TALON (RIBUS 7 Book 4) Page 3

  Chelan nodded. It was logical that Dar had hidden his long absence from as many as possible. There would be fewer chances of leaks that way. She finally looked back into Lennon’s beautiful blue eyes. “I am sorry about interrupting your duty on RIBUS 8.”

  “There is nothing to be sorry about. I was ordered here, in the beginning, to attend to his Lordship. Now, I am privileged to oversee your well-being. You are important to the Empire and my Commander. Therefore, you are important to me… which brings us to the issue at hand.”

  Chelan eyed him warily. “Which is?”

  “You have not been examined since your conception, and it is long overdue.”

  Chelan lurched to her feet, her abrupt motion startling the young warrior.

  He rose to his feet smoothly and moved to face her, quickly attempting to defuse the situation. “Most of what I need to know, you can tell me. Outside of feeling your abdomen, I will not touch you.”

  Chelan took a deep breath. “Dar has told you about my… aversions?”

  Lennon nodded, his face betraying his concern. “He instructed me to advise you of all my intentions concerning the degree of intrusiveness of any examinations. He also said that because of the unusual situation here, and because of your unease with his men, I was not to push anything on you.” He paused. “And I know of your past, both Earthly and Iceanean.”

  Chelan ran her hands over her belly and then turned away from him. “I will try to cooperate,” she muttered. “I have to, for the baby.”

  Lennon reached for her arm and dared to touch her. He turned her gently to him. “You have to trust me, my Lady.”

  Chelan looked up at him sheepishly. “We are on Earth now, and the Empire is far away. Please, call me Chelan.”

  Lennon smiled. “As you wish, Chelan. Now, please, sit.”

  Chelan sat on the ground and waited patiently for his interrogation. His voice was warm and soothing as he began. “How far along are you?”

  “Three and a half Earth months.”

  “And term for you is forty weeks?”

  Chelan nodded. “Forty Earth weeks.”

  Lennon shuffled closer. “You know that you are large for your dates?”

  Chelan nodded again. “Dar is a large man.”

  Lennon chuckled and raised his brows. “That he is. But it is a risk to you. Depending on how things go, we may have to deliver early or wait and then deliver abdominally. Then again, all may go well. I know of your last birth, and I am so sorry.”

  Chelan saw the genuine empathy in the man’s eyes. “Thank you. It was a bad situation.”

  Lennon nodded. “I will watch head size compared to your pelvis very carefully.”

  “How will you be able to tell?”

  “I will monitor the baby’s development and measure your size with a very sophisticated scanner I have with me. If the child gets far enough along to deliver slightly early and vaginally, that would be best. If it is underdeveloped and getting too big for you, we will have to make some important decisions, depending on where we are and what equipment I have access to. I have many excellent resources here with me, but on this planet, I would prefer not to do an abdominal extraction or look after a compromised infant. Still, I will do whatever I have to do to ensure the best outcome for both of you.”

  Chelan nodded. “I just want my baby to be healthy.”

  “Well, that is what I am here for. Now, any cramps or bleeding?”

  Chelan shook her head.

  “Any illness?”

  Chelan smirked. “Lots of morning sickness, but it has passed.”

  “And how is your diet?”

  “Lousy, if I had had my way. But Dar kept everything in check.”

  Lennon chuckled. “I bet he did. Now, any other aches or pains?”

  “No,” she stated flatly.

  Lennon shook his head at her. “Be honest.”

  Chelan felt like slapping him, but she quelled her impulse. “Just my breasts,” she whispered.

  Lennon nodded. “Pretty tender, I bet. But that is normal.”

  Chelan looked away. “My legs cramp sometimes, but that is all.”

  Lennon moved to her side. “Good—now, let’s check.”

  Chelan closed her eyes as he aided her to lie back into the grass. When his hands left her shoulders, she looked up. He produced a small scanner and passed it over her, pausing at her abdomen and studying the readouts. Then he smiled down at her. “All is well on a preliminary pass.”

