E:A Vol 2 Ch 4—September 4, 2118

“Tell the First Science Commander that Lutia’s doing well, I know they talk every day, but I also know she’s trying to put on a brave face for him. She’s nervous and worried like me, but we’re keeping each other strong. She’s crazy about him,” Victoria chuckled, “almost as crazy as I am about you.” Ky’nayth crawled off of her lap and stuck his face up to screen, “Da!” he said then slapped his hand against the screen.

“Honey, you’re too close,” she said to her son, “come back here with Mommy.” She shuffled Mik’kenna to her other arm and pulled Ky’nayth back by the seat of his pants, causing him to giggle. “Your son is already pulling himself up, he might be walking soon.”

“He is strong, he will be.”

“Chris is already taking bets for the date he takes his first step. And he’s taking bets that Kenna will start walking before her brother.”

“She has not yet started to pull herself up.”

“I know, but Chris likes to bet against the odds. Strangely, he seems to win. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I’m going back to work. I want to get caught up on the research project. Just two hours a day until I can figure out how to get a playpen set up in the medical research lab without having everyone complain about it.”

“Who will be watching the children while you work? And you could work from our chambers.”

“Can’t really run tests on tissue from here. Lutia and Janice and I have arranged our schedules so that I could work in the lab. When I just need to go over data, I’ll do that from here.”

“Forgive me,” Zy’nayth said, “I must go, we have a briefing in a couple of minutes and I am being summoned. I will not be able to contact you again until tomorrow at our scheduled time. I am afraid it may be like this for some time. I will miss seeing you and our children.”

“And we’ll miss seeing you,” she said, “I love you, High Chancellor.”

“And you have my heart, Victoria,” he said and switched off the feed.

September 5, 2118

“I hope you guys don’t mind me having Victoria join us in these discussions,” Vince said as he met with the strike team later that afternoon.

“I don’t know if we can trust her,” Kaven grinned.

“Personally, I’m thankful she’s well and back to work, sort of,” Chris said.

“We all are,” Vince said, “John, what’s next on our to-do list that the High Chancellor has given us?”

“This one is actually from the First Commander,” he said, “after our strike last week, he’s changing things up. He has reason to believe there’s a base on the planet of…” he scanned over the file, “Vaan. He gave us the bridge address that’ll land us pretty much on the opposite side of the planet from where he thinks the base is. He doesn’t want us to attack it, he just wants intel.”

“Usually it’s the other way around, isn’t it?” Victoria asked.

“Yeah, but for some reason, he said his men couldn’t get to it. Wait, here it is. Dense forests and base is probably underground. Sorry, guys, I just got this about ten minutes ago, I had everything prepped for going over the next strike, not this,” he said scanning quickly over the message from Kol’non. “Some sort of interference in the atmosphere…scanners aren’t reliable…yeah, that seems to be the gist of it. They can’t covertly gather intel from space, so they need boots on the ground. Rayth near a village, not good, so in we go.”

“Any word on if the Gyhan have figured out we’re the ones hitting their bases?” Kaven said.

“Nothing so far,” John said. “The First Commander is making sure blame is squarely falling on him.”

“You know, I was a bit apprehensive when we were told he’d be running things,” Be’atta said. “I know it’s unofficial and that the High Chancellor is probably more involved than we know, but we’ve hit four times; the intel’s been spot on, and he’s kept suspicion on the flagship, and off of us.”

“How soon does he want or need this intel of Vaan?” Vince asked.

“Asap,” John answered. “Says he thinks it may be where the second base was moved to, that one that was evac’d after our first strike.” He looked up, “And since our list was in order of size, and if there was already a base on Vaan, this would be a huge hit.”

“Recommended course of action?” Vince asked making a note.

John went back to his tablet and thumbed through the pages of information he’d been given which included imagery of the villages. “Well, there’s a village near the bridge address he gave us, looks like a typical distance from the bridge to the village, about a half mile or so. Area is heavily forested as I mentioned.” He continued to go through the images as he thought aloud to get the ideas flowing.

“Load up the shuttle with standard meet and greet supplies. We go in, just like a normal ‘hey, we’re new here, let’s talk trade’ mission. Assess the village, hope they’re not Gyhan, and hope they’ll give us info on other villages closer to the suspected base. Then we can do a meet and greet with the other villages without raising suspicion that we’re searching for a Gyhan base.” He looked up, “There is one little hitch.”

