by Nick Braker
Katerra held her stomach, cringing again. Another contraction started, wrenching her thoughts back and forcing her to think of nothing else but the pain. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists up. She panted, trying to focus. Again, it lasted nearly a minute and then subsided. Where was her physician? Katerra uselessly slammed her fist into the bed. Carena’s pregnancy had delivered 78 zygotes to the nurturing pools and though the delivery had not endangered Carena’s life, the perception of it made Katerra feel otherwise. Carena’s horrific screams had disturbed even Katerra. Katerra had never shied away from pain but this differed from anything she had experienced.
An alert on her bedside computer system activated. Someone had entered her quarters. Her guards, standing outside, secured her chambers so it had to be Carena, as only her doctor had the clearance to do so unannounced. Katerra’s bedroom door opened and Carena darted inside. She moved to sit on the left side of the bed. Her medical chest trailed behind her, floating above the floor.
“Have you timed the contract—”
“Of course, I have,” Katerra snapped. “What took you so long?”
Carena took a deep breath, visibly relaxing. Katerra noted that Carena had done that several times in the last few days. The stress of giving birth and taking care of her queen showed more and more.
Weak.
“I came as soon as you called,” Carena said. “Time?”
“Five minutes.”
“And you decided to notify me now?” Carena asked. “You should have contacted—”
“Do not question me,” Katerra yelled, slamming her fists into the bed again. She would have to find a way to punish her later.
Carena breathed deeply again. She no longer feared Katerra as she once did and it showed. Carena had changed since giving birth. Was that the catalyst that explained her recent courage?
“Katerra,” Carena said, “you don’t need to show strength right now. No one is watching and no one will know. As your doctor, you know I will keep everything confidential.” Carena’s eyes met Katerra’s. “As a fellow Xeno-Mother, I will keep our secrets between us. You know that.”
Katerra paused returning Carena’s stare. A long moment of silence passed between them. Katerra’s shoulders and arms relaxed.
“Of course,” Katerra acknowledged, adding a quick nod.
Katerra had convinced Carena to continue with both of their pregnancies as long as they took steps to prevent anyone from realizing the father was an alien from the planet Earth. Any doctor who attended Katerra would quickly realize her pregnancy differed from the norm. She had replaced Agneta with Carena and the two had conspired to make it look like any other pregnancy. They had falsified computer records, adjusted timings and faked lab results to ensure no one suspected.
Xeno-Mother.
Katerra chuckled inside, remembering Carena had created the term. It fit, of course. Carena felt the need to classify everything. Her nature didn’t give her a choice. She also had begun documenting both of their pregnancies, a necessary step that Katerra approved. Katerra used her security clearance to ensure it remained encrypted and private. They were the first of their race to breed with a human and, if this worked, they would not be the last. The children of a race, separated thousands of years earlier, would grow and strengthen on Kron. The answer lie in her progeny’s genetic infusion with human DNA. Alestron would be blind to her plan.
It was a move on Katerra’s part that the Aliri’s computer system could not foresee. Their multi-phased probes could not scan Kron’s solar system and with only three people aware of her plan, the Aliri never would know until it was too late. Their TLA computer could not predict what it did not know. She smiled at the simplicity of the idea. Convoluted to accomplish, of course, but necessary. Kron was dying.
Katerra had various subterfuges currently active. Carena, for example, remained ignorant of the fact that Katerra had manipulated her with Magnus. Katerra could not force Carena to mate with the human but the TLA system had predicted it, under the right conditions. Conditions Katerra had crafted and cultivated to perfection. Carena’s pregnancy was a necessary precursor to Katerra’s safety. If anything went wrong with Carena’s children, Katerra could act preventively. A necessary—
Carena broke the silence, answering Katerra’s statement from earlier.
“You are not my queen right now. You are my patient and if you will just trust me and follow my guidance, you will deliver successfully within the day.”
