by Lily Anton
The man had apparently decided to elect himself as group speaker. “Then when were you before this?! How come we’re just seeing you now?!”
The murmurs around the room rose, only to but quieted as Leila politely raised her hand. “There were over two thousand of us evacuated due to an emergency precaution. As you can probably imagine, there have been a lot of things I am trying to coordinate so that we can be comfortable in the meantime. Food, medical needs, communication back with Earth so we can get in touch with our families…”
Nothing she said was different than what the Debir had probably said a million times over to them, but she chose her words carefully, including herself in the Human ‘us’ versus the Debir ‘them’.
The man opened his mouth again but Leila cut that off. “By a show of hands, how many have any medical conditions that need to be seen to? By that I mean, people that are running out of medications right now or have any other health conditions that need attention?”
Slowly a number of hands rose in the air but it wasn’t even a quarter of the room. “Thank you. I’m sure a lot of you know that getting medical care from the Debir on Earth was a long and drawn out process with people constantly applying for treatment of all kinds. Free healthcare is good. Hell, you got a scar you don’t want anymore? They’ll remove it now.”
A few people chuckled as she risked a glance over at Nelo who nodded his head just enough for her to see.
Everyone on Earth had known that the Debir were capable of curing almost all human ailments, and it was not technology that was shared generously. One had to apply for treatment, and it was a very long waiting list. made even more complicated by human bureaucracy.
The murmurings now turned more positive.
“I know that everyone’s priorities are different right now, so here’s what we’re going to do…”
That sentence started what she felt were the busiest hours of her life to date.
In each of the six rooms she repeated the same thing: acknowledging that everyone had different priorities; no, she didn’t know how long they’d be here but not too long because she had a plant to water back at her apartment (a lie, but it cracked some of the tension); and she would update them every few hours, even if it was to say she didn’t have an update.
Each room was essentially split in different groups, with Nelo allowing her to delegate his team to particular areas. If you were okay and you just wanted to rest? Great, go take a seat over there and they’d get you a room ready. Did you need medical attention or were you running low on medication? Take a seat over on that side. Did you need to contact someone back on Earth to let them know you’re okay? Over here.
On and on it went as people were allowed to prioritize their own needs, some even coming over to speak to her and thank her for listening. She was too tired to argue with them that the Debirs had been listening to them as well. The humans just hadn’t wanted to listen due to fear.
With teams of Debirs leading numerous groups of humans through Section 10, many of whom were now realizing how luxurious their surroundings were, Leila took a moment to plop down on an empty seat with a loud sigh, closing her eyes.
It felt like only a few seconds before she felt someone come sit beside her and cracked an eye open.
A young human woman -probably in her very early twenties- had taken a seat beside her. It was impossible to miss her pregnant stomach as she sighed, resting her hands on her belly.
“I’m glad you calmed them down.”
Leila huffed a tired laugh. “I did what I could. Mob mentality at its finest. Which is funny considering all these people had been with Debirs on Earth at the time. It’s not like random humans were beamed aboard. That was a joke.” Leila quickly added, not wanting her to panic, especially since she was pregnant.
She got a smirk for her trouble. “It’s all good. But you’re right about the others. Honestly, other than me and most of the girls in the Initiative, I don’t think many people here actually like the Debirs,” she admitted. “But apparently that doesn’t stop humans from trying to get what they want out of them if they can.”
Leila’s ears had already perked up with the mention of the Initiative, her eyes going back to the woman’s belly for just a brief moment.
“I’m Leila, by the way,” she held out her hand.
The other woman smiled and did the same “Perla.”
“Nice to meet you Perla. I have to ask...are you sure you don’t need anything?” Leila politely inquired.
Perla chuckled. “Nah, just waiting for someone. A bit surprised to be on a spaceship, but other than that...these guys here…” she said, rubbing her belly, “...will probably be out in the next few days. So I’m not too concerned where it happens, as long as it's not on a shuttle.”
So many questions were on the tip of Leila’s tongue, her mind bringing up things she had read on the tablet and things she hadn’t been able to force herself to read.
“Perla, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I...It’s going to be personal,” Leila warned, “So if you don’t want to answer…”
Perla laughed. “Yeah I figured since you keep staring at my stomach. I feel like I should have a speech memorized at this point. But...you’re the Human Ambassador, shouldn’t you know about this stuff anyways?”
That...was a really good question.
Leila shook her head, coming up with a simple reply. “The Initiative and my job don’t intersect. I actually don’t know much about it. I…”
“You’re curious about their dicks right?”
