What Happens in Orbit Pt. 20

Cora nodded. "My only worry is, Noxis aren't that difficult to kill. What if they just send a team to kill them all?"

Della poked her in the arm.

She realized that everyone in the room was staring at her with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "What?"

Loyma leaned forward, resting her good arm on her knee. "I'm sorry, what? How are Noxis easy to kill?"

Now uncertain, Cora held up her hands, gesturing a demonstration. "They're- you just- I don't know the word, but you just-" She slammed a fist into her hand, simulating the motion she'd used. "You have to use a lot of force, but their heads come off easily. Their skin is hard, but not like bone."

Della joined in. "They usually hunt alone, too."

"And... how do you know this?"

Cora leaned down, whispering in Tai's ear. "Do you want them to know about Amola?"

"Doesn't matter now," he sighed.

"They've worked with Noxis scavengers, out there. And I had one try to kill me when I was in the forest by myself. I just- you know, wha-pow." She punctuated her sentence with a low-effort karate chop.

Concerned, Loyma shook her head. "No, no I don't know wha-pow. But... fine."

Della sat up suddenly. "How do you feel about traps?"

"We've used them before. We just don't have the materials to make the right kind. For Noxis, or intruders."

Scrabbling for his tablet, Della scrolled through, looking for something. "One of my dads, Melo, makes traps, good ones. He owes me a ton of favors anyway."

"Is that what that thing was, from before? The thing you caught?"

Della beamed, proudly. "Nope! I built that one. Taught the kids to set it back up."

"So," Loyma spoke thoughtfully, the wheels turning. "We could relocate closer to the blacklisted region nearby. Or, we could stay here, set up traps suited for our area. Most importantly, we need to get in contact with your family, Della. Without sending anything over the network."

He hummed. "We can, but it would be a full day's journey back up there with my leg."

"No, it wouldn't." Cora stood. "It took us a day to get here because even when in perfect health, most Roshak don't have the stamina to travel long distances." She twisted left, testing her body. "Running for long distances is a common hobby on Earth, one I used to do competitively."

It had been incredibly frustrating, knowing that they'd traveled only about fifteen miles in an entire Roshak day. She'd once walked further just to get coffee.

"Cora, you're not-"

Surprising both of them, she shot Tai a sharp look. "I'm not what? You need to stay here with Della and the babies. I'll be scaling the trees first; the train station will be visible from there. His family's home is on the only unmarked pathway. The area under the arch is trapped. I'll be back before the sun comes back up. It works, anyway, Tai, because to be honest, I can barely stand to look at you right now."

He looked like he was about to cry.

Ignoring him, Cora passed her stolen rifle to Della, digging through her own small bag. A large canister of water, and several packaged snack foods.

Closing her bag, she looked to Loyma. "I wouldn't worry about his family, something tells me that they'd love the opportunity to help. But it's up to you. Do you really want their help?"

Loyma nodded. "Right now, they're our best chance at defending ourselves. And we need it, as soon as possible. Thank you, Cora."

With that, Cora turned, running a hand over Della's head. She leaned down. "Have him take care of the kids. And make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, okay? I want both of you here when I get back," she whispered. He nodded, shooting an unsure glance at Tai.

As she crested the tree she'd chosen, clinging to thin branches at the peak, Cora realized that she hadn't rested in a while. That's gonna catch up to me. Oh, well.

The trees thinned out to mountains before her, the train station lights easily visible in the night. "Alright, let's go." Cora dove from her perch, landing on the highest branches she dared. She didn't want to lose sight of the train station, and it was far too easy to get lost in the woods. Quickly, she developed a rhythm, jumping, swinging, and landing before checking her bearings again. It was almost meditative.

The trees grew sparse as the rocky ground rose to meet her. Easy part is over. The moment her feet hit the path, Cora broke into a comfortable jog. It was a pleasant night, the air cool and humid. She neared the train station, then passed it. Were we really going that slow? This was nothing.

Taking the same path Della had tripped over, Cora pushed herself to move faster. She had barely broken a sweat.

The stone arch loomed into view. Cora ducked under it as the spear whizzed by, just above her head. That was close.

The lights were still on at Della's family home.

She approached the door, suddenly uncertain. I don't remember if knocking is something that the Roshak do. There was no bell, no other method of saying, hey, someone is here. Cora decided to knock.

