Elder Mirhat paces back and forth in his meeting chambers. Several other yautja warriors, two of them elders, are standing in a loose circle at the center of the room. Elder G'lfer watches Elder Mirhat with weary eyes.

  "I do not like this plan of Elder N-Vorl's,” Mirhat grumbles. “He is still wet behind the ears. Yet, he has managed to convince Elder G’tlak to allow him to seek out and reseed the kredonyit home world. Do any of you honestly believe this young elder already knows the location? The location of V'Daha was supposed to be a closely guarded secret. Yet, even a wet whelp may have found it. What does he know? Someone has been sloppy."

  Elder Mirhat pauses long enough to catch his breath and peer at his fellow hunters. The other yautja stare back at Elder Mirhat with blank expressions.

  "Do you think Elder G’tlak is aware of the hybrid settlement on V'Daha?" Mirhat continues. "Why else would he give in so easily? Is he hoping to expose us? And to what end? To upend so many clans would lead to inevitable war."

  "You talk too much, Elder Mirhat," another tall and wide elder barks. "Elder G’tlak is an old fool! He may have his suspicions, but he has never been brave enough to travel there himself and confirm them. That much, I do know. You will do well by remaining calm. Do not bring suspicion down on your own head. Go along with the wet whelp’s plan. Let him believe he has the upper hand."

  "Once the seed team arrives at the kredonyit planet and discovers the females and hybrids there...All will be lost. We will all be ruined," Elder G’lfer argues.

  "Not so," the wide elder argues. "I suspect Elder N-Vorl is already aware of the hybrids on the planet's surface. That is why he is carefully cultivating his team. He hopes to avoid infiltrators. I don't know what his plan is, but we will ensure it inevitably fails. We must have a warrior on the inside. He will make sure nothing escapes from the kredonyit planet alive."

  "Kill our own descendants? How can you even suggest such a thing, Elder Ghkivil?" Elder Mirhat says in a choked voice.

  "Is that any worse than allowing them to live in misery and near squalor on an abandoned world? A quick death is what any yautja truly wants," Ghkivil argues.

  "But they are not yautja. They are half ooman. Many of them females. It is against the code."

  "So what? To mate with an ooman female is against the code. Not a one of us was considering the code when we made each of those females heavy. Or when we abandoned them to their fates on the planet's surface. Don't talk to me about the code, Elder Mirhat. I know the code as well as any of you here. Better even. The traditions of our great race hang on whether or not N-Vorl's mission succeeds. It will be beneficial to us all...If he does not succeed."

  Silence fills the room. Elder Ghkivil glances around at his fellow elders and hunters. The elder's mind whirls with plans and schemes for the future. His future. Elder Ghkivil's mouthfolds draw upward in a cruel grin, his mandibles slowly opening and shutting with growing anticipation.

  "Let us take a vote."

  -

  -

  Baileinahk enters her private quarters and leans against the door. Her breathing comes in ragged breathes, and tears stream down her face. The aggrieved yautja female mutters softly to herself, using the back of one taloned hand to wipe at her tears.

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  "After all of these cycles. How can N-Vorl still hate me after so long? What am I going to do? What can I do?"

  Crossing to her bedroom, Baileinahk is surprised when there is a knock on the door. Soft, but insistent. She strides quickly to the door and palms it open. Shock and amusement alters her face when she finds Elder N-Vorl standing there.

  "N-Vorl? Uh...Elder N-Vorl, I—"

  N-Vorl's green eyes narrow and his mouth curls upward in a sly grin. Baileinahk is unsure how to interpret the young elder's sudden change in attitude. She absently takes a step back, and N-Vorl takes a step forward. Baileinahk backs up even further into the room, her brow creasing with concern.

  "N-Vorl? What are you doi—?"

  The doors finally close behind N-Vorl and he hastily moves toward Baileinahk. She emits a tiny gasp as he grips her left wrist in a large hand and draws her to him. N-Vorl's grin grows even wider, as he inhales the sweetness of Baileinahk's feminine scent. So many cycles, but nothing changes. Her scent of readiness assaults his senses just as strongly as it did when they were but budding cultivators aboard N'bril's habitat. During the brief time of their n'fiis, under the stone gaze of his famed grandfather's statue.

  N-Vorl's other clawed hand reaches for the tie at the front of Baileinahk's bulky cultivator robes. She finally catches on and both eyes widen with disbelief. She follows the path of his hand as he slowly releases the knot at the front of her robe. Her previous worries begin to melt away. Before he goes any further, N-Vorl releases Baileinahk's wrist and cradles one side of her face. He studies her carefully, memories washing away all thoughts of his previous anger.

  "You came here to—," Baileinahk sighs.

  "There is no time for talking. We have wasted enough cycles not speaking to one another. Let us not waste any more."

  "Oh!"

  Baileinahk obeys N-Vorl's playful order without argument. She allows him to open the front of her robe. The many folds to her elaborate clothing prove to be a small hindrance, but not one the youthful elder cannot overcome.

  As Baileinahk's robes settle to the floor, N-Vorl lifts his former lover into his arms. Carrying her to the bedroom, he places her gently on the large firm bed. Baileinahk opens her arms and lies back on the mattress. With a smile, which says he is happy beyond all comprehension, N-Vorl drops down onto the bed and hovers over Baileinahk.

  "You have not changed at all. You are still very beautiful," N-Vorl says.

  He calmly strokes Baileinahk's hair. The colorful beads on her braids, which denote her cultivator status, clink softly together. Baileinahk returns N-Vorl's smile, running her hands through his hair as well.

  "And you are just as angry, N-Vorl. And unpredictable."

  "I am not angry. I have a very good reason for why I do not want you to accompany me to the kredonyit home world. Anger...And our past...Has nothing to do with it. I do not want to see you get hurt."

  "Why can't I join you, N-Vorl? A hunter's life is not guaranteed to be a safe one."

  "You are not a hunter!" N-Vorl scoffs. "You are a cultivator. We have more than enough cultivators and scientists for our mission. It would be unnecessary."

  "But I want to go. Send one of the others home. I want to be with you, N-Vorl. I have been so long without you. I want you near me. I want you inside of me. I want to carry your descendants. I want you, N-Vorl!"

  N-Vorl's heart races as indecision seizes his brain. He chooses not to dwell on the situation at the moment. For now, he will focus on pleasure. He will focus on Baileinahk.

  Pressing his right cheek to Baileinahk's left cheek, N-Vorl inhales her scent once more, preparing himself for the task ahead. She is receptive. She is ready. But, she is also very afraid. Strange. Does she fear him or the future?

  Licking the side of Baileinahk's face, N-Vorl tries to get a better sense of her emotions through taste. Something appears off. He runs his tongue down past her chin and the flesh of her throat. There is definitely fear in her blood. Fear of him? Of his wrath? He will have to dissuade her from this thinking.

  For several hours, N-Vorl and Baileinahk perform a labor of love long overdue.