Page 4 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
He sighed. “We’re on a tight timeline. We could push through an expedited clearance process if necessary, but it’s far easier to return yours to active status.”
General Block nodded. “Also, whoever we bring in… has to be a man.”
I scowled. “Fuck that. You can get out right now if you’re going to be sexist. Some of the most brilliant people in the field are women.”
Colonel Smith raised his hands and shook his head. “It’s not that, I swear. The situation is… complicated.”
“Out!” I demanded, pointing at the door.
General Block huffed, stood, and placed his hands on my desk. He leaned in, eyes locked with mine. “Doctor, if we could bring in a woman, we would. We’d bring in an entire team of researchers. But we don’t have that luxury.”
Colonel Smith sighed. “We’re dealing with people who have never met a woman. Their entire population is male, and they have legitimate concerns about interacting with women prematurely. We’ll get there, of that I’m sure, but for now, it’s not an option.”
“What do you mean by ‘legitimate’?” I asked.
“All I can disclose is that… for now… it’s a safety concern. Not in an assault-type way, but in a health-related way. Until all research is concluded and it’s determined to be safe, these men are to be completely isolated from women.”
“Are they carrying a disease or something?”
The moment of uncomfortable silence was enough to tell me I had stumbled upon the answer.
“We don’t know,” Colonel Smith admitted after several seconds. “They’ve told us that they think the answer is no, but they’ve only just been able to start testing to confirm. And the consequences would be dire if they’re wrong. We can’t take any chances.”
General Block returned to his seat. “Doctor, you may not agree, but youareour ideal candidate. Your security clearance can easily be reinstated, and while not as aligned as some others, your research and specialties are close enough. You fit the profile of a male without significant personal attachments that would make a long-term commitment impossible.”
I wrinkled my nose. “So you’re here because I check all the boxes.”
Colonel Smith nodded. “Correct.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms. “And why would I want to do this? You’re asking me to take leave from my job and put my life on pause, but you haven’t told me what makes it worth it.”
General Block leaned forward. “You’re a smart man, Doctor. You know the rules. I can’t tell you things right now, but you’re welcome to read between the lines.”
I swallowed. He hadn’t stated it outright, but had eliminated other options through what he had said.
The only thing left that made sense was extraterrestrials.
I considered myself a pragmatic man. There were too many stars—too many planets—in our galaxy alone to assume that humans were the only sentient life. The universe was billions of years old, while the fossil record indicated that modern humans only appeared three hundred thousand years ago, with many elements of society taking far longer to appear.
That gap meant that there had been more than ample time for life on other planets to evolve and develop technologically in ways that we couldn’t comprehend.
It had to be aliens. But why now? And why did the General make it sound like interbreeding was a certainty?
Part of me wanted to refuse. I’d finally been granted tenure. I had students working on research projects. One of the PhD candidates I oversaw was close to presenting their thesis. Fall semester schedules had already been announced, and I didn’t want them to have to scramble to cover my classes.
Then there was the part of me that was a scientist. They were presenting me with the opportunity to be one of the first humans to see alien DNA. I’d get to study how they’d engineered themselves to be an all-male species.
Even if the things I learned had to be kept secret for decades, they would eventually be released, and future scientists could build on what I found.
I took a deep breath and decided to test how much leeway I had. “I’ll give you six weeks. And I need to retain communication with my research students.”
“Absolutely not!” Colonel Smith cried.
General Block held out an arm. “Six months, and define communication.”
“Six weeks,” I repeated, “and I will need the ability to teleconference with them, plus receive and send files.”
“We’ll need to set up a secure area for outside communication eventually,” General Block stated. “I’ll put in an expedition request. But we need a commitment longer than six weeks.”
