Carly woke up in a soft bed in a place she didn't recognise. Nearby Bekken was slowly stirring a cooking pot. The smell wafted over to her and made her instantly hungry. Her stomach growled in approval. Sitting up in the bed and took in her surroundings. The place was neatly furnished and the nearby window let in soft light and a gentle breeze. Struggling to her feet, she started to walk around the room, the cold stone floors instantly chilling her.

Bekken turned to face her, "Sit, you need to eat and rest…. Baby needs food. You need rest."

Carly felt strained but it was good to walk. "Im not getting back into bed, I'm just going to move around, the blood flow feels good." She hobbled around a bit more while Bekken ladled the food into bowls.

Bekken showed her the bowl, "Sit, eat…. Come now."

The sat together at a wooden table and ate in silence. Bekken studied her for a moment before continuing to eat.

"When is Setg coming?" Carly was worried about him.

"Not for a while…." Bekken chose his words carefully…. "He will contact when he can." He continued watching Carly…. Calculating….

Carly felt unease about the healer. Something didn't feel that right, but she didn't have much chance to meet many other Yuatja. Setg used to show her around the ship, but soon became protective of her a kept her in the room. Not that she had to complain; she was sick and weak most of the time and just wanted to sleep all day. Now she knew it was due to her pregnancy, she wished she learnt more about them. "Have you had to deal with many humans before?" She inquired.

Bekken snorted. "Oomans are interesting. Almost like Yuatja… complicated in another way. I ooman healer, I study.. learn…the best."

Carly was amazed, "so tell me more about you…"

Bekken tilted his head in curiosity. No one never asked about himself before and yet it was a ooman to ask…. He cleared his throat and began to tell. "My father is some warrior and bred with my mother, after about five years, I was old enough to leave the clan and head out on my own. I travelled a bit and headed towards to…. You call Earth?… with a hunting party. I hunted a few oomans…"

Carly interjected between gulps of soup… "Wait you left at the age of five? and you hunt humans?"

Bekken nodded "Pregnancy is quick… males are adults in three or four years… females are adults in about ten…. Female babies are rare, males plentiful… need to hunt, earn respect to gain breeding with female. Sex with female always for breeding, never pleasure…she wants seed and leaves… females rule societies… males for war… hunts... aggressive behaviours… many females don't bother with hunting… too boring… sex no fun for them either, its only good for a little while, then she lose interest…. Males that don't die from hunting may live long time…. Setg's father Ramses is ancient. Old bastard won't die easily… hahaha.. but only had two babies….could many females… but no… he is…. Different."

Carly grew quiet and felt uneasy…"But you hunted…..us…."

Bekken was confused for a moment but then realised what Carly meant. "Some clans… only hunt oomans, some only hunt dragons, some clans hunt other yuatja clans… depends on clan… my clan… we hunt anything… Setg's clan different… they…. Balance to clans …. But we make trophies from the hunt…" Bekken narrowed his eyes at Carly…." You different kind of trophy…. Make Setg proud."

Carly felt sick…. Her partner had hunted humans … but then he did rescue her from her psychotic boyfriend. She felt conflicted… but he had never hurt her and he seemed perfectly happy… maybe it was something she didn't understand... or want to…. Setg made her feel safe and that's all that mattered.

Bekken trilled to her…"Nothing to worry…. Ooman hunt is rare. If we hunt ooman too much, only weak ones left to breed…. But most oomans… the strong ones… are bad… and prey on the weak…. If we don't hunt, then the strong kill all… its conflicting. Ooman slow breeder… slow to age…. In a ooman lifetime, he has one partner and maybe two children. In that time, Yuatja… if he good hunter and much respect may breed many times and has many children… but mostly males…. Maybe lucky to sire a female baby…. But then, he has to compete to get to breed with all the other males… so sometimes may not breed for a ooman lifetime…. Sad waste of Yuatja seed…. "

Carly thought about it quietly, "Do all males yearn for breeding and hunting?"

Bekken snorted… "No…. Sometimes just want a woman to hold and to share life with…. our females do not follow that path… its survival for clan… Breed the strongest… that's why some choose ooman…. "

Carly felt sad for the healer…"Did… you ever share your life and love someone?"

