by
GitonCrais
It was now an accepted fact that Crais and
his family travelled with Moya and her crew.
It made Talyn and Moya happy to be
spending so much time together and, if truth were to be told, it made the crew
of Moya feel safer with the gunship around.
True to their word, Crichton and Crais
kept their relationship civil.
Crichton’s occasional barbs still stung,
but Crais kept his temper.
Likewise, Crichton, although still a
little wary of the strength of the older man, tried to keep his flippant
remarks toward Crais to a minimum...
Their partners commended them for this.
When it came to relaxation, Crais hadn’t
changed much, even though he did give himself more time to spend with his
family or to socialise with the people on board Moya. Otherwise, he spent his
time working.
Aeryn and Lyane spent more time together.
The two women got along fine and now that Aeryn was pregnant, she took the
older woman’s advice very seriously.
Crichton had told her about Earth-women
and how they would feel sick in the morning in the first stages of their pregnancy.
He said that it was normal for women to do so, and that she shouldn’t be
worried when that happened.
When Aeryn didn’t feel sick in the
mornings, she began to worry that something must be wrong or that she wasn’t
even pregnant. Now that Lyane was here, she could ask her.
“Why would you feel sick? Unless you’ve
eaten something that disagreed with you, you shouldn’t,” Lyane replied with a
gentle laugh.
“John says that Erp-women get sick often
when they are pregnant and that it is normal when they do,” said Aeryn
hesitantly.
Lyane laid her arm across Aeryn’s
shoulders, her smile widening, “You don’t have to worry about that. Maybe
Erp-women get sick when they’re pregnant. Sebacean women don’t. Do you think I
could have kept it a secret from Crais that long if I had been sick all the
time?”
Aeryn smiled sheepishly back, “No, I don’t
think so. But what am I to expect?”
Lyane sat down and motioned Aeryn to do
likewise.
Aeryn sat down across from her and looked
at Lyane expectantly.
“You might find that you are hungrier than
you’re used to.” Lyane smiled when she saw Aeryn’s shocked expression, “No, not
the same kind of hunger as Hynerians. Your body just asks for more nutrients
than you would normally eat. That is because it is changing its metabolism for
the growth of the baby. Eat plenty of fresh meats, if that is possible.
Vegetables will not produce the same results.”
Lyane looked sternly at Aeryn, “Exercise
is good to strengthen the lining of the womb. It makes sense when you observe
the way Sebaceans relax. A slower version of combat practise would be ideal.
Those exercises help us to become strong, although, I have to warn you in the
same breath not to perform them too vigorously. When exercising with your mate,
try to avoid blows to the abdomen. But then, I’m sure that since he knows about
your condition, he is trying to avoid that area himself.”
Aeryn grinned, “John told me to take it
easy. It made me worry about losing my figure.”
Lyane laughed, “Erp-women sound like very
fragile creatures.”
Aeryn’s own grin broadened, “John did give
me the impression that Erp-males look at their women as weaker. He had to get
used to my strength.”
“Well, we are not as strong as our males
and there are certain things they can do better than we do, but to think of us
as weak…” she smiled. “I’ll bet that came as a surprise to him. How does the
Erp-male compare to our males?”
“They are not as strong, but they hold
their own.” Aeryn started defensively, “It came as a surprise to John when
Crais used his full strength. He had been able to best Crais in the past and
therefore assumed he would likely have the upper hand again. I often wondered
about that, especially in the first cycle when Crais was chasing us.”
“Yes, Bialar can be bested, especially
after long shifts or when he’s not feeling well. I wonder how they’re getting
on with each other.”
Aeryn smiled mischievously, “I thought that
with the link, there are no secrets?”
“Over the cycles we have come to respect
each other’s privacy too. Secrets as such do not exist but to ‘listen’ in on
all random thoughts continuously can be a strain on all parties. We filter some
out, despite what Crais says, although I know that Crais and Talyn rarely do
that to each other.”
Aeryn sighed, “Crais explained to me why,
in the end, a three way joining would not have worked as long as I was still
with John. I had felt left out and rejected, but now I do understand. In a way
I envy your connection with Crais and Talyn.”
Lyane laid her hand on Aeryn’s shoulder,
“Maybe you don’t have such a deep linking or joining as Crais and I have, but
you do have a mate who loves you dearly. That is something to be thankful for.