“We’re unknown there,” Chris said, “we show up and a couple months later a base on the planet goes up in smoke, we’ll definitely be a target no matter what the First Commander tries.”

“Exactly. Not sure how the Commander…either of them…could cover for us,” John said.

“We don’t know if he’ll want us to strike right away,” Vince said, “he just wants intel. Let’s take things a step at a time.”

“Right,” John said, “give me a couple of hours to look this over more thoroughly. Meet back here at say…twelve hundred. We can have a working lunch if that’s okay with everyone.”

“I may be a couple minutes late, the High Chancellor usually checks in around 11:30 and I try to make sure to leave an hour for him and for the kids.”

“May be to our advantage. See if he wants in on the conversation,” Vince said. “If not and you can’t be here on time, just send one of us a message and show up when you can.”

***

When the High Chancellor contacted Victoria, right on time as usual, she told him that the barbeque team, their code for the strike team, was meeting at noon and asked if he wanted to chat with them.

He gave her a nod and said that the First Commander would most likely want to hear of their latest recipes for his own experiments. Victoria thought it funny that a race of beings that subsisted only on the energy of humans was now using food-based code phrases for talking with their secret human strike force. But it was at a barbeque that Zy’nayth called them friends and revealed his name to them, and as Major Chris Chapman had said, their team was designed to go in and set fire to things—to barbeque them. The codename stuck.

She sent a message to John that she’d be there on time, then she and Zy’nayth talked while she made sure each baby got plenty of exposure to their father. She also sent a message to both Lutia and Janice to see if one of them could watch the kids while she met with the team. Lutia replied that she could, and arrived at 11:55.

“They’ll need fed,” Victoria said to Lutia then turned back to her tablet, “I’m going to disconnect while heading out,” she told Zy’nayth. Call me in five, I’ll be in the conference room by then.”

Victoria thanked Lutia, kissed each baby then headed for the conference room. Right at noon her tablet buzzed to notify her of an incoming call. She answered it to find Ja’val instead of her husband on her screen.

“Victoria, is Dr. Harris there?”

“Yes, sir,” she said and handed him the tablet. Ja’val gave Simon instructions on how to interface the tablet with the video equipment in the room so that everything would be secure and could not be traced.

There was a quick blink then the larger wall monitor lit up showing the High Chancellor, the First Commander, and the First Science Commander.

Vince greeted them then turned things over to John who went over his initial thoughts about going in on a typical Terra 2 meet and greet mission. After finishing that up, he looked at Kol’non on the screen, “I see a couple other villages closer to our target location, why give us the bridge address for a spot half way around the world?”

“It is my belief that the closer you get towards the base, the more hostile the humans may be,” Kol’non said, “I have just sent you the bridge portal addresses for five other bridges on the planet. I do not have addresses for every one of the bridges located there. I should have sent these with the first set of data. I apologize.”

“No problem. So as far as hostile, if I wanted to go to one of the closer villages first, closer to the base, that is, what are we talking? Yelling and screaming, bows and arrows, bullets?”

“They are hunter-gatherers,” Kol’non replied, “bows and knives most assuredly, spears as well.”

“Really shouldn’t be a problem for us then,” John replied.

“Colonel, this operation needs to be as covert as possible. It would be more beneficial if you could become friends with these people and not have to fight your way in. If a fight ensues with the locals, it may cause an alarm with the rebels, and an evacuation of the base.”

“If there is a base,” John said.

“I’m highly confident one is there.”

“All right, we go with my original plan, start with the first village and make nice. Move on to the next one when they spread the word that we’re good people. Sir, I know you want intel asap, but if we’re to make friends before we move on to the next village, this could take some time, months.”

The First Commander thought about John’s statement. “Here’s my suggestion, High Chancellor, your input would be appreciated. Do as you have already suggested—your meet and greet missions. Continue to build up friendly relations so that you can move to villages closer to the base. However, as you do so, I suggest you do a few covert reconnaissance missions into the next village in case there are Gyhan there. But you must not be caught doing this.”

“That’s thousands of miles of covert recon,” John said, “with no easy ins or outs. I’d need an evac team on the ground ready to get us out. Given that we can’t tell anyone on Terra 2 about what we’re doing, I don’t see that happening.”

“I have a suggestion,” Zy’nayth said. “Kaven, your team is made up of Andromeda natives, is it not?”

“All but our computer specialist who’s from Earth.”

