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“I’m sorry,” he said, muffled by her abdomen. “Forgive me.”

Anna clutched his head to her middle. He could feel her shame, but also her need for him to anchor her in such a difficult time for her. She was trying to put aside her own wishes for the welfare of her son and for that he thought he might die from loving her. Anna was everything a Gothe’maran man could want in a wife.

Desperately needing to get her talking to him, to help her be comfortable with him again, he turned to the subject most on her mind. “Tell me about your life on Earth,tarae.”

“You never ask the easy questions, do you?” Anna took a deep breath. “I’d never given the future much thought beyond looking for you. I wasn’t even sure Iwouldfind you.”

Kahn smiled. “I know, sweet. Butnow. What do you want from the future?”

Anna thought a moment. “I’m really not sure. Beyond getting my son back and him being whole and healthy, I don’t know what more I could ask of the future.” She thought for a moment. “I suppose I never really cared what happened to me before you found me at the Front. My thought was to get to you by any means necessary, but I never truly expected to ever see Kahn the Merciless a second time. I think I just wanted the nightmare my life had become to be over. Either you’d find me and explain the madness happening on Earth or the Gothe’maran would kill me. Either way, that phase of my life would be over.”

“And what of your life before?”

Anna swallowed. “I loved my husband deeply.” Her voice was husky, rough. “My little boy? It goes without saying that I loved him more than my own life. I would have given my own to save his, but they came out of nowhere. I didn’t have time to act, to prevent anything. When it was over, what could I have done that would have made any difference? Your scientists may be able to bring Alexander back to life, but I knew ours couldn’t. I worked in the medical field ten years before the Pilot incident. I knew nothing would save either Alex or Mark.”

Anna retreated, gliding to the opposite edge of the bath without turning to face him. “My life was happy, Kahn. Every married couple has problems and we were no exception, but I would have gladly spent the rest of my life with him, raising our son.” Kahn felt the emotion compress her chest. She hurt talking about this.

The gentle lapping of the water was loud in the ensuing silence as he moved to gently touch her shoulder. “If I gave you the opportunity, would you give your account of what happened at the Pilot?”

Anna wiped tears from her cheeks with the heels of her hands and sniffed. “Why? What good could possibly come of it?”

He hesitated, unsure how to phrase his next statement. “When we get to Gothe’mar, there will be a trial going on. The man responsible for leading the rebel warriors to Earth is being tried for what your people would call crimes against humanity. There are statements that he alone was responsible for recruiting the warriors he unleashed on your planet, and that he gave them explicit instructions to wipe out every living thing on your planet save fertile females, but there have been no witnesses from Earth to describe firsthand what actually happened from Earth’s perspective.” Kahn gently turned her to face him, his eyes locked to hers, waiting for a reaction. “Mikkril says Earth was in the middle of a civil war when they got there. They were only trying to end the killing.”

Anna gasped. “But yousawthem kill my family!”

“No, Anna. I saw them vaporize your husband’s body and come after you. I didn’t see them actually kill anyone. After that incident, the only killing I saw was my warriors killing Mikkril’s.”

Rage almost consumed her. She wanted to lash out, to hit something. To kill something… someone. Kahn couldn’t blame her. “So you’re telling me there is a possibility your people will be convinced we did this to ourselves? We killed each other on such a massive scale? What about the death camps? How will he explain them?”

“Your history is replete with similar incidents, as is our own. As is just about every race in the universe. It’s not uncommon. You can prove that’s not what happened.”

“What about Alex’s injuries? He was hit with a Gothe’maran weapon. Won’t that make a difference?”

“Certainly. Medical Command will testify to such, but they need your account to back them up and fill in the rest of the story.” He lowered himself into the water so that he was face to face with her, looking at her from eye level instead of towering over her. “Can you do this?”

The determination to avenge her son and husband in the only way given to her was very strong. She would get her point across to the king. She would make him see Mikkril for what he really was. A murderer.

“I’ll do whatever you need me to, Kahn.”

He enfolded her in his strong embrace then. Nuzzling her hair with his chin, kissing her temple. Simply holding her. And she let him. He drew some comfort in that. “I’m sorry,tarae. All this has been more difficult on you than it had to be and I am the cause. I should have told you about Alex from the start.”

“I guess I’m as much to blame as you are. I’m the one who practically attacked you when I first woke up.” She smiled, a little, sad smile. “Just let me work it out. I will, in time.”

“I know you will. Unfortunately, there is something else.”

“There’s more?” Her disbelief and dismay were clear.

“Yes. And I honestly don’t know how to explain the rest to you. It will be difficult for you when we reach Gothe’mar, and there will be little I can do to help until the trial is over.”

“What do you mean, ‘difficult’?” Her wariness sharpened her features, and she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Before he could answer, the intercom chimed softly.

Kahn swore under his breath. “Speak,” he barked.

“General, Military Command requests you speak with them immediately.” The voice was clipped, but neutral. He tried to bury his apprehension, but wasn’t sure how well he succeeded.Here it comes.

“Alex?” she whispered. Kahn shushed her with a quick touch of his finger to her lips and a kiss to her forehead.

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