12

“Is she on yet, babe?" Craig asked as he came up behind Saa'an who was seated in front of the comm panel.

“Not yet," she replied with a touch of anxiousness in her sending.

Craig sat a glass of sro-na'jaht juice down in front of Saa'an and then kissed her on the side of her neck. Saa'an closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. She and Craig were waiting for her mother to call from Terra. Ilen-Jaa'an's new career as a model seemed to be off to a good start and she was already attracting a fan base, which was a surprise to her. The last time Jaa'an had called, she was on location in the Delta Pavonis system for a photo shoot with several other models.

When the comm panel finally beeped to announce an incoming call, Saa'an sat her half-finished glass of juice down and eagerly accepted the call.

[Saa'an]: “Honored Mother." (Bows head in respect)

[Jaa'an]: “My daughter." (Nods head in acknowledgement)

“Craig, Mother is on!" Saa'an quickly sent to her mate.

[Saa'an]: “Craig will be here in a moment…ah, here he is."

Craig leaned into view from Saa'an's right, placing his hand on his chest and bowed his head respectfully.

[Craig]: “Shen-ma'in Ilen, nawa e enith'a ch'wë."

Jaa'an was pleased to hear Craig greet her in her native Tu'an language, and she noted how much his accent had improved.

[Jaa'an]: “It is good to see both of you. Your command of Tu'an continues to improve, my na'in-suanthë. Ah, where to begin in the short time that we have?"

Saa'an quickly caught her mother up on what had been going on with the family on Mûr Zhæn, and Jaa'an did the same concerning her work, people she had met, and interesting sights she had seen. They exchanged photos and letters and personal messages while they had the connection, which would be viewed in private at a later time. When their time was nearly up, Jaa'an had something particular that she wanted to say.

[Jaa'an]: “Craig, your world…it is more than I had imagined. To see with my own eyes so many different kinds of people born of one world, living and working together as they do, it is a wonder! One of my coworkers suggested I visit a special place on your world, in the north. I went there and…I have never felt such…oh, there are no words to describe it in either of our languages! It has given me a better understanding of you and your world. You and my daughter must bring Ami'an to visit it—I believe the locals refer to it merely as, how do they say…'The Place'?"

[Craig]: “Yeah, I know about it. I haven't been there, but, yeah, sure. I think Ami'an would love to go there."

[Jaa'an]: “If I am not mistaken, your parent's time on our world is nearing the end."

[Craig]: “Yeah, I think we have another six or seven cycles of nan-Raleen left before the new embassy personnel arrive to take over."

[Jaa'an]: “So soon! So much has happened during this sun-cycle…where has it gone? Saa'an, while there is time yet, I want you to take Craig to Mûr thel-Raleen, and take Khy'an and Ami'an with you. I cannot explain, but…I believe it to be important. Promise me this, Saa'an."

[Saa'an]: “I will, my Honored Mother."

[Jaa'an]: “Good, I look forward to hearing your tale of the journey. Ah, the time allotted for this call is nearly at the end. Saa'an, tell our family that I miss having them near, and Craig, please give my greetings to your parents…and also to Bren-Khy'an. Strange as it seems, our paths would not be the same without her."

[Craig]: “Yeah, who would've thought? I'll tell mom and dad that you said 'hi' and are thinking of them. Sorry they couldn't be here, they're off in a meeting with Lady Pren-Dre'ana. They wanted me to tell you that they miss you and hope to see you when we get home."

[Jaa'an]: “I will make every effort to be there when you arrive. Saa'an, Craig—be well, and continue to care for one another. I will send a message when I may call again. May the All-Mother be with you both."

[Saa'an]: “And with you and Father."

The connection closed, and Saa'an sat there holding Craig for a while.

“It will be strange moving to your world, my beloved," Saa'an sent, pressing her cheek to the top of Craig's head.

“No different than for me when I came here," Craig said with a chuckle.

Saa'an smiled a little as she thought back to when she first met Craig in the Merchant district.

“Hopefully the first time I try to do something helpful on your world will not nearly cause an interstellar incident," Saa'an sent with a bit of humor.

“Heh, yeah. I guess as long as you don't have any run-ins with the Zadori, you'll be okay."

“Who are they?"

“Just a sec and I'll show you." Craig pulled up on the desk's computer terminal an info file on the Zadori, an insect-like race that lived in underground hive-like cities. “You probably won't see many on Terra."

“Why is that?"

“Well, they supposedly don't like bats—something about high-pitched sounds really bothers them, if I remember."

“And these…'bats'…make such sounds?"

“Um, yeah, the bat G.E.L.F.s still have the echo location ability of the little true bats they were originally created from centuries ago. They use ultrasonic sound to see in the dark, and something about that seems to be painful to Zadori. Heh, back when I was a kid in the fifth grade, I had a crush on a girl in my school named Yulia—she was a bat G.E.L.F. from Romania. She was, um, pretty hot."

