Chapter 12 – Spatial Rift Part 7– Boom, Baby
Pidge and the Leaftown Rebels put her grand plan into action in a risky effort to take out the mining operation and rescue their friends and families, working from both inside and out. As usual, Pidge's work leaves a lasting impact.

December 3rd, 2332

The timing of the plan had to be very particular, or instead of a mass breakout, all they would have were mass casualties. That was why Katie and Golron had agreed that the best time to strike was early in the morning, before the slaves were at their shifts, but also before they were marched down the tunnel. Once they were inside the mines themselves, it was too easy to keep them trapped inside with only a few Yoan soldiers. That would be a bloodbath.

Up early, Katie was wrapped in an extra blanket as she sat at the table in the briefing room, ready to orchestrate chaos. Not that anyone involved had really slept the night before. She had, but only because her body had demanded it and she had passed out for a few hours.

The physical rescue team—carrying the drone to save her some time flying it out there—

had left a little after midnight, and taken up positions outside the mining compound well before dawn. Now they were just waiting for her to start the show.

Katie was grateful for the birds' eye view, and the fact that having them carrying the drone had allowed her the bit of sleep she had gotten. She just hoped that Coran and the others had been able to do what they were told. She had watched them all take the keys, and read and eat the messages. All of them had given some sign of acknowledgement to her camera.

Golron was leading this one himself, like he had the one the night they met.

"Is everyone in position?" she spoke into her headset.

"Ready at the signal."

Good. Katie took a long breath. "Time to get this show started. Phase one going off in three…two…one… Mark."

She tapped the first comment, and through her camera she could see the flare of light as every Yoan parked military vehicle in the lot, the garage building, and half of the administration building—hopefully the empty half at this hour—exploded in a ball of fire.

Unseen, were the tiny micro charges she had planted on the hinges of the doors in the slave pens. They were hardly quiet, but hopefully with the huge explosion roaring outside, they would go unnoticed for a few, critical minutes.

Katie counted down for a critical sixty seconds as she could see Yoan pouring out of the barracks, running for their small fire suppression truck, or running towards the burning building. "Phase two going off in three…two…one…Mark." She hit the next button.

Inside the mines themselves, dozens of her bombs went off, and the mountain shuddered, and for a moment seemed to expand, before the sound of tons of collapsing rubble reached her speakers, and the whole side of the hill dropped away inwards, crushing the entire internal facility. Have fun digging that out, folks.

The raging inferno in the administration building was spreading on its own, so Katie doubted they even noticed when she hit the button on "Phase 3… Mark," the rest of the building up with it.

At that moment, the slaves came boiling out of the cells. Katie wished she could see the look on the Yoan's faces. Many of them had been caught without their weapons, more concerned on fighting the fire that was enveloping half the compound now, and licking at the walls.

Katie flew her drone in closer, wishing she had a better zoom lens.

There was no way to tell any of the particular slaves apart in the crowd, but as the slaves and the soldiers clashed hand-to-hand (or head-to-rock, as some slaves started slinging rocks and their now-removed chains at them) she saw something darting through the crowd in what looked like a fabric cape—maybe a sheet? —and slashing with some kind of stick in moves that appeared to be Altean swordsmanship. She smiled. Go get them, Coran.

There were no more people boiling out of the barracks or the slave pens now. They all seemed to be in the chaos in the middle. "Phase 4, final and critical, going in three, two, one…. Mark."

The barracks and laundry blew. At the same time, so did the bombs on the front gates. As they did, she could hear Golron over her headset, giving the orders to charge in, weapons firing. They were set to strong stun, only to avoid killing any of their own people if they missed, though she could see them running in, firing at the heaviest concentrations of Yoan. Many of the soldiers were still trying to put out the fire, and having to choose between containing the inferno, and fighting back a rebellion, even the military commander seemed to be having trouble controlling his men.

Of course, with their communications gone, they couldn't even call for backup.

Katie grinned. I am such a freaking genius. Let's see them deal with this mess. There's nothing left for them to mine, and no one to dig it out again. Their superiors were not going to be happy.

Given the option, the slaves were breaking off and starting to follow their saviors out the gate as much as possible. Apparently, the soldiers, perhaps against their own preference, were given orders to let them go for now. Those who could, disengaged, and returned to the task of trying to keep the entire place from burning down around them.

Katie wasn't sure if it was mean, or kind, when she went ahead and broke the watermains off the laundry. The flood would probably put out at least one of her fires, but it would cause other problems as well.

