“Forgiveme, Mother of all Life, but neither Trin nor Thrace are of Kindred or Earthblood,” Stavros said. “How is it you claim them?”

“Halfof Trin’s blood does come from Earth—her mother chose an Earth male’s seed toimpregnate her when she wished to have a child. And though the Havoc have triedto separate from me and deny me, I still love and claim them as my children.They are but a little removed from the Kindred—another branch of your lineage, asyou know.”

“Allright,” Charlie said, nodding. She wasn’t as startled as she had been but itwas still an intensely uncomfortable sensation to know that the Goddess couldsee them locked together like this. “Uh…but what about the goddess that Trin’speople worship?” she asked aloud. “The Goddess of Judgment. Is she, um, relatedto you?”

“Sheis no true deity at all but a false idol made up by the Daughters of Zetta topromote their own beliefs,” the Goddess assured them. “Theyhave formed an idea of what is right but truly it is their own darkness andignorance they are worshiping.”

“Wesee,” Stavros said, speaking for both of them. “And was it you who sent us thevisions then? I thought I had gained some kind of connection when Two and thedemon he once hosted, Ur,touched me on the home world of the Dark Kindred.”

“Twois yet a very dangerous male. He has gained powers through his misadventures andin the process he has become even more warped and twisted.”

“Well,from what I just saw of his dealings with Thrace, it seems he will no longerbe troubling us,” Stav said.

“Donot become complacent in the matter of that male, no matter what you think youhave seen,” the Goddess said sternly. “But I am not here to speak to you of theDark Kindred. I have come to tell you that your time of watching is over. It istime for the both of you to act.”

“Actin what way, oh Mother of Life?” Stavros asked respectfully.

“Youmust go to Thrace—thevessel he is in cannot get to Zetta Prime in time and only he can save Trin. Hemust be brought to her before it is too late.”

“ButGoddess, uh, Mother of All Life…” Charlie wasn’t quite sure how to address adeity. “He already begged and pleaded with her and told her he loved her. Whatelse can he do?”

“Onlyhe can save her,” the Goddess repeated. “Trin will be given a choice andshe must choose correctly. The future of the Kindred race depends on it.”

“Yousay the future of the race, but wasn’t that what Two was talking about?”Stavros asked. “I saw him—saw him give Thrace some kind of a vision thoughI couldn’t witness it myself. What about the other girl he was talking about?The one with two faces?”

“Hertime is coming but it is not yet here.” The Goddess’s voice wasgrowing fainter. “My time grows short. Go to Thrace, bring him to Zetta Prime.But he is not to go to Trin at once. Charlotte,you must prepare the way.”

“Me?Prepare the way? How?” Charlie asked, so startled she forgot to be respectful.

“Malesare not welcome on the surface of Zetta Prime. But you and one or two of yourchoosing may go there in disguise. Wear the robes of a priestess and speak toTrin—prepare the way so that when she sees Thrace again her heart is open andready for him.” The voice was fainter still. “Shemust come with you of her own accord—do not take her before she is ready. To gowith you, choose only those who have no children and are not with child. Yourtask may be dangerous if you are recognized as imposters.”

“I…butI…” Charlie started to protest.

“Farewell…”the Goddess whispered. “Go my children. And do not fail me…”

* * * * *

“…Sothat’s what she said,” Charlie finished, staring around the small, crowdedliving area. They were meeting in Commander Sylvan’s quarters since it wasslightly larger and could fit the most people. It was still early—well before firstmeal—and most of those gathered were yawning. A few were still in theirnightclothes.

Charlielooked around at the faces of the Kindred wives—the women who had become herfriends after she came to live on the Mother Ship. Liv and Sophie were there,holding their sleeping babies, as well as Kat who was holding little baby Shad.He stared up at his mother silently with wide silver eyes. Charlie tried not tolook at Kat’s mates, Deep and Lock. Though she liked Kat, Charlie stillharbored some hard feelings against her Kindred mates for what had happened toher older sister.

Asidefrom Liv, Kat and Sophie and their Kindred husbands, Becca and her two TwinKindred mates, Truth and Far, were there. Mei-li was also sitting with her mate,the former Dark Kindred, Six. Becca and Mei-li were both holding Kat’s otherbabies, Seeks War and Makes Peace. The two twins were sleeping peacefullyunlike their brother Shad who was quiet but wakeful.

“Okay,what did I miss?” Just then the door opened and Lauren bustled in with a babyon her hip and a platter of donuts and breakfast pastries in one hand. She putthem down on the coffee table in the center of the room and looked aroundexpectantly. Her baby, Aziza, looked around alertly as well. She had lovelyskin—a warm, clear tone somewhere between the creamy brown of her mother andthe pearlescent gray of her father, Xairn. Her eyes were the same amber as Lauren’sbut when she was upset they shimmered with a reddish light that could lookdownright scary at times.

“Hidoll,” Kat said. “Charlie here is asking for volunteers to go on a top secretmission given to her by the Goddess.”

“Shewhat?” Lauren looked confused.

“Justhush and you’ll find out. Thanks for the goodies.” Kat snagged a donut.

“Andyou’ve been having these visions for how long?” Sylvan asked sternly, frowningat Charlie and Stav.

Stavroscleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Forsome time now, Commander Sylvan. But it was my distinct impression that therewas nothing we could do for either Thrace or Trin.”

“Thraceand Trin? Who are they?” Charlie heard Lauren ask Kat.

“Thepeople Charlie and Stavros have been keeping tabs on. Apparently they’ve beenseeing them off and on in these trances. Mostly while they, uh…you know.”

“No,I don’t know. What are you talking about?”

“Nevermind,” Charlie said quickly. “The point is, they’re people the Goddess hasclaimed as her own and they’re destiny is tied to the future of the Kindredrace. Also, they need our help.”

Rapidlyshe outlined the situation, catching the assembled group up on the salientpoints of the relationship she and Stavros had seen.

“Andnow she’s going back to Zetta Prime to undergo some kind of punishment—apurification ritual—just because she had sex with the man she loves,” sheended. “It’s so sad because Trin loves him desperately—she’s just freaked outabout the idea of being with a man, er, a male since her people don’t do that.”

“Theycertainly don’t,” Far, Becca’s Light Twin mate murmured.

“Explain,”Sylvan said to him. “I know you’ve made an in depth study of the other sentientraces our people have encountered, Far—what do you know about the inhabitantsof Zetta Prime?”

“Arethey man haters like the women on Yonnie Six?” Kat asked, looking interested.

“It’smore like they have no use for males at all. They see them as a kind ofdomesticated animal which they don’t care to keep,” Far explained.

“Huh.Like why would you keep a cow if you’re lactose intolerant,” Liv remarked.

Farnodded. “Exactly. The females of the planet form life commitments to each otheronly. When they wish to have children, they go to a Conception Centerwhere they can choose from the seed of almost any race of compatible male inthe universe. They have far ranging scout ships notorious for abducting lonemales and extracting their seed before releasing them again.”