by Beva John
“No,” my mother interrupts. “Everything you spend on that sitter is stealing from your sister.”
I am appalled that my mother is calling Sylvia a sitter, a derogatory term for anyone of a sedentary race. “Is that what Irlaa thinks? If so, why is she taking Sylvia shopping today?” But then I answer my own question. “I see. She did it so you could all confront me at once.” I look at Azaar who looks increasingly uncomfortable. “Was this your design?”
He shakes his head.
“We want to help you,” my mother says.
“Then leave me be.”
My Uncle Kaab clears his throat. “I understand that you care for this human. You have feelings for her. But you must think of your family first.”
“Sylvia is family to me.”
Kaab continues. “You must put your family and your sister’s nest first. I know it is a sacrifice, but it is your duty. When I was younger, I had a great emotional attachment to a young Namvire female who attended some of my classes. We spoke often, and I thought I would like to provide the seed for her nest. I dreamed of being an extra uncle to her nestlings, so I could maintain our friendship.”
I have never heard of this before. “What happened?”
“Her uncles and brothers decided that she should have the sperm from a Namvire with a proven history of success. I was young. I had not invented anything or shown exceptional intelligence. They chose someone else to be the donor, which was their right.”
“But what of the young female? How did she feel?”
“I never spoke with her after that because she was preparing for her nest.”
Uncle Bolor murmurs, “As it should be.”
Uncle Kaab says, “Later, I learned that she died in childbirth and I have always wondered what would have happened if she had used my sperm instead.”
I frown. “I can tell that this is a tender subject for you, but I don’t see why it is applicable by my situation.”
Uncle Kaab says, “I was despondent for a time, but then your mother started her nest and I had my family – you, your brothers and your sister. There was my true happiness, as it should be – with my sister’s nest.”
“So, you are telling me that I should be happy with Irlaa’s nestlings and not look for something more?”
“Exactly. Wanting something more, something inappropriate, will only bring you sorrow”
My mother says, “You should see a doctor. I think this is a form of madness. You are not thinking clearly. Perhaps medication is needed.”
“I am not insane. I am merely in love.”
“I won’t be at peace until you have been cleared by a doctor.”
“Fine, then. I will get a certification that I am perfectly fine.” Hopefully, after I have that information, my mother will accept Sylvia and our relationship.
Our conversation is interrupted by a viewing message from my Irlaa. “Raan, you must go to the Enforcement Center. There has been an accident and Sylvia has been arrested.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SYLVIA
When I am grabbed, I react as Raan taught me, shooting the guy who tried to abduct me. I am not a great shot, though, and I only get his leg. But the moment my gun goes off, all hell breaks loose.
My attacker loosens his hold and I pull away. I take the blanket off my head and there is blood everywhere. For a moment, I feel as if I might faint.
Irlaa screams and keeps screaming like a broken record, which makes it difficult to think clearly.
Someone in the crowd grabs my attacker, pushing him to the ground. He’s a Namvire and not a Katoll like before. Security people from the store show up and then there are some Namvire in uniform that I assume are police.
My gun is confiscated, and someone roughly searches me, swearing when they find the knife strapped to my lower leg.
This is not good.
I remember what Raan told me before, so I keep saying, “I don’t understand,” as they ask me questions.
After a few minutes, Irlaa calms down enough to contact Raan on her data screen. “My brother will be here shortly,” she says to the officials. “He is the owner.”
That word again.
At this point, I am arrested and restrained. Irlaa asks where I will be taken, and says, “I will let Raan know.”
Two officers grab my arms and I am separated from her. I am first shoved to the ground, then bundled up and placed in another vehicle and transported to a holding facility.
I realize that I know nothing of Namvire law or customs, but it is clear that there are no Miranda rights here. No one addresses me directly, and I feel like a dog being taken to an animal shelter.
RAAN
As I travel to the Enforcement Center, I contact the family lawyer Lahuul and explain the situation. “Hells Canyons,” he says. “What were you thinking buying a human female and bringing her to Bataa?”
“Just tell me what I can do.”
“First, find out what happened and if there are any charges against her.”
Once I get the Enforcement Center, it takes several hours before someone in authority actually talks to me. I am told that Sylvia is being detained because she was carrying a deadly weapon, which is against the law.
“What about the Namvire who tried to abduct her?”
The official shrugs. “You can sue him for damages to your property, but he can sue you for putting him at risk.”
I can tell that this problem is not going to be solved immediately, and I don’t know who I will have to bribe to make the problem go away. “May I speak to her?”
“No, not until she has finished her quarantine.”
“She is not diseased!”
The official shrugs. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Can you at least tell her that I am doing all that I can to help her?”
The official looks around to make sure he is not being watched and discreetly shows me his bank access on his data screen and I nod. It only takes a few minutes to transfer some money to his account. “I will see that she gets the message,” he says and smiles at me.
