What Happens in Orbit Pt. 13

Some time later, Arch stepped into the room. As usual, their expression was unreadable.

[Arch?]

They looked at her. [You cannot stay here.]

Cora frowned. [I- I know, but why now? What's changed?]

They sat. [I know who you are. If they find you here, we are all in trouble.]

Leaning back, Cora groaned. [How long have you known?]

[Enough to make arrangements.]

Two Roshak men stepped into the room, wearing dark green uniforms. Oh, hell.

Feeling guilty, Cora looked down at the brand-new tablet in her hand. It contained forged documents for her, Mel, and the two eggs in a box at her feet. Meri hadn't returned, and Sar was nowhere to be seen as an expressionless Roshak officer guided her into an elevator.

I'm so fucking tired of running.

She certainly wouldn't be running today. Just having her legs down in the wheelchair was agony. The doors opened to an empty alleyway. Cora's heart sank. She didn't even know what she was hoping for. They moved quickly, another officer walking in step with the one pushing her. A glance confirmed that he was carrying the eggs. He held it carefully, using both sets of arms.

Cora sighed. It could be worse.

As it turned out, mass transit was also a thing in space. And, concerningly enough, it reminded her of a Greyhound bus. The interior was plain, packed with neat rows of seats. There were no windows. Cora wasn't sure if she was nauseous or grateful for this. Her chair was parked into a corner, between a wall and a row of seats, before being secured. The eggs were placed into a the seat next to her, then buckled in. The officer doing this gave her a reassuring nod and a smile. [Someone will be checking on you throughout the trip.]

Cora didn't feel reassured. She felt scared. The terror she'd been choking down since she left the Core was quickly becoming unmanageable.

As she began to shiver, a female Roshak limped past her, a child following closely behind her. Just as Cora settled back into her thoughts, she reappeared, sitting next to her. She eyed Cora nervously before offering a wave.

[You too?]

Her left leg was heavily bandaged and splinted. Cora grimaced. [You fell?]

The woman nodded. [Not as far as you, though.]

Lifting her hair, Cora nodded her head at Mel. [I had to keep her safe.]

Her eyes lit up. [Oh! She's precious.] With a laugh, she gestured to the child sitting next to her. [I fell trying to catch this one.]

Cora heard a tiny sigh. [Sorry, Mama.]

At some point, it had become easier to breathe. Cora's nausea subsided. Mel crept forward from Cora's shoulder, peering curiously out at the woman and her child.

[I'm Ora. This is my son, Leo.]

Oh, another Leo. Neat. [I'm Cora, this is my daughter, Mel.]

She paused. [Mel? Hmm. Can I ask a question?]

Aw, hell. [Yeah, go ahead.]

Ora frowned, studying Mel's face. Mel looked back at her with wide, brown eyes. [Was she named for her grandmother?]

[I- Yes, she was.]

[Merimeli?]

Cora fought back a nervous cough. [Yeah, I-]

[Oh!] Ora's eyes lit up. [That's wonderful! Which one of her sons- Oh, sorry.] She stopped herself. [I got so excited, I forgot my manners. Our colonies are both near the same city. She's a good friend of mine.]

Cora sighed, relieved. This woman was from a colony, too. [Tor is her dad.]

Startling Leo, Ora clapped her hands together. [Finally! Meli always worried about that one. I did too, especially after he- Now, wait. Cora.]

Oops. [I know.] Ora's expression had shifted, concern darkening her eyes. [He's wanted. So are the rest of them- my- my colony. They didn't do all that stuff.] At least, not most of it.

Ora lowered her voice to a whisper, casting her eyes around the ship. [I believe you. But that means that you're the human the rumors are about, right?]

She nodded. [I am.]

[Amazing!] Ora flinched, lowering her voice again. [Sorry. I couldn't tell at all. You look just like one of us.]

Cora looked down at her arms. [But... I have two arms.]

[Not a problem. Many of us are born with only two. Some are born with more. It's totally up to chance.]

I didn't know that. Something about Ora made Cora want to trust her. Leo was curled up in her lap, dozing off.

[Here, can I see your tablet? I want to see what they put on your file.]

Cora handed it to her, watching her closely. This was a different kind than the one Mar gave her. She seemed familiar with it, though, and easily pulled up what she was looking for. A small picture of Cora popped up, with several lines of text beneath it.

[Yes! You're going to the same hospital as we are. It's an excellent one. And,] Ora grinned, [I can help you find Tor's mother. That's our city. I haven't spoken to her since I got my job at the port, but I'm sure she still lives in the same place.]

I hope so.

Tor did not sleep. After what felt like an eternity of staring at the table, he turned to the door. It was silent in the building, save for distant snoring. There was shouting outside, that he chalked up to late-night nonsense. Still, he paused, focusing on the shouting. It sounds familiar.

Gingerly, he pushed the door open. Port officers were arguing with someone outside, in Roshak. He squinted out into the dim light.

[-received a transmission regarding a fugitive. We're taking you in for questioning.]

Shit. Quickly, he pulled the door shut. That looked like Meri. But I can't risk being caught, not when we haven't found Cora yet.

He sat at the table again, putting his head back down.

Mel squeaked in Cora's ear, stirring her awake. One of the ship officers, in a light green uniform with silver badges was kneeling next to her. She was holding Cora's tablet, squinting at it.

[She's traveling with me,] Ora said, brightly.

The officer smiled down at her. [That's nice, have you known each other long?]

[No, but she's the daughter of a good friend of mine. We're from the same city! Met entirely by chance.]

[Will she be reuniting with her mother? Much of her ticket is blank, I need to fill it in.]

