What Happens in Orbit

And that was about when the cramping set in. Cora couldn't remember eating anything bad that day, but judging by her stomach's reaction and the pain, she'd eaten some kind of broken glass casserole.

"Heh.Glasserole," she chuckled weakly to herself as she collapsed to her knees in the empty hallway, breathing deeply. She was thankful for the lack of attendants. The stomach issues were embarrassing enough without panicked witnesses. After the pain began to fade, she stood, limping down the hall to their quarters.Jesus, why am I sweating so much? Did I-

"Ooh. Oh shit. Ray?"

Where the fuck is everyone?It was hard enough resisting the urge to waste time changing her clothes. Cora had kept track of the months, thinking forty weeks, but she hadn't considered how differently time passed on Takka.

By the time she made it to Ray's office, Cora knew that she wasnotgoing to maintain any sort of dignity in this process.

And his fucking office wasempty.

Okay, stop panicking.This wasn't a process Cora had wanted to think about very much. Five years ago, she'd waved it off as some vague future thing, like owning a home or not having debt. The weather was gorgeous, dust-free, and most were out in the courtyard or across the way in the Crescent. It looked like there was some sort of operation going on in the spiral. She could see Della's hair, bright white in the sun, she could see the glint of metal as Mar tried to whack him with a crutch.Oh, yeah. I'm done for. This has gotta be karma.They'd even taken the kids outside. Mary was holding Mar's child while Mel led some kind of game with the other two, only one of whom had learned to walk yet.

Back to the quarters it is.At the last minute, she remembered the royal quarters. They were closer. Maybe she could lay down and it would pass. Like those weird contractions that only happened randomly, to keep a lady on her toes.

Cora did not make it to the bed. Another cramp hit, making breathing particularly difficult. She had the presence of mind to flail at the door, knocking it shut before inching towards the washroom.God, what are they called? It's just that. I'm just... getting ready. It's not happening yet.Looking down at her pants, Cora sighed. She hadn't been there when her mother's water broke, but she knew enough about the event to know that there weren't many other explanations.Yeah.I'll get some water.

Cora bent over the sink, breathing as deeply as she could before reaching to turn the faucet. The water wasn't particularly cold, but it felt nice to rinse away the sweat dripping off her face. She sat, assessing her situation while the pain abated.Okay. First, I'm stupid. Like, olympically stupid. Why did I come in here? Two, it's definitely happening. What do I do? That breathing. I remember the breathing.She made her best efforts at some huffing and puffing, and while it sounded right, it did nothing for her.

Cora laid on her side on the cold tile. "God, why am I like this?"

"You're just like me, dear."

She gave Koramin her strongest glare. "I asked God, not you. Fuck off."

Koramin laughed, settling next to her. "I birthed Tarina by myself in this very room."

"Good job. Now if only you'd remembered todieby yourself."

The former queen swatted half-heartedly in her direction. "Oh, please. You're all alone. Someone has to help you."

"I don'tneedhelp, and- ugh- definitely not from you!" Cora writhed as the cramping returned.

"I'd get those trousers off if I were you, Cora."

"I'd fuck off if I were you!" Cora snapped back, fighting with the tie around her hips. Koramin wasn't wrong, but Cora certainly didn't want a murder victim's ghost being her doula.

"Okay, now, up, up! Back on your knees." Koramin knelt in front of her, her yellow-purple irises just as bright as when Cora thought she had permanently shut them. Cora obeyed, hissing obscenities all the while.

"Now what?"

"You waited too long to look for help. Not long now atall."

Cora wasn't sure how longnot longwas, but it felt like an eternity. She eventually gave up on her vest and shirt, yanking them off in a moment of clarity as they became too uncomfortable.

"God, I don't think I've ever sweat this much."

"Icertainly didn't. Must be a human tendency."

She had a sarcastic response for Koramin, but all she got out was a hoarse cry.

Cora found herself missing the concept of eggs as a whole. Sure, it was embarrassing, sure, it was weird, but it wasn't this. This was agony in a way that made her yearn for the aching joints and nausea.

"Why don't you try pushing now?"

"Why don't you try fucking OFF?" Cora wailed as she saw stars. The red-hot pain was worsening into white-hot pain.

"I will when you're done, dear. Push."

Cora didn't want to, but her body wasn't giving her a choice.

"Don't let the little one hit the tile, please!"

