Chapter Seven
Isolde floated in the energy field in the centre of her array.
Her mind was spun across the stars and was touching every Terran within her considerable range.
The clock was ticking, and the files were ready.
She had been working on this for a few years, and it was a present to all of those who had survived, as well as a day of mourning.
The survivors needed a moment of togetherness in grief and hope.
* * * *
Trin was curled up with Birun when she felt the touch and heard the music. Songs of Earth and images of the survivors fighting for survival, finding moments of joy and laughter in the grey dimness.
Moments of heroism, compassion, fellowship, and ferocity were all displayed as music played. Music that sang of survival and hope and mourning those who had gone before.
Birun held her and watched the display with her. Twenty minutes after it started, it simply ceased.
“Do you know who sent that?” Birun asked softly.
“No. But... today is the fifth anniversary of the day the asteroid hit. So much has happened in those five years.” She sat as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Do you know who sent that?”
“Your sister. Isolde. The array lit up, and the broadcast went out to hundreds of worlds.”
The com chimed, and Trin threw on a wrap she kept for her conversations. She accepted the call, and Cori was there with others behind her. “Trin, do you know what that was?”
“That was the day the world broke. Today is the day.”
“Where did the signal come from?”
“Birun says it was Isolde.”
Cori paused. “Yeah, that seems like something she would do. Is she still at that array?”
“Wait, what do you mean it is something she would do?”
Cori ran a hand over her face. “Isolde is a psychic. She’s also a seer.
She saw the asteroid coming, knew that no one would believe her, bought a bunch of freeze-dryers and solar panels, and got ready for the end of the world.
The day before it struck, she packed up a rental van with supplies and drove to my place.
We had fruit, meat, ready meals, and everything just needed water.
She brought solar panels with her, and we were actually fairly comfortable for the longest time.
She helped me ease through one of the most traumatic moments of my life, because she had seen it already. ”
Trin nodded, and she lifted her head. “I am sorry. I have to take a call.”
Cori frowned. “What? Oh, shit. She did that to me once.”
Trin let the call go through.
Trin was standing on the floor of a base of some kind, and a woman was walking toward her.
“You know, I knew I had a little sister, but I never imagined meeting her. There was too much bad blood between my mother and our father. He was really a bastard. He tried to kill me as a toddler, and Mom was pregnant with Cori when we made a run for it. She never had to meet the asshole.” Isolde came into the light, and Trin stared.
“You are... pregnant?”
“Yeah, that was an accident. One of the worlds I was bonded to tested compatibility by dumping the Hmrain semen on you while you were asleep and then watching for what it did. Mine decided to build an addition. I was supposed to be dumped into a harem, but Ra paid our bonds, and I insisted. They couldn’t keep me, so I came here. ”
“You look like me.”
“I look similar to what you used to look like, yes.” Isolde sighed and rubbed her back.
“How far along are you?”
“Eight months. I think I have another three to go. Hopefully less.”
“Do you want to do it alone, or can I beg you to come to Sanctuary Base?”
Another figure manifested. Cori stood there. “Or come to Aten.”
Isolde chuckled. “Either one has a Hmrain who will try to contact the male contributor. I know who he is, but he doesn’t really take an interest in his harem, and I just want to have my little girl in peace.”
Birun showed up and wrapped his arms around Trin. “I will not seek out the Hmrain who belongs to that genetic material, but neither will I conceal you.”
Isolde looked at him. “I suppose that is fair, and it is an indicator of how much Trin wants to meet me. I wish to meet her as well.”
Birun smiled. “Good. We are much closer than Aten. You are twelve hours away.”
Isolde grinned. “You caught that.”
“I know the look of our station. Get in a shuttle, and we will have a room ready for you, and a med unit to make sure you are fine.”
Birun nodded. “We will send Boss and Nebel’s warship. We want to make sure she is secure.”
Trin looked around. “Are we all astral projecting here?”
Isolde laughed. “Soul walking. Yes. I just left all of you a trail of breadcrumbs.”
“Are you really a seer?”
“Not by choice, but being open-minded runs in our family. It’s also what makes you people-pleasing.
Happy people are less threatening.” Isolde smiled.
“Cori can tell you that I did some time in various institutions. Being around a lot of humans has never been restful for me. Even during the time after the asteroid, several members of our gathering wanted to kill me. They thought I had brought bad luck or was part of a conspiracy. If I am not related to them, I don’t really like humans. ”
Trin’s eyes went wide. “So, you always were psychic?”
“Since right before our dad tried to beat me to death for saying that he was having another family. You weren’t the first, Trin, but your grandfather made sure that you were the last.” Isolde smiled.