As the last freed people cleared the gates, Katie heard a crackle over the communicator. "We're all clear of the gates with anyone who's coming. The last word is yours."

"Phase 5 in three, two, one… Mark."

The walls collapsed inwards.

So long, Jericho.

Leaftown was full to bursting with the sudden influx of nearly one-hundred new residents. Golron's team had given supplies to nearly one-hundred more who had decided to head out in various small groups and make their own way as far from here as possible, as soon as they could.

Katie shoved her way through the crowd, though she didn't have to do much. As soon as others saw who it was, they got out of her way.

Her first look at Coran almost brought her to tears, but she held it together as they pulled each other into a mutually relieved hug. "What did they do to you?" she asked. If not for the fact he was the only Altean on the planet, she might not have recognized him. His hair was gone. His mustache was gone. Both were little more than a barely re-growing orange fuzz, and the mustache was lost in the even stubble across his face. A face which had been cut, beaten, blackened…swollen. She didn't want to know what the rest of him looked like.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," he replied with a cocky grin. "It takes more than a little torture to stop me. I gave them what for! That's for certain."

Bravado…a show to keep her from worrying, but it told her he was going to be fine. Katie sighed with relief. "I saw some of it. You were brilliant. Another story to add to your repertoire. I want to hear the whole thing after Iffina tends to your wounds."

"There are plenty worse off than me," Coran shook his head. "They should be seen first." He stepped back, loosening his hold on her. "I understand this whole plan was your brilliant idea?"

Katie grinned, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, it was."

"Thank you, Pidge."

"I couldn't let them have you. Besides, it was my plan that got you captured in the first place."

"No." Coran shook his head. "It was the Yoan who did that. Your plan got the messages out. Not that I think we'll hear anything anytime soon," he admitted.

"Well, we can't worry about it now. Come on. If you insist on seeing Iffina later, you should at least clean up and get something to eat."

Coran nodded. "Now that is an excellent idea."

SCENE BREAK SCENE BREAK SCENE BREAK

It was incredible how much better it was possible to feel after a real shower, restroom facilities, and a proper hot meal. Coran had never been afraid of roughing it, and compared to what he had just survived in the mines, even the limited amenities of Leaftown were luxury.

Katie had been called away to a meeting, but that was all right. She didn't need to see him this way.

Coran was sitting on his bed, shirtless, in nothing but clean shorts, finishing his meal when Iffina poked her head through their curtain.

"It's your turn now," she said sternly, coming in with medical supplies, her assistant behind her carrying a tray with this planet's version of a teapot, a closed clay bottle, and a small bowl of steaming water. "No arguments."

"I wouldn't think of it." Coran smiled. "Just tell me what to do."

"First, drink this," Iffina held out the hot mug. "It's a tea made from local herbs that will help with the swelling, and help fight infections. I'm afraid it won't do much for pain. If we were in the city, I would have access to proper pharmaceuticals. Out here, well, you're fortunate that I know how to make and dose most of them from the original plants. We're limited in supply though."

Coran took the mug and sipped. Aside from the soothing pleasure of drinking something hot, it wasn't bad as herbal teas went. He drained it down as she set up her supplies.

"First, I'm going to clean and disinfect all of your wounds. Then, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stitch you up in a few places. Some of those gashes are not going to fully close on their own." She looked angry, though clearly not at him. "Barbarians. All right, try and relax. The less tense you are, the less this will sting."

Using the hot water, a clean cloth, and a pungent disinfectant that stung like a hundred bees, Iffina cleaned out every cut, slash, and gash on his body. She rubbed a strong herbal salve on the bruises on his face, and anywhere there wasn't broken skin. That, thankfully, did not sting at all, and it felt like it might have vague numbing properties. Iffina talked as she worked, explaining what she was doing in a calm, reasonable tone, and Coran let her voice flow over him. He listened, nodded, asked curious questions about the ingredients, but mostly sat in quiet. It felt good to have his wounds tended. Nothing she did hurt more than how they were inflicted. His eyes closed, and he let her minister to his wounds.

"Is there anything below the waist besides the one lash to the back of the legs?" Iffina asked when she finished the rest, and the one lash that had missed and hit the legs.

Coran shook his head. "No. He didn't want to keep me from working. A broken slave is a useless worker. The one on the legs was a slip. Everything you see is what there is." Thankfully. He had heard of far worse things happening to others in prison, depending on what race and planet they were on.