Lorra answered the door, mildly irritated. "It's too damn late to be- oh! Cora! What the fuck happened to your face?" Yanking her inside, she pulled her under the light and held her face carefully. "Where's your mates? Is my son okay? Your babies?"

Cora nodded. "I'm fine, everyone's fine. Things didn't go like they were supposed to at all. I'm actually here to ask your family for help."

"Go ahead, what is it?" Both her mates entered the room, eyes bleary.

"Well, it's actually for Tai's family. They're actually an illegal colony, and I think their city just realized this. They were attacked today, several armed Roshak officers showed up with the intend to disband them."

Lorra's eyes went wide. "There's still a traditional colony in our area?" She looked over at Calla and Melo. "The only one we knew about was The Compound, that one near the capital city. That's-" Lorra stopped herself, taking a shaky breath. "They need traps?"

Cora nodded.

"They, uh, want some extra family members?" Melo spoke up, his voice surprisingly gentle for his massive stature.

"I don't know. Loyma- the leader- said that they can't afford any extra mouths to feed right now. They're so isolated, I don't think they've had any new colony members in years. There's maybe 12 of them, now."

Calla shared a meaningful glance with Melo and Lorra. "Where are they at?"

Cora eyed the doorway, thinking. "If you head past the train station, down the mountain path to the woods, you can follow the red moon through the forest straight to them. Night travel is best, the path gets really hot during the day. You'll have to stay high in the trees, but there's a suspended pathway that you'll find if you've gone the right way." She'd come to learn that some Roshak used the cardinal directions, while some of them used words like sunwise and anti-sunwise. Because of this, she was trying to avoid using them at all. The planet had six moons that hung at various points in the sky, making this an easy task.

Melo looked back in the direction of his workshop. "I've got a good bit of back stock, I'll bring what we have."

They turned back to her, something conspiratorial in their behavior. "I suppose you need to head back now?" Lorra suggested, almost hopeful.

Cora frowned. "Hey, I don't want to be rude, because you agreed to help. But. I'm getting the idea that you all are thinking about doing something you don't want to tell me about." She held her hands up, palms out. "It's not anything bad, is it?"

Shaking her head vigorously, Lorra laughed. "No. We'll bring the traps tomorrow night, but we're gonna talk to some of our neighbors before then. They might have more help for Tai's family."

"I, uh, okay. Just... don't get me in trouble, okay? Their leader kind of already doesn't like me. I don't want to make it worse."

Lorra gave her an odd look, opening her mouth to ask a question before Calla poked her. "She needs to head back. You can find out later."

"Fine. Oh! Cora. Take some food with you. We made too much today."

Four insulated food containers weighed her bag down considerably as Cora jogged back down the path. From this direction, she could see the trap the kids had set up, the spring open. Still, she slowed, ducking below the spear embedded in the stone wall. I bet I could go faster. I still haven't gotten tired. Staying alert, Cora picked up her pace, breaking into a run. It was downhill from here, the path even and smooth. She waited for her lungs to start burning.

She passed the train station, her pulse staying low and even. It's like I'm not even running. What the fuck? She pushed the pace, widening her stride. The longest part of her journey, the path to the forest, flew by in a blur.

Scaling the first full-size tree she came to, Cora launched herself to the next one, letting the red moon lead her back to her family. She pushed herself further, tearing through the trees. Whoops, too high. She'd nearly flown right past the path.

Tai was sitting there, head resting on his knees. Cora dropped from the trees, landing quietly in front of him.

"Are they making you stay out here?"

He jumped, relaxing when he realized it was her. "No. I wanted to wait for you."

She blinked slowly at him, sighing. "Where's Della and the kids?"

"Sleeping."

Cora approached him, placing a hand on his head. He looked up at her, fingers tracing nervously over the seam of his pants pocket.

"Have you eaten?"

He shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, Cora knelt in front of him. "Tai, I know you feel like you didn't have a choice. You put off telling the truth for too long." She held his face in her hands, watching his eyes drop to the ground. One hand slid along his jaw to rest on the back of his neck.

Gently, she lifted his chin. "Look at me."

He obeyed.

"I can't afford to not be able to trust you, Tai. Do you understand me?"

