Page 39 of Her Alien Savior
“I don’t have to work here,” she pre-emptively explained, “My planet has valuable stones that grant estrelds, like myself, diplomatic waiver regardless of my profession, but Princess Klemon finding me was the best thing that could have happened for my clan. Being here could help many on Estreldez from being forced to participate in the mating ceremony every cycle, only to lose their mates when they never return to the planet.” She laughed sadly as she stared off at the wall of screens. “That’s why I left originally. I was of mating age, I participated and thought myself in love. I followed him here, only to discover my shoulder glands were wrong about him being my mate, he was simply compatible to mate with, and he was only interested in a bit of fun. Thanks to Princess Klemon I am not truly abandoning my clan, and I can live my life the way I choose. Picking my mate for myself and not when my shoulders tingle for a stranger.”
She referred to Klemon like a savior, giving her an opportunity to improve her life and help her species.
“So, estrelds have been able to continue to mate despite the virus?”
“Oh, yes. Our bodies are similarly fighting off the effects like the necia, but most of our offspring require us to mate outside of our own species, and our spawn rates are lower every mating cycle. My sister keeps me appraised of the data I need from Estreldez to ease my worry that our work is not too little too late.”
“If diplomatic waiver is given to the mates of those with one, then after my exchange I can go where I want without renewing my contract here, if my mate is one? Is that correct?”
It was touching and all that her planet was suffering, and she believed Princess Klemon was the key to helping her clan, but that had nothing to do with Earth, or humans. Nothing in this conversation said anything about giving the tech to Earth, or helping humans join the Galactic Alliance to receive waiver just like other diplomats. This sounded to me like humans were a tool to helping other species and nothing more. I smiled politely at her and waited for her to answer.
“Yes, well. Genetics don’t lie, and you have yet to be marked in mating with yourmate,“ she emphasized the title with a twinge of doubt. “Klemon isn’t a fool, she swabbed to confirm you’re a mated pair. Your genetics are highly compatible, and likely he could very well be a mate, but he has not claimed you as such. It’s normal for necia warriors to wait for their females to accept them as a mate before they mark, which is why Klemon chooses to believe you both. She thinks that you don’t know enough about necia culture and probably haven’t finished your bond because of that.”
“You do not,” I finished for her.
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if I believe you are mates. It matters if I believe you can be. Fool around if you wish, but you will be checked for the mark of a mate with a necia when you submit for diplomatic waiver. Without it, you will be returned to Earth. You can’t fake being a necia mate, they have sex during rut, they aren’t particularly choosy about that, but they only inject their mates with their biomarkers.”
“Clear enough.” I had plenty of questions about mating with a necia warrior, but I wasn’t about to admit I couldn’t ask Direl for that kind of information. But apparently it was perfectly safe to fool around with a necia warrior as long as he didn’t consider me his mate or have permission, or something like that. We could keep pretending all the way up to the end of my exchange contract, but I wouldn’t bet on them keeping their contract terms, could I?
“And in case you are still thinking this is some elaborate slave trade, I’ve arranged for you and your mate to be escorted to the Galactic Alliance Palace, and the shuttle that would take you back to Earth, or to Necia Prime if you have a waiver. The palace can process your diplomatic waiver and you can both go about your business, or you may both part ways returning to your respective planets.
“No tricks, but I hope you’ll remember why you accepted your exchange to begin with. I’ve read your profile. You don’t seem the type to put all your hopes in one basket waiting for someone else to carry it when you have two capable hands yourself. Yes, we will find someone else, but when, and will they hand the basket off to the next person only for the basket to stay where it was when you left?”
“You’re manipulating me,” I scoffed, recognizing tactics when I heard them. Did it matter if it was working? It wasn’t like what she was saying wasn’t true, the best manipulations are surrounded in truth. “I’m not the only human you have here. I don’t take you for a put your hopes in one basket kind of scientist.”
