Chapter Four

She found the tablet that came with the house and began to scroll rapidly through the information options. When she got to a list of inhabitants, she sought out the Terrans. Her family was listed and were nearly finished with their bonds. It was the list of single females that she was seeking out, and when she saw the familiar names, she breathed easy.

They were alive and healthy, and all the girls were adults.

Cassandra had taken her surviving animals to the local camp with the remaining girls who had been on a school trip and the one adult sibling of one of the campers. They got together, did all the prep that they could, and weathered out the storms together for two years. Nessa had gotten the survival radios up and running, and when the signal came through, Nessa notified the shuttle that they had livestock and described them. The aliens on the other end were excited, and a deal was struck. They had a day to get where they needed to be because a terrifying storm was coming toward the pickup point. It had been close, but the girls and the herd had made it, along with twelve emotional support chickens.

Cassandra checked the time and sent a message to Nessa. Hey, is there any place around here to find dinner?

There was silence while Cassandra actually checked the food directory.

You are here? Cassandra? Where are you staying?

I bought a house. I live out of town. Can we meet for dinner somewhere?

Sure. Get to the city gates on the eastern side, and I will meet you there. How are you travelling?

Keffo.

Wow. Okay. I will see you when you get here.

I am an hour out and will start whistling now.

She put her pay link on her belt and headed to the front door. She locked it and saw the surprised guards. “Apologies. I am heading into the city. I am going to have dinner with a friend and won’t be back until later this evening.”

She whistled the summoning notes softly. The thudding of feet happened slowly, but the two that emerged from the woods came directly to her. It would have been easier to have a saddle, but she clucked to them gently, and one of them knelt. She climbed up and settled on the back, squeezing with her thighs so the beast caught the inkling to stand.

“Free Miner, it is dangerous without a saddle.” One of the guards tried to stop her.

She smiled. “It is dangerous with a saddle. Good afternoon.”

She squeezed with her thighs, and the keffo took off. The image of the city gates had been taken from the tablet, and the beast turned and headed straight for the ridge of the city in the distance.

In about five minutes, she and the keffo had an agreement, and his friend was just along for the ride. An hour into the ride, she realized she should have brought water.

When she got to the gate, there were guards to stop her. “Miss, you can’t bring a keffo into the streets.”

She nodded and crooned to her ride. He knelt, and she slipped down his side, patting him and scratching his jaw. “Excellent gentleman. If I meet you again, I will bring you a treat.”

He huffed at her and rocked up to his feet. She petted his friend and then faced the gate where Nessa was standing and grinning.

“Cassandra, I am happy to see you haven’t changed.”

Cassandra walked toward her friend, and they hugged.

The guard came toward them and said, “Miss, who are you?”

“Free Miner Cassandra. I own a house next to the overseer’s, and he or Kiddel can vouch for my legality.”

The guard blinked. “Have a pleasant visit to the city.”

“Thank you.” Cassandra inclined her head. She and Nessa walked into the city, and Cassandra braced herself. This was going to be a lot.

Nessa squeezed her hand. “Just breathe, and if I need to, I can clear a room.”

“Been eating dairy again?” Cassandra looked at her friend, and they laughed.

Nessa sighed. “Damn, I have missed you.”

“Me, too, but the mine I was stationed at had security locks, and only official communication went in or out. All I could do was wait for the transport ship to bring me here. Do you mind that I am making this my home?”

Nessa smiled. “I am delighted that you are here. I have missed you. Hey, are you the one who paid our bonds?”

“Yes. Well, I provided the necessary funds.”

“Oh, we are all free citizens now.”

“Excellent. How are the girls?”

“Thriving. They are so happy. Come on. I want to show you my favourite restaurant. The food isn’t Terran, but it is great and a lot of different colours.” Nessa murmured coaxingly, “They have pastries.”

“You had me at colours.” Cassandra smiled.

The different species all blended evenly, and many folks nodded and smiled at Nessa.

“You work in a public-facing job, don’t you?”

“I work in a café. I see everybody. I also do a lot of deliveries in town.”

“You are an engineer.” Cassandra frowned.

