Page 27 of Temple

Bailey grinned. “I am naked in a towel in the front of a spaceship, flashing my junk to the stars while my suit recharges and cleans. I will be all covered up in a few hours.”

“It doesn’t bother me. I just... I can imagine the pain.”

“Well, it didn’t tickle. So, since we have time to kill, get some breakfast stuff, and we are going to make a list of demands for your contract.”

“What?”

“If they are coming for us, we can only run for so long. I have run for most of this year. I am tired, and I am ready to have it out with Symo.”

“Let me know if you need backup.”

“That might not be a bad idea. Compared to you, I look like a thug. That might turn him off. Most Hmrain consorts look very feminine, but I suppose that is only because they are standing next to very pretty trolls.”

“They are pretty. Why is that?”

“Most species accept and encourage symmetry. It gave them an in to a lot of non-bipedal species that might not have been there. Of course, Ra was the first, and he was really good at making friends around galaxies before he went to his own planet and took a nap.” Bailey grinned. “He and Harwin look super cute and shiny together.”

“Shiny?”

“The older or more powerful Hmrain share themselves with their consorts and remake them to fit. A solid match shows a biological change in the consort. They change to match their overseer.”

“So, they are no longer human.”

“Nope. But none of the overseers let us breed with our own. Humanity as we know it will be wiped out in two generations. After that, we just become cautionary tales or myth and legend.”

Sage frowned. “Other species get to breed true.”

“There are more of them.”

“Norman and his new girlfriend get to be breeders.”

“Ah. They are living on one of the archive worlds. They are basically pets.”

Sage blinked. “What?”

“They do not get to travel. They are assigned work and assigned recreation. Their lives are monitored constantly. They are living in a wide-open jail.”

“Whoa. How do you know all this stuff?”

“I put my money into buying information and ingredients. I was rated for travel. I have clearance on any Hmrain world, and I can go into any part of any space station and several cities I like.”

Sage paused. “Can I do that?”

Bailey grinned and got a table. “Write it down. Any freedom, fund, hobby you want. Write it down. Hmrain are ridiculously rule-following.”

“Okay. This is going to be interesting. Anything?”

“If you want to see it in your future. Yes.”

“Greenhouses everywhere.” Sage chortled. She started writing.

“You can also dictate physical stuff. Held after sex. Must spend the night with you a minimum of three times a week. Cuddling when you need to be held, no matter what he is doing.”

Sage paused. “You are serious.”

“Design Prince Charming. I already did mine.”

“May I see?”

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