Katerra opened her mouth but closed it. She wanted to say more to Carena, perhaps confide in her. Why was she so angry at her earlier and now felt compelled to confide in her? Katerra’s hand twitched. Carena didn’t notice either motion as she entered something into her data pad.
“I’ve notified the royal attendants who are preparing your nurturing pool that you will arrive shortly,” Carena said.
Katerra clasped her hands together. What was wrong with her? Confide in Carena? The urge to say something had nearly compelled her to speak. Carena could not be trusted. Katerra had to distract herself as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, something she had never allowed before, so why now?
Zygote internal maturation created mental links to the mother usually beginning before delivery and continuing during external maturation within the nurturing pools. Clearly, the humans possessed no such ability according to their research. Perhaps Earth’s physical prowess equaled Kron’s mental prowess.
Carena had confirmed that Katerra had produced 102 zygotes. No mother in Kron’s history had ever produced that many children. Such an event would create suspicion. Would her people believe in chance? The number of children that Carena had birthed wasn’t high enough to create suspicion. Katerra’s delivery would. To offset that suspicion, she would destroy 25 zygotes after delivery.
“No—,” Katerra said. Another contraction took hold, hardening her abdomen and sending the all too familiar pain through her womb. Her body tensed and she clenched her fists again. Her eyes squinted shut and her lips thinned. She grunted, trying not to release a scream as a tear fell from her cheek. She wanted to scream. Why did she do this? Who would willingly do this to themselves? Carena held her hand. How long had she been doing that?
“You’ll be fine, Katerra. Hold on. It will be over shortly.”
The contraction ended and she lay back again, plopping into her pillows. More perspiration covered her face. Her head gently rolled side to side trying to make sense of everything around her. Her eyes rolled, still reeling from the intensity of the contraction. Katerra’s eyes focused and she realized the ceiling moved past her as she lay in her bed. Were they moving her? The wall on the far side of her bedroom raised, revealing the attached room. The domed and enclosed area ahead of her ascended in its middle to fifty feet high. The lights glowed dimly, barely illuminating the queen’s nurturing pool. The wall closed behind her, darkening the room further. Murky, gray liquid filled the lower portion of the room leaving no place to walk except for a wide, metal suspension bridge that led to a circular platform in the center. The bed floated effortlessly toward the center, guided by Carena’s expert hand. Katerra watched Carena walking next to her, appreciating everything Carena did for her. Carena’s genuine patience and support over the last few days had comforted her even when she didn’t want it. She would have to find a way to reward her.
“You are close, my queen,” Carena said, speaking formally for those in the alcoves located around the edges of the room. All nurturing pools had attendants who watched over the maturing children. “Once you enter the pool, the liquid will trigger your contractions full force. It will end quickly.” Carena paused. “Hold on to that thought.”
Katerra’s eyes filled with alarm. “What?” Katerra asked.
“Your next contraction will begin soon. We need to get you in the pool, my queen,” Carena instructed, gently pulling on Katerra’s hand.
“What did you mean by that comment?”
Katerra lifted her legs, turn
ed her body and draped them over the edge of her bed. Carena helped her stand and then moved behind her. She removed Katerra’s robe, leaving her naked. Katerra took a shallow breath, her shoulders raising slightly. The room’s humidity and heat stifled her. She grimaced.
“Carena?”
Katerra absently rubbed her distended abdomen. It protruded a few inches and, as she understood it, would return to normal in a few minutes. Carena helped her descend the stairs into the warm liquid while holding her left hand. Carena remained on the center platform.
“My queen,” Carena said, standing above her. “Grab hold of the support handles. They are just above the water to your left.”
Katerra found them.
“You have another contraction coming soon, my queen.”
Katerra nodded.
“Brace yourself,” Carena said.
“What?”
The contraction strengthened, tightening into a knot of knives that cut and burned her insides. She felt like dying. Katerra screamed as her body ejected her tiny zygotes into the water’s blackness. She would burn Magnus to the ground as slowly as her technology and his body would allow. This was his doing. She screamed again.