Have you bonded yet? I noticed that you haven’t got the bonding tattoos.”
Aeryn showed her the ring on her finger,
“We are bonded…or is it engaged?…according to Erp-tradition.”
Lyane looked at the ring, “Pretty. Will
you be following all Erp-customs?”
Aeryn went on the defensive, “Of course
not! This is just practical.”
Lyane nodded.
Crichton went in search of Crais.
Since the family had spent the night on
Moya and it was now nearly time for breakfast, there was only be one place
where Crais was likely to be found. He entered the Maintenance Bay and smiled
when he was proven right.
Crais was doing his exercises in the place
preserved as a workout area for Aeryn; for a moment, he watched Crais going
through his moves.
Crais was only wearing tight fitting black
trousers, which almost looked like sealskin, and his hair was bound in a tight
queue. He had finished the first stages of the Vahni Panthak and now attacked
the exercises with a speed and strength that made Crichton flinch. The muscles
rippled under his skin and now that Crais was exercising at full attack mode,
the muscle tone was well defined.
Crichton swallowed deeply. He was now able
to hold his own against Aeryn on occasion, but he doubted that he could do the
same against Crais.
Crais had noticed that Crichton had
entered the Maintenance Bay. He briefly contemplated ending his exercises prematurely
but then, on second thought, decided against that. Talyn had not warned him of
any emergencies and the exercise wouldn’t take muchlonger anyway. Why break the
rhythm and worse, show disrespect to honoured tradition? Besides, he had noticed the looks of envy the
Jhumon occasionally threw at him.
The flurry of movement quickened, becoming
almost a blur, and the exerciser rocked under his assaults. The slaps and kicks
were hard and would have broken unprotected bones.
Finally, Crais slowed down and finished.
Sweat glistened in a light film on his
skin.
Crais picked up the towel and after drying
his chest quickly, he draped it over his shoulders.
He turned to the Jhumon, “Crichton.”
“Age hasn’t slowed you down, Crais,”
Crichton grinned, partly to mask his envy.
“Why should it? I am still young,
Crichton. I have just entered my
prime.”
Crichton pursed his lips, “You’re
what…fifty…sixty cycles?”
“Fifty-four cycles.”
“And that’s your prime?”
An amused smiled played over Crais’ lips,
“Considering that the average age of a Sebacean is one-hundred-and-seventy
cycles, yes.”
Crichton could have kicked himself,
walking into that with open eyes. For a Human, he was considered a mature
adult, fully into his prime.
Physically, at least, it would all be downhill from here on. He drew
himself erect, “If you put it that way…”
Crais walked over to the bench and sat
down, “I don’t think you sought me out to discuss the differences in our
physiology. What is on your mind?” He towelled himself off a little bit more; but
the refresher would have to wait.
Crichton sat down next to him, “In a way I
did…want to talk about our differences, I mean.”
Crais smiled, “Aeryn?”
“Well, yeah!” Crichton took a deep breath as
Crais observed him calmly, “What do I need to know about her pregnancy? Special
diets or morning sickness or mood-swings or…whatever.”
“Why should she be sick in the morning?”
Crais looked confused. After a pause, “I take it that Erp-women have that
problem?”
“It’s EARTH!” said Crichton annoyed, “and
yes, Erp…Earth-women have morning sickness.”
“Then you don’t have to worry. Sebacean
women don’t.”
“Then how do you know they’re pregnant?”
Crais smiled dreamily, remembering Lyane’s
pregnancy, “It took me a little while to recognise the signs and by that time
Lyane and Talyn had already told me the news. I should have realised when she
demanded more fresh meat from the planets we stopped at for provisions, and
when our recreation became more vigorous.”
“More…vigorous…?” Crichton asked with
astonishment.
Crais smiled and glanced at him from the
corner of his eye, a wistful look on his face, “Yes, that was a pleasant
surprise. I hope your physiology allows for that as well.”
Crichton asked in a cramped voice, “How
vigorous?”
“Very,” answered Crais with an enigmatic
smile. He saw Crichton swallow and added, “Four or five arns at least. Don’t
expect your sleep cycles to be long.”
Crichton cleared his throat, “How long is
this condition going to last?”
“Unfortunately, no longer than a monen.
