What Happens In Orbit Pt 24

Isaura hadn't looked quite as excited as she'd tried to be. Cora made her way back to her hotel room, crossing the street from the offices.

I wonder if she wants to come with us. I wonder if she even can.

They hadn't given her a time estimate, just that the ship would be arriving... soon.

Cora looked down at her clothes as she searched for the room key. She'd gotten sick of everyone sticking her in Dollar General sweatsuits every time they got the chance.

Kneeling in front of her bag, Cora pulled out several folded outfits.

She'd felt weird wearing these on Earth. Tor and Mar had been excessively secretive about where they'd come from, or how much they'd cost. Fit wasn't a problem, Roshak clothes had to work with a wide variety of body shapes and configurations. Loose pair of pants, undershirt, and her favorite part, the vest. It was made with crisscrossing pleats, tacked down with tiny, neat stitches.

One set was a deep brown, one a neutral sage green, and one a lighter brown, the fabric interwoven with shimmering copper threads.

That one was too fancy. Wrapping it back up and tucking it away, Cora settled on the green pair.

Her hair was gathered together in a stiff lump at the nape of her neck. Poking at it, she sighed. She'd have to shower first.

In the shower, Cora kept feeling something unsettling come over her.

I know I'm excited. Why do I feel like this? I want to leave. I want to.

She sat down under the water, poking at a particularly mildewy patch near her.

I feel like shit.

She turned the water colder.

Maybe it was the coffee. Maybe it was the-

Her stomach turned, suddenly and violently.

"Don't think about the bugs, Cora," she told herself, taking a shaky breath.

I need a peppermint or something.

She turned the water colder still.

Her hands shook as she uncapped the tiny sample-size shampoo and started to work it into her hair.

Unfortunately, the Refreshing Lemongrass Ginger Champú, completely tolerable a week ago, was now reminiscent of rotting cabbage. She gagged, chucking the bottle away and tried in vain to rinse it out of her hair before she got sick.

The cold water didn't help at all.

It was definitely the coffee. Cora groaned as she gingerly brushed her teeth.

I'm okay. It was just the coffee.

It had taken her an entire half-hour to get dressed, bouts of dizziness prompting her to kneel on the laminate floor, pressing her forehead into the cool tiles.

She left the vest just loosely tied, unwilling to anger her stomach any more.

Now, Cora sat in the shade on the edge of the negotiated landing zone, nibbling at apple slices given to her by a concerned Isaura.

"You don't look okay at all."

Cora had shrugged. "I haven't had coffee in years. I don't think I can have it anymore."

The apples were crisp and sour, to her immense relief. The thought of sugary styrofoam apples set her stomach burning again.

Fuck.

She'd fallen asleep at some point, waking up to Isaura trying and failing to pick her up. "Are they here?"

"No, not yet."

"Darn." Barely awake, Cora was already tearing up. The sun had gone down completely, the field lit poorly by a pair of halogen lamps on either end.

She groaned. "Okay, I can go back to my room. I didn't mean to fall asleep out here."

The once-scratchy canvas of her clothes had softened after a few months of aggressive wear and even more aggressive cleaning. Cora buried her face in the crook of her arm. Her long-sleeved undershirt still held a faint, metallic pine scent.

I hope they come soon.

Cora woke up to her room's phone ringing. It was Isaura again. "They tell me your friends are entering orbit now, you have maybe an hour."

Still tired, she slung her bag over her shoulder, brushing haphazardly at her clothes.

As she stepped out into the sun, her heart rate started to quicken. Something was glinting in the mid-day sky.

Cora's excitement fizzled out as she stepped onto the descent ship. Something was off. A pair of Sheevae officers waited inside, eyeing her. Their mannerisms were much closer to humans than the Foshar's, and Cora could tell they were

not

happy.

She sat in an open seat. "Thank you for coming to get us."

"It wasn't our choice," replied one of them. Cora watched, confused, as the other elbowed the one who'd spoke.

Memories of the discussion she'd had with Tarina flooded back.

Ooh. Oh, shit.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Cora relaxed in her seat, signing an

it's fine

gesture for Mital. "You... both seem pretty angry about having to pick us up."

They eyed each other, turning back to her slowly. "Koramin liked you. She trusted you."

Cora nodded, choosing her words carefully. "I like her. She showed me a lot of kindness."

