Prior to any of their testing, they did get started immediately on my end of the bargain. That began with me giving them a semen sample for them to begin studying while I submitted myself to their doctors and scientists. While I knew that I was looking at a long shot, I had to make sure that there were no missed opportunities to give her a child. They worked diligently on this request while I was being studied by the other scientists and students.
Since I was able to fluently speak their language, I found myself in one instance standing naked before an auditorium and answering their individual questions. By this point in my life, I’d already learned that Keplerians weren’t as modest as humans. It was why they didn’t care about those scarves not always covering them appropriately. It was why the men often wore no clothing at all. So for me to be standing there in the nude was no reason to be embarrassed. What was embarrassing was when they asked about our unsuccessful attempts at procreation.
I had to explain everything in order for them to decipher if there was something we were doing wrong or if it was truly our biological make-up that didn’t blend properly. For all I knew, our DNA wasn’t even compatible so nothing would ever work in that regard. I would discover during that meeting that there was nothing wrong with what we were doing and that most likely there was something else to blame. It would be a day later when they were able to talk to me about the results.
Sh’tha’we and I met in one of the labs where two of their scientists, one male and the other female would explain to me a lot that I didn’t really understand. The male was Ka’ne and the female Sh’mo’no and they both carried the equivalent titles of ‘doctor’. They spoke to me in their language, so I will translate what was said in that meeting.
‘Females of our species are impregnated much the same way as we believe humans are. And with what you’ve explained in regards to human pregnancy and childbirth, we believe ours is similar in that way as well. Biologically speaking, the way you have managed to copulate should have resulted in pregnancy… that is if of course if our species were compatible,’ Dr. Sh’mo’no stated, handing me a clear slate which had the results imprinted on it.
I looked at it but it was in scientific terms that made no sense to me. Besides, I still struggled a lot with their written language.
‘What we discovered is the fact that our DNA is very similar, in such a way that leads us to believe there could actually be a common ancestor. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to state that we’re related, but how, I really don’t know. Unfortunately there are some differences in our DNA that would definitely be the cause of spontaneous abortion within five to six days of fertilization,’ Dr. Ka’ne added.
I handed the chart to Sh’tha’we, realizing that whatever it said wasn’t turning out to be good news. I could see by her expression that she was about to cry as well.
‘Fortunately we have a lot of experience with genetic manipulation and in this instance, we believe our skills could benefit you,’ Dr. Sh’mo’no smiled at us, ‘We located each of the genes that are responsible for this spontaneous abortion and while all our genes are important to us, these would mean for minor changes if we shut them down. And those minor changes would allow for you two to conceive a child.’
‘Seriously?’ Sh’tha’we nearly screamed.
‘Yes,’ Sh’mo’no laughed, ‘But there’s unfortunately a cost, and this cost is going to come with some specific guaranteed traits in the baby as well as a period of severe sickness on the part of Shawn.’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
Their pause suddenly frightened me. I turned to Sh’tha’we and she looked equally as worried by the pause.
‘We obviously don’t want to change your DNA structure because one of the changes we are talking about making to permit a pregnancy would result in the loss of your legs. We’re talking about something more than just simple paralysis, so it’s not something you’d want to imagine. However, we do want to change the DNA that you are carrying in your sperm as well as the cellular DNA in the local vicinity so that your body doesn’t reject the altered sperm. This would involve the injection of microscopic machines that would target only that area of your body and begin to make the necessary changes in the DNA structure. These machines would continue working for twelve days, so you would only have a period of about that long to try to make the baby. We can’t allow the changes to go on longer than that without risking permanent damage to your reproductive system. While this may sound like a simple task to two people in love, it probably won’t be. That’s because these changes will make Shawn feel exceptionally sick the whole time that they are occurring because it will be like an actual cancer spreading through Shawn’s reproductive system,” Dr. Ka’ne stated.
‘Wait, what about the legs of the baby? If it would damage Shawn’s legs, wouldn’t it damage the baby’s as well?’ Sh’tha’we asked, ‘And couldn’t you just manually alter the DNA in his sperm and then inject it into me with a syringe?’
‘The baby, like you, would not be born with legs. It’s the only way to make this work. The baby would definitely be one of us, a Keplerian as Shawn calls it, but it would still truly be a mix of both of you,’ Dr. Sh’mo’no said, ‘The genes that caused the spontaneous abortion are various ones in the structuring of the legs. Curiously enough, the differences in our lungs didn’t pose a problem. And when we altered the DNA of the sperm in a vial and then tried to keep it alive for injection, it didn’t work. It needs to be done inside Shawn’s body to ensure it works.’
‘What kind of sickness are we talking about?’ I asked.
‘Mostly nausea and sometimes it would be violent, even in the middle of the night. That’s the complicated part because while you’re feeling this way and losing a lot of sleep in the process, we would still need the two of you to have intercourse multiple times if we’re to ensure proper fertilization,’ Ka’ne stated, ‘I’d personally recommend very little eating during the twelve days and then celebrate with a hearty feast and a good long nap afterward.’