"Fuck you!" Cora nearly fell as she tried to get a hand under herself.

The tiny room was suddenly full of attendants, then came a deafening shout, leaving only two pairs of legs.

The pain was fading, but Cora felt an odd pulling sensation as it started to worsen again.

Ray was shouting from somewhere. Out in the hall, maybe?

The attendants weren't letting him in.

Milo was holding her, a blurry Tara was holding something... Blurry. A blurry shape.Oh. That's mine. I think.

There was crying. It was faint, but it was there.That's the normal thing. I think. Got to be crying. Lungs in there.Cora wheezed, lolling back against Milo's cool skin.

There was a thump, a cry like a chicken, and a distant clatter, like someone had physically thrown Ray out of the room.

"Wow. I'm fuckingtired.No wonder Mama hated me so much. No, no. Lemme see. I know it's not her fault. I promise not to blame her," Cora rambled, reaching out with arms that felt like overcooked spaghetti.

"Yep. That's a baby." Somebody was supporting her arms as they rested the soggy, crying newborn on her chest. Cora couldn't quite remember what a human baby was supposed to look like, but this couldn't be too far off. Pearlescent skin, little webbed fingers, and tiny brown eyes.

"Yep... Yep. It's all there. Everything good? Feels like my damn, uh, organs fell out. Fuck me. What a day. I was supposed to talk to Tai later. Hope he's not mad at me."

Several hands were lifting her limbs, working something fabric over her stiff legs. Clothing. Robes?

"Mama said I tore the mess out of her when she had me. I'm good, yeah? Don't wanna look like the uh, ahah, Grand Canyon perhaps. Maybe I'm ok. Doesn't feel like I did much."

Truthfully, Cora could not feel a damnthingapart from a general burning ache from her chest down.They were picking her up now, a rainbow of hands braced around her, lovingly supporting her body.

The bed they settled her into was extremely pleasant, much more pleasant than the cold, bloodstained tile in the suite's washroom. "Aw, hell. Somone apologize to whoever's on cleaning duty today for me puh-lease. Did not intend to do that." Cora felt like there was a rubber band around her jaw as she slurred her words, but she couldn't risk being rude. They were all so nice, bringing her a warm drink and giving her some kind of medicine.

The sudden cold on her chest made Cora gasp. Someone had taken the baby from her. It was Tara, with a bottle in hand.Oh, oh. That's okay, I think.

Cora sank into the bed, finally remembering how.

And then Mar was alone.

Well, that wasn't quite true. Leo sighed, approaching him.

"That was not fun to witness, I am not gonna lie."

Leo watched, concerned, as Mar's expression went from bitter to shocked.

"Yeah, you probably should apologize to her. That was a lot, especially for you."

"No, there's- Damn it, I need to get up!"

Della appeared behind them, Orra swinging from his arm and laughing. "What's going on? I heard Cora yelling."

Then came Tai, snatching his daughter off Della's arm just as Mar swung his crutch. "Hey! What are you doing? Damn it, somebody grab him!"

They could not.

After a lot of shouting and getting whacked, it took a belligerent Tarina, eyes blazing, to lift Mar to his feet and situate his crutches. "You areembarrassingyourself. Stop it."

It was then that Mar remembered why he'd started to flail in the first place. "Tai. What was that thing you were talking about, when Cora was trying to kill you?"

"What?" Tai shook his head, trying to stop Orra from crawling into his vest. "You mean the Mantle?"

"Yeah. Is that a constant?"

"Well, yes, in theory, but why?"

Mar started to limp out of the spiral, finding a quicker rhythm with the crutches. "I just got this horrible feeling, like I was going to die."

Tai was already vaulting over the hedge, Orra passed like a baton to the nowverybewildered Tarina. She received her delicately, muttering under her breath before holding her close to her chest.

"Where's Cora?!"

She watched Ray sprint out of the Crescent and across the courtyard, followed by a line of attendants.

These Roshak are such interesting characters.

As drowsy Orra snuffled contentedly against Tarina's chest, it finally occurred to her why they were running. "Oh!Oh!"

Milo and Tara pulled ahead of the other attendants, shouting back and forth with Mary, who called out commands to the others. Several pairs of them peeled away from the procession of panic, charging back towards the Crescent or into different entrances of the compound.

They began to sweep the rooms, following the cries and swearing.

