PETRA

A warm yellow sun softened the green paint on the bench as Petra kneaded the surface, restlessly damaging the fluorescent nail color at the tips of her nails. Her bright red mini and tank top contrasted strikingly with the color of the bench. Her white athletic legs, unaccustomed to the rays of the sun, had started to redden where exposed. A smear of blood red lipstick ran down her chin. She bit her lip with shiny pearl white teeth.

From reddened green eyes that seemed to float in a swelling spring, a tear fell to her breast, and a breeze cooled down it's trail upon her chest.

As the church bell tolled nine she stood barefoot on the brick road and left her shoes on the bench where she had put them. She turned for one last look at the town she'd come to love, the house of the McLeods where she had stayed, the room where slept the man for whom she cared and whose child she would bear in months to come.

Then with new found determinism she turned away and headed quickly for the hills. On the fields behind them there would be adequate cover and safety.

She ran fast up the hill; the sun and motion heated her body. Sweat drenched her clothing and gave a salty taste to her lip.

As she arrived at the chosen location behind the first hill she gathered her shoulder length platinum hair, tied it into a knot and fastened it with a pin given her by Mrs. McLeod.

She had learned to appreciate this token of caring, this giving of something to symbolize affection that was native to this culture. It was an additive to the spoken form of communication that they used; very pleasant.

She wiped the sweat beads off her forehead with her fingers as the graviton envelope generator's deep purr permeated the area and the mirror surfaced ranger shuttle floated down to an arm's length off the ground.

An opening melted off the surface and two hover steps floated down for her to climb. Duke Nedba jerked in front of the opening in his usual jolly mood.

"Good morning Baroness Knevrin; or should I say Petra?"

She smiled wryly and responded, "Hi!"

The Duke paused and then continued, as Petra wasn't coming up the steps, "Mission accomplished, I hope, Baroness?"

"Yes, Nemi, I am two earth days pregnant with the child of a perfect specimen.

"Mission accomplished!" and she hurried up the stairs.