The two were the same color, but one had much longer fins. This one leaned forward, regarding her cruelly. "You realize she's dead now, right?"

What the fuck is going on?

Cora tilted her head. "Were you there when the Grand Mother came to get me?"

They squinted at her, not responding.

Shit.

"I knew something happened, but I was sent back to Earth before I found out exactly what."

Why would Tarina send anyone not from her inner circle? Knowing about the unrest?

Cora hadn't had a lot of time to get to know the new Sheevae ruler, but she knew she wasn't an idiot.

Please let them be up there.

"Hm." They turned, ignoring her.

Mital leaned in, but Cora clasped her hands, hushing him.

Not right now.

Before Cora's eyes could adjust to the ship's lights, she was in Mar's arms. Tai and Della stood behind him, waiting patiently. Pressing her cheek to Mar's, she smiled. "I missed you all so much."

Pushing away, Cora jumped back to the ground. "Are the kids here?"

Tai shook his head. "They're back on the queen's ship.

All

of them."

"All?

All

?" Cora whirled back to face Mar. He nodded, but his smile was forced.

He'd noticed whatever Cora had noticed, too.

Frustration welled up in her chest. They should have been allowed to enjoy this, but the too-blank faces of the Sheevae surrounding them made it difficult.

We can relax once we're back on Tarina's ship.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I'm really tired. Can we...?" Cora made a vague gesture, hoping they'd understand. Mital stood behind her uncertainly. "I know he needs rest, too." Really, she just wanted privacy.

They flanked her, Mar walking behind her. None of the Sheevae followed.

"Did something happen?" Cora gestured at Mital, trying to get him to walk closer.

Mar shook his head. "We don't know. It's been like this since we left. There was a lot of rioting. Tarina decided to announce her mother's death, but nothing else."

Why wait for me?

Della paused at a door. "This one's empty if you want it." He looked to Mital.

"Oh. Thanks." Mital opened the door, closing it quickly behind him.

He opened it again. "I'm staying in here until it's safe." He gave Cora a pointed look, one that mirrored the one she'd given him several times.

"Okay."

The next door was theirs. Tai pushed it open, glancing down the hall before entering. Mar was last to enter, stopping just in the doorway, checking the hall again.

The minute the door shut behind them, Cora let out a loud sigh. "What a mess."

"We can speak freely, Mar already checked for any listening devices."

"What the fuck is going on?"

Della shrugged. "It's been like this since we boarded. You'd think Tarina would've made sure the crew picking you up were more, y'know, friendly. Or at least not complete jackasses."

Mar was nodding, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes drifted back towards the doorway.

"Mar?" Cora tilted her head.

"Hm?" He turned back to her, forcibly brightening his expression.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I want to go check on. It's been bothering me."

Tai sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs and giving Mar a hard look. "Something?"

"Nothing serious. I'll be right back."

He ducked out of the room before they could argue.

Cora knew that expression.

Five minutes and I go after him.

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments. "I'll go after him in a bit and make sure he's not doing anything stupid."

Della's eyes darted to his crate.

"

No

. I'm sure we're fine. We're supposed to be trusting Tarina, remember?" Tai reached out, poking Della in his side.

"Mmm."

Cora stood abruptly. "Yeah, no, I'll go get him. It's not that I don't think we're safe, I just want him here with us."

It was a smaller ship, much smaller than the one that'd brought her back to Earth. No windows.

Since when does a Sheevae ship not have windows?

There had to be at least one. She'd find it later.

She headed to the right. His scent was still in the air, meaning he hadn't gone far.

It grew stronger as she approached a darkened doorway. There was furious whispering, just barely audible over a loud, raspy noise. As the rasping faded, the whispers grew louder. It was Sheevae language.

Nervously, Cora stepped forward.

"Cora."

What?

Mar was there, on the ground.

"You need to get yourself out of this situation without panicking. How will you do that?"

He wasn't moving.

There were two Sheevae in the room, their eyes fixed on her.

"Cora."

Something had gone wrong. Cora blinked, once, then again. "What happened?"

"He heard something he wasn't supposed to."

"He does that sometimes."

"Tone down the sarcasm, Cora. You'll need to make it back to Tai and Della. I prefer that you never came out here, but I know you better than that."

Okay.

"What'd he hear?"

The one on the left had dull blue scales and eyes to match. "You want to end up like him?" They gestured at the ground.

"Don't look down, Cora."