Ray found her first, then found himself being tossed back from the room.

"Hello! You need to let me in, I'm-" The crush of bodies in the washroom was too much. Tara bellowed a command, and he was swept once more back into the bedroom. At his fourth attempt to enter the washroom, a massive blue hand seized him from behind, lobbing him like a dodgeball into the hallway. Attendants leapt over him, arms laden with supplies bound for the medical hall.

He laid there, hoping nobody would step on him.

At one point, a body passed over him, terrifyingly Cora-shaped.

Ray tried to sit up, catching a foot to the head.

He flopped back down, resigning himself to crawl along the hall's edge. He could hear crying.That can't be normal. Babies don't cry like that.

The rest of the Roshak were outside Cora's room, Leo and Della supporting an exhausted-looking Mar.

"Is she okay?"

"How wouldIknow, Della? I was too busy getting trampled." Ray leaned to the side, peeking into the room, only to meet Tara's fiery gaze. He yelped, throwing himself backwards. "She is likely doingexcellently.Our strong, brave Cora."

They'd let Tai and Erie in. Erie was, unfortunately, not equipped to do the kind of medical translating that Tai needed done. Exasperated, Tai leaned over, shouting out of the doorway. "Ray! Why are you just standing out there? Aren't you the human baby expert?"

"Oh, sure, yes,nowyou need the expert," muttered Ray.

As he held the pale, stone-beetle-sized newborn, Ray was suddenly not-so-sure of his qualifications.

This was not a human baby. Not a Sheevae baby. They hadn't even really got to the point of creating hybrids for him to learn from. This was the real deal.

"Ah," he said, like he wasn't panicking.

"Well?"

"They're ah, healthy! Very healthy. Nice clear crying, well-developed proto-tail, teeEETH!"

Tai reached between Ray's arms, gently prying the tiny jaws apart. "I should have warned you."

"No, that's not necessary, I'm the expert, remember? Just, ah, testing jaw strength."

Tai had already started to bandage Ray's heavily bleeding hand and was now giving him a look that could have crumbled stone. "Yes. My mistake."

Cora woke at least a day later, surrounded by chairs facing away from her. The attendants were keeping watch. Tai was there, in the one chair facing her.

Searching for the time, Cora frowned. They'd taken the clock off the wall. It only showed what segment of the day they were in, nothing specific, but it still reminded her that she hadn't been able to keep her appointment with Tai.

And Mar was probably still not happy with her. She'd gone too far.

Tara's CD of Catholic nonsense was playing in the distance, Mel somehow having learned the Latin to sing along with it. She had such a pretty little voice.

Cora sighed.

Everyone sitting around her startled awake. Tai watched the attendants as they stood, methodically preparing supplies and bringing in a tray of food. They were being particularly careful, Cora noticed, not to make any noise. Hard surfaces were covered with toweling, trays were set down with fingers extended.

She rolled over, quickly seeing why.

And realized she'd been out of her mind when she'd first seen her, thinking this was a normal baby. It was not.

Even with the attendants' care, the motion in the room was still enough to rouse the tiny thing, who started kicking her feet and grunting. The crying would start shortly.

Tai looked to her.

Cora shook her head, recognizing the concern.Let's see.She pushed her elbows into the bed, carefully levering herself up onto her hands, scooting herself back to sit upright.

Oh,ouch.

She'd definitely got stitches. It didnotfeel pleasant.

Unlike when Mel came out, Cora felt a little less nervous about this one. She'd at least have the sense to holler when she needed something, instead of justneedingit.

And though she felt guilty thinking about it, having attendants, many of whom clearly adored children, made it as easy as could be. All she'd have to do was heal and manage the guilt.

Easy.

Tai sidled up to the bed, leaning in to whisper. "You'll need to do this, uh,naming ritualtoday, after you eat. Tara has promised that it isn't dangerous, but she says it's very bad luck to let them go longer than two days without a name."

And that was how Cora ended up in a pitch-black room, holding her newborn. She could still hear Mel.

It wasn't much of a ritual. She'd sit in the dark until a name came to her. Cora wasn't sure why she had to sit in this particular room to do that, but she certainly wasn't arguing.

She was still way too tired to argue.

The chair, however, was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second.

Maybe I should have argued. With my luck, I'll just-And there she was. Cora huffed, rolling her eyes. She'd slept well, so maybe stress was the reason she could now hear Koramin singing under her breath.

