Page 177 of Alien Burn

Tivek looked at Dhomhes.

“You may rise in the rankings.”

Khalzin came to see him two days later.

He closed the operations-room door himself and stood looking at the chair until Dhomhes pointed to it.

“Sit down before you make me nervous.”

Khalzin sat.

“Janae is pregnant.”

Dhomhes stared at him.

“Aukrae's scan. The genome he referred to in the chamber—he was speaking about the child she carries. We found it in the report after he told us to look more closely.”

The careful phrasing in the recording returned to Dhomhes. Aukrae had given Oleave exactly enough doctrine to loosen his grip without stopping to offer a lesson in reproduction.

“Does Janae want this shared?”

“With you. Yes.” Khalzin rubbed both palms over his knees. “The follow-up looks good. She is well.”

Dhomhes stood and pulled him out of the chair into an embrace.

For a moment his friend held himself stiffly. Then he gripped Dhomhes's back.

“Congratulations,” Dhomhes said.

Khalzin let out a breath that sounded almost painful.

“Everyone is going to talk about the program.”

“Eventually.”

“The proof. The future of the species.”

“Probably.”

“I keep thinking about whether she's eating enough.”

Dhomhes drew back.

“That sounds sensible.”

“I wanted to be right.” Khalzin shook his head. “Now I mostly want her safe.”

“You may have both.”

Khalzin looked at him for a moment, then smiled.

“You're speaking from experience.”

Dhomhes glanced toward the inner door. Sereya was somewhere beyond it, helping an analyst put dates to Roemary's remembered conversations.

“I may be.”

Hawn came that evening. Dhomhes brought up the new search map before he had to ask.