Living as Kahnerian - Chapter 3

Zerian was wakened the next morning by the arrival of his troops. Langer knocked on his door and handed him the locked chest. "Thank you Langer. Go rest."

"Thank you sir."

Zerian took the chest to his desk and easily broke the small lock. He held his breath as he opened the chest. The chest was full of pictures as Marta had told him. Zerian pulled out a necklace from the box and slowly shook his head. Marta called it a locket and to a human it would look like a locket, but to a Kahnerian it was their family crest.

He found old black and white pictures of Lyriel standing with two other obvious Kahnerian females. To his eyes it was obvious. They wore long-sleeved shirts with high buttoned collars and long skirts. They wore their hair long and parted in the middle to cover their ears. They did well at blending in. Marta looked so much like her grandmother. The back of one photo read mom, Aunt Juella, and Aunt Alleva. Another photo showed the three women surrounded by children and to his relief there were names written on the back.

Zerian walked over to his call box. "Kandin come to my quarters."

"On my way sir."

Kandin knocked twice then entered Zerian's room. "This should help your search. Marta just gave us a whole new reason to be here." Zerian handed the picture over Kandin who startled when he saw the Kahnerian women with the children.

"Aunt Juella and Aunt Alleva seem to have procreated without any issue." Kandin said amused as he counted eight children in total and read the names on the back. "Someone did half our work for us."

"Look, it's Lyriel's crest." Zerian held it up out of the box as Kandin joined him in looking over the pictures.

"What's this?" Kandin asked as he read through a piece of paper. "That's cruel." Kandin said and handed it over to Zerian.

Zerian snarled as he read her father's suicide letter. "I'd kill the human if he still lived. Coward, honor-less and worthless human! He lived until she was legally old enough to live on her own then killed himself and left her alone. But before he did that he writes this to make it that much more painful for her."

"I believe the human vernacular is Bastard." Kandin supplied.

"Too kind."

"Marta knows she is with child, but she hasn't figured out her grandmother was a Kahnerian?"

Zerian sighed. "Correct and I need to tell her. We are going to need her help in finding some of these offspring."

"She has to know something was different about her grandmother." Kandin stated.

"Yes, but you are assuming she will speak to me after last night."

"She is a Kahnerian female even if her blood is diluted. You better give her another day before you try to speak to her or she may try to take your head." Kandin laughed.

"She may be human on the surface but her instincts are Kahnerian. Her anger was intense. I don't think a human man could survive her anger if she unleashed it."

"Well her grandmother taught her many of our traditions maybe it won't be too much of a surprise to her."

"Did I tell you she has performed the Nah Denh the last two nights? She has the full force of it built up by the time she unleashes it. Her grandmother obviously didn't warn her about performing it around males."

"And you resisted it?" Kandin exclaimed. "I am in awe at your restraint."

"Don't be. I don't know if I can survive a third time."

"Well that will be a fun topic of conversation for you."

Zerian growled at Kandin.

"Sorry sir. I'll go searching for these names in the human databases. Might I suggest you take her the chest as a peace-offering?"

"Take the chest with you and scan the contents into our computers. I'll take it with me when I go visit with her this evening. Maybe I will have figured out what to say to her by then!" Zerian responded dryly.

As Kandin was leaving Abettor Mathew was entering. "You have to talk to her. She's refusing to let me in to check on her. She is very hostile this morning." Abettor Mathew exclaimed.

Kandin started laughing. Abettor Mathew looked confused by Kandin's response. "She figured it out last night and we've figure out her grandmother was a Kahnerian. Marta does not know that part yet. I was going to try to explain that to her when she's had a chance to calm down." Zerian gave Abettor Mathew a quick explanation.

"Well my lord, I wish you much luck. She is not listening to any of the Abettor's."

"Kandin, get me the peace-offering as soon as you can." Zerian sighed. Today was not going to be a good day.

"I'll bring it to the viewing room when we are done."

"Abettor Mathew, leave her alone for now. She's going to need time. I'll keep an eye on her." Zerian left them and went down to her viewing room.
***
Zerian exclaimed and cursed in another language as soon as he came close to her room. She was doing the Nah Denh again! With great concentration and focusing through the call he sprinted the rest of the way to her viewing room. He fell to his knees and watched her again. She was going to be the death of him at this rate. He panted and turned his hands into fists as he fought the overwhelming urge to go to her. She had to stop doing this. He couldn't take anymore. He roared out her name when she released her call. He was fighting his instincts and his eyes were glowing as much as hers were. He wanted her and needed her at that moment and that couldn't happen.