“Then perhaps your team, including the Earthling, should do the meet and greet. I believe that you would relate better to the locals. This would not require you to divulge anything about the real mission. As far as your team would be concerned, this is just a standard operation. Colonel Hagen, your team will do the covert operation, but start closer to the base. It will save you time and much distance. I may be able to provide a way out so you do not have to spend days or weeks hiking back to a bridge portal, that is, if you are willing to accept it.”

“Hey, anything to keep me from having to hike a million miles, I’ll take it,” Chris said.

“I must speak privately to my First. I will call back in ten minutes,” the High Chancellor said and cut off communication.

“I hate hiking,” John said with a groan.

Be’atta laughed, “The fresh air will do you good.”

“We’ll be hiking with about 100 pounds of supplies on each of us. The fresh air isn’t going to be much help.”

“You need to do more cardio,” Chris said, “clearly you’re out of shape.”

Victoria chuckled at their banter.

“What are you laughing at?” John asked.

“Just the thought of any of you guys being out of shape. More muscles in this room than probably on the entire base.”

Chris stood and began flexing, “Yup, look at these.”

“Hard to see them under your uniform,” Be’atta said.

“I can rip my shirt off,” he grinned.

“Not necessary,” Vince said as everyone else erupted into laughter. Then the tablet buzzed and Vince nodded to Simon to accept the transmission, “I’m glad they’re early.”

“I am sorry for cutting off, but I needed to make sure my idea was viable and would not interrupt our currently scheduled activities.”

“Quite all right, sir,” John said to the High Chancellor, “so, are we getting an easy out?”

“Yes and no,” Zy’nayth replied. “The first part is quite simple. My flagship will return to Terra 2 but will not be able to do so for three days. I believe this will not be a problem as you get Kaven’s team prepped for their meet and greet portion of the operation. We will provide subspace tracking devices for each of the team members. They will be fitted with a self-destruct program. Should you be captured, should the tracking devices be taken from you, or lost, you will be able to remotely destroy them. I do not want the technology falling into the hands of our enemies.”

“Easy enough. What’s the hard part?” John asked.

“Once you have reached the target destination and completed your reconnaissance, you will be able to activate a signal on your devices that will alert us. I cannot risk having a ship in orbit, however, we could have one positioned two or three days out. This would keep suspicion low. But it would mean you would have to wait before you could be extracted.”

“Doable. Would we need to be at a certain location?”

“No. The tracking devices can be targeted and you can be teleported out from any location. Science assures me that you can still be targeted even through the atmospheric interference.”

“So…I’m not seeing the hard part here. What am I missing?” John asked.

“It would not be my flagship that picks you up.”

“And…you’re worried about us being on a ship that doesn’t know us, I mean, since we’re still basically a meal to you guys,” John surmised.

“Is it a ship whose crew you can trust?” Vince asked.

“Yes to answer both of you,” Zy’nayth replied. “However, on this particular ship, there are only two Rayth on board. It is a supply vessel.”

“Well if need be, I think we could handle two Rayth,” John said, “I don’t want to go that route, but if it comes down to them or us, I’ll fight for us.”

“There will be no fighting,” Zy’nayth said sternly, “because you will be teleported directly into the storage area. The ship will then continue about its normal routine.”

“Storage area?” Victoria asked, “They’ll be put into those pods?”

“Yes.”

“Wait? You mean like…on no, I’m not going to be put into one of those Rayth feeding pod things. What if those two guys get hungry and decide to feed off of the fresh meat they just brought on board?” Chris said.

“They will have a direct command from me that I want you alive. Something to the effect that I wish to deal with you myself and if you are not delivered to me as requested, they will be dealt with by me, very personally.”

“What if they disobey you?” John asked.

Zy’nayth tilted his head, “Given what you know about me, would you?”

“Point taken. Okay, how long do we have to be on this transport ship?”

“Just a day or two. At that point, it should be in range of my flagship and we will retrieve you.”

“Will we be conscious during that day or two?” Chris asked.

“Yes. Usually humans are put into a deep sleep-like state, but I think it will be best if we did not put you that far under.”

“In case they try to feed on us?” John asked.

Zy’nayth ignored the question. “Colonel, the decision is yours. I can make the arrangements if you wish to use this method of extraction from the planet. The alternative will be to return to the nearest bridge portal, which could take you days or weeks, depending on the situation and if the portal is not in hostile territory.”

John looked at his team, “Guys, I’m not doing this one alone. I say we take the High Chancellor up on his offer. I think the risk is lower than trying to work our way back over 500 miles to the nearest portal. Chris?”

“I’m with you.”

