Page 68 of Volunteer 4711

He smiles then.

I’ve come to realize their word ‘forbidden,’ although it has the same meaning as in English, also means to do something taboo or naughty in the sexual sense. I hope now I’ve convinced him how I feel about anal sex.

CHAPTER32

COMMANDER

I am called awayfrom the bridge by my wife. This is very strange for her, so I quickly return to our quarters. She is at the desk crying.

I go to her at once and take her in my arms. “What’s the matter?”

She can hardly speak; she’s so upset.

I stroke her hair, trying to think of anything that could have happened to upset her. But I am at a loss.

Finally, after a few minutes, she calms down enough to speak, “I went to see the doctor because I hadn’t had my period, and he says….”

She starts crying uncontrollably again, and I continue to hold her. I wonder if I should speak to the doctor myself, but I don’t want to leave her.

“He says,” she stammers a little through the tears, “That I’m pregnant but that the baby won’t survive because its genetics are bad.” She bursts out in tears again.

“I am so sorry,” I say. I feel sad about this news too. “I should have taken birth control. I was under the impression we would not even be able to conceive a life between us.”

She looks up at me angrily. “My friend told me that it’s possible. If she knows, why wouldn’t you?”

“Because I have never thought about it much until now, and surprisingly there are not a lot of aliens in the fleet.” I pull her back into my embrace and try to comfort her. At first, she resists but then relaxes against me and begins to cry a little more.

“I thought,” she begins. “I wanted to have our baby. I was so excited and hopeful.”

Now I feel terrible.How could I have let this happen to her?“I will start on birth control today,” I say.

“No,” she says. “I want to have a child. Our child.”

“Wife,” I say gently, caressing her hair. “If that is what you want, we need to work that out with the doctor and some geneticists to see if it’s possible. You know just as well as I do that inter-species children that miraculously come about naturally are rarely normal.” I remind her. I know she gives a lot of her salary to a charity for those children on the Home Planet. I feel like an idiot now for not realizing the direction her heart had turned.

“Then I want the best geneticist,” she says with determination.

“It will take some time,” I say. “I can’t just make him come. Remember, I’m a pirate, and he or anyone in his position will be working for the government. They won’t want to risk their futures by helping us.”

“Then what about the Imperials? They have lots of medical technology, you said so yourself, and they are almost like Water people.”

“I don’t want to get Imperials involved,” I say honestly. “This is between us.”

“I want a family,” then she says something I never expected her to say, “I can divorce you if you deny me this.”

Now she is correct. A male who denies his wife children is open to a clear divorce, and she loses nothing socially. However, I never thought any female would ever say this to me.

“I know the fleet laws and the laws on the Home Planet. You cannot marry me and expect me not to want this,” she continues. “This is my right as a wife.”

“I realize this, but I would like to talk about this and take it slowly,” I say. “I have a lot going on at the moment.”

“We are set to rendezvous with an Alpha Imperial ship soon. They will have doctors onboard to help us. If you don’t make the arrangements now and at least ask, I will ask for a divorce from the Home Planet,” she says, and I know she means it.

“I will ask. You can stand out of sight of the screen when I do to prove to you I will try, but why would the Imperials want to help us?”

“Money.”

“True, but there is something else to worry about. I worry they will try and steal you or convince you to leave me for different reasons. You do not understand how much they obsess over Water people.”

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