He wouldn’t be joining her for a while, for his warriors were still being Transferred up, and he had his hands full dealing with their different degrees of shock and wonderment, not to mention his own. They’d all been briefed about what to expect, but seeing was believing, and that didn’t even do it for some of them. Fortunately, the warriors would have a few weeks to adjust before they reached Kystran.
Corth was waiting on her. So was herfembair,prowling around and feeling caged in a room so much smaller than it was used to. In the short time she had had him, he’d already grown, and now reached halfway up her legs. At that rate of growth, she was worried about how big he would be by the time the ship landed. But she couldn’t leave him behind. She still had ideas of talking Challen into staying on Kystran with her.
“Has Martha told you what’s going on, Corth?”
“Yes. She suggested I stay out of the way. I am pleased you have accomplished your goals, Tedra De Arr.”
“Yes, well, I suppose getting an armywasthe hard part. Defeating the Sha-Ka’ari and Crad Ce Moerr ought to be easy after that. Dial me something to eat while I change, will you? You know what I like, but add something tart for dessert—wait a minute. Martha, are you there?”
“Always, doll.”
“Check with Medical about the food, if it’s safe for someone in my condition?”
“It’s safe, but fresh is healthier.”
“But fresh is so—fresh,” Tedra said in disgust. “Itbleeds,Martha. And I was looking forward to some normal food.”
“Like I said, it won’t hurt you, but the warriors’ supplies would still be healthier for you.”
“And I suppose you’ll tell Challen that?”
“Certainly.”
“Thanks a lot,” Tedra grumbled, heading for the utility wall to dial the closet.
She made her selection, but frowned when the ship’s uniform came out on the rack, for she’d dialed it automatically. She’d never get away with wearing it, even if she was back in her own territory, so she sent the one-piece suit back and dialed a skirt and blouse. Her humor returned at seeing how really skimpy both pieces were. And while she was at it, she changed her eye and hair coloring to look more Sha-Ka’ani.
She laughed then, picturing how surprised her warrior was going to be when he saw her made over. Her shiny gold-and-black skirt was only about a foot long, in the design of a wide belt, and just barely covered her from hip to mid-thigh. The sleeveless blouse stopped just below her breasts, though the top of it dipped enticingly low and, like the skirt, buckled together. Her hair was as golden as Challen’s and swept up and out of the way in a hair-tail. Her eyes were a soft amber and still filled with laughter when she removed the bathroom walls.
“What is so amusing, Tedra De Arr?” Corth asked, coming up behind her.
“Do I look warriorlike to you?”
“You look like you should be in bed.”
Tedra’s mouth dropped open just before she yelled,“Martha!”but as she might have expected, the troublemaker didn’t answer.
“Was that not an appropriate response?”
“No, Corth, it was not,” Tedra gritted out. “Didn’t Martha tell you that I have a man now, one of the warriors?”
“Yes. Challen is his name.”
“Well, if she told you that, why in the farden hell didn’t she adjust your programming while she was at it?”
“I would not let her.”
“Youwhat?”
“That was a joke.” Corth grinned. “The Martha has given me humor.”
“Oh, the metal lady is having a grand old time experimenting with you, isn’t she? But Idon’t like it!”
“You wish my new humor removed?”
“Don’t play dense, babe. Youknowwhat I want removed.”
“But my drive to satisfy you will not be a problem, as long as the Challen satisfies you.”