"You're not happy about the new queen, are you?" Cora kept her eyes glued firmly on theirs.

They shared an uncertain glance. "What do you know?"

"You're supposed to earn the throne through combat, right? And Tarina didn't."

The Sheevae on the left was clad in an unfamiliar uniform, simple and practical. Not fit for a Sheevae at all. Their skin was a deep orange, washed out in the shadow of the room.

Cora was watching herself in third-person, her voice coming from somewhere other than her hollow chest. "Idiots. You didn't have to kill him. What a waste."

"What?"

"You were thinking of using me as a... I forgot the word. Use me to get to her and be allowed a chance at the throne?"

The orange one shouldered a heavy length of pipe. "You're smarter than I thought."

"Almost there, Cora."

"

I'm

not an idiot. Roshak have been dealing with corrupt leaders for years. We'll help. Just don't kill any more of my mates. Their corpses are useless."

Their eyes narrowed. "You're not angry?"

"I am, but what am I going to do about it?"

"There you go. Now go back to Tai and Della. You're going to make a plan to sneak out of here at the next port."

The blue one shifted forward, but the orange one stopped them.

Cora turned, walking back to the room.

Step, step, step, step. Walking was a lot of work.

She was holding it above her head. It was like a massive weight. She'd be okay as long as she didn't let go.

Can't let it sink in.

A few paces down the hall, her body jerked to a stop.

Why are we running away?

"Because we don't do things that way any more."

Like you'd let them live if it was me. What would you do?

He didn't respond.

Dirt was in the track of the door, making a grating sound as Cora pulled it open. She could feel the grit catching on the metal.

She was slowly settling back into her body. It didn't feel the same now.

He was still there. "First, assess your enemy."

"Tai, tell me about the crew."

The door had slammed shut with enough force to warp the frame. Her palm stung. When had she done that?

Tai and Della stood. While Tai listed off the types and numbers of crew members, Della's eyes were widening. He mouthed something.

"Find out what crew are essential. You at least need an engineer, two pilots, and an officer to run a ship of this size. Your friend is an engineer, so you really only need to leave the pilots alive."

Della was standing over his crate, assembling a rifle with too-calm hands. Another hand tossed a sidearm to Tai. He caught it without taking his eyes off Cora.

At some point, he'd understood, too.

"I'm going to ask Mital something."

Cora went to his room, opening the door more carefully this time. He jumped up. "What is it?"

"This is a Foshar ship, right?"

Mital nodded.

"Can you trigger the crisis recall alarm from here?"

He looked around, poking his head into the hall. "I can, but there's someone in the way of the panel."

"Okay, I'll fix that."

Cora left his room, nodding at the Sheevae standing there. She went to her bag, pulled the hammer out, and shouldered it while approaching the guard. "Hey!"

A length of pipe was hanging at his side, a chunk of metal affixed to it. "It looks like they all have improvised weapons."

They looked up, confused, as she lifted the hammer. "I think you need this."

Upon impact, one of Cora's greatest suspicions was confirmed. It wasn't just the Noxis. Everyone was susceptible to a hammer swung at full force.

"I tried not to hit the panel," she called out to Mital before dropping into a crouch.

"...Thanks." He stood back, letting her drag the body out of his way. "Do I want to know what's going on?"

"Nope." With more aggression than necessary, Cora shoved it into a storage recess.

"Success." The alarm sounded, a friendly jingle that was severely contrasting what was about to happen.

"Thank you. Now lock yourself in your room. I'll come get you when it's safe."

"Sure." He turned, leaving her in the hall. There was commotion in the distance as Tai and Della joined her.

"You two circle around. I'm going to go in there and talk at them a bit."

The crew gathered uneasily in the main area, two standing guard at the only remaining entrance. The others had been shut and locked.

"Where are your mates?" One of them spoke up.

It took a lot of control for her to respond calmly. "Which ones?"

They looked at each other, uncertain. Cora stepped into the room, hammer heavy against her leg. Della was above her, crouched in the superspace.

"So... you want the new queen dead?" Every Sheevae froze in place, but most were only confused.

The room was packed just above safe capacity, but with them all standing still, Cora was able to pick out several crewmembers wearing pilot's gear. It was pretty universal. Loose, comfortable clothes to help them tolerate the intense heat put off by the navigation system's computers.

Two of them were looking at her. She'd leave them. Everyone else was looking around.