Saa'an saw Craig's face become warmer, which she now recognized as embarrassment.

With a smile on her face, Saa'an asked," Do you still have a picture of this person?"

“Um, yeah, sure, just a sec…"

Craig dug into his personal photo collection and pulled up the picture of Yulia Tolevecic from back in grade school, and then he showed the latest photo of Yulia in her Fleet Academy uniform. Saa'an looked with interest at the two photos, and a humorous thought occurred to her.

“You must like females with fangs," she sent teasingly, giving Craig a playful nibble, being extra careful not to puncture his skin with her own, deadly, needle-sharp fangs.

“Saa'an…!"

“Mmm…you know my appetite for certain things..."

“Geezers, babe…now?"

Craig felt Saa'an's tail slither up his back and over his shoulder, brushing his jawline.

“You have anything better to do at this moment?"

“No…"

Saa'an grinned broadly.

A while later Saa'an lay gently stroking Craig's hair with her fingers. She was deep in thought about something that had recently been on her mind. Craig noticed how quiet Saa'an had become, and rolled over to face her.

“Whatcha thinking about, babe?"

“A dream."

“About what?"

“Something not possible."

Craig touched Saa'an's cheek—she opened her eyes and a small wistful smile grew on her lips. He kissed her and felt his mate's tail slide over his thighs under the covers.

“And what might that be?"

Saa'an sighed and sent, “You will think me foolish."

“C'mon, babe, you can tell me…you know that."

Saa'an closed her eyes and pressed her face to his.

“I…I wish…we could have a little one of our own."

Craig blinked in surprise, and then he held Saa'an close. Craig knew that it would likely be a physical impossibility for them to have a child because their biochemistries were too different. He found the thought pleasing, however, when he remembered Saa'an's niece, little Ava'an.

“That would be something, wouldn't it?"

“You do so well with my sister's little one, I…I think you would be a good father."

“You do?"

“Yes. Ah, with all we know…if only something could help us have a little one of our own!"

Craig looked questionly at Saa'an, “You mean…use genetic engineering to make a baby using our DNA?"

“I am no scientist, but should it not be possible? After all, we have created vessels that are alive and can fly between the stars, and even your people created other people from the lower life forms on your world. Could not such knowledge assist us in making a little one of our own?"

“Geez, Saa'an, I…I don't know. What about your people's cultural hang-ups with artificial life in general? I mean, we could try all we want, but our bodies are too different, so we probably couldn't have one naturally and everyone knows that. But, say somehow, with a lot of tinkering, we could have a child—would he or she be accepted by your people? I'm pretty sure Terrans wouldn't have a problem with us having a mixed child, but…"

Saa'an rolled onto her back and thought about what Craig said.

“I…see your point." She thought a little bit more and then rolled back onto her side to face Craig. “I could ask Ami'an to 'see' for us—perhaps she could help us decide."

“Okay."

Saa'an looked questionly at Craig and sent, “You do wish to have a child with me, yes?"

Craig smiled gently and kissed Saa'an.

“If there's any way possible, you know I do, babe. It's just…it's just something we can't rush off and do, you know? We gotta think it through and plan for it. Like my dad says, anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time. As far as I know, there aren't any Mûr Tua'ansa of mixed ancestry—you folks don't even mix with the Khea, even though I'd think that would be possible. Nobody on my world knows anything about how to treat your kind yet if there might be an emergency, and we don't have your healers. That's something we'd have to think about."

Saa'an caressed Craig's face while she thought about what he had said.

“You are right to be concerned, my beloved. We must consider the possibilities. This may take more time than you have left on our world…"

“I'll stay, however long it takes," Craig said with a completely serious look on his face.

Saa'an pulled Craig to her and they lay together until it was time for evening meal.

The next night, Saa'an, Ami'an, Craig, and Khy'an went out to do some shopping, and then they went to The Drift to eat. Tsal-Asa'an greeted each of them warmly, and then ushered the group to a semi-private booth in the back.

“What's the special tonight, Asa'an?" Craig asked with a little smirk.

Privately, Tsal-Asa'an replied, “If you were not claimed, I might suggest something not on the menu." Out loud, Asa'an said, “Tonight it is grilled gefa with janbuniti sauce, roasted d'nibis fruit, and nahrwaf pods."

“Well, that sounds good, got any butter to go with those pods? I can't handle that slug stuff everybody insists on dipping them in," Craig said with a grimace.

Asa'an laughed. “'Butter'…now that is revolting, but surprisingly you off-worlders seem to like it well enough. I believe there is some in the cooler, with your name on it no less. What a proprietor has to do for her best customers…" she finished, giving Craig a suggestive look.

“And you do such a good job, too," Craig responded with a grin.

