Page 22 of Her Alien Delegate
"Are you wishing to strengthen Trillume or AsunGor?"
Trillume would certainly benefit from diversifying their offspring with AsunGor if they wished to build more substructures beneath their planet's surface.
Wisely, Romek closed his mouth and brooded as he dragged the dead garrant into the lavatory. I may spare him yet.
An intercom beep sounded throughout the room. "Due to the anomaly detected, your privacy has been revoked. I will now connect you with the director," Bode said before a female voice picked up where they left off.
"May the light of the goddess guide you." A trill, I assumed, with such a greeting and the lack of including her name. They did not address names unless they believed you honorable enough to have use of it beyond the single interaction.
She continued, "You have been exposed to a virus, and the host you are in possession of can become deadly, even after apparent death."
"The garrant has been contained in the lavatory," I assured her.
"That is good news, Commissioner Broma." She gave honor and acceptance of my title by using my name. Names were important to the trill. "This was not the kind of reception I wished for you upon your arrival. I've secured a contract for you with a human named Violet. Her contract was flagged for a trill mate match, but I've made sure to transfer it to AsunGor. Many diplomats have shown they cannot be trusted with caring for the Earthlings."
"Violet," I smiled at the name of my mate. It was goddess-willed that she would be under my care.
"And she has accepted the transfer of her contract?"
"Yes, it seems that Violet is especially motivated to leave for AsunGor immediately. She appeared to be fearful, and understandably so after the anti-alliance groups that have sabotaged the last H.E.T. shuttle. We'll be able to hide her transfer among the other contracts when they arrive in the next red star rotation."
"The next red star?" That was so soon, perhaps sooner than I'd be cleared of the virus. "When did you arrange this?"
"I wasn't able to reach Commissioner Trema before you departed. The human transport was added to a research vessel bringing medical supplies to Earth. It isn't registered the same as other ships, so Trillume chanced that the anti-allegiance wouldn't have time to plan an attack. There will be one more vessel arriving from Earth soon that is only known by a select few that your mating contract can be hidden among the other humans."
"I'd like to speak with her once she wakes."
"We can't have any contact with humans until the transport is safe. She is safer not contacting you until you meet. Her contract is delicate."
I didn't like not being able to assure my mate that we were more than a contract.
"My bond requires contact with my mate, as I'm sure you're aware."
"A picture is all I can give you for now," she said with a hardened tone that spoke of many cycles of her political training to end debates. There was no negotiation or emotion, just facts. The trill princess sent the image to the communication device. It was all I had of my mate besides the scars I carried to remember our brief time together. I tapped my data band to the screen totransfer the image for my safekeeping. It was the one technology I allowed on my body as it had no ability to relay my location or spy on me. It simply held information, only accessed with my biomarkers. The same data would be scrambled without my blood.
Princess Klemon smiled, showing off her sharp teeth. "You'll have plenty of time to bond with your mate when she joins you on your ship back to AsunGor. I've found that there are markers in Earthling DNA that lead me to believe that species have been ignoring galactic laws for centuries. Likely outlaws and failed technology leading to crash landings on their planet have exposed Earthlings to many different species."
It was typical, even for a progressive leader such as Princess Klemon to think the common biomarkers we share with Earthlings were due to disobedience or failures. I kept my mouth shut towards her bias. The trill didn't respond well toward being told they weren't always a recognized authority, or that they still weren't by most of the universe.
My mother taught me long ago that leadership wasn't about controlling anything, but about making others believe that you had what they wanted. And if you didn't have it, you would be the one that found it for them. Leadership was being known by your actions. I controlled nothing but myself.
Knowing what others wanted was how they gave you the control they have over themselves.
She wanted me to lead my planet, as my own brother had no intention of helping the trill or humans.
"My brother Brakaun has been promised to the Faust Delegation. If he bonds and produces offspring before I do, then my commission standing would be split. It is likely I would lose primary support and my commission would be in title alone. I'm risking much to mate with a human upon your word of many."
I watched as her scales fluttered along her head on instinct. A defensive reaction, meaning I was right about how important it was to her for humans to have powerful mates across the universe. What was in it for her? I couldn't know for sure, but it was personal. It was true that she was in hiding and many trill wanted her dead for her part in our decreased fertility, and her stance on human integration.
"Nothing can be done about your brother having a tail lead in securing support of AsunGor. Earthlings can't hold offspring for as long as an AsunGor female. There is an accelerated replication process which will help you prove your bond sooner than his own. I will do everything I can to assist your bond. The blessings of Lumei will guide us."
The goddess of Trillume, Lumei. As if Lumei was the only being born of stars. They believed Lumei was a star, and we were born of her sacrifice, and yet her light lived on in all of the trill.
"In many we rise," I honored her goddess, whether I believed in it or not mattered not to receiving the honor of her actions benefiting the AsunGor's future.
Lenkal ended the transmission, and then I politely requested the AI of the Blue District to restrict all communication out of this room.
"What are you trying to do?" Romek questioned.
