Page 1 of Her Alien Delegate
Chapter one
Mate for Sale
“She’s a viperous demon that prefers the company of books over preparing a meal, but what she lacks in culinary skills, she makes up for in apt listening. She is not bad on the eyes and I have found humans require little tomaintain,” my alien husband announced to the bazaar that he had said we were going to because he had something "special" planned for me.
When I joined the alien exchange for a mate match, I didn’t have too much in the way of expectations. It was guaranteed I would be treated well no matter which alien selected me, and divorces weren’t a thing on Trillume. If we didn’t match well, I was told that another mate could be selected, or I could be returned to Earth. There were plenty of other exchange opportunities for humans. We were one of the few species part of the galaxy that defended ourselves with tools instead of having any biological advantages like claws, sharp fangs, poison, or thick hides. We had none of them, and this apparently made us commodities with other aliens because we were not a threat. Some thought us similar to pets, and others liked feeling superior with their scales, and the fact that they could subdue most species with a touch of their skin.
“What?” I huffed under my breath in disbelief at what I was hearing. I was pretty sure I heard him say I was a demon for not joining him to make food. He made it seem like he enjoyed cooking. Plus, he would have been aware from my file that I had no skills in that area, let alone with new food sources from this planet. Was he irritated that I didn’t come to the kitchen to cook with him? Maybe he wanted to share his love of food and was going to teach me things, but that was not how it came across.
Now, what? He was calling me a demon because I decided to stay in the library to wait for him?
I was looking up any texts on Trillume culture and trying to learn more about it, but now we were here at some kind of auction house while he paraded me around leering aliens. He kept his hood over his head to hide his features, yet his claws waved about towards the crowd and back towards me.
We had hardly been married for more than a week, or really seven sleeps because Earth time wasn't quite the same. Everything was finalized during my trip to Trillume, and I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening until my translator was picking up on bidding amounts after my husband’s list of pros and cons of having me around, after only knowing me for a short time.
The price increased passed the amount of the allowance I was being granted for an entire year of joining the mating program. I didn’t have much time left to be considered a prime candidate, as my file was labeled geriatric, and I had a history of miscarriages. Guess that’s what I was, being in my thirties now, and with no children to prove I wasn’t sterile. I wasn’t about to pop out a kid just to prove to some file that I wasn’t broken, but I wouldn't lie that starting a family was the deciding factor to join, it didn't hurt that they would pay for all the debts I'd gained trying to start my own family with human treatments alone.
Now that I was part of the exchange program, I had access to alien technology that would prolong my life and allow me to have a family. Honestly, I was probably younger than a teenager on Earth in terms of viable lifespan from all the alien inoculations I’ve had in order to travel in space.
Before I could have a conversation with my husband, Ter-ak, a female with bright pink hair and gems along her arms placed the highest bid. She waved her hand and I could hear Ter-ak behind me confirming her credits cleared verification scans. I spun around to glare at him, but he had already disappeared into the crowd and the tall pink woman was so fast that I didn’t even see her stab me with some kind of injection.
I squeaked, unable to say a word. That’s how I’ve always been, the wallflower in the back of the room observing. Even with Ter-ak, I was trying to show him I’d learn to adapt and get to know him by reading up on his culture, since I was too shy to ask himdirectly. I figured I’d have some time to get comfortable and then show him with my actions, but never got the chance.
I should have studied more about the trill before I agreed to a match, but I was so excited to be selected to leave before I lost my apartment.
With the birthrates on a decline, the only way I would have kept my subsidized room would be to join the breeding program where many of the women in my apartments were required to be inseminated once a quarter to keep their spots after they turned thirty.
That wasn’t the way I wanted to spend the rest of my life, but I wasn't even given that choice anymore. I'd spent my extra credits to have control over picking who I had fertility treatments with, but I'd gone into debt not because of choosing my donors, but because I no longer was subsidized to join the breeding program after too many miscarriages. At least with the aliens, I’d know who my baby’s daddy was, and I’d be taken care of by the Galactic Authority for life.
At least, that’s what I thought until a new alien was taking me away from the bazaar and Ter-ak was nowhere to be seen. Now, everything was uncertain.
The tall pink alien woman must have seen my trembling and she spoke softly so as to not spook me, “I work for the royal science department of the Galactic Authority. It is one of my tasks to regularly attend the Bazaar in the Blue District for this very reason. The trill do not have a… what does your species call a separation of mates?”
“Divorce?”
“Divorce of mates is not done. Those of poor skill and honor will sell their mate’s contract to trade the mate to another. Others may duel for mating as the ancients of this planet did. Your contract has been traded to further research with a compatible species the necia, as that is the wish of who I serve.The prick you felt earlier was to have your blood sample analysis sent to the lab to find a viable mate match for your contract.”
I didn’t say anything. I was still stuck on what exactly that meant for me. Everyone in the H.E.T. program knew that the necia were warriors that helped protect the Trillume Galaxy, but I didn’t pry beyond that. Would this match discard me like Ter-ak did? Would they be kind? Would they be upset that I wasn’t as talkative or outgoing as some of the other girls I’d met when I first departed for Trillume?
“Everything will be provided for you, and I will send someone to retrieve whatever belongings might have been left with your previous mate, but there isn’t much time before the next ship leaving for Necias Prime departs. You are not required to stay with a necia warrior mate. Their mating customs are to protect their mates, and their tribe will hold them to honor that. If you are unhappy with your match, you may return to Earth, but you must give the warrior a chance to prove his honor before making this decision.”
What exactly did that mean? How was I supposed to give the warrior a chance? I didn’t believe I was given a chance here on Trillume with Ter-ak.
“Is there an option to stay on Trillume?” I finally found my voice as she led me away through the alleys and shops popped up along the streets. She adjusted her hood to cover her pink hair, and I copied her just in case it was prudent to do so when we were by ourselves in what she called the Blue District. Blue was a color associated with no access on most alien ships here, and likely indicated that it wasn’t just a bazaar, but a place of unscrupulous types that didn’t care whether I had a contract or not.
“Ah, yes,” she said suddenly. “You are a match for a warrior who has already signed a contract with us that he has yet to fulfill. He has agreed to honor any suitable mate prospect for oneEarth year, after which your contract will return you to Earth unless you decide to bond and complete your… marriage. That is the Earth's word for this, yes?”
So, she was saying that he wouldn’t actually be my husband until after a year of being his mate, if I wanted him to be?
“And if I return to Earth?” I squeaked.
“You will be compensated for your service to the exchange, and you may apply for other contract opportunities. The contract transfer you have with the trade commission is clear that unless you are mated, you must be returned to Earth. As your mating with the trill was transferred to an uncompleted mate prospect, you have one Earth year to complete the bond per your mate’s customs.”
I chewed on my lip nervously and nodded my understanding. This was a blessing that she had bought my contract instead of someone else. If I was understanding correctly, the necia warrior would have already been my husband if he bought the contract directly, regardless of what I wanted. By having the Galactic Authority be the go-between, I have a year to decide for myself and will be returned to Earth if I’m not happy with it.
As if she could see where my head was going, she added, “It’s important that you know that this is more than a typical exchange contract. We are conducting research on the compatibility of humans and necia warriors that could solve the fertility crisis across many different species. Consider giving this warrior a chance to prove his honor. Others may be too modest to say so. The trill are so tight-lipped about many things, but even if you do not wish him as a mate, we can gather needed data from your physical responses to the warrior’s rut. This can be used as a valuable asset that you can barter a new contract with researchers such as myself and who I work for.”
“Rut?”