"All right. There are several of these I'm going to have to stitch. Five on the back, and one on the chest. The others have mostly closed on their own. I hope you don't mind living with scars."

"A few scars don't matter." Badges of honor, really. They would remind him that he hadn't broken, and he had never betrayed their position.

"Glad you feel that way. Now, drink this down…all of it, and try not to tense your muscles when I'm working." Now she handed him the clay bottle.

"What's in this?" Coran asked curiously as he uncorked it, and took a sniff that almost burned off his nostril hairs. "And is it safe?"

Iffina's little assistant laughed, until she was shushed.

"I am surprised no one has offered you some of Ruft's homebrew yet. It is very potent. It is also the only thing I can offer to make this as painless as possible. I do not recommend taking any walks on areas without railings until it wears off."

"Noted, and it's possible I simply turned them down. I rarely indulge." Coran took a small swig, and managed not to gasp as it burned its way all the way down his throat into the pit of his stomach. Almost immediately he felt vaguely light-headed. "Potent might be an understatement." But, he surmised, it would definitely work. "All right. Bottoms up!"

When Katie returned to their room, Coran was passed out asleep in his bed. While he was partially covered in a blanket, she could see a portion of his back and upper arm, which were swathed in clean bandages. Iffina had told her to expect him to sleep for quite some time, as she had dosed him heavily with Ruft's alcohol. While Katie hadn't had any, the smell whenever it was passed around made her less than interested. The stuff would probably make good paint thinner… or jet fuel.

The debriefing after the raid had gone well. Katie's well thought out layout of the explosives and the order of destruction had worked precisely as intended. While they could not be certain where every slave had ended up after the breakout, Golron's men were fairly certain they had accounted for every one that they knew about either having come with the main groups, or having taken off on their own into the forests. A few had already been spotted by the regular patrols. There were quite a few injured who otherwise might have been dead, but they were being tended by anyone Iffina could deputize for the task. She had several helpers, and they were all put to use.

They had two scouts keeping an eye on the mines, and reports back were that some things were still on fire, though most of it was out and smoking. The walls were piles of rubble, as were the buildings. The mines had collapsed all the way up the tunnel, so there was no longer a way in save the smaller entrance that the Yoan had used, though from what they had seen, they couldn't get very far in there as well. The whole place was as useless as the rest of the mountainside. Though they were continuing to listen for renewed communications, the lack of vehicles meant that no one could physically go for assistance. Within a few days, if no one could reach them, they knew the Yoan would have more people out there.

For now, it seemed, they would have a bit of a reprieve and, with everyone rescued, their work here was effectively done.

Which was good timing. That meant she might get a little sleep over the next couple of weeks, because once the baby came, sleep would be at even more of a premium.

Katie settled in on her bed, leaning up against the back and pulling up the simple wooden computer desk she had made so she could actually type, since there was no lap to keep it on anymore. Without tracking to do, it was a good time to catch up on other things.

She was lost in thought long enough that it grew dark before she heard Coran stirring. Katie looked up and saw him sitting up and stretching very slowly.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Surprisingly good." Coran ran a hand over his head. "I would have expected a bit more of a head from that, honestly. Everything hurts a bit still, but not nearly as much as it did." He looked at the door curtain, taking in the hour. "How long was I out?"

"About five hours. It's time for dinner, if you're up for the walk."

"I am if you are." Coran replied with a meaningful nod. "Or I could bring some back for the both of us."

"Chivalrous, but unnecessary." Katie shook her head as she closed the computer and moved it and the little table over so she could turn and put her feet on the floor. "I should be the one making that offer."

"Or, both of you could be sensible and stay here."

Startled, Katie looked up to see Missa poking her nose in past the curtain. "You can come in."

"Good, because I've brought you both dinner. Iffina said if either one of you pops anything tonight, she'll be mad at you both." Missa chuckled as she set the tray with plates and cups down on the small table between the beds. "I'll be back in a bit to get the tray." Then she vanished gain.

"What did she mean by that, I wonder?" Coran asked as he slowly reached for the plate.

"In your case, stitches," Katie explained. Maybe the alcohol still had him a little fuzzier than he claimed. Or it could just be exhaustion, or unfamiliarity with the phrase. "In my case… well me."