When he was back in control he looked down at her room and laughed at himself. She had the door locked and a chair was jammed under the door handle. The girl obviously does not want company today.

As long as she didn't do anything stupid and stayed safe he would let her have her privacy today.
***
Marta laid back on her bed without bothering to shower or even get dressed again. She didn't care at the moment she had to be quick while she still had the power flowing through her. She stared up at her reflection and concentrated on connecting to the life inside her. Her hands rested on her abdomen as she sang softly to it.

She sang a lullaby she learned when she was a little girl. It was in an unfamiliar language but it was beautiful. Her back rose off the bed and a tear fell down her cheek as she found her. They were united now.
***
Zerian watched has Marta's face turned to elation. They were bound now. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Very few Kahnerian females were strong enough to make the connection and here Marta who had diluted blood was able to perform it by instinct alone.

He had to know if it was a male or female child. Marta would know, but she may not let him in yet. Zerian paced around the room watching her lie peacefully and caressing her stomach. He wanted to go to her right then, but he had to wait. He needed to restrain himself.

Kandin knocked twice and entered the room. "My lord, I've brought the chest for you. The names are running through the system now. We've had no hits yet."

Kandin walked over and stood by Zerian. "She performed the Nah Denh again then she did the Lee Nah. She did it. I watched her do it. I can't believe she did it." Zerian said in disbelief.

"What? How could she be strong enough to perform it? Maybe Kahnerian blood does not dilute as much as we thought?" Kandin said trying to find an explanation.

"Maybe, I don't know. The power she evoked with the Nah Denh had me on my knees. She's learned how to connect inward. Even if you're taught how to do it, it is still something either you can do or you can't."

The two were quiet for a while while they watched her lie on the bed singing to the child. "She is beautiful even if she is hairless." Kandin spoke finally.

"Yes she is and the silly woman shaves her body."

"Stupid humans!" Kandin sounded disgusted.

"I agree. Thank you for the chest. I can't wait any longer, I have to know the sex of the child."

"I pray it is a female Sir."

"So do I."
***
Zerian took the chest with him to Marta's room and knocked gently on her door.

"I can tell it's you. What do you want now?" Marta called from the other side of the door.

"I thought we can talk. I've brought a peace-offering." Zerian replied.

"It better be a good one." Marta unlocked the door and opened it for Zerian. Zerian was startled to see her standing nude in front of him. "You've obviously already seen everything so I didn't bother covering myself." Marta's anger was coming back.

Zerian couldn't think of a safe response. Everything would lead back to her yelling at him, so held the chest out to her. "I retrieved this for you."

Marta was surprised then suspicious of him. She hesitantly took the chest from him and noticed the lock was broken off it. "Why did you really get it?" She went and sat the chest on her bed then turned back to look at him.

"That is one of the things I wanted to discuss with you. But I want to know how you're feeling today. Can you feel it?" He wanted to phrase his question carefully. He didn't want her to know that on top of everything else he watches every move she makes.

"It is fine." she supplied sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant." Zerian said frustrated.

She eyed him for a minute "Come here."

"What?" Zerian looked at her questioning.

"Come over here next to me. I need to check something."

Zerian walked slowly over to her not sure what she wanted. "Is this good?" he asked as he stood two feet from her.

"I won't bite you. Though I should! Bend your head down to me." She demanded.

Zerian leaned closer to her face swallowing hard as her eyes glared at him. She took his face in her hands then pulled him forward so she could bury her nose in his neck. She inhaled deeply and he shuttered at her breath flowing over him. Her smell was overwhelming to him. Marta closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek along his then whispered in his ear. "You're her father."

Zerian quickly straightened up to look at her. Marta gave him a small smile. Zerian closed his eyes. "We have a daughter." He whispered. He quietly said a small prayer in his own language then looked back down at Marta.

"I know that prayer." She said softly as she searched his eyes.

"Marta, before we talk about that I really do apologize for how this came to be. We are desperate to secure a future for our race, but you have given us new hope in more than one way. We have discovered some startling information about you over the last two days. I know you don't know all the facts about your grandmother but I'm sure you have your suspicions."

"I thought I knew, but since meeting you all of my memories are being seen in a different light. Why am I so drawn to you? It's more than female to male attraction. I don't understand the pull that is happening."

Zerian took Marta's hand in his and brushed her cheek with his other hand. "Let me show you something." Marta nodded and let Zerian pull her to her chest.

