Space Stations

“No doubt, if my experience is ever used in a homily, I will remember it that way, just for simplicity's sake.” It would have made it all easier for her had the shift been that literal.

For a heartbeat that image of a serpentine Virgin had occurred, but she'd rejected it ruthlessly. It was too glib, too simple, requiring no insight or thought; unlike the way she'd built up her position against helping.

She sipped again, both hands around the mug's warm barrel. “Fact is, I was thinking about what you said, about what Jesus might teach, and through His eyes I saw the worry on Mary's face, then the joy and I knew, regardless of faith, regardless of species, motherhood was a link that Mary shared with the ambassador. We teach that God is love, that what God has for us is love, and here I was, letting the love of a mother for her child be severed. I might have been able to justify what I was doing within the teachings of the Church, but doctrine and theology couldn't sanctify an act that was nothing but pure evil.”

Claire realized that had Flynn or another priest related to her the same train of thought concerning the decision, she'd have pointed out a gaping flaw: seeing the Ambassador and Mary in parallel situations created a not-so-subtle linkage between Jesus and the Haxadis infant, imbuing that child with a sanctity that demanded action, no matter how antithetical it was to Church teaching. She rejected that facile an argument because it was too shallow.

The simple truth was that the Haxadis infant did have sanctity, the same sanctity of all living creatures. Because of that, and because of the love between mother and child, she knew her decision had not only been correct, but had been the only one that was Godly.

Her head came up and she smiled. “I have a sister. I was there when her son was born. I don't know if you have ever attended a birth.”

Flynn nodded. “A time or three, yes, and even a human birth. People aren't always at their best in that situation.”

“No, no, the things Deb said to her husband all but blistered the paint off the walls. And there, when the ambassador was giving birth, some of those hisses were just this side of lethal. She actually bit her consort through the arm, but he took it stoically.”

Claire set the mug down then held her hands in her lap. “I had to do a bit more in there than I did with Deb. The Ambassador's cloaca dilated, right down at the base of her abdomen, then her baby just wriggled free of this clear fluid membrane. I had to catch the child, help it, and say the words being whispered to me by a Qian. Part of the time I was thinking about snakes and having a hard time not thinking of this child as a snake. I almost lost it once, then I caught the mother's glance. I could see the worry in her eyes, so I nodded, I said the words loud, with her little aide translating. I kept seeing my sister and the Blessed Virgin. I even knew I'd have a hard time justifying my actions to the Bishop, but I knew what I was doing was more right than wrong.”

Flynn took her hands in his. “If there was any wrong in what you did, Father Yamashita, I'll not be seeing it as being worthy of your bothering me with it during Confession. As for the Bishop…” The older man shrugged. “I'm thinking she's got enough to worry about that troubling her with a report on this isn't really necessary.”

Claire gave Flynn's hands a squeeze, then freed her own to recover her mug. “The whole thing wouldn't have been necessary if the Haxadis had planned ahead better.”

“What do you mean?”

She frowned. “You are pregnant, and you know you need a priestess to help birth your baby if you are caught on a ship. You head out on a long journey, hoping to get home, but knowing it's a race against time. Why don't you ship a priestess with you? They had room in their pod for it—in the cabin they gave me, if nothing else.”

The door to the small waiting room opened and the Qian station director entered the room. She looked about for a moment and then serenely faced the pair of priests. “There you are.”

Flynn raised an eyebrow. “Why, Director Chzan, you're long since past trying to fool me with your coincidental appearances. You see, Father Yamashita, Director Chzan has a dozen different ways to locate us if she desires, not the least of which would have been having the station's systems sniff the air for the hints of your tea.”

The Qian did her best to pretend she had not heard Flynn's remark. She extended her hand toward Claire. “I came for the transmission device.”

Claire reached back behind her right ear and peeled off a plastic piece of circuitry through which a Qian aide had whispered to her the words she pronounced at the birth.

“Thank you for your help.”

“No, Father Yamashita, it is you who must be thanked.” The Qian inclined her head slightly. “This would have been an indelicate situation were you not here to resolve it.”