Alien Perfection

by Megan Edwards

  Her reaction was of course normal, he was debatable. Venusian women with an infant in their pouch are often sluggish, Naelia was closer to incapacitated. Bryson was two times the size of a typical Venusian infant. That was hard on her body and even harder on her pouch. Odelin was doing his best to figure to stay informed and figure out everything about the process.

  Odelin also said, at some point Bryson would detach from her pouch and that because of his size it would feel a lot like child birth. Once he was detached, he said Naelia should breast feed him then swaddle him in a blanket and put him to bed. For that reason, Archon wasn’t too worried when Naelia alerted him, the moment the first pain crashed through her.

  The cramps and bleeding lasted for more than two hours before the worst of it was finally over and Bryson was free of his mother’s pouch and fed as instructed. By that time, Naelia and Bryson were both worn out so Archon swaddled him the way Odelin taught him and placed him in the crib bed so Naelia could lay down and rest. The last thing Archon remembered before falling into a troubled sleep was Naelia saying softly to him.

  “I love you, Archon. You and I are lifemates and I’m a happy woman. We will live for many years and maybe have a baby or two of our own together.”

  Then she kissed Archon lightly on his head before falling sleep. In the meantime, just a few short feet away in the white room, Bryson’s sister Brielle’s egg cracked expelling the toxic neonatal fume into the air and freeing her. Just as her brother had done less than an hour before she wailed at the top of her lungs for her mother’s milk. Despite that however Odelin took his time examining her and making sure that she would be able to breathe the air outside of the white room. Once he was satisfied he carried the still crying baby to Archon’s and Naelia’s barrack.

  Archon was the first to wake up to the sound of hungry crying baby. The moment he cracked his eyes he knew it wasn’t Bryson. He also innately knew Odelin was standing just outside with the other child. He nudged Naelia as he climbed from the bed to open the door.

  “Introductions will need to wait. She’s ravenous. I needed to examine her before bringing her here, and I do believe her patience has worn out. I think it would be best if mommy would feed her.”

  Naelia extended her arms and immediately exposed her breast for the infant to latch on. The baby cooed contently as she drank her mother's milk. Naelia moved back to the bed and positioned herself in a more comfortable position for nursing. Then she unsaddled her daughter and began to take a full assessment.

  She was identical in size and shape to her brother Bryson. The only noticeable difference was her features were a little more feminine and she had female sex organs. Otherwise, her scales, ears, eyes, fingers, toes and hair were identical. Archon paid close attention while Naelia looked at her daughter. Then he looked back at Odelin. It was time to know. All the forbidden questions running through his mind. Questions he promised Naelia not ask.

  “From my perspective she is as healthy as she can be. All her major organs appear to be functioning and she is having no visible signs of distress. Despite finishing her gestational period in an egg, she is identical in size, shape and genetics to her brother Bryson.”

  Naelia looked up for a moment and sighed content that the baby was not showing signs of distress. Then she twirled the babies light blond hair in her fingers before she looked up and made eye contact with Archon.

  “I want to call her Brielle.”

  Archon nodded in agreement. Odelin took his leave the moment Bryson started waking up. Naelia started to get out of the bed but Archon used his hand to head her off and instead lifted Bryson from the crib. Then he gently attached him to her free breast.

  After a few minutes Brielle stopped nursing and instead seemed to become preoccupied with her brother. She was still fusing a bit but kept curling her fingers around Bryson’s hair and tugging hard enough to break him from nursing. Naelia started moving around trying to find a way to adjust and feed both of them. Archon however could tell this wasn’t working so he lifted Brielle in his arms and used his pinky as a pacifier to keep her occupied.

  After a few minutes she started to cry and he realized she needed to burp so he lifted her to his shoulder and began to quietly pat her back. She burped immediately so Archon gently placed her on her back in the crib. Then he sat down on the bed and watched as she finished nursing Bryson.

