Page 18 of Her Alien Warrior
I was pretty sure that was what the translation meant in my head, and a ding sounded in my ear. I tapped where the medic had shown me, and a pleasant voice that sounded a great deal like a popular actress on Earth said, "A traditional greeting of the trill, commonly followed with the phrase, 'In many we rise.'"
That's useful to know. I quickly placed my pinky back to my head and said, "In many we rise."
For the first time, I saw a trill smile, and I was both relieved and terrified as all of their teeth were carnivorous.
"A polite human, how refreshing," she said. "How may I assist you? I have all humans accounted for from the last transport.The next shuttle should not have cleared for processing yet before we exit Earth's orbit."
After having a compliment from a trill, I didn't want to disappoint her with the reason I made my way here, but there was no changing that I was lost, and I'd have to swallow my pride.
"The ship is as large as a city, and I got a bit turned around."
"Ah, you need guidance to your living quarters, or perhaps the lounge that is much too loud to fit the name humans call it? Lounging is a state of relaxation, and yet that is not what happens there. I cannot leave the stasis pods, someone must always be monitoring them, but I can upload the directions to your implant as only the latest models would have had access to enter this room." She flicked through the air like the medic did before and then turned from me, signaling the end of our conversation.
As I exited the stasis pod room, the same notification sound beeped, and I tapped my implant. The voice returned and navigated me through the halls. My implant must be able to track where I was on the ship, because it was precise to the step on when I was supposed to turn, and the door I was standing in front of at the end... was General Sou-el's office.
Whatever file was on my implant had his room listed as mine, and curiosity got the best of me as I lifted my hand to be scanned for entry... it opened.
Chapter seven
General Sou-el
All medics had implants in their fingers or a disrupter tag to scan nanobots, upload or download information from implants, and carry out their tasks. Medic Cenkal was servicing the medbay, and he was not one for pleasantries before administering my exam, though he was particularly chatty while he proceeded.
"I thought you would be by sooner than this to pick up your supplements, General. As a warrior of research and knowledge, you should be aware that there is honor in accepting science's help to be our best." He shoved a finger into my mouthand rubbed it along the inside of my gumline. "I'm surprised that the reason you are here is for a re-evaluation for bathing consideration. Are you experiencing symptoms of oncoming rut?"
"You know I am not," I confirmed for him, mumbling through my lip being pinched before he let go.
"You know I took this shipment's assignment to stay by your side, and yet you hardly visit. I was beginning to think you had forgotten I had claimed you as my brother, and that comes with honored courtesy of your attention from time to time," he continued to ramble on, and I grunted my acknowledgement.
"You owe me nothing," I released him of his burden many times, but he has yet to accept it.
He stabbed a needle in me with unnecessary roughness that I had schooled myself to ignore. My face remained unflinching, though he quickly sprayed my arm with numbing agent anyway, knowing I felt it more keenly than other warriors would have. Cenkal was upset with me, but he did not truly wish me harm.
"I owe you my life since we were spawnlings, but you are right, I've paid my debt that same rising. Together we survived the tribal rites, and together we will continue to thrive. One day, I will mate and you will be there to show my spawnlings what strength and honor look like."
I nodded my agreement; he had proven he would always be there for me, and it was my honor to be there for him and his future spawnlings. It didn't go unnoticed that he did not include me as having spawnlings in the future. He was a medic,he knew this was unlikely, and gave me the gift of having his own spawnlings be my own one day. It was the greatest honor that I never thought I'd have.
"Are you waiting until you are promoted to General Medic to honor me with spawnlings to raise as my own?"
"Don't be ridiculous, brother, they are still my spawnlings, you will guide them and protect them, but I fear they will come to honor you more than myself if you don't have someone else to honor and attend to."
"Have you been speaking with the commander?" I grumbled, not in the mood to be ambushed by Cenkal about being mated.
"She may have messaged about convincing you to join me at the lounge one of these nights to look into options, but I was not expecting the request to re-examine your bathing needs. There are mate options that are uninterested in spawn or have damaged their glands and are in want of a companion. You don't have to worry about what your exam will show us. You are well honored in your field."
"I'm aware. I'm not here to find a mate. We both know what my results will be."
Cenkal grabbed a testing paper and rummaged around his desk. "Ah, I used the last of my primer vials for this exam. I've done many bathing readiness exams, and I will have to collect more primers for the future."
"It should not matter; the results would be as they have before. We can skip it and I can return to myoffice."
"Not quite," he opened a drawer and smiled, "This will have to do. Normally, I have the subjects provide their scent of arousal for priming a bathing candidate, but blood can work as well. Since you have such a low enzyme level, it should be fine to use it as a primer. It can be risky with warriors that have a high level already, leading to a rut, as you well know."
"I've had blood before, it did nothing to help my gland production. If you're pretending to be out of primer to boost my exam chances, I will find out. I have access to supply lists, as General," I warned him, but at least this way there would be no doubts of my failing the exams when the primer was blood.
It should be more potent than arousal fluids.
He grabbed a glove and picked up the small vial no larger than a teardrop of blood.
