Chapter Three
Chloe slowly moved through the cold expanse of the hangar. Skylar had moved swiftly, but Chloe was stuck moving at the pace of her injured leg.
The snowy Hmrain was there next to his consort, who was dressed to match. Chloe inclined her head. “Hello, Trin. I am glad to see you made it.”
The hug was sudden, but Chloe smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman who had been with one of the cleverest men Chloe had met.
He had put her in a chamber near the door but hidden it so that the casual observer could not find her.
Trin had checked on her regularly until they were evacuated.
That was the day both she and Skylar were collected.
Trin looked at her. “How did you make it?”
“Like Skylar, I didn’t. I woke up on a station with information in my head.
I met my ship and told her that I wanted her to follow Skylar’s orders, then slipped back to Skylar’s area, and put the tablet with directions on her bed.
I also tickled her foot so she jerked awake while I hid under her bed. ”
Skylar looked at her. “What?”
“Well, I couldn’t leave that station until you were underway, so I got an ejection pod from the vessel I was on, and pirates picked it up. I did see a lot of aliens, but I was out of Hmrain space.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Seed of Life.”
“Yup. Back atcha. Can you pry her off?” She laughed.
Birun grinned. “If she feels you need a hug, you need a hug.”
“Uh-huh. I hear you have a garden here.”
Trin muttered, “Oxygen farm.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She opened her hand. “I have seeds for the tree of the Pericoff. They take thirty years to mature, so I thought they could get a nice, safe start.”
Birun blinked. “How did you get those?”
“My staff gave me the seeds. The tree doesn’t want to die.”
Trin leaned back and saw the staff. “Are you Gandalf now?”
“Ha. Zip it, hobbit.”
Trin beamed. “I am getting taller than you.”
“Well, that’s what you get for fucking a yeti.”
Trin’s eyes widened. Chloe winced and turned to Birun. “No offense.”
He stared at her then at Trin. He started to grin.
Trin laughed. “I gave him the image. He’s not offended.”
“The scale is correct.” He chuckled. “I am pleased to meet you in person, Chloe.”
She nodded and said, “So, may I plant these seeds in your base?”
“Of course. Come with me. I have just the spot.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Walk slow. I am not fast.”
“I can carry you.”
“I would not recommend it. Look up the effect of a seed of life on Hmrain.”
Trin looked it up on a tablet, and her eyes widened. “Birun, don’t touch her. I am not up to having sex for two days.” She paused. “Again.”
He chuckled. “Lady, please come with me to the garden. I will show you where the seeds will be safe.”
Chloe nodded. “Lead the way and stop every few minutes to wait for me.”
Trin smiled. “Can you ride a scooter?”
“I can. I just can’t bend my right leg that well.”
She grinned and darted off into the station.
Birun said, “A helmet is required. She will bring one.”
“I have seen Trin drive. I understand completely.” She began to walk the way Trin had run, and Birun walked with her.
There was a whirring sound, and the scooter, with Trin wearing safety gear, came toward them. Trin whirled and hopped off. “If you want, you can ride behind me.”
“Unwise unless you want your pregnancy advancing.”
Trin jumped back. “Nope. I am good with the slow road. Here’s the helmet.”
Chloe geared up and got the scooter going. “Thanks, Trin.”
She kept to Birun’s side as they travelled through the halls until they got to the garden. He walked her through it, and she limped along until they got to the spot where Birun suggested she plant the seeds.
“Why can’t you touch Hmrain?”
“Hmrain are built full of life, so much so that it doesn’t run out. It provides you with appetites that you drive to fulfill. And needs for a consort. My touch would add more life to a cup already full.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. Oh.”
Chloe lifted her hand with the seeds the staff had given her and blew. The seeds lifted, danced, and burrowed into place. Six trees had the potential to grow.
She sighed. “Oh, and the hug advanced Trin’s pregnancy to the second trimester. Just warning you. She’s about four months along now.”
Birun’s eyes widened. “You can find your way back?”
“Yup. Off you go.”
He launched, and the door opened and closed as he flew to his consort’s side to let her know that they had to adjust their math.
Chloe looked to the ground where the seeds had settled. “Have fun, little guys.”
All six had peeped green leaves up and over the soil. It seemed they were in a hurry.
She got back to her scooter, the door easily opening for her. With her helmet on, she zipped down the hall and returned to the spot where Trin was staring at her belly, and Birun had his hand over it.
She pulled up and removed her helmet. “There didn’t seem to be a good time to tell you, and I really only noticed when I paid attention to your life signals. Maybe settle for a brisk high five, or cover me with another sheet or something.”