  Archon felt his heart swelling with pride and joy. It was amazing to be part of such a wonderful experience. As an elite special forces UFE fighter Archon had honestly thought he would find his lifemate and even if he had, he knew he could never have children. He willingly sacrificed that ability early in the war with his first robotic enhancement. Back then, in order to prevent organ rejection, volunteers were given a medication that made them sterile.

  Archon wasn’t crazy about the way Naelia had become pregnant, but he was glad that she was able to give birth to two beautiful lives. Archon could tell Naelia liked being a mother and could tell she got a lot of warm and rewarding feelings from nursing and caring for her children. He knew it was time make her understand the truth.

  Archon heard her very clear before he fell asleep that she wanted to have lots of babies with him. Part of him cringed in grief knowing that he could never give her what she needed. She would have to use medical science to get pregnant. If she wanted more children she would have to do so through invitro fertilization since he was sterile.

  Since the very first day in the white room when she birthed Bryson and Brielle he has tried to explain it to her. Oh there are still language barriers but his Venusian is getting pretty darn good and her Earthlish is damn near perfect.

  Still, he’s told her more than once that he was infertile and unable to give her babies in the same way she just had Bryson and Brielle. Sadly however, Archon is positive she didn’t really understand since even now she keeps talking about having a bunch of babies together.

  Archon looked back at Naelia who was still nursing and wondered how long their life span would be. Venusians and Reptilians both have long natural life cycles. It was feasible that they could live hundreds or even thousands of years. Then again, Bryson and Brielle are neither Reptilian nor Venusian. They are Draconians. They are not even the first of their species as once thought. The new Intel coming in from all over the world proves dozen of Draconians have been genetically created. Some are appear to be full grown in physical size. The Galactic Alliance calls them Andromedain meat suits.

  Archon pushed that thought from his mind. He wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Naelia. She didn’t need to know… Instead he focused on the idea of family. He wanted to have a big family. He wanted Naelia to have dozens and dozens of kids and Invitro fertilization was the way to go. No matter what though, Archon wanted to spend as many years as he could loving Naelia and as many children as they could have. Just thinking about sharing his life with Naelia put a very big smile on his face. Big enough that it had Naelia questioning it by saying

  “What has you smiling so big?”

  “I was just thinking about spending our lives together. I am very pleased that you are my lifemate, and I’m incredibly happy that we will have so many years together.”

  Then Archon leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

  Chapter 15~*~ September 3, 3208 Earth

  Everyone is so excited that Naelia couldn’t help but feel excited too. It took some time, but Archon’s UFE unit managed to locate and bring her family to Fort Nuuk to celebrate her children’s lives and her upcoming marriage to Archon. In the traditional Venusian way, that means the base has become one big, extended orgy.

  Of course her mom Chisamea says the family wants to officially welcome Archon to the family and the best way to do that is to have a big party. A party of any kind isn’t a party without lots of Venusian sex. And of course wild Venusian parties bring people from all over to join. Naelia would guess that more than five hundred people will be celebrating with them.

&n
bsp; Naelia wants to be excited, but mostly she’s just very nervous. Generally, speaking she has never been comfortable with the outgoing debauchery her people are known for. She would prefer to live a solitary life with just Archon and babies. She really doesn’t care to be surrounded by a bunch of inconsequential, hollow people. Even if those people are her family. It’s just too many people that are far too immodest, immoral and too fond of adulterated sex.

  Also, Naelia misses the quietness and warmth of the lava tubes. She despises the cold base with its tight dirty streets lined with cement houses. The base feels cold and impersonal. It keeps the warmth locked out and the cold locked in. Nothing she does makes her feel warm enough. Sometimes Naelia feels like she’s freezing. This frozen tundra isn’t a place to call home. Naelia thinks Brielle and Bryson are also stressed living in these cold impersonal military barracks. They cry more, and she can feel their pain at being so cold all the time.