Chapter 25
FORASIA
Kron - Citron
Monday, November 30, 1987 - 09:00am
Ruth
Ruth paced, tapping her thigh. On the other side of the transparent wall of their room, Kron’s black ash of death rained down slower than normal today allowing her to see the other buildings nearby. On the left side, two of the taller alien buildings rose out of sight, their tops obscured by the ash. Their walls were slightly angled as if a pyramid with six sides had been stretched upwards by its tip. The smaller buildings were gray but the two taller buildings were black with vertical strips of bright light along their edges. Their blackness made them look like malevolent, malformed rockets. On the right, she looked down at the docking bay, where they had entered Citron over a month ago, the place Magnus had almost died.
Magnus, Giselle, Joannah and her were prisoners and if they wanted to move around the facility, they were always escorted by six Kron guards. For the last month, it had been like this and Ruth’s patience had ended. She could no longer wait. Ruth had not shared her thoughts with any of them for fear the Kron were listening.
“Ruth,” Giselle said, “come spar with me. I need the practice.”
“Not in the mood,” Ruth said. “Have—”
The doors to the elevator opened and a Kron woman entered.
“What now?” Ruth whispered toward her team.
The woman wore black shoes with a light red, long sleeve shirt and matching pants. She had straw colored hair, cut short at her ear line and her nose and mouth were thinly shaped. The woman’s brown eyes darted between their three faces.
“Ruth Dixon?” the woman asked.
Ruth nodded.
“My name is not important but I would ask that you follow me. Do you agree to do that?”
Ruth peered at the faces of her team. Both were telling her hell no with their eyes. Shit, this was the most interesting thing to happen in over thirty days. Why the hell not?
“What do you want?” Ruth asked, caution in her voice.
“I’m just a guide. I will show you the one who wishes to speak with you.”
“Well, this should be interesting,” Ruth said, nodding to the Kron woman. “Guide me.”
The woman turned, leading Ruth into the elevator.
“I’ll be back,” Ruth said, motioning them to wait.
“We’ll come looking, if not,” Giselle said.
“Count on it,” Joannah added.
Ruth knew what they were implying. If she didn’t return soon enough, they’d try to take down their guards and find her by force. The elevator closed. It glided down, stopped and the doors opened. The woman led Ruth through several passageways and stopped in front of a nondescript door. The Kron did not deviate when it came to design or aesthetics. The woman motioned Ruth to enter. Trap? If it was, she was about to take as many aliens with her as possible. Ruth walked through it.
The embedded ceiling light illuminated the small room. Two sofas lined the walls on her left and right. Between the sofas was Kron’s version of a coffee table, a solid rectangular block of a wood-like material, mahogany in color. On the opposite wall stood a small table with food and drink on it. The door closed behind her.
Another Kron woman leaned back on the right-side sofa, completely relaxed, her arm resting on the back of it. The woman was tall, perhaps six feet and her shiny black hair hung down to her shoulders. Her flawless face was milky white and smooth. The woman’s eyes stared at Ruth, assessing her.
“So,” Ruth said, “this is the talk. You do something for me and, in exchange, I do something for you. I’ll bite, let’s hear it.” Ruth walked across the room to the table filled with food and drinks. She sniffed each of the drinks looking for alcohol. She found one and poured herself a glass. It was dark red with a slight citrus aroma. She took a sip. The alcohol burned her throat. “This will do.”
“I like that, straight and to the point. Ruth, my name is Forasia.”
Ruth took a seat on the opposite sofa, leaning back and kicking her shoes off. She placed her feet on the coffee table as she rested her arm, drink in hand, on the back of the sofa. Forasia watched her every move. Ruth could tell the woman was dangerous and on guard.
“So,” Ruth said, “what can I do for you? I warn you though... I will expect something in return.”
“Fair,” Forasia said, nodding. “Honestly though, it is I that will do something for you.”
“Spare me the shit,” Ruth said, “you’ll want something in return.”
Forasia shook her head at Ruth, leaning forward.
