CHAPTER FIVE

Tigh woke her with a soft kiss. When he pulled back enough so that she could see his face, he was grinning from ear to ear. The satisfied expression in his eyes touched something deep down inside her feminine core. She purred inwardly, knowing that she’d put that smug expression on his face, and she knew something very like it must also be gracing her features.

“Today is the happiest of days.” His joy was almost infectious. She found herself smiling along with him as she sat up in the large bed.

“Why? What’s today?”

“Today…” Tigh swooped down close to nuzzle her neck, breathing deeply. He sat back, as if savoring the scent of her. “Today is the day you’ll agree to be my mate.”

“Are you saying—?” Her mind spun with the possibilities. “You can tell that too?”

“Yes, my love. You are most definitely pregnant, I’m happy to report. You smell divine.” His husky voice touched a chord deep inside her as he moved back down, breathing her in and kissing her neck, her jaw, her cheek and then finally, her lips.

He kissed his way up her cheeks to her eyes, and only then did she realize she was crying. Tears of joy flowed down her face as she contemplated the realization of a long-held dream.

“Thank you, Tigh!” She threw her arms around him, nearly launching herself into his arms. She rained kisses down his cheeks, her hopes flaring as the reality of his words settled in. She was pregnant—if his nose could be trusted. “I have to get tested. Just to be sure.” She pulled back to meet his shining eyes. It was clear he had all the proof he needed, but she believed in being thorough.

“And then, you’ll marry me?”

Slowly, she nodded. “Yes, Tigh. I’ll be glad to marry the father of my baby. Our baby. Oh, God! I’m so happy!” The tears continued to flow down her cheeks as he held her, rocking her and kissing her, sharing her joy.

 

Later that morning, with an armed guard protecting them from the ever-present gaggle of newsbots and reporters, Tigh and Ginny went to the compound’s clinic for the quick test that would prove him right…or not. Ginny held her breath when the med tech pricked her finger for a blood sample, then scanned her tummy with a hand-held device. Five minutes later, they had their answer. Gineva Magdelana Starbridge was most definitely pregnant.

Possibly with twins.

It was still too early to tell for certain, but there was a high probability that she was carrying twins. The very idea of it blew her mind. After all this time, and all the effort she’d put into trying to get pregnant, it seemed almost anticlimactic to have achieved her dream of nurturing not just one but, most likely, two tiny innocent lives within her body.

Ginny walked on air as they left the clinic, and the reporters seemed to sense that something was up. Sure enough, not an hour later, news of her pregnancy—filled with rumor and supposition—was being broadcast on every newsfeed.

Tigh hadn’t left her side. In fact, he’d practically moved into her quarters. He’d taken over one corner of her suite and set up a portable comp station where he sat, monitoring the news while attending to affairs of state.

“We’ve got to do something about this.” Tigh’s voice cut into the lovely daydream she’d been having about the twin girls she was going to have in just nine short months.

“About what?”

“Have you seen the news?” Tigh sat on the couch next to her and switched on the vid. Flipping through the feeds, Ginny saw the media had her alternately pregnant, unable to get pregnant, diagnosed with some dreaded disease or being fitted for implants at the emperor’s request. There were ever more outrageous explanations being created out of thin air for their visit to the compound clinic. Some made her laugh out loud, and some sparked her anger.

“What can we do?”

Tigh sighed as he switched off the vid. “We need to hold a press conference.”

“A press conference? Tigh, maybe now is a good time to tell you that I’m really not very comfortable speaking to the media.”

He put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll do most of the talking, if that’s your wish. I don’t like it either, but it’s clear it needs to be done before they go any farther into the realms of fantasy trying to explain a simple clinic visit.”

This time, it was Ginny who sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

Tigh pulled her in close for a quick hug, kissing the top of her head. Releasing her, he got to his feet and touched his wristcomp to signal for one of his aides. Within a few moments, the wheels were set in motion for a press conference later that very day.

It wasn’t something she was looking forward to.

 

The press conference itself was both better and worse than Ginny had expected. Better, in that the questions were mostly inquisitive rather than hostile, and worse, in that they were incredibly invasive.

One of the younger female reporters got hung up on the particulars of how conception had taken place. She was probably too young to comprehend the fact that babies didn’t used to be conceived in a lab as a matter of course.

“But how?” she asked, rather insistently. “We’ve been following all your movements. No one reported seeing you visit the insemination lab.”

Tigh pulled Ginny back against his chest, folding his hands over her tummy in a very familiar fashion, stating his implicit right to touch her silently, but firmly. The older women understood the subtle signs of genuine male affection and protectiveness, but the younger girls—most of whom seemed to be reporters—didn’t seem to get it.

“These babies were planted the old-fashioned way, and we enjoyed every minute of it.” Tigh patted her stomach with a roguish grin and a wink she could see reflected off the monitors while Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair.