Cori looked horrified. “You never said.”
“The scars on my head weren’t from learning to ride a bike at eighteen months.”
“Oh, shit.” Cori had a hand over her mouth. “Mom never said.”
“No, she and I discussed it, right until the lung cancer took her. We can talk about this again. I am getting a little dizzy.”
Trin reached for her, and her hands went right through her sibling. “Shit!”
Isolde laughed. “I will just head to my nest and be fine.”
Birun frowned. “Nest?”
“Yes. I did it at home, too. Things that are soft and comfortable and cozy so that I feel relaxed and protected. Trin, it has been lovely to meet you. Overlord Birun, take care of her. Cori, you are stunning and gorgeous, as always. I look forward to seeing any or all of you soon.”
Trin called out, “We will be sending a Bellen warship to you, manned by an AI named Boss. He talks like Birun with a Terran enema. Thank you so much for the music and the video. It made me feel better.”
“Good. That was the idea. Translating it across all Terran languages was tricky, but I got it done in time. Everyone heard it in their own language.” Isolde smiled, but she looked tired and rubbed her back.
Birun said, “Boss is on the way.”
Isolde smiled. “Okay, I will pack. Goodbye, everyone, see you soon.”
Trin jolted, and she was seated on Birun. Cori was still on the com. “So, that is our big sister, and now I am going to get my butt to Sanctuary Base as soon as your friends are settled.”
“She’s... she spread her mind to every Terran. I don’t think for a minute that she missed any,” Trin murmured.
Birun kissed her temple. “If she wishes any help to guide or guard her mind, I will offer it. I am sure that Symo will offer the same thing.”
Cori looked around. “Well, I have to go brag about my big sis to everybody here on Aten. We already have a few thousand human colonists, so they are going to be talking about it as well. This is going to be quite the topic of conversation. Ra is a little shocked. He will be more so when I tell him that Isolde did it without intervention.”
Trin smiled. “We are getting a nibling.”
“We are getting a nibling. Now, go and get her bed ready. She likes things soft and fluffy. She has sensory issues out the wazoo.” Cori smiled. “See you soon, Trin. I want to know what happens when we all get together.”
Trin signed off and looked up at Birun. “So, that’s my sister and my sister.”
“And all three of you are spectacular and fearsome.” Birun kissed her cheek and then her lips. “And I am honoured to be so accepted by you all.”
She kissed him back. “I didn’t have a choice, you were so warm and fuzzy and caring and helpful that anything else would have been out of the question.”
Birun grinned. “Excellent. Now, perhaps when she is settled, Isolde will help me with the Pericoffs.”
“If anyone can pick through minds at a distance, it would be her. Are there any Hmrain with that skill?”
“No. But something about her energy signature is familiar. I think I know whose child she carries, but it is unlikely that he will rear his head. He’s a powerful fourth-gen and still sleeping. That is why they were compatibility testing before introduction.”
“What does that entail?”
“If they are thorough, a scan, bloodwork, and a psychic imprint. If they are not, they spill genetic material on the possible companion and watch it.”
“So, they dumped cum on her, and before they could see the result, Ra sent out his edict, and they immediately set Isolde loose. She headed for that outpost immediately.” Trin smiled. “And now she is coming here.”
“We will be ready for her. The fabricators are working, and the room is prepared.”
She squirmed. “I am going to make her a bot to help her up and around.”
He laughed, and Trin darted down the hall to her workshop. She programmed the fabricator and started to assemble tools.
Birun wandered in, wearing his skirt and boots, and he handed her a bodysuit. “It will be more comfortable while you are setting things into place.”
She reached up, and he leaned down. The kiss was sweet but brief. She had things to do. “So, first an assist unit and then a crib and a stroller, and can you set up baby clothes and diapers?”
He got the information from her and nodded. “Of course, Trin. If you think of anything else, just think of anything else. We also have to get Cori’s room ready.”
“Isolde and the baby will be here sooner. Oh, pillows. Tons of pillows so she can make herself comfortable.”
He laughed and went to get the soft materials fabricator moving at full speed. Possibly a few more in the area.
Trin focused and started grabbing parts off the printer before she wiggled into the bodysuit. He was right. This required some skin protection.
She grinned as she worked and embraced her joy. This is what she did, and finally, she got to work for someone she cared about.
The images and the song moved through her mind, and she worked with a fervour that she hadn’t been able to summon for years.
Her life, her family, and her Hmrain. They all deserved the best she could be, and she finally felt like giving it.
This was her time, this was her place, and this was her base.
The rest of her life was stretching in front of her, full of life, laughter, and lost family that was finally found.