She smiled, and nodded. “No, I suppose not, but you could be the hope that succeeds, if you give it a chance. I don’t know what your reasons are for pretending he’s your mate, but know that we are not human, and do not hold your customs here. It’s okay if you simply want him as your sired. Keep him around for anyone cares but tell me, so I can provide other mate options to confirm the tech is working.”
She saw my confusion as I stared at her.
“On my planet, we have mates and we have ones that bond with us as care takers, our sired seeks to build a future with us in any way we need from them. Helping us raise our offspring, company when our mates do not stay on planet, protection from those that are desperate to activate their mating cock, and even pleasure, though they are not compatible for offspring that does not make them inept or without desire. They are a companion dedicated to being part of your life in whatever way you wish. If he is this to you, you need not hide it, but I suggest you at least give him a chance to be your mate considering his high response rate to your presence.”
Before I could say anything, she pulled up a series of photos of other humans, men and women of varying races across Earth. One after the other, next to their headshot was an indicator in an alien language, probably Trillix, with an ornate universal check mark next to it in blue. My own image popped up with the same indicator. These were all humans with my same condition, infected with nanobugs making them infertile. Symbols appeared on the screen and then they flickered into numbers I recognized... Earth numbers in English counting into the billions. That was more than half the world’s population of humans.
Would Earth end up like Estreldez? Or has it already?
“I can see you understand that your human governments are using the exchange to trade for technology, research, and the chance to send human genetics into the galaxy should they fail. Many humans do not read their contracts, but quite a few of them include stipulations should you come to be with spawn, or if multi-species spawn result from your exchange that your offspring shall remain with the host should you not agree to extend your time.”
I gulped, feeling my throat grow dry. “I’m infertile, I didn’t think a section labeled interspecies relations applied to me except the bold type that said all contact must be consensual. It seemed like a section added to make humans feel safer when the next section directly after that was all about how our safety isn’t guaranteed, but all human exchanges are strictly tracked and monitored.”
“Then it did its job of distracting you like many others. Do what you will, Riley of Earth. Either get on board the shuttle to the palace when it arrives or come back to the lab ready to help. If you are one of those humans not seeking offspring, you may use this.” She handed me a rubbery ring. “You may mate without fear of spawn. Fold it like this and slip into your channel. It will melt with your heat creating a film within your chamber that acts as a barrier between seed and egg. Eggs may still fall, allowing us data on fertility, and your mate can still show his own fertility without it breaching.”
“It’s like an internal condom? How long does it last?”
“It is best to pull the sack out on your bleed. Also, do not tell Princess Klemon about this, it will upset her that you seek to prevent the goddess’s gifts. But, I must warn you that this contraceptive has never been tested with necia warriors, and,” she cleared her throat, “there are anatomy issues that I can’t account for.”
I nodded and found, against my better judgement, I trusted her. She was right, I joined the exchange for a reason, and agreed to give them one Earth year.
“Answer me one thing,” I waited for her turn to watch me curiously, her blue eyes twinkled, “Why not just talk with King Sylve directly? Why trick him into giving me the cure for his own tribe’s fertility issues, only to have him deliver me back to Princess Klemon hoping to lure her out of hiding?”
“This is why she picked you.” Tomquin smiled and she seemed pleased I asked. “There were a few others that matched the D.N.A. profile, at least once a sun cycle, but she wanted you. She needs a representative of Necias Prime to evoke the ancient customs at the palace, and you are both their cure, but also a way to bring a challenger to the Galactic Alliance to fight for you.”
“I’m not sure I follow...”
“Whether you stay or not, you have been used to announce Princess Klemon’s return to the council. This will draw out Queen Roknir, King Sylve, and others to the palace to kill her, help her, or challenge her.”
“When?”
“Does it matter?” she asked dismissively, like she knew exactly how to get under my nerves. If I left on the shuttle then it wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t be able to do anything about what was happening in the stars away from Earth.
