Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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"You had him writhing on the moss?" The Zak raised an eyebrow. "Probably squeezed him dry." She
smiled sweetly. "Going to have his baby?"
"Sheepshit—!" Shkai'ra started up counting on her fingers, then stuck out a bare foot to finish counting
on her toes. "Don't scare me like that!" she said, rummaging in the saddlebags for the birth-herb and the
special tea-pot, grimacing as she set the round brown clay by the fire, throwing in a double pinch of herb
and adding the water. "Jaiwun, I hate the way this tastes. Better safe than sorry, though. Oh, well, men
have to havesome advantage to make up for being stiff and crotch-kick-able." She broke the eggs into
the pan and stirred them around with a stick. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."
"News from the machine-scribedPages; wrinkled granny takes advantage of young, good-looking
commander…" Megan ducked the stick. "Heis handsome."I'm attracted and scared shitless all at the
same time , she thought,as usual .
Shkai'ra smiled more seriously. "Actually, I was thinking of bearing one when we get back." She sighed.
"I miss Shyll and Rilla and even the brat." She reached out to touch Megan on the cheek. "I never thought
I'd say that about my family, my family were all—good Kommanza, easy to hate." Her eyes were full of
ghosts for a moment. "Glad you're here, love."
"Where else would I be?"She's actually not that bad with a child , Megan thought,as long as it's in
the walking, talking phase and she can give it to someone else, and as long as someone reminds
her not to tease too far . "Love you, Shkai'ra."
"Love you, Megan." Softly. "More than my heart's blood. It'd be better for Sova if she were back home;
better for the mission, more convenient all round. I'm still glad she's here; someone else we can trust. I
must be going soft in my old age."
Reveille gongs sounded, and the call: "Rise and shine and sma-a-a-a-ash
Aa-a-a-a-a-ar-ko-o-o-o-o-oh!" Megan frowned down at her cup of fish oil.Sometimes these claws are
more trouble than they're worth . "Shit," she said, standing up. "Sova's not back yet."
"Yes, she is, there she comes." Shkai'ra pointed. "Jaiwun All-mate, I think… do you?"
"No, love, I don't think. I'msure ." The look on the girl's face was unmistakable.
Matthas had found a half-decent contact in the retreating Arkan army. Manajas Sennen, an infantry
commander who was high enough to authorize what he needed. That was as high as he cared to go.
Manajas had been the only one in the command awake when Matthas had come in the first night, using
overheard passwords to pass the first barriers, stony looks and the bark of "Irefas" to get through the
deeper.
"Yes, Nerasas, old pal," Manajas had said sympathetically—no sense for Matthas to use his real name,
let it be thought a code name—when he gave a heavily edited explanation of his plight. "I understand all
too well; I've received orders to buy the town and two copper chains to do it with often enough myself.
Cutbacks. Back in my day it wasn't this way… I'll help you out." A good egg, his only fault having got
too entwined in the vine.Maybe it was cutbacks killing off his soldiers that drove him to drink . Well,
disadvantages were to turn into advantages; Matthas had got Manajas to sign for a thing or two while too
sozzled to read.