Chapter Two
“Lady, one of the first people you will meet will be a therapist. They will assess your mental condition before anything else happens.” Aberen was briefing her before she left the shuttle.
Aubrey looked at her. “Very well.”
“We are waiting for your guards, as there have been a few kidnapping attempts on those who have Hmrain compatibility. With your markings, you are already compatible; it is the rating that is in question. So we wait for the station guard. All of them.”
Aubrey blinked. “Oh. Got it.”
“Your eyes are turning to pearl.”
“Are they? Excellent; one more dissimilarity between myself and my sister.”
“She is down on the surface?”
“Yes.”
“We could have brought her up.”
“She left me tied to a metal structure and left me to die in the direct wind, so... no.”
Aberen nodded. “I understand. It is appalling, but I understand. Will you punish her?”
“No. She and our other companions are going to learn that they are going to worlds where deception from the new species isn’t allowed or encouraged.”
“Is that how they advance themselves?”
“She plays victim, and the men with her rush to ease her, including blaming those around her. When we looked nearly identical, she engaged in a lot of illegal activities and blamed me when video evidence was found, even if I could prove I was elsewhere.” She tugged at her short hair.
“Now, I no longer resemble her. She can’t pretend to be anyone other than herself. ”
She smiled. “My eyes changing and my height increasing are all the tools I need to find out who I am when I am not her shadow.”
Aberen nodded. “So there is a benefit for you in this. What about the odds of taking a Hmrain as mate?”
“Very likely. I will know him when I see him.”
“You don’t mind?”
Aubrey chuckled. “When my transformation is complete, I will not be fit for anyone else. It has to be one of the overseers or overlords. I would most likely break anyone else.”
Aberen blinked. “Lady?”
“When this started happening, a pulse began, and it isn’t anywhere useful.”
The being in front of her blushed a hot pumpkin. “I understand.”
“I am glad because I was already thinking of how to draw a diagram.”
Aberen made a small snorting sound and checked their wrist. “The guard is here.”
She nodded and waited in her tunic and trousers and little slippers. When Aberen opened the hatch, the pilot went out and confirmed the icon on the guards’ uniforms and then said, “Lady Aubrey, please come. They will take you where you need to be.”
Aubrey walked out of the shuttle and looked at the guards. They gasped and straightened when she looked over them.
“It has been an honour to transport you, Lady. I will be watching for news of your exploits. I get the feeling they will be notable.”
Aubrey smiled. “I certainly hope so. I have a few plans for my future.”
She nodded and left the shuttle, moving down the walkway until the guards parted, forming a living wall around her. Their bodies were grey and green, and their forearms indicated that spikes could flare out of the folded spines.
She walked along with her living wall and felt her body’s hunger rising. She was peckish. It took a lot of energy to add eight inches to an adult who was already rail thin. She must look like a stork or a skeleton that escaped a medical facility.
The guards were respectful and kept a measured distance between her and them. She had a private bubble, and when she saw the indicators for medical, she understood her first stop. More tests and hopefully equipment that the designers hadn’t tampered with.
The room became quiet as the guards parted and she came into view. The medical team walked over to her and bowed deeply. “Lady, please come with us so that we can see how far your transformation has come.”
Aubrey nodded. “Of course.”
She walked over to the scanner and settled in as they treated her like fine crystal. The scanner did its job, and when the lid rose again, every shade of skin in the room was pale. She stood straight and smiled. “So is it terminal?”
The doctor who rallied first said, “No, Lady. You are... We have not yet met one of your kind who activated on your world.”
“My kind?”
“An auditor. The designers created your kind to look through falsity and see truth. It will make all who know what you are behave as best they can.”
“Oh, teacher vibe. What’s going on with my eyes?”
“They see truth and falsity.”
“As long as they can see food, I won’t really care.”
The doctor checked the scan. “When did you last eat?”
“On the surface, shortly before I entered the shuttle. I will be hungry at ninety-minute intervals for two days.”
“I will make a note of it. We have obtained clothing for you that will accommodate your new form and allow for alteration as your body stabilizes.”
“Good. I don’t think this tunic matches my eyes.”
The medics smiled. One of the doctors asked, “Would you allow us to lengthen your hair?”
“Not yet. I need to make sure that no one confuses me with my sibling, who is still on the surface, waiting for the arrival. I will not be compared to her again. I have issues.”
