The mixture of joy and sorrow that Naero felt when she looked at poor, unconscious Naero-3 and her tortured, mutilated body could not be put into any words that existed. And that paled in comparison to the wonder she felt when she sensed both her child’s spirit, and her old friend Om.
But they had to make it out quickly before Naero herself became trapped inside with them.
The enemy continued to suck them all dry each second.
She made contact with Naero-3 and did the best thing that she could for the moment–and re-absorbed her, bring her child and Om back within her as well.
So great was the elation of her child, that a wave of energy shot out of Naero’s daughter, overloaded the Dyson sphere around them, and shredded it into useless pieces of debris and junk.
They were free, and at first Naero transported safely away from the two gateways. But when she turned back to look, to her horror she saw that the gateways were now fully charged, and beginning to flicker open on their own.
In fact, the first enemy warship would pass through in a matter of minutes, and on the right, the realm of the G’lothc began to split open, in a dark swirling miasma that Naero had seen once before.
The dark spirits of the G’lothc would slip free, and enter into their vessels to live and breathe once more.
Naero could have fled. She could have run and kept running with all that she held dear back within her.
Yet that was not her way, and she knew that doing so wouldn’t work.
Such evils had to be confronted, opposed, and destroyed.
She turned back and increased to attack speed, keeping herself as small a target as she could. She swept in to assail the gateways directly this time.
The enemy spotted Naero at last and fought back. Strangely enough, the badly damaged squid ship cloaked as it moved away from the nexus, most likely preparing to jump and escape.
Naero fought and took fire, knowing all the while that she was risking everything she loved. She also knew that she had to do so.
For some reason a song verse rose to mind.
I will follow you to the End of Days!
Side by side we will win our way.
Fighting through Love’s confusing maze,
With my last breath till our last day!
She blew up the gateway on the left. The nose of a new enemy battleship just emerging got cut off and appeared to implode, sucked back into the other side.
But when she turned to the gate on the right, a long, tentacle like clawed appendage shot out of the void and encircled her neck, burning her with Darkforce and sucking out her energies faster that even she or her unborn child could replenish them.
It was as if Death itself was throttling the life out of them.
A grim menacing voice threatened her within her own mind. We are coming for you and your kind, meddler. Long have your ilk interfered with our great designs. We shall make you and your children our great vessels, and use your husks to destroy all that you cherish. Those of you that we do not enslave, we shall kill, and make you trophies of our great triumph over all that lives!
Naero struggled back with all that she had, with everything that she was, and her child battered and blasted the fell thing with her, all to no avail. The thing would not let go off them and continued to murder them each second, siphoning away their lifesparks and feeding upon them, growing ever stronger.
“We will find a way to kill you bastards!” Naero shouted, calling upon all of her reserves, trying to startap and unleash her Dark Beast.
The thing tearing at them laughed. You cannot kill that which has already died, fool.
Naero punched, and kicked, and fought in whirlwind of attacks. “What exists can be destroyed, whatever form it takes! We shall find a way. I will find a way. And my children shall never be yours, you foul and nameless thing!”
She tore free briefly and struck and kicked at the thing, trying to drive it off and escape.
But it clamped itself back onto her throat and fed upon her even faster.
What can you do, fool? You think you know much, when you know nothing!
They struggled and fought, but the thing still held her, killing her each second.
Then Naero had a tricky idea.
She flashed a holo of Orean before her and the thing drew back in terror for an instant, unable to control its reaction.
No! They’re all gone!
Naero spoke in Kexxian, and then sang in Kexxian after that.
“I…am a Dreamer!”
Lah tii ah-vii kah, Shai kah ling jhah, Hae jelah shevah! Yavae lah shenah!
The dread thing shrieked in terror and at first cowered. But then it hissed and flew into a horrendous rage, attacking Naero even stronger than before, ensnaring her in even more limbs, claws, and tentacles before she could get far enough away.
There were legions of these foul things, and they raved at her.
No! We hate your kind worst of all! No more of your tricks! Now we shall destroy you once and for all. Now that we are many and we have you helpless and alone!
Naero gasped and struggled weakly, still trying to fight.
“Not alone!” a fierce voice roared.
