Chapter One #2
“You have this sad puppy energy that makes me want to hold you.”
Nebel smiled. “Our child is with the nanny. She gets broody when she doesn’t have someone to cuddle every hour.”
“I know. Get her a puppy. Nevmato is working on animal-shaped personal assistants. I think he could manage a fuzzy one.” She smiled. “Goodbye, and thank you for being kind to him.” Will sighed. “And to me. I promise to be in touch.”
Lily smiled and nodded. “Every three days, or drones are going to come looking. They are on a timer, and we need to hit the delay switch.”
Will laughed and nodded, bowing formally to Nebel before heading to the shuttle they had provided. It was the atmospheric shuttle that would be swallowed by the small warship that Nebel wanted her to test.
She settled into the pilot seat, but the ship was automated.
It rose slowly and moved into the flight path.
She looked at the bright golden world, spotted with domes filled with geniuses and artists plying their crafts.
She could have made a home here. She would fit right in, and there were a few males who had expressed interest in her if she ever wished to pursue a relationship.
Life with Grandpa had meant there was no relationship.
He needed. He needed her help, her attention, and her presence.
Now, just like that, it was gone. She loved him, but the pressure had been suffocating.
She watched the world fall away beneath her, and she dragged in a deep breath. The second home she had ever known. This time, she was leaving because she was choosing it. She was choosing her own path.
She was fucking terrified.
Will thought about her name. Will was definitely masculine, but her grandfather had been so proud of it. She mumbled names aloud, “Will, Willa, Wilhelmina, Trey, Treya, Trinity. Trin. I think that’s it.” She grinned. “Trin William.”
She typed out the name change and sent it to the bond house to change her link to Nebel.
She grinned when she got a notice: “Contract updated.”
“Trin. I am Trin.” She said it out loud and practiced signing her name on the console.
Making a new identity for herself was the first thing she needed to do. She didn’t mind a tie to her family, but she needed to be her own person. Starting a life at thirty sounded like the plot of a romcom, but the view screens showed her stars and space and wonder.
Trin was on course for a system that was known for its cool environments. She looked forward to it.
Winter was her favourite season, and the worlds in this system had it nine months out of the year. If she couldn’t have Christmas, she would have snow.
She looked around at the interior of the warship and smiled. It figures that Nebel would send her out in a heavily protected ship. Lily wouldn’t let it be any other way.
Trin smiled and spent days watching the stars go by. When a proximity alarm went off, she strapped in and checked the screens. “Aw, shit. Raiders.”
She grabbed the vial and dumped it on the console. “Time to go to work, Boss. Let me know when you are settled.”
Trin waited while she was hailed. “Incoming vessel, what do you want?”
“You are off trade routes, warship. Why is there a Bellen ship out here with one life sign aboard?”
“Vacation. Shakedown cruise. Take your pick.”
“You are about to be grappled. Prepare to come aboard.”
“No, I don’t think so. Boss, are you ready?”
A wry male voice that she had chosen from an archive said, “Systems acquired. Defensive protocol initiated. Hold on to your butt.”
The warship began to fire with precision, and it picked up speed as it streaked through the star system.
There was screaming and cursing through the coms.
Boss wasn’t waiting. “They are too large, too fast, and too pissed off. We are going to run for it.” The ship shuddered and then stopped.
“What happened?”
“We have reached a world with a base that has breathable oxygen and a meal system for you. You will be safe here. We just need to land. I will have to bury this vessel.”
“That’s fine. I can make a run to the base.”
“It is not a safe temperature for you. Your skin will freeze in under a minute.”
“Sounds like home.”
“Landing sequence is engaged. The raiders are not following.”
She watched the displays as a world wearing nothing but white and blue got closer. “Well, I wanted snow.”
Boss didn’t say anything; they just got them through the layers and into the atmosphere.
“I have sent a ping out, and there is a beacon. We have clearance to land, and a hangar is waiting.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Trin.”
“I have got to change your voice.”
“Why? You like this one.”
“That is the problem. I like it too much. I will find something more neutral.”
“What if I like this voice?”
“Oh. Damn. I didn’t think of that. I am sorry. Do you like the voice?”
“I enjoy the way you shiver when I speak. You have a very visible reaction to this voice.” Boss’s pitch was low and slow.
“Stop being a pervert and drive.”
There was a low chuckle. “I can do both.”
They cruised over the landscape, and then a dark slit emerged on a hillside.
“That is our destination. This vessel will fit. Good.”
She didn’t want to say anything as they slowed and lined up with the seventy-foot-high opening that awaited them. Boss glided into the maw, and when they were completely inside, he set them down.
“What are the raiders doing?”
“Trying to find us. Their sweeps can’t reach us in here.”
“Oh, great. What is the temperature like?”
“Warmer in the hangar, but the base has to wait until we have reached a neutral temperature.”
“Great. Should I just stay in here until we can make a run for it again?”
“We will be stuck here for a few weeks. The raiders are calling for assistance. This is an expensive ship.”
“Fuck.”
“Not until you build me a body, Trin.”
She blushed and got up to find clothing to make a run to the base. Her bodysuit was good but only down to about ten degrees Celsius.
“You didn’t respond to my body reference.”
“Well, that isn’t my forte. I work smaller. So, when I get to the base, which way do I go?”
“I will be with you.”
“You are in the ship. It doesn’t seem likely that you will be with me.”
“Grab that tablet. I am already inside it.”
“You are acting a little weird.”
“You designed me to be intuitive. You need someone to take care of you. In lieu of anyone else, I will do.”
