more and more impressive. It had been the last element that had broken down Selar's resistance to Burgoyne's "charms." Selar had origi-nally thought to have the captain serve as her sexual partner, and he had been willing if not overly enthused. But Burgoyne had been making overtures to Selar since they had first met, and between Burgoyne's incredible display of devotion and her own hormones driving her to make a choice, well. . . Burgoyne had won out.
Yes, there were a lot of positive things to say about Burgoyne 172, the Hermat engineer of the Excalibur.
The only thing was . . .
Selar wasn't sure if she was the one to say them. She wasn't sure how to phrase it, she wasn't sure how to put across the emotions that she was feeling because her old training, her old personality were starting to take hold and the concept of emotions were, once again, anathema to her.
If her mate had been a Vulcan, this would have been understood between the two of them. Indeed, he'd probably be feeling exactly the same way. But Burgoyne . . . Burgoyne was a Hermat. Burgoyne was someone who rejoiced in emotion and displays of 91
Peter David
affection, tendencies that had been so overwhelming to Selar at first that she had tried to do everything she could to distance herself from hir. Now she had gone in the other direction, becoming so intimate with hir that there was nowhere she could hide any part of herself. She felt . . . she didn't know what she felt.
She only knew that she wanted that emotional distance that would be automatically conferred upon her by a Vulcan partner. With Burgoyne, she had no idea where she stood.
At that moment, Burgoyne emerged from the bathroom. S/he was adjusting the top of hir uniform, and s/he was shaking hir head in puzzlement. S/he caught Selar looking at hir and smiled, displaying just a hint of hir fangs. "Feeling rested?"
Selar nodded, not taking her gaze from Burgoyne, her mind still racing as she tried to sort out the unwanted feelings tumbling through her mind.
"By the way, Selar . . . damnedest thing, I think I forgot to mention it . . . at least, I was going to mention it when I came by earlier, but we got a bit distracted . . ." S/he smiled at the memory, but then noticed that Selar didn't seem to be reacting one way or the other, so s/he continued. "That problem in Engineering? The one I was telling you about, with the energy wave that we couldn't figure out? It stopped. Just like that, no warning. We still hadn't quite figured out what it was, although I had some pretty far-fetched theories. And then for no reason at all, we couldn't detect it anymore. I've had my people working on it, but I—"
"I am pregnant," she interrupted.
That left Burgoyne speechless for a moment before 92
Star Trek New Frontier
s/he had a chance to compose hirself. "Are you . . .
are you certain?" s/he finally managed to get out.
She nodded slowly. "It is curious. My mother told me that she was aware of my existence from the moment I was fully conceived and gestation was under way. She claimed many Vulcan females were capable of that. I was . . . skeptical. It seemed most illogical to me, and I did not see how it was possible to have awareness of a being so ... so small. But she was correct. I sense it. I am aware of it as an extension of my being: separate, yet as one. It is a most compelling sensation."
Burgoyne couldn't take hir eyes off her. S/he strode to Selar's side, knelt down and said, "Can I . . . feel?"
"There is nothing to feel," Selar said matter-of-factly. "The infant will not be detectable to the touch for seven point five weeks. There is no logical reason for you to place your hand on my stomach."
"Maybe. I just wanted to anyway," Burgoyne said tonelessly.
Selar looked at hir with curiosity. "Burgoyne, we need to speak. There is much that we—"
"No, we don't need to," Burgoyne said. S/he rose, finishing fastening the top of hir uniform jacket.
"Because I know exactly what you're going to
Yes, there were a lot of positive things to say about Burgoyne 172, the Hermat engineer of the Excalibur.
The only thing was . . .
Selar wasn't sure if she was the one to say them. She wasn't sure how to phrase it, she wasn't sure how to put across the emotions that she was feeling because her old training, her old personality were starting to take hold and the concept of emotions were, once again, anathema to her.
If her mate had been a Vulcan, this would have been understood between the two of them. Indeed, he'd probably be feeling exactly the same way. But Burgoyne . . . Burgoyne was a Hermat. Burgoyne was someone who rejoiced in emotion and displays of 91
Peter David
affection, tendencies that had been so overwhelming to Selar at first that she had tried to do everything she could to distance herself from hir. Now she had gone in the other direction, becoming so intimate with hir that there was nowhere she could hide any part of herself. She felt . . . she didn't know what she felt.
She only knew that she wanted that emotional distance that would be automatically conferred upon her by a Vulcan partner. With Burgoyne, she had no idea where she stood.
At that moment, Burgoyne emerged from the bathroom. S/he was adjusting the top of hir uniform, and s/he was shaking hir head in puzzlement. S/he caught Selar looking at hir and smiled, displaying just a hint of hir fangs. "Feeling rested?"
Selar nodded, not taking her gaze from Burgoyne, her mind still racing as she tried to sort out the unwanted feelings tumbling through her mind.
"By the way, Selar . . . damnedest thing, I think I forgot to mention it . . . at least, I was going to mention it when I came by earlier, but we got a bit distracted . . ." S/he smiled at the memory, but then noticed that Selar didn't seem to be reacting one way or the other, so s/he continued. "That problem in Engineering? The one I was telling you about, with the energy wave that we couldn't figure out? It stopped. Just like that, no warning. We still hadn't quite figured out what it was, although I had some pretty far-fetched theories. And then for no reason at all, we couldn't detect it anymore. I've had my people working on it, but I—"
"I am pregnant," she interrupted.
That left Burgoyne speechless for a moment before 92
Star Trek New Frontier
s/he had a chance to compose hirself. "Are you . . .
are you certain?" s/he finally managed to get out.
She nodded slowly. "It is curious. My mother told me that she was aware of my existence from the moment I was fully conceived and gestation was under way. She claimed many Vulcan females were capable of that. I was . . . skeptical. It seemed most illogical to me, and I did not see how it was possible to have awareness of a being so ... so small. But she was correct. I sense it. I am aware of it as an extension of my being: separate, yet as one. It is a most compelling sensation."
Burgoyne couldn't take hir eyes off her. S/he strode to Selar's side, knelt down and said, "Can I . . . feel?"
"There is nothing to feel," Selar said matter-of-factly. "The infant will not be detectable to the touch for seven point five weeks. There is no logical reason for you to place your hand on my stomach."
"Maybe. I just wanted to anyway," Burgoyne said tonelessly.
Selar looked at hir with curiosity. "Burgoyne, we need to speak. There is much that we—"
"No, we don't need to," Burgoyne said. S/he rose, finishing fastening the top of hir uniform jacket.
"Because I know exactly what you're going to
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