Zerian lifted the chest then brought out her grandmother's necklace. "Is this what you called a locket?" Marta took it in her fingers and nodded. "That is a Kahnerian family crest. Your grandmother belonged to a clan called Myllahn. When you cooked me a traditional Kahnerian meal and even knew the names of the dishes I knew you had to have Kahnerian blood in you somewhere. Physically, you look very Kahnerian which has always raised my curiosity with you. I had my chief officer check on your grandmother's name. She was part of a scouting ship that crash landed here." Zerian took out the photo of her grandmother and the other two women. "These three Kahnerian females were listed as missing and never found."

Marta sat there not wanting to believe but so many things were starting to make sense now. Zerian ran his fingers down her smooth shoulders. "Did your grandmother shave her hair like you do?"

Marta smiled. "No, she never took her long sleeves off. Even in the middle of the summer she would remain covered. As a little girl she told me that old women were always cold." Marta let out a small laugh. "There was a horrible argument between my grandmother and mother when momma bought me a razor. My mother wanted me to fit in at school. I don't really have a lot of hair, its soft white and downy." Marta looked at Zerian and smiled warmly at him. "I don't come close to your amount of hair."

"We all can't be as handsome as me." he added wryly.

Marta laughed then went back to somber as her fingers ran over the picture. "My grandmother talked in code a lot. She drilled her customs into me but refused to talk about her home land. She told me there wasn't any higher honor for me to give than to cook for a male. She had me in the kitchen learning her recipes since I was five. Was she right?"

Zerian looked down. "That's one way to look at it."

"Crap, what does it really mean? Did I offend you? I'm sorry if I did." Marta covered her face with her hands and started shaking it back and forth while groaning in embarrassment.

"Well, when a female prepares a dinner for a male who is not a relative she is offering herself to him."

"Oh no. I'm completely humiliated now."

"Don't be. I know it's not what you meant when you cooked for me."

"Thank you, but I'm still embarrassed." Marta couldn't bring herself to look at him yet.

"Um Marta, there is something I need to ask you to stop doing. I can feel you calling me to you when you do the Nah Denh. I want to come and ravish you every time you do it. I'm sure you performed it with your grandmother and are used to the bond it formed, but when you do it when a male is close by well let's just say I don't know if I can refrain the next time you do it. It's calling to me at a raw instincts level."

Marta slumped on her bed and threw the blanket over her head. "I think I'm going to die now. Since I can't possibly get anymore embarrassed is there anything else. And I thought you seeing every intimate part of me while I was knocked out was embarrassing."

"I did not see that. I was not in the room with you. It wouldn't have been right. Only Abettor Mathew was with you. He is a fertility specialist."

"I guess that's something."

Zerian reached over and pulled the blanket off her head. "Are you doing okay with finding out you're a Kahnerian?"

"Yes, I guess. I don't know. Part of me must have known because I'm not surprised. You didn't know about my lineage until after the whole baby thing?"

"Correct. We searched the world government's databases for DNA samples that would most closely match our DNA. You were like a miracle when we found you. Your basic background didn't reveal anything unusual, but looking back now we should have questioned why your DNA matched ours so closely."

"Have you found my cousins?"

"No, we were hoping you could help us with that."

"It's been years since I've seen most of them and they all live underground. They are anti-government type people. What will you do if I help you?"

"Not what we did to you." He replied quickly. "Are your Great Aunts still alive?"

"No, they were killed in a car accident when I was young."

"So they all still live close to you?"

"For the most part."

"Will you help us find them?"

"If you promise to be honest with them and let it be their choice."

"I promise."

"I'll need a map and some paper. I will try my best but they move around."

"I will have them brought to you. Thank you Marta."

"Will you do something for me?"

"I will try. What do you want?"

"I want you to teach me everything about the Kahnerian customs and your home world. I would like to better understand what is happening. Lastly, our daughter will be named Lyriel."

"Your grandmother would be honored and yes I will show you the path of a Kahnerian. The first lesson is please stop shaving. It's very offensive and considered a huge insult to shave someone. Embrace your true nature Marta."

Marta smiled. "I will try. If I don't like what I see, it's coming off again."

Zerian shook his head. "Maybe I will show you photo's of Kahnerians!"

"That might help. Can we compromise on the clothes thing? I hate the hospital gown and I really feel self-conscious sitting here naked in front of you."

