Page 46 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
He was quiet before he spoke again. “It is regrettable that you must have such considerations.”
“Yeah…” I took a deep breath. “How was work?”
“It was good. My team spent the morning going through all the samples, and they are happy with the variety. It meant we were able to focus on planning the testing parameters.”
“What kind of samples are you getting?”
“Nothing invasive, if that is your question. I believe you call them cheek swabs.”
“That’s all?”
“For the time being, it is the most effective means of getting the diversity we require.”
“Quantity over quality?” I asked.
He chuckled. “The quality is sufficient for current testing parameters. But yes, quantity is our current focus. Demographic variety is critical to ensure that we do not miss something that may be affected.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. Human genetics have changed considerably in the time since that initial group was brought here. Whatever factors the virus acted on may have evolved out completely, or exist in only a subset of modern humans. Hell, it might have been something only in the hybrid women. But you don’t know what you don’t know.”
“An interesting way of putting it, but correct. Until we discover any sort of answers, we must act with an abundance of caution.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see him remove his top, revealing an abdomen that wasn’t quite toned, but well-managed. He then balled his shirt up like I had mine, shifted, and moved to lie beside me.
A spark of sadness shot through me. Eashai was a kind, smart, and handsome man. It was a shame he’d been unable to find another mate after losing his first.
The sound of the waves and the chatter of other beachgoers surrounded us, but we stayed in comfortable silence for several minutes.
“I was wondering…” I started. “Before you walked up, I was looking at the clouds and thinking it must be weird to be on Earth now with the sun beating down on you every day.”
He chuckled. “It is interesting. It might have been a problem if our genetics were purely Lalylltiar, or if light skin had evolved in humans earlier. However, the humans originally brought here had dark skin. Somehow, our bodies here decided that those mechanisms were still useful, so they never evolved out. I believe that is why we have largely been able to tolerate the increased exposure to solar radiation on Earth.”
“Largely?”
“A few have had to start applying… sunscreen?”
I laughed. “As a white man, I know what a nuisance that stuff can be.”
He chuckled, then hummed. “This is nice. It has been too long since I relaxed here.”
I smiled. “I’m glad I came then.”
“As am I.”
The silence returned, but it was the sort of comfortable silence that merely the presence of a good friend was enough to fill. Words weren’t needed.
I tried to remember the last time I’d been close enough with somebody to be so comfortable. Between friends moving for jobs, getting married, and having kids, I’d slowly found myself more and more on the sidelines.
Now, most of the time spent with them was lunches or dinners, maybe a short outing before we each returned to our normal lives.
“I received permission for you to visit the lab tomorrow,” Eashai said after several minutes. “If you still want to see it.”
“I do,” I replied with a grin.
“You are not concerned about your government’s questions?”
I licked my lips. “I am, but not as much. I probably won’t understand the technology, and I think the lab is probably dealing with knowledge that has been shared regarding your and our DNA.”
“Your reasoning is solid.”