Leila startled and then huffed out a laugh. “That wasn’t exactly what I was going to ask, but...I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“Well here’s the thing. Don’t even bother comparing it to a human dick. First, there’s the tentacles...”
Leila blinked, quickly tucking her shock away. Tentacles?! What. The. Fu-
“...and I know it sounds weird but...listen. Those things know how to please a lady…” Perla said pointedly. “And then there’s the main one, ‘the big D’ I call it, which is the really fun one, and then another which is for the whole clutch thing, and then there’s a third one but I haven’t seen it since it only comes out between bondmates when they want to have a kid, but rumor has it it’s got all sorts of bumps and rid-”
She needed to read over that anatomy section on her tablet immediately.
Perla was still going, apparently taking great joy in talking about it, much to Leila's secretive delight and shock.
“I mean, at first I was like ‘what the hell am I getting myself into?’ but this is my second time now-”
Leila couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “You’ve done this before?”
“Oh yeah,” Perla said breezily. “The sex is amazing. And I mean amazing.”
“Yeah but…” she motioned to the woman’s belly, unable to help herself now.
“Even laying the clutch is like...really good...although every time I say the word ‘lay’ in this context people look at me like- yup, that look right there.” Perla laughed at the expression on Leila’s face.
“Plus, I mean, it’s doing a good thing and all. Their people went through some fucked up war or something, and now they can barely have kids but you probably know about that part already…”
Leila knew that bit at least...sort of.
“These guys in here now will get raised by the community, and some go to like, same-sex couples and what not. As humans we only have one word for pregnancy. But for them, there’s this here when there’s multiples, and then what bondmates do.”
“Bondmates can’t have a big...clutch?” she slowly said the last word as if it tasted funny in her mouth.
Perla shook her head, giving a look that clearly said ‘you really should know this stuff’. Leila couldn’t really blame her. “No. They only get one at a time. And I think the max they ever have is three kids total...maybe four? Which, considering their
lifespan, is crazy. Almost all the bonded couples I hear struggle with infertility; that’s why they were so happy we were compatible and give us places to live and money and stuff if we agree to participate.”
Leila knew the incentives for joining the program were insane, but hadn’t known it was ‘we’ll give you a place to live and give you a shit ton of money’ insane.
The woman was really into this now. Leila half-jokingly wondered if Perla should have been the one Nelo named ambassador during this whole thing.
“And, like, consent is hardwired into their bodies. One of the other girls in the program told me that, like, a bonded couple have to both actively want to have a kid for them to even have a chance to get pregnant. Something about the scent they each give off. Built-in birth control and consent...makes you think about guys back home…”
Leila laughed at that even as she tried to process the slew of information that had been thrown at her. “It sounds like there isn’t even a comparison. Tentacles or not.”
Perla grinned. “I know. I mean, I understand it sounds weird but if you ever have the opportunity to hook up with one for fun, I would hands-down recommend it. You wouldn’t have to worry about this,” she smirked, patting her belly affectionately. “Plus they stick you in this weird bath thing afterwards and poof! All the stretched out bits go back to normal.”
“I really should have read the material they gave me,” Leila eventually said out loud after a moment of stunned silence.
“Why didn’t you?”
“It was a lot,” she replied. In more ways than one.
“You should ask them for one of the Initiative packets. It’s pretty straight and to the point and it’s got some interesting visuals,” Perla explained, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“I might just do that,” Leila laughed. “But I think I need to sleep for at least a year straight at this point.”
“I hear ya.”
Leila frowned in slight concern. “Are you sure you don’t want to-”
“Perla…” A deep voice interrupted them.
It belonged to a maroon colored Debir with hazel colored eyes who was quickly making his way towards them.
“Kezal!” The woman’s face lit up, her hand reaching out for him. He quickly hurried over, taking her hand and helping her to stand. “Kezal, this is Leila, the Human Ambassador.”
The Debir bowed politely in her direction, but it was obvious he only had eyes for the younger woman at the moment. “Perla, my apologies. I did not know it would take so long to be back by your side. How do you feel?”
“I’m okay. Back hurts a little and I’m a little hungry but I wanted to wait for you…”
Kezel was...fretting. There was no other word Leila could think of that described how the large, imposing Debir was insisting he escort her.
“It was nice meeting you Perla,” Leila said. “And you Kezel.”
“You as well,” they both replied together, Kezel already guiding the smaller woman with a hand on her back.