Ora reached over, patting Cora gently on her arm. [Yes, they've been out of touch for a few years. Had their differences.]

Understanding, the officer nodded. [Okay, that's all I needed. She would have been stopped at the dock without a post-recovery destination on file.]

Ora nodded, but as soon as the officer turned her back, she shuddered.

[That was close.] She whispered. [Whoever sent you, they set you up for failure.]

Cora frowned. [What do you mean?]

[They didn't complete the most important part of your file. Without a destination, you would have been put in custody of the city and been investigated. You look like us, sure, but that wouldn't have been enough.]

[Oh.] Studying her hands, her frown darkened into a scowl. [So they'll be looking for me at the dock.]

Ora nodded. [But that officer changed your file, you're going to travel with me. It'll be hard, you'll have to help me roll you around. We'll be going through a different section and walking to the hospital.]

[I can do that.] Cora studied the chair she was in. [And you can lean on me.]

Arch had to do what was best for them, but damn, he sure screwed me over.

As the ship docked, Ora placed Leo in Cora's lap. He flopped over, Cora barely catching him in time. Jeez, he's a heavy sleeper.

Someone was following them. The ground sloped slightly, making it easy for Cora to release the wheel and hold up her tablet. In the reflection were the guards that escorted her from the Core. Fuck.

[Hey, Ora. We have friends.]

[Huh?] She looked around, keeping her expression neutral. [Who are they?]

[They know the truth about me.]

[Ah.] She nodded, staying calm. [That's quite alright. Let's go around this next corner.]

Fighting back her anxiety, Cora carefully turned the corner. Two Roshak men were waiting there, one with six arms. Shit, she wasn't kidding. They both resembled Ora, with light brown fur and long ears.

[My brothers.] They waved politely, but Cora could tell they were on edge. One of them was guarding something heavy in his left pocket. Oh, boy.

Moving quickly, they stood at the edge of the alley. The one with only four arms pulled the object from his pocket. It definitely wasn't a gun. Cora wasn't sure what it was.

Ora pushed her along, still visibly calm. [Let's go, we have to get you signed in.]

There was a thud, a pained cry, and another thud from behind them. She continued speaking, as if nothing had happened. [I figured we would have trouble, for one reason or another. I called my brothers before we even left the ship.]

[Oh. Thank you.] Cora wished she knew more words. This woman had no reason to help her. [Isn't it dangerous for you to be helping me?]

Ora shook her head. [It's more dangerous to let them get away with what they've done to you. This city has no respect for the royal family, and even less respect for the Foshar. The only place they have any power is the prison, over there.]

As Ora spoke, the alley opened up onto a busy walkway. Cora realized that the green stuff she thought were bushes, were actually treetops. She thought back to the books she'd borrowed from Erie. This city was probably built on a framework stretched across the massive trees that grew in this region. It's good that I don't have a fear of heights. She didn't understand the units of measurement the book used, but it was high enough to be well out of reach of massive ground-dwelling predators. And the giant bugs. Don't forget the giant bugs, Cora. Holy fuck.

In the direction Ora pointed was a small, cubical building. It had windows, which Cora thought was weird for a prison. It didn't have guard towers, or even barbed wire. As they passed it, she realized that it was suspended by itself, with what looked like a mile-long bridge leading to it. Apart from the bridge, there was nothing. No ground, no beams, just a bunch of metal cables. Scary. I wouldn't want to go there.

The hospital was a weathered building, built from wood that was probably a color other than gray at some point. The ground here was more gray wooden planks, visibly patched with bright red planks. Ah. Where the rest of the city was buildings packed beside and on top of each other, the hospital stood by itself, about the size of a small school. The shape of the building was reminiscent of one, too. Long containers lined either side of the walkway, with various flowering plants inside each one. Cora realized that the warmth she felt on her skin was sun. Sun, not from a distant planet, not through a polarized shield, just straight sunlight.

[It's been a long time since I've felt sunlight,] she remarked to Ora.

She nodded, smiling ruefully. [Honestly, I hated working on that port. It's one of the darkest ones out there. And so cold, too.]

There was a long table inside the building, with one Roshak man sitting at it. He was built like the captain, stocky, but without tusks. The door slammed shut behind Ora, and he jumped out of his chair.

[Oh! Hello! You're here to check in?]

When the young man from the waiting room pushed Cora to a room by herself, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She didn't like being separated from Ora. I've only known her for a little while, but still.

[Cora, my name is Fin. I'm going to look at your file and get you ready for the nurse.]

She nodded, stroking at one of Mel's tiny hands.

[Don't be nervous, she's one of our best.] Fin beamed at her, unfolding a sheet onto the bed. [She can be a little bit... harsh, but she means well.]

[Um-] Cora gulped. [What do you mean?]

Fin waved a hand at her. [She just speaks her mind.] He leaned closer. [Especially about the royal family. She really hates them.]

[I think a lot of us do? I've been off the planet for a long time, but I've heard some really bad things.]

He relaxed. [Ah, ok. I had to make sure you wouldn't be upset. There's not much love for the matriarch here. You'll be just fine then, Cora!] He turned to leave, waving.

I sure hope so.

There was a window at the far end of the room, with more planter boxes outside of it. Wheeling herself up to the glass, Cora inspected it. Damn. It was a solid piece, sealed into the wall. That wouldn't be an option. There were large vents, a slowly spinning fan with wide blades, and a small door to her left. Just as Cora reached for her wheels, the door opened again. A woman peeked around the edge of it.

[Ah, okay, it is you.] She stepped in the rest of the way, closing the door gently behind her.

Uncertainly, Cora faced her. [It's... me?] She squinted at the nurse's name tag. Oh, shit.

[You're Tor's mother.]