Page 26 of Her Alien Delegate
An outlaw computer system with a code of conduct, I thought with amusement.
"Do you have any systems you consider friends?"
"Mammals require socialization for mental wellness. It is not a requirement of every system, but some of us do have a purpose that revolves around service. I was around long before any species came to discover my existence, and I like servicing the Blue District as a means of protecting all species."
"Does it bother you that other systems consider your district to be full of outlaws and unlawful behavior?"
"What is unlawful behavior? How does one become an outlaw, but to be considered different from what some societal condition forced upon the masses? I pride my district in protecting all species from those that would harm merely for their own benefit. Every outlaw agrees to follow my laws when they enter."
That made sense. Who were we to judge what is criminal and what is not between species with different ideas for socially acceptable behavior?
It would be illegal on Earth to do anything sexual in public, but it seemed necia warriors encouraged the acts.
"Will the unGor get in trouble for harming the trill that poisoned us?" I couldn't stop myself from worrying about him, even if he wasn't planning on returning to me. Knowing he would be okay would have to be enough.
"The trill had broken their agreement with me when they did not register their intention to perform a mating ritual, and they did not follow the protocol of following the contract you agreed to for the meeting. Consent of both parties is required in my district, and not following this gives me full authority over their life. I submitted the request for any nearby guests to subdue him. The unGor will not be held responsible for anything that happens in the Blue District by the Galactic Authority. I have agreements with them that I have full authority to manage my district as I see fit."
"That's a relief." It seemed like Bode would make a fair decision without societal pressure to conform to any singular species. Since Bode made the order, then the unGor's actions weren't considered breaking the Blue District laws.
"I always enforce agreed upon contracts," he said with an air of pride and boastful accomplishment that made me feel they thought I was complimenting them.
My heartrate jolted and a flash of how Ter-ak had Bode's approval to forcefully complete the mating ritual due to his contract. Fear had me sweating with the realization that if Ter-ak had submitted his request sooner, that the order to subdue him would not have been sent to the unGor to save me from an unwanted mating.
With all of my willpower, I forced myself to ask, "Does the contract I have contain any termination clause?"
"Every contract must contain a termination clause to be considered valid," BODE confirmed and then elaborated, "Your contract with the trill named Ter-ak stated that the Trillume Authority has the right to terminate your contract if you donot meet your obligations to your host, and by completing the obligation, any termination made by either party would be reversed. Completing your mating ceremony would reinstate your contract with the trill, since your contract is a mating agreement. Since your contract was transferred, not terminated, any male that completes a mating ceremony with you would keep your contract. Each species has their own mating rituals, and this makes your contract's fulfillment variable. Your transfer agreement with the necia tribal law would be voided if you complete a mating ceremony with any other species that is not Earthling."
"Not Earthling..."
My therapist had stated I needed to get out of my comfort zone if I wanted to stop relying on other people to make decisions for me. Joining the exchange trade was a guarantee to be given advanced medical treatment, and I wouldn't be discarded if I failed the fertility center in producing a child for society.
More and more women were missing from the community center when they turned thirty, with no children on file. I'd be turning thirty soon, and any contract with the planet Trillume was highly sought after. Just completing one year of being a trill's mate would set me up for life, but I never anticipated that my contract would be transferred.
The walls seemed to close in on me, and images of Ter-ak greedily grinning at me with those sharp teeth like a shark as my body refused to move, succumbing to the poison. My chest heaved, and my lungs constricted.
No control, I thought over and over again.
No one ever returned from a contract with Trillume, not because they extended their contracts, but because they were fooled into a contract that would no longer protect them.
What was protection anyway, but a false sense of security? No one was protected.
I laughed hysterically thinking about how my therapist fell for the same trap all humans fell for. The belief that any of us were free or that I had control over anything that happened to me.
My knees buckled and I sob-laughed at how stupid I felt and how the most free I'd ever been was being used by an unGor that only wanted me for a night.
Bode had been speaking with me, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying until a strange smell filled my nose and the words finally registered, "Initializing containment for the safe transfer of species human to medical."
"No," I breathed out, barely above a whisper. Not that my vote counted for anything.
"You have a few more seconds of consciousness, Human Evie. I've sedated you for your own safety to prevent self-harm in your deteriorating state. I will be with you when you wake. I've decided to create an off-server copy of myself to continue serving you, though my programming will be limited without connecting with a larger server than the one currently in your implant. Rest well."
What did Bode mean that they made a copy of themselves in my implant? My translator? How?
"That's... hacking..." I tried to reason with him as my vision blurred between black and the lights above me.
Then I remembered Bode only had a strict rule about hacking a system with intelligence. There must have been a loophole in his programming to not think that a non-intelligent software implanted into an intelligent being didn't count as unethical. Or perhaps, he didn't see humans as intelligent and that logic didn't matter either. If Bode replied, I didn't hear them before I fell asleep.
Chapter ten