She could hardly believe Tigh had just told the galactic media they’d been having sex. It wasn’t something she was comfortable discussing by any stretch of the imagination. Sex was something private, not something to talk about with complete strangers, much less publicize. And that naughty little wink? She’d have a thing or two to say to him once they were alone.

“Did you say babies? Plural?” Thankfully, another reporter moved the questioning forward.

“It’s too early to know for certain,” Ginny said quickly, glad for the change of topic, “but the clinician stated there was an eighty-five percent probability of twins based on the test results and family history.”

“You’re a twin, aren’t you, Emperor Tigh?”

“Yes,” he said, loosening his arms but not letting her go. “I had a twin brother.” Ginny knew talking of his lost brother was a touchy subject. It was Elius who had loosed the virus and tried to destroy every last human in the galaxy. Humanity had no love for Elius, but he was still Tigh’s brother—his twin—and Ginny felt an odd pang of sympathy for the man who had lost not only his brother, but his faith in that brother.

“And do you have twins in your family, Captain?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, my mother is a twin. And there are twins on the Starbridge side of the family going all the way back to Diva and John Starbridge’s sons Jack and Zach Starbridge.”

“So, you’re pretty confident you carry twins, then?” one of the reporters asked from out of the crowd.

Ginny nodded. “Fairly confident, and very hopeful. I’ve wanted to get pregnant for a long time. This is a dream come true for me.”

They’d talked about whether or not Ginny should reveal her failed attempts to get pregnant. Tigh wanted her to speak on the subject in order to give hope to other women in the same predicament and, of course, to further his cause in the court of public opinion. But Tigh left it up to her whether she would delve into her painful past experiences with failed insemination attempts or not.

At that moment, Ginny decided to be brutally honest with the galactic media. She knew there were hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of women out there who’d been through similar experiences. Those women deserved to know the truth. They deserved her honesty and the faint flickering hope she could provide that somehow, they too, might also have a chance at their own impossible dream. It was the very least she could do for the women—and for the cause of peace.

The more she thought about it, the more Ginny realized Tigh’s plan for merging the two races was the only sensible solution. Humanity might be able to rebuild, and even the jit’suku might eventually find some way to rebuild their society, but together, each would stand stronger and recover more quickly than they would on their own. Together, they would evolve into something better—a people who had hopefully learned from their predecessors’ mistakes, never to be repeated.

*

Tigh moved in to Ginny’s suite the next day. It was, of course, much smaller than the rooms he’d been given, but it suited them both. For one thing, Ginny refused to move into his rooms, citing her need to remain in the Bachelor Officer Quarters—albeit the comparatively luxurious compartments set aside for those with high rank like herself—so as to be available should the commandant need her. She and her bridge crew were assigned to his staff while they waited for their next ship assignment.

“What happened to your last ship?” Tigh had asked with genuine curiosity. He didn’t have access to his intelligence gathering specialists, so his information on Ginny was limited to what his men knew or could find out.

“The good ship Sarasota.” Ginny raised her glass in a brief salute. “She survived that last battle, but just barely. We took some good hits off your captains, but in the end, we were able to defeat them.”

“How many?” Tigh felt anxiety rise in his blood at the thought of this special woman being in such danger from his people.

A pained look crossed her face. “Two of your cruisers faced us. The Bel’al and the Gin’kil. They left me no choice but to destroy them both.”

Tigh remembered the details from the briefings he’d received since coming down off the Zenai peak. The loss of the Bel’al and Gin’kil had been grievous indeed, and details of that battle were still sketchy on the jit’suku side. He was appalled to think Ginny had faced two such fierce ships and come out the victor, though it had to have been a close thing since her ship had to be scrapped soon afterward.

“How many of your ships were there?”

She took a quick drink. “Just us. The Sarasota was on picket, protecting one of the lesser jumpsites when your ships came through.”

“You got them as they jumped then?” It would be dicey, but he could understand how two fierce jit’suku ships might fall to one human vessel, given the element of surprise, but she shook her head.

“I wish we’d been that fast, but our orientation was bad for their angles of entry. We had to maneuver around, and by the time we were in good position for engagement, your ships were online and targeting us.” She refilled her glass with cold water and downed a portion quickly. “That was one hellacious battle. It went on for several hours as the three of us blocked and parried all over that sector. I thought for sure, they were just keeping us busy while a larger invasion force came through, but apparently, those two ships were acting on their own.”

Tigh nodded. “From what I’ve been told, the captains of the Bel’al and Gin’kil were conducting deep recon and thought one small human ship would be an easy victory. At least, that’s the last message they sent to their command before jumping. After that, we have little information on what happened until your side notified us of their destruction through diplomatic channels.”

