Quit
Table of Contents
When Minny’s life changes, a career as a recruiter isn’t half as tempting as the new ambassador to Earth.
Minerva has been acting as Recruiter Norz for years. Her mind can split into eight different directions and propel the bot bodies in areas where the alien might be in danger.
When her daughter was taken from her too soon, she had to split her off time between taking care of herself and monitoring her child growing in the tank. In the battle between her and her child, she was losing herself.
Imbolt has been on his way to Terra for some time. His genetic match had produced a daughter, and five months from now, she would be out in the world. Unfortunately, the woman he had been matched with would not make it if he didn’t take matters into his hands and out of hers.
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Quit
Copyright © 2016 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0800-8
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Quit
Terran Times Second Wave
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Minerva stretched and resettled herself, reading from the fairy tales and slowly turning the digital pages. The chair that the medical staff had put next to Alyla’s gestation tube had small rockers, so she moved herself to the time of the story.
She read until her voice was hoarse and her lids were drooping.
Medic Carhill came to her and shook her shoulder. “Minerva, you need to get some rest. I will watch over her. I promise.”
Minny looked at the familiar face with tired eyes. “How much longer?”
“Five months. You are halfway there.” The medic smiled. “Do you need help?”
“No. No. I am fine.” She set the tablet down and got to her feet. She swayed and kissed her fingers before pressing them against the tank where her daughter floated at twice the size she had been when Minerva had given birth to her. Her father’s species—whatever it was—aged slower and had a much longer gestation period. Alyla wasn’t the size of a human baby yet, but she was nearly there. Soon, she would be heading toward the growth spurt that would take her up to the projected fourteen pounds, and from there, it would be a matter of weeks before Minerva could hold her in her arms.
There was nothing like the hollow feeling of not having her baby with her when she returned home every night.
With a heavy heart, Minny headed for her quarters, but her soul was still with her child, floating quietly in the liquid that was letting her grow and be healthy. It was a consolation that didn’t give her much comfort. She wanted her child in her arms.
* * * *
Leema Marx checked her com unit and keyed in the pass code to the call. The face was scary but a relief to see. “Emissary. I take it that you are in our space?”
The head inclined. “I am. How are they doing?”
“The baby is developing well. All of the growth schedules are on point.”
“And the recruiter? How is she doing?”
“I am very happy that you have come to our system, Emissary Imbolt Kei Zanicon.” Leema smiled tightly.
He nodded. “I will be there within twelve hours. Regulations demanded that we slow earlier in this system.”
“Excellent. She is resting now and will be on shift then. If possible, I will have her meet you at the arrivals bay.”
“She will meet me there.”
Leema nodded nervously. “Yes. Of course.”
“See you in twelve hours, Commander Marx.” He disconnected the call.
Leema exhaled long and low. She had never seen someone who could radiate that much power via the coms. It was amazing that Alyla was his daughter. The baby shared some of the grey-mahogany skin tone, but it had its mother’s features. It certainly didn’t have the tattoos that were writhing over his face and neck.
If Minny’s medical stats hadn’t dropped to barely functional, Leema would never have called in the baby’s father, but if he couldn’t shake Minny out of it, that baby was going to need her other parent.
Hopefully, he would be enough.
* * * *
Minny finished her day as Recruiter Norz in eight different locations and set her next session for four hours in the future. She didn’t need to see them all to the shuttles, but it satisfied something in her to take them completely through the process.
She sat up and rubbed her face. Her timer told her that a meal should be consumed. She didn’t feel hungry. She never felt hungry anymore. She just wanted to get to her baby.
Her suit com chimed.
“Yes?”
“Minny, this is Leema. I need you to head to the arrivals bay. We have a dignitary coming in, and he is curious about your work.”
“It is time for me to eat.”
“This isn’t a request. Head to the arrivals bay. You will know him when you see him.”
The com clicked off, and Minny scowled as she got up and stretched. Leema never gave her orders. She had been helpful and concerned during the entire process of waiting for Alyla.
It seemed that Minny’s time for being coddled was up.
She walked through the halls and finger-combed her hair. She had cropped it after Alyla was taken from her. If she didn’t have to fuss with her locks, she would have more time with her daughter. Even the minutes counted.
The arrivals bay had one shuttle. She paused when she identified the weaponry mounted to the exterior. That was one serious vehicle.
There were two guards that barred her way.
“I am here to meet someone?”
The men had a grey-mahogany cast to their skin. They looked at each other and nodded. One spoke in a soft voice into his wrist unit. A voice answered, and the shuttle disgorged a man who bore only a passing resemblance to his guards.