Khai flashed in before Naero in all his verdant fury, more welcome than any sight Naero could have wished for.
He was in his energy being form, and Yii rose and fell in his powerful hands, the Sword of Legend gleaming with blinding white flame. Whatever these fell things were, they could not withstand its touch. He cut her free of them and tossed her back to Baeven.
Baeven held Naero in his arms, slaying and fighting off anything that dared to come near them with his own Cosmic abilities, while Jan, Ra, and Jia backed up Khai before the enemy gateway to the Void itself.
They fought and held off the grim, horrific tide trying to flood through and escape. Jia struggled to deactivate the gateway.
A storm of destroying fire came from The Flying Dagger, The Star Fox, The Darkstar, The Black Spot and the vanguard of the Alliance fleets massed behind them ripped into the gateway.
The tek of the enemy gateways and those operating it collapsed and vanished in sheets of flame.
Baeven brought Naero into her own medical bay with Trudi, kissed her on the brow, and then vanished with a smile.
Khai shielded the others with one of his protective spheres in the nick of time, and brought them back to their vessels. The Star Fox cloaked, but even on her medbed, Naero could sense it nearby.
For now at least, the immediate danger was over.
The enemy Armada was still out there, albeit a galaxy away once more. And the G’lothc spirits still plotted to escape the Void and rain destruction on the universe.
But none of these dire things would take place this day.
By all reports from Admiral Toshi–Allondatharru was now completely theirs, and by rights, was given back to their mighty Allies, the Shai.
The Allies had no intention of giving it back. Naero and everyone else considered all that sufficient progress.
34
While Trudi tended to her various wounds, Naero relaxed and caught up with Om, learning all that had happened during the ordeal with the enemy. Om had learned quite a bit about their enemies also, and had helped out when and where he could.
Really glad to have you back, Om. I can’t tell you how much I missed you.
I felt the same way, N. Now we can go back to trying to understand the KDM.
Yeah, we’ll need to talk about that, Om. When there’s time. I need to introduce you to someone I’m sure you will find very interesting indeed.
Wow, that’s sounds great! I can’t wait.
How was my little duck?
What the hell is a duck?
My unborn child, you goof. That’s what I call her, if you haven’t noticed. It’s a term of endearment, you idiot. What was it like being with her?
Oh, nothing much. Besides being a completely terrifying and magnificent new life form that’s still a complete enigma. N
o big thing at all.
Well, when you put it like that, Om.
N, I do have to say something. You do owe Naero-3 a great deal, I think. She went through a lot of crap defending and protecting us and was as brave as you are.
She is me, Om.
You know what I mean, Naero.
Already ahead of you on that. You go study all that new tek data, and she and I will have a chat.
You already reabsorbed her.
And I can bring her back around anytime I want. Her mind is still a part of my mine. But you’re right, we do owe her, more than we could ever give her. But I’ll see what I can do.
That conversation occurred next, once again in her mind.
Naero-3, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done and I want to make a deal with you. You deserve it. You don’t have to serve me. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You can be completely free to make your own way and have your own life.”
“Thanks, N. I might just take you up on that one day, but for now, I’m still feeling very attached to you, Khai, and our child.”
If Naero could smile inside of her own head, she would have done so. “Part of that is the way I made you think, Naero-3. I can change that if you like. That might make it easier for you to be your own person.”
She could feel Naero-3 protest. “Please don’t; that is the way I see myself now. I love this child. I love you and Khai as if you were both part of me.”
You are a part of me, Naero-3.
“But there is something I do want, N. Just for once, I’d very much like to experience the depth of love that you and Khai share for each other.”
Naero-3, if things go the way I want them to, that wish is going to be granted, and in spades, as they used to say on Old Earth.
“What the hell is a spade, any way, Naero?”
If I recall, it was a small tool-like a shovel, but for the hand. used in gardening. But we digress. And how about this for a deal? When I get around to giving you your repaired body back, we can share our child as she develops when my duties with the Task Force calls me away. You can continue to be her guardian and nanny. And we can even share the experience of the birth together by you merging with me again.
“That sounds great. I accept.”
“But after the birth, I want you to seriously consider taking your own name and being free to have you own life. You can find someone for you, and even have your own ship and go your own way. Think about it.”
