She could be pregnant. She likely was. The meditech would tell her for sure. But she was afraid to get in, afraid to know, because then she would have a decision to make, one the barbarian didn’t know she could make, one she didn’t want to make. Stars, there was no decision to it. She couldn’t go through something as barbaric as giving birth. It was terrifying even contemplating it. Women died. But that was then, centuries ago, a common-sense voice reminded her. Would it be so dangerous now, with the modern advances in the past two hundred years, with a meditech on hand? But there was still the pain. Why should she go through that when Challen didn’t even love her- yet? But she loved him. And he wanted her to have his baby. His baby.

She got into the unit before she lost her nerve, pressing Gen. Ex. before closing herself in. It didn’t even take a half minute before the lid was opening again, her health stats coming across the screen at its base. But she couldn’t look yet. She’d have a printout delivered to her quarters later, when she wasn’t so paranoid about it.

“You might as well look now, kiddo.” Martha’s voice came in over the intercom, making Tedra grab for her heart. “It’s not a word we see every day. I’m surprised I even have it in my data banks, it’s so obsolete.”

“Am I supposed to be a mind reader to know what you’re going around the block about?”

“No, I’m the mind reader around here. You’re the Sec 1 who got herself pregnant. So are you going to have the seedling transferred to a proper container?”

Tedra crossed the room to glare at the viewer on the intercom. “Actually, it’s in its proper container. Tubing is an artificial means we’ve come to accept as the norm, but I’ve been reminded it is artificial.”

“And none of that answered my question. Kystrani don’t bear babies.”

“Sha-Ka’ani do,” Tedra retorted.

“Ah, that’s right, and you’re going to be a Sha-Ka’ani, aren’t you? In fact, you already are, if I can believe everything that barbarian of yours has been telling me. By the way, he just mutilated one of our adjustichairs. He sat down in it, felt it adjusting to his great girth, and thought it was very much alive. He’d hacked it to pieces before I could tell him it was only doing its job.”

“Oh, stop.” Tedra began giggling. “He didn’t do any such thing.”

“He did. Of course, he was properly apologetic afterward, but that didn’t save the poor chair. You should have seen his face, kiddo, when that thing started moving under his backside. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast as he did coming out of that chair.”

Tedra had to hold her sides, she was laughing so hard. “We’re going to have a problem, then, when I take him to bed tonight. It’s going to do a lot of adjusting to accommodate his size.”

“And will you be doing some accommodating for his son?” Martha asked.

Tedra sobered, staring at the viewer in wonder. She hadn’t realized she could learn what it was.

“The unit listed its sex? It’s a boy?”

“Makes it harder, doesn’t it?”

“No.” Tedra grinned. “I’d already decided to keep it. It’ll just be nice knowing something the big guy doesn’t know for a change, if I can keep a secret that long. Stars, how long does it take, anyway, to have a baby?”

Martha got a chance to use her exasperated voice. “Honestly, you’d think I’m supposed to know everything.”

Chapter Forty-three

Tedra was still grinning later when she entered her quarters. She’d located Challen, teased him about killing the furniture, then left him looking disgruntled, yet bewildered that she should know about that when she hadn’t been there. She supposed she ought to warn him that Martha was a busybody who had eyes and ears in every room.

He wouldn’t be joining her for a while, for his warriors were still being Transferred up, and he had his hands full dealing with their different degrees of shock and wonderment, not to mention his own. They’d all been briefed about what to expect, but seeing was believing, and that didn’t even do it for some of them. Fortunately, the warriors would have a few weeks to adjust before they reached Kystran.

Corth was waiting on her. So was her fembair, prowling around and feeling caged in a room so much smaller than it was used to. In the short time she had had him, he’d already grown, and now reached halfway up her legs. At that rate of growth, she was worried about how big he would be by the time the ship landed. But she couldn’t leave him behind. She still had ideas of talking Challen into staying on Kystran with her.

“Has Martha told you what’s going on, Corth?”

“Yes. She suggested I stay out of the way. I am pleased you have accomplished your goals, Tedra De Arr.”

“Yes, well, I suppose getting an army was the hard part. Defeating the Sha-Ka’ari and Crad Ce Moerr ought to be easy after that. Dial me something to eat while I change, will you? You know what I like, but add something tart for dessert-wait a minute. Martha, are you there?”

“Always, doll.”

“Check with Medical about the food, if it’s safe for someone in my condition?”

“It’s safe, but fresh is healthier.”

“But fresh is so-fresh,” Tedra said in disgust. “It bleeds, Martha. And I was looking forward to some normal food.”

“Like I said, it won’t hurt you, but the warriors’ supplies would still be healthier for you.”

“And I suppose you’ll tell Challen that?”

“Certainly.”

“Thanks a lot,” Tedra grumbled, heading for the utility wall to dial the closet.

She made her selection, but frowned when the ship’s uniform came out on the rack, for she’d dialed it automatically. She’d never get away with wearing it, even if she was back in her own territory, so she sent the one-piece suit back and dialed a skirt and blouse. Her humor returned at seeing how really skimpy both pieces were. And while she was at it, she changed her eye and hair coloring to look more Sha-Ka’ani.

She laughed then, picturing how surprised her warrior was going to be when he saw her made over. Her shiny gold-and-black skirt was only about a foot long, in the design of a wide belt, and just barely covered her from hip to mid-thigh. The sleeveless blouse stopped just below her breasts, though the top of it dipped enticingly low and, like the skirt, buckled together. Her hair was as golden as Challen’s and swept up and out of the way in a hair-tail. Her eyes were a soft amber and still filled with laughter when she removed the bathroom walls.

“What is so amusing, Tedra De Arr?” Corth asked, coming up behind her.

“Do I look warriorlike to you?”

“You look like you should be in bed.”

Tedra’s mouth dropped open just before she yelled, “Martha!” but as she might have expected, the troublemaker didn’t answer.

“Was that not an appropriate response?”

“No, Corth, it was not,” Tedra gritted out. “Didn’t Martha tell you that I have a man now, one of the warriors?”

“Yes. Challen is his name.”

“Well, if she told you that, why in the farden hell didn’t she adjust your programming while she was at it?”

“I would not let her.”

“You what?”

“That was a joke.” Corth grinned. “The Martha has given me humor.”

“Oh, the metal lady is having a grand old time experimenting with you, isn’t she? But I don’t like it!”

“You wish my new humor removed?”

“Don’t play dense, babe. You know what I want removed.”

“But my drive to satisfy you will not be a problem, as long as the Challen satisfies you.”

She might have laughed if she weren’t so exasperated. It wasn’t easy arguing with perfect reasoning, but she’d been doing that ever since she’d brought Martha home. But Martha was the one who needed arguing with over this fiasco, not Corth. What could that warped computer be thinking of, to deliberately leave the android in his new, sexually aggressive mode when she knew the situation with Challen?