The Sarran Senator (3 page)

Both
fems
had done an
ob/
gyn
rotation in medical school but had to
study the procedures in the archives and Earthen medical journals
to get the most current data. It was a good thing that Tonas and
Jonal
had brought the contents of all of
Earth’s media with them, stored
on
crystals.

Syn remembered the conversation regarding
their conclusions from a tide before the Brightstar landed. Having
juice and cookies, they sat at a round table outfitted with the
comfortable chairs Bron designed for
pregnant
fems
that had made him another fortune in
credits because of the many downloads from the fabricator.

“My best guess is that we are due in about
three to four tides or about thirty to forty risings plus, taking
into account the different gestational periods of
Sarran
and Earthen
bebes
.” Anya
finished her juice.

“If you look at Naffie,
Sarran
children are
big
, yet the
Sarran
fems
were the same
size as Earthen woman.” Ellen
straighted
her
red tunic top over her belly. The
fems
found
Sarran
clothing to be perfectly suited for
a pregnancy.

“If it were an offspring, the
bebe
would grow too large to exit through the vaginal
canal, if we went the full twenty-seven tides of Earth’s
gestational period,” Adele postulated.

“However, the
femspring
will be smaller. How will the
femspring
be
fully developed if we go only fifteen tides?” Syn poured them all
another glass of juice.

“We’ll just have to have faith that the
Goddess won’t let anything happen to her
fems
.” TaEllen Macavoy, the psychiatrist and Earthen fem
who had been the most skeptical of the Goddess existence, said in
an offhand manner.

“Ellen, did you hear what you just said? You
are officially a believer.” Syn,
Anya,
and
Adele giggled.

An amused expression crept over Ellen’s face.
“So I am.”

Syn came back to the present time with a
sigh. For the
moontine
meal, she would have
Anya and Mark’s Triads along with Senator Johnson, Princess Sara’s
father.

I wonder what they’re like. Sara seemed
nice when we were running around the field after Naffie and
Michael. When Mark and
Juraens
made their first report two
tides
out from home, they said she was horribly abused
and would have died if not for
Sarran
medical technology. I’ll have to watch her
aura
to make
sure she’s
okay.

Syn heard a knock at her door.
::
PaChette, do you want to lie down before
you get dressed?
::

::
Yes, I
think it’s time.
::
She looked
at the lovely diamond watch Bron and
Zaron
had
presented to her on the anniversary of their sixth
tide
together. It was fourteen
tines
, just enough time for her to take a short nap, get
ready, and arrange the flowers.

The door opened and her WarriorPair came into
her sanctum. Bron strode over to the couch and picked her up. “I
can walk,” Syn protested.

::
You’re
uncomfortable, my little love. The risers are high, made for
Sarran
Warriors.
::

“You don’t have to keep carrying me around.
You probably didn’t do it for Nara.” Syn didn’t want to be
considered less capable than her predecessor.

“PaChette, Nara stayed in bed for most of her
pregnancy by her own desire. You are active and constantly going up
and down the stairs.”
Zaron
kissed her
hair.

“I’ll be doing more of that when our
femspring
comes and you won’t be around.
Sometimes you have to go away on council business. I can handle the
stairs.”

“Handling the stairs after you give birth
isn’t a problem. You can teleport to the bebe’s slumber chamber.
For that
matter
you could teleport to the
slumber
chamber
now. We just like to carry
you.”

“Speaking about the bebe’s slumber chamber;
did anyone in your engineering prototype lab come up with a design
for a bebe monitor?”

“With the arrival of the Brightstar on my
mind, I forgot to tell you. One of our
unbonded
engineers, Tarin, designed it and will get a
dukedom for the project. He’s called to council next rising. We
wanted to surprise you with it. He finished it two days ago. Every
bonded
fem
is pregnant and every fem wants one
and when they explain the purpose, their Warriors insist they have
it. I have one for us downstairs.”

“I’ve never met, Tarin have I?”

::
No,
little love, you haven’t. Tarin is a high ranking
Warrior, an Honorable,
who retired to his
home after the Zyptz War took his bonded. It’s a shame. He was
headed for council. He gave in to depression and finally worked his
way out the other side this past cycle. When he heard that members
of the council were able to bond in Triad again, he came out of
seclusion, hoping the Goddess would favor him once more with a
PairBond and maybe even a Triad. He’s about forty-six and a gifted
engineer.”

::
Why
don’t you invite him to the
moontine
meal? I have plenty and he’s near Sam’s age.
When you said his
name
it
occurred to me that it would be the right thing to do. After all,
Sara’s now pregnant too and Sam needs someone to talk to who
isn’t shoulder
deep in
bebe
preparations.
::

::
Oh,
Jonal and Tonas are bringing their aides, Einar and Frick, to
meet
Garlance
and
Emot
as all four of us are on
council and the
aides
will
be working closely together. They’ll eat with
Garlance
,
Emot,
and Hilnut in the kitchen.
Zaron
and I have to make up another list of
qualified aides because it’s already been decided that Mark and
Juraens
are being called to
council next rising and we’re going to offer Sam a position as
Advisor on Earthen Affairs. He’ll need an aide,
too.
::

Syn clapped her hands. “It’s good that Sam
will have something to do where he feels useful. The Democratic
Party was going to nominate him for President of the United States.
He should be able to do more here than sit back and play
grandsire.”

::
Not to
take advantage of Sam’s expertise would be a waste of Goddess given
talent.
::
They reached the
slumber chamber door. It opened. Bron walked in and he laid Syn
down on their bed.