“Be’atta?”

“Agreed.”

“Simon?”

“Beats hiking. I’m in.”

“Okay, High Chancellor, it’s a plan,” John said.

“There is one final thing to consider,” the First Commander said, “there are three Rayth warships in that solar system. None of which can be verified, as of yet, as loyal to us. The transport ship will be on its normal route when it picks you up, hence you will not have an immediate extraction, you have to wait for it to come to the planet. However, once the flagship enters the solar system, we might end up in an encounter with one or more of the other ships.”

“Or none of them,” the High Chancellor said. “If it is only a single ship that is disloyal, they may not wish to make an aggressive move against the flagship. However, if two or all three of them are aligned against me, they may think they have a chance. This would delay us in retrieving you from the transport ship.”

“Delay? Three against one? Your ship can handle that?” Kaven asked.

Zy’nayth let a sly smile pass his lips. “Indeed.”

“See,” Chris grinned, “this is why I like him. Three ships? Pfft, no problem. Well, I’m still in.”

The others agreed. The First Commander told them when to expect their arrival then the video feed was ended.

“Probably has some super-secret Rayth tech weapon on that ship of his,” Chris said. “Sneaky guy.”

“He also has the best crew,” Victoria said. “I know most of you know what my experience was like on his ship, and I know Lutia has shared a little. I’ll do my best to prep all of you, but let me start by saying, my husband, the First Commander, and First Science Commander may all be considered friends, but on that ship, they are Rayth. First and foremost, you must remember that. I still have my list of ‘rules’ that the High Chancellor gave me for my first trip, I’ll send that to all of you. Guys, to be honest, it would probably be easier to stay in those pods.”

“Not me, I want to see that ship,” Chris said.

“I doubt you’ll see very much of it. If you’re taken out of the pods, you’ll most likely be put in a cell or confined to a room,” Victoria said.

“I can try to talk him into letting us see more of the ship,” Chris smiled, “I can be very persuasive.”

“You’ve seen him in his full-on Supreme Commander mode, do you honestly think you could talk him into anything?”

“Wanna bet on it?”

“Do you?” she asked in reply.

“Actually, no.”

“I think I just went into shock,” John said.

“Let’s get back on topic,” Vince said, “Victoria, send out your rule list. John, Kaven, finalize your plans for your teams. Do not forget extra supplies should there be a delay in getting to you. Also plan on hiking all the way back to the bridge. Just in case. He said he could pick you up from anywhere, so may as well head back for the portal after your recon is done. If there is an issue with enemy ships, you’re already moving towards another way out. Any questions, concerns?”

“Sir, just wondering what type of equipment you need me to take along,” Simon said. “We planning on hacking into any systems when we get in, or what?”

“Already have a list for ya,” John replied. “If we have the opportunity to get into their system, yeah, I want to be able to download their files. But to start with, we’ll need to be able to scan for life signs, that’ll help us avoid any locals in the woods; and make sure our comlinks pick up whispers, I don’t want to risk having to talk in anything above that if we encounter locals or have to split up.

“Since I’m not taking Becket on this run, Be’atta, work with either him or Victoria to find out what essential equipment we should have in case one of us gets injured. Everyone, brush up on anything you need to when it comes to medical. Basics, of course, we won’t be doing any surgeries. It’s a covert op, so no one should be getting seen, let alone injured. Given the density of these forests, though, the probability of someone tripping or falling goes up. Chris, figure out food and ammo supplies. You still use your crossbow?”

“Yup.”

“Bring it. If we hunt for food, or end up needing to take someone down, I want to keep it as silent as possible.”

“I want my team to meet up at oh-six hundred tomorrow. Simon isn’t used to this kind of work, so I want to put him through the paces. Meet on the mainland at the start of the hiking trail. We’ll start with 75-pound packs. You’re gonna be sore, Simon. Fully loaded, we’re looking at 100 to 120, okay?”

“Great,” Simon sighed.

“We’ll try to keep your pack lighter.”

“Oh lovely, Be’atta will be lugging around 120 pounds which she probably doesn’t even weigh and…”

“Simon, we’re trained for this. You’re not,” John said. “Don’t worry about it. I know your limitations, and what you lack physically, you definitely make up for mentally. I have you on my team because I need your brains, not your brawn.”

“Yeah, still embarrassing, though.”

“Anything else?” Vince asked.

“I don’t have anything,” John said, “I should have a few routes—both to and from our destination—laid out by the time we meet up in the morning. I’ll need you guys to be familiar with them. I’ll note regroup locations in case we get split up. Other than that, just standard procedure.”