“How long will she be detained?”
“At least three or four days. Possibly more.”
I smile, baring my fangs. “If my human is harmed in any way, I promise to bring the entire strength of the House of Vasuren in retaliation.”
“Understood.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SYLVIA
The first two days are uneventful. My clothes and my data screen have been taken. I am wearing a sack dress with no underwear and just like when I first woke from the pods, I am again wearing a collar around my neck. I am in solitary confinement in a small room with no bed and just a toilet of sorts in the corner. Food arrives once a day. When I ask about what is happening, no one explains, although there was one person who walked by and said in a quiet voice, “Raan, House of Vasuren, is trying to help you.”
That is the only thing that is keeping me sane.
I pace about the room and try not to think about spending the rest of my life here. I wish I had Martha’s faith and a belief that God could help me.
I sleep on the floor when I am so exhausted that I can no longer stay awake.
On the second night, one of the guards opens the door and a Namvire woman wearing an ornate headdress that hides her face comes into the room. I scramble to my feet and push my hair out of my eyes in a meager attempt to look presentable.
After the door closes behind her, the woman says, “You smell,” and then removes her headdress.
It is Tobb, Raan’s mother, and I have never been so happy to see someone in my life. “Oh, thank goodness,” I say, relieved.
She looks at me coolly. “I am not here to help you. I am here to discuss your future.”
I stiffen and wait for her to continue.
She says, “You have brought shame onto my nest. You have bewitched my son. He has spent more than several years salary on you.”
I knew I was expen
sive, but I didn’t know how expensive.
“He is currently doing everything he can to arrange for your release. You have no idea the trouble you are causing our family.”
“I am sorry for that,” I say, but she cuts me off with, “Do not talk to me. You are to listen and obey.”
I nod.
“If Raan manages to secure your release, you must abandon any idea of a marriage between you. I will arrange for you to go to Little Earth, which is what should have happened to begin with. Do you understand?”
I don’t understand. “What is Little Earth?”
She sighs as if disgusted. “Raan should have told you. When your species were destroying themselves, the Katoll took thousands of your kind and set them up on a new planet. That is where humans belong. You have no place among travelers.”
I am beginning to think that she might be right. Bataa is a dangerous place for human females. “I know you disapprove of our relationship, but Raan loves me.”
But it does bother me that he never told me about Little Earth. It makes me question our relationship. If he kept that information from me – does he truly see me as an equal?
Tobb’s lashless eyes glare at me. “If you care for him at all, you will give him up. Already he is losing credibility because he owns you. No one wants to buy from him because they think he is insane or perverted.”
Her words cut like a knife because I know that buying and selling is in Raan’s blood. He is a merchant, through and through.
I know I am causing him trouble – trouble with his family and now trouble with his livelihood.
Raan says he loves me, but how much of that is just sex?
As much as I want to believe that we could be together forever, I know it is foolishness. Although my heart is breaking, I say, “Very well. I will give him up.”
“Thank you,” Tobb says. “I am glad you can see reason. I wasn’t sure that was possible from a human, but I appreciate it, none the less.”
RAAN
I have never been so frustrated by bureaucracy in my life. Having to negotiate deals on the Silver Scrapper is nothing like trying to free Sylvia.
Unfortunately, there is no Timka to dress as a female decoy and help her escape. I must do everything legally, which is a labyrinth. Lahuul suggests that I admit to being temporarily insane so that I am not responsible for Sylvia’s actions.
But I refuse. “Sylvia is mine and I am not going to abandon her.”
“It is going to be pricey,” Lahuul says. “And you must have medical certification that you are mentally competent, or they won’t release her to you.”
I think that my mother has been talking to him. “Fine,” I say and make an appointment with a doctor.
But rather than going to my mother’s doctor, who I don’t trust, I go to a younger doctor that I hope will be less conventional.
My new doctor performs a medical scan, has me do several stretches and asks me a dozen questions. When he is finished, he says, “You are in excellent health, considering the fact that you have spent the last few years off Bataa. You have no parasites or hidden viruses. Why did you come to see me today?”
“I need certification that I am of sound mind and body.”
“And why is that?”
“It is complicated. I have been living with a human female and my elders think that, by definition, that makes me insane.”
The doctor raises his eyebrows. “Copulating?”
“Yes.”
“Lucky you,” he says calmly. “Is it like living in a viewing?”
“In a way,” I say, although I do not like the fact that everyone thinks of the porn viewings when I mention Sylvia. “Is there any problem with that?”
“Well, there is no medical reason why you cannot. Namvire and humans are biologically and sexually compatible. Of course, there are cultural ramifications. Many Namvire will not understand or condone your behavior, but as a doctor, I don’t see that it will harm you in any way. It is unusual, but it is not insane.”
“Thank you.” That is exactly what I wanted to hear. “Now, I will need a certification from you that I am not insane.”
