Page 7 of Instinct for Disaster

The immigration officer paused. “You don’t want to live with them?”

“No. I am no longer used to close contact with my own people. The time after the asteroid destroyed my enjoyment of my own kind.” She had never had any, but explaining it would be difficult.

“Why should you be allowed on our world? What do you give to us that is needed?”

She blinked. “I bring peace, I bring calm, and I bring wealth. I wish to learn how nature works here. How it moves and breathes. When I have integrated myself, I will do no harm.”

“And before then?”

“I will minimize the harm I can do to and stay away from habitation.”

A beep on his terminal made his eyes widen. “Miner Cassandra, we are going to take you into holding until we can get you off-world.”

“May I have use of a tablet to sell my existing property?”

“Yes. Do you wish to notify any of your acquaintances that you are here? They may visit you before you are deported.”

“No, thank you. It is best they don’t know I am here. Just the tablet.”

That was it. Her entry into her new life was rejected, and she had to plan all over again. She would just have to start again.

* * * *

Yasku waited in his lounge for the Terran to emerge from immigration, and when she didn’t, he turned to his assistant. “Check on her.”

“Who, Overseer?”

“The Terran. Cassandra. She is a khimerion miner.”

There was a pause, and his assistant said, “She has been denied immigration and is being held for deportation. They are transporting her now.”

Yasku got to his feet and said, “Where is she?”

“Still in the office. They are waiting for transport officers.”

Yasku left his lounge and walked with long strides to the immigration side of the space port. Locals and new arrivals alike got out of his way. There were few creatures who would get in the way of an irritated Hmrain, and there was no doubt he was irritated.

The doors opened at his approach, and his little Terran was sitting perfectly still, only turning her head toward him when the door opened.

The officer said, “Overseer! This is an honour.”

“Cassandra, come with me. I am taking you to your new home.”

“Overseer. I have been denied immigration even though I was pre-cleared. I will leave, and I won’t kick up a fuss.”

He snorted. “Don’t be stupid. Come on, drinking buddy. I am taking you home. Record my override, officer. I will take it up with the council at a later date. For now, she has not had a proper home for over half a decade. I am vouching for her.”

The drive to protect her was strange. Normally, he didn’t feel anything for the citizens he purchased for his world, but she was different. She reminded him of himself before he had been woken to his need to take care of the citizens on his worlds. She acted like a newly created Hmrain, and that woke a different instinct in him. He needed to see what she would become.

“Cassandra, come with me.”

“I have been deported. I cannot leave the facility and progress to the planet.”

Yasku smiled. He took a tablet off the petrified officer’s desk and tapped on it with his claws. “This is my world. All on it are subject to my rule, and I was not consulted on this, so I am setting aside this officer’s decision and reading your file, which has a ban requested from your family. They do not want you here.”

She sighed. “I know. It is why I didn’t want there to be contact between us.” She didn’t look sad, just resigned.

“Well, I want you here, and you have just been given full clearance, right, officer?”

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