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She’s lighter than she looks; cradled in my arms. I expected the weight of heavy machinery but, really, she only weighed a little more than I did. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I was loath to move her. But after pulling us from the wreckage of Parghasa, her care was my first and only priority.
I took her into the belly of my Orbiter and settled her into the transference consol. It had helped to stabilize her before, and I was hoping it’d work now.
She looked more … whole than she had before. Her skin had sealed the cracks and her chassis no longer flaked. If she had been human, I’d have believed she were merely asleep. A loose strand of hair had fallen into her face and, without thinking, I raised my hand to tuck it behind her ear. Her skin felt smooth and warm, I couldn't help myself from tracing the line of her jaw with my fingertips as I pulled my hand back.
Or, I would’ve, if she hadn’t caught my wrist.
Her eyes had opened, merely a crack, to softly peer at me. “You are not my child.” Her voice was quiet but firm. I swallowed.
“No,” I agreed. “I’m not.”
She let the silence linger, her eyes resting on my face. I watched her in return. She didn’t seem like someone who was waking up. In contrast, as I watched her smallest expressions she seemed more like an interface booting up: a quiet but rapid connection to the proper programs and then, in a blink, awake and ready for input.
I couldn’t help the relief showing on my face.
“I’m …” I hesitated. “from the void?” Clearly explanations weren’t my strong suit.
I watched a small smile pull at the corners of her mouth. “I see.” As though that explained anything.
I licked my lips. How do I even begin to explain when I don’t fully understand what happened? “In the void, where we-I saw the,” I stopped myself cheeks ablaze. I took a moment to take a few deep breaths while she waited calmly.
“I became seperated during the Zariman accident. But you found me, or some part of you did, and I was able to find my way to you?”
I tried to read her expression but it maintained its cool neutrality.
“And my child?” she asked, her words weighed down with something I couldn’t identify.
My hand raised and I gestured behind myself, “I think they're just.”
“You’ve seen them?”
“We were able to chat before, about who should come back. I don’t think we can both be in the same space for very long.” I blabbered uselessly.
I was taken aback by her movement, as she cupped my cheek. The sudden warmth shocked me to silence, as she used her thumb to caress my face. I don't know what sort of expression I was making, but she smiled. The expression and warmth radiated from her form.
“Welcome home.”
She was beautiful, ethereal, and bright. I instantly hated myself for thinking of her that way.