The pregnancy went on and I learned this child was almost as curious as Kennedy. She wanted to know how things were built and how they ran. In the evenings I sometimes walked with Rose down to the parking garage and watched the men work on transports. They found my curiosity healthy and taught me all they could.


    Other days I actually sought out Rue, as horrible as his family was. I made them each a nice, new shirt as a peace offering. At my request, they taught me the mechanics of guns and how they built the weapons. It was fascinating.


    I wondered sometimes whose child this was. It felt simr to Kennedy’s pregnancy, but not the same. The curiosity was not an all consuming thing. Much like Hannah’s pregnancy this child went with themunal flow. She was certainly an equal mix of Paterian and Earthling.


    The men found my curiosity about her parentage funny. They’d y games with me to try to determine who the father was. It seemed I should know as I looked into their eyes, but the truth of it eluded me.


    My belly started to show sooner than it ever had before. For the first time I imagined the life inside of me to be a little alien. I’d never experienced a pregnancy so rapid before.


    It became imperative I hide my condition. I only bathed in the pot in my rooms or Damien’s rooms now. Luckily, I made my own clothes, so I altered things so my growing stomach would not show. Under the guise of ‘feeling cold’ I bundled up so no one could see the steadily growing lump in the front of me.


    I thought I hid it well, but Kennedy and her sisters surprised me several times. I was sure they had seen the telltale bump, but they just ignored it. Those girls seemed to have the worst habit of just popping in to talk early andte in the day.


    The tiredness was the only symptom I could not hide. I was exhausted again. I started to take naps at lunch and Rose would bring me food. I’d scarf my mid day meal between my nap and my afternoon chores.


    “Ciara,” Armant said as we prepared to leave the shop one afternoon, “can you take this stack of shirts to Gunth and his Brothers. I know they need them, but have been to busy to pick them up.”


    Oh, how I had longed to spend some quiet time asleep in bed.


    Yawning, I took the stack and moved toward the Administrative rooms. Rose didn’te with me. She was secretly meeting her family for the midday meal in their rooms. She promised to bring me food. My own family was out on patrol.


    In my mind I felt the exhration of soaring around outside. My men were hunting today with Arnold’s and Mund’s families. They loved these dangerous assignments. The things they saw still amazed them.


    I smiled to myself as I walked the busy halls of the camp. This home was good for all of us. We just wished we could be together and not in secret.


    The main Administrative area was empty today. No line of men and women asking for things. A sign announced there was a meeting today and Administrative business would be held until tomorrow.


    I walked through the open area with the shirts. I had no idea where Gunth and his family stayed, so I wanted to drop them off here. Instead of leaving, I followed the sound of voices toward what turned out to be a huge meeting room at the end of a hallway. If I could just find Gunth and his Brothers I’d leave this with them.


    I stepped from the hallway into the back of the massive auditorium. Tables were set up facing a central and well lit stage. All the attention was on arge woman talking at the head of the room on that stage. I recognized Tosu immediately and froze.


    “The ships are not here idly,” she was announcing. “They have been surveying the, we believe. They do not answer our hails and leave once they have been noticed.”


    Gunth and his Brothers sat toward the back of the room. He saw me standing in the doorway and waved me over. He pointed to a chair next to him and I sat dutifully. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be here, but he didn’t care. I sat the shirts on myp and listened silently.


    The meeting was about aliens. There were many different alien races the women worked with. They were well acquainted with the different races and their different ships. Right now, far above our heads, alien ships were flying around the for some unknown reason.


    The women had what sounded like satellites and telescopes, so they monitored the visitors. On the other side of the world women built ships and were well versed in the different types. What they had seen through the monitoring devices had concerned them.


    The ships were all war ss, scouting vessels.


    “We believe as I know you do, too,” Tosu said, “that they want our ore. The numbers on this have suffered. I believe, as do many, that these ships are going to attack one day. If they can destroy us, they can take the ore.”


    The assembled in the hall didn’t panic openly, but a low murmur went through everyone.


    “I have examined the pictures of their ships and I have brought them for your inspection as well,” Tosu continued. “There are many, many flying above us. There are even more floating behind thergest moon, thinking they are obscured from view.”


    Another low murmur went though the group and I shuddered in fear. Tosu saw the general reaction and raised her hand in a peaceful gesture.


    “We have hope,” she said. “None of us will give up.”This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    The talk in the room got louder suddenly. I saw a man up front gesture for several pictures Tosu had brought. She handed them over before continuing to speak about her beliefs regarding the alien ships.


    “What is your n?” Gunth called out suddenly.


    Tosu looked back at him and saw me. I saw her smile before she answered discussing protecting the men in thepounds first and foremost. They were in the most dangerous ce.


    The Warriors were now kept in thepounds and traders were not allowed to roam. Women waited in the deserts, vignt for attack. The ving women did not want to disrupt thepounds and believed they could stop the invaders if they came.


    Men in the mountains could be hidden in the caverns. Women would swarm the enemy ships and fight to the death. It would be war as it had always been fought before, as far as they were concerned.