“I’m surprised they didn’t show you that on day one.”
“Sometimes they get suck on just doing it and moving on to the next person. I know they have efficiencies to meet.”
“Why do you all have numbers?”
The clone smirked a little. “Guess.”
“No one’s had time to give you names yet because of the aforementioned glorious battle?”
The others nodded and she asked conspiratorially. “Why not just name yourselves?” Looking over her shoulder at one of her escorts, she asked. “Are we allowed to do that?”
The man nodded indulgently but 1585347 spoke worriedly. “We know nothing of names. What if we attempted to name ourselves and chose the names of others? It would be unnecessarily confusing.”
“I could help with that. I’ll tell you common names on my world and you just pick the one you like.”
The others leaned in and watched her expectantly.
“John is a common name. Other variations on that name are Jim, Jamison, Jacques, Jacob, or even Santiago. Do any of those strike your fancy?”
They went back and forth throughout the duration of the meal and she managed to name her entire table of twenty males and half the next table.
Suddenly, Lar Jalon was at her side again. “Is all well with you, Lady Selene? Did you learn what you wanted from the clones?”
One of her escorts responded wryly. “You should ask what they learned from her. She taught them they could eat whatever they want, taught the entire room to open their drink pouches, and assisted about a fourth of them in choosing names from her home world.”
“By the gods, I’ve not been gone but a half a micron.”
“I would like to spend the rest of the day with the clones. Would that be possible?”
“I do not understand. Why would you want that?”
“They are nice and I like them. Maybe we can work on social skills or something.”
“That is generous of you but I have scheduled a procedure to remove hair, skin and nail samples. It should not take long. Perhaps afterwards, you can visit with our new ones.”
The clone who’d come into the room with a number designation of 1585347 spoke. “You are lucky to be going to the medical center. I’m fascinated by the work they do there, but I got assigned to perform maintenance on the ship’s engines.”
“Why don’t you come with us, Jacob? We can talk while they scrape cells from skin.” Looking at Lar Jalon, she queried. “Would that be okay?”
“Of course. Whatever will make you feel comfortable with the procedures.”
“Everyone here is so nice. If it weren’t for that whole glorious battle thing, we could probably be friends.”
Jacob smiled slightly. “You’re doing a great service. I expect we will do everything in our power to make you feel at ease.”
Once they were in the medical center, Jacob excitedly talked about all the equipment as they passed each piece.
Selene was impressed. “You really know a lot about the medical center. How did you learn all that if you’re being trained as a mechanic?”
“We all have access to the ship’s computer system. We are encouraged to learn as much as possible.”
“It seems a waste to have you working on engines. You should be trained as a physician.”
Lar Jalon glanced up from clipping her nails into a tiny clear dish. “I’m inclined to agree with you. Perhaps I will speak with Shar Jalon about a reassignment.”
Jacob practically vibrated with excitement.
“So what kind of samples are you looking at taking from me?”
“Everything you offered, we humbly accept. Hair, skin, nails, muscle and bone. I wouldn’t mind some tiny samples from your organs.”
“I wonder if my elevated hormone levels will affect your samples. I am nearing the time when my body will purge the lining from my uterus.”
Jacob immediately spoke up. “We will need to harvest your eggs before that time, or they will be lost. It would be a terrible waste when we could make such use of the material.”
Lar Jalon stated flatly. “Miss Selene has asked that we not harvest eggs.”
Jacob frowned. “I believe it is a rudimental procedure involving no risk to the female or her reproductive system.”
“I didn’t really think about it being wasteful when I talked to Shar Jalon. If I donated my eggs, would there be people who look like me running around?”
Jacob laughed. “I do not believe that would be possible. Eggs are rich in material that would lend biodiversity to our people. You may see a hint of your eye color or a red tint to their black hair, but nothing more.”
“I suppose that would be okay. I just didn’t want to make children with anyone other than my mate. I didn’t know cloning would make such a different use my donations. If I could be put to sleep for that one, it would be for the best.”
Lar Jalon’s head jerked up. “You would permit it?”
“I don’t think my new mate would object to me helping your people. He’s probably pretty pissed about the attack on his vessel, but he’s not a total butthead.”
“Are there really people with butts for heads on your world? I have never heard of such.”
“It is just a saying for someone who’s really mean to others.”
“We are just about finished with your samples for today. I hope you enjoy your time with the clones.”
Selene slid off the exam table, landing on her feet. “I hope we can get this sampling done soon. I need to get back to my mate. He’s really protective and probably losing his mind.”
“We have been in contact with Prince Korban. Arrangements have been made for you to speak with him via holo-vid in three days’ time.”
“Wow. You guys patched things up darn quick. Good for you!”
“Shar Jalon will be pleased to hear of your praise. He works ceaselessly to ensure our survival and your safekeeping.”
“I’ll be sure to thank him. Just feel like I should point out that attacking our ship wasn’t a good idea. Shar Jalon tends to create more problems than he solves in a day when he makes choices like that.”
