Page 27 of Devin (Warriors of Etlon #5)

Devin

“ U h, the ship has arrived.”

It was a very short, and very suspicious com from Kave that told Devin that Kave had once again done something that he would not approve of.

He sighed. It was useless to try and guess. The random aspect of his behavior made him very unpredictable, and Devin hated unpredictable.

Val was still sleeping, and he had no intention of waking her.

He had spent just a little too much of her energy yesterday.

Devin looked over her sleeping form, searching for signs that he had been too rough.

Terran bodies were so frail. How they managed to carry the bulk of a Mahdfel child and survive was still a slightly terrifying concept, but Odette and Clover were proof that they were sturdier than they appeared, and Jane and Meadow were also still mobile so close to term.

As it was, he made sure to program the bots to finish the medical suites first so they would have a state of the art facility to deliver the babies.

The rest of the medical staff was still in training at Shackleton Moon Base near Terra.

Once they arrived, the baby boom would be in full swing.

The warrior training center was planned, but it was slated for the second stage of development.

He would have also slated the factory for second stage, but for some reason, the higher ups seemed to think whatever it was going to produce was a top priority.

They were very tight lipped about it, but he trusted Athen enough to know that he was serious about getting it up and running at nearly the same time as the workers would be arriving to man it.

Devin took a quick shower to wash away the night before and slipped his uniform on.

He took one last look at Val before calling the lift.

His first clue should have been how long it took the thing to arrive, considering it should have been there immediately, as no one had use of it yet.

Instead it took nearly ten seconds for the door to open.

“Darling!”

His mother stepped out of the lift.

“Where is she? Let me get a look at her. She can’t be as hideous as you let on.” Val sat straight up in bed, wide awake, and still naked.

“She’s sleeping,” he said, trying to corral her back into the lift unsuccessfully.

“I mean Terrans are a bit on the scrawny side, and that skin, I don’t know what color you’d call it, but I’m sure we can dress it up a bit. Oh, and their tech is completely backwards, but I think that they have other points. They apparently make very good spies, at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Mother.”

“We need spies. Everyone needs spies. I’m sure she’s fine. And they seemed to have no problem with conception, if the number of bellies I saw down there is any indication. How far along is she?”

“Mother, she’s not pregnant.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I totally blame you, by the way, you work too much. It’s not healthy. Mahdfel warriors are meant to fight and fuck, your father always said. It’s crude, but true. And you were doing neither. Definitely not healthy.”

“She needs to rest, Mother.”

“Where did she go?”

Devin was sure she’d scrambled in to take a shower and probably put some clothes on.

“Why don’t I show you the city?”

“I didn’t come for a tour!”

“My mate is tired and not ready for visitors yet.”

“I’m not a visitor. I’m family.”

“Really. Unannounced family should be understanding enough to realize that my mate is naked and unprepared to meet them.”

“Pish posh. I’ve seen naked females before. I’ve been looking at quite a lot of naked Terran vids lately. You know, for research.”

Devin took a deep breath and gave his mother his most authoritative glare.

“We will be back in a few minutes.” He stepped into the lift, and crossed his arms over his chest, daring his mother to object. She actually rolled her eyes at him and stepped into the lift.

“So, do you get a new tattoo for designing a city?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Mother, it is not for us to ask. They are given.”

“Then I shall have to have a talk with your commander. What was his name again?”

That would almost be worth it, to see his mother and Kave in the same room together, both trying to outdo each other’s chaos. Kave wouldn’t stand much of a chance, but Devin was not going to develop a reputation of having his mother advocate for him. That would be disastrous.

He ignored the question and began to point out features of his city.

“We used the pyre for the first time yesterday. It was quite effective.”

“Who died? I thought this city was supposed to be safe?”

“It was an accident, and before you go about making a big deal, it was my fault.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sure-”

“And over there is where the medical suites should be finished today. As you noted, we have several females that are close to birthing time. We have only one doctor, but more staff is arriving soon.”

“Where is my suite?”

“Guest quarters are not yet ready. Since I didn’t think we’d be having any guests, they were not top priority.”

No, having his mother here put a bit of a wrinkle in his plans.

Hopefully she’d lose interest and be gone in a day or two, but an extended stay was out of the question.

She could not keep her nose out of anyone’s business.

His relationship with Val was still a bit tenuous to withstand the full brunt of his mother and her incessant interference.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll manage something by the end of the day.”

