Page 79 of I Married Kayog
Right on cue, Linsea recoiled and stared at me with surprise.
“Why humans? What if two soulmates are of different species?” she asked.
I smiled. “I will not exclude other species. If I find a match that doesn’t involve a human, I will obviously pair those people. But humans are the most adaptable species in the galaxy. They’re compatible with the greater number of other races, or generally quite flexible in embracing new cultures, and can thrive in a variety of environments, given the right tools. It’s easier for me to focus on one pool of candidates—at least at the beginning—and then eventually expand.”
“Fair enough,” Linsea conceded. “So long as others also get an opportunity, your logic makes sense.”
I smiled again, relieved by her reaction. “The second point is that the couple must marry following the customs of both cultures to make it fully binding on all sides. The Galactic Hall of Records only requires one marriage certificate to deem a union valid. However, some species will not recognize a foreign contract, which would leave the partner without protection in that new world should things go awry.”
“Very good point! I’m impressed!” my mate said proudly.
I gave her a sheepish expression. “Sadly, I cannot take full credit for this. While talking with Isobel, I mentioned that she could tag along to perform the wedding ceremonies for the occasional matches I make—since she also is fascinated by primitive species. She’s the one who pointed out that there might be legal issues with some of them. And your grandmother confirmed as much.”
“But you’re still the one who came up with the final rule by taking into account the feedback of the wonderful people you surrounded yourself with. That makes you a competent project manager instead of a narcissistic fool who thinks he has all the answers. No one succeeds on their own when it comes to projects of this scale. It’s good that you give credit to others where it’s due, but do not sell yourself short either.”
“Noted, my love,” I said before rubbing my beak against hers.
Fuck, how I loved this female!
Before I even got to read the third point, Linsea’s strong reaction revealed she’d already taken a peek at it and was flabbergasted, as I expected she and everyone else would be about that request.
“Sex on the first night?!” Linsea exclaimed, stunned.
I nodded and held her gaze unwaveringly. “Yes. I thought about it long and hard, and I have come to the strong conclusion that it’s the best approach. It will bring the couple closer together a lot faster, and it will remove a tremendous amount of stress. Deciding when to move to the next step in a relationship is always quite a headache. You don’t want to come across as too impatient, too easy, or too hard to get. By imposing it, we remove that barrier right away, and they can focus on falling in love rather than tiptoeing around the inevitable.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” my mate said carefully. “However, everyone’s situation is different. They may havetrauma or other circumstances that could make that requirement a harmful experience for them.”
To her surprise, I smiled in agreement.
“That’s correct. But that rule will truly serve these couples, even those with special circumstances that would make it a bad idea to sleep together right away.” My smile broadened at her confused expression. “This isn’t an enforceable rule to the extent that we’re not going to perform blood tests to make sure they copulated. We’re also not going to set up cameras or spy on them during their wedding night. In truth, I expect at least ten to twenty percent of the couples not to follow that rule.”
“Then why instate it to begin with?” Linsea asked, baffled.
“Because it will force that uncomfortable conversation and get it out of the way immediately. In turn, it will help form trust between them as well as it shows the respect they will bear each other. These people will be soulmates. Whatever the circumstances that will lead them to be paired, they will naturally want to protect their partner. And if that means waiting a little longer until they’re ready for it, it will have been discussed and agreed upon.”
“That’s an interesting way of looking at it,” my mate said, nodding slowly. “I could see myself being stressed about how to broach the topic if I was in such a situation. It would make for an extremely tense first few days as we danced around it. That said, I’m still curious to see how that will work out. But I can get behind the concept.”
I smiled and caressed her cheek. She leaned into my touch, which had me melting from the inside out. She was so damn perfect. Tearing my gaze away from her beauty, I glanced back at the holographic display projected from my tablet.
“The next point will be for the UPO to grant me a discretionary budget for all the paired couples,” I continued. “Relocation to primitive planets could be fairly expensive. Idon’t want this to be an obstacle. Granted, I have added a few provisions so that people don’t just abuse it, but as true soulmates, I’m not too worried about candidates attempting to use this as a means to get a free trip to an exotic location.”
“Another good point. They will probably try to rein you in as far as the amounts they will agree to. But so long as there are reasonable justifications, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
“Relocation is the last thing they will complain about. It’s the startup gifts I want included that will probably make them balk,” I said in a mischievous tone.
“Startup gift? I’m intrigued.”
“In all likelihood, the human partner will be the one moving to the primitive alien’s planet. The other way around would not benefit the UPO, whose goal is to create stronger bonds with those species, which can only occur if we have a physical presence on their homeworld. But they’re primitive, which means they will likely lack certain things that are essential to the welfare of a human. For example, medical care, appropriate basic equipment to help them survive in potentially harsher environments, and other such things.”
“Another excellent point. However, why do I feel there’s more to it that you’re not stating?” she asked, with a suspicious glimmer in her beautiful blue eyes.
I chuckled, impressed by her intuition.
“Because there is. I do not want to box myself in so narrowly that I won’t have any wiggle room. Based on my studies on primitive species and of the countless violations to the Prime Directive, I can picture scenarios where a wedding gift—although I’m labeling them dowries—could indirectly help mend some of the harm caused to that species. There are many ways that you can help someone by toeing the line without actually crossing it.”
“You know, maybe you should be the one becoming an ambassador,” Linsea said, only half teasing.
“Technically, that’s what Colin said I would be, but doing so undercover,” I replied with a grin. “Actually, the next point would be to add a trial period. It’s not only to reassure each partner, especially the one relocating, that they won’t be stuck in a loveless or abusive marriage, assuming I had made a mistake. Obviously, I won’t. But people always love knowing there’s a way out if needed.
