Page 26 of Advance and Retreat (Dark Empire #6)

A n hour later, Cassidy was in the birthing center, huffing as she pushed under Degorsk’s coaching.

Already a surgeon and psychiatrist, he’d added obstetrician to his credentials when they’d begun considering children.

Another doctor, an elder Imdiko named Myrtas, was on standby in case of complications.

Thus far, Cassidy’s labor had been textbook.

Lidon and Tranis stood on either side of her incline birthing chair, each holding her hand as she bore down.

The labor was painless thanks to the drugs Myrtas had administered, but Cassidy still had to put forth effort to give birth.

Several strands of her long platinum blond hair had escaped her ponytail and hung in sweaty strings.

Tranis and Lidon did their best to keep them out of her face as she grimaced in effort.

“The baby’s crowning,” Degorsk reported. He was as professional as a man delivering his own child could manage, allowing only a hint of glee to seep into his tone. “Rest for a few seconds, my Matara, then you can give another big push.”

She panted. “Are you hanging in there?” Tranis asked, worried.

“I’m okay. Just need to—”

She was cut off by Lidon’s snarl and Myrtas’ startled exclamation. Degorsk turned to see what had happened, giving Cassidy a view of herself standing behind him.

“What the hell?” Tranis shouted.

“The child comes,” the second Cassidy said in an unemotional tone. “We believe it worthwhile to witness the event.” She glanced at the members of the staring group in turn. “We thought it would be unseemly to watch without your knowledge we did so. This is why I’ve appeared.”

“It’s unseemly for you to watch at all. Your presence isn’t welcome,” Lidon growled. He’d released Cassidy’s hand, as if he might make a move to attack the interloper.

She guessed he was kept from doing so because the Other wore her face and her figure...at least, her figure prior to the pregnancy. Current events of a more personal nature were uppermost in her mind, however.

“I need to push,” she wheezed and did so, caught up in her body’s determination to give birth.

Degorsk returned his attention to her, dismissing the unwanted visitor from his mind for the task at hand. “Go ahead. Strong and steady now. The head’s out. Okay, a couple of breaths and one last push, my love.”

Moments later, he shouted in joy. “She’s here! Our little girl is here!”

He held up the tiny being, who emitted her first outraged squall to be evicted from her warm confines.

Cassidy burst into happy tears at the sight of her daughter, whose head was crowned by a shock of black hair.

She vaguely registered Lidon and Tranis moving from her side, putting themselves between the trio and the fascinated Other.

Degorsk set the infant in Cassidy’s hungry arms as Dr. Myrtas attended to the aftermath of the birth. Cassidy dutifully, glowingly counted ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. “Welcome to the world, Jacquelyn. I’m so glad to meet you, beautiful girl.”

“She is beautiful.” Degorsk wiped his streaming eyes and reached for her. “Let me clean her up, weigh her, scan her, and all the other irritating things I have to do before we worship her as she deserves.”

Cassidy laughed through her own storm of tears. She kissed Jackie, whom she’d named after her mother, and let Degorsk take her.

Only then did she return her focus to the Other, who was speaking to the glowering Tranis and Lidon. “I have no intention to harm any of you. Why would I, when you can’t harm me? I merely wished to witness this. Being a research scientist, Cassidy would understand our curiosity.”

Cassidy answered, her tone tinged by heat. “Perhaps, but you’ve ruined a momentous occasion for my clan. You had to realize they’d move to protect me when we should be celebrating the birth of our first child.”

Her doppelganger blinked, absorbing the information. “It hadn’t occurred to us. Procreation is no longer necessary since we transmuted to noncorporeal form hundreds of thousands of years ago. It seems we behaved inappropriately after all. We regret any negative impact our presence has.”

“You don’t sound regretful,” Tranis muttered.

“Emotion is also beyond our memory, but we do wish we hadn’t damaged an important moment for you.”

Degorsk seemed determined to ignore the Other. Walking past Cassidy’s double without sparing a glance, he brought Jackie, swaddled in a white blanket, to Tranis. “Here. Say hello to your daughter.”

Cassidy watched her Dramok melt as he cradled the baby in his muscled arms. He turned his back on the Other.

“Sweet Mother of All, look at you, darling baby. My Matara, she’s perfect.

” He touched his lips to Jackie’s forehead and inhaled.

“My wonderful Jacquelyn, whatever is mine to give, you’ll have. ”

Keeping an eye on the Other, Lidon accepted the baby in his turn.

