He smiled, bowed, and Arven swayed.
Baket slowly got to his feet.“Why did you taunt him like that?”
Margo grinned.“Because you like to be called Lord Baket.You insist on the title, you take the headache.”
He looked at her and sighed.“Fine.In the ship.When back at Amtha Prime, I will insist on the title again.”
“Insist all you like.My feet are not hitting that soil again.”
Arven frowned.“What if you gain a ranking?”
“I am a three.That’s fine.Good pay rate, and it entitles me to pilot a ship.”
Baket snorted.“You will reduce your chance at glory just to avoid a male?”
“No, but to avoidthatmale?Yes.All I get from him is sex and prison, and one is not worth the other.”
Arven looked at her.“What about family?”
“My family is dead, long before my world ended, and I am unbreedable at my age.”
Baket frowned.“Your age?”
“I am past breeding age by five or ten years, but my body is still going through the motions.Tremendous sex drive with little result.”
The two men stared at each other.“You have mentioned numbing your system.”
“That is part of the going through the motions; it keeps going off as I run out of eggs, and then it stops.I should be ready to bond out to a farm world in five years or so.”
“Farm world?”Baket looked appalled.
“Yeah.In about ten years, my body will degrade, and my family usually doesn’t make it much beyond that.I want to live my life before that point.”
Arven said softly, “So, you might have fifteen years left if your genetics stand.”
“Yes.I fought for fifteen years, fought for every minute of open air and freedom.I am not giving that up.”
Footfalls got closer.Soven returned with the ladies and injectors.
Margo smiled.“I am sure Soven explained the purpose.”
Cori nodded back.“He said it will make their bodies register us as family.”
“Well, you came back at the perfect time.I was just about to explain menopause.”
Chloe chuckled.“Why?”
“Because I am firmly in it.Makes for dramatic hormones but not much else in my family.”
Skylar asked her, “How old are you?”
“Fifty-four.On the downside to the end.”
Chloe looked at her.“Your life is strong.”
“Yeah, that comes and goes, but the hot flashes were amazing in the arena.They never saw me coming.”
Arven blinked.“You...this is the same urge that drives you toward sex.”
