Page 34 of Her Alien Savior
“It’s amazing,” I said with awe. I had seen this on a smaller scale on Earth, but nothing like this.
“Yes, just like you are. Humans are such a versatile species, your D.N.A. adapts to your environment and finds a way to continue procreating despite hardships. We’ve seen humans mate with other species with successful spawn, and your biology could be the cure I’ve been searching for to undo my past mistakes.”
“What do you mean, I’m the cure?”
“Somehow, you were infected with the very same nanobugs that have plagued other species, preventing their fertility. Time is running out to find a cure for them before their entire spawnrates decline beyond endangered, into rarity, and extinction.” She motioned to the table where a beautiful jewel toned alien with long bright blue hair and actual jewels on their skin was sprawled naked on another table. I covered my eyes and Klemon giggled.
“This species doesn’t have the same modesties that Earthlings or the trill possess. They are called estrelds, and she is a volunteer here, seeking to reverse the effects of infertility for her planet Estreldez.”
Just then the alien’s eyes opened and stared at me. She didn’t scream, didn’t move, just watched me, before she spoke in a language I didn’t understand, and didn’t have a translation for.
“She expresses her greeting to you and gives you blessings of their moon goddess to guide your success,” Klemon explained, not that I fully trusted her translation. For all I knew, the alien was begging me for help, but her tone didn’t suggest distress, so it was possible Klemon was truthful.
“Are you telling me that my fertility is tied to a virus you created?”
I had accepted I was infertile long ago, it wasn’t a big deal to me because I had no desire to have a family. It felt too much like replacing what I had lost, and it wasn’t fair to a kid to put that on them. But something about what Klemon was saying created an ache in my gut I had thought died years ago. I could cure infertility, and my own fertility was tied to this virus.
It wasn’t me. It could be cured.
Klemon nodded at me with a soft smile. “Human's bodies are constantly repairing their cells but degrade after each replication because of your odd toxin requirements to breathe.”
“Toxin requirements?”
“Yes, Earth’s oxygen is highly toxic, and yet your lungs take that toxin and combust it like fire within your body. Only when there is damage to your fuel combustion chamber, you call lungs, do we see humans attempt to filter out your oxygen for a more pure air source. The air on Trillume is not filled with poison, and is still compatible with your lungs, though we do have the toxin available for supplement if you are having withdrawals.
“As for estrelds,” she continued, “their bodies are designed to take what humans consider dangerous levels of radiation and fuel their energy without degrading their genetics. However, this lack of degradation of their cell replication is the very reason the nanobug was so affective on them. The virus stayed strong within their D.N.A., while in you the virus had a defect allowing me to use necia D.N.A. to help flush it out.
“If I’m correct, Riley, we need only transplant human marrow into another affected species, and then use nanotech to alter the human marrow into that of their species D.N.A, and they will be cured, and the virus will not function as it did.”
“Then why alter my blood to be necia?”
“Human D.N.A. degrades with every replication, and necia are the fastest healing species, their cells replicate fast enough to overpower the replication of the virus. It’s why despite the fact that necia warriors were infected with the nanobugs for many generations now, their procreation hasn’t declined because their glands surge powerfully enough during rut to overpower the virus and still spawn with those who are genetically matched to them. It’s remarkable, and the reason why the council has been found conducting their own experiments with the virus to strengthen it.”
“They are already infected?”
“They have been since the beginning, when Queen Roknir first landed. It was the very first thing she did when her ship entered their atmosphere. Disguising the plume of entering their planet with a massive payload of the nanotech. And when that didn’t work, the drugs the warriors take when on long space missions to tame their rut is not altrustic, Riley, those drugs are designed to prevent their glands from overpowering the virus. It’s a win-win at the moment, since necia warriors do not wish to procreate during their missions, and they do not like the feeling of losing control when in rut, but they should not rely on the drug so much.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” I asked feeling my chest tighten with anxiety. My first thoughts were of Direl and his vulnerable sleeping body in my room.
“Because he is your mate, and you should know why humans are so important. I’ve sent another human exchange to Necias Prime to confirm my theory about your adaptability with other species. This was on the transport that arrived twin blue stars ago,” Seeing my confused look she smiled and amended, “Thirty risings before you arrived. They will reach Necias Prime in another blue star or so. Her fertility is unmarked by the virus, and her D.N.A. is highly compatible with another necia warrior I’ve arranged to be her host. If they mate without anymore interference from me then I’ve confirmed that repairing the D.N.A. requires introducing damaged DNA before seeking to repair it. I considered completely destroying the infected gene source, like humans have done with cancers, but the D.N.A. is too damaged to repair, and does not take the transplants after such a treatment.”
“Humans will be used to save other species?” The implications of that were huge. On the one hand it was an honor to help save lives, but on the other... it was dangerous to be so important. Earth would not be safe. Humans would not be safe.
I gulped down my nerves, my mouth dry as I stared at her. Why would she let me go back to Earth? What’s to stop them from harvesting humans?
Stumbling backwards, I clutched at my chest as my breathing came in rasps and gasps.
“This will be your lab,” Klemon ignored my panic attack and continued speaking, “You can have your translator updated for Dendil, the tongue of Estreldez through the interface on the wall there. Tomquin, here, will teach you how to assist her with the research, so you can see the whole process and replicate its results consistenty. She will be your partner in validating my research for mass production. I’ll come back when I can, but it isn’t safe for me to be in any place for too long. Not with the importance of what we are doing.”
Tomquin, the estreld from the table swung her legs over the side, and grabbed a gauzy robe that hid absolutely nothing of her skin and served no purpose that I could see other than to accentuate her beauty. At least that confirmed she seemed to be here of her own will. She ran a scanner behind my ear to connect my translator to the computer and when she spoke again I understood her.
“We know the necia have discovered the treason the Galactic Authority has done to their species. It’s lucky their body fights off most viruses, or we’d be seeing war far before now, but they require a very high pheromone compatibility to spawn, and it’s only their ability to send their body into rut that they have survived the virus, virtually unaffected,” the estreld paused, and watched me for any signs that I would freak out. I was too overwhelmed to do much more than listen, as I held myself up on the strength of the table beside me. Could I trust what I was hearing? Were they telling me the truth?
King Sylve could be right, but wrong all at the same time. Necia warriors were already infected, and what they were trying to prevent was the chance of the council of the Galactic Authority finding a way to fix whatever fault there was with the virus that made the necia kind of immune, being their rut. What were any of us going to do about it? I was just a single human.
“Continue,” Klemon insisted.
“Of course,” Tomquin said with a nod, “You, having a necia mate is good, we need to verify our counter nanotech can override the drug the necia have been taking to control their ruts. If you can bring your mate to rut even with him taking the drug, then we can gift this technology to the warriors to prevent a war.”