“I’ll send out my stuff when I get back to my quarters,” Victoria said, “I’ll add in my own personal comments, and you can come by and ask any questions at any time. It’s not a cakewalk, and I meant it when I said you’d probably be better off staying in the pods.”

“Kaven, anything you need?” Vince asked.

“Standard meet and greet, nope. Actually, John, copy me on your routes. If things get rough and we’re near, we can help.”

“Not necessary,” Vince said. “Your team isn’t supposed to know about Alpha being out there. But I agree, you should be copied on the routes…just in case.”

***

“I have some good news for you,” Victoria said to Lutia when she walked into her own chambers, “you may see your husband in three days.”

“Really?”

“Making an unscheduled stop to help us with something. Just act surprised when you talk to him, he probably wanted to surprise you and I just blew it. Were the kids any trouble?”

“Mik’kenna’s been a little fussy. I was just about to take her temperature. She’s a little warm to the touch.” She said, the toddler already on her lap and the thermometer in her hand. “Here, you can swipe it, I’ll try to hold her steady.”

Victoria took the meter and ran the scanner across her daughter’s forehead. “Just slightly elevated. Ky been okay?”

“Yeah, just been playing with his toys since he ate.”

Victoria sat on the floor, Ky’nayth looked at her and smiled. She reached out and ran the scanner over his head. “Well, no fever.” She leaned over and kissed him then returned her attention to her daughter and gave her a thorough exam. “Throat’s a little red. Let me get my kit, one second.” She went into the bedroom and grabbed her personal medical kit then returned to the main room and checked her baby’s ears, eyes, and sinuses. “Well, there we have it. Got a little infection going on there, sweetie. Lutia would you mind staying with Ky just a little longer while I run her to the infirmary to get some meds?”

“No problem.”

“Hey, love,” Becket said as Victoria walked in with Mik’kenna in her arms, “what’s up?”

“I believe your namesake has a sinus infection. Just gonna grab some meds.”

“Better let me run a scan because the minute you talk to your husband he’s going to order them.”

“He needs to learn to trust me.”

“He’s a concerned father,” he pointed to the scanning bed across the room. “You know the drill.” Becket ran the scan and did his own physical exam then fetched the meds for the baby girl.

“Just a sinus infection, right?” Victoria asked.

“Yes.”

“Becket…we’ve never tested antibiotics on Rayth. I mean, I haven’t seen anything about them in what we have in our research. Do you think giving this to her is a good idea?”

“Probably would be safest to contact your husband. I don’t think the meds would harm her, but he’s been adamant about not giving them vaccinations. Sorry, love, I should have asked him why.”

“I should have too, don’t worry about it. I’ll let you know what he says.” Victoria handed the medicine back to Becket then headed back to her chambers. She thanked Lutia for her help then grabbed her comlink and sent a signal to her husband.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said when he answered, “but Kenna has a sinus infection and I was wondering if I should give her an antibiotic.”

“Did Dr. McKenna run scans of…”

“He ran several scans, heart, lungs, brain…it’s just a sinus infection.”

“Let it run its course. If she is still ill when I get there, I will heal her.”

“All right. But for future reference, is it okay to treat them with antibiotics?”

“I would rather not.”

“Okay. I love you and I’ll see you in three days. Becket and I will make sure Kenna is well taken care of.”

September 7, 2118

Victoria was quickly dressing. In the day and a half since Mik’kenna came down with her sinus infection, it had gotten much worse. She gave her baby tepid baths, trying to get the fever down, and doing anything other than giving her medicine to help her little girl. Now at 3:30 in the morning, the baby girl was wailing and couldn’t be calmed. Her fever was getting dangerously high, so after another tepid bath, Victoria was about to take her to the infirmary to make sure the sinus infection hadn’t turned into anything worse.

She had Mik’kenna in the stroller and just picked up Ky’nayth, still sound asleep oblivious to his sister’s wails, when she heard the heavy footfalls. She turned, “Was just headed to the infirmary,” she said as Zy’nayth knelt and put his hand on his daughter’s chest and healed her. Then he drew her up into his arms and cuddled her close, using his telepathy to calm and soothe her until she fell asleep. He put her in her crib, gave his son a kiss then returned him to his own crib.

Victoria moved the stroller aside, turned out the lights and shut the door. “You got home early,” she whispered.