When he tried to nod, he realized that she had him in a firm grip. The hand on the back of his neck tightened, preventing him from looking back down. "I'm up here. The ground isn't talking to you." Though her words were hostile, Cora kept her tone soft. "You get no more chances. If you choose to risk our childrens' lives again, you should hope that it's one of the others that find out first. You've got a better chance of surviving."

She'd practiced these words a few times on her way back, keeping his mother's warning fresh in her mind.

When the hold on his neck released, he leaned forward, resting his head against her chest. Cora frowned, noticing a slight shiver.

"Come on, let's go eat."

As Cora followed him back, Tai's mother stepped onto the path. Tai started to speak, but she silenced him with a vicious glare.

"Cora. I'd like to speak with you."

"Okay!" She reached into her bag, passing Tai the bowls. He took them, shooting her a nervous glance before moving towards their temporary home.

"How are you feeling?"

She seemed expectant. Cora frowned, confused. "Pretty good, better than usual. I was able to run the whole way there and back without getting tired."

"Of course, because you're carrying. You haven't found a safe place for them, yet. You'll be able to do anything until you find a suitably warm location, you know."

"Huh?" Wait, no. That can't be right. Mar said- oh, I'm an idiot! I should know better by now. She sighed, trying not to panic. "Normally I get cold, and super anxious." There was a weight in her stomach, but nothing visible.

She nodded sagely. "It's that way the first few times. It's likely not as many this time, and your body is used to the process now." She smiled softly, reminiscing. "Of course, you'll have to ask Loyma if you can use the cave."

"The what?" She'd said cave, but there was an extra sound tacked onto the end of the phrase. It was an important cave. The last thing Cora wanted to do was ask Loyma for anything, much less the use of an important cave belonging to her. She kept her thoughts to herself. "Here," his mother spoke, gesturing ahead. This was a larger home, the walls covered in the same bark as the surrounding trees. "I know you're nervous, Cora. I'll take you to go talk to her about it. For now, go eat."

Loyma's reaction was unexpected, to say the least. She bounced on the heels of her feet, her excitement poorly concealed.

"Oh, absolutely. I'll take her down there, Raima."

Cora tried not to be suspicious. A secluded cave, likely on ground level (as was expected for a cave). There were several possibilities that ended in her disappearing. She didn't like these possibilities.

"I had no idea you were carrying, Cora! You hide it so well."

Cora cringed. "I actually had no idea."

"Ah. Apologies." She walked to the edge of the path, looking down. "Stay close to me, okay? I'll admit, I shouldn't be doing this with the shape I'm in. I may need your help."

All of Loyma's hostility had seemingly evaporated. Uncertain, Cora nodded. "Of course. It's, uh, kind of my fault you're like that anyway."

Loyma waved a hand at her, laughing. "Don't feel bad. This was needed. To remind my family that I'm not indestructible."

Was that an issue? "That's... good to know?"

It quickly became apparent that Loyma was going to need a lot of help. Each time she landed, she lost her balance, forgetting that two of her arms were wrapped tightly to her chest. Cora lunged forward, barely catching her.

"Thank you. Don't worry, it isn't too far." Cora noted that they were heading towards the mountains, slightly adjacent to the path she'd taken back to Lorra's house.

A sudden cramp caught her by surprise. She wheezed, trying not to let Loyma fall.

"You're starting. Don't worry, we're almost there." Somehow, as they got closer to the ground, the air got even hotter. "Jump down here. It's too hot for most predators."

Cora tensed as she jumped, taking on Loyma's momentum when they hit the ground to avoid jostling her arms. "Oh, thank you. Here's the cave."

For a moment, the change in the air stung her eyes. "What makes it so hot?"

"The inner layers of our planet."

Oh, it's... Cora racked her brain for the right word. Geothermal? Neat. The opening was small, but the path leading inside was well-worn. I really feel like I shouldn't be here. This is like, a sacred thing.

"I know you feel like you shouldn't be here," Loyma spoke softly, making Cora jump.

"How'd you know?" Cora started to suspect that she could read minds.

"Lucky guess. And the way you're moving. You're unsure."

She didn't respond. They'd entered the cave, the air hot and humid. It was pitch-black. Even after Cora's eyes had adjusted, it was still hard to see anything other than outlines.