Saa'an's tail thumped solidly against the floor beneath the both's bench seat. Craig glanced up at Saa'an's face and saw her eyes narrow slightly, prompting him to put his arm around her and gently rub her back. He could tell that Saa'an was getting perturbed by the way she was tensing up. Ami'an had told Craig and Saa'an that her mother's cousin, Asa'an, had a history of being something of a tease and was basically harmless. Unfortunately, Saa'an had a tendency towards possessiveness, especially around Tsal-Asa'an.

“I will have the special, and I will try the butter with the Nahrwaf pods," Ami'an announced with a mischievous smile.

Saa'an shot a surprised look at her friend.

“Why do you want…that…on your food?" Saa'an asked, skewing her face into a grimace.

“One should always try new things," Ami'an replied with a smile.

“You should try it—it is not as bad as it smells," Bren-Khy'an added with a slight smile.

“You have tried it?" Saa'an asked in disbelief.

Craig was fighting to keep from laughing when Khy'an replied, “Craig's Honored Mother insisted that I try a Terran delicacy called…an 'English muffin'. It was…interesting."

“I remember that," Craig blurted out with a laugh, though Khy'an gave him a later-for-you look.

To Khy'an's watchful eyes, Saa'an seemed preoccupied with something. Not sensing any anger or hostility, Khy'an wondered what had been keeping Saa'an so quiet on their outing. During their meal, Saa'an picked at her food and often stared into her drink. Ami'an had noticed too, and during dessert, she decided to find out what was on her friend's mind.

“You are unusually quiet this night," Ami'an sent privately to Saa'an.

Although Saa'an figured that Ami'a's observation was actually a question couched as a statement, she did not answer right away. When Saa'an saw Ami'an rest her steepled forefingers against her lips while leaning forward slightly on her elbows, she knew that Ami'an was not going to relent until she got an answer. After taking a sip of her drink, Saa'an set her glass down carefully and then met Ami'an's gaze.

“I have been thinking of something."

As soon as Saa'an replied, Ami'an caught a mental image in her friend's thoughts that gave her a clue.

“It involves Craig, yes?"

Saa'an gave a slight nod.

“And you wish for something, yes?"

Saa'an glanced with her eyes over to Craig who was currently discussing the music being played over the speakers with Bren-Khy'an.

“Ami'an…I beg a favor of you. I…well, we…wish to know if it might someway be possible to…"

“…You wish to know if there might be a little one in your future," Ami'an interjected with a little smile. When Saa'an's eyes widened noticeably, Ami'an continued gently tapping her lips with her still steepled forefingers. “I have been expecting this question since your pairing. I suppose it would only be natural for you to wish a child of your own. The way your sister's daughter has taken to Craig is a wonder to all of us, and he does so well with her."

Saa'an looked down at her plate for a moment and idly stabbed at her dessert. While Ami'an waited patiently for her friend to continue, Saa'an thoughtfully took another bite of frozen whipped neshil eggs—a regional favorite from the east coast of the akha-Ni'lat sea.

“Craig and I have been discussing what level of intervention may be necessary for us to have a child of our own, if it will even be possible. He is willing to remain here on Mûr Zhæn after his parents return to their home if we could find a way to have one of our own."

“What do your parents say in this, yours and his?" Ami'an asked.

“We have said nothing to anyone else about it…yet."

“Except me, yes?"

“Except for you."

While Ami'an was contemplating what her friend had told her, Saa'an added, “My Honored Mother wishes the four of us to go to the Mûr thel-Raleen; indeed, she insisted that we go. If that is not odd enough, Mother also insisted that Craig and I bring you to Terra and then visit a very special place there."

Ami'an looked curiously at Saa'an.

“Did she say why?"

“No, only that she felt it important."

Ami'an thought on what Saa'an had told her. Of course, she would love to walk on Craig's homeworld, to breathe its air, taste its foods, and immerse herself in its waters. Ilen-Jaa'an's insistence that she, Saa'an, and Craig, all vist some mysterious “special place" intrigued her. When Ami'an asked Saa'an about it, she said that Craig could tell her more about it back at the embassy.

Later that night, the four were relaxing together in Craig's suite while having a late night snack and listening to some soft music. When Ami'an asked about what was playing, Craig replied that the music was a traditional Ny'eri folk song called, “Aliaris Somduriansus", which loosely translated into Terran Standard English as “Follow Me Into Starlight".

“The music is certainly…moving," Ami'an stated, closing her eyes and immersing herself into the song.

The four sat quietly, listening intently to the song until it finished.

“That was beautiful, my friend," Ami'an remarked, smiling at Craig. “You certainly have quite a collection of music from various worlds."

“Indeed so," Khy'an agreed, taking a sip of her drink.

“Thanks," Craig said, his voice tinged with pride.

