Page 25 of Her Alien Delegate
"I guess?"
I did enjoy not feeling like I was alone, and it was better than talking to myself.
"A trade then seems acceptable. You may start with why you choose not to ask about the unGor more when your body clearly indicates its information you would like."
It did seem silly to be embarrassed about it when Bode didn't care either way. It was all data to them. I tried to find the right words and settled on saying, "My new contract is with a necia warrior, so the information about an unGor isn't relevant to the future I have but of a pretend future that won't happen."
"This pretend future interests you in being a relevant future, but you are choosing to accept the terms of your current contract with the necia. Allow me to provide therapy of both wish fulfillment and practicality for your future."
"And how would you do that?"
"I shall tell you of the mating practices of both. Necia warriors need sexual contact to balance their glands and support health. They do not have many of the social anxieties that humans harbor over public displays or sharing before claiming a mate. Opening one's legs is a sign of offering oneself for a bathing ritual of consuming fluids produced by sexual stimulation. These fluids help balance their adrenalin and are a vital practice for survival."
So, I'll be keeping my legs shut if I don't want to give a necia warrior the wrong idea.
"The unGor, by contrast, prefer their mating activities to be private, but shared with their delegation. They display many skills publicly and privately to convince a mate to allow them to join a delegation. An interesting fact of the unGor are their universal adaptability with many species due to the way their bodies physically change their mates over time to mark them and form bonds that share their DNA. Many species find the unGor a desirable commodity as matchmakers with interspecies relationships, and their sperm is harvested for bonding normally incompatible species."
"Their sperm does what?" I squeaked.
"Alters the DNA of their mates, though the use of it as a bonding agent with other species is still being tested as its effects wear off and aren't always effective."
The sound of my heart pumping in my ears eased, knowing that my DNA might not be permanently altered from a fling with an unGor. It would be temporary and my own DNA would be unharmed, right?
"How does that work? How can DNA be altered and not be permanent?" Was I already damaged internally from my rash decision to have sex with an alien I'd just met?
"The unGor DNA attaches itself to cells and replicates, but more exposure is needed to allow the viral-like sperm to bondboth DNA together permanently. Without prolonged exposure, the viral agents would be fought off by your natural defenses."
"Without harm to the exposed DNA?" I wanted clarification.
"Yes, this does not harm the host DNA, merely adds to it. It is inconclusive on why unGor sperm sometimes works and other times does not. The unGor have claimed they are aware of the cause but have not traded the information with any known databases as of yet."
"The unGor that was with me… isn't this his room?"
"Yes, but you were added and are currently the primary guest."
"How would I be the primary guest?" That wouldn't be possible, unless…
"This happens when the original primary guest will not be returning to the room, and the secondary guest becomes primary."
"He won't be returning..." I felt my whole stomach squeeze in on itself like I'd just eaten something rotten. The knowledge that he would not be returning created such a visceral response in my body that I didn't believe I'd be able to stop myself from heaving.
Adrenalin pumped through my veins, and I doubled over. Why was I acting like this? I rushed to the bathroom, and dry heaved over the toilet for what felt like forever but was probably closer to five minutes.
Bode listened and waited, until I braced myself on my knees and controlled my breathing.
"You seem to be experiencing a panic attack, but you should know that you have an adequate amount of oxygen in your system, and though your heart is accelerated, it is not beyond reasonable levels. Human documents state that sometimes reassurance about not dying can help calm these situations without injecting you with a sedative."
"A sedative?" I wheezed. "That's your second resort?"
"It is one of my favorite methods of calming a species."
"Do you have a first favorite?" And why was a sedative one of his favorites?
"Talking is one of my favorite primary objectives."
"Why sedatives?"
"I have a database for how resilient a species is to different kinds of sedatives. I like to record how fast they sleep, or if they sleep at all. The necia warriors are particularly resilient to sedatives and keep the only plant known to slow down their healing enough to knock them unconscious a tribal secret. It is known to be in their medical databases on the ships, but I don't have access to those files. They are protected by a rather stubborn system, and I have strict rules about not hacking systems with intelligence."