I didn’t even have to think about it, ‘I’m in.’
‘Wait, are you sure?’ she turned to me.
‘More than sure. Twelve days of sickness is a very small price to pay,’ I replied.
Chapter Nineteen
It was exactly as advertised. I submitted myself to the injection which didn’t involve any needles at all. I truth, I had no idea how they got those tiny machines into me because I felt nothing at all when they pressed the cold machine against my lower abdomen.
Nothing would change for the first several hours, so we spent that time swimming in the giant pool with Ha’Kna and her baby boy Kma’le. It was so adorable to see such a small infant of the Keplerian race. While human babies were one hundred percent helpless and dependent on the parents in the beginning, Keplerian babies weren’t. This tiny two-foot infant swam around the pool like he owned it and he wasn’t even three weeks old yet.
It was also beautiful to note that the baby knew his mother. He always returned only to her, never once confusing anyone else in the pool for his mother. Whether that was a scent thing or not, I didn’t know. One thing I did know was that I was ready for this. Sickness, sleeplessness, puking… it didn’t matter one bit. I wanted this for certain.
Three hours later, right there in the pool, the sickness kicked in and it came on like a strong wave. The funny thing was, Sh’tha’we got all excited at this sudden change in my attitude. Before I even had a chance to leave the pool, Ha’kna brought me a bucket while Sh’tha’we proceeded to remove my shorts. Again, there was no modesty to be found in the Keplerians. In hindsight, I wish I could have fully enjoyed all the ways she so violently took advantage of me over those next twelve days. I’d never been so thoroughly thrashed as I was that afternoon in the pool.
Chapter Twenty
“Dear lord,” my father said, “I think we need a break so I could go home and… uh… discuss something with Renata.”
“I’ll second that,” Thatc
her’s father stated, “Sarai and I have something we need to talk about as well.”
“Seriously?” I growled, “We go from wondering if he was able to conceive to ‘let’s go have sex’?”
Thatcher laughed, and ultimately I did as well. But really I was quite disgusted by the way our parents so freely flaunted it right in front of us. It didn’t help that Thatcher and I were still waiting until marriage and that marriage couldn’t come soon enough.
“It doesn’t matter, Henley,” John said, gesturing that they could leave if they wanted, “My story is basically done anyway. I just needed to explain how it was that I had a family there. I didn’t want any surprises.”
“I was just fooling with you,” my father said, despite the fact that he was now rubbing my mother’s shoulders, “But really – did the procedure allow you to have a child?”
“It worked with no complications at all. Seven months later, we had a baby boy, a Keplerian, named Sh’wolf. In their language, he’s basically Shawn Wolfe Junior and he’s beautiful. Today, he’s almost nine years old and he’s the older brother of Sh’tha’wolf. That’s my youngest boy who is now five years old. Both are completely healthy Keplerians. The only way you can tell that there’s some human in them is by their brown hair and their orneriness.”
“You went through that procedure a second time?” Sarai asked.
“Hello?” Zane inserted, “What about ‘I’d never been so thoroughly thrashed before’ didn’t you understand? Of course he went through the procedure again.”
John laughed heartily at this one, accompanied by all the other males in the room. It was nice to see him so happy.
“It wasn’t all about being thrashed in the pool, though obviously it did have some bearing on my decision. It was actually because I loved my son and I loved my wife. I absolutely adored and still adore them. And if Sh’tha’we wanted us to have a third, I’d do it all again,” John replied.
“Well, I support you in everything you’ve done, John. Even in your decision to keep it all under wraps,” Darius said, “I personally think there is nothing unusual in your actions, in your relationships, and in your new family. I also would like to be the first to say that it should be the Keplerians who are made privy to the discovery at Trail Mountain. They are, after all, a race of scientists it seems. So I would imagine that they would really appreciate what we found under that mountain.”
“You know what? That’s an amazing idea,” Zane said, “Look at how we humans are in regards to such fossil discoveries on Earth.”
“What do you say, John?” Leah asked, “We’d love to meet them and at the same time, we have something to offer to them exclusively. Something they may be very interested in.”
John nodded, appearing deep in thought. He then looked to the others and nodded as well.
“Let me get some images and photos from the cave and present that to them. I’ll also let them know that I finally let you know everything and that you would like to meet them,” he replied.
“Please…” I muttered, accidentally getting the attention of everyone in the room, “Please can I go with you when you go? Even now? Even before you ask them?”
“Henley?” my mother said.
“I love them, Mom,” I stupidly replied, “Just from what John has told us, I have to meet them. I have to see these people. I want to meet Sh’tha’we.”
The way John smiled at me gave me hope. My father just took my mother’s hand and tugged her to his side.
“I think as a first representative of the Valhalla nation, Henley would do just fine,” John said, “But can you hold your breath for more than thirty seconds?”
“I can!” I laughed, running over to him and hugging him.