“I also fix a lot of stuff and help out with small mechanical repairs.” Nessa smiled. “It is a good life. I stay close to the girls, and Moxie has a baby now. She’s adorable.”

“Oh, they have started dating?”

“The youngest is twenty-one. They have all started dating. The guys here are sweet. The other species are nicer, and the courtships are involved. Lots of dates and meeting each other’s families. I go to the equivalent of a lot of Sunday dinners.”

They walked along the busy streets, and there was suddenly a shadow above her. Cassandra looked up, and in the shadow above her, there were glittering eyes.

“That is Overseer Yasku,” Nessa murmured.

“We have met.” Cassandra looked at her cuff and grimaced.

“Oh, he’s nice. I have a story to tell you about him. It’s funny and terrifying.”

“Great.”

The buildings were all adorably varied. No two were the same. It seemed that Yasku was a firm believer in mixing every culture to hopefully make his own.

“What is the stone that everything is made of?”

“Kebari stone. It is local and has insulating properties. Hot or cold weather, you are comfortable inside.”

“Nice.”

“It is. The Terran-style buildings are all from European and Indian designs. It’s surprisingly nice to see bits of home when you walk down the streets.”

Smells from a variety of establishments assailed her, and she wrinkled her nose.

“We are almost there.”

“Good. I am a little thirsty.” She frowned and looked around.

Nessa’s eyes widened and said, “Overseer.”

Cassandra followed the direction of her friend’s gaze and sighed. “Overseer Yasku, what brings you here?”

“I thought I would join you for a second meal today.”

Nessa stared at the overseer and turned toward Cassandra. “Second meal?”

“Yes. He helped me get through customs.” She pursed her lips.

Yasku looked at Nessa. “You are headed for the Corkara Restaurant?”

“Um, yes, Master Yasku.”

“Allow me to join you, please.”

“Yes, of course, Master Yasku.” Nessa was obviously flustered.

Yasku moved next to Cassandra and extended his arm to her. She put her hand on the back of his wrist, and he smiled slightly.

Nessa stared. “Holy shit. Right. Sorry. I will just sprint ahead.” She darted off.

Cassandra glanced up at him as they slowly walked toward their destination. “Why are you really here?”

“You left your home without resting. Your body is in distress. Why is that?”

“I am thirsty. It makes me irritable and makes it hard to focus.”

“That will be remedied shortly. Why did you call a keffo without having a saddle?”

“I can ride without one. The big boy was great, and I promised him a treat if he showed up when I called again.”

“Hm. We live an hour from the city. You could have fallen and suffered an injury.”

“I can trip on this sidewalk and break an arm. What is your point?”

“Not with me next to you.”

“Overseer, you are too expensive to wear every day.” Cassandra sighed.

He started laughing and was still chortling as he directed her toward a restaurant with a line of folk who got out of their way the moment they saw him.

Two wide-eyed staff held the door open, and he walked in as if he owned the place, which he did.

The interior was filled with light and tables that had low cushions on the floor. Nessa came back and smiled. What appeared to be the owner came forward. “Overseer, thank you for gracing our humble business.”

“I am just accompanying these ladies for dinner. It is Free Miner Cassandra’s first day on our world. I am trying to make sure it is pleasant.”

She rolled her eyes, but the owner stared at her. “Free miner?”

“I was a khimerion miner. It let me earn my bond quickly, and then I saved for retirement and am choosing to spend the rest of my lifespan here.” She looked at Nessa. “With friends.”

Nessa smiled.

“Well, please come this way. I have a quieter table ready for you.”

They were led to the large round table with space for far more people than they had. Cassandra settled and was not surprised that Yasku sat beside her. She looked at him. “Why are you fascinated by me?”

He smiled. “I have seen nulls before, and while they gave you that classification, you are not a null. You are a crisis active. The moment that stress strikes, you go into business mode until the crisis is over. Your world was dying, and you had to find a new way to survive. Your crisis has not ended, but I will be there when it does.”

Nessa blinked. “Wow, he has you pegged.”

Cassandra absently said, “No, that costs extra.”

Nessa laughed. “Well, you are still the same.”

