"Bring me back some cool new weapons if you can."

"Anything for you."

The line cut and Sunny was left sitting alone on Arcadia her thoughts turned to Adam and the fight that was to come. She hated not being with him, hated it more than she could hate any situation she might be in. He was out there in the universe without his battlepartner and al because she was back here stuck doing politics.

She had talked with Adam before about this.

How both of them had never meant to end up as politicians. Sunny was a warrior, meant for the battlefield, not stuffy conference rooms and meetings. She had never even really wanted to be a Clan Sentinel, and Adam had simply wanted to fly planes and talk to aliens.

She could think back on those days now, and she missed them. She missed the lighthearted chase, she missed discovery. She certainly didn't miss the long hard road that had led to them falling in love though, that had taken forever and been far more painful than she would have liked. That was not to say that she wouldn't do it again of course

Sunny would walk through fire over broken glass if that is what she had to do, not problem.

She stood from her seat straightening the white robe around her shoulders and stepped into the Elevator. She grabbed her spear on her way out descending many stories down into the spiral tower.

Through the massive glass windows that lined her trail downward, she could look out over the capital city of Arcadia watching the soft lights of construction equipment linking in the distance. The city was growing quickly, Sunny was supervising the construction of a defense grid which included a network of satellites and AA guns with supporting ground to air capabilities for in atmosphere combat, if it ever came to that.

The elevator stopped off on the first floor, and she stepped out, walking quickly down the hall and out into the night air. In the distance she could hear the shouting from the Spartan training camp and followed the noise down a set of stairs, down a small cliffside and open onto the small plane that separated the city of arcadia from the lower tier of the city which had been dubbed Lower Laconia. Here it was all black marble and torches, with red and gold banners lining long streets.

The way the dark sky, the fake suns, and the firelight interacted, it created a scene that could almost convince you you were fighting on the worlds edge over a field of stars. Spartans walked the black marble without need for their shields or spears, wearing mostly simple leather or red tunics. Among them walked new recruits from Arcadia, and the occasional Drev, sometimes side by side with a spartan.

Six months mandatory Spartan training was the ideal requirement for their new recruits, though a year was preferred. However, in times like these, time itself was a precious commodity, and an entire year seemed less than feasible.

She found the Spartan proctors with a cluster of Drev Sentinels training their warriors in an open amphitheater. Drev and humans sparred together, worked together and fought together, men and women and Drev, the human's backs slicked with sweat. Standing above them were the spartan leaders and two Drev.

One, a massive, hulking behemoth almost eleven feet tall, with deep red black carapace scarred by battle. He leaned casually on a massive axe taller than sunny by a few inches. Next to him, almost three feet shorter, and slightly stooped, stood a Drev withered with age and time, though the stately way in which she held herself lent credence to the life of a successful warrior.

Sunny stepped up nodding to the two of them.

Hijan hummed at seeing her and Nakt Clan Sentinel Ranasash inclined his massive head. Not for the first time Sunny couldn't help but note his sheer size. The Drev was built like a brick wall, and was stalker than those from the fertile belt. In comparison he made her brother seem small.

"Saint of the sun." He said, "How goes the Admiral's offensive."

"Accordingly as far as I can tell, though we will see within the next few days."

He nodded and motioned to the field, "have you come to spar?"

"I don't know.... Perhaps I could go a round or two."

Ranasash adjusted his upper right hand on the shaft of his massive axe, and that was when Sunny was hit with the strangest sensation that had ever gripped her. Looking at the Drev Sentinal, she had the sudden violent repulsion for the idea of fighting him, so aggressive that it almost made her sick. She wanted to break and run in the other direction. Not out of fear but..... but something else.

It wasn't a logical feeling, but in that moment fighting him.... Anyone was the last thing Sunny wanted to do.

She stepped back and put a hand to her head dizzy with how strong the feeling had come on.

The big Drev stepped forward, a look of concern on his face, "Saint, are you well?"

The feeling was still inside her, gnawing at her guts. And it scared her. She had never been afraid of battle before. She LOVED to fight.

What was wrong with her?

"I.... Seem to have been caught in a dizzy spell of some sort."

"Perhaps you should consult a physician." The Drev offered, the word alien and new on his tongue. Before all of this the Drev had not had a word for a doctor, and the human word was stilted on his tongue.

"I think you might be right." Inside her chest her heart was pounding, "Have you seen Dzarah?"