While Craig was selecting another song to play, Saa'an asked, “Beloved, would you tell us of the special place on your world that my Honored Mother spoke of?"

“Huh? Oh, sure." Craig put his entertainment PAD down and recalled what he knew of the location. Settling back on the couch, Craig begain, “I don't think there was anything in particular mentioned about 'The Place' as it's often referred to, prior to the year 2013. It's a small glade in the wilds of Alaska, in the far northwestern part of the North American continent, which is in the northern hemisphere of Terra. The glade is part of the homestead of the first human-G.E.L.F. family, and their descendants still live near it. The commanding officer of one of the three scout ships that brought your exploration ship back, according to what Fey told me, is a direct descendant of that family, and he lives close to the glade. Anyway, um, it's believed to be a sacred place, and many people claim to have had interesting experiences when they were there."

“What kind of experiences?" Ami'an asked, leaning forward and giving Craig her full attention.

“Well…from what I've heard, I guess something like what we experienced on nus-Sava'en."

Ami'an, Saa'an, and even the unflappable Khy'an felt a shiver run down their backs all the way to the end of their tails.

“In the middle of the glade is a big rock that supposedly got ejected from an ancient volcano, and the current theory is that it somehow acts like a natural psi locus point."

“Has anyone performed tests to be certain?" Khy'an asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope, don't think so. I know it's protected by law, so nobody can fool with it," Craig replied.

“But it can be visited, yes?" Ami'an asked hopefully.

“Yeah, sure. I'll get a message to Fey—she knows the family who lives there, so maybe she can find out when it's a good time to go visit it."

“You intend to take Saa'an to visit that area when you return to your homeworld, yes?" Khy'an asked Craig.

“Yeah, shen-ma'in Ilen wants the both of us to take Ami'an with us when it's time to go back home so we can all go there together, but…"

An awkward silence decended upon the four and it weighed heavily upon their hearts as the realization that Bren-Khy'an's duties would prevent her from accompanying her friends to Terra.

“Geezers, Khy'an, it…it's not going to be the same without you," Craig said quietly after several seconds. “I…I can't imagine you not…"

Craig reached for Khy'an's hand and held it—with her considerable telepathic ability, Khy'an knew the full measure of his feelings. Saa'an and Ami'an also put a hand atop Craig's, and shared how they felt.

“Our vines are truly tangled beyond undoing," Ami'an sent. “Through Craig, we four have become a family of sorts. You will always be a part of us, Bren-Khy'an, and it will be a sad parting when we leave knowing that you must stay behind."

“It will be so for me as well, my friend," Saa'an sent. “We have been through too much together already in the short time that we have been acquainted. My Honored Mother wishes that the four of us make the journey to Mûr thel-Raleen…you will come with us, yes?"

Bren-Khy'an thought about what the others had said, and she found herself in agreement.

“When the time comes for us to part company, it…will be…difficult, yes. I did not expect to become entangled, but…it has happened nonetheless, and I appreciate the inclusion. I will come to your world, Craig, when I am permitted—this I swear to you. As for the unusual wish of your mother, Saa'an, where Craig goes on Mûr Zhæn, I will be at his side—from the heights of nus-Sava'en, to the depths of Mâr An'sanim, and even into the Mûr thel-Raleen itself."

“Then we shall all go and learn what we may," Ami'an sent with a smile.

A while later, when it was getting late, the conversation came around to one topic that had been on Saa'an's mind. She was unsure how Khy'an might react, but Saa'an ended up just coming out and stating her desire.

“This may be a foolish dream, but…I wish to find if it would be possible—or not— for Craig and I to have a little one of our own together."

Of course Ami'an already knew of her friend's wish, having discussed it privately with Saa'an earlier during dinner.

Khy'an sensed that Saa'an was serious; when she looked at Craig, he nodded his head, “Yeah, we've talked about it, but…there is so much to consider! I mean, I don't know much about tinkering around with DNA and all, but if it could be possible…"

“…It truly would be a joining of our worlds," Saa'an interjected.

“What do you think of this, Khy'an?" Ami'an asked cautiously, knowing how close she had become to Craig.

Bren-Khy'an stared into her cup for a few moments before saying, “A child of two worlds…would she be accepted by one, both, or neither?"

Craig related the concerns he had brought up with Saa'an, and both Ami'an and Khy'an thought that they were valid. They also understood why Saa'an would naturally desire to have a child of her own, and they knew how well Craig got along with little Ava'an.

When the sun was coming up over the horizon, Khy'an announced that she was going to bed, and suggested that the others should as well. Ami'an asked if it would be alright for her to stay and sleep on the couch, and that was fine by Saa'an and Craig, so they had Taen-Gar'ta bring in an extra blanket and pillow for Ami'an.

After everyone was settled in for the day and the embassy's residence became quiet, Ami'an started to dream…

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(On to Chapter 13: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1172330)