It was only her fatigue that kept her from stepping back as the man approached her.
He was a solid six inches taller than his guards, had a darker cast to his skin, and marks similar to tattoos moved
under
his skin.
His clothing screamed wealth, good taste and power. A dark tunic made of silk, tightly woven black pants, highly polished boots and an embroidered vest with a high collar, and a hem that brushed his ankles flowing around him in a glitter and gleam of embroidery.
All the skin she could see had the same moving designs, but it was the flat black headpiece with woven strands of metal and a central glowing stone that caught her attention. He was definitely in charge of something.
“Recruiter?” He looked her up and down.
She suddenly was wishing that she had grabbed her formal robes and good bodysuit for this meeting.
“Yes. Minerva Twill, at your service.” She smiled tightly and bowed as she had been trained to do.
“Emissary Imbolt Kei Zanicon. I am honoured to have been invited to this system. I was told that you would take me to the commander.”
She blinked. “Oh. Of course. Please, come this way, Emissary.”
She turned, swayed and straightened. He caught her by the elbow.
“You are exhausted.”
She smiled tightly. “I have a raucous life. Rarely a dull moment.”
He nodded and searched her features.
She stared at him, hypnotized by the movement of the tattoos that alternately highlighted and obscured his eyes. His nose appeared to be a wide blade, and his lips clear cut, but as she stared she swayed again, darkness crept over her and took her under.
* * * *
Imbolt looked at the woman in his arms. He had his doubts that she could have managed to have his child, but Zanicon told him that she had been stronger. She was grieving for what was taken and what wasn’t yet hers again. The feeling of loss had taken over, and she had no one to share her concerns with.
He sighed and carried her through the base. His guards were for show. Only a fool would attack him.
He followed her scent to her quarters but was surprised to end up in medical. The medic on duty got to her feet, but he shook his head. “She is fine, just tired.”
He looked around. “Where is she?”
“She? Oh, you mean... oh wow. This way, sir.” The medic walked him through the main chamber and into an alcove in the back. There was a chair with weird blades on the bottom, a data pad and the tank with his daughter floating in it.
He turned with the small Terran in his arms and settled carefully into the chair. He arranged her so that she was leaning against his shoulder, and he picked up the data pad.
With a few touches, he brought up the last story and began to read the words. It was a morality tale about doing what your parents told you or a beast would wreck your day. He enjoyed it, and with the woman whose genes were percolating within his daughter, he sat and read tale after tale.
* * * *
“... and she put the slipper on her foot, and it fit--oh, I can see where this is going. Who knew that footwear was part of Terran courtship?—the prince declared her his true love and he would have no other. They were wed in a lovely ceremony and lived happily ever after.”
The low, rumbling voice reading the fairy tales was strangely familiar. Minny shifted and felt the heat of the body under hers.
She didn’t want to open her eyes, but he was starting another story.
“Once upon a time... oh you are awake.”
She looked up at him, and at close range, she could see that his black eyes were actually a purple so dark it was hard to tell the difference.
“Emissary.”
“Yes?”
“Why am I on your lap?”
He smiled. “There was only one chair. What did you name her?”
She sat straighter and turned, looking at the canister where her daughter floated. She reached out and touched the tube. “Alyla.”
He made a small noise that she couldn’t decipher. “It is a good name. Do you know what she is?”
“She is my daughter. Nothing else matters.”
“Well, as she is also my daughter, I would have to disagree.”
Minny turned her head and stared at the enormous man who had her ensconced in his lap as if she weighed nothing. “Your daughter?”
He nodded slowly. “When I took this position on, I was promised a child when a suitable genetic match had been made. You were selected, confirmed, and now, the blend of our genes is in that gestation tube. How long did you carry her?”
She could tell he already knew, but she answered him. “They took her at ten months, but she was so tiny. They set her up here.”
“She was killing you.”
Minny wanted to argue, but she remembered the pain, the feeling of ice in her body and the panic of the medics. “The pregnancy was killing me. She was just the by-product.”
He chuckled. “I am glad you think of it that way.”
A sudden uncertainty hit her. “Are you here for her?”
“I am here for you. She will need her mother, and you have done a horrible job taking care of yourself. We will work to shore you up, I will do what I need to on Terra, and when Alyla is ready to come out, you will be ready to be her mother.”
“What are you doing on Terra?”
He quirked his lips. “If all goes well, I will be the Alliance and Nyal Imperium ambassador on your world. Once you are stable, I will select a site for an embassy and construction will begin.”