Chapter Six #3
Birun was laughing at her silently. “Ra, this is my consort, Trin, recently of Bellen. She left when her grandfather passed, and fate brought her to my door.”
“His fucking cold door.” She grunted.
Ra nodded and smiled. “Cori is here. She is acting as Harwin’s chair booster when I am not in the room. I will go get her.” He grinned and shook his head.
Birun murmured, “It is amazing to think that the honourable Ra is going to fetch a handmaid because you asked.”
From a distance, she heard, “I heard that.”
She giggled and then paused. “Oh, no. What if she doesn’t know who I am? Or doesn’t want to know me at all?”
“That button there will disconnect the call, but if she is like you, I am sure she will speak to you.”
Ra leaned in. “She’s here.”
A voice similar to Trin’s said, “This is weird, and you guys have sex at the breakfast table.” The woman in blue, purple, and black smiled. “Hello.”
Trin felt Birun’s interest in that, and she sighed. “Hello, Cori. My name is Trin, but it used to be Will. The third.”
Cori frowned. “What does... oh.”
“He’s dead. He’s long dead. My grandfather raised me from the age of eight because my dad tried to beat me to death. I didn’t know about you.”
Cori blinked at the info dump. “Whoa. Okay. We did know about you, and Mom took us as far away from that bastard as she could. Wait. Why aren’t you freaking out over my appearance?”
“Um, I was on Bellen until recently. That is some freaky shit. You are pretty.”
Cori paused and then laughed. “And you look like a cuddly toy. Are you sitting on a Hmrain?”
“Yes. Birun. He lives on a giant snowball.” Trin smiled. “I don’t suppose you want to come and visit?”
“Well, I have weird superpowers now.”
“I know. You are one of the primals. I got a short-form version of what that means. Do you know what you are fused with?”
“Something called the Vrinkel. They aren’t answering Ra’s queries.”
They don’t speak. I will contact them.
“Oh, shit. Um, Birun says that the Vrinkel don’t speak. He will contact them if you like.”
Cori blinked. “What do you mean, they don’t speak?”
Birun spoke. “They don’t speak to outsiders. They use hand signals or psychic communication, like the Vecchin.”
Cori smiled. “The chair speaks.”
Trin smiled and asked, “Did you have a good upbringing?”
Cori paused. “I did. My mother was great. We got a stepfather who taught us all the survival stuff that we would need later. It was really handy.”
“I am so glad. How were you injured?”
“Oh. A tree fell on me during lumber acquisition. It was about a month before pickup.”
“Do you want to come here for a visit? I am pretty sure that Birun isn’t going to let me run around on my own.”
Cori paused. “Are you naked?”
“Yes and no. I am wearing my hair and his arms. By the time I realized I wasn’t wearing anything, the call was connecting.”
Cori laughed. “That is the kind of thing that I do.”
“What a ridiculous genome.” She sighed. “So, do you want to come for a visit? I have a warship that I lowkey hijacked that can pick you up and bring you here.”
“I have some duties here.”
“Ah. Well, the invitation is open. Talk it over with your buddies. You can even bring one of them along for company, but they need to be cold-resistant.”
Birun chuckled. “I have begun raising the temperature, and a travelling dock can move them safely to the base. There are also bubbles available. They will go ship to base safely.”
Trin shrugged. “I will figure them out if you choose to visit. I am stuck with Birun at close range for a while, or I would be on my way.” The arms around her tightened, and she squeaked.
Cori smiled and then paused. “Overlord Birun, I have another sister. I don’t suppose...”
Trin nodded. “He’s found her. She broke into a broadcasting relay, but she hasn’t been seen or heard of since.”
Cori paused and then laughed. “You are serious?”
“Yes. She was sought out via her DNA, not her name or identification.”
“Mind scan.” Birun murmured, “I tracked her via her mind scan at registration to the station. You all came through it, so it made for easy tracking. The DNA is just confirmation.” He showed her the station full of bright lights and the streaks leaving it as bright minds moving through space.
“Is that how you see things?” Trin smiled.
Cori cleared her throat. “May I ask?”
“He tracks us via our mental residue. He can see when it changes and work from there. That is how he sees us, now that he knows what to look for.”
Birun chuckled, and Trin took a deep breath as her entire body tingled.
Cori smiled. “I am going to wait on meeting my match species until I have met my sister, and we are going to try and get in communication with Isolde before I am going to meet with one of those fellas.”
Birun murmured, “Her station is silent, but it has tremendous power if activated.”
Cori nodded. “Isolde is good at strategic selection. She’s our older sister, Trin. She’s amazing and terrifying in equal measure. She treated my head injury, but we were separated when the first ships came to start collecting. I was taken in one ship, and she was in another.”
“If you decide to come, I am going to give you the biggest hug, and I promise to be dressed when I do it.”
Cori grinned. “While I think it over, can I talk to you? Without your chair?”
“Yes. Do you have our transfer code?”
“Yes. Ra has it recorded.”
“Then, call me any time. We are in the first few days of our connection, so you have three or four days before I will be able to answer quickly.”
Cori laughed. “Ra and Harwin are still wrapped up in each other, and she’s nearly to term. That kid is either excellent at dodging or is going to come out with a dent in his head.”
Trin snickered and then paused, looking up at Birun. “Hey.”
He laughed. “You are fine. Any child will be fine. No hybrid born has had an odd-shaped head so far. I asked.”
Trin grinned. “Okay, let Harwin know that the little gold skull is going to come out the same shape as her vag.”
Cori laughed. “I will. Kethen’s daughter is gorgeous, and Ra is getting rather excited by the possibility of finally having a queen and a prince or princess to make his life complete. The bots are standing by, ready to carve the birth scene into the walls of the pyramid.”
“Wait. They live in a pyramid?”
Cori smiled. “It is a conversation for another day. I have a lot to talk to you about, Trin.”
“Call me any time. If I am not available, I will get back to you as soon as Birun lets me go.”
Cori laughed. “Fair deal.”
“Oh, there is a lady coming in with intensive burn damage. Her name is Zoey. She’s a friend.
She was with me at the end. Zoey has a sister, and she’s being directed to Aten as well.
Could you keep an eye on them for me until they are settled?
Zoey is barely alive. She is being freed from her bondholder under duress. ”
Cori blinked. “Oh, she’s the one that the team went for. Holy shit. I am on local defense, but I know the lady you are talking about. We will have her back here and into one of the restoration units as fast as we can.”
“Thanks. She’s... something else. I didn’t even know her sister survived until Birun spotted her. She’s coming as well.”
“We will watch out for her. I will let you know when they arrive.” Cori smiled, and her sharp teeth were showing. “Hugs and glad you called me, Trin. If I become an auntie to a Hmrain baby, I am going to have to come up with a nice present for it. Eventually.”
Trin blinked. “Aunties. Oh, wow. We don’t even know if I can...”
You can.
“Right, well, that is going to short my mind out for some time.” Trin blinked slowly.
Cori laughed. “On that note, have a great day, and put some pants on.”
Trin was laughing as the light went dark on the screen. Trin looked up at Birun and said, “I have a sister.”
“You have two, but one isn’t visible for some reason.”
She nodded and grinned. “I suddenly want to run or jump or something.”
Birun stood up with her and carried her to bed. “I have something for you to do.”
She laughed, and they kissed, moving together as Trin’s heart filled with something she hadn’t had in a long time. Hope with a bit of joy.