Page 9 of Breedable Boys from Outer Space
We’d seen photos of some of the renovated houses. They were quaint, but would easily support the families that we were expected to produce.
I turned and started jogging back toward the medical building. Maybe I was crazy…
But I wanted it, and I was going to see it through.
Chapter 6
Uncomfortable chatter filled the mess. The afternoon schedules hadn’t been posted.
Had so many people been disqualified that they were running late? Had we all been disqualified?
“At ease,” somebody from near the door called, and all conversation stopped.
I turned to see the base commander—a brigadier general—striding to the front of the mess.
“Good afternoon gentlemen,” he declared. “I’m here to let you know that it’s moving day.”
He paused, scanned the room, then continued. “If you’re still here, that means that you have met all testing requirements and were not disqualified for any reason. This afternoon you will be moving out of the bays and into single occupancy barracks.”
He smirked. “Single occupancy… for a few days. You’ll all have beds big enough for two.”
He cleared his throat as a few chuckles sounded. “Return to the bays after lunch, pack your belongings, and be ready to move. Do any cleanup of your rooms before inspection tonight, otherwise, your afternoon is free once you’ve moved. Tomorrow you will proceed to the first of your information sessions. That is all.”
Acknowledgments sounded from around the room as the brigadier general left, then it was quiet again, only the sounds of mealtime as worries turned to introspection for all of us.
Soon we would all have alien mates.
???
“Can you believe those sheets?” somebody asked as we filed into the small auditorium.
“I’ve never had such comfortable sheets in my life,” another man responded. “I bet only the rich get sheets like that.”
The first man laughed. “They did say there would be perks. Seems that top-tier sheets is one.”
“It’s an odd thing to splurge on,” another person cut in. “It makes me wonder if these aliens have sensitive skin or something.”
“I’ll rub lotion on my man’s back every night if that’s the case,” somebody else added with a laugh. “A man that needs sheets that good, needs pampering.”
Everybody around laughed, but there was a nervous edge to it. We were still there, that was undeniable. However, there remained too many unknowns.
We found seats as a man at the front seemed to review his notes. He looked familiar, then I was able to place him. He was the civilian doctor who’d been present for the initial briefing—Doctor Wallace.
“Good morning gentlemen,” he said once somebody announced that everybody was present. “First, I’d like to thank you all for your patience. We’re aware that the testing presents quite a hurdle, but this is all uncharted territory, and we can properly track changes and effects of these partnerships only when we have adequate data of your physical and mental state before meeting your eventual partners.”
He straightened. “That said, you’re done with the initial examination. You will receive regular tests after partnering, but the timeline of those tests will not be as condensed.”
A murmur swept the room, and he allowed it to settle before continuing. “I mentioned some of what you can expect during your initial briefing, and we’ll go into more detail later this morning. However, we’ve learned that this is a good point in the process for you to be able to ask questions about the men you will be with. So my counterpart from the Lalylltedelegation is here.”
I blinked at the strange-sounding word, but my attention immediately shifted to a tall man with faintly blue skin and salt-and-pepper hair striding in from a side door.
“Good morning everybody,” the blue man started, with an almost lyrical quality to how he pronounced his words. “My name is Eashai. I am the chief medical delegate assigned to your country.”
I swallowed. The men in the photos at the briefing were hot, but if the man in front of us was any indication, they would age like fine wine. Silver-fox was a very apt description.
“We are unaccustomed to using honorifics and titles,” he continued. “While I appreciate the respect given, it is not required to refer to me as doctor, sir, or other similar terms. My given name is sufficient.”
He paused, scanned the room, then resumed. “I will start this information session with a question. How old do you believe I am? Be honest, you will not insult me.”