Chapter Twenty-One
She was beautiful – more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen. I had expected to be afraid of her by the way he’d described these people, but the way she smiled at me when I met her on the dock told me that she could never hurt anyone. Those dark eyes along with the downward slant of the brow could have frightened an unknowing human. But it was the smile and the body language that drew me in. It was the way she so tenderly hugged John that said she was the woman he told us about.
I had expected to witness an exchange in a language I didn’t understand, but then she spoke for the first time in the sweetest voice I’d ever heard.
“Who did you bring along with you today?” she asked John.
“Sh’tha’we, this is Henley, the daughter of one of our leaders. A princess, if you will,” he said.
I approached her and thought of shaking her hand, but then I remembered John saying that they weren’t much for greetings. So I cautiously hugged her and rubbed my cheek against hers.
“John… Shawn told us everything and I wanted to meet the woman who made him so happy,” I said, “I wanted to meet the woman who rescued him.”
“Everything? He told you everything?” she asked, hugging me.
“Yes,” I said.
“I have some very important information to share with K’la’thra,” John said, “And it required me calling on the elders of Valhalla. It was high time they knew anyway.”
“I see,” she said, drawing out of the embrace and looking at me, “So at last we get to finally have a meeting of the political nature between our races?”
“Not political at all,” I smiled at her.
“She’s intrigued by all that you and I shared. She said she loves you, Sh’tha’we,” John chuckled, “And she was wondering if you could take her for a ride down to the cavern.”
“Really?” she smiled widely at me, “A human princess wants me to show her the depths?”
“Can you?” I pleaded, “I want to go super-fast like you did when you took Shawn down there!”
“Well of course I can take you!” she laughed.
John started up the boat and while he drove us out to his usual spot, I turned into an excited child as I rapid-fired a million questions at Sh’tha’we. I wanted to know everything about the life of a mermaid. She was so gracious in her patience with me and my many questions. She was so gracious in allowing me to touch her tail and to feel the area along her tummy where the flesh gradually changed into scales. She was every bit as lovely and understanding as John had made her out to be, even more-so now that she was an adult wife and mother of two.
When John stopped the boat, he exited the cabin and immediately offered for me to go first. I came prepared, wearing my bikini beneath the beach shirt I had put on. I removed the shirt and asked Sh’tha’we what I should expect. She then told me about the first few times she took John out, which I’d already heard about from John. I think she just wanted to make sure that I understood I’d be holding my breath for at least thirty seconds. I acknowledged her warning and assured her that I wouldn’t be drowning today.
She then leapt into the ocean and gestured for me to follow. I thanked her repeatedly, to which she repeatedly assured me that it was beyond time that we visited them. Valhalla, she said, was the only of the Earth colonies that they’d been curious to visit. She knew that we weren’t a warring nation with a navy along our borders, so we were the only nation that didn’t concern them in a bad way.
She had me face away from her and then drew me to her chest. She then had me inhale and hold my nose just before taking us beneath the waves. As I’d expected, she shot off like a plasma round, holding me against her as we sped through the water. I could feel her body rock against me as her tail pulsated in the water and kept us moving quickly toward the ocean floor. I was able to see the light radiating down from the overhanging cave as we approached. Before I knew it, we were out of the water and inside the cavern John had told us about.
“That was amazing!” I laughed, catching my breath.
She simply lifted me from the water and onto the rocky shelf, smiling brightly at me as I turned to her.
“That was so exciting!” I said, shivering as I wrapped my arms around me.
“Tha
t’s what I always loved to see in Shawn,” she said, “It still excites me to see how he gets when I shoot us to the bottom of the pool and then launch us to the ceiling. Humans are so easily excited over what we take for granted.”
“Can you do that to me also? Shoot me out of the pool toward the ceiling?” I pleaded, remembering his story about that instance.
“Of course,” she laughed, “It’s so easy to make humans smile and you all smile so beautifully.”
“So do you,” I replied, “I’m so jealous of your smile… and your tail.”
“No, you’ll see that everyone here wants legs like yours. We all have a tendency to want what we don’t have,” she said, swimming backwards in the water, “Wait here while I go get Shawn.”
She sunk beneath the water before I could say anything more. When I rose up from the edge of the water, I suddenly caught sight of a beautiful mermaid approaching from a corridor to the left. She moved quickly toward me, appearing somewhat angry.
“You friend Shawn?” she asked, surprising me with her words.
“Yes, I’m from Valhalla,” I replied, pointing to the ceiling, “Sh’tha’we brought me here and she’s going to get Joh… Shawn right now.”
She knelt in front of me and started immediately rubbing her hands across my legs.
“I Sh’tha’we sister Kol’nor’eah,” she said, caressing my ankles now.
“Shawn told me about you! It’s nice to meet you,” I said, kneeling down and suddenly falling back as she tugged my feet toward her, “I’m Henley.”
I recalled their unusual ways from John’s stories, so the fact that this woman so forcefully set my legs in her lap and was now inspecting my toes was something I didn’t argue. I just leaned back and let her have her way with them.
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