Page 46 of Breaking Ties

“And she has to be Hmrain-compatible.”

“Of course. I mean, we can fix that; it is what the academy does, but none of my siblings have asked us to make a companion in generations.” He shrugged casually. “They usually survived.”

Aubrey winced at what was implied with that statement.

Vress kissed her neck. “Go with your friend deeper into the green space. Relax and enjoy the life around you.”

Whisper nodded, and together, they walked deep into the oxygen farm.

Aubrey moved slowly, and Whisper matched her. A crewman ran up to them and handed Whisper a small box. “Nerigot remembered you hadn’t eaten.”

Whisper blushed. “Thank him if you are given the opportunity.”

The crewmember nodded and took off again.

Aubrey winced. “I should have remembered.”

“I would have gone to the commissary, but I have to wait until dismissed from your service. For the crew, it’s a duty shift, and for me, I am not on duty, so I don’t get relief if I start hanging around with you.” Whisper smiled. “I am going to find a nice tree, have a seat, and have my one-woman picnic.”

Aubrey smiled, and they kept walking until they found a mossy covering around a large tree. She sat and said, “What do you think I saw?”

“Me and Nerigot going at it.”

“So you have a dragon tattoo on your thigh?”

“Yup. Well, spotted. Thanks for not mentioning it. I want to find out what can happen in a machine deliberately built for humans.” She opened the container and started to eat.

“That is the eating I have gotten used to. It is amazing how just a few weeks makes me want to pretend it never happened. Two years of my life, and I want to black it all out.”

Whisper nodded. “I wake screaming. My life before was endless learning. I worked to learn. I was obsessed. When the world ended, I tried to keep my friends and family together. The fighting for food started. I was next on the menu, so I ran. That was eight months in. The rest is brutal, bloody, and endless. I killed, I ate, and some of my food talked.”

Aubrey winced. “So, not parrots.”

Whisper chuckled. “Not parrots. I took shelter in a mountain cave. Living or dead, I didn’t want to be around any more people. A few found me. I told them to whisper. They shouted to assert dominance or some shit, and down came the avalanche.”

Aubrey blinked. “Damn. So you named yourself Whisper.”

“If I tell you to whisper, there is something dangerous behind you.” She finished her food and closed the container. “Ah, that’s better. Only need two or three more of those before I head to bed.”

“You are hungry?”

“Constantly. Wanna see what’s under the tunic?”

Aubrey paused but nodded.

Whisper lifted her tunic, and there were ribs, a hollow belly, and the jutting bone of a hip. “Medical couldn’t build it artificially. If I am going to gain weight, something has to die. I have to stick to actual food.”

“And this was...”

“Actual food. The Hmrain rarely eat rations. I know there is a way to get the food class changed, but I didn’t get enough languages actually to ask the right questions.”

“They can all speak Common.”

“The other ladies were in the room on the station, and one of them used to be a vegan. I haven’t even found medical here.”

“Oh, we can fix that.” Aubrey smiled.

“We can? We have to stay here.”