“Certainly. I will glad to provide that documentation for you.” As he composes information to send to my elders and my lawyer, he says in a conversational tone, “As more humans come to Bataa, I think we will see more interspecies mating. It is just a matter of time for society to change. If not in our generation, perhaps in the next, our society will change. Now, of course, if you were sexually attracted to a human and wished not to be, it would be a simple matter of increasing your hormone suppressant.”
“What are you talking about?”
The doctor says, “Your daily supplements. They contain hormone suppressants.”
I am astonished. He speaks matter-of-factly as if this is common knowledge. “My hormones are being suppressed?”
“Yes. For thousands of years, the government has recommended hormone suppressants to curb violence and aggression in our society.”
“I did not know that.”
“No, that information has been suppressed as well, but there is growing thought in the medical community that we should re-evaluate our prior assumptions. There are a few trial communities where individuals are reducing the amount of their hormone suppressants or in some cases, going off them entirely, which I do not recommend. I think it is too risky. If a traveler wishes to reduce his or her suppressant it should be done under medical supervision.”
“Females are suppressed as well?”
“Yes. Without hormone suppressants, females go into heat naturally instead of having to be induced by a doctor. Ancient Namvire females found that process disruptive. It is much more efficient to have the matter scheduled.”
I find this difficult to believe. “So, you are telling me that since I have become an adult, that I have been consuming a substance that inhibits my sexual feelings and abilities?”
“Yes.”
“Why was I not informed?”
“No one was. It was the law.”
I feel betrayed by both my government and my ancestors. “This is terrible. It is wrong.”
The doctor laughs. “Thus speaks the traveler who is brixing a human female. If you can do that, even with suppressants, you have a strong libido and a healthy hormonal system. You have nothing to worry about. However, you could lower your current dosage if you wished. I can provide you a schedule to do so gradually and a list of possible complications.”
“I will think about it.”
“If you decide to reduce, let me know and we will set up medical supervision. No one wants a primitive Namvire running about, challenging other males and breaking things.”
I suppose not. I remember the anger I felt on the Silver Scrapper when any of the crew members accosted Sylvia. I wanted to hurt them. Was that a sign of my excessive hormones?
When I return home to our family tower, I visit Azaar. My brain is still in a fog from what I have learned. I ask him if he has heard about all Namvires having their hormones suppressed.
He nods. “I have heard something about it. Apparently, it makes for a more civilized society.”
“Doesn’t it concern you?”
“Not particularly. It is the cost of living in a modern universe.”
“I think it is wrong.”
Azaar says, “By choosing Sylvia, you are already living outside of society’s rules and I don’t think you should make it worse by fooling with your hormones. Personally, I think you are thinking with your cock instead of your head.”
I don’t care what he thinks.
I send the certification to Lahuul and impatiently wait for him to negotiate Sylvia’s release.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SYLVIA
I am detained a total of five days, and when I am finally released into Raan’s custody, I wish I could cry on his broad shoulders. But instead, I quietly follow him out to a flying vehicle, and we go to our apartment.
When we
are alone together, Raan tries to hug me, but I pull away, saying, “Please, let me bathe first.”
“Of course,” he says. “Whatever you need. I am so sorry it took so long to get you freed.”
“No, that’s all right,” I say. “I understand that you were doing all you can.” I remember all that Tobb said and I wonder how much it cost him.
I spend a long time in the shower, getting clean, but also preparing myself mentally for the difficult conversation ahead. When I come out, dressed in one of the long flowing robes that Raan likes, he holds me tight and I rest my head on his broad chest.
He smooths my hair with his hand. “I will never let you out of my sight again.”
He means well, but I know that is impossible. “Make love to me,” I say, and without words, we do so on our narrow bed.
It is both sweet and terrible, and when I find my release, I sob. Raan pulls back. “What is it, Green-eyes?”
It breaks my heart that I won’t hear him say that anymore. I say, “I don’t belong here. I can’t stay on Bataa.”
“That is nonsense. Lahuul has taken care of your charges, we’ve paid a fine, and as far as the law is concerned, you are free.”
I shake my head. “I am not safe here. I should be on Little Earth.”
Raan flinches. “What are you talking about?”
“I should be with my own people, my own species. I want to go to Little Earth.”
RAAN
I can’t bear to hear her talk about Little Earth. “I love you. I don’t want you to go.”
“I love you, too,” Sylvia says. “But what we have won’t last. It can’t. I have no place in your world.”
“We will make a place.”
“No, it won’t work. How many times do I need to be abducted for you to see that I am not safe here?”
I feel guilty for not protecting her. “I will do better.”
“No, it is logically impossible. I can’t be handcuffed to you all day. It won’t work.”
“We will make it work.”
“How? It’s against the law for me to carry a weapon. I have no rights on your planet. There is no way for me to become a citizen. You talk about marriage, but it’s not real here. It’s lovely to pretend, but it’s not real.”