Pregnancy is dangerous in the Empire! For thousands of years, Imperial women have used artificial gestation. But Grace was born on barbarian, pre-contact Earth. She can't call herself a mother without doing it the hard way at least once. Grace has married into one of the most important families in the Empire - and Imperial politics are deadly at the top. Despite the risks, she discovers that there are advantages, both to herself and to her unborn baby. The Empire will never be quite the same again.