“A monen?” Crichton moaned audibly, which only
earned him another rather pleased smile from Crais, which he fortunately didn’t
see.
“And she will need plenty of meat…to
strengthen the womb.”
“Or to keep her energy up,” muttered
Crichton.
He had only whispered it, but Crais had
heard that as well, “Yes, she will be exercising more too.”
Crichton looked at him with a small frown,
“Don’t you Peacekeepers ever know when to relax?”
A brief hint of annoyance passed over
Crais’ features, “It’s not only Peacekeepers, it’s all Sebaceans!”
“No wonder you became Peacekeepers…and
what if you become too old? How do you cope with that kind of pregnancy?”
Crais practically beamed, “Our bodies have
safeguards against that too. Sebacean women normally stop producing eggs by the
time they’re one-hundred-and-twenty cycles old. Of course they can still
recreate. The males will still produce healthy sperm until they’re
one-hundred-and-fifty. For a fully bonded man that means that his seed won’t
take after his mate has stopped the production of fertile eggs. You can look
forward to a healthy recreational love life for a long time.”
When Crichton didn’t answer him but seemed
to just sit there staring into space, Crais got up and moved to the refresher,
leaving his clothes outside as he stepped in.
Crichton let Crais’ words sink in. Hey,
recreation with Aeryn was great, and he took pride that he had the stamina to
keep up with her…but four to five arns a night? For a whole monen?
He wondered if Crais was pulling his leg.
He shook his head, Crais didn’t joke.
Crais didn’t believe in humour…or did he?
As Crichton stared at the door to the refresher,
he could hear the hiss of the sprays. He heard snatches of a song in Crais’
deep voice. It sounded happy.
The spray was turned off and Crais walked
out of the refresher, naked as the day he was born.
He towelled his hair dry as he softly
finished the song.
“Can’t you put your clothes on first
before stepping into the room, Crais?” asked Crichton with a twinge of
annoyance and envy. It wasn’t easy to regard the other man’s physique without
being impressed. “What happens if the boys or…the others walk in?”
Crais stopped towelling and looked at
Crichton, “They have seen me naked before. Besides, that is very impractical,
unless you bathe dressed.”
Crais walked to the neatly folded, clean
clothes on top of the bench, drying himself as he went.
His trousers were put on first and
Crichton noticed that he wasn’t wearing any briefs; then his socks, his boots
and finally his sleeveless black shirt.
Clothed, Crais’ build looked more burly
(some would almost have thought stocky), but Crichton knew better.
Crais’ hair fell well below his shoulders.
After towelling, it seemed to lead a life of its own. Curly, wavy, it
surrounded Crais’ face almost like a mane.
“Is that why you keep your hair in a
queue,” grinned Crichton.
“What do you mean?”
“It looks wild.”
Crais sighed and nodded, “It’s more
practical.”
“Then why not cut it?”
Crais looked at Crichton as if he had just
suggested suicide, “I prefer it long.”
He dried his hair some more and picked up
his tunic and the clothes he had exercised in.
“So, what are you going to do today,”
Crichton asked.
“Pilot asked for my assistance with the
environmental unit on Tier Three. That should take most of the morning.”
Crichton tilted his head, “Tell me, Crais,
what do you do to relax?”
“Crichton?”
“You always seem to go at full steam. I
hardly see you take time off. It must be wearing on Lyane and the kids.”
“I have heard no complaints from them.”
“Of course not. Probably don’t know any
better.”
Crais lifted an eyebrow and turned to exit
the Maintenance Bay.
Crichton fell into step with him, “Pilot
could have asked the DRDs to do it, you know.”
“I know,” said Crais dryly.
“Then why not relax?”
“I like to keep busy.”
“That’s obvious”, groaned Crichton.
As they approached the galley. Tauvo and
Tyrek came running out and ran over to Crais, “Father!” They hugged him with
beaming faces.
Crichton looked over at Crais and saw how
his eyes softened and a smile appeared on his face as he hugged his sons back.
Crichton smiled gently too; at least
fatherhood had changed Crais.
The four of them walked into the galley.
Crais placed his pile of clothes on a
chair near the door.
It was the first time that Crichton
noticed that a chair had been placed there and he wondered idly what it was
doing there.
Aeryn and Lyane were putting the finishing
touches to the morning meal. The others were already seated at the table.