  Chelan smiled back but then froze as he reached for her T-shirt.

  Lennon hesitated. “I will be quick, and no one is here but us.”

  Chelan swallowed hard but allowed him to raise her shirt above her waist. Then he pressed a hand ever so gently into her belly, moving his fingers over all of her and assimilating what his experienced fingers were telling him. When he was done, he pulled her shirt down. “Except for size, you are fine.” And he helped her to sit up.

  “If the scanner can tell you so much, why did you need to examine me?”

  “This one just gives me basic readouts on you and the baby, no images. I have a larger, more sophisticated one back at the fighter. By touch, I can feel where the baby is and how it is lying. I can also assess simple things like your skin tone.”

  “Why would you care about skin tone?”

  “Our woman are large and handle the stretching of pregnancies with ease. Plus, our skin is extremely resilient to any kind of trauma. You, however, are tiny by our standards, and the potential for damage to your skin—and to your muscles, for that matter—is much greater. But I see that you are doing well, and there are no ill effects from your last pregnancy either.”

  “Ill effects? You mean stretch marks?”

  Lennon nodded. “Or muscle or ligament separations.”

  Chelan’s brows rose. “Let me guess—you have a way to prevent all of that?”

  “We do.”

  Chelan grinned broadly. “Oh my god. If you ever get marooned here, you have a way to make the world’s biggest fortune by dealing with stretch marks alone.”

  Lennon chuckled. “Well, we like to prevent the damage for reasons that are not cosmetic. But if I do become marooned here, I will keep this in mind.” And they both laughed.

  Chelan finally relaxed completely. “Now what?”

  Lennon shrugged. “We wait. Cainon will monitor the battleship’s progress.”

  Chelan squinted at him, the man’s sudden discomfort revealing itself easily to her trained eye. “And?”

  “And that is all we can do for now. We cannot send messages at the moment, and neither can Dar, because of the volatility of the situation.”

  “Situation?”

  Lennon was slow to answer. “I said that your pregnancy was none of my business, Chelan, and it is not. But I know, as does the whole of the Empire, that you are Korba’s Letted mate. I also know that the child within you is Commander Dar’s. That means your Let to Korba was implied. Now, as to whether our Lordship granted this, I have my doubts. But we are sworn to silence on all levels. It does not, however, take much intelligence to figure out that Korba did not give you his blessings for this union. I would also venture to say that it is in everyone’s best interest that he does not know of this until long after the fighting is over.”

  Chelan looked down, nagging pangs of guilt wrenching at her guts yet again. What had she done to her beloved Korba? What was this going to do to all of them? And what was it going to do to the structure of the Empire, if indeed there was still an Empire?

  But Lennon’s soft touch brought her back from her murky thoughts. “Do you have any questions for me?” he asked.

  Chelan refocused. “How long might we be here?”

  Lennon shook his head. “It could be a while. This is all-out galactic warfare.”

  “So, we could be here for months?”

  Lennon nodded. “If that is what it takes. We are well supplied for an extended stay—even for years, if necessary.”

>   Chelan felt her chest constrict, the whole miserable situation seeping into her like some suffocating ooze. “What if it is years?”

  Lennon smiled confidently. “Then we will deal with it, either here or in a safe satellite community.”

  “Here? On Earth? How could we possibly manage that?”

  Lennon chuckled. “Dar told me you worry too much. Do not fret. We will do our best together no matter what the situation. We have ways of infiltrating alien societies. And we have enough equipment to set up in any remote location for an extended time. If worse comes to pass, we will commandeer, from whatever agency we can—Earthly or otherwise—what we need to keep you and the baby safe.”

  Chelan’s thoughts scattered in a hundred different directions. But looking far into the future was too daunting to deal with. “So,” she asked instead, “how many babies have you delivered?”

  Lennon looked up at the sky and thought. “Oh, thousands, I guess.”

  Chelan’s eyes widened. “But you serve on a battleship.”