"Aha. I see now." Coran nodded before digging in to his plate. He had no shirt on, just the bandages that covered most of his torso. Still, several weeks of hard labor and minimal food had worn his lean frame away even more. Katie might have said he looked frail, but given how sensitive Coran was about being middle-aged (for an Altean) in the first place, that seemed unwise.

Instead, she leaned over and picked up her plate, holding it up closer to her face to avoid dropping food. With so many more to feed tonight, she was grateful to see her usual portion. Not that Iffina would have let the kitchen short any of her patients. The only ones who got extra were the ones the healer said needed it.

As she ate, she noticed him watching her, about the same way she had been watching him. After swallowing her next bite, she met his eyes. "It's only been a few weeks. Do I look that different?" In truth, she knew she did. The last few weeks were always ones of almost pure growth on the part of the kiddo, and she had felt like she didn't have room left for the past three or more already. Yet, the kid still managed to find a way to stretch out more room.

Coran had the good grace to look mildly embarrassed. "No more than last time, I suppose."

Good save. "Oh, I'm fairly certain this one's already bigger than Caitlin was at this point. I guess I'll know for certain in a couple more weeks. Seventeen days, if they decide to come on time." Katie wasn't sure she expected to make it quite that far. Caitlin had been a little early. Her body would, at some point, decide it had had enough. "I never thought we'd be here this long."

"Neither did I," Coran admitted. "Nor that we would end up this involved in someone else's fight."

"Though that's always kind of been our thing, right?" Katie smiled. "Jumping in and saving the day? The only thing missing is the rest of our family. I can't help thinking about how fast we could have liberated this planet if Hunk and the others were here. Or if we had even one Lion. But, we don't. And yet…I think we're doing pretty well considering."

"What you did today was nothing short of genius."

"I blew up a bunch of buildings." It had been a good and successful plan, but it had hardly been genius.

"You used a scratch-built drone from sub-optimal parts to tap into systems all over the compound, plant dozens of small but very powerful charges, and organize a coup inside locked down cells, from miles away."

"Okay, yes, so it's genius," Katie admitted. "I would have felt better about it if there had been a way to keep more people from getting hurt. Or without having to destroy access to resources. If the Yoan are ever defeated, the rest of the races here could still use that coal."

"We can't expect everything to turn out ideal. Today was a big win for everyone here. I, for one, am grateful to be out of there, and I wasn't there nearly so long as most of the rest."

"But they weren't torturing all of them the way they hurt you," Katie pointed out, feeling anger at the Yoan all over again for what they had done to Coran.

"If their focus on me kept others from being hurt worse, then I have no regrets."

Katie wasn't sure she had ever seen quite that expression on Coran's face before, and he was always incredibly emotive. "I hope you know you're one of the bravest people I've ever known. I'm glad you're here, Coran."

For a moment he looked startled, then flattered, then his expression softened. "The same to you, on both counts."

December 7th, 2332

Katie wasn't sure at first what had awoken her just a little after midnight. The past three days had been incredibly quiet, and the cold rains had returned, so she had spent most of it in their room. So had Coran.

Looking around the dark room, the only light came from the little bit that came around the edges of their thick draped door, from the railing lantern just outside. Even that flickered as the rain continued to pour down outside.

Coran's deep breathing was the only sound besides the storm.

The air inside the tree was warmer than the air outside, but still damp.

Damp…wet. Her bed was…

The thought was lost as Katie felt a familiar ripple across her belly. Muscles tightening.

Contractions… my water's broken. Okay… easy… count.

She waited what seemed like forever, but was really only a count of five minutes before the next one hit. Her back tightened with the rest of her stomach. Laying down was going to be uncomfortable very soon.

Definitely time for a physician's opinion.

"Hey, Coran?" she called out across the room, a little louder than she might otherwise because of the storm. No one in any of the other rooms carved out of this tree was going to hear them. "Coran!"

A snort of interrupted sleep, and Coran rolled over, his eyes opened. "Pidge? What is it?"

"My water broke, and I'm having contractions," she informed him succinctly as she slowly moved into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

Coran sat bolt upright. "Already? I thought you still had two weeks."

"Yeah, well, babies don't really like schedules. I need you to go get Iffina."

Coran was out of bed with a speed she wouldn't have expected of someone so heavily bandaged, but he dragged on boots, threw on a cloak, and vanished into the storm.

Left to wait, Katie turned on the light. No reason to sit in the dark, and the bit of heat it gave off would help ward off the chill. This is not where I imagined having this baby. None of the medical technology she had relied on having available existed here. Or rather, while it might exist on the planet, it was not all available in the limited resources of Leaftown.