"I will get you to embrace your nature and I enjoy looking at you." He said firmly as her cheeks blushed. "But let's start with what you wore for dinner. I'm glad you don't like the gown. It looks like you're wearing a bag."

"The green outfit pushes my comfort zone, so that's a good start. Can you bring it back to me please?"

"Yes, I will." He hesitated for a minute before asking for another favor. "Marta it would be a great honor if you let me touch your belly to connect with her."

"Being a father means a great deal to you?" She asked softly. She remembered how he reacted to her father's suicide.

"It is one of the greatest things a man can accomplish." Zerian's gaze was intense as he looked down on her.

Marta laid back and took his hand in hers. She brought his hand down to her for him. Zerian's large hands covered her whole belly. He knelt down so he could bring his face within inches of her skin. She felt his warm breath on her as he inhaled Marta and his daughter's sent. He whispered another prayer over her then gently kissed her belly.

Marta didn't have words to respond to him. He showed a tremendous amount of love to their unborn child. What a surreal world she was living in! She was a virgin and pregnant with this incredible male's child.

"She smells sweet with a hint of cinnamon." He said lightly to her when he saw how she was looking at him.

"That makes sense. Sugar and spice and everything nice. That's what they say for a girl."

Zerian laughed gently as he took her hand in his. "Do you know what you smell like to me?" Marta shook her head. "A fresh spring rain."

Marta looked up at the ceiling and enjoyed the feeling of their hands linked together. "This is all so weird. Everything is backwards. I'm just getting to know you, but I'm already pregnant and I didn't even get to enjoy getting that way. Pardon me but that is completely fucked up."

"I'm sorry Marta. I'm sorry I never gave you the choice. I hope you will forgive me."

"I understand why you did it, but it hurts that you didn't take the time to know me. You would have learned my character well enough to know I would have helped you."

"I will do anything I can to make this easier for you."

"Then give me an area I can move around in and for the love of all that's holy give me something to do. I can't handle being confined in a small room doing nothing. Even for just a few hours a day I need to keep myself busy. I'm used to working from before sunrise to long after the sun sets. If you want me stop doing the Nah Denh then I need another outlet."

"Do you enjoy cooking, because my crew loved your cooking?" Zerian asked as he unconsciously ran his fingers over her arms.

"I do, but I thought that was a bad thing to do."

"I'll speak to them and make it very clear to them. My chief officer has already asked for you to cook again."

"I'm glad they enjoyed it. I have many different dishes I can make. How many would I be cooking for?"

"Let's stick with the officers. Is ten too many?" he asked counting how many would be around on any given night.

"Not at all. That should keep me nice and busy for several hours."

"I think you just made my chief officer's day."

"Who normally does the cooking?"

"It is a fend-for-yourself system."

"When was the last time you had a real dinner?" She asked

"Before yours, years."

"Well, then consider me your new cook!" Marta smiled at him.

Zerian locked his eyes on hers and gently kissed her hand. "You are much more than my cook Marta."

Marta's stomach flipped as she watched him. She didn't know what to say to him, but she was very attracted to him. She was suddenly fighting herself to keep from kissing him. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair.

Zerian inhaled deeply and his nostrils flared as he smelled her desire. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do much more than kissing. "I should leave you so you can rest. I will bring the clothes with me when I return to escort you to the kitchen in a few hours."

Marta nodded. Zerian kissed her stomach one last time before he rose to his feet. Marta still didn't know what to say to him so she watched as he walked back out of her room.
***
After Zerian left Marta she pulled out her family photos and ran her fingers over them. She was seeing her grandmother in a whole new light. She knew her grandmother is an extremely modest woman who kept covered at all times. Marta had a hard time imagining her grandmother walking around without clothes on in her native homeland. The image was very disturbing! But she never saw her mother without clothes on either. Marta studied the pictures of her grandmother and mother trying to decide if her mother looked more human or it was only her. She always though she looked exactly like her mother. Does that mean she doesn't look very human?

Marta carried the picture of her mother and grandmother into the bathroom with her. She looked at her own reflection then stared back at their features. It was hard to tell. Marta tried to remember her mother's face and her features. She was having a hard time remembering the small details. Did her mother ever wear her hair up, did her grandmother? She couldn't remember. Marta was sad and frustrated, but she didn't know if she was sad because she now recognized the Kahnerian within her and felt less human or was sad because she always thought she looked exactly like her mother and grandmother but now knew she wasn't exactly like them. As always she was left with more questions than answers.

