Chapter 15
CORA
I woke up the next morning to waaaaaay too much money in my bank account.
Like, I was probably on a government watch list with a deposit this size.
At first, I thought it was Yiri’s appreciation for the video I finally sent him, which…
was just crazy arrogant of me. I was swiftly humbled when I messaged him about it and realized he just had no concept of the conversion rates between Bion currency and US dollars.
Apparently, the dollar is less than pocket lint in comparison to Bion credits.
When I asked him what he wanted me to do with it, he just said it was for whatever I needed to move and to pay Andrew.
“Well, congratulations, Andy,” I said when he showed up to help me that morning. “You’re a millionaire.”
The week flew by so fast, but with the new budget, I had all the help I needed to pack my things and have them delivered for intergalactic shipping.
I went to the required pre-transport physical exam, which wasn’t nearly as invasive as a checkup with a general practitioner.
I was ushered into a smallish glass tube, fully clothed, and scanned with purple and orange lasers.
The purple ones felt strangely cool, and the orange ones tickled a bit and made my hair a little frizzy, but fixed the catch in my wrist.
I met my first daernir in person. His name was Iqeo, and he was very polite and calm, and I thought if all the techs were as nice as him, I wouldn’t be worried at all about the trip.
A physician, or the Bion 8KV version of one, he was from Ibaruta, one of the Venastean moons.
He told me the scans showed me in perfectly good health for transport, although I was deficient in a few vitamins and minerals.
He had me drink a liquid that tasted like mint and honey from a small glass, and said that another such concoction would be provided at the other end of my journey to bring my nutrient levels back where they should be.
“You’re husband will schedule follow-up physician visits for you in your new home city.
Depending on your diet and a few other factors, they may or may not give you more supplements.
Now I see that you’re on human birth control, and I recommend that you stop that immediately.
It is terrible for your long-term fertility and overall health. ”
“Oh,” I said, frowning. “Um. But I don’t think I want to have children immediately. I’d like to get to know Yi—um… my husband, first.”
“Of course,” Iqeo said. “But our birth control is much safer. I can give you your first dose today, if you like. It lasts for six months. Once you have a frame set up with your nexus core, all your medical data will be uploaded, and it will remind you when it’s time for another dose.
There is a drug to reverse its effects if you change your mind sometime in the duration, but most simply don’t take their follow-up dose when they’re ready to conceive. ”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s do that then.”
Iqeo opened a small glass container, withdrew a thin…
patch thing. It was pink and looked like a silicone bandage the size of a nickel.
He placed it on the back of my hand and smoothed it on with a gloved thumb.
The patch melted into my skin. It just dissolved, completely absorbed until I couldn’t tell it had ever been there.
“All set,” Iqeo said pleasantly. “I hope you have a pleasant trip, and best wishes for your marriage.”
“That’s it?” I blinked.
“Yes,” he said, smiling. “No pill every day. No shot or implant.”
“Wow,” I said, amazed. “Earth medicine sucks.”
“We’re trying to share what knowledge we can,” he said. “But these things take time. Hopefully, human women will have a much easier time soon. And of course, the male birth control option is just as easy to administer.”
Wow. Just wow.
The scariest part of the visit was being implanted with a translator.
There was another tube to stand in, but this one had arm and neck restraints, which Iqeo said were nothing to worry about, only there as a precaution in case I panicked.
Super comforting. Once I was strapped in and the tube descended around me, an apparatus lowered down beside my skull with a needle so thin and fine I almost couldn’t see it, aimed right at my temple.
“Please face forward,” Iqeo said. “You won’t feel a thing, I promise.”
And you know what? I didn’t. A few seconds later, the tube and the scary robot arm were rising, and I thought something had gone wrong until Iqeo said, “Well done, Cora.” In Ibarutan. And I not only understood him, but instinctively knew what language he was speaking.
“Oh my god,” I said, laughing. “That’s incredible.” Screw Earth medicine, dude. I was sold on Bion medical technology. Really, they had me at male birth control.
After leaving Iqeo at the transport compound, which was heavily guarded by swarms of military personnel and armored vehicles, I had one more stop to make before meeting Andrew for dinner: A lawyer’s office where I set up a modest trust with a fraction of the money in my account.
The trust was for my parents, because even if I was dead to them, I couldn’t leave them behind with nothing.
The trust would only be accessible if they were no longer Emissary members.
Barring emergencies, they could only withdraw so much at once.
It was enough for them to live comfortably, even if there was a spike in inflation.
But the trust would stop paying out if they rejoined the cult, and upon their deaths, it would pay out to a charity that supported people leaving the Emissaries of the Enlightened as they rebuilt their lives.
At least this way, I wouldn’t have to worry about them.
Over dinner, I transferred the rest of the money to Andrew, who was beyond grateful.