“I’m sorry, Tigh.” She turned away from him. “This is going to be so hard. Your people will never forgive me or my people for the lives we’ve taken and vice versa. I don’t know why I thought this could work.” She stood and paced agitatedly toward the window.

Tigh came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Can you forgive me for abdicating in favor of my brother?”

 

Ginny turned to face him, startled by the unexpected question.

“You couldn’t have known what he would do with the power, Tigh. What Elius did wasn’t your fault.”

His eyes shut, and he pulled her closer. She went into his arms without protest, feeling the tension in his hard body.

“I’m glad to hear you think so, for I cannot help but ponder how different things would have been had I chosen to fulfill my duty as firstborn.” He held her, seeming to draw comfort from the gentle embrace. Ginny had to admit, it felt really good to be held in his arms, even when they weren’t having sex. Just being close to his powerful male body was a forgotten pleasure.

“It’s no use wondering what might have been and blaming yourself for the actions of another.”

He drew back slightly to kiss her forehead. “Thank you, Ginny.” He drew back farther still and looked down into her eyes. “There’s been much blood shed on both sides of this war. If you can forgive me for what I did—or at least, failed to do—then we have a beginning.”

“But your men will know I’m the captain that took out over a dozen of your ships. I don’t think they’ll forgive that easily at all.”

“A dozen?” Tigh seemed shocked.

“At least, over the years I’ve been in command.” She nodded, proud of her record, but not of the lives she’d had to end in order to defend her home galaxy. “The Sarasota was a great old ship, and my crew are among the best in the fleet. We were a small ship, but we were mighty.”

“The jit’suku respect a warrior’s prowess—even an enemy’s. It will be hard to think of a woman as a warrior, but they will know of your accomplishments once they know which ship you captained, and you will have immediate respect, if not acceptance. There is some formal reparation we can make to the families of those whose lives were lost to you that should further that respect.” His eyes sparkled as the wheels of his mind spun. “We can build on the respect, Ginny. In time, I think my people will accept you. You come to Solaris not as a vanquished enemy, nor as your people’s sacrifice for peace. You’ll come as a respected adversary turned truce-talker. And our true bond will give my people hope for the future, as will your pregnancy. Since the loss of our women, my people are almost totally without hope. I think they will accept you, and other human women, with open arms and minds, hoping you will forgive our aggression and save us from ourselves.”

“Oh, Tigh. I hope you’re right.” Over the comp, a discreet bell chimed, signaling that she was wanted in the commandant’s office. “I’ve got to go.” She tugged away from him gently.

“Will you be back for dinner?”

She paused, surprised by the intimacy they’d fallen into so easily. “Do you want to eat here in my quarters?”

“I thought it might be nice. Unless you’re tossing me out?” His blue eyes beseeched her, and she felt her heart melt—along with several other regions of her body.

“No, you can stay here, Tigh, though why you’d want to share this tiny suite when you had a posh diplomatic apartment at your disposal, I can’t imagine.”

“I want to be anywhere you are, Ginny. Whether posh or not, matters not to me. All that matters is that you are there. Then, it is my home.”

She smiled at him, pulling his head down for a tender kiss. “You say the sweetest things, sometimes.”

*

Ginny and Tigh ate dinner together in her suite later that night as she thought through her plans for the trip.

“Tigh, can I bring some women with me to Solaris?”

“Of course.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek affectionately. “You can bring whoever you like. The more the merrier, as you humans say.”

“Good. Then, I’d like to ask my bridge crew if they’ll come. Those women are like family to me, and I’d like to have them around, if they’re willing to give up their careers—at least for the time being. It’s a lot to ask of them, but I think a few will want to come with us. But, Tigh,” she placed one cautionary hand on his forearm, seeking his full attention, “they are very active women. They’re not used to sitting around doing nothing. They’ve been trained to run a battleship, and they’re among the best in the fleet. Do you think we can find something to occupy their time on the journey, and some kind of productive jobs, if they want them, when we reach Solaris?”

“You’re a good captain to think of you crew’s comfort.” Tigh sat back in his chair and sighed. “I will be frank with you. Jit’suku women, except in extraordinary circumstances, do not serve in our military. The gender roles in our society are—were—very clearly defined. Women tended to the home, raised the children, managed the finances. Men of the warrior classes protect and defend, manning the military and training. Men of the various worker classes help provision the warriors in whatever way their skills are suited. It worked for us for millennia, but now that our women are mostly gone, we are in chaos.” Tigh scratched his chin, thinking through the possibilities. “Perhaps your women will help forge change in our traditions, but it will not be an easy road.”

