Page 4 of Bred By Zyros
“It will be handled on our end this time, to make things quicker, along with added compensation for hazard, primitive allotment, and yourdigression.” That gets my attention. I’m not new to being a human breeder, nor am I new to working with The Solar Breeding Agency. This is afirst.
She mimics a shrug, leaning closer to me as if to say something highly secretive, despite the volume of her watery voice never changing. “Nyssara is a protected planet. So technically speaking—”
“I shouldn’t be there.” I finish for her, my eyes darting to her mate, who is back to his usual muted self. Protected planet could mean a lot of things, endless reasons, all of them bad.
“It is a matter of red tape, as you humans say.”
I’ve never heard anyone say that, but if anyone knows humans, it’s the Oozarians.
I hesitate, watching the enormous male as he shifts, his lips curling up in a snarl, showing off crisp white fangs. My eyes narrow in on the deep, painful looking scratches that line his neck and chin.
The Oozarians clock it. That for once…I’m about to say no.
“It is a chance to go somewhere no human has ever been.” She gestures nonchalantly, but she’s anythingbutthat. “You get an opportunity to explore a planet and travel without restraint lobbied by the Alliance. You will not get another pairing like this, human Melody.”
My eyes widen on the screen as it changes from him to a vast jungle, flora and fauna shown in holo sides, vibrant colors every bit as dangerous as the male. It’s then that I feel thattug, the bone-deep itch to move. It’s what made me submit an application last night, despite telling myself the last one wasthe last one. Despite knowing it was a lie. That feeling spurred every application before this one. When it feels like I’ve sat still as a stone for days but only moments have passed, I bounce my leg to quell it, watching the no doubt illegally accessed slides flicker.
What I told Lenora was the truth, at least mostly. I love helping people; I love babies. Love seeing them be handed over to happy, waiting caregivers, knowing there will always be a piece of me there with them. All of that is important to me, but it’s more, too. A bit selfish. I…I hate being still. I hate beinginsideand away, sitting behind a desk and working in a lab. It’s suffocating.
I chew my lip, thinking of Mom and Dad for the first time since our brief com call earlier.
Mom would freak because what I’m about to agree to breaks more laws than I care to count. Dad would be disappointed butfor only as long as it took for his only daughter to send data and samples back for his research. It’s part of my compensation; we have little need for money, and with my other matches, I’m more than set for life.
It’s the adventure, thenewand exciting, the danger that I want.
I’ve always had an excellent track record; I breed quickly and carry well, but primitive…primitive is hard. Hell, I didn’t even think class 3B would be capable of travel like this, to even know where to ask. Something's off about it, but still…I can feel the itch. Still, we all know I’m going to say yes. It didn’t take much. It rarely does.
My eyes refocus, leaving the blurred images on the projection just as it switches back to the male. Her mate leans forward, pushing the datapad toward me. “Place your thumb here and we’ll move on to the joint agreements.”
My teeth score my inner cheek. My excitement is bubbling in my chest as I press my thumb, sealing my end of the agreement. I swear I’m floating on pure adrenaline. I’ve never done anything…illegal before. Having a father on the scientific board of the Intergalactic Alliance is a good reason to stay in line, especially for ahumanon the Intergalactic Alliance board. It’s unheard of, the first of us to land a seat at an alien-run table.
It’s reckless. Stupid even.
I’m Melody, reasonable, agreeable Melody. I’ve only done one stupid thing in my entire life. That only makes me smile more.
I get to see things that aren’t the four walls of my pod apartment or the beakers of Dad’s lab or Mom's tired, red-rimmed eyes. I get to explore something evenwecan barely afford, and we live comfortably where so many don’t. Everything that happens next occurs in record time, and suddenly we’re rushing toward the meeting rooms.
My thoughts go back to Lenora, sneaking my holo pager out to shoot off a message before the sound of the door to the meeting room sliding open drags my attention up, up, up, up to the towering male coiled in the stuffy room. His thick, vibrant tail is eating up the space so much so that the slime species has to alter their shape to work around him.
“Zyros,” the Oozarian male I never got a name for starts, his arms opened wide in greeting. “I’d like to introduce you to Melody Arnold, your human breeder. Melody is highly experienced; she’s provided several healthy births so far, never any complications.”
My smile falters. I want to take a step in, but suddenly the fabric of my white dress is itchy, the neckline too low on my small chest where it had hugged Lenora’s so daringly. It’s a stupid, silly thought, but…it’s his eyes, their slitted teal and cracked green coloring. It’s the way they track over every pore of my flesh that glues my feet to my spot.
“Go!” Thlorinzae whisper shouts in my ear, making me all but stumble into the room as I rush to the space in front of him. Already, the smell of rain and musk makes my mouth water. Perhaps it will be worth the recovery days to bed down by—
My checks flush, my head snapping toward him as he makes a deep hissing sound that renders the room quiet, the Oozarians halting their normal speech. The massive length of him seems to bunch tighter with restraint.
The heck, Melody, say something!
“Hi!” I beam up at him, offering my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
His scowl never lessens, and he definitely doesn’t take my hand, but that’s fine. You don’t have to be best friends to stick one thing in one hole. Or a couple of things in a couple of holes, depending on how he’s made up down there. I just give him a quick, friendly nod, lowering my hand before turning back tothe Oozarians. For once, they’re looking slightly…apprehensive. They share a quick glance at one another before launching into their lines. “Zyros Selkthys of Nyssara, do you accept and agree to the terms set forth in the agreement by your own will, free of duress or compulsion?”
“Yes,” he responds. The way he carries out the S on the end in a long, deep hiss makes goosebumps dot my flesh. It is odd for a primitive planet to speak universally, but I suppose he could have a translator. That would mean the Intergalactic Alliance has some foot in the game with his people, or at least his planet, which makes this a hundred times more terrible of a decision than it was moments ago.
Oh well, we’re in it now.
She turns her attention back to me, her too wide smile in its proper place. I return it. When you’re a small human in a world run by apex predators and beings so smart they’ve transcended what we think of as consciousness, you kind of get used to smiling at things that could kill you. “Melody Arnold of Aurellon Station, do you accept and agree to the terms set forth in the agreement by your own will, free of duress or compulsion?”
