Coeus?

by Andur

  Cyla swallows being obviously carried away by her hormones. “And yesterday you allowed those two awful aliens to visit us. Illin wanted to know where we drop our babies until they are old enough to speak. And that Ayo tried to use one of his scanners on me.”

  “I am sorry. I don't like them myself, but keeping an eye on them somehow fell onto me. There is no chance in hell that I give them another tour through the city and so I took them with me.” I answer.

  “Just make sure that the Forlorn doesn't get close to a child. I am not entirely sure what she is capable of.” Cyla grumbles.

  “Sure.” I trace the tattoo-like discolouration of her skin to woo her into a better mood. After a while I realized that she doesn't just channel energy through her tattoos, but the skin seems to be much more sensitive in that area. It's actually quite entertaining to tease her by touching it.

  “I think Illin isn't the problem. She is trying very hard to understand us humans. It's Ayo whose motives are very dubious.” I explain. “At least the current teleportation node is in a dead area of space. That's why we are having more time for our visitors.”

  “Yes, I actually wanted to ask about that. Up until now we placed each teleportation node in a major civilised system, like the Forlorn, Grahu and Jeebes. But this fourth one is somewhere between the stars.” Cyla asks.

  I shrug, thinking back to the Jeebes. They are some kind of amoeba and were very indifferent towards our actions. Our diplomatic exchange can be reduced to the statement that we stay out of each other's way. We don't bother them and they don't bother us with their huge organic ships. I really liked them. Very simple and straightforward people.

  “We are in a region of space which can be seen as the main wave-front of the Drazi emigration wave. It's very likely that a teleportation node which is located inside a system will get attacked sooner or later.” I explain.

  “Shouldn't we take more protective measures then?” Cyla asks while almost choking on her meal.

  I shake my head. “We are somewhere in between the stars. I can't imagine how they could find us, even if they knew that we are here.” There is no chance for them to be that lucky. “They wouldn't even find us if they knew almost exactly where we are. This node will use the latest stealth tech, which would require them to close in to a few hundred kilometres. If you think of the vastness of space that's even more luck than finding a needle on a football field.”

  Cyla relaxes visibly. “And the next destination will be the same?”

  “Yes.” I answer. “And afterwards we'll stop at a Kaleid system and then we'll make our way through a few coalition-worlds until we are at the gathering place for the society.”

  Cyla raises a questioning eyebrow. “And those Kaleid and the Coalition are?”

  I sigh and start sharing what I know. The Forlorn suggested to place a node at a Kaleid world since they think that they are very unproblematic negotiation partners. The Kaleid are some kind of aquatic life-form and look like a combination of a catfish and a squid. They are fairly well known traders throughout the galaxy. The Forlorn always paid them a visit when their diplomats travelled to the gathering of civilised species.

  The next stops are even less likely to have something against the teleportation nodes. The Coalition is a conglomerate of several different alien species which are working together. Their societies mixed at some point a few thousand years ago. It led to a shared government for all the included species. Since hostility towards foreigners is almost unknown to the Coalition Illin thinks that they will embrace the benefits of the teleportation node.

  The last stop on our list is a star system close to the black hole in the centre of our galaxy. It serves as a gathering place for the society and is in great part managed by the Zeen. That's where I expect us getting into trouble.

  The more I look at the galaxy's political landscape, as it is described by the Forlorn, the more I think that the Zeen are the driving force behind the alliance which is chasing the Drazi.

  The Opach are the main party behind this war. And according to Illin the Opach are akin to vassals of the Zeen. Ayo himself said that he is aiding us with technology because he dislikes the Drazi. Since we only know Ayo we can't say for certain if his actions are sanctioned by the rest of his species, but my theory still stands.

  I start eating again after having ended my lengthy explanation.

  “So that means that we'll have less unexpected interruptions which influence our daily lives?” Cyla asks with a satisfied voice and continues before I can verify her conclusion. “That's great! Actually I've a present for you.”

  A present? For me? I feel honoured! What is it? A new sex toy? A wild night in bed? Actually I don't really care about the belly as long as we can share our feelings. Mind-sex is so much better than the pure physical experience.

  By pure impulse I reach for Cyla and try to hug her. But my wife slides past my arms, skilfully avoiding them. She hurries out of the room with a speed I wouldn't have expected from a pregnant woman. For a moment I think about following her, but whatever she has in store for me seems to be a surprise.

  After a few moments she returns with a sizeable package in her arms and a photo on top of it. She sits down next to me and shows me the ultrasonic photo of an unborn child. “That's our daughter.”

  I take the photo from her to have a look, but to be honest I am rather uninterested in grainy black and white images. So the doctor confirmed the gender. “Ah, so that's the present. I'll make sure to have it with me and show it around.” Isn't that what parents normally do?

  Cyla frowns and shoves the package closer to me. “Half of the present. The other half is this book.”

  A book!? I reach for the package and lift it. Who the hell needs a tome that weighs about a kilogram? I frown and look at Cyla. “Is that some kind of spell-book or encyclopedia?”

  “One thousand four hundred and seven pages. The newest edition based on the latest studies and research.” She hugs my side, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.

