Page 24 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
I shook my head. “No. Things are changing in that regard, but…”
He nodded. “The little we learned from our humanologists about arranged marriages seemed to indicate that the practice currently exists on the cusp of culture and consent.”
“Humanologists? You have people dedicated to studying us like that?”
“Yes. We have used them for several generations in anticipation of this meeting. It was easier for our researchers to come here and observe from afar when we started, but technological developments that included broadcast formats gave us better information more safely.”
“But they don’t know about how human sexuality varies?”
He frowned. “I do not know. If they do, they decided that it was not critical to inform us at this stage.”
“Hmmm…” I hummed. Then I paused. “Do you want my opinion?”
“Yes, please.”
“I obviously don’t know how much first-generation hybrids will be affected. Maybe it won’t be an issue at all. But oursexuality is complex. It might be a hurdle when choosing partners, and it could show up in the eventual kids. Your people should know that, though uncommon, there isn’t something wrong.”
He hummed and stroked his chin for several seconds. The light bounced off stubble I hadn’t noticed before. “Thank you,” he said with a nod.
I blinked. “For what?”
“Considerations like that are important. We want our children to be happy and feel supported, especially since there will be so few to start. Acknowledging norms for humanity can help prevent needless testing and shame as they grow.”
I leaned back and stared at the ceiling again. “It’s not going to be easy for them or the parents. No matter how compatible we are, they’re not going to be fully human, nor La… Lalyll… te?”
“That is correct,” he replied.
I blew out a long breath and was trying to figure out how to change the subject when the door opened. I glanced over to see Floyd strolling in.
“Hey, Gene,” he said. “Good news. Information security has cleared some of your devices and set up the comms room for you.”
Chapter 5
“Hey, Doc G,” said the bubbly blonde on my screen. “What is this? Week three from an undisclosed location?”
I chuckled. “Good afternoon, Ashley,” I replied to my doctoral student. “Days tend to run together here, but three weeks sounds about right.” I paused. “How’s your research progressing?”
She grinned. “It’s good. Those articles you pointed me to really helped.”
“Glad to hear it. Are you having any problems without me there?”
She cocked her head to one side and hummed. “I did have a couple questions, but Doc Brown showed me where I might have been misinterpreting the data, and I think I’m on the right track now.”
“That’s good. I knew he’d be a good match since I’ve been hard to reach these past few weeks.”
“I’m trying to convince him to become a professor,” she chirped. “He explained things really well and made sure I understood.”
My mind flitted to the possibility. Eddie Brown had been one of my previous doctoral students and had remained at the school as a post-doc researcher. He had the temperament for teaching…
Especially if I decided to stay on the project longer than planned.
“Doc?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, Ashley. I was just thinking about Eddie as a professor. He’d probably be good at it.”
She grinned. “Right? He even saw potential issues and gave me some more articles to read.”
I laughed. “At this rate, he might end up overseeing your work more than me.”
