Page 17 of Breaking Ties

“Siblings one year apart. She could have been the oracle if her genes had allowed it.”

“It’s a pity. If she responded like you, the overseers would have fought for her until only one was standing.”

“I know which one is for me. A fight or an auction is not necessary.”

She smiled and looked across the room. The ladies were all calm as their recovery was being checked. The first visit was for wounds that could not be treated at the shuttle landing area, and the second was to check underlying issues that could affect their bond price.

The question and answer had gone over their bond and that they would likely be grouped with others with the same goal or skill set. Avery seemed outraged that she would be with others. Once she had learned about companions, she wanted to be one, soft and pretty, with a doting male and unlimited funds. That was her dream. She never accounted for what the male would take from her.

Aubrey saw her future. She would be quiet, respectful, and the companion of a third-generation Hmrain. His grandmother purchased her bond for him, and Avery was not going to get away with anything. A female Hmrain was serious business, and Avery would eventually fall in line.

To add insult to injury, at Aubrey’s urging, Avery was going to start with a five-year contract. That put her at the level of companions who were on probation. The com message had already been sent. Avery was going to be off the station before the rest of the Hmrain arrived.

Aubrey got the final readout from the physicians. She was done growing and now just had to regain her weight. That would be the work of weeks, but it would be done.

She got up and looked at the ladies who were waiting for initial assessment. If their physical or mental condition were an issue, they would be assessed again after treatment.

Aubrey smiled. “Ladies, you are about to be assessed for Hmrain compatibility. It is a sensuality test. It isn’t for how much you can feel; it is for how much you give off when aroused. The Hmrain’s minds consume it and use it for fuel, like a sports drink with a protein shake chaser. It wakes them all the way up, and it helps them evolve. How much you can broadcast determines your rating on a scale of one to five hundred. Anyone over two hundred can be a companion to a Hmrain or one of their descendants. Life with a Hmrain is exhausting, but you will be cared for, clothed, and fed; the only thing you need to do is serve your Hmrain whenever they indicate they have a need. There is no “not tonight” or “can’t it wait.” It is not optional, but as they feed on pleasure, if you don’t feel it, they don’t get stronger, so they have incentive to keep the seduction active.”

Aubrey smiled. “Relax. Feel what you feel. If you don’t rank, you can still be an analyst, a forager, a baker, electrician, pilot, or homemaker. This is just part of your categorization. Oh, and you can also become what your aptitude offers you if your Hmrain is generous, but you won’t be allowed to risk your life. That is out of the question.”

Avery snorted. “How can you know all this?”

“Oh, I have been talking to some of the Terran companions. They explained the confusion, the fear, and the wry relief when they settled in with their Hmrain. One is in charge of the world she was bonded to. Another is a retired miner who turned blue and is growing wings. Her Hmrain is still laughing and apologizing. Another has grown fine sprays of scales where her freckles used to be. And of course, there is the first companion who had no clue as to what the assessment was or a Hmrain was or that he wasn’t going to snap her neck. That was interesting. The station forgets this is our first contact with other species, and it makes them a little nonchalant about passing information along.”

She looked at them. “Would you like me to remain nearby but not watching while you are assessed?”

Nine out of ten women nodded. While each was taken in for assessment, Aubrey talked to the others about taking as many languages as possible. Each language raised their price and made them a more important bond, even working in hospitality. It was the difference between being back-of-house or housekeeping at a hotel, or the concierge or management.

When she paused, she heard a familiar voice. “What happens to Desmond and Paris? How do I keep them with me?”

Aubrey looked at her sister and shook her head. “You don’t. The world ended. You are on your own, and so are they.”

Chapter Four

Avery gasped. “What? No. I need them.”

“You don’t, and they don’t need you. Your presence will hold them back, and it will be confusing for the bond, as you aren’t linked to either of them. There is no tether, legal or physical, to bind you three together. The station can’t do anything about it. Nor could it for the thousands of friends or travel companions who have come through. You either do what is right for you, or you go into a menial batch together. Your choice.”

Avery flinched at the word menial. When she was called, she looked at Aubrey, nodded, and got to her feet. “I am going to blow you out of the water.”

Aubrey nodded. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Avery looked at her, startled, and said, “You did it. It can’t be that hard.”

Aubrey grinned and inclined her head.

One of the ladies who had been through assessment said, “How did you do that with a straight face?”

Aubrey grinned. “I knew she was watching, and she is going to twist herself in knots trying to keep herself as calm as I was while her thighs rub like cricket legs.”

The woman laughed and then sobered. “She said some horrible things about you before you got there.”

“I have no doubt. She and her little buddies left me tied to a disabled jeep in the cold and wind, three days before I worked loose, tore my lycra leggings up to replace the belts on the jeep, and then got here to the site as fast as I could. When the car died, I ran with everything I had left.”

“Holy shit. Why?”

“Me? I wanted to live. Her? She gets off on watching me in the dirt and putting me there by convincing friends and family I was a bully. It was a fucking hobby.”