The Morcai Battalion: Invictus Part 22

He turned to her, his eyes questioning.

"The baby laughed. He thinks it's funny!"

"What, that we miss Komak?" he asked, smiling.

"Apparently."

He studied her with warm affection. "Your condition makes you even more beautiful," he said softly. "It pleases me very much that we do not have to regress the child."

"Me, too."

There was a sudden commotion, and Rhemun and Mallory marched out toward them, side by side, both glaring.

"You cannot give them back to the human military," Rhemun began hotly.

"I won't go," Edris Mallory said curtly. "I don't care if Amba.s.sador Taylor sends a squad of a.s.sa.s.sins after me...!"

Dtimun held up a hand. He looked from one to the other and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at Rhemun. "You do not wish the humans to leave?" he asked, surprised. "You have more reason to hate them than any of the rest of our people."

Rhemun, aware of Mallory's sudden curiosity, stared solemnly at his commanding officer. "It has become a tradition, this mixing of cultures and species aboard the Morcai. I would not wish to see it fail because of a renegade human's threats."

"Am I missing something?" Madeline asked. "Was there an announcement that I didn't hear?"

"Amba.s.sador Taylor has contacted the Dectat and made threats," Edris said heavily. "He says that if the Cehn-Tahr don't return our people, he'll have his government, our government," she corrected belatedly, "declare a war vote against the Cehn-Tahr."

"Good luck to him," Madeline said, laughing. "He won't get any support from the Terrevegan government on that issue."

"Yes, but he can demand our return," Edris began earnestly.

Dtimun held up a hand. "That is what I came here to discuss." He turned to Rhemun. "Have you a.s.sembled the humans as I requested?"

Rhemun nodded. "They are all in the modified galley area."

"Then let us go."

Rhemun and Mallory followed them into the ship, running down the long corridor to the galley.

Madeline laughed, panting as she ran. "It's great exercise, but I feel like a yomuth."

"I recall offering to trade you for one when the Holconcom were dispatched to a.s.sist the Dacerians, soon after the unit was formed," Dtimun chuckled. "What a good thing for me that Hazheen Kamon declined."

"Well, he was fond of the yomuth," Madeline replied, tongue-in-cheek.

"I was fond of you. I would never have traded you for anything, even then," he confessed, and laughed when she flushed.

The galley was full of humans, and the murmurs of speculation were especially loud. Dtimun entered first. They all snapped to attention. There were many worried faces.

Dtimun moved in front of the group, leaving Madeline to stand with Rhemun and Mallory. "I have heard of your amba.s.sador's threats," he told the humans.

"Just s.p.a.ce us, could you?" Holt Stern said miserably. "I'd rather die here than at the hands of that fanatic."

"Me, too," Strick Hahnson seconded. "Dying isn't so bad. I've done it twice," he added.

There was a skirl of laughter.

Higgins stepped forward. "None of us want to leave, sir. My department feels the same way."

"So does my whole d.a.m.ned department, too, sir," Jennings seconded.

There were murmurs of a.s.sent from the rest of the humans.

"The emperor himself has been in contact with me," Dtimun said, surprising Madeline as well as the others. "He proposes a solution. The Dectat is prepared to enact an amendment to our const.i.tution, giving full rights of citizenship to all human members of the Holconcom. As citizens of the Cehn-Tahr Empire, you would be beyond the reach of the human military or its governing body."

There were gasps.

"You would do that for us, sir?" Higgins stammered. "I mean, the emperor would? I thought he hated humans!"

"Your devotion to duty, and to me," Dtimun replied, "have altered opinions in my government, and inclined the Dectat toward great changes in policy. Dr. Ruszel has been responsible for much of that, as well."

Eyes turned toward a very pregnant Madeline Ruszel.

"I saw you like that," Stern blurted out. He grimaced as everybody looked at him. "When she was operating on the C.O. at Ahkmau," he explained, "I had to help, and Komak was acting as blood donor.