Marta rummaged through a drawer that contained bandaging items and found medical tape. It would work. She taped a few of her favorite pictures up next to her bed and draped her grandmother's necklace over the sconce next to the pictures. Lastly she removed the jeweled hair combs from the bottom of the chest and put them into her hair. She moved the chest to the ground so she could lie down and rest. She's had enough revelations for one day.
***
Zerian was reviewing the scans from Marta's chest and comparing the images to the Kahnerian logs. It bothered him to know that three females were left behind and the recovery ship never found them. That was negligence on their part.

"It would have taken five years for the ships to get here. Maybe they had already started their new lives and didn't want to be found." Kandin answered him.

"You think these three females did not want to return home?" Zerian asked acidly.

"Not if they found human mates." Kandin stated.

"Marta has never mentioned a grandfather." Zerian asked.

"My lord, if I might add my thought. For Lyriel it could have been an ill-fated mating, or perhaps even a forced mating. The other two had many children which would lead you to believe they did not want to leave. Maybe Lyriel wanted to stay to watch over them." Langer added as he brought maps over to Zerian and Kandin.

"Marta describes Lyriel as fiercely protective, that theory would make sense. Show me the locations." Zerian said.

"The crashed ship landed here where the blue mark is located. Marta's farm is only thirty miles north of the crash site. From the logs the rescue ship searched in a forty mile radius from the crash site. They mostly searched unpopulated areas. They assumed the survivors would avoid contact with the humans." Langer pointed to the different locations on the maps.

"That was not a smart assumption, so we still do not know if the females avoided the rescue crew or if the rescue crew never found them." Zerian stated.

"If we could find birth dates for some of these offspring it might help us. If they already had children by the time the ship arrived then they would not want to be found. They would never leave their children behind but would probably fear how our world would react to them." Kandin added.

"The picture with the offspring is dated. Can you guess how old some of the children are?" Langer asked.

"Roughly! I am 80% confident that Juella's oldest was born shortly after they arrived here." Kandin replied.

"Why do they have an abnormally high number of females in this photo? I only count two male offspring." Langer asked.

"That's a question for Abettor Mathew. It does seem more than coincidence that they have a much higher birthrate for female children." Zerian replied. Zerian checked the clock. "If you'll excuse me, I need to escort Marta to our Kitchen. She has agreed to cook for us. This is being done as a human gesture, so do not read anything into it." He warned as Langer raised his eyebrows at him.

"I am grateful for her cooking and we will pass the word to the rest of the men. Do you want her to meet us yet, or would you prefer us to wait here until she has left the area again?" Kandin asked.

"Round the officers up and have them meet me here before dinner. I will lay the ground rules down then I will have her meet you. She will not be joining us. I will not put that much temptation in front of Jezier or Pallow."

"Don't forget Helkin." Langer added dryly.

"Has he already grown bored of his human woman?" Zerian asked.

"Which one?" Kandin snorted.

"Get them here so I can speak to them." Zerian said sharply as he walked out of the room. He wasn't sure if this was going to be a good idea.
***
Marta woke to find Zerian kneeling beside her and watching her. "Why are you watching me sleep?" Marta asked with a smile.

"Because you're beautiful."

Marta looked at him skeptically then sat up.

"You don't believe that do you?" Zerian asked as he watched her brush out her hair.

"I appreciate the compliment but it is hard to accept. I've only had one boyfriend." Marta worked on smoothing out her hair before she placed her combs back in place.

"Believe it and accept it. Of course you would be perfect if you had more hair." Zerian added.

Marta laughed at him. "I already told you I would try letting my hair grow. Look stubble." She held up her arm for him to inspect.

He ran his fingers across her arms and felt the little hair starting to emerge. "Better. Here are your clothes." He handed her the clothes and continued to watch her as she moved off the bed. His face frowned as she slowly covered herself in green cloth. At least there wasn't much cloth but enough to annoy him. "You look better without them." Zerian commented.

"I'm glad you think so, but I don't think I want to run into anyone else while I'm naked thanks!"

Zerian ran that thought threw his mind and then was secretly grateful she way a shy girl. Some of his men would not control themselves if she walked around them naked. All of his men were chosen because of their abilities and the fact they were willing to mate with a human. A few of the men have taken their conquests to extremes and are fully enjoying themselves. They have very little control. Others will occasionally go out and relieve their needs with a random woman but there are a few who will only mate with a human when it is mandated and necessary. Zerian falls into the later category.

