Jailmates

by Lesli Richardson

  “Semen?”

  “Yes. While you were sedated, we milked you. There were some interesting changes we know are not due to the sedation, meaning they must be due to the venom’s effects on your system.”

  I wearily nod as I pick at my food. “Sure, okay.”

  “Simon?”

  I look at him. “Have you ever been in a situation where you know there’s something dead-ass wrong, a literal injustice, and you feel helpless to fix it?”

  He sadly smiles. “Why do you think I became a scientist in the first place? I wanted to feel less helpless and more able to fix things. That is why I’m doing this. Some of the things we’ve already learned from studying you and Mohrn’s mating will likely create breakthroughs for us in other medical fields. Modifying a body’s immune system to fight off deadly diseases, or helping overcome infertility.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” He sighs. “Privacy in this?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “I envy the love I know you feel for Mohrn. I can see it in you, and I’ve seen how they look at you. I believe what the two of you have is more than what we’ve done. Maybe that was the mechanism that allowed you both to look past what might have been insurmountable otherwise. I have loved, and lost. My wife, Stona, died from a malignancy similar to cancer in humans. She was bearing our first child, Phrena, and I lost them both.”

  I…I honestly don’t know how to process that. I’m stunned. I guess I never thought he had family. “I’m so sorry, Doc. I had no idea.”

  He sadly smiles. “It is all right. You had no reason to know. I do not talk about them because it is so painful. But when that happened, I was early in my advanced education. I decided to dedicate my life to trying to help others, poured my pain into my studies. I know that some of what you’ve done might feel silly or even embarrassing to you, but it isn’t a pointless exercise. It is with the end in mind of using what we learn for application in other uses. Serious uses. Take some comfort in that knowledge.”

  I nod. “I will. Thank you. And yeah, I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Thank you. I do not wish their pity. I wish their assistance to help me in my battle.” He stands to leave. “Will you stay long, or are you returning to Pfahrn?”

  I think about what I promised Mohrn about cooking, and that I need to try to figure this shit out. “I need to head back soon. Can I take the skiff?”

  “Absolutely. I shall ask them to be on standby for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll have the sample containers sent to the skiff and awaiting you.” He turns at the doorway before opening it. “Oh, and Simon?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I will help you pay whatever it takes to buy their work contracts if they fail Mohrn again. And I don’t know if you understand this or not, but I am a very wealthy man on my own, because I hold several patents. I also have a very large discretionary expense account professionally.” He offers me a smile before leaving.

  Fuck. I finally have a good, hard laugh. The doctor’s a complicated dude, and I had no clue. At least he’s in my corner in more than one way. I feel a little badly about holding back the info about my connection with Mohrn, but I think he’ll understand, in the end.

  All I have to do is research the shit out of this.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Later that evening, local time, I’m back at Mohrn’s family’s house on Pfahrn.

  I have to start somewhere. I also have to do it without alerting Dohrn or Yyallohrn.

  Or Mohrn.

  There has to be some way of exposing this bullshit without Mohrn violating the terms of the contract. Over the next couple of weeks, I get to have daily com link-ups with Mohrn and talk to them. Meanwhile, I practically memorize the secret contract Mohrn signed with Dohrn and Yyallohrn, of which there’s a copy on Mohrn’s tablet, something else I learned from their thoughts. It was in a hidden directory. It’s filed under seal in the contract system, meaning it’s a privately arranged contract. In a quirk of their system, not even the clerks can look at the contents, since all parties agreed to confidentiality. All the clerks see is the date filed and the signatories.

  There’s the typical fraud clause in it, but the privacy clause is where I’m stuck.

  I have to find a way around that. I know if I search long enough, I will.

  Even as I have my next scheduled visit with Mohrn, I’m working on it in my head. I also take Toz up to Mohrn on that visit, because Dehnzen assures me as long as they scan my stuffed bear, Mohrn can have it.

  And Mohrn has not had any more troubles with any inmates. The Guyardiens have stepped up Mohrn’s protection.

