Void Ship

by Dave Bara

  “Someday I will tell my daughter about the days of the Void, when we were all threatened with doom, and she will not believe me,” Makera said.

  Renwick looked at her, puzzled. Makera continued.

  “With the emitter station operational again, breaking up the Void instead of filling it, with the fleet of Void Ships cutting trade routes back and forth between neighboring stars, you and I will live to see a Golden Age reborn, and our daughter, she will get to live in it,” said Makera.

  Renwick looked at her, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

  “Did you say... our daughter?” he said.

  Makera turned to him and smiled impishly.

  “Our daughter, Renwick. Our child,” she said. “The firstborn of Humanity and Raelen, conceived within the Void itself.”

  He smiled, pleased. “So, my... donation took?”

  “Human doctors said it wasn’t possible, Renwick, but Raelen doctors aren’t bound by human limitations.” Then she took his hand and guided it to her belly. It was soft and warm to his touch.

  “Are you happy?” she asked, looking for the moment as vulnerable as he had ever seen her. He answered by kissing her sweetly.

  “Very happy,” he said. Then, “So that’s why you think they won’t let you travel?”

  She laughed. “They cannot stop me, Renwick. You cannot stop me. If the Soloth agree to receive us, I’m going,” she said. Renwick shook his head and drained his drink.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to Yan,” he said. Makera shrugged.

  “Probably the same way you explained to her that you had a wife,” she replied.

  “And we all know how well that went,” he said.

  Then she laughed again, and Renwick laughed with her.

  After the moment passed he kissed her on the cheek, the future mother of his child, something he never thought he would experience. He looked down at his empty glass. “I think I’m going to need something stronger than this,” he said, and started for the bar.

  And she laughed with him once more, the sound of their joy echoing into the warm, dark night.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  GENE DAVID is the pen name for Seattle based science fiction writer Dave Bara, author of The Lightship Chronicles series (IMPULSE, STARBOUND, DEFIANT) from DAW Books.

  You can find Dave on the web at www.davebara.info, on Facebook, and on Twitter as @davebarawriterguy.