Page 6 of Her Alien Delegate
"What about your tribe?"
Being the commissioner of all AsunGor meant I had no tribe of my own, and Pheyal was still the leader of his own tribe.
Vaquel scoffed like I should know the answer already. I had a feeling he was not as pleased with me as Pheyal was, but it was obvious his loyalties were strong for his tribe.
"Disputes will be addressed to the nearest tribe commissioner, and all commissioners have access to reach us for further consult," Pheyal stated a basic law of a commissioner on leave, but that didn't explain why he was willing to leave for such an extended amount of time, it put his own commission at risk.
"It's important for future bonded brothers to be comfortable with one another. Pheyal should be the second mate in the delegation, and I will be the third," Vaquel spoke directly about my mating contract.
"I cannot guarantee who my mate favors," I reasoned that their expectations were hasty at best. That was one thing I would not learn from my mother. Where she chose her mates diplomatically, and was seldom smiling at any of them, I would not have my mate unhappy.
Being bonded to a delegate wasn't something I had thought much about, but now that I knew I would have one or create an unnecessary diplomatic disaster, or even the death of my brother, I would make sure that she would be happy with our arrangement. Even if she doesn't favor me in our delegation and chooses another first mate, I will support her decision. There was no telling if she would wish to bond with any of us, let alone all three of us. Though a bond with Pheyal and Vaquel would show strength within the commissions across AsunGor.
"I will not dissuade my mate from any bond she chooses, but I will not choose them for her either. This is one thing as first mate I will not interfere with," I explained, watching them both to see if this would change their mind about joining me to Trillume.
"Harmony within a delegation is important," Vaquel objected, but he stopped when Pheyal shook his head.
"This is nothing more than a typical test of worth when joining a delegation; merely the perimeters are different. I will prove myself by gaining her approval," Pheyal said with a determined intensity.
That wasn't exactly supposed to be encouragement to seek out my mate's approval, but there was nothing I could say that would deter Pheyal from seeking to be part of the same commission delegation it seemed. Though, from the look on Vaquel's face, this was not the case for him.
"This is sharply irregular," Vaquel grumbled. "It is easy for one such as Pheyal to accept such conditions to join your delegation, but how am I to impress the delegate into bonding with a tactician? It has been a tradition for every delegation for the firstmate to choose one tactician. We aren't chosen by delegates, but endeared towards them through a first mate's approval."
Pheyal replied for me, "And he has made it clear that is how to receive his approval. You will be around often enough to be of use to her before she could possibly bond with other mates." With a mischievous grin, he leaned over towards me to whisper not so subtly, "Vaquel was rather hoping to win our mate over with his other assets in the heat of a bonding ceremony; it is a tradition that many tacticians practice on the har fruit. He's made sure that an extra crate was added to the trade shipment to Trillume."
I nearly coughed on my own saliva at the image of Vaquel applying the right amount of pressure with his tongue to extract the fruit's juices without having it spray out the foul odor. It was normal for some to practice removing the sacks without bursting them, as the oils can spoil the flesh.
"I enjoy the taste of the har fruit," Vaquel defended with a huff. Even I couldn't hold back smiling at Pheyal in agreement that har fruit had a chewy texture and often only used the juice. Seeing we weren't convinced, he continued, "The flesh can be ground up to season the food dispensary meals."
"Yes, adding the unrendered har fruit was to sweeten our meals. A truly thoughtful traveling addition," Pheyal teased.
This was an opportunity to show my interest in bonding with them sincerely. It was clear to me that Pheyal had mentioned this embarrassing topic to promote our future brotherhood.
"It isn't only a skill for tacticians to master. I had no intention of joining a commission, and it wasn't uncommon to see har fruit competitions with winners chosen by females before they become delegates. I'm sure many warriors are chosen to join delegations from those competitions." I tried to sound reassuring, but the assessing stares from both of them told me that I knew too much about these competitions. I refused tobackstep my comment, as my mother had taught me confidence and honor were owning both your victories and your failures. Even failures can seem positive when a warrior doesn't shy from them.
"Challenge accepted," Pheyal said while lifting his ormete as an honored agreement for a challenge I had unwittingly given.
Vaquel shifted his weight from boot to boot until Pheyal nudged him forward by tripping him on his extended foot. He smoothly guided the fall with his hand for Vaquel to bow beside him.
"I accept," he choked out with the pressure.
It would be a great disrespect not to take their offered ormete, so I did.
"It is settled," Pheyal said while he stood tall with broad shoulders and a chuckle as he patted Vaquel jovially. "Go fetch the crate from your quarters and let us meet at the dispensaries."
The crate?
Vaquel laughed back at Pheyal; their friendship and bond were obviously strong. "Are we going for speed or precision?"
"There's enough in your crate for both!"
"Don't be upset when you lose," Pheyal taunted then he was gone down the hall to his quarters on the ship.
I watched them with envy as they held an easiness together that I had always craved with my own flesh and blood brother. It wasn't easy to have such freedom when our mother expected one of us to lead in her shadow. The kind of competition between us was never this relaxed.
"Win and I'll consider hosting a delegation recruitment for my mate after we're bonded, though I still won't require her to choose anyone," I offered with a smile. There was no harm in allowing select unGor to show their talents to my mate with a delegation ceremony. She would still have full control over accepting them into the delegation.
Vaquel heard me down the hall and his call echoed back, "Winner gets first claim!"