“I’m sure there’s an extra spot down in the camp.”

“If you’re staying in the city, then I’m staying in the city.”

“We still haven’t finished putting everything together yet. There’s no guarantee that the living quarters in the city will be up to your standards of living.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’ve roughed it before. Did I ever tell you about the time my father sent me to Belokay?

Now there was a backward colony if I ever did see one.

First of all, it was as dry as paper. There wasn’t a single drop of rain the whole time we were there.

You know what they fed us? Crackers! Plain crackers, spicy crackers, sweet crackers, or would those be cookies, I don’t know, but either way, they only ate one texture.

It was fine at first, but after three days I was ready to leave, and I had to be there a whole month. ”

“Yes, mother, I’ve heard that story before.

” He’d heard it probably once a year, maybe more since he was old enough to understand language.

If he didn’t shut her up soon, she’d start to tell him about the Largilan who sleep with their pets, which wasn’t so bad, except they were quite large and smelled like bad farts.

“Is that the ship you came in?” He said, pointing over to the brand new landing pad, where an Adrastian cargo vessel sat.

“I know! But you’d be surprised how hard it is to charter a vessel to this side of the universe. No one wants to go out here. I had to promise him a lucrative trade deal as well as a very generous stipend.”

Adrastians were a bit unnerving to look at, considering they were super pigmented.

Everything from their eyes to the toenails and flesh was black.

Their skin would take tattoos, but they were invisible unless they glowed.

The Madfel Adrastians were tall strong brutes well suited for fighting in darkness.

Their non warrior equivalents were lacking that strength and height, but were also known for their ability to eat and digest nearly anything.

It was nearly impossible to poison an Adrastian.

That’s probably why the Suhlik had invaded and added them to the Mahfel collection.

The Adrastian in question stepped down the ramp.

His stride told Devin they had been spotted and he was heading straight for them.

If he were like most captains, he’d stay on his vessel, but he’d want a quick turnaround time with a cargo hold full of goods.

Perfect. He could easily requisition some of the flugle and a few other types of meat that were sitting in their freezer containers and send him and his mother on their way.

Three days was the perfect length of visit. Long enough for her to be satisfied that he was doing his best to produce a grandchild for her, but short enough that he wouldn’t go crazy with her talking his ear off.

Devin pointed out a few more features while they waited for the captain to cross the distance between them.

“Hail, Warlord!” the captain said to him.

Devin took a deep breath, but did not correct him. He had nearly the power of warlord, but without the final say. Some species wouldn’t even speak with an underling or someone they did not determine to be an alpha.

“Well met, Adrastian.”

“Captain Cocak at your service. Or at your mother’s service.” He gave a little bow to the both of them. There was a slight smile on his lips, as if he were putting on a show and just below breaking character. This did not sit well with him.

Devin had been among the Etlonian Mahdfel too long.

It was disconcerting to speak to another male, and not have his skin reflect the overtones of honesty or anger.

He could not even discern which way the Adrastian was looking, as his eyes were just spheres of inky blackness.

His overall impression was this Cocak was not to be trusted.

But if he did not trust him with his mother, Devin would be stuck with her until more suitable transport could be found, and that might be another month.

Had she planned it that way? Devin spared a glance at his mother, but she was in diplomat mode, all serene smiles and benign expressions.

There was no way she was letting him see her true thoughts in front of this stranger.

“This city is a work of art and masculine beauty,” Cocak stated.

“Oh you’re such a flirt!” His mother stated.

“I’m sure Gordo will be happy to arrange for you to fill your hold with some unique delicacies. I also believe we may have a passenger or two who would like to book passage.”

It wasn’t Terra, but getting Charlette off to Takalia with his mother to supervise would be ideal. From there, his mother could arrange transport to Terra with other more trustworthy Takalian pilots.

“If you would like, I could take you to speak with him now,” Devin offered.

Cocak nodded. Devin pointed toward the base camp where the others were still staying, at least for the next few days.

Hopefully Zenik had already finished delivering the other Mahdfel and their mates back to the main camp, leaving at least one set of quarters free for his mother. Speaking of his mother, she had not started moving with them.

“Mother?”

“I was promised an introduction to my new daughter.”

“Your request is in opposition to protocol. Our meal facilities are still located this way,” Devin stated, pointing again toward the base camp, this time with both hands.

His mother sighed and started walking.

“Fine, fine, mustn’t break protocol.”

“Yes, protocol,” Cocak said, nodding his head.