“I take care of others. It’s my thing.”
There was a deep chuckle, and her knees went weak.
“Stop that.”
“Tablet, Trin. You are taking me with you.”
“Fine. I don’t have any cold-weather gear.”
“It is a five-hundred-metre distance to the base. You can run it.”
“You are sure about this? Should I bring rations?”
“I will have them brought to the base. Go.”
Trin grabbed the tablet and headed down to the lower level. It took her fifteen minutes to get to the airlock. She looked at the frost encrusting the door and knew that this run was going to be way colder than she was comfortable with.
She paused, freed one of her braids, and loosened it so it covered her mouth and nose. She fastened it to keep icy air from her lungs and focused on the door straight ahead of her.
“Straight ahead?”
“Yes. The door will open when you are near.”
“Great. I will go in a few seconds. This is going to be cold.”
“Understood. When you are ready, hit the exit marker.”
Trin looked across the enormous hangar, saw the distinct gleam on the floor, and flexed her knees. This was going to involve black ice and a lot of skating.
When she had calmed her thudding heart, she slid the tablet into her suit and sealed it. Carrying it wouldn’t be great. The moment she was sure, she hit the exit marker and started to move the moment she had clearance.
The floor was as slippery as it looked. Frost over stone made for a delightful surface. It took her a dozen steps to get used to the slick surface, but once she had the motion remembered, she picked up speed.
Bent over and sliding her feet, she went faster as she aimed for the door. Her breath froze in the braid of her hair, and the frost helped filter the icy air.
Her focus on the door brought it closer with every stride, and then she was pressed against the door, and it was still locked.
“Access granted.” The voice sounded like Boss.
The door slid open, and she fell through, rolling to her back to protect the tablet. The door hissed closed with a final thump.
“Bioscan commencing,” the station’s voice spoke.
Light strobed over her as she lay on the floor, shivering and gasping for air. She guessed that the temperature outside would have killed her in an hour.
“Identity, Urther. Compatibility class, Consort class. Status, hypothermic.”
A vehicle pulled up, and long, grabbing limbs pulled her up and onto the transport. There was a Hmrain medical icon on the transport, and it strapped her down and drove off through the base.
She shivered and kept herself wrapped around the tablet. A warm thrumming came from the tablet itself, and she smiled and whispered, “Thanks, Boss.”
She wished she could have taken in more of the base’s structure, but the shivering took up all of her time.
“Subject will climb to the top of the fluid tank, remove clothing, and drop in. The fluid will provide you with oxygen and gentle warmth. You will be able to breathe, but it will be difficult. Pull the fluid in as quickly as you can.”
She shuddered and nodded. “Understood.”
The medical bay was clearly marked, and the doors opened as the vehicle approached. It passed some long cold-sleep canisters of extreme proportions and drove to a series of fluid tanks.
To her shock, the vehicle began to jack the platform she was on upward.
It got her to the grating around the top, and she felt the fastening unbuckle.
Her shaking hands got the tablet out of her suit and put it safely to the side.
She wiggled on the grating, getting the bodysuit off, and when she was naked, she pulled her loose braid back and tucked it in securely before rolling into the tank.
It felt hot, but that was just her skin.
Her temperature senses were all wonky. She got herself to the bottom of the tank.
Braced herself with stretched-out arms and legs, face up, and she screamed.
Air rushed from her lungs, and she was left with only one option.
She inhaled, her jaw flexed, then exhaled with a few bubbles, and with every breathing cycle, her body took over the job.
Bot arms descended and fitted her for a stay in the tank. A mask went over her mouth and took over the effort to keep her breathing. Once that was assured, she let herself float as she slept. Her core was warming, and she was so damned tired.
* * * *
Birun activated his unit and sat up as the door swung open. He looked over and saw the disruption to his sanctuary.
A female was floating in the tank. She was familiar, but he wasn’t sure why.
A voice from the computer said, “Honoured Birun, I have brought you a consort-assessed female from the recently acquired species of Earther. Her name is Trin William. She is an inventor and is grieving the loss of a grandparent. Nebel knows much of her and can explain things to you. Oh, and she prefers a cooler environment. She can’t tolerate it, but she likes ice and snow. ”
“Who are you? You have my voice.” Birun rubbed his head and kept staring at the woman in the tank.
“You linked yourself to Nebel’s world to ease communication. She found your voice and enjoyed it, so she gave it to her program, and here I am.”
“She’s consort class?”
“Yes.”
“Suitable for me?”
“Yes. I would not have brought her here otherwise. She matches your nanite frequencies and will do well with you. She needs attention.”
“Attention?”
“For half her life, she has been a caretaker. She is exhausted but brilliant.”
Birun smiled. “And she likes my voice?”
His voice chuckled. “Yes.”
“What are you?”
“An artificial intelligence unit that blends aspects of her mind, your voice, and intuitive breaks in programming. I am spectacular. She refers to me as Boss.”
There was pride in the tone, and Birun nodded. “But you are a program.”
“Correct.”
“How long is she going to be in the tank?”
“It was colder than I estimated. She has minor frostbite on her fingers, ears, and nose. The repairs are estimated at twelve hours to equalize her temperature and repair the tissue.”
“Why the tank?”
“She needed wet repair and complete warming.”
“Good choice, then.” Birun got dressed in a long, dark blue skirt and boots. The rest of his white hide and wings were as pigment-less as the snow outside.
He walked over to the tank and looked at her as she moved with the current in the tank that kept the oxygen in it. “Hello, Trin.”