When the second Cassidy stepped back a few paces and Tranis took over watching her, the Nobek gave his attention to their daughter.

His gaze lingered on her face, memorizing every detail.

No doubt he was still unhappy about the Other’s presence, but a hint of a smile twitched his lips.

Cassidy couldn’t hear the words he murmured to his firstborn, but his voice brimmed devotion.

He seemed reluctant to give her up to Cassidy.

“Sweet Jackie,” the new mother whispered. “It feels like I’ve waited forever for you. Now you’re here, and I can hardly believe it.”

Jackie blinked purple eyes, as if still absorbing her entry into the world. Cassidy’s heart felt it would burst from love. She realized she’d do anything for her child. Anything and everything to keep her safe.

“May I hold her?”

The Other’s request elicited growls from both Lidon and Degorsk. Tranis’ brows drew low over his eyes, but he glanced at Cassidy, his gaze significant.

“I’m certain they mean no harm,” she said. It also occurred to her letting the Other experience the evidence of Jackie’s life might be an opportunity to draw the entity in. Could curiosity lead to empathy?

Under her clanmates’ unfriendly stares, the Other approached Cassidy.

At the new mother’s nod, her doppelganger carefully lifted Jackie and held her close.

Did the Other look less detached as she examined the magical bundle?

Cassidy prayed it wasn’t her imagination claiming the visitor displayed more than clinical interest.

“You showed up holding a version of her,” she reminded the Other. “Is this similar?”

“No. It was merely an illusion, a representation of your daughter. This child is...” the Other paused for a moment “...real.”

“A new creation, her whole life before her.” Cassidy eyed the Other. “How did you know what she’d look like? You represented her perfectly.” Except for the gaze that had been too intelligent for an infant.

“We saw her. We live in all time, and we knew her features.” The Other never ceased her contemplation of Jackie as she spoke.

“Then you know for certain how everything will turn out for us?” Cassidy’s heart plunged. The Other had insisted they had no chance.

“If we wish, we can view all possible futures. We see clearest the events most likely to occur, given current actions. Sentients sometimes move from the probable path, however, and their prospects change.”

“Then we do have a chance against the All.”

“Several chances, but given your present measures, a positive outcome for your outlook is dubious. There is little hope.” The Other had resumed her dispassionate demeanor...if she’d ever actually worn a different expression.

She gave Jackie to Cassidy. “A most interesting experience. Thank you for allowing me to witness your momentous occasion.”

The Other disappeared. As Cassidy met her clanmates’ gazes, she thought the entity had taken all their hopes and joy too.

* * * *

E arth II

“Area secured. You’re clear to land, Governor Nichols,” the voice on Stacy’s shuttle com announced.

In the co-pilot’s chair, Stacy’s leg bounced nervously. She had a ton of work to do now that she was able to return to Earth II, but her number one priority was seeing her sister in the flesh.

Her pilot, a Kalquorian Nobek bearing the surprising name of Harm, spoke up. “Clearance received. The governor will await her security detail before disembarking.”

As the small craft she’d traveled in from Alpha Space Station settled on the front lawn of Toni’s pleasant two-story rental home, she finally gave in to the curiosity she’d fought to keep in check. “What does ‘Harm’ mean in Kalquorian?”

He grinned, no doubt used to the question from Earthers. “Sunrise, which was the time of day I was born. I prefer your English language meaning.”

She laughed. “I’m sure any Nobek warrior would.” When the seconds passed, her leg started bouncing again. “Why is Earthside security taking so long?”

Harm brought up a vid display of their surroundings. “They’re getting in position. An unfamiliar clan is on the premises. They had to check them out.”

“A clan?” Stacy leaned forward and blinked in surprise to see three strangers standing outside the door behind Toni. “Huh. They don’t look like medical attendants. I guess my surprise visit to my supposedly invalid sister goes both ways.”

The com came to life again. “Security detail is in place. Antonia Nichols’ guests have been vetted and cleared. The governor may disembark.”

“I thought this would be a short stop, less than an hour,” Stacy told Harm by way of apology as she stood.

“Take your time. Maybe you’ll share the gossip about this mysterious clan with me. If you don’t approve of them for your esteemed family member, I can scare them away.”

Stacy chuckled. The Nobek pilot was more personable than most. He probably wouldn’t have been quite so friendly had he been aware of the phased Kalquorians also on the shuttle, particularly Kuran.