Jacob smiled. “We’ll mention that fact to him. If all Earth women are as generous as you, I am certain we’ll never do anything so foolhardy again.”
“We’re headed for Earth? My mother’s ship was coming to meet us. Would it be possible to meet up with them?”
“You wish to bring your mother onto the Shardon vessel?”
“I want us all together. Maybe she’d share samples with you as well. She’s always been one to support a good cause.”
Lar Jalon stepped back reverently. “I will speak to Shar Jalon immediately and advocate on your behalf.”
Stepping forward, she hugged the older gentleman around the neck briefly. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Lar Jalon looked down at her when she pulled back. “I am told your new mate will be meeting us and we have welcomed him aboard our vessel.”
“I don’t know how smart that is. He a lot more tightly wound than the Shardon.”
Beaming, the older man murmured. “Thank you for the warning. We will be careful.”
Selene squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “I have another favor to ask of you, but I’m afraid to broach the subject.”
“You have nothing to fear from us, Miss Selene. Speak your mind.”
Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “We did an extensive study of your ship and determined that you have been dealing honestly with me.”
“We? There are spies among the Shardon? That is not possible.”
“Promise you aren’t going to flip out.”
Jacob stepped closer. “We are not going to be upset. Just tell us what worries you so.”
With a wave of her hand, Shafra and Tref shimmered into view.
Lar Jalon took a hesitant step backwards. Immediately, he began to address the princess. “Krylon female, please remain calm. You are in no danger. We can remove the human female from y
our presence. Do not attack.”
With a wave of one hand, Shafra’s frustrated voice sounded off. “I told you this was going to be a really bad idea.”
Lar Jalon kept talking anxiously. “Everyone, just remain calm. There is no need to panic. We can come to an understanding with the Krylon female. There is no need for violence.”
Selene scrubbed her hands over her face. “Look Lar, the only person not calm is you. Shafra is my best friend. She’s not going to become aggressive. We need a favor from you.”
Looking suspiciously between the two females, he queried. “What kind of favor? I cannot cure her. Krylonian females have been getting progressively more unstable for generations.”
Shafra scooted back and sat on an exam table. “I’m not unstable. Some of the women of my world are, but not me. I want you to use your advanced medical technologies to prove it.”
“I don’t understand.”
Selene asked pointedly. “What happened to all the Shardon women?”
“The longer a species exists the more fragile their genome becomes. We have never been able to determine exactly why, but nature begins to naturally select the weaker female chromosome out.”
“How is it that some planets have fertile women and some do not?”
Shafra interjected. “We all know the ancients were a race of humanoid explorers who traveled the verse, sharing their genetic material with the worlds they passed. I believe older races like the Krylon and Shardon were the first to meet the ancients, and therefore the first to experience the evolutionary anomaly.”
Selene added her two cents worth. “Perhaps Earth was one of the last known worlds they had contact with and that explains why we are not yet experiencing the phenomenon.”
Relaxing a little, Lar nodded. “That seems like a reasonable hypothesis.”
“Wouldn’t it be valuable to figure out if I am compromised in ways less noticeable or if I am immune from the phenomenon?”
“That would be a question worth investigation at the expense of advancing our own cloning technologies, as it affects all the worlds touched by the ancients.” Everyone looked from Shafra to Shar Jalon, who was now taking up the doorway.
“Welcome, Imperial Princess. Welcome, Commander.” His dark gaze spoke volumes about how little he cared for stowaways aboard his ship.
CHAPTER 7
Elaine slid into a regular routine aboard the Candorian freighter. They ran the ship on a twenty-hour day and that bumped their time right along. They ate their first meal of the day before leaving their quarters, then she took the children to the educational center. Even her youngest was placed with children her own age for a mixture of play, manual dexterity skills training, and some hands-on learning about Candorian ocean life in a huge aquarium. Amie could hardly wait to see her teacher and play with her classmates each day.
Emily was just as eager but for different reasons. She seemed to be growing attached to her classmates even more easily than her younger sister. She’d taken a real liking to Candorian fashions, enjoyed learning about space, and seemed fascinated by alien cultures. She spent a lot of her time in the entomology lab and the scientist working there reported she was quickly eclipsing their expertise.
In truth, both girls thrived aboard the freighter, leaving Elaine with much more free time than she could hope to fill. The Candorians were strange about accepting her assistance with chores. She’d taken to filling her days by hanging out in the string of botany and food processing bays, which the Candorians had set aside generating nutrients. As a botanist, working with plants again filled a little hole in her soul. In fact, after all the hustle and bustle of just trying to survive as Earth’s ozone layer collapsed and everyone took shelter in the domes, getting back to what she loved almost felt like a guilty pleasure.
She often found herself the first to arrive. Since there were no bees and the robotic arms that did much of the maintenance were too heavy handed, the plants had to be hand pollinated. It was tedious and time consuming work but Elaine didn’t mind. It was the kind of mind-numbing activity that gave her time to think about her life.