After they sat down, Crichton looked at
Aeryn. She seemed more cheerful this morning than she had been recently.
The two women brought the food to the
table.
Crichton took one bite of the scrambled
eggs and looked over at Lyane, “This is delicious!”
Lyane smiled, “Thank you for the
compliment, but you are addressing the wrong cook.”
In surprise Crichton looked at Aeryn, who
smiled at him. She nodded her head.
Crichton gave her a hug and kissed her,
“That is wonderful. Taking pointers from Lyane?”
Crais looked up from his plate, “Judging
by your reaction, I should say that’s pretty obvious, Crichton.”
“It may be obvious to you, Crais, but it sure
comes as a surprise to me.”
“A pleasant one, I hope,” said Crais
calmly.
“Of course.”
Aeryn laid her hand on Crichton’s, “I’m
glad you like it, my Sh’lee.”
Strangely enough, the microbes didn’t
translate the word, “Sh’lee?”
Aeryn smiled, “It means ‘bonded beloved’
in ancient Sebacean. It’s a term of endearment.”
Crichton looked at Lyane, “So, apart from
cooking, you’re teaching her ancient Sebacean too?”
“Yes,” smiled Lyane, “Why shouldn’t I?
It’s her birthright.”
“Did you teach Crais as well?”
“She didn’t need to,” answered Crais. “I
already knew it; it is also the language of high-ranking commanding officers.”
Crichton smiled wryly and the words ‘Mr
Perfect again’ formed in his mind.
“And Lyane knows the language too. Did you
teach Lyane?”
Crais sighed, “No, most colonists in the
Far Reaches speak this form of Sebacean. Luckily for me, I could already speak
it when I arrived there.”
“The translator microbes didn’t help?”
“Not since I already know the language.”
“Then why don’t they translate for me?”
Crais steepled his fingers over his plate,
“Maybe the Peacekeepers or the original builders built a failsafe into them. It
had just never occurred to me.”
“It doesn’t sound very practical to me.”
Crais smiled, “It does when you consider
the hierarchy in the Peacekeepers. The Peacekeepers in the Far Reaches would
lose a distinct advantage if their attempts in use the pure, ancient tongue as
a sign of rank were compromised by the ability of any commoner to speak high
Sebacean. Luckily Lyane had no problem mastering modern-day Sebacean.”
“Just in case you got back.”
“When we got back,” Crais rectified him.
“Very self assured, Crais.”
“Of course.”
“So, how was life in the Far Reaches,”
asked Rygel.
“More relaxed in some places but also more
violent in others.”
“But no Peacekeepers,” grinned Rygel.
Crais became serious, “Some planets would be
improved by the presence of the Peacekeepers. Not all places are equally
pleasant or suitable to live on.”
“Anyother known species that far out?”
Crais shook his head, “It looks as if the
Sebaceans and the Zenetians were the only races who made it that far out, at
least in that particular sector. Fortunately, they found a more peaceful way to
co-exist with other species than the colonists here. There is even
interbreeding of various species; to survive as a race that far out, they had
to.”
“You speak as if they had been there a
long time,” Rygel spoke up.
Crais nodded, “The Sebaceans who left to
colonise the Far Reaches did so nearly a fifteen hundred cycles ago. Lyane’s
people must have been on the planet for nearly a thousand cycles.”
Crichton looked up, trying to relate, “How
long have Sebaceans been colonising the galaxy, Crais?”
“Well over two-thousand cycles.”
This time Crichton couldn’t keep the
surprise from his face, “That long?”
Crais nodded.
“And the Peacekeepers have been around
for…?”
“About two-thousand cycles.”
“And have they always been…like…you
know…as we know them.”
Crais shook his head, “No. Now that I have
had more time to reflect on it and what I know of Peacekeeper history,I believe
that the change came about a thousand cycles ago, with the siege of Lariq 3.
Within two hundred cycles the Peacekeepers would have established themselves as
we know them today, only now they are more ruthless. More First Gens were born
on the Carriers too, after that.”
Aeryn lowered her eyes. She was a First
Gen.
Crichton had seen Aeryn’s reaction and
asked Crais, “How about Lyane?”
Crais lifted a puzzled eyebrow.
“How much Sebacean is she still? You
mentioned interbreeding before.”