He never knew what his feelings were about half blooded females. He knew if he was conflicted then many of his own people were too. He was prepared to do his duty with a human female, but when he came across Marta all his perceptions changed.

"I might actually agree with you on that." Zerian replied and opened the door for her.

They walked quietly to the kitchen. Zerian was uptight about some of his men meeting her tonight and Marta was happy about getting out of her room and doing something productive. Their moods were completely opposite of each other.

Marta went straight for the refrigerator to see what was available. She was surprised at the variety of food. She started pulling meats and vegetables from the refrigerator then went to look at the dry ingredients in the pantry. In no time she decided what she would make and put the dry ingredients on the center island.

"Do you always have this many options to choose from?" Marta asked as she started washing the vegetables.

"Not always. We had fresh supplies come in this morning. The deliveries are once a week unless we need something special."

Marta nodded and started chopping vegetables as she made a mental note. "Can you give me a list of the weekly supplies so I can cook around them?"

"Yes, but you may add to the list if needed."

"Thank you."

"Before I leave you, I have two important rules for you." Zerian said. Marta stopped chopping and looked at him. "No lifting anything over 10lbs! Call down the hall and I will help. Promise me you will do this!" He said sternly.

"I promise to pretend I am an invalid." Marta retorted.

"I don't think you need a lesson in the dangers of lifting items that are too heavy, so I will let you have your moment of sarcasm." Zerian looked down at her and she let a small laugh escape as she smiled at him.

"What is your second rule?"

"You must not serve my male or eat with us. It will send a very wrong message to them. I have no excuse for some of them; they have little control over their instincts. You can set the table and place the food on the table but that is it. Do you understand?" Zerian was giving her a hard look.

Marta looked at him wearily. "I understand."

"Good, tonight I will introduce you to them. I will leave you now. I need to go remind my officers about appropriate behavior."

Marta nodded and went back to preparing dinner. When she got the stew started she went to work on making fresh rolls. It amazed her at how easy it was to cook for a large number of people when she had an amazing kitchen to work in. It would be difficult to cook for a large number of people in her small farmhouse kitchen. Here it was simple. She put together two more dishes and a dessert before she went to the dining room to set the table.

The table was already set with ten chairs. Someone had already extended the table for her and brought the extra chairs in. She placed the white linen table-cloth down on the table then set the plates, silverware, cloth napkins and glasses down for each seat. She placed two pitchers of ice water on each end of the table then went back to the kitchen.

She transferred the dinner to nice serving dishes and was tempted to carry the dishes in on her own. She carried the rolls, salad, and one of the side dishes to the table. Then she set the dessert on the side buffet table. She placed a stack of small plates and dessert forks next to them. When she went back into the kitchen she was startled to see Zerian standing at the island.

"Need me to carry the food in?"

"Yes, those two are over my limit." Marta was grinning at him and trying hard not to say something smart.

Zerian was watching her for a moment. "It's hard for you to not say something sarcastic and control you tongue!"

"Yes, it is." Marta agreed as her smile grew wider.

Zerian shook his head at her. "Wait here. I'll bring you in to meet the men after they are seated." Zerian picked up both dishes easily and carried them to the table.

Marta looked down at herself and brushed off the flour that still clung to her skirt. She realigned the skirt on her hips to ensure she was covered. She ran her fingers over her hair to ensure it was lying down.

"Are you nervous?" Zerian asked behind her.

Marta jumped and startled. "Yes, very nervous! I have butterflies."

Zerian reached out smoothed a strand of her hair back for her. "They will behave themselves. They have been warned."

Marta took a deep breath then followed Zerian into the dining room. Zerian stepped to the side of the door so she would be visible when she walked in. Her cheeks blushed when they all turned their attention on her. Her first reaction was relief because they were all sitting so their nudity wouldn't be waving in her face. Her second reaction was extreme nervousness. The guys were huge. Maybe not as big as Zerian, but still huge! A few looked happy to meet her, a few seemed ambivalent and a few down right frightened her. They looked like they wanted to pounce on her. She gulped and took a tiny step closer to Zerian.

Zerian seemed pleased that she stepped closer to him in front of his men.

"Marta, my men and I thank you for the dinner. Let me introduce you to them. Starting on the right: Kandin my Chief Officer, Langer my Security Officer, Jezier my Interrogation Officer, Pallow my Information Officer, Murrek my Ships Pilot Officer, Norzin my Engineering Officer, Saxxer my Medical Officer, and Helkin my Communications Officer."