  I rip the cotton paper from the package and read the title. “'A guide to being a parent.' 'How to educate a young techno-mage from birth to childhood and what comes afterwards.'”

  Blinking, I skim through the book and its overly detailed contents. “Hahahaha.” There is no way in hell that I'll read this. “Thanks. I guess.” I think there is still space in the upper right corner of my bedroom's bookshelf. That's where I store all the stuff which I won't ever take a look at.

  “You will read this.” Cyla whispers from my side with a scary expression on her face.

  Did she read my mind? No, I am fairly sure that she didn't. I place the book carefully in front of me. “Did I say otherwise?”

  “I know you well enough.” She answers. “You are trying hard to avoid thinking about the baby. But we have a responsibility as parents and as techno-mages we will have to take extra care of our child's education and mental health. You yourself know how it is to be mistreated by people who aren't up to the job.”

  “Hahaha.” I push the book a little further away, using just one finger. Why do you think that I don't feel up to the task. “I hoped that you'll take care of that? I mean, you are the mother? Didn't you just say that we'll have a daughter? She'll surely be more attached to you than me.”

  Cyla places a hand on the tome and pulls it back in front of us. “I'll surely not take care of her ninety-nine percent of the time. We will study this together, each evening until we are done. We are in this together, even if you might think that you aren't up the job. It's also new to me. And at the end there will be a test, so don't even try to do this half heartedly.”

  “A test!?” I scratch my chest and catch myself searching for a way to escape this situation.

  Cyla's grip on my arm turns tighter. “Yes. Don't forget that you are the one who took out my chip. All this is entirely your dick's fault. And even if I will be the role model for our daughter, you are still the father. And the second child could be a b
oy. I'll make sure that you can't make a mistake in our children's education.”

  “Children!?” I try to get up, but find Cyla and myself surrounded by a set of her drifting gravity-distortions. One of them broke my leg just by getting close to it.

  As I watch, another one crumbles the metal pot on the stove to a tiny ball, so I decide that it's much safer to stay put and hug Cyla. “Dear, you didn't say that we are having twins?”

  She returns my embrace with a warm smile. “No. I just want to have more than one, so they can play with each other. And if we put another bun in the oven right away they won't be that much apart in age.”

  “I see.” I rub Cyla's back. “And if they can entertain each other they won't pester us that much. There is logic behind that.”

  Cyla takes my head and gives me a deep kiss, even using her tongue to snake between my lips. After a while we part and she pats my cheek. “So you understand. You had your sisters to play and our children will have each other. I am glad that I don't have to fall back on the contingency plans.”

  “I feel a little stupid for asking this, but what are the contingency plans?” I ask.

  She shrugs. “Since you understand there is no harm in telling you. I intended to drastically cut back our happy time, using your grandmother against you, potentially even performing a few naughty dances in our bedroom. Just to show you what you are missing out on. Since you are a healthy male I doubt that you would be able to keep your wits together after a few nights.”

  Why do I love an evil mistress like her? I lick my lips and put on my best gentleman smile. “But since I am all up for your family plans, all that isn't necessary.”

  “No?” She buries her cheek in my chest. “I am so happy. How did I even get the idea that you could have objections.”

  I start playing with her pony tail while cuddling her. “Aw. Pah! Objections. No way!” Being crumbled to a tiny ball surely hurts as fuck and I don't want to test my energy form. But I want something for investing all that time of boredom. “Though I think that all these responsibilities will take a heavy toll on my mental stability. I think I'll require a few benefits to soothe my mind.”

  “Benefits?” She asks.

  I grin. “Yes, like extra attention when we make out. I want complete control once in a while. It would be so great if I would get to try a few new dirty things. Don't worry. Since we are sharing minds I'll only do stuff you like.” Mainly searching for her weak points.

  “Dirty things he says.” She pokes my chest. “I wonder whom you got that from?”

  60. ~Visit.~

  “

  Children are a pledge of partnership. The only problem lies in getting rid of them afterwards.

  ”

  -Kaleid worldview

  Star-91896, Coalition Station 369

  Gideon

  This is definitely strange. To think that such a place exists, it's like someone recreated a Star Wars setting. I am standing on a marketplace of the Coalition's space station 369 and none of the various aliens around me gives a shit about the fact that Cyla and I are humans.

  “This Coalition is certainly very open towards strangers.” Cyla comments while being hooked to my arm. “I've counted sixty-seven different species so far.”

  “Yes, the Kaleid were boring compared to the Coalition. Even though they agreed to our teleportation node and ordered a few more, they didn't let us take a look at one of their cities.

  In comparison the Coalition ambassador didn't even blink an eye-lid when we asked if some of us could visit their space station.”

  Cyla frowns and pulls me to another market stand. “It's not like he had eyelids.”

  Right. The Coalition ambassador's body was an amorphous slimy mass, which can change its form according to his wishes. His preferred method of movement was changing into a slug-like shape to glide over the floor. He even left behind a trail of slime.

  “But to be honest I've seen enough. Can we go back now?” Cyla presses even closer to me as a huge creature walks past us. It's like a mix of an elephant and a praying mantis.