“Used my personal cruiser. I believe Mik’kenna is fine now, but I would like Becket to run…”

“I know. I’ll head there right after breakfast. Your daughter and her mommy need some rest.”

Zy’nayth threw his long white leather jacket across a chair then drew his wife into his arms. “I would like a kiss first.”

She smiled, “Deal.”

***

“Why don’t you use your personal cruiser all the time, you know, instead of bringing your big ship?” Victoria asked as she cuddled with her husband in the early morning hours. She was waiting for the kids to wake before she got out of the bed.

“It is meant for much shorter distances, say from a planet’s surface to an orbiting ship.”

“But you…just came here from…well, not an orbiting ship.”

“My cruiser’s capabilities are known only to a few and I would like it kept that way. Therefore, I only use it for which it was designed.”

“Except when your daughter is sick.”

“Or my son. Or you.”

Victoria smiled, then sat up. “Sit up let me fix your braid.”

“Wait until after I shower,” he said and pulled her back down. She chuckled and snuggled back up to him, resting her head on his chest.

“I have sort of a dumb question,” she said.

“Very well.”

“I’m wondering why you haven’t kissed that spot on my neck. You always used to when you wanted to get romantic, but you haven’t since we got back together and…I just want to know why.”

“Because I know how you react to it, and I guess I need to know that you are reacting to me, not to a feeling created by that tender spot on your neck.”

“I always react to you. No one else could kiss that spot and make me melt.” She chuckled, “I remember the first time you kissed me there. I was standing in the little kitchen in your quarters trying to fix dinner and you were quizzing me on my Raythian vocabulary. You kissed my neck and my heart just burst.”

“I remember it quite well,” he said stroking her curls, “I should not have been so forward, but I could not help myself.”

Victoria laughed and started getting out of the bed. “I’m glad you couldn’t. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that I loved you. But,” she threw on her robe, “right now, I’m the happiest girl in the universe. Come on, let’s get the kids up and feed them.”

“You should let Mik’kenna sleep a little longer since she was up so late. I will take care of Ky’nayth while you have your shower.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” Victoria smiled.

“Sweetie? Do I taste like cake?”

Victoria laughed so hard that she started crying and had to reach out and grab the dresser to keep from falling.

He stood and embraced her, “This is the first time you have truly laughed in quite a few months. I am glad I can make you this happy. The endearments Earthlings use are quite unusual.”

***

“You look exhausted,” Becket said when Victoria walked into the infirmary with Ky’nayth in her arms, “oh, don’t tell me the little guy is sick too.”

“No he’s fine,” she said turning back, wondering where her husband was. “I seem to have lost the rest of my entourage.”

“How’s Mik’kenna doing?”

“Oh she’s fine,” still looking down the corridor, “where’d he go?”

“He?” Becket shook his head, “Don’t tell me, your husband changed their plans to get here sooner because of Mik’kenna.”

“No, the ship isn’t here yet.” She turned back to the doctor, “He was right behind me. Anyway, he healed her but he still wants scans done to make sure he got everything.”

“I sincerely doubt he’d miss anything. But I’ll do whatever he wants. Here, let me hold this guy for a bit. I’d like to be a doting uncle for once and not his doctor.”

“You know you’re welcome to stop by any time.”

“I don’t want to impose,” he said.

“Now Becket McKenna, you are never an imposition. If you want to stop in and play with the little guys, you are more than welcome to. Besides, it would give me a bit of a reprieve and give us a chance to talk for more than a minute or two, and to talk about something other than our research. Though we do have a lot to talk about there. Plus, there are days when I could really use the company.”

“Please tell me you’re getting out and doing things,” he said, “and not staying locked up in your quarters all day.”

“I am, just not too much. I never know when Zy’s going to call, other than our regular 11:30 call, so I just kinda want to be there when he links in.”

“Your tablet is portable.”

“I know,” she frowned, “it’s just…I don’t know. You’re right, I need to get out and do things.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I’ll work on it.” She looked back towards the main doors, “Mind if I go hunting for him?”

“Fine by me, I will just sit here and have a nice little conversation with my favorite little boy.”

Victoria kissed his cheek, “Thanks,” she said then headed back to the corridor and found her husband standing and talking at one of the intersecting hallways. “Here, I’ll take her,” she said and reached out for her daughter. “Morning, John.”

“Hey Doc. Sorry, saw your husband and well, started talking shop. He’s all yours. I have to get to the mainland. See you later, big guy.”