"Nice to meet you all. I hope you enjoy your dinner." Marta greeted with a small wave.

"It is nice to meet you Marta." Kandin replied nicely.

"You can cook for me anytime." Pallow purred.

Zerian let out a low threatening growl and Murrek put a restraining hand on Pallow. "Pardon me my Lord. I forget myself." Pallow added quickly with a deep nod and turned his focus back to the table. Marta had moved herself slightly behind Zerian during this exchange not sure what else she should do.

After a long moment of silence Marta finally interrupted. "Have a pleasant dinner, if you will excuse me." She turned and slipped out the door.

Marta walked quickly back to the kitchen and put the pans in the sink to soak while she sat on a stool to eat her dinner.
***
"Can you not control yourself for five minutes?" Langer asked Pallow disgustedly after Marta had left.

"I apologize, but you should have warned us how...appealing she would be." Pallow replied trying to defend himself.

"My lord, she has than much appeal and she performed the Nah Denh with you next to her. How did you control it?" Helkin asked.

Zerian shot Kandin a very unkind look. He had obviously been talking. "With white knuckled restraint!" Zerian responded dryly. He did not like them talking about her appeal. He knew exactly how appealing she was that's why she has been hidden from them. "Do I need to remind you she is off-limits in every sense of the words? She is mine."

"Yes my lord." They all replied.

"Is it true she is carrying a female?" Saxxer asked changing the subject.

"Yes. I will be having a daughter and she will be named after Marta's grandmother, Lyriel who was from the clan Myllahn."

The men settled into eating and chatting after the uncomfortable start to their evening.
***
After Marta finished cleaning the pans and her dishes she sat on the floor and meditated. She sang softly to the baby and followed her senses until she connected to her, to....

"Zerian." Marta called, as she raced into the dining room.

"What is wrong?" Zerian asked urgently as he ran over to her. Zerian filled with fear at the thought of losing his daughter.

"Quick do your smelling thingy you do." Marta said as she ignored all the eyes on her. She was bursting with excitement. Zerian knelt in front of her and brought his nose to her stomach. There was her overwhelming fresh rain scent, the cinnamon scent, and... "Do you smell it? It's really there right?"

"What am I smelling Marta?" Zerian asked confused.

Marta held up two fingers and the room gasped. "Twins" Saxxer exclaimed.

Marta burst out laughing. "Yes, identical twin girls."

Zerian turned to Saxxer, "Isn't it a bit late for the cells to split?"

"No, not at all. Marta is still very early in her pregnancy. I haven't seen a set of twins born in my lifetime. This is practically unheard of for our race."

The rest of the room was in a stunned silence as they watched Zerian get taken by emotion. He kissed her belly then rested his forehead on her while he said a small prayer.

When Zerian looked up to Marta's face she was still beaming. "Does this mean you're going to reduce my weight limit down to 5lbs?" Marta teased.

Zerian laughed. "I might. This will change what you're allowed to do."

"Just don't say bed rest! I will lose my mind if you say bed rest." Marta groaned lightly.

The room started laughing with them. "Come let's find Abettor Mathew. I want to see my daughters." Zerian took her hand and led her out the door.

"Congratulations." They heard behind them from the men.

"Is he going to do an ultrasound?" Marta asked as they walked down the hall. Zerian was still holding her hand.

"Yes, I believe that is the word you use for the machine." Zerian smiled down at her and squeezed her hand gently. "You've made me the happiest male alive Marta."

"It warms my heart to know being a father is so important to you. I'm trying to look past how I became pregnant and just except it and enjoy it. I won't lie to you, it bothers me that I was not given a choice and I was deceived. But..." She stopped walking and waited for him to meet her eyes. "I really am happy. Does that seem strange that I am happy and excited about being pregnant?"

Zerian smiled at her. "No. You are Kahnerian and children are valued above all else. Our race has never been overly fertile, so no matter how a child was conceived we celebrated."

Marta nodded and smiled. Zerian continued leading her to Abettor Mathew's wing. Marta recognized the floor he wasn't that far down from her room. Zerian went over to an intercom mounted on a wall outside metal doors.

"Abettor Mathew, we are outside and need to see you."

"My lord, I'll be right there."

Marta looked up at Zerian quizzically. "Why does everyone call you my Lord'"?

Zerian smiled at her. "Because I am their leader!"

"Oh" was the only thing Marta knew to say. "Am I supposed to call you something other than Zerian?"

"No, Zerian is fine."