Somehow, I don't know how, I saw into Komak's mind, and there was a very pregnant Madeline. But the memory just went away, until now."

Madeline didn't reveal that Komak was a telepath. She just grinned. "There are things about Komak that you can't know, just yet, old dear," she told her former captain. "Sorry."

Stern laughed. "There are a lot of things we don't know, apparently," he added with a chuckle as he nodded toward her swollen belly.

"You can bet on that," Hahnson said with a grin.

"We digress," Dtimun began again. He locked his hands behind him. "There are certain things about our culture that we have not revealed to you. There are precedents for this. Once, a group of humans saw us as we truly are, saw us fight as we used to. They did not react well."

Now the speculation grew louder.

"I have been apprehensive about revealing these things to you." He hesitated. "We have grown fond of our human crewmates. You may not wish to remain Holconcom if you see our true appearance."

"Sir, you can't actually believe that?" Holt Stern spoke for all of them. "I mean, we've served with you for almost three years. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd follow you into the Netherworld if you asked us to."

There were loud affirmatives from the officers and crew.

Dtimun was visibly touched. "It may come as a very great shock, when you see our true appearance."

"No, sir, a very great shock was when we escaped from Ahkmau alive," Higgins said. "It won't matter a bit what you look like."

"Not a d.a.m.ned bit," Jennings seconded. There were other murmurs of a.s.sent.

Dtimun smiled. "Very well."

He nodded to the Cehn-Tahr contingent of the Holconcom. All at once, including Dtimun, they touched spots on their wrists. And the Cehn-Tahr reverted to their true appearance.

There were faint gasps, and faint murmurs. Dtimun waited, his teeth clenched. But n.o.body fainted. There was no rush for the exits.

Holt Stern stepped forward and glowered. "Well, isn't that just great?" he said abruptly. "We already knew you could outrun us and outfight us. But now we have to get used to the idea that you're even better looking than us!"

There was a positive roar of laughter. Dtimun and Madeline joined in.

"However," Dtimun told them firmly, "you will not speak of our true appearance in front of outworlders."

Stern grinned. "Not to worry, sir, we Cehn-Tahr can keep a secret."

Another roar of laughter. Madeline glanced at Dtimun covertly. "Told you so," she whispered to him mentally.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. His eyes were blatantly green.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

The huge building was full of people-rather, humanoids-from all over the three galaxies. It wasn't a cathedral, but it reminded Madeline very much of one. She'd seen static vids of old Earth which depicted such structures. It had a high ceiling, and glowed with a soft blue light. Dtimun had told her once that the form of power they used here, based on nuclear energy, gave it that color.

She was nervous. Combat was easy compared to being on public display. She had wished for another small, private ceremony like their original bonding, but he had said that it wasn't possible. His position in the Cehn-Tahr government made it a public event.

She supposed he meant his position as leader of the Holconcom. But it was still odd that she was allowed to wear the colors of Clan Alamantimichar. Still odder that she was given a tiara to match her gown, one which was filled discreetly with dozens of small, incredibly expensive gems.

Her hand went to the soft mound of her stomach. The child was on display in the cut of the gown. Her pregnancy, Caneese had informed her, was of great pride to her mate's Clan (although she never named the Clan). It was proper that it should be displayed.

She peeked in through the huge entrance doors. So many people! So many races! There-was she seeing things? No! There were Nagaashe in the crowd. Two of them, obviously a mated pair. She felt a thrill of pride. She was certain that the reclusive serpents rarely attended public events with other races. It was truly a mark of their respect for her, and Dtimun, that they came. She grinned as she noticed that some of the humans of the Holconcom, notably Weapons Specialist First Cla.s.s Jones, were twitchy in proximity to them.

"You must come down the aisle when the music begins," Dtimun said in her mind. "We have adopted this part of an ancient human bonding ceremony, in your honor. Are you nervous?" he teased. "Surely not!