“Thank you, now, can anyone help me order?”

Yasku said, “Water and juice first.”

Nessa looked at Cassandra. “You didn’t bring water?”

“No.”

“Oh. Shoot.” The screen appeared when she waved her hand over a circle in the table, and she started tapping requests that were next to images on her screen.

Cassandra cautiously waved over the nearest circle in front of her. The menu popped up, and the beverages were there with descriptions in common and other languages. She flicked her fingers and saw small plates and large plates for sharing.

“Sharing food?”

A server came by with bowls of warm water, and another was standing behind that server with drinks.

They washed their hands and dried them in the bowls that had been brought.

Yasku said, “Sharing food is common in Coybel communities.”

“It seems a good way to try everything. Are the condiments the same?”

He shook his head. “The Coybel use set seasonings, but if your friend brought you here, she knows your palate.”

Nessa nodded. “It is similar to proper Mexican food with bright flavours and lots of vegetables with flatbread accents.”

“Oh. Lovely.”

They discussed the food between the three of them, and Nessa did all the ordering.

When they were settled and waiting, Nessa cleared her throat. “May I ask about the matching bracelets?”

Yasku chuckled. “Your friend is reckless and hardheaded. The cuff manages to monitor her biological situation and her location. I have experienced intrigue, fascination, excitement, nervousness, and then a strange one I am unfamiliar with. It is a combination of hunger, thirst, and irritation.”

Nessa smiled. “That one is called hangry. Hungry-angry. I don’t know how many Terrans still get it, but Cassandra is definitely one of them.”

The first round of appetizers arrived, and Cassandra watched them eat before doing the same. Yasku asked, “How did you meet Cassandra?”

Nessa finished chewing and said, “She rode up to us on a white horse with six months of supplies and a dozen chickens, one rooster. I was at a camp with six teens who had been there for a weekend trip. The adults had all taken off when the asteroid hit. The girls thought their families would come until we heard that the city we came from had been destroyed. We hunkered down and were fine for a month or so with the existing supplies, but then, Cassandra showed up with her livestock, and she explained that things were about to get much worse. She helped us ration our supplies, and we used the hay and straw that were on the premises. She organized us and taught us how to cut wood and drag it into storage so that we would have it when the weather turned bitter, and it did. Storms shook our building, but she had helped reinforce it. She had hunted for deer, skinned and butchered it so our girls had enough to eat. She was amazing, but yeah, she probably has PTSD. Stress-induced shock for lack of a direct translation.”

Cassandra muttered around a mouthful, “Battle fatigue, but the fight never stops.”

Yasku smiled. “So, you know. You know that you weren’t categorized correctly.”

“Oh, yeah. I looked up the null definition and category and knew it would suit me, so I didn’t argue with the experts.”

Nessa shook her head. “That sounds like you. You were that way all during our sheltering time.”

Cassandra shrugged and looked around at the faces in the restaurant. These were going to become her people. It was a view she needed to get used to.

Nessa asked casually, “Cass, are you wearing weapons?”

“A few. Not as many as I had at home.”

Nessa snorted. “Boy, were they surprised.”

Yasku said, “I sense a story.”

“Oh, yes, Overseer. Cassandra is a vicious warrior when defending her own. Several wanderers came to our shelter in the early days, realized that we were two women and a bunch of children, and attempted to take over. Cassandra took them outside, and no one returned until she came back covered with blood. It was the first time she defended us.” Nessa sighed. “It was not the last.”

Cassandra kept eating and could feel Yasku staring at her. “Kiddel mentioned you have scars.”

“Yeah. That also takes me out of the running for being companion class. Sorry, Yasku. Unmarred skin is one of the factors.” She grinned and sipped some water.

Nessa snorted. “That reminds me of what happened in the transport here. Our cargo pod got jumped, and I ended up with a freaky tattoo before Overseer Yasku’s security detail found us. I literally have the image of an overseer on my back now.”

“Why?” Cassandra blinked.

“No idea. The artist said he was a seer and compelled to mark me. They left the girls alone, so nothing else was done. The seer was taken somewhere, the crew was hauled off, and we were back on one of Master Yasku’s ships.”