Their

eyes, however, were full of dread.

They're smart.

"I asked a question, nobody answered. I know some of you speak Roshak. You have to do things right, you have to fight. You have to be able to kill Tarina. Who here can do that?"

The orange one she spoke to earlier crossed his arms. "Many of us."

"Let's do a test run, then. Translate for me. Step forward if you can kill her."

The first one to step forward was a lithe, considerably taller Sheevae with mottled blue skin, who immediately dropped to the ground. The contents of their skull littered the ground.

"Wow, your kind bleed a

lot

." She hadn't even reached for her hammer.

The orange one from earlier sank to the ground, then lunged for her.

"Della,

let me.

"

She didn't even need her hammer. He had a longer reach, sure, but that didn't mean much. Her fingers sank easily into his flesh, bone splintering as she tore outward. It was like shelling crab.

Maybe a little messier.

Her pulse surged in her temples, her face heating up. He certainly wasn't breathing anymore. She wanted to keep going. Bodies fell around her. There was-

Oh, this was the one she was supposed to spare.

Brakes, Cora.

She paused to survey the room again.

Della had picked off more than she would have liked. Some of them had sank to their knees, holding their hands out.

One of them spoke, a harsh, broken whisper. "Please. We'll do anything."

"Mm. Can you bring back my mate?" Cora's voice sounded foreign to her own ears. It was sickeningly harsh, mocking the Sheevae begging for their life.

"No- I've got a-"

"Della." Cora turned her back. The pilots were now in front of her. She appreciated that none of them were shaking. There was a dull

thud

behind her.

She crossed her arms. "This was supposed to be a nice, easy mission. Just come get me. That was it.

You all

made it hard."

Only one of them was understanding what she was saying.

"Do you want to become our queen?"

Cora's lips twisted into a snarl. "Is that what you're worried about right now?"

There were two others backed against the far wall. Della dropped from the ceiling.

"Where's Tai?"

He looked to his left. "He said he was going to check on something."

Cora rolled her eyes. "You know, that's exactly what Mar said. God damn it." The truth would set in soon, she could feel it.

One of the screens flickered on, showing three lines of flashing script. She sighed. The adrenaline wasn't wearing off like she would have hoped. Her body felt like it would snap if she moved too quickly.

"Do I need to worry about you all trying to kill me?"

The one that could understand her shook their head.

"Good. Tell them. It'll be peaceful until we get back. And when I get my hands on her, it'll be even more peaceful."

Cora wasn't sure if she meant it or not. She hadn't really considered the idea. She was angry enough to kill Tarina, she knew that, but she doubted the new queen would have knowingly put her own heir in danger.

Still, the pilot's eyes lit up. "Really?"

She chewed at her lip. "We'll see what the situation is when we get there. Now, tell me what that says."

"I'll read it exactly. Selective deactivation of lockdown in- that's not a word in Roshak, sorry. Someone is in our medical room."

Cora turned this over in her mind. Tai hadn't joined the fighting, he hadn't even properly entered the room. Mital would be the only one that knew how to deactivate the lockdown.

"Where's that at?"

The pilot, fins glued against their scalp, wrung their hands. "Can I show you?"

Della flicked the battery switch on his rifle, sending a distinctive

clack-hmm

echoing around the room. The pilot stiffened.

Cora nodded. "Please do."

As it turned out, it

was

Tai and Mital. As she approached the doorway, something stopped her. "Della, you go in and find out what's going on. You, wait out here with me."

Cora leaned against the wall. This was the outer edge of the ship, the reinforced paneling leaving little room for anything else. Open space was only a few feet away. Through several layers of metal, of course. The pull of gravity was off here. Cora played with the weight in her legs. This wouldn't be a good place to fight.

The pilot turned to her. "I think you could do it!" They'd moved too quickly. The barrel of Della's rifle, the pretty green one she'd stolen for him, was now glued to their temple. His face appeared through the doorway, rifle unmoving.

"No more moving. Cora, they've got Mar. He's- Tai can't tell if he's dead or not." His voice was so soft that his tones were hard to read.

"What?" She weakly gestured for him to put the rifle down. "How can he not tell?"

"I don't know. He's hooking him up into this machine now."

Cora wished she hadn't gone into the room. They'd taken Mar's uniform shirt off, lines of tubing running through metal ports placed on his too-pale skin. His chest was caved in. Dry purple crusted around his nose and mouth.