Oppose (8 page)

Two weeks later, Jill faced the two families that were laying claim to her daughter.

She would have been nervous if she hadn’t felt the Great Archive in the room and had Rimash at her side.

The courtroom was seldom used on the world of the Archive, but today, it was in action.

Jill had stood with Imjay in her sling throughout the entire claim process, and finally, it was her turn to speak.

She let Imjay hold her finger as she made her own claim to the child, including everything that could sway the balance. Each statement of fact caused the smugness of the Selna and the Nyal to fade.

The judge finally stood and inclined its heads to all participants. “Having weighed all the testimony, it is found that Imjillema Imbri Rimash is the daughter of Jillema Ahamad and Rimash of the Drai, as well as a citizen of the Great Archive. It shall be recorded and registered as such. Anyone found attempting to circumvent this ruling shall be committing an act of war against the Great Archive and will be subject to any punishments it chooses to levy.”

The two-headed judge inclined its heads toward her and the baby. “Your claim is upheld. Enjoy your daughter.”

“Thank you, Judge.”

Rimash put his arm around her, and he led her out of the courtroom. He whispered, “Take her home. I will make sure that the others leave.”

“Thanks, love. Don’t forget, it is Laliette’s birthday. We are having a party tonight.”

“I will be there.” He grinned.

She left through the security doors, and the guards made sure she wasn’t followed.

Imjay squirmed, so Jill lifted her to her shoulder as they entered the secure shuttle. “You were a very good girl, Imjay.”

Imjay smiled and waved her hands as she was held in a more upright position. She was growing fast. Exponentially fast. The doctors at the med centre said that her body was growing to species standards; it was just doing it very quickly. Her brain was developing even faster.

“Mama.”

Jill nearly dropped her.

Imjay was sucking her fist and smiling. “Mama.”

“Imjay.”

The baby beamed. “Me.”

Their shuttle was whisking through the underground tunnels and Jill wanted nothing more than to have a witness to her daughter’s words.

Five minutes later, they had crossed half a continent at ridiculous speeds and were pulling in to the secure station near their home.

Jill lifted Imjay high against her chest and walked the three blocks to their home, stepping into the lift and heading for their place.

Laliette was waiting for them. “So?”

“She’s ours. How long has she been talking?”

Lali blinked. “What?”

Imjay waved her arms and squawked. “Mommy, Me!”

Jill pointed at the baby in her arms. “That.”

Lali grinned. “That is new. Congratulations on the custody.”

“Thank you. It is a load off my mind knowing that Rimash is legally allowed to kill anyone who tries to take her.” It was a statement she had never considered until she had begun to delve into some of the contracts and what could happen to a child given to either of those species. It was not an outcome she wanted for her daughter.

Imjay would have the chance to choose, she would have a chance to be free, and she would have access to the best education in the known universe. It wasn’t a bad legacy to give to a child.

The accelerated development would be something they had to keep track of, but fortunately, they were in the perfect spot to keep her developing mind stimulated.

After feeding and changing the baby, Lali put her down for a nap. Jill changed into casual clothing and went to her terminal, ordering the presents that she had had constructed for Lali the previous week.

When the delivery stations started humming, Jill opened the first of the units that decorated the main dining room with sparkly ribbons along the ceiling.

The presents arrived and were put in the centre of the table, a special Driar festival meal had been ordered, and Jill had ordered the equivalent for her and Rimash.

When Rimash arrived, he was a little battered, but he had grim triumph in his expression. “They are gone.”

She smiled and walked up to hug him. “Thank you.”

When she looked up at him, he grinned. “They had to leave in one ship. I ate the other one. It drove the point home.”

She laughed and touched his cheek in a caress she was used to when he was in his on-duty armour. “Well done. The party is ready. Lali is in her room studying.”

“And now our little family is official. I feel like celebrating.” His eyes heated in a familiar way.

“No celebrating until after the party.”

A happy squeal came from Imjay’s room.

Jill gave him an arch look. “She has started talking.”

He didn’t have a chance to ask. The squeals of, “Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy,” were hard to ignore.

Rimash was in the baby’s room in a moment, and he was lifting her up and out of her little bed. She was waving the small stuffed dragon while she chanted, “Daddy, daddy, daddy.”

Jill looked at her focus and started snickering.

Rimash glared at her as he cuddled their daughter against his chest. “Not funny.”

“You gave her the toy. I just used it as an example when I was explaining how you can fly. I had no idea she was listening.”

Imjay patted his metal chest and chortled. “Daddy, daddy.”

Rimash’s eyes filled with moisture, and he sucked in a deep breath. “That is surprisingly touching.”

Jill fought her own tears.

Suddenly, Imjay perked up and chirped, “Me, memememememememmeme.”

Rimash looked down with a smile. “And the moment is gone.”

Jill took the baby and grinned. “Go and change for the party. We will be here when you are ready.”

Lali was shocked by the party, moved to tears and deluged by the waves of presents that Jill had arranged. The pads were links to a variety of archives that included a holographic learning element. Their quarters were equipped for the projection, so Lali could learn more efficiently while watching Imjay.

It was another step in the evolution of their family, and Jill enjoyed watching the faces around her as they made their own traditions and changed to match the needs of their grouping.

With Rimash at her side, she felt pretty confident that they could meet whatever was coming their way.

With her white hair curled in an elaborate coronet, Imjay led the new students through the Learning Annex of the Great Archive.

“This is a new structure and a pet project of the Master Archivist. In an effort to help students learn their areas of focus, representations of the entire Great Archive are found in these walls.” Imjay was dressed in the soft-white beaded gown of the Archive and wearing the uniform felt peculiarly right.

“Any questions so far?”

One of the students raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“I have heard that there is a Drai on the Great Archive. How does that work?”

Imjay smiled. “The Great Archive gave him a territory in exchange for assistance in securing this world. That territory includes the building we are standing in.”

A male, swathed in fabric with only golden eyes showing, raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“Are you mated?”

Imjay laughed. After five decades, she was used to the question. She had grown fast, but she had never experienced the side effects of either of her genetic originators. She didn’t have to mate or go insane. She enjoyed her life as a single woman with the informational wonderland surrounding her day by day.

“I am not.”

The man’s eyes focused on her with intensity. “Why not?”

She grinned. “I am waiting for a man just like my father.”

As if summoned by her comments, the Master Archivist and the Security Master entered the space for their part of the introduction lecture.

Imjay walked over to them, hugged her mother and kissed her cheek and then did the same to her father.

He rumbled, “Any trouble?”

“One or two are a little frisky; I think you have dampened that.”

Her mother grinned. “He has the opposite effect on me, but I guess I am just twisted that way.”

Rimash took his mate in his arms and kissed her, flaring his wings wide to offer them a little privacy.

When he set his mate upright, her dusky cheeks were filled with colour and her eyes were dazed.

That was the feeling that Imjay wanted when she thought about her mate. She was not going to settle for less.

She returned to her group. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the Master Archivist and the Security Master. My parents.”

The men who had been eyeing her suddenly cooled their inclinations. It was fun to watch them visibly draw back.

The rest of the orientation continued on schedule and no more personal questions were asked.

Imjay grinned and hoped that one day a man would walk through her door and make her expression soften the same way her mother’s did when she looked at her father. She had time. The Archive had taken her off the clock. She would have to wait for her mate to arrive, but she had plenty of time.

The baby showed up before the courtship even started. After that, it was an effort to get them into bed.

Hopefully, everything happened when it should.

Thanks for reading,

Viola Grace

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.