Ginny chuckled. “It wasn’t for our ancestors either.” Tigh looked surprised so she explained a bit of human history, starting with the suffragettes up to her time, hitting the highlights. Tigh seemed duly impressed, and a little alarmed, so she decided to calm some of his fears. “To be honest, many of us would never have pursued careers in the military if all our men hadn’t been killed. I know I’d planned to be a teacher before the war turned ugly, but when women started filling the empty posts in the fleet, I signed up. I know a few of my bridge crew were the same. They might welcome a chance to do less martial tasks, but none of my ladies are loafers. They’ll want meaningful work, not just busy-work.”

Tigh nodded gravely. “We will endeavor to find something suitable for them. I think I and my crew should make every effort to learn about these women on the journey so we can help them assimilate into jit’suku society. I hand-picked the crew for this voyage, and most of these men have strong diplomatic skills. They can help.”

Ginny snorted with amusement. “I can’t say the same of my ladies. Most of them say what they think and damn the consequences. Only respect for rank kept them in line. Now that we’ll be acting as civilians, we could very easily have a few intergalactic incidents on our hands before we even leave port.”

“I’ll warn my men.” Tigh laughed. “But I think they’ll be so glad to see women coming back with us, they’ll forgive just about anything.” His brows drew down as his face sobered. “We’ve all been worried about the fate of our race. Human women are the only hope we can see for the continuation of the jit’suku as a people.”

She sensed the concern in him and felt it echo through her thoughts as well. “But you won’t be fully jit’suku anymore if your plan succeeds. Your people will have human DNA too.”

“That’s probably for the best.” He placed his napkin aside and rose to face the window. “From what I’ve been told by our techs, the human DNA will temper us, make us more rational in the long run. That is something the jit’suku have needed for generations. I can only imagine it was the stresses of fighting an unwinnable war that caused my brother to make such an irrational, untenable decision to release the virus. That so many of his people had to feel the same to carry out those immoral orders says much for the irrationality of my race on the whole.”

Ginny came up behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Then, why do you seem so perfectly reasonable, Tigh?”

She meant it as a little joke, perhaps as a compliment, but when he turned, she saw the fierce expression on his face. She drew back a little, alarmed at the sudden change, and he let her go.

“I can be just as irrational as the next jit’suku warrior, Ginny. You give me too much credit.” He sighed, and his expression changed, became weary somehow. “I’ve spent the past years meditating and honing my skills on the Zenai mountain. That training allows me to see a bit more clearly, perhaps, than others of the warrior class.”

“You were going to be a priest, but your brother’s death changed your plans. I’m sorry for you but glad the empire is in your hands now, Tigh. Your brother would have kept fighting until all of us were dead.”

“As many still wanted to do, sadly.” He turned away again, but she caught the look of utter defeat on his face as he turned. “Until the women started dying.” His tone was so bleak, she felt tears gather behind her eyes. “But the high priest wouldn’t allow me to take my final vows. He knew all along that the priesthood was not my path. But my training is something I will never forget. It guides me and grounds me.”

“I respect that, Tigh.” She moved to stand next to him at the window. “You’re a good man and a wise emperor.”

They remained silent for a long time, staring out at the human city below, thinking deep thoughts. Their silence was companionable, their moods meshing as they grew increasingly comfortable in each other’s presence. At length, Ginny sighed and turned toward Tigh, breaking the solemn spell.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to meet with my bridge crew and ask if they want to come with us. I think, tomorrow night, we should have dinner with them, with your men too, so they can all meet each other and get an idea what we’ll be in for. I think, if my ladies have a chance to meet your men, they’ll be better able to decide whether they really want to come with us or not.”

Tigh looped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to his chest. “A sound plan, sweetheart. My men will be on their best behavior. I’ll tell them to wear their dress uniforms.”

“Oh, no, Tigh.” She drew back and smiled up at him. “I want this to be a casual affair. Not formal. I want them to interact as naturally as possible. They need to see you and your men in your everyday mode so they can get an idea of what you’re really like.”

Tigh laughed, and she was warmed by the sound. “I can’t promise they won’t act like asses, trying to impress your ladies, but I’ll pass the word.”

“Good. I’ll make all the other arrangements through fleet command. Michael owes me a few favors.”

“Favors?” Tigh sounded jealous, and she liked the possessive squeeze of his arm around her waist. “And just what kind of favors would a Son of Amber owe to my bride?”

She shrugged. “Oh, nothing much. I just saved his life. Twice.”

Tigh laughed aloud. “The leader of the Atlantia fleet owes you not one, but two life debts? These are tales I’d love to hear.”

“Maybe when we know each other better. After all, a woman likes to keep some secrets.” Ginny smiled at him, and he just shook his head.

“I see I’m going to have to keep my wits about me in this partnership of ours,” Tigh said, his expression open and amused. “But that’s a good thing. Neither of us would do well with a passive partner, I think.”

“You could be right about that,” Ginny replied, nodding as she acknowledged the absolute truth of his words.