Page 74 of Fighting Gravity
She bravely picked up the steak and took a sizeable bite out of it, ripping it with her blunt teeth. I watched her, splitting my steak into bite-size shreds as she ground the meat in her mouth. I could see the thoughts rolling as she analyzed the flavor. Once she finally swallowed, she nodded and took another bite, which was a good sign.
“Not bad,” she said. “No sides?”
“Sides?” Veron asked.
“Yeah. Veggies? Potatoes?”
“I don’t remember what those are, but we are a carnivorous race,” Utrek informed her.
“Completely carnivorous?”
“Root vegetables,” Kaar added. “Some of us add root vegetables to our meals, but meat is our primary diet.”
“What do you eat on Earth?” Veron asked.
“Everything,” Quinn scoffed. “Food is our entire culture.” She took another bite, chewing it quickly like she had missed solid food and I couldn’t blame her. “This tastes like shit by the way.”
“You don’t have to eat it,” Veron shot back. “Your nutripacks and ration bars have plenty of your needed vitamins.”
“Yeah, and they taste even worse. I’d kill for some fried chicken right now, but if this is the closest I’m going to get, I’ll take it.”
She took another bite as if she was famished.
“Can you explain your dietary needs?” Utrek asked. “Your hormonal cycles? Or even your culture?”
“Which culture? We have so many.”
“As do we,” I added.
“Then tell us about your reproduction. We know now that valerians want humans for reproductive research, so there must be something there that’s interesting.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Quinn said, avoiding the question and instead stuffing her mouth.
“Shouldn’t you?” Veron said, finishing her meal. “Your readings indicated you’ve been pregnant before.”
I’d missed that detail.
Of course, I hadn’t looked at her medical information very closely. That was Veron’s job.
“And?” Quinn said, dismissing the fact.
In gek culture, pregnancy was treated with great care and having a litter made a woman’s status climb immediately. Hearing Quinn speak of pregnancy so nonchalantly made me pause.
“Do you have a child waiting for you where you come from?” I asked. “Or do you not raise your own young?”
“No kid waiting for me.”
“Giving birth is a very respectable act in most space-faring cultures,” Utrek said.
I sat back, watching the conversation unfold and remaining silent.
“Who said I gave birth?” Quinn said, filling her mouth with more food. Her eyes skimmed the table when she realized everyone had stopped eating, waiting for an explanation. “What?” She raised her brows at Veron. “You know my file, Dr. Veron. Have I given birth? No. So what the hell do I know about fertility and children? Hell, on Earth, overpopulation is such a problem, most women give up the option.”
“You lost the child then?” Utrek said.
“The loss of a litter is a great tragedy among gek,” Veron added. “It is a great shame to—”
Quinn dropped the remainder of her food on her plate and slapped the table with her hands, her face becoming rigid with bottled anger.