::
You’ll
call Tarin. I have a feeling that Tarin being here this moontine is
important.
::
Syn delicately
covered a yawn.

::
I’ll
call Tarin. It shall be as you ask. I’ll have
Garlance
and
Emot
set another place in the dining chamber and two
in the kitchen for Tonas and
Jonal’s
new aides. Now it’s time for you to
rest.
::

Zaron kissed Syn and she closed her
eyes.

* * * *

Gatehouse: 18:00 tines

Sam stood in the courtyard just outside the
gatehouse looking up at the sky. He saw the six small moons and
Ulna the White. He didn’t know where to look to find Earth’s Sol.
I’ll have to ask
Juraens
.

His grandson, Michael, was excited about
having dinner with Naffie in the kitchen with
Garlance,
Emot,
and Hilnut. Sam had
met the aides and the driver earlier in the day when Emot was out
in the garden with Naffie and Michael and Hilnut was bringing in
their bags. He didn’t care for Hilnut; he wasn’t sure why, but he
planned to keep an eye on him, especially around Michael and
Naffie.

Juraens
and Mark need to pick out aides, if what
Zaron
and
Jonal
said is true and they are about to be elevated
to
council
. I’ll speak to my
new offspring about due diligence in appointing staff.
I
have a feeling there wasn’t enough due diligence when Hilnut was
appointed to the Chief Elders’ Household.

The council meeting was next rising at eight
tines. Sam had already asked for the genetic vial and the
council
would administer it the next rising
under Mark’s supervision, with
Zaron
and Bron
acting as witnesses and
Juraens
as Sam’s
advocate. Sara had also requested the vial for Michael and given
the holos taken by the medical staff as evidence of the horrible
abuse, and given the fact that Bradley was still alive and in the
United States, Zaron and Bron said the council would be inclined to
make an exception to their rule that the offspring
must decide themselves at
the age of culpability.

When he asked about its
effects
, Mark said, “Read the history of the last voyage.
Search for my name and Bane’s and you’ll find out what I know about
the vial. It knocked me out for about a half-
tine
, but I think it was because of Bane and the phony
bond rather than the vial itself. However, there is a small
conference room off the council chambers where you and Michael
could lie down, if necessary.”

The vial would finalize Sam’s decision.
Unlike the fems who could breed both with Earthen men and Sarrans,
once Sam became
Sarran
in
body
, he was completely
Sarran
and
there was no going back.
But here is where I want to be, with
Sara, Michael, and my new sons-in-law.
This time
Sara comes first.

When asked if he wanted to wait, his grandson
had said, “I want to be with my bonded,” and that was that.

* * * *

Soarer’s Peak: 16:00 tines

Tarin sat in his easy chair. Earlier in this
cycle, it seemed as if
a heavy
weight had been
lifted from his shoulders. In his heart he knew he had finally said
goodbye to
Nezier
. This phase he removed the
second slightly seedy, comfortable chair from the sitting room and
gave away
Nezier’s
things to which he now
realized he held on to for too long. Keeping Nezier’s things hadn’t
lessened his grief, only prolonged it.

He didn’t know what to make of the sudden
invitation to TeZaron and TeBron’s home for the
moontine
meal. TeBron said their fem wanted to thank him
for the
bebe
monitor. It amplified the
bebe’s
psy
so that the
Zinna could hear its distress from anywhere on the planet.

The mother would carry the amulet that
connected her
psy
to a capsule the size of a
tiny seed of grain. The capsule would be inserted in the back of
the baby’s neck at birth by a pneumatic injector. It would be
removed when the offspring or
femspring’s
psy
was developed enough that they could call
out for help, if necessary.

I can’t
refuse an invitation from
TeBron. We’re working on the Sky Shield together. Add to that fact
TeBron is an Elder, I simply have to go.

I’ve hidden myself away long enough. I don’t
want to lose my friendship with Bron and my access to the
facilities at the lab. I could never afford such quality equipment
on my own and TeBron is famous for his engineering skills. Goddess,
I know I’m going to feel out of place with all the Triads. It will
only remind me of what I no longer have.

A voice spoke inside his mind.
::
This phase you have put away your past and
now know that there is hope for a future. You will bond again.
The
Council
Elders have
called you before them. There will be someone for you. To prepare
for your future; you must put away your past in your mind as well
as in your home. Be patient, all will come in time. Go to the
moontine
meal.
::

Was that the Goddess who spoke to me?
Could I be that
blessed?
Maybe TeBron invited me to brief me as to why I am being called
to council next rising. I suppose I’d better get moving; wash and
dress. It wouldn’t do to be late and ruin one of TaSyn’s famous
dinners. From what I’ve tried from the fabricator, she is an
excellent cook and prepares most of the meals herself rather than
using the Castle Air chefs. A
home-cooked
meal with fresh ingredients; that is
something to look forward to. I never cooked, that was
Nezier’s
area of
expertise.

It wasn’t Nezier that appeared in his mind.
He had a brief flash of a Warrior with silver hair and laughing
green eyes. His hair was the color of a silver fox, one of the
mammals Tarin discovered when he looked in the Earthen media files
for small mammals to find out about the cats. There was an
abundance of wildlife on Earth. He thought back to what compelled
him to research the cats and what drew him to the fox. It made him
wonder what the voice in his head was trying to tell him. It gave
him hope. His attraction to the man he saw in his mind’s eye was
intense.