  “Yes, but before that, I served with the Guild.”

  Chelan sprang to her feet in the space of a heartbeat and sought escape. Lennon caught her instantly. Chelan tried to wrench free, but he held her firmly. “Let go!” she shouted.

  “No, I won’t until you explain!”

  “You worked for the Guild! Do I need to explain further?”

  “Yes, you do. I worked for them decades ago.”

  Chelan finally extracted herself from his grip, her mouth agape. “But you are so young.”

  “You forget our life span. I have served Dar for over twenty Iceanean years.”

  Chelan gave her head a shake. “I am not sure I trust you.” And she turned away.

  “Why?”

  She whirled around. “You know nothing of the Guild’s involvement with Ticees and what he tried to do?”

  Lennon raised his hands in a sign of submission. “Of course, I do, my Lady. But I was no part of that. And the Guild was unaware of Ticees’ intent. Those particular members were executed by Ticees after they witnessed his brutality. You know that.” He reached for her again, but she stepped back from him. “And if it helps,” he added, “I only delivered children for the Guild, my capacity that of obstetrician. For Dar and the military, I am a general physician and surgeon. That is all.”

  Chelan was breathing rapidly, memories of the deposed Emperor flooding her mind, with caustic consequences. When Ticees had assaulted her, she had been left alone by all the Warlords. Now again, she was alone with unfamiliar men. Her wary eyes met Lennon’s, and she shuddered. She knew he was Iceanean, but at the moment, that did not help.

  Lennon could smell her fear, and he began to back up. “Surely, you trust Dar’s choice, my Lady. But if not, I will withdraw from your services. There are other doctors here. You may choose any one of them. It is your choice.” He turned away and headed toward the forest.

  Chelan tried to quell her turmoil, racing to sort fact from fear. “No!” she shouted at his back. “I am sorry.”

  Lennon stopped and turned to face her. Chelan tried to calm herself. “I panicked,” she whispered. “I want you to stay.”

  Lennon approached her slowly. “What happened to you, Chelan, was unspeakable. And I understand your trepidation. But you must accept and trust me unconditionally. This is not a normal Earth pregnancy. If you are not comfortable with me, it will only work to your detriment.”

  Chelan nodded weakly. “I understand. I am just so stressed… and so afraid for the Warlords.” She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “I trust you, Lennon, if for no other reason than I trust Dar. Please, forgive me.”

  Lennon stepped up to her. “I am not his Lordship Commander Dar, Chelan, but I will offer what comfort and understanding that I can in these troubled times.”

  Chelan finally smiled. “Yes, thank you. After all, we are all in this together for the duration, no matter what the outcome.”

  Lennon sighed. “That we are, my Lady. That we are.”

  Chapter 3

  Days turned into weeks, and soon fall was well upon them. Chelan was now six and a half months along and somewhat cumbersome. With her tall frame, she should have presented as only moderately mounded, but with Dar’s child, she looked nearly full term. What remained of her agility came only as a result of Lennon’s constant attentiveness and her own dedication to all forms of exercise.

  Chelan had come to like and respect the doctor immensely. As her pregnancy progressed, his attention and companionship were almost constant. He had even begun staying with her at night, helping her with leg cramps and giving much-needed ministrations to her aching back. And when finding a comfortable position was nearly impossible, Lennon always managed to help, at times offering his body as support to ease her discomfort.

  His level of well-being, on the other hand, was rising with the falling air temperature. High in the mountains, the mornings were often frigid, and at times, they awoke to skiffs of snow that were more and more reluctant to leave as the days progressed.

  Cainon visited frequently, taking the time to converse lightly with doctor and patient, exchanges that Chelan thoroughly enjoyed. He was an easy man to talk with, and Chelan loved hearing about the Empire from the different perspectives offered by these two men under Dar’s command. But Cainon was able to supply little information about the mission. It was not that he held anything back—it was simply that incoming data was sparse. For that matter, over the last week, it had been nonexistent.