There was no scent in the room aside from the baby in her arms. Cora listened to a few of her breaths before turning her attention back to Koramin.

It was silent now.Maybe I was just listening too hard.

Cora tried to relax. She wasn't sure what it was about this room, but the darkness was thick and had a pressure to it, like a thunder cloud.

Suddenly, she wasn't sure if she still heard Koramin earlier, or if she'd imagined it. Hand shaking, she stroked the soft fins on her baby's head.God, this actually kind of sucks.

She spent a few minutes breathing deeply.

I feel like they all have these kind of Slavic names,Cora mused.But I don't know any off the top of my head that would just come to mind.

There was a weight on her leg, like a hand. "I have a name, if you wouldn't mind taking it."

Of course it hadn't been her imagination. "Koramin, can you just f-" She paused, realizing it was her ticket out of the darkness. "Okay, fine. What is it?"

The weight shifted. "Otylia. You can call her Tola for short."

"And how are you spelling that?"

Sometime later, Cora opened the door, squinting against the light.

She felt a little guilty, allowing the murdered queen to name her child.

For the first rotation, the first month, things went swimmingly. She had a simple, televised coronation, gave a simple speech to be translated across the planet, and the Yarlott emperor sent his regards.

He'd been unable to attend, offering a vague reason involving a minor crisis on the Earth's Yarlott outpost.

Her speech had been a collaboration with Tabitha, a lot of good stuff about unity and bravery, spelling out clearly what she expected to accomplish as queen.

She hoped it would stave off the assassination attempts for a while.

There was one thing, however, that was not going as swimmingly as everything else.

Mar.

He'd done nothing but avoid her, only speaking to her in strategy meetings.

Maybe after the mission departs.

Everyone else seemed to be doing better. It was only Mar.

She had a bad feeling that even if she managed to talk to him, he wouldn't want to hear her apologies.

Tor didn't seem to have any problems. Even Tai had calmed down considerably, happy to have a mission to throw himself into planning.

They would send a team to Roshak, containing everyone, including Tor.

Well, noteveryone. Mar would remain behind, for obvious reasons that he didn't seem to mind.

Tor, Leo, and Erie were going for different reasons. Tor was taking advantage of the opportunity to visit his family with Mel. Leo and Erie would be going to the archives, Cora was told, to find the names of their parents.

This was all fine.

Cora refused to get nervous. They would come back once the mission was accomplished, within a month using one of the newer, lightning-fast Tau Sek Gei ships. It was all simple.

When Cora got into bed, surrounded by heartbeats, she tried to quiet her mind. Tor reached over, stroking her hair. She scooched closer to him, finally starting to relax.

And woke up alone.

The sun was still rising.

Cora stretched, groggily eyeing the time range showing on the clock.

An odd feeling began to build in her chest. She hadn't woken up enough to figure it out.

The bed wasverycold.

They shouldn't have been gone until noon.

A small, kind voice spoke up in her head, advising against panic.

She knew what had happened, even if her brain hadn't fully parsed the situation.

There were too few heartbeats in the building.Waytoo few.

Cora opened the door slowly, listening to several pairs of frantic footsteps, harshly whispered orders.

"My Queen! You're awake!" Taranevercalled her that.

"Has Tola been fed this morning?"

Tara nodded, her hands clasped so hard that Cora could see the white of bone through skin.

"In the interest of not losing mygoddamn mind, I will be sitting in the throne room. I want a clear explanation of the situation in ten marks. Nomaybe, noperhaps,onlyisandwas. Is this clear?"

At Tara's nod, she strode past her.

Here were the doors. Cora opened them, feeling the metal pulley wheels grate against stone tracks as she slid them apart.

Judging by the wall-rattling roar, they'd tried explaining the situation to Tarina before Cora.

Cora approached the throne, swiping the dust off with her hand. They hadn't used this room in a while.

She was holding her jawsocarefully, consciously keeping her teeth parted. It would not win.

The doors slammed open.

"Tarina. Sit." Cora gestured to a pouf situated left of her. "Not yet."

Her words were crisply enunciated, tension like piano wire.

"What were they thinking?"She snarled, tendons standing at attention in her forearms.

Cora shook her head slowly. "Not yet, Tarina." If it tooknew painto overcome old, useless pain, then this must have beennew rage.