Bekken turned his head away for a moment, "Yes…but only oomans call it… love... I had ooman wife when I was on Earth…. I stayed there for a while…. Mated with her… she good ooman. No babies for Bekken… blood did not mix…. But I stayed with her til she died. I carry her now with me… "

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a length of braided hair, the hair had turned grey and worn out in places, but he had obviously touched it often, still in love with her. "I stayed on Earth and studied for a long time…. Sometimes I took female for breed but still no babies. No matter, Bekken will have babies… one day..." Carly did not see the gleam in his eyes.

"Do many humans get taken by Yuatja?" Carly was wondered if most of the males of his species got this lonely.

Bekken nodded. "Depends on clan….Some are stolen and bred for duties… others for study… ooman good for many things… many things… mmmmm "

"Will you ever get to breed with your own kind?" Carly felt odd saying this, but at the same time, Bekken's words did not sit easy. He took females to breed…. Did he mean something else?

Bekken's face twisted with rage…."Yuatja females… paucking bitches… all of them…. Deny me…. Weak they said…. they did not want weak babies…" he breathed out hard then relaxed. "you've eaten? Good, time for rest..."

Carly started to protest, but Bekken had already picked her up and carried her into bed. He covered her with a blanket and sat nearby. He stared into the distance, lost in thought. He hadn't met a ooman in a long time that was interested in him or that had interested him. He thought about his plans…he would keep her alive for his needs… maybe she would serve another purpose alive. But what to do with the babies…? He absentmindedly pulled out the hair loop and held it against his chest. He felt a hot tear run down his cheek. He breathed out slowly…He must not get emotional. He needed to do this….He needed to get revenge…. Against Setg's clan… for taking her away from him.

Carly watched the healer stare into nothing and saw the tears fall. Her heart melted for him. He had experienced love and lost it…. Then she realised it too…. Her own mortality… her lifespan was not going to be as long as Setg's…. would he be alone too, once she had left this world? Would he sit staring out some window somewhere, holding to his heart a token of hers? She felt tears well in her eyes and steam down her cheek. She got out of bed and hugged Bekken tightly, holding his head to her breast and belly. Bekken held her tightly, the tears flowing steadily now and heard the frail heartbeats of the babies within. It saddened him and fuelled the anger growing within him. He should have had babies with his beloved… it should be his babies that he could hear…His beloved would still have been alive….

Carly held the Yuatja and mourned for him and deep down, for herself also. She gently stroked his head and tried to soothe him…. "What was your wife's name?" She hoped that if he said her name, he might feel better…

He rubbed his face into her belly gently…. "it…was…..Raven…. She lived a long time ago… her language was not like yours… she was a wise woman amongst her people… She found me injured in the woods and healed me….She mated with me that night… I never knew anything like it before or since….i wished I had died when she had…. But I will not rest until I get my revenge."

He looked up at Carly and in her place he saw his wife… he whispered…. "Forgive me…."

Carly shivered violently and sick to her stomach…. slowly backing away and went back into bed. What revenge? Clearly this healer was broken with heartache… but worst, she feared what he may do to her and her unborn baby. She lay there, curled up under the blanket, pretending to be ok.

Bekken sensing the change in Carly's mood, he decided to tell her…. What could she do to stop him? He would have his revenge and show her how pathetic Setg's clan was. He would destroy them all. He hissed angrily, "You are having triplets, so don't try anything stupid. You will die in child birth if I don't assist you, so running away will not help you….. Setg doesn't know where you are either and he never will. Be compliant with me and you may live to see your Setg again before I kill him."

Carly started to sob, "Why are you doing this? What has he done to you…?"