  Chelan could see the strain in Cainon’s war-hardened face, though he tried to be light around her. The lack of information disturbed the man greatly, as it did Chelan. Indeed, she dared not ask for details or conjecture. She knew all too well the implications of the dearth of communications. Just as with the Rigilean mission so many years ago, no word often meant disaster. But she could ill afford to dwell on the thoughts that such a dismal prospect invoked, and so she buried her burdens as deep as she could.

  Chelan had met most of the other men over the weeks, but in general, they remained elusive. She did not know if they were consumed by their duties or if Lennon had suggested that they remain on the periphery for her sake. Either way, she did not mind. Cainon’s intermittent visits alone were a stimulating and delightful diversion. Within no time, the three of them had become good friends, and as her spirits heightened, the time began to go just that much faster. With unshakable tenacity, she clung to the notion that Dar would be returning soon, thus securing herself a degree of contentment, no matter how fragile.

  This day was like the rest. Chelan awoke in the dim morning light and huddled down into the thermal blankets that Lennon had supplied her with. Then she turned slightly, seeking the added warmth of his body next to hers. She closed her eyes and melded to Lennon’s chest. It had been so easy to accept his offer to meet all her needs. After all, not only had he been insistent; it was his duty, though Chelan never thought of it that way.

  As the days had passed, with her increasing size came increasing anxiety over her pregnancy. Visions of losing Shan’s child assailed her frequently, and when Lennon had asked if he could remain with her both night and day, she had not refused. Besides, no matter his state or hers, she knew he would never take her in a sexual way. And indeed, he had not.

  She opened her eyes again and watched her breath. Today was exceptionally cold, and she had no desire to move. Finally, she craned her head back and looked up into Lennon’s luminescent eyes.

  He smiled at her. “You slept well last night,” he commented warmly.

  Chelan snuggled back down into his arms. “Only because the baby did. For some reason, it decided not to kick the hell out of me all night.”

  Lennon chuckled. “Even we need sleep.”

  Chelan rolled her eyes. “Not bloody much. That I now know for sure. In fact, I am surprised you are not reading right now.”

  “I was earlier. I have tapped into some of your Earth medical journals. The informatio
n is fascinating.”

  Chelan’s brows rose. She knew he spent most of his nights, while watching her sleep, engrossed in his computer, but she had assumed that all the information he consumed pertained to the Empire. Obviously not. “You hacked into our network?”

  He laughed. “Yes. ‘Google,’ you call it, I believe, is handy.”

  Chelan grinned. “I hate to state the obvious, but there is no satellite coverage up here for that.”

  His brows rose in amusement. “There wasn’t. But there is now.”

  Chelan burst out laughing. “Geez, is there anything you can’t do?”

  He shrugged. “Probably not much. But right now, it is time to tend to you.” Lennon eased out from under her and sat up. He reached for his shroud and covered her upper body with it as he slid the blankets down. Chelan settled onto her back to accommodate him for what was now a regular morning routine.

  Lennon glanced at her. “It is time to move to one of the shelters, Chelan. I know you want to remain in the comfort of this tent that you shared with his Lordship, but the living pods are climate-controlled and much more convenient for all concerned. There is one allocated for you for your complete privacy if you wish.”

  Chelan nodded. “Understood. Besides, soon it is going to be too cold for me here anyway.”

  Lennon set the monitor on her and watched it for a time. “All is fine as usual,” he commented softly.

  Then he began his manual exam, his fingers traversing her soft flesh. Chelan watched him as he touched her. His upper body was powerful, like the Warlords, composed of dense muscle and catlike sinew. He was a human war machine, yet for now, he was security and comfort to her. She could see his breath, but he did not feel the cold, his Iceanean skin immune to its icy touch. His iridescent hair now cascaded down his back, almost to his waist. She reached for it, the blue-black mane shimmering against her white fingers.

  Lennon smiled at her. “Not as pretty as yours.”