At thirty-five, she was beginning to feel like she’d passed her prime. Common sense told her that wasn’t the case, since many humans lived to be well over a hundred and twenty years. Modern science had extended the average woman’s prime fertility period well into her sixties. Maybe, it was just struggling to manage two children on a deteriorating world that left her feeling emotionally exhausted.
A small shadow caught her attention. She glanced up in time to see their good captain jumping down from a catwalk to stand in front of her. She’d gotten used to seeing him around the ship off and on. He no longer provoked the same fear response that he did in their initial meeting. At this point, her main goal was to refrain from staring at his bulging muscles. She’d never seen him wearing a shirt with sleeves. His dark, soulful eyes threatened to swallow her whole.
“Good morning, Koal. Is there something you need? The scientists should be here soon. I’m sure they can give you a detailed product report.”
“I wish to speak with you.”
Oh boy, this wouldn’t be good. Neither of them had mentioned the courting that was supposed to be taking place between them. She had a feeling that’s what he wanted to talk about.
“Come.”
Elaine swallowed hard and took the hand he offered to her. Leading her through a couple more bays, they stood before a door that didn’t automatically open. Waving his hand over a square pad to the right, he stated quietly.
“It opens for you and for me. No others.”
Feeling a squirm of excitement and dread, she wondered if it was a secret getaway for them to share. Stepping into the room literally took her breath away. It was a small botany bay with nothing but flowers of every shape, size, and color imaginable. In the middle was a small refreshing pool, sized for two or three people.
He reached over, plucked an ornamental bloom, and presented it to her. “From my long-forgotten home world, brought back to life just for you, little mother.”
“This place is spectacular. I never even knew it existed.”
“It never existed until you came into my life. I wished to share a part of myself with you that you might appreciate. I took a small sampling from our seed banks to create this space for you.”
“That’s nice, but you shouldn’t have. This must be considered a vulgar waste of resources by your people.”
“A room dedicated to growing plants that offer no nutrients for my people?”
Nodding, she couldn’t help but smile at the sweet fragrance emitted by the beautiful blue blossom in her hand.
“Some may think so, but not many would begrudge me such as gift for the future mother of my children.”
“I don’t know…”
Holding up one hand, he spoke. “I beg of you, do not dismiss me without first knowing what you are casting aside.”
Nodding, she agreed. “My girls and I really love being aboard your vessel. I must admit this is the first real stability we’ve had in our lives. Your people are nice and it’s such a relief not to have to worry about where we’re going to sleep or what we’re going to eat from one day to the next.”
“It is my pleasure to provide for you. So much so, that I have returned the credits Prince Korban paid us to carry you safely to your destination. The honor of getting to know you will be more than enough compensation for this trip.”
“It displeases me to see you refuse much-needed credits. I have been told the survival of the colony aboard this vessel is a heavy burden on your shoulders. Why would you turn down such a princely sum for no reason?”
“To prove you are more valuable than mere credits. To me, being with you is a gift from the gods. To put a price on such a blessing, is to devalue it. This I would never do, especially if I wish to make you mine.”
“I come with my own burdens, two to be exact.”
“What you call burdens, I call blessings.”
“Human men avoid women with children.”
“Do not compare me to the fools of your home world. None among my kind would turn down a woman because of her small ones. It will be my honor to make them the daughters of my heart. My water will become their water, if you like of me.”
Elaine replied ruefully. “All the women like of you.”
“Yet I only like of you, little mother.” If he felt any kind of way about having his words fed back to him, it didn’t show in his reply or demeanor.
“You are a difficult man to say no to.”
“Among my kind, pressuring a female to bend to my will is dishonorable. I will come to this room every morning during this time. You may join me, at your leisure. If you do not, then I will know the desire between us only flows one way.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest you were dishonorable.”
“I know you did not, but I would be a poor excuse for a male if I failed to tell you of our ways. I will leave you to enjoy your garden.”
Reaching out to grasp his arm, Elaine spoke softly. “I was thinking of showing the girls our beautiful new space when they got out of school today. We would be pleased if you could join us.”
“It would be an honor to spend time with you and the small ones destined to be the daughters of my heart. Until this evening, little mother.” His warm words and kindness didn’t mask the heat in his eyes when he looked at her.
Elaine spent the better part of the morning in her secret garden, and the better part of the remaining day thinking about the good captain. Koal intrigued her on so many level0s. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him. He ran a tight ship and everyone on board seemed to be contented and well adjusted. Her girls would be happy if they never left the ship again, she was certain of that. Elaine was faced with one inscrutable fact—she’d really like to get to know Koal a little better.
True to form, the girls were thrilled with the flower garden. Amie made a bee line straight for the refreshing pool, tearing her clothing off along the way. They had all taken to wearing the strangely crafted little undergarments favored by the Candorians. The ones that reminded her a little of old-fashioned one-piece swimsuits. The people of ancient Earth were fond of wearing them when swimming, until water became such a scarce resource that no one wasted it on swimming. The frail fabric felt like wearing nothing at all against her skin, yet was excellent at covering their private bits.
Celestial Mates Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) (Alien SciFi Romance) Page 14