Zy’nayth continued to hold his daughter who was busy trying to figure out the buttons on her shirt. “After this, she needs to sleep,” he said, “she is very tired.”

“Well so am I. And you’ve probably been up since I told you she was sick, so you need rest too.”

“Then after this, we shall all sleep.”

“Except your son, he’s up for the duration. We can take turns. You get some sleep first. Actually, why don’t you take Ky and go back? Just put him in his playpen and go lay down. He’ll be fine until I get back. If something is wrong with Kenna, I’ll wake you immediately, but I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I will wait.”

Becket handed Ky’nayth back to his mother as he greeted the High Chancellor. “Got everything warmed up for my little girl,” he said and patted the scanning table.

Zy’nayth gently rested his daughter on the table and Victoria shook her head. “See, not a wiggle from her. I bring her in and she’s squirming all over the place. When Daddy’s around, she’s the perfect patient. I wish I had telepathic powers.”

“I am not using my abilities on her,” Zy’nayth said.

“I don’t believe you.”

Suddenly the baby girl kicked her feet out and lifted her arms, “Da! Da! Da!”

“See, telepathy,” Victoria said giving her husband a nudge.

Ky’nayth looked at his sister and frowned then looked at his father and lunged for him. “Da!”

“So not fair,” Victoria said as Zy’nayth took his son into his arms.

“It is not telepathy,” he replied. “Rayth children naturally gravitate towards their fathers.”

“Telepathy,” she said shaking her head.

Ky’nayth then turned back to his mother and lunged towards her, “Ma!”

“Make up your mind, little guy,” she said as she took him.

Becket looked up from his scan and saw Victoria’s face go white. “Victoria!” he shouted, and immediately Zy’nayth turned and caught his wife and son before they fell to the ground. Becket rushed over and took Ky’nayth and called for Janice while motioning for Zy’nayth to take his wife to a bed across the room. “Scan’s done on Kenna, render it. Can you hold Ky for a minute?”

Janice took the baby into her arms, propped him on a hip and finished up with the scan.

Zy’nayth already had his hand on his wife’s chest, “She is only exhausted,” he said, “I do not believe she has slept since Mik’kenna became ill. At least not slept well. And probably has not eaten much either.”

Becket nodded but still checked her over. “Catching babies probably just pushed her a little too far. Want me to throw her under the scanner?”

“You know me too well.”

Victoria’s eyes fluttered open, “Oh, what happened?”

“You passed out,” Becket said. “How much sleep have you gotten in the last two days?”

“Not much,” she said.

“Food?”

She frowned, “Not much of that either.”

“Victoria, you’re still weak from your…ordeal. You can’t be neglecting yourself. High Chancellor, help her to the scanner. I’ll get Mik’kenna.”

Victoria went to get out of the bed but found herself being lifted and carried. “I can walk,” she said.

“You could not stand two minutes ago,” Zy’nayth replied as he rested her on the scanning table. Becket handed the baby girl to her father then checked over the high-resolution render of the little girl’s scan. “Don’t see anything wrong. All signs of infection are gone. Did you bring a drive for me to put this on?”

“Oh, I have it,” Victoria said and reached into her pocket, “Here.”

“Put Victoria’s scan on there as well,” Zy’nayth said.

“I will. Okay, love, ready?”

Becket ran a couple different scans and found nothing wrong with her. “Sleep and food,” he said, “Food first. Do you have something in your quarters or should I order from the mess hall for you?”

“Would you order something please? I don’t think I’m up to cooking,” Victoria answered.

“Consider it done; I’ll carry my favorite little girl back to your chambers. Janice, grab a wheelchair for the doctor please.”

Janice handed Ky’nayth to his father then helped Victoria into a wheelchair. Victoria took her son from Zy’nayth who pushed her wheelchair as they made their way down to their quarters.

Ky’nayth and Mik’kenna were put into their playpen then Zy’nayth saw Becket to the door.

“I’ll check in after my shift,” Becket said. “Food’s been ordered. Call if you need anything.”

After he left, Victoria let out a sigh. “Sorry, Zy. Your first time back in a month and you have to tend to your wife like she’s one of the babies.”

“I do not mind,” he said, “after you eat, I may join you for a nap.”

The twins began crying and tried to find a way out of their playpen. “Honey, they want you,” Victoria said, “They miss their daddy…You know, they could nap with us in our bed.”

“I would worry that they would crawl over us and fall onto the floor. They will just have to wait a few hours.”

“I’m sorry, Zy. I should have taken better care of myself. I was…it’s the first time one of our babies has been so sick.”