We have been in many great battles together. This is a peaceful event."

"I would prefer Rojoks and a Gresham," she teased back.

"If you look carefully, you will note that one of the Altairian delegation is wearing a sensor net and looks suspiciously like a Rojok of our acquaintance."

Her heart stopped. "He wouldn't dare...!"

He laughed. "He would. He told me that nothing would prevent his attendance, not even possible capture.

He is fond of you."

She smiled. "I'm fond of him, too. And don't growl. It isn't that sort of fond."

He chuckled.

She touched her belly softly. "The baby is very restless."

"He does not like crowds," he mused. "Nor do I. This is very uncomfortable. Like you, I would prefer a battle. But we have no choice."

"I'll adapt," she promised.

"Yes, of course you will."

She started to say something else, but trumpets sounded. At the far end of the structure, there was a procession. There was a squad of blue-uniformed Cehn-Tahr with Rhemun at its head. They surrounded a party of three, a tall white-headed Cehn-Tahr in jeweled robes, a female with silver hair in a gown similar to Madeline's and a young woman whom Madeline recognized as Princess Lyceria. That would be the emperor and empress. She watched, spellbound, as they moved to a position on a platform reached by a majestic set of wide stone steps. They took their seats in elegant thrones overlooking the ceremony. The rumors that the emperor and his mate were estranged must be false, she concluded. They seemed quite happy together.

"The emperor and his family must value you very highly, to attend our bonding," she told Dtimun. "I'm so flattered!"

He was laughing. "Yes, they do value me. And also you."

She shrugged. "If they did, it would only be because I'm your mate," she said with a smile in her tone.

"I'm just a common grunt."

"An undignified and inappropriate term for a female so beautiful and intelligent," he murmured softly.

"Did I not tell you, a long time ago, that you would grace a palace? And so you do."

"Is this a palace?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," he replied. "It serves as a meeting place for the Dectat, as a holy place of worship, and as a home for the imperial family, all together. We do not separate religion from royalty and politics. The three are carefully interwoven in our culture."

She smiled. "I like your culture very much, especially its emphasis on family."

There was another burst of trumpets.

"You must come down the aisle. I will be waiting with two members of our theocracy at the end of it, along with an Allfaith representative from Trimerius."

"An Allfaith-how in the world did he get here? Is Amba.s.sador Taylor in the shadows with a squad of covert operatives waiting to take me into custody?" she worried mentally.

He laughed at the word pictures in her mind. "Amba.s.sador Taylor is being dealt with. You have nothing to fear from him. Nor does our crew aboard the Morcai. His days of power are at an end. Quickly, now, move down the aisle."

She bit her lip from nerves and started out into the long carpeted aisle. She was aware of eyes watching her from every corner, and the smiles of her crewmen. She even recognized little Admiral Mas.h.i.ta in the audience, along with Admiral Lawson and other military leaders. It was disconcerting, especially when she noticed how the imperial family was also watching her. Not only that, she seemed to have an honor escort of Cehn-Tahr soldiers dressed in the same uniform as the kehmatemer. Strange to have a military escort at such a time. Perhaps, she reasoned, it was because of her changed relationship to their culture's highest military leader. Please, she murmured silently, don't let me trip over my feet and fall down on the way! Dtimun heard the thought and chuckled, a.s.suring her that she would not. She was a bit dubious.

But she walked with elegance and pride, and she didn't trip. At the end of the carpet was Dtimun, wearing robes as rich and elegant as her own, and with a crown on his head, like the tiara on hers. He was also wearing the blue and gold colors. The emperor must really like him, she thought as she stopped beside him.

He was laughing outrageously, but silently. The child kicked, as if he, too, were amused. Madeline peeked up at Dtimun and grinned.

The Cehn-Tahr officiating at the ceremony was elderly and had the kindest eyes Madeline had ever seen.