“Oh, and don’t forget to get yourself some Debir D if you can!” Perla called out, causing Leila to laugh.
“What is…’Debir D’?” Atens familiar voice had Leila turning her head, watching as he passed by the couple on his way to her.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Do you really want to know?”
Atens’ face turned curious, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Maybe later.” He took a seat beside her with a tired groan. “Thank you for your help. Nelo apologizes he cannot be here to tell you the same.”
Leila waved a hand, dismissing the apology. “You really don’t need to thank me. I just reiterated what you were trying to tell them in the first place.”
Atens smiled. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
Leila hummed in response to that, not having the energy to say much of anything right now. She felt all talked out, a familiar feeling when she was used to facilitating day long events and had to be ‘on’ for days at a time.
Eventually as they both sat there in exhausted silence, she mustered up enough strength to speak. “How long do you think it will be before they can go back?”
Atens rubbed his face tiredly. “Your guess is as good as mine at this point. As you told the other humans, I don’t think it will be too long. I could pester Ezon for more information but I don’t have it in me right now to deal with his stubbornness.”
It didn’t escape Leila’s notice that he referred to Ezon by name as opposed to Commander. “Are you close with him?” she found herself asking.
“As close as anyone can be to him.” She heard the smile in his words. “We’ve known each other since we were very young. As much as Nelo and him constantly make waves when they’re together, they are also quite close. Don’t let them fool you otherwise.”
Leila frowned at the saying, assuming based on context that ‘make waves’ meant the human equivalent of ‘butting heads’ as opposed to how humans used the phrase.
The memories of how Ezon had ended things with her (although, was it really an ending when nothing had even started?) came to mind, but in her tired state all she could do was sigh wearily at the thought.
“So...you and Ezon…” Atens trailed off.
Leila breathed out a quiet laugh. “Me and Ezon…” What else could she say? She had zero answers to give him.
Atens chuckled. “Good luck with that one.”
She wanted to laugh it off, but the weight of what had happened was beginning to make itself known again. “Atens, can I ask you something?”
“If it’s about ‘Debir D’ then perhaps you should speak to Ezon about it,” he replied without missing a beat.
Apparently he was more aware of human slang than she’d been led to believe and actually laughed at that. “No. I’ll save that for later. I...the Calling has come up a few times...I need to know what it is.”
Atens stilled next to her, drawing her gaze.
“You...you are hearing the Calling?” He sounded wistful, a sense of longing wrapped up in the words.
Leila nodded, pretending she didn’t notice his reaction. “It’s scaring the shit out of me. Nothing I read explains what it is.”
“Well there are thousands of years of poetry that would beg to differ but I do not think that is what you mean,” he guessed. At her expression, he did his best to reassure her. “It is a way of knowing you have found your mate for life.”
Leila stomach dropped, her nerves not caring that she was too tired to deal with them. “I’m human, Atens. We don’t have the Calling. It’s just a combination of being a good judge of character and luck that keeps humans together. Love is not always everlasting with us. And there’s definitely no ‘love at first’ sight that I believe in.”
Atens was quiet, obviously in thought. “I wish I could explain it better. For us, it simply just is. If it helps, we did not know until recently that we could even experience the Calling with a human before. There is only one other couple.”
She immediately perked up. If she could speak to them, maybe-
“Unfortunately, Venav and Misha are back on Earth. They had been visiting her family.”
Leila slunk back in her seat. Just her luck.
“Does Ezon know you…ah,” Atens caught her resigned nod. “I am going to assume he is not handling it well.”
“Honestly, it feels like we’re both out of our elements, which scares me because he is a Debir, the Calling thing isn’t new to him. He knows what it is. I’m just...I’m just over here trying to figure out why I feel things for someone I don’t even know and who locked me in his room.”
There was something about the Debir beside her that made her just want to spill everything. She had no one else to talk to, and even if he went back and told Ezon what she’d said, maybe…
“He felt bad, I could tell. He brought me human food, and a tablet, and a comm link to speak with Nelo if I needed to but...I think I messed it up…”
“I’m sure that�
�s not true.”
“It is,” Leila admitted. “I told him I don’t like the Calling, and he...he left. I think I hurt him.”
‘And myself’, she thought.
“I would not worry about that,” he reassured her as if it were just a simple misunderstanding.
Leila didn’t think Atens really understood what had happened, but stayed quiet.
“He has always been stubborn. When he was younger, he proudly declared he would never experience the Calling. That his huerta was his career.”
She cracked a smile, already well familiar with that term.