by Viola Grace
Dreon looked at her in surprise. “She is in labour.”
“Yeah, and the Possitts only take to their beds when the baby’s head is in position. They don’t even have to. They can give birth standing up or crouching. It does not have to be here.”
Emera blushed. “I don’t want to walk the halls in front of the nobles.”
“Right. To the gardens, it is.” Amber pulled on her covers, and she walked to the wall. She punched a hole through the wall using rapid-fire strikes that eventually created a person-shaped doorway.
“Come on, niece. Let’s get you some fresh air and out from under the public eye.”
Dreon helped Emera to her feet, and she was surprisingly able to make it through the doorway where Amber linked arms with her, and they went for a walk.
Emera sniffled. “I didn’t think he would let you come.”
Amber snorted. “Like he could stop me. He will be picking his ass out of a mountainside about now. This trip was not up for negotiation.”
Dreon winced. “You struck him?”
“Oh, no. I just picked him up and hurled him as far as I could. Turns out, it is pretty far.”
Emera blinked and touched her belly. “Something is happening. I think it is shifting.”
Amber grinned. “You are lucky that you have the locks to keep it from falling out. I only have the one. When your twinge turns to an ache, we will head back to your room.”
They walked around for half an hour, and Amber focused on Emera’s hands as she held one and Dreon the other. Emera finally nodded, and they turned to walk back to her newly air-conditioned quarters.
Amber smiled as the midwife, doctor, husband, and wife all got on with delivering the baby.
Antoth came into the room and held Amber’s hand as she watched the head appear and then, the rest of the little girl slide into the world.
Amber leaned against Antoth, and he chuckled and put his arm around her until he took note of her clutching his hand and her silent groan.
Emera held her baby with a glowing smile on her face, and she looked up and said, “Auntie?”
Amber breathed through a contraction. “Is there a guestroom I can wreck? My species is not nearly so tidy as yours.”
Antoth chuckled. “You know that, Emera. You have seen her eat.”
Amber grunted. “Funny.”
Emera insisted. “I will get out of bed; you get in.”
Amber looked at Antoth. “Don’t get any ideas, but get on your knees.”
She leaned against the wall and crouched, he flipped up her skirt, and he caught his son as he made his entrance into the world under peculiar circumstances.
The midwife came in and helped tie the cord then verified that the placenta emerged intact. Antoth washed up.
A quick exam and the midwife smile. “You are in excellent condition. I don’t see any extra bleeding.”
“It works out.” She stood and took her son, looking at his charcoal mask, golden eyes with crimson pupils. The shock of dark blue hair made her laugh. It seems that her changes were more than skin deep.
Antoth helped her walk to show Emera the little boy while she showed off her daughter.
Dreon was looking at Amber with respect. “How long were you in labour?”
“It started yesterday. I knew Emera was scheduled for today, so I just held off.”
Antoth pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, you rode a high-speed cycle across the countryside while in labour after you threw me twenty kilometres?”
She smiled tiredly. “And I still had time to get here before the baby. Well, both babies.”
Emera smiled. “Would you stay for a few days until I get the hang of it?”
“I would love to, but I am going to be doing things a little different than you are, so I would like to head home if I can get a shuttle or skimmer. I don’t think I have a helmet small enough for him, and we are not going to have Antoth get us home until this little one actually has a neck.”
Antoth smiled. “Sensible. Finally.”
She flipped him off, her wedding band gleaming on her hand.
Emera laughed. “You do use that finger a lot.”
Antoth picked Amber and the baby up and said, “We will be back for the naming in a week.”
Emera sighed and tried to get her daughter back from Dreon, who was fascinated with the little one.
Antoth carried Amber out into the garden through the hole she had made, and she saw the covered skimmer that was used for zipping around the globe.
She sighed as he settled her in the seat and helped her buckle in. She opened her mouth as he took off, and he made a sound. “We will discuss this at home.”
She laughed and looked at their baby, who was closing his eyes with his sweet little mouth smiling. “I am sure we will. Are you still having fun?”
He looked at her and snorted. “More than ever.”
She stroked the baby’s cheek and thought about the span of time behind her and the rest of her life stretching ahead of her. She smiled. “Me, too.”
* * * *
Alyla grinned at the birth announcement of the new crown prince of Possitt II. Onyx Hredan had been born at full term to the Terran Amber Huffner and the King of Possitt II and retired Guardian, Antoth Hredan.
She contacted her mother. “Did you see it?”
“Yes, my dearest, you called it. She was the right match for the Possitt. How are the others doing?”
Alyla chuckled. “They are excelling at their new careers, and a few of them have found love or, at least, a pleasant distraction. I like that they are enjoying themselves again. Some of them really needed it.”
“Just because you age doesn’t mean you are done with life. This is a good project, and after these ladies complete their five years, we will check on the feasibility of continuing.”
Alyla looked at her monitor, where she had a series of documents and more requests for customized Terrans. The Nyal Imperium was finally doing things right and just asking for them instead of stealing them.
It was just progress all around.
Author’s Note
So, this is the start of a new series, the Terran Reset. I realized that I made people into alien-adapting mutations all the time, but I have never reversed the process of aging. So... what the hell.
All the ladies in this series are aged forty-five to seventy-five, and each applied to the Volunteer Program before being rejected or rejecting the program before they could be shipped out into space.
Sometimes you have to get the timing right.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.