Yasku said, “The tattoo can’t be removed. It’s ink with a khimerion base.”

Cassandra smiled. “That stuff is hard to sort.”

More platters of food arrived, and Cassandra kept eating with the others occasionally joining her as they chatted about her habits and her classification.

Cassandra closed her eyes happily on a meat-filled pastry, and when she opened them, she began to blink rapidly. “They are here.”

Nessa nodded, and Cassandra got to her feet, walking slowly to the six Terran females and one Coybel male. The hybrid infant was held in its father’s arms.

She smiled and felt her tears streaking down. “You all made it. Together.”

The ladies laughed, and she was hugged by one at a time and occasionally two. “Have you eaten? Can you join us?”

Nessa laughed. “We will have to squish a bit.”

“I can sit on Yasku’s lap if I have to.” Cassandra smiled at the little baby, who was staring at her in fascination.

Moxie smiled. “Do you want to hold her?”

“I... if her father won’t object.”

“Of course not. Skellic, hand little Andra over to her namesake.”

Cassandra swallowed and took the tiny one. “She’s three months?”

“Two. My mate makes big, healthy babies.” Moxie smiled. “We both work in the fabrication industry.”

Cassandra looked at the dove-grey features and stroked the little face. “Aw, saddled with such a clunky name. Poor little one.”

Nessa smiled. “Well, you can all eat while she holds the baby.”

Skellic stared. “She’s not crying. She always cries at strangers.”

Moxie leaned against him and smiled. “She’s not a stranger. Andra has known Cassandra since before we even left Terra.”

Cassandra moved back to her seat, and Yasku snugged up close to her, which made the others stare before they smiled and began ordering more dishes.

The restaurant staff adapted, and things rapidly became a party.

Sally, Agatha, Kelly, Morna, Becky, and Moxie had all thrived on this world. Moxie was the eldest and, therefore, the first to find a partner at the mandatory social nights. She and Skellic had met at work, and when he had the chance to pursue her when she was legal, they had begun the long courtship that Yasku had dictated.

Cassandra held the little one comfortably in her lap, and Yasku stared at her with hot eyes. “What is that look?”

“You are good with infants.”

“Yes. I had a big family. There was always a baby to take care of.”

Yasku asked, “Did any of them survive?”

“Yes, and they are here, but it is a big world, and I don’t wish to cross their path. I might hurt someone.”

Nessa agreed. “Yeah. I am glad we made it out with the livestock.”

Agatha smiled. “Emotional support chickens.”

The girls all laughed.

Cassandra smiled.

Yasku looked at Nessa. “Explain.”

Nessa swallowed and explained about Cassandra’s arrival with pregnant horses and packed chickens as well as rations. She had assigned chickens to each of the girls, and they had become the tangible, living reassurance they needed. They talked about them and made fashion shows with them. They were the central portion of their lives, and it made the confinement during storms easier to have a warm body to curl up to.

Cassandra asked, “Where did they go?”

Yasku said, “They are on a world called Geffer. It is a two-day travel away. When their numbers have been increased, we will release them here on the eastern continent.”

Cassandra smiled. “I want to live there when they come. Are the horses there, too?”

Yasku pulled out a small display square from his tunic. “Are these horses?” He handed her the display, and she smiled, her soul relaxing. They were safe.

“Those are horses.”

“Then, we have the ones you mentioned and about two hundred others.”

The girls cheered, and the restaurant patrons stared.

Cassandra soothed the baby when she fussed, and Skellic said, “Can you babysit?”

Moxie grinned. “We wouldn’t mind. His family would be more at ease if I had another matriarch in the family.”

“Oh, I thought that was all over and done with. That Nessa had acted as parent.”

Moxie smiled. “She did, but we still have monthly and occasionally weekly events. I would love it if you came to the next gathering.”

“It would have to be made clear to Skellic’s family that I barely passed my etiquette classes and have spent the last six years in solitude. I am rough in polite company.”

Skellic was looking at her in surprise. “Moxie has told me that you taught them self-defense and tumbling?”