“You are already dressed like an avant-garde ghost.”
Skylar snickered.
“Hey, I look like a watercolour landscape done by a toddler.” Chloe grinned. “And proud of it. Not my fault my ship doesn’t have a fabricator.”
A voice very similar to Birun’s said, “Perhaps you can use the new human repair nanites for your healing.”
Birun sighed. “She is one who no longer qualifies as human.”
“Ah. Sorry. I guess we will have to wait for some of the volunteers.”
“Oh, right. The volunteers. Birun, you got all of my information from the data pack?”
“I did. Really? Parthenogenesis?”
“Yup. They have one child, and it is exactly like them. If it dies, the population shrinks. I am pretty sure that this has been happening since Birun adopted that whacked-out little cult.”
She looked at Trin and said, “Oh, and if the trees growing in the green space have fruit, don’t eat it, or you will be chewing his clothes off with your teeth, and then you will lock onto the rest of him.
Could be fun, could be a massacre. I don’t want to be here to find out.
What you do with your teeth is your business. ”
Trin went pink, and Birun looked intrigued. “I will do an analysis if fruit appears.”
“You have pollinators in there?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Okay, so the tree guardian is going to need to travel around the world and to tend the other trees.”
“Of course.”
“And you are going to get fifty guys out here?”
“Can the tree guardian have a mate?”
“Of course. She will still have to travel so will need a conveyance.”
He nodded. “Right. Would you two like dinner? Our unit makes fairly passable Terran dishes.”
Trin grimaced. “I am suddenly hungry.”
Chloe cackled and limped as they headed to the food court that looked like it could host hundreds at a time.
Skylar said, “Have a seat. I’ll bring you a few things. Is meat okay?”
“If it were alive, I can eat it.” She moved to one of the tables and settled slowly with her leg extended carefully.
Trin brought two trays, as did Birun. Skylar did the same.
Trin grinned. “Birun gets flavour profiles from my mind, and then he programs the food units. He makes a pretty good lasagne.”
Chloe accepted the spork and a plate, and she tucked in. Trin was right, the food was really good.
While they were eating, Skylar asked, “Trin, is there anyone who passed that you would like to see? They had to have died on Earth during my lifetime.”
Trin paused and smiled. “My grandma. She died eight years ago.”
“Valerie, your granddaughter would like to talk to you.”
A woman emerged from Skylar and walked over to Trin. They sobbed and hugged, which made Birun jolt in surprise.
Chloe chuckled. “Yes, she makes solid ghosts. Must be all that exposure to life.”
Skylar grinned and pushed a plate of spaghetti to her.
Birun was introduced to Valerie, and Chloe kept eating.
She paused and said, “So, Skylar, Aten or Orex?”
“With the way you are limping, Aten.”
“Fine, but only because if Dytura shows up, I can’t currently run away.”
Skylar laughed. “I love your optimism. I know how fast I am, and I am guessing that someone who has had thousands of years to get a handle on this would be considerably faster.”
“Wow. That’s really hot.” She snorted. “Oh, Birun, when you are done getting your cheeks pinched by a ghost, I need to be there when the volunteers touch down. Trust me when I say this is important.”
“Two weeks work for you?”
“I hope so. Gertrude said it only takes four days to get to Aten, so then I will do my thing, and we will boogie back here.”
“Communicate and head to the Pericoff world. We will meet you there.”
“Okay. Is there any more spaghetti?”
He chuckled and went to get it.
Skylar paused. “Do you realize that you just asked a Hmrain to serve you food?”
“Yup. And he is getting it.”
“Do you know how weird that is?”
“I talk to my ship and sleep on moss, and my ship talks back and gives me skincare tips. I think I know that my life is now weird.”
Skylar was still laughing when Birun returned with a double portion of pasta. He set it in front of her and cleared her other plates while Trin was recording her grandmother and getting family recipes.
They spent another three hours at Sanctuary Base and then got back into their ship and out of the hangar.
Birun was thawing the world, and then the base was going to move on to its next home.
That was a few hundred or thousand years down the road, but Chloe was pretty sure that Trin was going to be there for all of it.
Nestled in her moss bed, she took a nap while Skylar went through the list of Terrans, trying to find out where folks had scattered and how they had been sorted. With her eyes closed, she sent her senses out, and she could see flickers of humanity across the stars.
Gertrude spoke calmly. “I have obtained clearance. Aten is allowing us to land. Apparently, I am not supposed to sneak in... Skylar.”
Skylar chuckled, and they headed into the atmosphere.