The cave walls were mostly smooth, the stone floor taking them lower with every step. It was steep enough to make Cora lean back slightly, not trusting Loyma's balance. In the distance ahead of them, there was a faint glow. Cora realized that geothermal might not have been the right word, though she was proud to have remembered it. The narrow cave opened up suddenly as they walked into a massive chamber. Across from them, at the rear of the chamber, lava crept by.

"Hm." Cora stopped, nervous.

"What is it?"

She shook her head, thinking. There'd been a movie her mom loved to watch, about a volcano that popped up in a major city. She'd watched it at far too young an age, and the mental image of a man melting as he walked through lava still made her stomach turn.

"Back on my home planet, that- that stuff back there would melt humans just by being near it." When her mom was asleep, she'd put the VHS tape in the player with the television off, listening to the mechanical whirring as she fast-forwarded it to the end. Her mom would have to spend a while rewinding it if she wanted to watch it, giving Cora time to hide while her mother wondered why she always forgot to rewind this one.

She hated that movie.

Loyma tilted her head, holding out a hand. The air wavered around them, the heat still only pleasant to her, like sun-warmed pavement. "It's possible that- that perhaps, what makes up your planet's lava burns much hotter than ours. Or, that we Roshak simply have a higher heat tolerance. I'm not sure that you can consider yourself human anymore, Cora."

"They told you about the experiments?"

Loyma nodded, leading her to the center of the cavern. A section of the floor carved out, reminiscent of a small, empty in-ground pool, right down to the steps leading in. Within, there were neat layers of blankets freshly laid out, two Roshak women seated and waiting for them. They greeted her, smoothing the blanket in front of them. There were pillows, bowls, and pitchers next to them. One of them spoke as if she'd known Cora her whole life. "Loyma tells us you've already done this twice, out there. What was it like?"

Cora sat down, shimmying out of her clothes. "Not a good time. The first time, I was in a maintenance tunnel with one of my mates. Then, the second time, it was after I'd just fallen through the floor of a spaceport. They said I broke a lot of bones, but all of the eggs were just fine."

They listened in horror.

"But..." Cora chewed at her lip, feeling bad. "I wasn't alone for any of it. I don't think I could have done it by myself."

The one that asked shook her head. "No," she spoke slowly, still processing what Cora said. "No, I don't think you could have. You shouldn't have had to go through any of that."

Shaking her head, Cora agreed.

One of them moved to sit behind her. "I'm going to touch you and try to feel where you're at."

Cora nodded, unsure how to feel. Where I'm at?

Slipping under her shirt, hands pressed firmly into her lower stomach, framing a single egg. "Just one, Loyma, you were right."

Just as Cora tried to sigh in relief, the woman pressed down, moving the egg slightly. A gasp tore from her lips. "Sorry, that felt weird."

Loyma sat in front of her, gingerly settling down. "You know, Cora, it's usually not supposed to be a painful process. It rarely is for us."

The cramps were coming back with a vengeance. Cora replied through a grimace. "Yeah? Why's that?"

Another pair of hands massaged at the place where her hips met her thighs, targeting a particular spot. The other woman shuffled forward on her knees, offering Cora a drink. As Cora took the cup, she held her hands under it, watching her carefully.

"I won't speak for all colonies, but most of us try to make this an enjoyable process."

The drink was faintly bitter, but had a warming quality. Cora found herself reminded of ginger, or horseradish.

The burn continued.

That's definitely alcoholic, too.

The pair of hands circling the outline of an egg began to move in faint circles. It started to feel less weird, and more... interesting. In all honesty, Cora was fighting viciously against the growing tension in her stomach. Stop, Cora, this isn't supposed to be horny-

Loyma leaned forward, staring intensely. "Do you feel like you're not allowed to enjoy this?"

She has got to be psychic! Fuck! Another cramp shuddered through her. "I- I don't know. Suffering is... kind of mandatory for humans- ouch- humans that do this."

A pair of hands cradled her face, surprisingly cool to the touch. "You're not human." The cup was brought back up to her lips, and she happily accepted another drink. It was becoming easier to relax.

"Suffering is never mandatory, Cora."

Cora lost count of how many hands were gently kneading at her flesh. She relaxed into their grasp, letting the cave's heat sink into her. The rolling cramps she expected were all pressure, no pain. The feeling of the egg moving downwards pulled a weak whine from her lips. "Damn, that's nice."