  I’m also relieved that, even before we make love and Mohrn bites me, I can still read them. Fainter than at its strongest, but the connection is there, and grew stronger as the MC skiff ferried me up to the station.

  Once Mohrn bites me, the connection returns stronger than before, and I nearly spill my secret to them.

  Before I leave from that visit, I cry with Mohrn in the conjugal room, my arms wrapped around them and their arms wrapped around Toz, as I whisper to them how much I love and miss them. I’ve told Mohrn the story of how Dad bought Toz for me, and that he was a comfort to me after Dad died.

  I want Toz to be a comfort to Mohrn now. A little piece of me they can hold and think about, my scent embedded in the fur, my love there, too.

  I learned how to make Mohrn’s favorite dish, and others, and I send some up every week. At least Mohrn’s stopped losing weight now.

  Mohrn has already been drawing pictures for me and sends me home with several depicting their favorite spot, done from memory.

  As with Mohrn’s other drawings, the artwork is exquisite, nearly lifelike. And it reminds me I haven’t made it there yet. On that visit, Dehnzen also uses my camera to take a few pictures of me and Mohrn together—clothed, duh. I can have pictures like this printed and send a couple to Mohrn.

  I will make it to Mohrn’s favorite spot and take some for them.

  Meanwhile, back on Pfahrn, I explore the Pfahrn legal records. They literally have records for everything. That’s because they’re addicted to fucking contracts.

  I research Dohrn first, of course. I don’t find anything for Mohrn. Searching by cross-referencing Allhrn’s and Stohrn’s names, I find they were produced by Dohrn with the same contracted mate, no marriage, though, it turns out. Dohrn carried the eggs, the other Pfahrn, named S’ayslain, fertilized them both. Both progeny are older than Mohrn.

  But when I look again…I can’t find any marriage or mating contract for Mohrn’s other parent, or for a breeding contract that produced Mohrn.

  I mean, there’s nothing. There’s not even a contract on record for Dohrn being Mohrn’s parent. It doesn’t make a damn bit of sense, because it seems like that’s sort of what you’re supposed to do.

  When I look up S’ayslain, I realize there’s actually an index for all the contracts they’ve been involved in, including breeding contracts with others besides Dohrn. That sends me doubling back to Dohrn’s listing to study their contract index.

  There are all the contracts, including one breeding when Dohrn was younger, but they the one doing the fertilizing. It wasn’t with a mate. And that was at least ten years before Mohrn was born, so it definitely isn’t the right contract.

  Still nothing for Mohrn.

  I decide to take a walk while contemplating what this means. I head out with my camera, my tablet, and some snacks in my backpack to finally visit Mohrn’s favorite spot.

  When I do?

  It takes my breath away. The drawings definitely do it justice. At this point, the river is more a small stream, because this is a slow-moving branch off the main river, one that developed in a deep bend. The banks on both sides are mostly shaded by tall trees. I can see Mohrn here, in my mind, from what I learned from them after being bit.

  It’s peaceful, serene.

  I take my time and with my camera I try to r
eplicate the drawings Mohrn made, the exact angle and perspective. I want them to have this, at least.

  Then I strip and bathe in the water. As Mohrn said, it’s perfectly warm. I imagine my sweet, pink dude doing this and I close my eyes, tune in to that soft frequency in my soul I know is Mohrn, and I masturbate while thinking about how I will one day be here, with them.

  Over the next several days I return to Mohrn’s spot to think and to research. Because, yay, my tablet can access the network from there, allowing me guaranteed solitude to work on this without worrying about Dohrn or the others picking up weird vibes from me.

  I don’t want to be around the eldest Pfahrn. They basically agreed to sell out their youngest child to make a profit while knowing that they’d never see them again. Effectively getting Mohrn out of their lives for good. No more embarrassing ishblane.

  In fact, none of them have even asked about visiting Mohrn, even though I was standing right fricking there when H’looder told them they could request visitation.