  Naelia honestly wants to go back home. Back to the lave tubs. Back to the warmth and silence she grew up in. Naelia loves being with Archon, but she knows she needs the heat too. The heat of the lava tubes or the heat of desert. It matters not, but she knew she couldn’t continue to live in this icy tundra.

  The longer she remained at the base, the worse the pain was for Naelia. She knew it was time to finally tell Archon, but she was trying very hard to wait until after this big party. In the meantime, late at night when Archon and babies are deep asleep, Naelia sneaks out and descends into the earth as far down as she can go. Sometimes she gets lucky and finds an active lava flow that she can lie next to for warmth

  Most nights, Naelia barely makes it back to the room and into the bed before Archon and the babies awake. She no sooner climbs under the sheets when she one of the babies starts to cry. She sighed deeply and climbs out again, then she lifts the baby in her arms, and immediately begins to nurse. That morning, Archon rolled over with a big smile on his face and said,

  “Hey baby, you need any help?” Naelia smiled back at him and said,

  “Not yet. As long as she stays asleep I should be able to handle this.”

  He smiled again, and Naelia watched his eyes slowly close. Naelia continued to hold a sleeping Bryson even after he finished nursing, eventually she too drifted off to sleep. Archon was having a hard time falling back to sleep after Bryson woke him up. Something was off with Naelia. She was acting strange and was trying to keep something from him. He wasn’t sure if it was the party that was making her unhappy, or if it was a particular person. Hell, Archon wasn’t even sure if it was related to the party.

  In recent days Naelia has become distant to him and babies. No matter what he said or did it didn’t seem to change her behavior. One minute she was happy and trying to help organize the party with her mom and sisters all smiles and sunshine. The next when she was shy and shaking in fear and anxiety.

  When Archon asked her why she was unhappy she gives him a small but genuine smile and tells him that she is not unhappy. Her life is everything any girl could want. A good man, a nice family and healthy babies. Then as soon as they stop talking Archon feels her real tension moving in again. He was so worried he decided to have a conversation with her father Kundera. Kundera after all raised eighteen daughters. His answer was no help at all.

  “All women get moody Archon. You need to have more sex with her. I know your human and probably want a monogamous relationship with her but she’s Venusian. You need to give it to her often. Perhaps more than a man of your age can handle.”

  Archon knew however that it was something more than just a woman’s mood change or their lack of sex. He was thinking about his conversation with Kundera when he heard Naelia groaning in her sleep. After a few minutes, Archon became concerned that she might accidentally hurt Bryson who was still in her arms so he carefully lifted him off her chest and placed him in his bassinet. When Archon turned to head back to bed, what he saw caused him to freeze in place.

  Naelia jumped off the bed and moved soundlessly toward the window, she pushed aside the blinds then pressed her nose to the glass and gazed longingly at the world outside. All the while, Naelia continued to mumble about silence, warmth and her home in the lava tubes. Tears rolled carelessly down her cheeks landing on the window sill.

  He was just about to urge her to come back to bed, when he realized that she was still asleep. She was having some kind of waking nightmare. Sleepwalking or something like that. Still, it was clear she was in pain and he had no idea how to fix it. Perhaps even the same pain she hides from him during the day. He stood there hour after hour rubbing his hands, down her back while listening to her wild, pain filled rambles.

  She was freezing. Freezing cold; emotionally, physically and intellectually. She hated his world. She hated the base. She hated the soldiers that filled the base. She hated the barracks that were all over the base. She hated the food. She hated cold. But most of all she hated the sounds. Sounds that went on day and night without stopping. Sounds of war. Naelia wanted to go home. She wanted to return to the lava tubes she grew up in. She didn’t want to live in this war torn world. She wanted to go home even if it meant saying goodbye to Archon. Finally she turned from the window and climbed back in bed.

