About a week and a half later, Lana got called to a meeting on the Crow planet. She arrived as quickly as possible. Dobin had been using his ability to enable her to move quicker since her belly had her so off-balance. She couldn't wait for the babies to be born and said so several times a day.
At the meeting were Quinn and his leadership team. Sam quickly got to the point. "We need you to convince Quinn not to go get Vorden."
Lana raised an eyebrow, "why does Quinn feel the need to go?" and she looked at him.
"He called me."
Lana stood there looking at him expecting more but that was all he said. "Step outside with me," and she headed for the door.
Quinn proceeded to explain there were three different speech patterns and three different messages. The one he could identify as Vorden said everything was fine but wasn't convincing. Another was gruff saying going there would get him killed, killed, killed. The third was softer saying he wanted to be rescued and he wanted to see Quinn again.
Lana listened intently and nodded but didn't say anything. They went back into the room.
They got back in there just in time to hear Paul say Lana would back Quinn.
She smirked.
"Do you want me to go Lana?" Quinn asked.
"That's the wrong question, Quinn."
She looked around the room. She noticed a scorch mark on the table of a bunch of numbers. They were obviously coordinates. She listened intently for a few moments to the few remaining trees outside.
She looked at Sam, "Did Quinn invite the Graylash here to discuss the Blades?" Her fingers tenderly traced the scorched numbers.
"Yes, he did. But it's too dangerous for him to go."
Lana raised an eyebrow, "he invited the Graylash yet you think you can talk him out of this?" She glanced at the coordinates again. "What did Graylash say?"
"That Truedream attacked the Blades to get Quinn's power. The Blades took out his city." Paul stated.
Lana nodded as though she already knew this and had an expression on her face as if to ask what was new.
Sam looked at her, "the Sunshields aren't attacking factions randomly. They are running from the Blades. He and the Bree are not retaliating because they think Bernie is acting like a little child. They don't want to get involved and anger the Blades. Owen said it won't be long now and the Blades will act."
Lana looked shocked for a second then closed her eyes. "What you're saying it, the Graylash gave Quinn a window and coordinates."
Sam nodded wondering what exactly she knew and how.
"I told you she'd support Quinn in this. She is carrying Vorden's child. She would sacrifice Quinn to get him back."
Lana's eyes turned green as she stared at Paul. "The parentage of my children was meant to be a secret. You know nothing, old man. You have a few crumbs and think you have a whole picture."
Looking at Quinn, "He would not have said those things without reason. I think you need to listen to your gut because it's always been right. Graylash gave a window and the coordinates to Blade Island." She heard, "It's an island?" and rolled her eyes. She was uncomfortable and irritable and didn't want to spend her time dealing with these things.
"If someone wants to go with you, make sure they are strong. It will still be a hard battle for you but I think you will prevail."
"He's only 17!" Paul again.
"And he is your leader. He is the product of strong will and your shitty leadership! I understand you're trying to make up for it now. I get that. Don't hold him back."
Quinn smiled, "thank you."
"Quinn, I told you months ago. These are your advisors. They have parts of the picture. You have the whole picture. Get their advice and make the best decision you can based on what you know. If you ever want to see Vorden again, the time is now."
Quinn nodded.
Lana screamed in pain as a baby shoved a foot into her kidney. Everyone started freaking out thinking the baby was coming. Lana rolled her eyes at everyone while she breathed through the pain. She looked at Shalt as Caser wrapped his tentacles around her offering support and comfort, "Please get me back home before these kids have a full-blown martial arts competition in there."
Shalt offered an elbow knowing it was the only form of physical help she would accept.
Back in her room, she lay on her bed and cried for the hundredth time wishing her husband was there. Caser lay on the bed next to her as always giving his comfort. He missed his human daddy as well.
Lana's family brought her food and such, not wanting to allow her to do much. The twins were very much complaining about lack of room in there and she was frequently in pain. They were afraid she'd fall as the result of one of the random kicks they offered as an expression of their discomfort. She did get out of bed and walk around her house but she was losing her mind going in circles.
She did take advantage of the time to do more studying of the files, the books she got from Quinn's library, the few she salvaged from the Agricultural area of the school. She thought she now knew where she went wrong on the energy bars and was itching to try them. There were too many eyes on her right now, though.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when Sam called her directly. He said that Quinn was on the way back from the island and she might want to be there when he got there. She jumped up off the bed and called Shalt in as she grabbed her robe.
"Is everything okay? Are the babies coming?"
Lana looked up, "well, yes, they are but get Dobin. I need to go to the Cursed Ship."
Shalt had a look on his face that he thought she should stay there and was getting ready to express such when she said, "I'm just going to sit in the teleporter room."
Shalt sighed and went to get Dobin. They now had a elevators in. The family was worried about her safety so the faction put in 4, one each at the corners of where the 80-foot houses were.
Dobin used his ground surfing skill to move her to the elevated and again to get her to the teleporter. While she was gone, he went to check on something he had Almin working on. It was finished so he had that waiting for her when she returned.
---------------------------------------------------
In the teleporter room, Lana was sitting in a chair breathing through the pain watching the time on her wrist. She nodded to herself and leaned back in her chair when the pain subsided. Soon the door opened as a beautiful blond young man walked through the door. He looked horrible, had been crying, and his eyes were still leaking. He had obviously been through combat and when she looked at his head, there were two auras absent.
Lana looked at him in alarm, "Sil!" She struggled to get up. Shalt gave her an assist but she didn't even notice. Sil was so distraught he hadn't even registered her yet much less the situation. Sam had walked in behind with him and let her know Quinn passed out and has been taken to his room. Lana nodded as she took in everything she was seeing with her husband.
"Does Quinn know the situation on the planet yet?"
"No," Sam replied.
Lana nodded, "can I borrow my husband?"
Sam nodded.
At the word "husband", Sil looked up and saw her. His face crumbled and he cried harder, "they're gone! Vorden! Raten!"
Lana put her arms around her husband and cried with him. Then another contraction hit and her water broke.
Sil was shocked as his feet suddenly got wet. Sam went into Panic Mode. Lana heard Shalt behind her call Dobin and then Rene.
Sil looked Lana up and down. His hands gently touched her tummy while she breathed through the pain. His tears stopped as he looked into her eyes and nothing else existed. He wrapped his arms around her, "you need a doctor."
She chuckled through the pain, softly, "it's been nine months and the first thing you say is "you need a doctor?" really?"
She gazed up at his as Caser stabilized her, "do you want to see your babies born?"
Sil's eyes were leaking again and he nodded, eyes not leaving hers.
Sam marveled how he seemed like a different person in her presence.
Shalt led them through the teleporter. Waiting for them was Dobin with a modified cart. It now had 2 seats and was open at one side. The front and the back had a ledge to stand on and it could be driven like a car.
They didn't have time to gawk at the latest treasure. They climbed aboard and Caser ran along side. Dobin drove as fast as he could. He complained the elevator was too slow. He cursed the elevator being placed too far from her house even though he was part of that decision.
In her room, Rene already had everything prepared. Dobin and Shalt turned around as Sil and Rene took her regular clothes off her and put her robe back on her. Every time Sil touched her bare skin. It felt like electricity was going through her. Lana didn't understand it but she did know she wanted his touch more than anything.
Rene asked Sil to sit behind her on the bed and hold Lana. She then propped pillows behind them both. Sil marveled at the number of pillows. Lana savored the energy she was feeling being in Sil's arms again. This feeling had never happened before but she didn't care. He was here now.
"Sil, could you tell us what happened? Start with the temple? The others need to understand. Just those in this room, though. It's still a secret outside this room."
Sil nodded.
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