“We have assigned you to a therapist.”
“Good. So clothing, food, and therapy. I love a well-organized day.” The medical team was looking at her with dazed eyes, and someone came in with fabric draped over her arms. “That looks lovely.”
She was taken to an enclosed room, and the woman with the clothing, who turned out to be a dresser and was wearing a tube top, a floor-length skirt and a robe that covered both and was sashed at the waist. As she filled out, the robe would widen.
The fabric was edged with embroidery, and when the matching slippers were on her feet, Aubrey felt properly dressed.
She walked out into the medical main area full of scanners and medical beds, and everyone gasped again.
“So, where am I getting food? I mostly promise not to get it on my clothing.”
There was a slightly amused chuckle that went through the room, and her guards assembled outside the doors. She turned, flexed her knees, and inclined her head. “Thank you.”
She walked out with the guards and ended up in a food court. One of the guards gestured, and food was brought to her table. Aubrey ate, tidied up, and got to her feet. The guards formed up around her, and they were on the move again to her therapy appointment.
The therapist smiled at her, and then the smile faded as she took her in. “Lady Aubrey. You are... unexpected.”
“Yes, I have been getting that.”
“Right. Well, please have a seat. I will touch your mind and assess your situation.”
“Go for it.” She sat, and the therapist reached out and touched her forehead with a single finger.
The therapist’s hand shook as she pulled it back. “You see much, Lady.”
“Yes. More and more with every passing minute.”
“Do you see anything for me, Lady?”
“You are near to worshipping the Hmrain, but that is how they like it. What would you suggest for my treatment?”
“I see that you have already had therapy for your familial issues.”
“I have indeed. Their actions no longer surprise me. I just had to deal with the fallout.”
“You couldn’t avoid it?”
“We were the only humans together on an open plain. There was nowhere to go. All moves were calculated to save fuel.”
“And you were with them because your parents wanted you to look after your sister, despite a hostile upbringing.”
“Correct.”
The therapist smiled. “I will give you my com code if you ever have need of me, but you seem to have found healthy ways to deal with rage.”
Aubrey rubbed the back of her neck. “Ah, you felt that, huh? Sorry.”
“It was there, but it wasn’t being ignored or suppressed. You are aware of it and do not let it control you. That is important.”
Aubrey inclined her head. “I am aware.”
“That awareness will stand you in good stead. Many of those who come through fight the reality of their situation, but you are eager for it.”
“I have spent my life forced into a reality not of my making. This is a clean slate. My prospects have changed, my body has changed, and it looks like I even have pointy ears.” She stroked the curve of her ear lightly.
“You are still evolving.”
“Yes. I can feel it. The physical hunger is being matched with an increase in sexual appetite, so I am hoping that I find a suitable bond. I mean, I know what my match looks like, but I have no idea who he is or if he is even seeking a companion. I know not all of the Hmrain are.”
The therapist paused. “You know?”
“Sure. Anything to do with my life now comes in clearly. I see him, and he is definitely a him.”
The therapist smiled. “You have a vision of him naked?”
“A few hundred images, yes. Some involving myself, but if we don’t meet, that doesn’t happen, and the future resets.”
“What would happen then?”
“I would find another Hmrain who suits me. It won’t be as good of a fit, but I will deal with it.”
“You are committed to life.”
“I definitely am. I have been close to death too many times. Life holds many more possibilities.”
The therapist grinned, showing fangs and one in the middle like an egg tooth. “That is the best thing I have heard all week.”
“So where do I go from here?”
The woman laughed. “You eat again, and then we have private quarters ready for you with your own guards.”
“Why all the guards?”
“There have been attempts to steal high-ranking companion or consort-class females. You are infinitely above them in importance. News of you is being sent to unentangled Hmrain, and responses are that they don’t believe you are real.”
“I am guessing images of me from medical are flying around.”
“And the food court.”
Aubrey blushed a little but nodded. “Right. So more food court and then my rooms?”
“After that, a schedule will be created for training and education. Dance, deportment, negotiation, that sort of thing.”
She nodded. “I am already gaining languages.”
The therapist frowned and checked the file. “Did you have an implant?”
“Not that I know of. Languages just started trickling into my mind. I think I have six so far, and they keep coming.”