Bekken was stone cold… any gentleness that he once displayed was gone.. "The clan robbed me of my wife and any chance of babies…. I will rob them of their future…. Especially Ramses…. But before I do, I will kill his sons in front of him so he knows the anguish I felt. The ship is going to blow up with everyone on board… one clan... gone in a blink of an eye…"

"Please don't…. I will do anything to help you… please leave my Setg and his clan to live… I will stay here and do whatever you want… just don't hurt him or my babies.. I promise I won't escape… Please….." Carly sobbed clutching her belly, her fears multiplying… realising she had three frails lives growing inside her, she had to live…. But she couldn't risk their lives or the clan that had made her home…. She would do whatever he asked…

Bekken hissed at her… challenging her… "Oomans are treacherous… not to be trusted…. I should open you up now, take those babies and leave you for dead… for no sooner you will have me knifed in my sleep…." He hissed more, he was threatened by her…. "Females with growing babies in them… not to be underestimated….maternal instinct…."

Carly sobbed more, "Please, I'm pregnant with three possibly massive babies that's going to tear me apart if they are born naturally, what am I going to do to you, I obviously need you? Was your wife so treacherous?"

Bekken stopped mid rage and calmed… she was right… and approached her slowly. He laid her back down and covered her back up with a blanket… "Rest now… stress no good for babies…. When you wake, I will have more food for you…."

Carly still gently sobbing closed her eyes. She felt like she would never fall asleep. Her mind was tired and her body racked with pain. Her hands gently resting on her belly, feeling the gentle rhythm beating within of her… her three babies…. Her mind reaching out to them, seeking out their consciousness…. Feeling for that connection... Would I be having all boys? She briefly smiled… what would she call them? Gently rubbing her belly, it eased her nerves until she fell asleep.

Bekken waited til she was sleeping soundly before prepping the next meal, but this time he added some additional herbs. He needed her to stay sleeping longer. He didn't want her awake and trying to do something rash. He added some meat, roots and water and reduced the fire so the pot would simmer slowly. Satisfied that everything would be ready when she woke again, he left the room and entered the lab. The room was a stark contrast to the living areas. While the living area was warm and inviting, the lab was cold and sterile. He cleared the table of his studies; he would need the space for when the babies came. Vials, herbs and equipment littered the tables gathering dust, unused for years. Cleaning up now, he checked his stock; everything would be enough for his research. All he needed now was the babies.

Sitting down on a chair, he went through the data again that he took when he scanned her on the ship. The babies were developing at an accelerated rate due to the Yuatja genetics… Oomans take roughly nine months; but these Yuatja babies would be ready to be born in three months, a bit longer than the usual due to the ooman genes... Reading through the report, two of the babies had a high level of Yuatja DNA… a good sign… the ooman influence would be subtle. The chromosomes indicated that the two were most likely to be male. Disappointed, but still, he could raise them as his own and study why Setg's mate took Yuatja seed so easily and without assistance.

The third baby prickled Bekken's mind… it was mostly ooman DNA and a runt. There was no clear indicator of the sex due to its underdevelopment and probably not going to survive the birth… maybe if it was born later it may survive, but the other two males were growing much faster and starving the baby… soon there will be no room in the womb... Shame he thought… but at least it could assist in his studies… to breed a better Yuatja… a stronger race than the berserkers he had been breeding previously. He wondered briefly about the ones he sired back on the clan ship…. It took months of research and terrible losses… but he finally managed to breed with the ooman stock… but the babies are corrupted… the amount of toxins and steroids to get the females to fall pregnant turned those babies into freaks…. Still the research he learnt from them would assist in making the next babies more pure. But first he would destroy the clan … reading the data again, her hormone levels would be peaking.. she didn't have much longer to give birth.

He heard the ooman stir in the next room... what was her name? He thought for a moment… Carlee? Yes… that was it….

Bekken left the room and saw Carly sitting by the fire stirring the pot. "Are you hungry, Carlee?"

"No… I just could smell it burning…. I needed to move also… but I'm so tired…" She yawned.

Bekken moved to her side and scanned her again. The data started to display on his computer… he had calculated wrong… she would be ready to give birth any day now….. He grizzled… this is why she is so restless…

He grabbed some of the herb that would make her sleep and gave it to her, "Chew this, will make you sleep. You need rest…" Carly nodded and started to chew the leaves. Her eyes starting to droop, she reached out to Bekken and then collapsed. Bekken caught her in time and carried her to bed.

Re-reading the data, it was time to perform the surgery if he wanted those babies to live.