  “Cyla, could it be that you have xenophobia?” I ask with a teasing voice. Now that I think back I can see that Cyla never let her guard down when she got close to the Forlorn or Ayo. And here on the market she became unusually clingy.

  “Don't be ridiculous. I just don't like being around foreign creatures. There is no telling what their abilities are. Can we go back now?” She denies her issues and repeats her wish.

  I can't help it and poke further into the matter. “But that's exactly the definition of being xenophobe. Maybe we could stay just a little while longer? I kind of like it when you are all girly and search out physical closeness. It arouses my protective male instincts, so I want to explore those feelings since they are new to me.”

  My eyes wander to a huge advertisement and I point the Coalition translator at it. It's a wristband which we got from the station's security when we entered the place. The translator informs me that there will be a fighter-race tomorrow.

  The owner of the stall in front of us is eyeing Cyla and me with interest, so I decide to ask him about the race. “Excuse me, what's a fighter-race?”

  The brown, stick-like creature with eight arms around its torso bobs up and down. I don't hear anything, but the translator starts generating an answer. “They build small ships and fly them through a dense asteroid field. The fastest pilot wins and gets a huge amount of money.”

  “Really? What about the ships? Are there any restrictions?” I ask with interest.

  Again the bobbing motion starts. “Not that I am aware of. The only restrictions are to build the ship yourself. It's not allowed to be one of the standard models. The tonnage and size are limited to twenty metres. You have to access the net if you want more accurate data.”

  I thank the creature which I dubbed a Stickbobber in my mind. Surely they have a better name for themselves, but it's probably some kind of bobbing motion.

  “I hope you don't intend on joining this event. Who knows how dangerous that race could be.” Cyla whispers from my side, pinching my arm with two fingers to draw my attention.

  “Nooo. Never.” I answer, already searching the alien net for detailed information. But to my own dismay I find out that the time for applications is already past its limit.

  “Gideon Alvar. You are the worst of all liars. You opened a connection to the tournament website. Didn't you?” Cyla huffs.

  I sigh and admit my failure at hiding my access to the net from Cyla. “Yes, I did. But there is nothing to worry about. It seems like joining this race isn't possible at this point in time.”

  “I hope so! How could I tell our child that her dad died in a stupid accident just before her birth.”

  Exactly at that moment one of the furry, alien merchants jumps in front of us and waves some kind of meat on a stick in our faces, colliding with me and losing half of the meatballs from the box he is carrying.

  The alien probably was just trying to advertise his snack to a pair of potential customers. To the merchant's misfortune the stench of the meat sets off something inside Cyla's stomach and she projectile vomits onto the alien.

  I admire her skill in hitting the creature's snout, then dispersing her belly's contents over the rest of the rodent-like creature.

  The merchant drops himself to the floor, crying like a dying rat while trying to get off the vomit. The entire scene causes the people around us to step back to a respectful distance. I already start fearing for the worst after a few seconds of screaming and rolling around on the floor. Maybe something inside Cyla's stomach was poisonous to the alien? I rub Cyla's back, who is still dry retching at my side. If she wasn't angry before, she'll be pissed after this.

  Finally the merchant stops his exaggerated behaviour and touches himself from head to toe, or claws to be accurate. “Oh! I am not hurt!” The translator decodes his chirps.

  “No, you just caused my wife to empty her stomach because you pushed those
stinking meatballs right in our faces.” I explain and the translator dutifully translates my words to galactic standard.

  “So it's just vomit? By the trinity! I am so glad. You can't imagine how many nasty creatures are out there. I already thought I was hit with something like Valerian nerve poison or Screech acid.” The alien gets to its feet and notices that all his meatballs cover the ground and are sullied with Cyla's vomit. He starts counting with his claws.

  I immediately recognize the old street trick. That little rodent doesn't just look similar to a rat, he is one. It's highly likely that he rammed me intentionally to get some money out of his badly selling snack!

  Too bad for him. “Actually I highly recommend to wash yourself immediately. While the stomach acids of my species aren't that strong, they are still very good at removing chitinous parts from prey. Like hair and such. If you don't want to be hairless by tomorrow-”

  I don't have to spin my tale any further, as the alien makes a beeline for one of the cleaning areas behind one of the market stands. Several other furry aliens who overheard my explanation jump aside to avoid contact with the con-artist.

  As there is nothing more to see the crowd disperses fast and I can place all my attention on Cyla who paled even further after the little incident.

  She got a handkerchief from somewhere and holds tightly onto my arm. “Gideon.”

  “Yes, dear? Should I teleport us back home?” I ask. She will surely want to clean herself up.

  “Actually... no. Get me to the hospital. Right this moment!” Cyla reaches for her belly. “I think my waters broke.”

  My eyes widen. “But isn't it a month too early?!”

  Cyla hisses and grabs me even tighter. “The baby doesn't care!”

  Star-91896, Aether

  Cyla

  “Press!” The nurse urges me on while the doctor observes my vitals on a separate set of instruments. Gideon is holding my hand to offer me some comfort while another contraction hits me. I would've never thought that giving birth is so exhausting. And it hurts! At times I don't even realize that I am the one who is screaming.