"Your sister. She was supposed to meet me at noon for her training."

"Apologize to her for me, if you will."

He nodded again, and let her go. Sunny hurried away doing her best to make it look like she wasn't fleeing, but in a certain case she was. She wanted nothing more than to get away from the fighting, though the conscious part of her was confused and concerned.

She had never felt like this before.

What was wrong with her.

She nearly leapt out of her skin when a voice called her name.

"Sunny."

She turned in time to see Hijan jog up after her. The old Drev refused to slow down in her old age. Sunny wasn't really sure how old Hijan was, though her carapace was blackened and muddy from time. From what Sunny had heard Hijan had once been a great beauty, though there were no photographs to prove such a thing. Only her name which literally translated to beauty wYoas any indication that that was true.

Hijan looked her over with a critical eye, "I will walk with you."

Sunny nodded and together they walked up the path towards the medical center, positioned at the top of the hill. There was a special back entrance, close to the training field. Krill had insisted it be built this way having said.

"If you are going to insist on being stupid, than I am going to insist on being safe."

Stepping through the doors and into the bright white lights was a hard transition for both. Sunny raised a hand as did hijan, and together they walked down the halls and through a set of double doors into a small waiting room. Sunny's heart was beginning to slow and she headed towards the opposite doors intending to walk right on through.

Hijan grabbed her by the arm, "Where are you going?"

"I'm feeling better. I think it was just a dizzy spell."

Hijan gave her a look.

Off to their side the hall door opened and two figure stepped out.

One was a Human and the other was a Finnari, and held in the Finnari's arms was a small bundle. Hijan and Sunny both stopped craning their necks to get a view of Arcadia's celebrity couple. Everyone and their dog wanted to see the naturally born hybrid. The human for his part seemed rather pleased chest puffed up a big smile splitting his face.

Sunny and Hijan were easily recognized, and the man waved, "Saint of Anin."

Sunny nodded to him, "And how is your young one."

The man nodded he Finnari forward, and Sunny crouched to one knee to better examine the small bundle.

The creature was obviously neither human or Finnari but somewhere between the two. It looked human for the most part, with a human face, and nose. It was smaller and thinner than the average human child, and where it's hairline began so too began a line of bluish snakeskin which covered the posterior chain of it's body. Delicate blue tinted frills appeared on the neck and head like a finnari in place of human ears.

It was strange but cute she supposed.

She nodded, "You must be proud."

The human nodded enthusiastically, putting one arm around his smaller partner. The Quiet finnari woman held the little bundle protectively to her chest.

Sunny stood back up and allowed them to pass by.

"How strange. She muttered.

Hijan stood with her.

"Sunny?"

The two of them turned to see Dr. Katie standing in the doorway. Sunny was surprised, it felt like it had been almost forever since she had seen the woman. Kati's long dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she idly reached up with one hand to adjust her glasses. She was wearing a set of green scrubs and a white coat.

"Dr Katie." Sunny said with a nod.

"What are you doing here, is soemthing wrong."

Sunny shook her head, "No, no just passing through."

Hijan interrupted, "Yes, she is not feeling well."

Sunny gave Hijan a reproachful look, but hijan just gave her a strange smile that confused Sunny enough that it gave Katie time to think. She stepped forward, "Well I'm on clinic duty today, and its never a bad idea to get checked out now is it?"

Sunny sighed, "Very well.'

Hijan took a seat in one of the waiting chairs and Sunny walked back with katie into one of the exam rooms,

Katie spread a sterile drape on the waiting exam chair though Sunny opted not to sit until ordered. Many human machines worked on Drev as well, so she waited patiently as Katie examined her eyes, took her blood pressure and oxygen saturation.

She examined the inside of Sunny's mouth and the breathing holes at the base of her neck.

She did a basic neurological exam before sitting back in her seat, "Well, first look you seem fine, what seems to be the complaint/"

Sunny shrugged, "It was nothing really. I had gone out onto the practice field and..... Ranasash offered to spar, but all of a sudden I.... I got this overwhelming desire to do anything but fight him." She shook herself, "This might be more psychological. It has never happened to me before. I got a bit Dizzy, and my heart started to beat very fast."

"Were you.... Afraid/'

Sunny shook her head again, "No, no not at all. It was..... I can't even explain it. It was like it was against my will, like my body and my brain were disagreeing with each other."