Coran returned faster than she would have expected, with Iffina right behind him.

The Chicid looked like she might not have even been to bed yet. She took off her cape at the door and crossed the small room. "How are things progressing?" she asked without preamble.

"Water broke, and contractions are right about five minutes apart," Katie told her. "For a human, this is typically about the point at which you fetch a physician so… we did." Katie had given Iffina everything she had on human health months ago, but she didn't know how much time she'd had to read or memorize that information. Still, they were both mammals. That had to count for something, right?

"Good. Missa will be here with the heaters soon, but let's examine you and see how things are going."

Katie lay down again long enough for an examination, during which another contraction hit. Again, a little stronger. "So, what do you think?"

"Baby's in a good position, and sounds fine. Things are definitely under way, though probably not quickly. You've done this before, so I trust you know what to do." Iffina smiled reassuringly.

Missa arrived, ducking in and carrying two of the portable heaters Katie had seen at Assta's on hatching day. Almost at once the small space around them began to warm, and the dampness driven back by the dryness of it. The light brightened the room, though not too much.

"Now do you want me to stay the whole time?" Iffina asked.

That was a question she had never been asked. "I'd hate to monopolize your time. I don't think it's necessary," Katie responded. "My last birth took twenty hours from water breaking to delivery. You don't need to sit here for all that."

"Very well then. I won't intrude. I will be back every couple of hours to check on you whether you summon me or not. But, if anything seems off, send for me immediately." Iffina looked at Missa. "Have all of my delivery kit brought here, more water, and the usual light snacks. Got to keep your strength up." The last was directed back at Katie as Iffina stood and reached for the rain cape. "Rest a bit if you can. I will be back in a little while." Then she was gone, with Missa scampering after her.

Katie stood up again, now that there was room. Nothing was comfortable, but being able to stand and move was better than laying down. She'd had back labor with Caitlin, too. At least she knew what to do for that. "Coran, I need a favor."

Coran hopped to his feet again. "Privacy. Of course, I completely understand. I'll just take my things and sleep—"

"No." She cut him off. "I want—need—you to stay with me. I don't want to go through this alone."

"You'll have Iffina," Coran pointed out, startled. "She's much more qualified than I am to deliver a baby."

"This isn't about qualified. It's about family." Hunk should be here, but he couldn't be, and as much as she desperately missed and wanted him… that wasn't going to happen. Coran was the closest thing to family she had here.

Coran's expression softened. "Of course. Just tell me what to do."

As it turned out, what to do mostly consisted of sitting and watching Katie pace the room, pausing whenever she hit a contraction, and watching her work through it. Then wait for the next one. Not that there was much room to pace. She could go four or five steps in one direction, then turn around and go back to the bed.

Coran had never attended a baby's birth. The closest he had come was watching Alfor fret when Melenor was in labor with Allura. He had never been a witness to the process itself, or ever thought himself likely to.

The two heaters had made the room dry and pleasant. Missa had returned not long after she ran off the first time, bringing back the light snacks and water requested, along with what he presumed was Iffina's kit, a large pile of clean towels, and spare bedding. Then she disappeared again.

The night progressed to dawn, though the rain outside continued. Morning came and went. Iffina, as promised, checked in about every two hours, and she and Katie would discuss terms Coran was unfamiliar with, though he presumed they had to do with how fast labor was progressing. During one visit, Coran took a moment to fetch his own breakfast and use the toilets. Iffina was still there when he returned.

Midday came, and went. More visits. He was assured that everything was progressing, but the only outward signs were Katie's shifting mood. While she had chatted on and off early on, the longer it went the more internally focused she became. Not upset, or afraid, just very intent, like she was when she was working on a particularly complex problem.

By dinner, Coran was beginning to wonder if this one was going to take even longer to come than Caitlin had. Katie occasionally sipped water, but had stopped eating anything hours before. After Iffina's latest visit, she looked pensive.

"Is everything all right?" Coran asked.

Katie sighed, but she nodded, the winced and was distracted by another contraction. When it was done, she slowly lowered herself to the edge of the bed. "Almost fully dilated. I should be able to start pushing in the next hour or so. Then… we hope they fit."

That… was not something Coran had thought to consider. "This is an incredibly ignorant question on my part, but what's the solution if it doesn't?" There had to be one, if human infants could be too large to fit out of their mothers.