  They haven’t asked about Mohrn’s health or welfare.

  They haven’t written, or asked if I could relay messages for them.

  They treat me like little more than a house guest they’re obligated to endure. Fuck, Cloohdlin at least asks about Mohrn, and asks me to tell them they said hello, and that dude’s a fricking employee!

  My anger simmers and burns and makes me more determined to figure this shit out. As I hit dead end after dead end in my research over the next couple of weeks, I realize it’s time to start looking at other angles.

  At least I do have one thing to distract me—Dr. H’looder thinks he’s hit on a way for me to replicate envenomating Mohrn. They can convert one of my salivary glands and use bionanotech so I can consciously activate it when I want to. They can modify my front teeth and canines, reinforce them, so I can break skin in a more tender area on Mohrn than their shoulder. Like maybe down in their pouch. Activate the salivary gland, and it would work similarly. Wouldn’t be as potent, but it’d be something.

  I want to keep that as a surprise for Mohrn while we perfect it.

  Meanwhile, after all my weeks of research turn up nothing, I decide I need to talk to Stohrn and Allhrn’s other parent.

  S’ayslain lives in the town closest to the estate, less than a thirty-minute walk away. So you know what I do?

  That’s right. This slippery little human decides to march his happy little ass to town.

  I have…questions.

  Lots of questions.

  Some of them, however, I need to hold back. The contract Mohrn signed with Dohrn and Yyallohrn to accept responsibility is confidential and pretty much unbreakable, except for the standard fraud clause. That means I have to tread lightly or risk those two assholes thinking Mohrn told me what happened.

  S’ayslain owns a small food shop in town and there are no customers when I enter.

  They turn and their gaze flickers with distaste for the briefest of moments before schooling into bland professionalism. I note this dude’s slimmer build and facial structure, which they passed on to Stohrn and Allhrn.

  “Hello, Simon, Mohrn-mohr.”

  I guess I am famous. Or is that infamous?

  I turn on the charm, because why the hell not? “Hey, there. Listen, I have a question maybe you can answer for me.”

  “I shall be of what assistance I can provide.”

  “You signed a contract with Dohrn, which produced Stohrn and Allhrn, right?”

  A narrowed gaze is suspicion in multiple cultures, apparently. “Yes? It is in the records. It was two contracts, though. One for each breeding.”

  “Exactly. Did you enter into any other contracts with Dohrn?”

  “No. I am not Mohrn’s parent, if that is your insinuation. Is that all?”

  “Would you admit it if you did sire an ishblane?”

  I guess that’s the Pfahrn equivalent of calling someone out. Dude looks like he wants to grab me and choke me, but he doesn’t move. “I would never lie or violate a contract. Every contract I have ever entered into for breeding is complete and in the records, either with the progeny’s name, or a notation if the egg did not grow to fruition. Every one.”

  They lean in, their voice sounding dark, but I don’t back down. “Do not ever cast a shadow upon my honor again. You are a stranger here and likely ignorant of our ways. I would not expect an ishblane to completely educate you properly. Tread lightly and never make the same mistake again.”

  Yeah, he’s pissed.

  I slowly nod, but I don’t give ground or run, even though the dude’s skin has turned a deeper shade of green and they stand even taller than Mohrn. I keep my tone light, like I’m clueless. “Fair point. My apologies. Dohrn’s out of town and I’m trying to find Mohrn’s records.” I smile. “We like studying genealogy where I come from. Tracing ancestors. Am I not looking in the right place, then, for contracts?”

  The dude steps back and reevaluates me, which is what I was hoping for. I can already tell they think I’m an idiot, which is good, because it’ll work to my advantage.

  “There is no requirement to register the final contract when an ishblane is sired, especially if they will not be given a birthright or declared heir. And no one ever does. You would find the incomplete contract for the breeding, though.”

  Damn. I want to tell these fucks to go fuck themselves, but I hold the fake smile on my face. “And if I don’t find that?”