  Archon sat there with her head in his lap all night and well into the morning hours. It was well after seven in the morning when Brielle woke up looking for her breakfast. Archon felt Naelia stirring and he knew she was going to wake up. She looked at him with such confusion and embarrassment in her eyes. Then her eyes changed slightly and Archon saw her anguish reflected in her eyes briefly before it disappeared again.

  Chapter 16

  Naelia woke up in in Archon's arms. She figured her tossing and turning from her bad dreams probably ruined Archon’s good night's sleep. She opened and closed her eyes a few times before she decided it was a good idea to looked up at Archon and tell him that she was sorry and a little embarrassed by her tossing and turning. But before she could get the words out, she was suddenly overcome again with sorrow and anxiety.

  She couldn’t breathe… she couldn’t speak. Hopelessness and trepidation crowded her until she thought she would pass out from the agony. Naelia felt Archon besides her trying desperately to calm her down. He was begging her to tell him what was wrong. She wanted to. Oh she really wanted to but she couldn’t force the words out of her mouth. All Naelia knew was that she had to get out.

  She pushed herself up and threw the window open then shoved her head out of the open window and took a deep breath of air. She could feel herself beginning to calm down and she knew that soon she would be able to talk again. Naelia so desperately just wanted to wait to tell Archon, unfortunately for her, the time was now not later.

  Archon was behind her gently rubbing her back and waiting for her to collect herself together. She knew he already sensed her emotions and probably even already had dome ideas of what was going on. Before today, she had done her best to try to hide her real feelings and fears from Archon. She just wanted to wait long enough to spend time with everyone. Because of that, Naelia knew that her words and feelings had not really fit together lately. Now however, it was time Naelia faced the truth.

  Archon was an Earthling UFE soldier and liked to live in the cold world above ground. He was normal and liked to socialize and have big parties like her mother and siblings. He looked good and was comfortable living in tiny metal and cement rooms. Naelia preferred solitude to parties. While she wanted to be with Archon she wasn’t sure having a wedding and all this partying was a good thing. Hell, the truth was...her children and Archon were all the company she needed. Naelia liked to be naked or at least wearing just a little bit of clothing and she hated shoes. They cause her pain and make your feet ache.

  Naelia hated the cold Earthling homes with a passion. She hated walls of cement and metal. Walls, windows and doors made her feel like she was locked in a cage. Naelia didn’t want to live with Earthlings above ground. It was so loud and cold. She never felt warm. Her bo
nes seemed to hold the cold inside of them. She wanted to go home to the lava caves. She wanted the silence and heat that they offered.

  She didn’t want to be a prisoner and kept in captivity. She wanted to run free and feel the ground under her bare feet. She wanted to wake up feeling warm fresh air over her face not stupid fake heat. She wanted to be have moments of silence where nothing but nature could be heard. This war torn world held nothing but pain for her. Naelia wanted to go home, even if it means leaving Archon. Getting married was the wrong thing to do. She had to tell him. She had to say goodbye because it was impossible for her to live in his world and she didn’t think he would want to live in hers.

  Naelia swallowed her back her pain and forced herself to turn and look Archon in the eyes. This wasn’t going to be a nice conversation. Archon wasn’t going to like that she was leaving him. She was going to do her best to make him understand that it wasn’t an option for her. That living with him in above ground in the freezing cold with his people was killing her spirit.

  Archon knew the moment she bolted to the window and throw it wide open. Now it all made sense...Naelia had some kind of claustrophobia. No wonder why she was so moody. She was battling feelings of being trapped and caged. Archon knew from experience that not everyone did well in confinement. Because of the war that raged all around them, the base was very confined.

  Naelia was raised in the lava tubes free to run wild day and night without fear of the war. It should be no surprise that she was having a hard time adapting to life on the base. Archon himself struggled at the beginning of the war. He suddenly felt incredibly stupid to put his lifemate in this situation. He believed he should have known that Naelia was feeling boxed in and that her feelings of imprisonment would have been even stronger than typical.