"Surgery," Katie replied simply. "Iffina makes an incision, and pulls the baby out, then sews me back up."

Coran considered the pain of the few stitches he'd had on what he considered fairly superficial wounds. The ones still in him, and felt…well, horror at the very idea. "That's awfully dangerous."

"It's better than an assured chance of death for both," Katie pointed out. "Before they perfected surgeries like this one on Earth, humans had a pretty awful mortality rate in childbirth. Over the centuries, it's become much safer. There are medications they can use to block all sensation from mid-spine down, and to help with managing the pain afterwards while the abdominal muscle layers heal."

"But… we aren't on Earth, or in a hospital."

"I noticed." Katie replied dryly. "I'm surprised you don't know anything about this stuff. Altea has incredible medical knowledge and procedures for labor and delivery."

"Childbirth is not one of the many areas in which I am knowledgeable," Coran admitted, not proudly.

"Iffina says she's performed cesareans before, if it comes to that. But, seeing as we don't have a sterile surgical bay, or anything that can block all the pain of surgery… I really hope it doesn't come to that."

If this went on much longer, this one was definitely going to take longer than Caitlin, a fact that Katie did not appreciate. If you have to be competitive with your older sister, could you do it over something else?

Coming up on nearly four hours of pushing, the only thing keeping her at it was the determination that they not have to cut this baby out of her. Katie, her tunic, and her bed were drenched in sweat.

Coran, sitting nearby, looked more than a bit green.

"You've almost got this," Iffina said with a calm reassurance that Katie wasn't sure either of them actually believed. "I can see hair."

The contraction ended. Frustrated, Katie let out a long breath of air.

Iffina sighed. "Your species is not well built for this."

"Yeah well… I think we can blame specific familial genetics here more than the design of the entire species."

"You did say your mate was above average size for a human male."

"Imagine Golron…but twice, maybe three times, as wide."

Iffina's eyes went round. "He must be a giant!"

"Close enough." Perhaps it was a bit like breeding a Chihuahua with a Great Dane… but she'd gotten Caitlin out, and she was getting this one out too. No matter how much it hurt. "Let's… finish this." The next contraction came.

And the one that followed…

And another after that…

It hurt too much to keep count. The world narrowed to her pain, and Iffina's voice giving calm instruction and encouragement.

Then she felt a sudden movement, and heard Iffina give what she could only describe as a yip. "It's out!"

A moment later, a small cry filled the room.

Katie fell back against the cushion, wrung and panting. She looked at Iffina, who was holding the crying infant and looking it over. Against her white fur, the skin and hair looked even darker. "Thank goodness."

"You have a very healthy boy," Iffina pronounced when she finished inspecting him, and immediately leaned forward, setting him across Katie's chest.

Katie pulled him close. A boy… a beautiful boy. He looks like Hunk., and a lot like Caitlin when she was this little. Like Caitlin, his skin and hair were darker than hers, though they were probably a little lighter than Hunk's, at least now. If he spent much time in the sun that might change. Tears welled in her eyes: tears of joy, of exhaustion, of the overwhelming homesickness she felt. "Hello there," she cooed softly. "I've been waiting for you."

December 8th, 2332

Coran felt immense relief in the knowledge that both Katie and her new son were in good health and would recover from this ordeal. He had definitely not been prepared, emotionally, for what he had witnessed. It was only after the birth was over that he really felt useful. There was plenty to do fetching things for Iffina. Once the baby's cord was cut and tied, and Iffina had weighed and measured him, Coran had the immense pleasure of helping give him his first bath, in warm water Missa had brought. Then wrapping the boy in a soft bit of green blanket and giving him back to Katie.

He absented himself while Iffina and Missa helped Katie up, and took care of her own cleaning needs. It was still pouring rain, and the middle of the night, so he found himself ducking into the briefing room, as one of the few places where he saw a light at this hour. There was always someone up, even in these past few days of relative quiet.

Golron himself was at the computer when Coran entered. He looked up, surprised. "How is she?" he asked.

Of course, nearly everyone they had worked with since arriving surely knew Katie had been in labor for the past day. It was touching, in a way, that Golron's first question was after her welfare. Coran smiled. "Just fine…her and the baby both."

"So, the child is here."

"Finally," Coran nodded. "A large, healthy boy. Looks just like his father."

"I am glad to hear it," Golron smiled. "I will be sure to come offer my congratulations at an appropriate time. What are you doing here?"