“I have information I wish to share with you,” Forasia said. “Information that is being kept from you.”
“Is this the part where I feign interest and say, oh?”
“It concerns Magnus,” Forasia said.
Ruth winced inside, keeping her face neutral.
“Do tell,” Ruth said, unconvinced.
“Kron is ruled by a single individual, a queen. Currently, that queen is Katerra. She has ruled for many decades now but lately, she’s not been herself.”
“Oh?” Ruth said, “has she found god and no longer wants to slaughter entire worlds?”
“If only that were possible for her,” Forasia said. “I truly do not understand her motivations. Does she really believe she’s helping Kron? Many of us on Kron do not share her beliefs. I am one of them.”
If Forasia thought Ruth would blindly fall for her story, Forasia sorely underestimated her.
“You want to change that,” Ruth said.
“You are so direct,” Forasia said, “then let me be likewise. Katerra has created this problem. She ensures all of us are conditioned to hate other races. Perhaps, so we do not question her actions. Regardless, there are enough of us who oppose that philosophy and hope to change it.”
Ruth was interested. If Forasia could be taken at face value, it would be one way to save Earth.
“I’m listening.”
“Like your Earth,” Forasia said, “we have laws and customs we follow to keep ruthless dictators in check. In this case, it is known as the Baal-Shir ritual. Katerra cannot decline the challenge and, in fact, I have already issued it.” Forasia poured herself a glass of the dark red liquid and returned to her seat. “I want to end this madness. Katerra has slaughtered countless worlds in her maniacal quest to protect Kron.”
“And where do I come in to play?” Ruth asked.
“The choice is obviously yours but I think once you learn what is going on, it will be an easy one.”
This bitch was playing her but Ruth needed to hear her out. Forasia might be telling the truth but if not, it was at least more interesting than pacing the floors of her prison. Forasia continued.
“Katerra and a Kron woman you know as Carena have both sudd
enly become pregnant.”
Fuck! Magnus, you piece of shit. You son of a bitch.
Ruth’s glass shattered in her hand, spilling the red liquid on the back of the sofa.
“Oops,” Ruth said, recovering. “Glass must have been weak.” Ruth examined her hand. Luckily, she had not cut herself. Forasia had gotten to her and they both knew it. Was it true though? It certainly sounded like something he would do. Magnus had admitted to being forced to mate with Carena. Was any of that really forced upon him?
“Are you okay?” Forasia asked.
Ruth nodded, showing Forasia her hand.
“Don’t worry about the stain. I’ll have someone clean it up. It is of no consequence.”
“They’re both pregnant?” Ruth asked.
“Yes,” Forasia said, “and surprisingly, they both have selected Kron males as life mates... within days of each other. On your world, when a couple wants to procreate, don’t they form a bond through marriage?”
“You know a lot about our world,” Ruth said, nodding.
“I do.”
Forasia played a great game.
“Why did they choose a Kron to marry?” Ruth asked.
“To cover up for the fact they procreated with Magnus.”
“How is that even possible?” Ruth asked. “We are different species.”
“We are not,” Forasia said.
“Bullshit.”
“I’m sure there is nothing I can do to prove it since you will be suspicious of any proof I provide,” Forasia told her.
Ruth nodded, wiping her hand on a clean part of the sofa. Outwardly, she kept her emotions in check but inside, she wanted to strangle Magnus.
“Instead, let me continue and you judge my words. You mentioned that I know a lot about your world. I studied Earth because I want to understand our sibling species. We’ll have to learn to work together. You see Ruth, Katerra allowed Carena to mate with Magnus. She orchestrated it without Carena’s knowledge. Carena believed her job was to keep Magnus alive while a female named Tia interrogated him. Didn’t you wonder at all why Katerra sent Carena as part of the interrogation? A woman with no experience in it? Why the other Kron woman named Tia did not return? Didn’t you find it suspicious at how easily Carena sided with your group to help you escape? Carena was the perfect fit for the role. It is because Katerra needed Carena to mate with Magnus first.”