Avery.
“Not now,” Avery said. The beginnings of a smile forced the edges of her mouth upward. She put the brush down and turned toward Grant. He was struck by the full effect of her radiance as her smile turned into a grin. She moved toward the bed and held her hands over her tummy. “She’s going to have other things to focus on for a while now.”
It took Grant a moment, but he suddenly understood and laughed.
Mouse and Sue had been trying to have a baby for years with no luck. Less than a month before, Mouse had confided to Grant that he didn’t know if it would ever happen.
“Oh, that’s great! Does Mouse know yet?”
Avery laughed and lay down beside Grant.
“She’s probably telling him the news right now.”
Chapter 7
The topic of the approaching Minith ship dominated the daily Command Meeting, as usual. The difference between this and previous discussions was now the apparent presence of Titan on the ship. Titan’s single communication with Earth had been short and succinct. He was landing at the previous site of the Minith mothership, and there were no Minith on board.
While it was a relief to most of those in the command meeting that the ship didn’t hold thousands of Minith warriors, there were a lot of unanswered questions. Was Titan alone? Where had he been for the past six years? And most important, had he succeeded in destroying the alien’s home planet?
There were just too many things they did not know.
As a result, Grant was taking a cautious approach. While he hoped the former leader of Violent’s Prison was on board and in control of the alien vessel, he wasn’t going to accept it on blind faith. He knew from his earlier dealings with the Minith, and through his interactions with Treel, that they were an intelligent, aggressive race. They could be pulling a Trojan horse, for all he knew. It wasn’t the smartest play on their part, but it was certainly possible.
Regardless, he planned to arrive at the landing site with a full battle contingent. All would be armed and ready to rock and roll.
He provided the orders to his subordinates, who would set that plan in motion. Several had questions on deployment matters, which he patiently answered. He took no shortcuts in his explanations, issued no reprimands for uncertainty. It was imperative that they understood what was expected of them and their forces.
When their battle plan was in place, Grant moved on to the topic that had kept him awake the night before—the orphans who lived in the Council-run shelters around the world, including the ones here in Violent’s Prison. His interactions with the boys—and with Jonah in particular—had affected him deeply.
Grant knew the issue was not the most pressing matter that should be engaging his attention, especially with the Minith ship only two days away, but he couldn’t deny the pull. For the first time in his life, the portion of his being that was a soldier was overridden by a more powerful portion of his being—the father. Ever cognizant of the internal forces that drove him, Grant realized it, understood it, and accepted it as fact.
“Tane, where do we stand on production of weapons? Any change there?”
The scientist was seated at the far end of the long table.
“No. No change,” the scientist acknowledged. “We are still producing weapons in all our factories. As you know, we do not have enough soldiers to wield them, so we are storing them in secure facilities around the world. Each Culture now has a significant surplus—probably more than they will need for decades to come.”
“Okay.” Grant nodded, swallowed. “Since we have all the weapons we can handle, I’d like to turn our attention to something else.”
He waited for someone to object or question why. Not one of the dozen in the room did. They merely looked at him and waited for them to explain what was needed. It was a sign that they trusted him implicitly and would follow his lead.
“Not now,” Avery said. The beginnings of a smile forced the edges of her mouth upward. She put the brush down and turned toward Grant. He was struck by the full effect of her radiance as her smile turned into a grin. She moved toward the bed and held her hands over her tummy. “She’s going to have other things to focus on for a while now.”
It took Grant a moment, but he suddenly understood and laughed.
Mouse and Sue had been trying to have a baby for years with no luck. Less than a month before, Mouse had confided to Grant that he didn’t know if it would ever happen.
“Oh, that’s great! Does Mouse know yet?”
Avery laughed and lay down beside Grant.
“She’s probably telling him the news right now.”
Chapter 7
The topic of the approaching Minith ship dominated the daily Command Meeting, as usual. The difference between this and previous discussions was now the apparent presence of Titan on the ship. Titan’s single communication with Earth had been short and succinct. He was landing at the previous site of the Minith mothership, and there were no Minith on board.
While it was a relief to most of those in the command meeting that the ship didn’t hold thousands of Minith warriors, there were a lot of unanswered questions. Was Titan alone? Where had he been for the past six years? And most important, had he succeeded in destroying the alien’s home planet?
There were just too many things they did not know.
As a result, Grant was taking a cautious approach. While he hoped the former leader of Violent’s Prison was on board and in control of the alien vessel, he wasn’t going to accept it on blind faith. He knew from his earlier dealings with the Minith, and through his interactions with Treel, that they were an intelligent, aggressive race. They could be pulling a Trojan horse, for all he knew. It wasn’t the smartest play on their part, but it was certainly possible.
Regardless, he planned to arrive at the landing site with a full battle contingent. All would be armed and ready to rock and roll.
He provided the orders to his subordinates, who would set that plan in motion. Several had questions on deployment matters, which he patiently answered. He took no shortcuts in his explanations, issued no reprimands for uncertainty. It was imperative that they understood what was expected of them and their forces.
When their battle plan was in place, Grant moved on to the topic that had kept him awake the night before—the orphans who lived in the Council-run shelters around the world, including the ones here in Violent’s Prison. His interactions with the boys—and with Jonah in particular—had affected him deeply.
Grant knew the issue was not the most pressing matter that should be engaging his attention, especially with the Minith ship only two days away, but he couldn’t deny the pull. For the first time in his life, the portion of his being that was a soldier was overridden by a more powerful portion of his being—the father. Ever cognizant of the internal forces that drove him, Grant realized it, understood it, and accepted it as fact.
“Tane, where do we stand on production of weapons? Any change there?”
The scientist was seated at the far end of the long table.
“No. No change,” the scientist acknowledged. “We are still producing weapons in all our factories. As you know, we do not have enough soldiers to wield them, so we are storing them in secure facilities around the world. Each Culture now has a significant surplus—probably more than they will need for decades to come.”
“Okay.” Grant nodded, swallowed. “Since we have all the weapons we can handle, I’d like to turn our attention to something else.”
He waited for someone to object or question why. Not one of the dozen in the room did. They merely looked at him and waited for them to explain what was needed. It was a sign that they trusted him implicitly and would follow his lead.
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