Page 84 of Across The Stars
“They have caretakers on Valer apparently that raise kids. Did you know? Did you know the Nexus was sending humans for the valerians to experiment on?”
“Hell no. Experiment? No! Tollie never told me.”
“Well, they do. Apparently, they sign contracts so it’s all permitted but what happens if I’m pregnant? They’d want topoke and prod and study me if that happened. Vahko said the valerians can technically transfer me like property. Especially since we’re criminals on Earth now.”
“So, you think he’s protecting you?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t seem too interested in the idea of having a baby with me. He seemed like he’d just give it up to ‘caretakers.’”
“That’s bullshit. That’ll beyourkid, Innifer. Would you really give that up?”
“I never wanted kids in the first place but… I don’t know. And they’d be half alien! But that’s not the point. I’m a sad, easy fool. I put out twice for him and he’s just like any other guy. He can’t wait to get rid of me. And it wasn’t some simulator. It was real and… God, it was amazing. I hate that it was amazing. And I’m sad that I was so distracted by how amazing it was that I didn’t think about all this other stuff sooner.”
“Ugh, fuck men,” Sam huffed, slumping back against the wall and folding her arms. “You know, Solukh has tried to hit on me twice now? As if I’d put out for him. He’s the most annoying brute I’ve ever met. I, for one, can’t wait to leave this place. I’d choose prison over Solukh.”
I nodded, but none of it felt right. Vahko’s shift in moods didn’t seem right. Leaving didn’t seem right. It was all wrong. All that felt good about the last few days was what Vahko and I had. Our weird, semi-explainable reactions to each other had made all my worries go away and now they were all coming back and I felt like I was being buried alive.
I reached over, taking Sam’s hand and scooting closer to her.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “About the attack. I’m sorry you couldn’t find me.”
“It’s ok. I guess I was more jealous than anything. Seeing you walk up with Vahko like that. Salukh just shoved me in a room after he nearly ripped my shoulder out of the socket to get meaway from one of the gek. I didn’t see a damn thing. I was just locked away, screaming and worried.”
“Vahko was pretty heroic. Fought three gek to protect me. I don’t understand how he can just ship me off now.”
“We can’t even understand human men let alone alien ones. Let’s just hope you’re not preggers so we can leave this all behind, yeah?”
“Vahko’s sister negotiated to let us keep working on the Nexus instead of being arrested, too.”
“Oh, thank god,” she sighed. “I hate prison.”
“You’ve been to prison?”
“Once. For stabbing a guy in the foot.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask. Just know I was aiming for his dick, if you know what I mean.”
I had no idea what that meant…
We both laughed, but there was a dark undertone in what she said. She had always talked casually about her past in riddles and hints, but she never had it easy on Earth, either. We related over our misfortunes, even if we didn’t know everything about each other. Sam was the best part of life on Earth. I was glad we were on our strange and stressful journey together.
Two weeks. Two weeks and it would all be over. I just needed to stay away from the one person who could make me lose control all over again.
39: Vahko
I had to push it all aside. Especially around Innifer. In truth. I was afraid and the monotone walls and stifling smells of the lab weren’t helping.
“So?” I asked Omira once we were alone. “Tell me the truth of it.”
Omira knew everything about reproduction and the advancements since we’d built a relationship with the humans. She had to know how the surge would affect Innifer. She at least had to have a theory.
“The truth is, she’s human,” she stated the obvious. “Their metabolisms are different. Their pregnancies last twice as long as ours and the adjustment period is far longer.”
I glanced down the hall at the room where I’d left Innifer with the other doctor.
“I’m a soldier,” I said. “You don’t have to ease me into a clear answer.”
She sighed heavily. “There was a successful insemination on one of the specimens on Valer.” I perked up a bit. “The infant came to term quickly.”
“And?”
