to follow."

He's not leaving us for dead. That's nice of him.

"He says to follow him. I'm gonna bring up the back." Cora moved her hand in a quick circle, ushering them through the doorway. There was no scent here, but Cora wasn't telling the Foshar that.

Kevin's voice was steady, with an edge of annoyance. "What's going on?"

"We've got... I think you'd call them stowaways?"

"Flesh-eating spider stowaways?"

"Angela, that's not helpful."

"She's right," Cora replied brightly. "It'll be fine, though."

They entered the common room, the door closing and locking behind them.

"Tanaro, why'd you recall everyone?"

The Foshar officer turned to glare at Cora. "Tell them what you told me."

There were at least ten Foshar manning the ship, all now standing in front of her.

"Well, when I got on the ship, I smelled Noxis, and I've heard them moving around in the att- the superspace. You know, the tap-tap-tap. There were two walking around the back of the ship as if they were patrolling. I even spoke to one, and he smiled at me. Well, I can't really say it was a smile. You know,

grr.

" She imitated the Noxis grimace. "I kinda just kept walking after that. And now one of the humans is missing after she thought she was gonna go wandering around on her own." Now, Cora might have encouraged her to go say

hello

to the big, friendly Noxis, but that was none of their business.

A Foshar woman interrupted, making a sharp

click

with her tongue. "We're missing someone as well. Mital isn't here."

One of them vaulted over a table to sit in front of a large, wall-mounted computer. He scrolled through several red squares, tapping one furiously. "Oh. Uh. Mmm. Oh no." He pinched and swiped at the touchscreen, zooming in on a flashing set of numbers until they took up the entire screen.

"Oh no,

what

?"

"Mital's- hey, see, he could have just taken his monitor... off? Because he's, because otherwise his vitals are... oh, hmm." His voice stayed monotone, even as he gestured wildly. He put his head down on the desk, covering himself with his arms.

"Are there not cameras on this ship?" Cora already knew the answer.

Tanaro groaned. "There are

not.

"

Ray had always made it a priority to never regret anything that led to scientific discovery. His father taught him that.

Unfortunately, the only thing that Cora's death lead to was incredible guilt. No amount of fatherly advice would change that.

As they approached Koramin's ship, he shivered.

"Are you sure you have to do this?" His wife, Zomari, placed her hands on his shoulders. "I know you feel responsible, but you know they're likely to kill you if they catch you. I can't fight them all off."

"I can't hide from them forever, Zomari. They've probably already started hunting me."

She sighed. He'd collapsed to his knees, sobbing in front of the burning wreckage of the building after the summit. "I thought they knew. They didn't know."

She'd been forced to carry him back to their ship.

Now, she trailed behind him as he marched indignantly towards the throne room.

He'll get us killed before his former crewmates can even try.

She sighed, hanging back at the doorway and covering her eyes.

Ray tossed the doors open, eyes blazing. "Queen Kora-what?" His bold cry crackled to a whisper.

Tarina sat on the throne, equally confused. "Are you lost?"

"Yes!" Ray stepped backwards and shut the doors. He turned to his wife. "Um?"

"What just happened?"

"Koramin isn't in there. It's her daughter."

"Maybe she's on holiday?"

"My starshine, that's not something the Sheevae royalty do." He pressed his back to the closed doors, wildly looking around. "I feel I've missed something important."

A pair of ship staff were quickly approaching, Tor hot on their heels. "There you are. Come on." He seized Ray's elbow, pulling him down the hall. There was no rage, no vengeful snarl.

Zomari followed from a distance, now even more confused.

Tor stopped short at one of the technical rooms, sending Ray through the doorway first. Zomari stopped just before the door hit her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Come in."

Ray looked around before turning to face Tor. "What's going on? Where's Mar, and all the others?"

"Retrieval mission back to Roshak. Leo and Erie are here. Why?"

Ray took a step back, trembling. "I- I thought you'd be angrier at me."

"For?"

"

You know

what for!" he cried out. "I was in on the Queen's plan, and the last thing I did was make a sly joke! I thought she was in on it too, and because of my ignorance, she's gone." He dropped to his knees. "Just kill me already. I can't live with so much guilt."

Tor's expression flitted between laughter and shock. "You... you think Cora's dead?"

Ray sat up, freezing in place. "Is she not?"

"No. She just got shipped back to Earth. Told us to have you help her get back."

