Free darknadir by Lisanne Norman

the U'Churian ship?"

"The warning would have come sooner. This one is just beginning."

"Yet you sensed nothing before the fight at the spaceport." It was a statement, not a recrimination.

"Maybe because there was no serious danger to her once she was put in cryo."

"Maybe." He wasn't convinced. Tirak was honest enough in his intent to take them to their rendezvous, but he felt that any species that trusted another to navigate their military ships was worthy of suspicion. Their current situation involved two unknown variables— the U'Churians and the Cabbarans.

"What is it the Cabbarans do that's so different?" T'Chebbi asked sleepily as she curled up against his side.

Recently she'd shown a knack of following his thoughts that would have disturbed him if everything else around him wasn't so volatile. "They can navigate during jump, allowing them to do two jumps in one flight. That's why we can reach Tuushu Station so quickly."

"How?" She was instantly awake. "And why only two jumps?"

"Tirak says it's a natural ability, a skill they use when planet healing and one they found useful when they got into space. As for only doing two jumps, they can't make a hull for their craft that is strong enough to withstand the stresses caused by the time it would take to jump a greater combined distance."

"They have a psi talent?"

"Sounds like it, but they're not telepathic, I checked. It may just be a convenient lie to mask their technology. Tirak was certainly keeping something back when he told me."

"Think of the military advantage that would give us over the Valtegans when we do find them."

"I have. That's why I requested the interview with Annuur."

"And?"

"And if his sept is only a commercial one, then I'm a jegget. Tirak's mission was military, he admitted it. If this were an Alliance undertaking, Annuur would have an equal rank with the captain— if we used another species to navigate for us." Talking about this was preventing him from thinking about the remainder of his meeting with Vartra.

"So what did you do?" she prompted, nipping his jaw in frustration at the delay. "Don't spin this out!"

"Made a formal application for Treaty talks to begin between the Cabbarans and the Alliance on Jalna," he said, grabbing her chin to prevent her nipping him again. "I also spoke to Captain Kisha, as you call him, with instructions on how to contact the Cabbaran home world." He released her.

"Two new allies. The Alliance will be formidable when we do meet the Valtegans."

"Three if you count the TeLaxaud, but first we have to find them. They trade only rarely at Jalna, and there's no one who knows how to contact them."

"Curious, considering they helped build the port."

"It happens that way with people, why not with a species?"

"So what woke you?"

He bit back the answer just in time. She'd nearly caught him by switching the topic so abruptly. "I told you, a dream of danger. Now sleep," he said, reaching out to kill the night-light.

Sleep took some time in coming, and when it did, it was laced with more of the memories he'd tried to avoid.

"Before the effects of Ghyakulla's water wear off, as a measure of my good faith, Tallinu, I can show you the answer to one question," Vartra had said. "What, from the future, do you wish to know?"

He'd been light-headed and not thinking too clearly then. Foremost in his mind was his determination not to share his cubs with her, or anyone. An image had begun to form almost immediately, one he'd seen before.

     
    * * *
     
    The room seemed to lurch and he was looking at the newborn cub in Noni's arms, unsure what to do or say.

"She's yours, Tallinu," the familiar old voice said. "Your daughter. Take her from me, for Vartra's sake! Let her know you accept your child!"

He reached down to take the child from her, holding the little one awkwardly in his arms.

She gave a soft mewl, mind and hands reaching out for him. He offered her a finger and she took it, holding onto him firmly as she