They turned their attention back to the door as they heard footsteps approach the door. Abettor Mathew appeared through the door and gestured for them to enter. They entered a large room that appeared to be a large laboratory. "Please come this way." Abettor Mathew led them through the doors to another set of doors. "Are you feeling alright, is there a problem?" he asked.

"I want to see my daughters." Zerian replied.

"We should be able to see her on an ultrasound..." Abettor Mathew stopped walking for a moment. "You used the plural tense."

"Yes, I distinctly smell two life forces within her and Marta has connected with them. It's hard to describe to a human, but our females have mental and spiritual connections to their babies."

"Fascinating and exciting...two...after all this time."

He led them past the second set of doors into a fully equipped examination room. Marta lay down on the table while Abettor Mathew brought an ultrasound machine over next to her. "Let's find those heartbeats, shall we." He said as he spread gel over her belly and quickly spread it around with the wand.

The room was silent as he searched for the babies and as soon as the little heart beats came on the screen Marta was overcome with emotion. Tears rolled down her checks as she watched the little bean-shaped babies bounce around. Zerian remained silent as his fingers touched the screen.

"They look perfect. They both have very strong heart beats. How are you feeling today?" Abettor Mathew asked Marta.

"I am overjoyed, emotional, nauseous and tired." Zerian smiled back at her and brushed away her tears with the back of his hand.

"All perfectly normal! I will rerun the numbers for a twin pregnancy. I want to make sure you get enough vitamins and nutrition. Twins mostly change how I treat your pregnancy when you get to the third term, but we should be extra cautious during your first term as well. I will monitor you a lot more closely and absolutely no heavy lifting of any kind and no running or anything overly strenuous."

"You need to rest, let me walk you back to your room." Zerian said as Abettor Mathew cleaned the gel off her belly. "Thank you." Zerian said to Abettor Mathew.
***
When Zerian and Marta reached her room he kissed her hand goodnight and left her standing at her door. He walked quickly back to the officer's quarters where all of his officers were relaxing.

"My lord, did you see them?" Saxxer called, as Zerian entered the room.

Zerian smiled wide. "Yes, two strong heart beats. Everything is well."

"My lord, I apologize for my poor behavior earlier. Congratulations on the children." Pallow said as he stood and bowed to Zerian.

"I accept your apology and I know you struggle against your instincts, but know this...she is mine." Zerian warned.

"Yes my lord." Pallow replied while he remained in a deep bow.

"Langer, I will need to get a map to Marta in the morning so she can mark the last known locations of her cousins." Zerian instructed.

"I have one ready in the command room. I will go get it now." Langer got up from his chair and left through the door.

"Kandin, any hits on the names yet?"

"Not many, I am afraid. I'm going under the assumption the cousins live within a hundred mile radius of her farm and by doing that then none of the names appear. They are very good at living unnoticed." Kandin replied.

"When Marta gives us the locations then we will have to search on foot." Zerian answered and Kandin nodded. "Jezier, you think you can interrogate them without harming or scaring them?"

Jezier gave Zerian a wicked grin. "It won't be as much fun, but I can persuade them to give us the information we seek without harming them." Zerian nodded.

"You will be part of Langer's team when they head out." Zerian replied.

"My lord, the human governments have contacted us and would like us to help negotiate another peace treaty." Helkin added.

Zerian's eyes narrowed. "The last peace treaty led to more violence. Marta's farm is in the middle of that rebellion. What makes them think it will work this time?" he huffed.

"I've been following the conflicts and the rebellion faction is winning right now. If we go, we should insist on the rebel leaders being present." Pallow informed them.

"I agree. It would be foolish of the humans to think peace can be attained without them." Zerian responded.

"My lord, if you are to attend, then I insist on a full party in attendance." Kandin added.

Langer came in and handed the map to Zerian. "Sir, if you are referring to the meeting with the humans, then I insist on several officers by your side and I want my team providing security."

Zerian nodded, "Yes, this may be a more dangerous meeting than the first one. Very well, we will attend. Helkin, let the humans know what we require for attendance."

"Yes, my lord."

"Langer, I will have Marta mark the map in the morning. Have a team ready to deploy. Jezier will be joining your team. He is not to harm or scare the humans." Zerian said firmly and gave Jezier a hard look. "Helkin, when is this peace meeting?"

"Not for several weeks."

"Good, that should give Langer's team time to search for the Kahnerian offspring. If you will excuse me, I am retiring to my chambers." Zerian bid his men goodnight and left for his chambers.