"But I-"

"You're a dumbass."

Zomari ran her hands over the smooth skin of her scalp. "I told you, Ray. That human is so much smarter than you give her credit for." She sighed, the secondhand embarrassment reaching painful levels.

"Koramin's dead, though." Erie piped up.

"Yeah, queen's dead." Ray stood, brushing at his clothes. "Of course."

"And Cora killed her."

"Yeah, makes sense. Classic Cora."

It was only then that Ray's ears actually passed what he'd heard along to his brain. Comprehension occurred.

Upon understanding, Ray made a noise that Tor would try and fail to recreate, years later.

"Why would we go on a retrieval mission for something unknown? Doesn't that seem like a trap to you?" Mar vented as he marched through the tall grass. The western train line had been downed, the trees in this area still too young to support any weight on their own. "We could be up there, making a plan to get her back."

Della stared hard at the ground. He was very bad at keeping secrets.

Tai, however, was a natural. "It's more likely that they feared the message would be intercepted."

"Then why send it at all?"

"Why," mumbled Della, running a hand under his rifle strap. "It's gotta be important."

"And we had to come get the kids anyway."

"Then why not get them first?"

Tai gave Mar a particular look. "You're arguing purely to argue. I know you want engines spinning and a plan in motion. Let's just focus. We have to survive this and bring the kids back in one piece. And get, uh, whatever Loyma has for her."

"Oh," whispered Tai, stopping suddenly. "Look at that."

The colony had grown considerably. In the distance were dozens of new homes, but just in front of them were the faint glimmer of hundreds of tripwires. Tai's hand shot out, catching Mar just before he hit one.

"It's only been, what, one rotation?"

Tai shrugged. "A bit longer, I think. Our suns alter the flow of time in orbit. Mar, I

know

you see all those traps."

He grumbled.

Della knelt to inspect one, following it to another tree. Then, he jumped up, crying out. It sounded like the cry of a majestic Targ.

One that was being strangled, maybe.

In the distance, a Roshak leapt into view above a gate with an answering cry. A faint yet resounding

click

echoed through the trees.

"They're all disabled now. We can go." Della hurried ahead.

Mar trailed behind, grumbling more as he found himself getting wrapped up in fine wire.

"Would you

focus

, already?" Tai hissed, already at the gate. "You're like a child."

Della shot him a panicked look.

"What? I didn't mean it like

that

."

"I can hear you." Mar was still a few paces away.

"No you can't," replied Della, turning to jog through the open gate.

Tai let Mar go ahead of him.

He

wasn't supposed to be here, but Tor couldn't come. And Della, left unsupervised, would have broken down and told him the truth before the ship even left orbit.

Loyma appeared, holding a bundle and beaming. She stopped short. "Wait, where's Cora?"

Tai nudged Mar.

"Oh. The Noxis Grand Mother ordered the Foshar to return her and their other human subjects to Earth. In order to keep us all alive and together, the queen had to agree to her terms. Tarina, since Koramin is dead."

"Then, is she-" Loyma trailed off, patting gently at the lump of fabric in her arms.

"We have a plan. We

will

get her back."

"If she doesn't get back herself," Della laughed. "Me, I'm expecting her to take that ship over and turn it around."

Tai peered up, one eye open. Loyma was staring at him. "Shit," he swore, ducking his head back down.

"It's fine. Relax, Tai. You're needed right now. Especially since Cora isn't here."

Mar was getting increasingly uncomfortable. "Tai, what the

fuck

is going on?"

Stepping forward, Tai laced his fingers together. "Cora was supposed to be here for this. She..." He took a deep breath, inching away from Mar ever-so-slightly. "She ended up carrying. Tor told her to wait to tell you until it hatched, so that you didn't have to grieve twice."

It was unfair of him to pass the blame to Tor. Tai had known Mar for years, but he had no clue how he'd react to this.

"So all of you knew?"

"What did he mean by grieve twice?"

Tai looked back, intending to shut Della up before he made things worse. Mar interrupted. "I thought it wasn't possible." His voice was flat.

This hadn't answered Della, but Tai's expression kept him from asking any more questions.

Loyma grew tired of waiting and marched forward. "It is. He's healthy and needs his family."

Mar reached out, using every hand to cradle the now-wriggling bundle. He stood stock-still for several moments.

Tai and Della looked at each other. Della opened his mouth.