“Who knew getting laid off was going to pay out so well?” I said, laughing over a club soda. I couldn’t have alcohol for twenty-four hours before entering stasis.
“I do hate it that I’m losing you, though,” he said, pouting a little. “We were just starting to bond. We could have been real besties. Now you’ve made me rich, and I’ll never know if my friends are real again.”
I snorted, swatting his arm. “Well if you’re that bummed about it, you could always give it to charity.”
“No, I’ll survive it,” he said. “But you know, I think I might start a business. I could do this, right?”
“What?”
He gestured at me. “This. Help women who find a match on BMM with their move. Would you give me a testimonial?”
“Yes, absolutely. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“How could I say no when your sugar daddy is paying me so well?” he teased.
We lingered over lunch, and hugged goodbye, and suddenly I had nothing else to do but go home and wait for my departure in the morning.
Mr. Darcy was in an extra cuddly mood too, probably because there was nothing left in our home but a bed, a litter box, and the things I was taking with us on the transport vessel.
His whole world was being upturned, too.
I considered going to bed early, but I wasn’t tired.
With the prospect of leaving the planet ahead of me, how could I sleep?
But the hollow feeling in my chest was worrisome, especially when Mr. Darcy’s cuddles didn’t cure it.
I couldn’t put a name to it. Was it fear?
Loneliness? Homesickness before I’d even left home?
Eventually, I broke down and picked up my phone. I had no idea what time of day or night it was in Eissoi, but if I couldn’t call my fiancé whenever I wanted, I should probably call this off, right?
“Aneah,” Yiri’s deep voice was a balm to my frazzled nerves. “I’m just leaving work. Hold on.”
I waited, marveling at the sound of his voice and the lyrical sound of Eissoini. I’d heard it before, of course. I’d been listening to him for weeks. But I wasn’t reading subtitles anymore. I understood his every word, and for some reason, that was a comfort, too.
“Nerus is dealing with it. He’ll report in the morning. Did the supplier take your offer?”
“Yeah, old man,” another voice answered. “I don’t need to be coddled. I know what I’m doing. Go flirt with your Aneah. Hey, can I see her?”
I laughed at the face Yiri made.
“No,” he said.
“Come on,” the other man goaded him. “She’s going to meet me eventually. Might as well find out now if she prefers me. I am much younger and prettier, after all.”
“Who is that?” I asked.
Yiri growled. “Evik. My cousin.”
“Oh, your cousin? The one who’s getting married soon?”
“Married or murdered,” Yiri said. “We’ll see which happens first.”
“I’ll say hello to him,” I offered.
“See?” Evik said. “She wants to get a look at me before it’s too late.”
“Wow,” I snorted. “He’s almost as cocky as you.”
Laughing, Evik leaned into my view. He was handsome, and he was certainly younger, but he lacked the hard edge of dangerous masculinity that Yiri wore so well.
“Hello, Yiri’s Aneah,” he said. “I’m Evik, the better option. Not only am I better looking, but I also have the best sellah.”
“He’s a pain in my ass,” Yiri muttered.
“Hmm.” I tilted my head as I looked Evik over. “I don’t know. Yiri has a sharper jaw, and he’s got all the tattoos. I like that.”
“I could get body art,” Evik offered. “Do all Earth females like that?”
“It doesn’t matter to you what Earth females like,” Yiri said, shoving him aside. “You’re spoken for, remember?”
“Nice to meet you, Evik,” I called.
Yiri grunted, scowling at what I assumed was his cousin, no longer in my view. “Don’t humor him, Aneah. He’ll never leave you alone if you’re nice to him.”
“Another thing he has in common with you,” I teased him.
He made a gruff noise as the lighting changed and the ambient sounds dimmed to nothing.
I recognized the dark walls and occasional glow of tech around him.
He was home. Stripping off his outer layer of clothing, he stretched and sighed, a man getting comfortable after a long day of work.
Rolling his neck, he dropped heavily onto his couch and regarded me through the screens.
“Hey,” he said. One word, but it warmed my belly.
“Hey.”
“Are you alright?” he asked. “You look sad.”
My lips lifted in a small smile. “I’m already feeling better.”
“Tell me,” he said, not letting me dismiss it.
“I realized when I said goodbye to Andrew that I was saying goodbye to my only friend in the world. It was sad,” I admitted. “Maybe a little scary.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “What can I do to help?”
“Tell me you’re my friend,” I said. “That I’m not all alone.”
Yiri’s eyes widened for a second, but then narrowed to stern slits. “Cora, you are not alone,” he said. “You’re mine now. You’ll never be alone again.”
“Thanks,” I said, sighing as a wave of contentment settled over me, finally allowing the exhaustion in. “That’s just what I needed.”