"Staying out of the way." Coran took a seat. "Iffina and Missa have everything in hand."

Golron nodded in understanding. "You are welcome to wait here out of the rain. While you're here, maybe you can show me how to use some of these upgrades Katie made to our system."

Katie was immensely grateful for the help of Iffina and Missa. While Iffina helped her relieve herself, and get in a warm sponge bath—which was better than hiking up to the showers—Missa cleaned up the mess labor and the afterbirth had made of her bed, disinfected it, and laid down a clean mattress and bedding. Iffina's short claws were incredibly effective combs as the healer scrubbed Katie's hair clean for her, and then after it was toweled dry, helped her pull it back in a short braid out of the way.

Iffina had thought of everything. The long warm woolen tunic she had for Katie buttoned partway down the front, which would make it easy to feed. Along with clean underwear, she had brought absorbent pads made from the same fabric as the diapers.

Tucked in snug and warm, Katie cradled her swaddled son in her arms, and gave him his first feeding. It only took him a few minutes to latch on properly, to her relief. Like his sister, he was eager to eat all the milk she had to give, on both sides. After, they both dozed while the two Chicid finished cleaning up. When she woke, she found that Missa had fetched fresh food and water for her, though there was also a cup of warm, sweetened tea.

"All safe for a baby," Iffina assured her. "The tea will help with milk production. He is a good eater."

"I may need it," Katie agreed with a chuckle. "He's already bigger than his sister was at birth, and he's even earlier." Iffina had measured him at an even nine pounds, which was over a pound heavier than Caitlin. He was also two inches longer.

"It is good that he came now. Any longer, and we would have had a much more complicated delivery."

As if this one had not been complicated enough. "I'm grateful it wasn't. Thank you, Iffina. I couldn't have done this without you."

"It is always my pleasure." Iffina beamed. "Now both of you rest. I have some other patients to tend, but Missa or I will be back to check in regularly if you don't send for us sooner."

"Do you ever sleep?" Katie asked her.

Iffina chuckled as she stepped out. "Sometimes."

The curtain flap hadn't even closed when a familiar hand caught it. "Are you up for a guest?" Coran asked.

"You're hardly a guest."

"No, but I am," Golron's voice followed Coran's.

"I don't mind a short visit," Katie assured them. "Come in." It wasn't like she was going to turn away Golron after everything he had done for them.

Both men came in, closing the curtain behind them against the still-falling rain.

Golron looked startled. "He is… bigger than I expected."

Katie let out a short laugh. In her arms, her son stirred, but did not wake. "It doesn't seem to matter that I told people to expect it. All of you have said that so far. I expect I'll hear it quite a bit."

"Have you settled on a name yet?" Coran asked curiously as he resumed his seat on his own bed. Golron sat next to him, giving Katie plenty of space.

She and Hunk had never finalized a boy's name since they hadn't needed it with Caitlin. She only hoped he would like her choice from their tentative list. "Kale. Kale Taika Garrett."

"I like the sound of it. Does it have any special meaning?"

"Kale is a Gaelic name. According to my dad it was the name of his great-grandfather. It means calm, or ocean. Taika is Polynesian, and it means tiger."

"Ocean tiger." Coran smiled. "Ah, I see."

Katie grinned. "Right? It was the closest we could get to Space Lion without being weird. Also, the Pacific countries don't have lions, just tigers. I'm not sure how calm a tiger he'll turn out to be, but he's doing okay so far." Of course, he was exhausted from being born, and he had just eaten his first meal that required him to work for it. "I wish Hunk could see this."

"I can take some images, if you like," Coran offered. "Once you've had a bit of a rest of course."

"I'd appreciate that." Someday, she hoped Hunk would get to see them, because no matter how long it took, she wasn't giving up. "Maybe when he wakes up."

"Do all human names have meanings like this?" Golron asked curiously.

"Sure. Humans have always liked assigning meaning to sounds." She looked at him. "Don't you?"

"Well, that's fair." Golron laughed. "Though our meanings tend to be more wishes for the future of the child. Golron, for example, means one who will survive to lead."

"That fits."

He nodded. "Your name, Katie, what does it mean?"

"It's a very old earth name. It means pure, or innocence."

Golron looked intrigued. "Interesting. We have a name in our language that sounds like yours…Katyla."

"That's pretty. What does it mean?"

"One who is highly intelligent… and perhaps a little crazy. I think perhaps that meaning fits you better."

Katie laughed. "I can't disagree."