Page 2 of My Christmas Alien Mate

I should have been an officer like him, like my older brother, but frankly, I lacked the discipline and temperament for such a position. I had tried, just to get the two most important males in my life off my back, but all three of us had soon agreed it was better for all of us if I returned to doing what I did best: taking what they called high risks. I preferred to think of it as calculated risks, like testing out this newest addition to my father's fleet on its very first test flight.

Was it smart taking her to the brink of her capabilities on her maiden voyage? Probably not. Should I have done it? Definitely not. Had I done it? Absolutely.

Next, I took her up into a steep climb before I ordered her to make a sharp turn and dive back down toward the flagship, this time giving the large cruiser a wide berth, not wanting to aggravate my father any more than I already had. Even I knew the beast could only be provoked so far.

"I think that was enough for her first flight, Captain Ghar-Huhn," High Commander Ghar-Huhn's—my father's—voice came through the speakers.

"Ah, where is your sense of adventure, Father?" I teased.

I could hear his sigh in my head even though it didn't come through the speaker. No, my father had much too much decorum to show his feelings in front of his crew.

"She is a prototype, Captain. That's enough for today. Return to base."

I, however, had no problem with showing emotion, so I let out an exaggerated sigh that would probably be heard all over the bridge. "As you wish, High Commander."

"It's not a wish but an order," my father barked.

"Aye, sir," I acknowledged and pressed the required sequence into the command pad by my fingertips to make the XT4J turn.

As expected, my brother Adred awaited me in the hangar as soon as the air was balanced, and I climbed out of my fighter.

"Does she feel as good as she handles?" Adred asked.

Adred could be as stiff as my father—military life did that to a person, I supposed—but he and I had spent enough time with one another that I had somewhat rubbed off on him.

Which he proved just now, as his eyes admiringly roamed over the XT4J's sleek hull, not hiding how much he itched to fly her.

"Better," I grinned. "Maybe once the crazy test pilots like me work all the kinks out and deem her safe, Father will allow you to fly her too."

He smacked me upside the head. "You're such a smartass."

I chuckled. "Love you too, bro."

Adred shook his head. "Come, I'll buy you a round."

"Not gonna say no to that. I might be risking my life as a test pilot, but it pays piss poor."

Adred rolled his eyes, knowing full well that I had equal access to our mother's inheritance and didn't want for anything.

"Soooo," I dragged the word out as soon as we sat across from each other, holding a full glass of the meanest spirits credits could buy in front of us. "What about that D-Class planet we've been orbiting for two full shifts now?" A full shift for us equaled roughly one day/night rotation for the inhabitants of the planet we were circling at a safe distance.

"What about it?" Adred took a long drink of the vile brew they called spirits aboard the flagship.

I shrugged. "Just curious."

"We're still gathering data from it, but it seems the most technologically evolved sentient population on D-1/4-5289d11 may have satellites in orbit but has yet to develop fully functional spaceflight."

D stood for the size and technological evolution of a planet, with Z equaling the planet that was the main seat of the Galactic Union. If at all possible, the Galactic Union avoided making contact with these kinds of worlds until they reached at least M status. The statuses were assigned by different qualification measurements, not all having to do with technological advancement. The planet's inhabitants were judged by many different qualities. For example, if different races or species inhabited the world, how well did they get along, were they still warring with one another? Had the entire planet unified yet? Were the indigenous intellectual levels further apart than forty points from one another? And so on.

Adred looked at me curiously. "Why are you so interested?"

"Is Father thinking about sending scouts out?" I counter questioned.

"Bored with your new toy already?" he shot back.

I shook my head. "Hardly. Still, the planet intrigues me."

Adred leaned back in his chair. "How so?"

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