  Now a scowl creases his brow. “You will find at least that. Maybe you did not search the records properly. You probably did not have the option checked for incomplete records. There is a setting specifying incomplete contracts.”

  Maybe…

  But…no. Because I saw that option and made sure I had it checked.

  Unlike the Pfahrn, I have no compunction about lying to one of them if I’m not in a contract with them, which is a good thing, because an idea hits me.

  A huuuuge idea. Suspicion, actually.

  “You know, maybe that’s it,” I say, playing up the clueless human angle. “I bet you’re right. I’ll go home and try again.”

  “You do that.” They turn their back on me, dismissing me.

  Fucker.

  That’s okay. It’s all I can do not to run all the way home, where I go through the system again to look for what I think I might find in a slightly different place—or, should I say a different party—and nope, no incomplete contract there, either.

  Shit.

  So much for that hunch.

  While I’m looking, Allhrn returns home. I walk out to the kitchen, where they’re chopping vegetables for their meal, and I decide to ask. “Do you have any contact with your other parent?”

  They turn to look at me. “No. Why?”

  “You’re not curious?”

  “Why would I be?”

  Stupid motherfuckers. “Do you even know who they are?”

  “Yes. Dohrn told me. Stohrn and I share the same second parent. Dohrn was not a mate with them, however.”

  “You didn’t look up the contract, just out of curiosity?”

  They look at me like I’m crazy. “Dohrn told me all I need to know. Why would I waste time looking up contracts?”

  “And Mohrn?”

  They shrug and go back to preparing their meal.

  Not even bothering to ask if I want any, or if I’m hungry.

  Fucker.

  “Do you remember Mohrn being born?” I ask.

  They shake their head but don’t turn to face me again. “No, I was too young. So was Stohrn.”

  “You never asked who Mohrn’s parent was?”

  I can see the eye-roll even though their back is to me. The shrug they give me is identical to countless eye-rolling shrugs Hells has bestowed upon me while growing up.

  Nice to see something else that’s universal across species.

  Allhrn finally glances at me over their shoulder. “Why do you care? Your contract does not require this knowledge.”


  “I’m curious.” I opt for the same lie. “We like studying genealogy where I come from. Ancestors.”

  Allhrn snorts. “Who cares about ishblane ancestors?”

  The level of ludicrous disdain they have for Mohrn would be funny were it not so fucking sad and serious. “I do,” I quietly say, trying to reel in my anger. “I care. Mohrn’s my mate.”

  Sarcasm is apparently not limited to humans, either. “Certainly, you care about Mohrn.” Another snort. “That is what you say. We know you care about Mohrn’s money. It is a contract. You are not required to know all of that. Why not earn your money the easy way, human?”

  Allhrn shakes their head and makes a chuffing noise that grates on me as they turn back to cutting vegetables. “Slutty, stupid, greedy human,” I hear them mutter under their breath, certain I can’t hear them, because they don’t know I have the hearing augmentation. “Our birthright wasted on ishblane.”

  I take a breath to calm down before I do something reeeally fucking stupid. Allhrn is taller than me, but as righteously outraged as I feel, and with my augmentations, I could probably put a hurting on them. Or worse.

  Except that won’t help Mohrn.

  Although it could very well get me tossed into the same cell with them.

  Turning, I force myself to return to my room, where I calmly shut the door behind me and lock it. That took a remarkable amount of self-control, because I wanted to slam the motherfucker so hard behind me that it’d break the damn hinges.

  I’ve hit a temporary brick wall. I thought for sure when I learned about the incomplete contracts that I’d find what I sought when I ran a search on a different Pfahrn.

  On Yyallohrn.

  But there are no incomplete breeding contracts in the system for them, either, just the two completed ones for Geelahm and Ayyalhm, who I’m pretty sure are both younger than Mohrn. Confirmed when I log into the system again—they’re both younger than Mohrn. They have the same second parent, too. Running a search on the other parent doesn’t reveal any incomplete breeding contracts there, either.