“It is not your fault that she got sick. I should have been here to heal her.”

“That does come in handy,” Victoria smiled. “But you can’t do everything. Before you ship back out, we really need to go over what I can and can’t do as far as treating any illness that comes up.”

“I have already asked Ja’val to provide you with information when he returns with the ship.”

“What is it?” she asked, noticing he was looking around the room.

“I believe I have an idea,” he answered and began to move the furniture to the outer edges of the room, including the sofa Victoria was sitting on.

“You could have asked me to get up first,” she said as he easily scooted the sofa back against the wall.

“You are fine where you are.”

“Why are you rearranging the room?”

He gave her a wink. “Stay right there,” he said then went into the bedroom. She heard a couple of thuds then the edge of the mattress came through the doorway. He slid it to the center of the room and set it down. By the time he had fetched the pillows, Victoria’s food arrived. Zy’nayth took the two trays, one for breakfast and another for lunch, and set them on an end table. “The children can crawl and play and we can sleep,” he said, helping her to the new bed.

“Genius.”

“I know,” he smiled and handed her the breakfast tray. “Does this other tray go into the refrigerator?” Victoria looked it over and nodded. Zy’nayth tended to that, returned with a glass of juice for her, then released his children from their playpen, immediately stopping their tears. “I am going to change. Would you like your pajamas?”

“Yes please,” she said as she took a bite of the oatmeal. “Oh, I’m starving. This is good. Want to try some?”

Zy’nayth shook his head and went back into the bedroom. Both kids began crawling after him. Victoria smiled, “You’re kids are coming after you,” she said, “don’t trip over them.”

After he finished changing and gave Victoria her pajamas, he blocked off the hallways to the kitchen and bath area, then shut the doors to the master bedroom and the babies’ room. Then he sat next to his wife on the mattress and allowed his children to climb up into his lap. “You should not eat so fast, you will get sick,” he said, noticing half of her food was already gone.

“Yes, doctor.”

“I do not want you to throw up everything you just ate, it would defeat the purpose of eating.”

Victoria groaned but slowed her intake, knowing full well that he was right. “Go ahead and try to get some sleep,” she said, “they’ve had their breakfast and everything. I don’t want you collapsing on me.”

Zy’nayth laid on his side, and Mik’kenna curled up next to his chest and immediately fell asleep. Ky’nayth decided to do a little exploring and managed to drag a couple of his toys up onto the mattress. He played at his father’s feet, completely content.

Victoria finished her food and set her tray on one of the higher tables, then she curled up opposite her husband who had already fallen asleep. She smiled, kissed his cheek, then she too was out.

***

“Da!” the voice startled both parents out of their deep sleep. “Da! Da!”

Victoria bolted upright. Zy’nayth gave her a warm smile, “I am sorry,” he said, “I am apparently not feeding him fast enough.”

“Mik’kenna still sleeping?” she asked as she stretched and yawned.

“I think she has just awakened.”

“I’ll get her changed. Did you get any sleep?”

“I just woke up a few minutes ago.”

“It’s noon? I should have set an alarm.”

“We both needed the rest. The children are fine. I do not want you carrying Mik’kenna,” he said as he set the rest of Ky’nayth’s food on a table then picked up his slowly waking daughter and carried her into the babies’ room so her mother could change her.

After the kids were fed and changed, Victoria grabbed her own lunch and returned to the main room where Zy’nayth was playing with the kids. “Do you need to bridge out to feed?” she asked.

“I will be fine.”

“You know, you’ve never told me how long you can go without feeding. I know when you first came here, it was eleven, twelve days before you fed. Of course, you probably could have gone longer if you hadn’t been so stubborn and stood the entire time. Use up all of your strength doing that. So how long?”

“Depends on if I am injured or have healed someone. High emotions, stress and such as you would assume also change the length of time between feedings.”

“You healed Kenna.”

“That barely touched my resources.”

“So how long? Based on an average day…just very minor uses of your abilities, like healing Kenna.”

“Two weeks would be about the maximum. Perhaps longer.”

“But there have been times when you’ve fed daily, or at least you said you were going to your ship to feed…back when we still lived on the island.”

“I may be able to go two weeks without feeding, that does not mean I wish to. It is best to keep my energy levels up should unforeseen circumstances arise such as your encounter with a certain pair of gardening sheers.”

Victoria chuckled, “You said that didn’t drain you.”

“It did not, but best to be prepared.”