"Ok, well, let me ask a few more questions then. This is the first time this has happened recently."

Sunny nodded again.

"Have you been experiencing any other odd symptoms." She picked up a clipboard and rifled through the pages, "Say a sudden increase in appetite, weight gain, irritability."

Sunny paused and tapped her finger on the chair arm, "Well I guess, I have been hungry lately. Like unreasonably hungry. I go home and I want to eat everything in sight. Ive...." She shifted with embarrassment, "Sometimes I pick the flowers from the flower beds. I know I shouldn't but I just can't help it. No irritability, I..... honestly I am less irritable? If that makes sense. Things don't bother me as much as they might have before."

"huh that is interesting. Do you mind if I take some blood? We can do a hormone panel while we are at it, wont take more than a second."

Sunny allowed Dr Katie to take some blood filling the vial with deep orange liquid.

They waited the ten seconds it took for the blood analysis to come back, and Katie put it up on the screen to begin scrolling.

"Well, that might be your problem."

Sunny lifted her head.

"You've got Low Enzatriene levels."

Sunny frowned, "What is that?"

Katie turned in her seat, "Basically, Low Testosterone, but for Drev, except in Drev it really only motivates aggression rather than sexual development, so both male and Female Drev have about the same amounts.

"I see, so what does that."mean?"

"Not really sure yet."

"let's see, you have a couple of changes here on both vitamin and hormone levels, a few decreases as well. Nothing major though in conglomerate it may mean something. Have you been experiencing any stress or discomfort?"

Katie slid forward in her chair gently pressing her hands against Sunny's exposed skin and carapace.

"Uh, no, I..... well I have been sleeping more, there's that too."

"Any issues with a lack of motivation?"

"No. I feel just fine."

"Lay back for me please."

Sunny did as asked and Katie began gently pressing her fingers against Sunny's stomach and sides. Drev skin isn't as soft as human skin, so she had to press rather hard to move anything.

Sunny saw her frown.

"that's odd."

"What's odd?"

"Does this hurt?" She pressed in with her fingers, and Sunny frowned shaking her head.

"No, should it?"

Katie shrugged. "I'm not sure, but this area in here is as hard as a rock, any constipation, gastrointestinal distress, sharp stabbing pain?"

"No, no and no."

"Hmm." Katie inched back to her chart and began rifling through her notes, "So what do we have so far, increased appetite, and need for sleep, a sudden drop in hormone levels leading to aggression but with no other related symptoms."

Sunny watched as Katie pulled a book off a nearby shelf. From the title she could see it was a medical textbook issued in the last year for Drev. It was a surprise to see, and she wondered what it might be inside. That book probably knew more about her body than she did.

She rifled through a few pages and then paused, "Wait.... That would explain."

Katie turned slowly to look at Sunny, who sat patiently confused and waiting .

"Sunny.... Is there a chance you could be..... pregnant?"

The word hit Sunny as if someone had closed a door in her face and she sputtered, "No I would never, are you saying that I cheated....?!"

Katie raised her hands, "No no, I mean, hybrid ."

Sunny was slow for the idea to dawn on her, and her stammering continued, "I well, no, I..."

"Are you on any form of birth control."

"No."

"Do you use any other form of protection."

"Well.... No We never, thought we needed to?"

Katie tapped her fingers against her leg, "It must have occurred to you after the first hybrid was born that it was possible."

Sunny paused, it had occurred to her, and she had thought about it on more than one occasion but her. It wasn't something she had been able to convince herself was even possible, "I....Shouldn't it have shown on the blood test."

"Drev don't start showing extreme enough blood markers for what will be another month or so in your case, but you have all the classic symptoms if this textbook is at all correct." Katie paused and leaned back in her seat. The smile was slow to start but eventually grew , "Congratulations Sunny, you're going to be a mom."

***

It was Hijan's knowing look that caught Sunny as she stepped through the doors Dazed and mildly overwhelmed. This was.... Quite literally the worst time, and yes she knew she had thought about it, even harbored hopes, but she never really believed it would happen, which meant she hadn't considered the consequences.

"You knew." She accused

Hijan held up a pair of hands, "I suspected." She stood, "We didn't have doctors when I was young. But everyone knows when a young Drev woman suddenly loses her thirst for blood, it can usually only be one thing."

Sunny swallowed hard, feeling dizzy again.

How was she going to tell Adam