Crais nodded in understanding, “Lyane’s
people were one of the largest groups of colonists and had settled in the North
of the planet. They traded with the indigenous people but interbreeding didn’t
occur until four-hundred cycles ago.”
“So, Lyane could be part…?” Crichton left
the sentence dangling with a smile.
“Not as far as Lyane knows.”
“That doesn’t bother you? I remember your
attitude towards other species.”
Crais shook his head, “Not anymore.”
“Suppose she has different species’ genes.
The kids could have grown tenkas or blue skin.”
For a moment Crais’ eyes bored into his,
“It would not have mattered to me.”
He looked over at his sons who had been
re-enacting Crichton’s words while the adults talked.
Tyrek had placed his hand on top of his
head and wriggled his fingers in front of his face, while Tauvo puffed up his
cheeks and tried to look purple.
A smile appeared on Crais’ face, “It
wouldn’t have mattered in the least.” His hand sought Lyane’s, found it and
squeezed it gently. The warm feeling from her flooded his mind through the
neural link.
Aeryn smiled.
Crichton looked at Crais, “You have
changed more than I would have thought.”
Rygel guffawed, “Do we have to get this
soppy?” But his eyes sparkled and his whiskers quivered.
Crais released Lyane’s hand, conscious of
the public display. He stood up, “I have work to do.”
“Don’t work too hard,” Lyane smiled at him.
“No harder than is necessary,” replied
Crais.
Later that night:
Aeryn had snuggled up close to Crichton.
She felt sated and comfortable after their love-making. Lyane’s words about
what to expect of the pregnancy had come as a pleasant surprise and relieved
the tension that had been building while she had been trying to fit the part of
an Erp-woman.
She lay in the crook of his arm, “John…?”
“Hmm?” He murmured sleepily.
“Would you mind if our children were
different?”
“I don’t think they would look very
different from you or me.”
“But what if they did? I don’t know how
diverse your species is. Or suppose I was…Nebari instead of Sebacean.”
He opened one eye and looked at her,
“Well, you’re definitely Sebacean.” He closed his eyes again and lay back.
“But what if…” Aeryn was insistent.
Crichton chuckled, “If my aunty had a
moustache she would have been my uncle.”
“Your females have facial hair?” Aeryn
sounded shocked.
Crichton chuckled, “No, it’s just an
expression on earth if you speculate on something that isn’t real. What brought
this on?”
“The conversation with Crais this
morning…”
“Don’t worry about it, Baby, whatever the
kid looks like, I will love him…or her.” He drew her closer to him.
On Talyn a similar conversation took
place.
“Bialar…”
“Hmm?”
Lyane looked down at her mate. His thick
mane of hair lay wildly across the pillow after their love making, “Did you
mean what you said this morning?”
Crais opened his eyes and looked up. He
brought his hand up and gently brushed some strands from her face. He smiled,
“About our offspring?”
She nodded.
“Yes, I did mean it.”
“You were never in doubt?”
He let his hand trail down her side,
getting a little distracted by her body curves. When his eyesfinally settled
back on hers, they were steadfast, “I will admit that during the first stages
of the pregnancy I had my doubts, was quite apprehensive even. At that time,
the thought of fathering non-Sebacean offspring was still abhorrent to me.”
She moved up from him but he gently pulled
her back until she lay comfortably on top of him again. His voice was gentle,
“Only at first. You must have wondered about my occasional withdrawal from the
link in that period. (she nodded). Not only did I have to become used to the
idea of becoming a father, I also had to consider the prospect that my
offspring might not even be pure Sebacean. And, at first, that thought
frightened me.”
For a moment his gentle hand stroked her
cheek, while he gathered his thoughts, “But as time went on and I saw your
growing belly and your care and beauty, I grew used to the idea. And now I can
say in all honesty, that it wouldn’t have mattered to me. Our offspring would
have been…are the result of the union between us, that was and is all that
mattered to me.”
She kissed him gently on the lips, giggling
when a few hairs of his beard prickled her cheek, “I hadn’t realised I had
bonded to a poetic soul. You really wouldn’t have minded?”
He shook his head and she could feel the
truth in his thoughts.
“Oh, Bialar,” she said and leaned for ward
to kiss him, feeling aroused again.
“My Sh’lee,” he whispered in her ear.
Back to After
StarBurst Inside The Command Carrier and after 4.22