“Yes. Oh, I think this little girl is hungry.” The little hand holding her shirt while the face turned toward her breast was an indicator.

Nessa took her, kissed the baby’s forehead, and she was passed over to Moxie. When the little one was settled, she had started a small wail, and it was abruptly silenced as Andra settled in for a snack.

Skellic smiled. “You have good skills when it comes to noticing needs.”

“I have held a hungry baby before. I was not equipped to deal with it, so I had to listen to the screaming. Now, I pay attention.”

She washed her hands again and went looking to see if anything was left. Yasku chuckled. “You will be expensive to feed.”

Cassandra glanced at him. “I don’t have an available bond.”

“The education station charter indicates that you cannot refuse a bond offer from a Hmrain. We are the highest priority species in the galaxies.” He smiled.

Becky smiled shyly. “Like encouraging an endangered species.”

Cassandra looked around at her friends and snorted. “The Hmrain are the least endangered species in the universe. Who would threaten them?”

The Terrans chuckled, and Skellic looked wary. He said, “The Hmrain have given us a second chance at our worlds. They deserve our respect.”

Cassandra looked at Yasku, and he had a smirk on his lips. “Yes, show some respect, Free Miner.”

Agatha frowned. “Free miner?”

Yasku nodded. “Oh, yes, Cassandra earned out her bond in about eighteen months. She has been mining for six years, getting not only herself free but also freeing several of her acquaintances on the way here.”

They looked at her. “That was you?” Becky’s eyes teared up.

“It was. I would have done it earlier, but no non-emergency signals were allowed out of the base. It was high security.” She blinked. “Does that mean you have all paid off your bond?”

Moxie nodded. “Frankly, I cleared my bond when I got mated. The bonus program for cross-species unions that last longer than a year is impressive.”

“What?”

Yasku smiled. “Any couple confirmed as a match by the sensitives that I employ get a bonus for their initial mate contract, and if they still are pleased with each other after a year, they get a bonus. If they have a child, there are bonuses if lineage is confirmed. Couples are offered more business opportunities, better housing. Couples surrogating to increase genetic diversity is also well compensated.”

Cassandra blinked in understanding. “IVF to speed the way to your designer species.”

“IVF?”

“Embryos created outside the womb and implanted at the blastocyst phase.”

Yasku nodded. “Yes, that. It is how I knew Terrans were compatible with the others.”

“Oh. Wow. Right.” She nodded.

Nessa nodded. “Breeders were the first to be selected. Then, folks like us. The untrained but skilled.”

Betsy smiled. “Thanks for that. We got to be artisan apprentice class.”

Cassandra frowned.

Moxie said, “The basics of machine work, weaving, sewing, and carving. All the stuff we needed to survive.”

Skellic smiled. “Notice that she does not say cooking. That’s my job.”

Cassandra smiled. “Thank goodness. Her enthusiasm was great, but the execution was lacking.”

Skellic pressed his lips to Moxie’s temple.

Cassandra asked, “On this whole world, what is the best species in bed?”

The table went silent.

Cassandra looked at Yasku. “I mean, aside from the Hmrain.”

The table erupted in opinions.

Cassandra listened to the differing opinions as she knew who Moxie had chosen. It made sense. He was protective, with a velvety coat on his body. He would be amazing to cuddle up to in bed.

A soft whisper in her ear jolted her to her thoughts. “So, this is what it feels like when you are considering sex.”

“Are you eating my emotions or something?”

He stroked her cheek. “Aw, kit. When I eat you, you will know.”

She stared at him, and he grinned as he touched her again. He was silky soft with muscle under his touch. She swallowed hard. “Right.”

“I am glad we have an understanding.”

Nessa said, “Okay, we can head out and get some dessert. Restaurants only serve the meals. Desserts are left to your own taste.”

“Okay.” She brought up the bill and swiped her pay tab over it while Yasku growled. “What? You are a guest, and you have just met my chosen family. You can get dessert, Master Yasku.”

He looked at her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked down and then looked up at him. His expression was calm, and she exhaled. She was being relaxed and seduced by millimetres and damned if it wasn’t working. Hmrain didn’t age. He literally had all the time in the world.