“What if I want to stay? Do you think I would ever be able to leave this child? And won’t you and Khai have more kids? You know you’re going to need help watching and raising them, with as busy as you guys always are.”
That’s very possible, Naero-3, but I also want to free your mind so that you can decide all of this on your own. And, I need to square it all with Khai as well.
“Sure thing, N. I’ll just rest inhere a bit. Things have been pretty grim, what with getting tortured repeatedly and all. This is actually a nice break, and I can focus on the baby in here, too. It’s great. Let me know when you need me, and we can just split off again.”
Excellent, now I have something else to attend to.
Naero tracked Khai down in a corridor while he was actually heading to look for her. She tackled him in the hallway and quickly wrapped herself around him.
“Remember that thing we talked about?” she said.
Khai laughed. “Which one?”
Naero grinned wide and kissed him.
“The kissing thing?” Khai said.
“Yeah. There’s a window right now, so let’s go for it, while we make some other plans.” Naero transported them to her private quarters.
She called out to Ra. “My prince, please retire to the bathroom if you could, and take lots of food and lix, and things to do. Khai and I have a lot to catch up on.”
“Very well,” the mantid said, and closed the door panel.
Just as they once had wished, they spent the next standard day talking over many things and kissing each other all the while, in every way and place imaginable.
Naero made a tactical suggestion. “You know, Khai. We can keep up the kissing and do other fun stuff, too.”
Her was busy kissing her tummy and resting his head on her, listening hard. “Working toward that, my heart. Be patient.”
Naero sighed. “Khai, I want us to get married,”
“Let’s go do it now. I’m sure one of the admirals would be happy to perform the ceremony.”
“If all of this has taught me anything, I don’t want to hold back or wait any longer. No one else is. My friends are getting married and having kids. Now we have a child. And even though any of us could die the next instant, I don’t want to pass up any more chances for happiness. There has always been danger for our people. And yet we have always lived, and loved, and done what we could to be happy, despite all of the wars, and death, and destruction. Look at my parents.”
Khai rose back up and kissed her deep an wet on the mouth. “Look, you gorgeous blockhead. Am I arguing with you? I want to spend my life with you, no matter how long it is. But I don’t want to die. I want to live. And I want us to live to see our children and our grand children and great grandchildren thrive. And woe to any sonovabitch who tries to threaten us!”
Naero laughed. “Ooh…I like it when you cuss. You’ve done it like…twice, since I’ve known you.”
Khai shrugged and grinned. “You’re a very bad girl, and a terrible influence on me.”
“And don’t forget it.” She burst out laughing with him. She was glad she was so crazy for this big galoot. “What about tomorrow? We’ll have a simple ceremony and honeymoon in space, beneath the stars.”
Khai smiled. “Sounds like heaven to me, as long as you are there, Naero.”
The next day, the short simple ceremony turned out to be a major, instant event held within a WebBall arena and broadcast throughout all of the fleets, to their allies, and back home. All of their available friends and family attended.
Khai asked Jan to be his best man, and Tyber, Tarim, and Enel to stand up with them. Naero had Saemar, Chaela, Surina, and Trudi stand beside her.
No one said anything about Baeven giving away from the bride, and when Jia appeared at the wedding with him, in a gown made of light itself, even the Spacers gasped, and saw what true beauty and perfection looked like.
Most Spacers wore their parade dress whites.
At the last moment, Naero switched into the old fashioned wedding dress that had once made Khai blink and sweat. She had programmed the design as one of her nanosuit presets, and switched to it now, in honor of Zhen.
Admiral Yamamoto Toshio presided over the ceremony and for once, he could not stop smiling.
Then, after some swooching, bride and groom exited beneath an arch of swords formed by many of the fleet captains lined up on either side.
There was a brief banquet and reception, but the new couple slipped away early on, while the Allies partied and celebrated in their honor.
Whatever the future brought their way, Naero and Khai didn’t want to waste any time from that moment forward.
The fleet Thiolinists serenaded the couple all that long night, as each bell of the watch chimed beneath the stars.
The End
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Naero's War: The Citation Series 3: Naero's Trial Page 28
