Page 78 of Reluctantly Abducted
"I know," he says, rising from his workstation to approach mine. "And I'm pretty sure the Council didn't expect my combat medic experience to be so relevant to interspecies relations, but here we are."
As he reaches my desk, he leans against it, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. Humans run hotter than Nereidans, a difference I've come to find both scientifically interesting and personally pleasing.
"I received a communication from Jake this morning," he says, changing the subject. "Kav'eth's ship will be docking in approximately one hour with Derek on board. I thought we might meet them at the arrival platform. Jake and Zeph'hai are already planning to be there."
"That would be acceptable," I agree, feeling a pulse of anticipation through our bond that tells me Owen is more excited about this than his casual tone suggests. "It will be interesting to observe how Kav'eth and Derek's bond has developed compared to ours, and to Zeph'hai and Jake's."
Owen rolls his eyes, but I can feel his amusement. "Only you would turn greeting friends into a scientific comparison of alien-human relationships."
"I can have multiple motivations," I counter, standing to join him. "Scientific curiosity and social connection are not mutually exclusive."
"Look at you," he says, his expression softening as he steps closer, eliminating the remaining space between us. "Three months ago you would have claimed the scientific curiosity was your only motivation."
He's right, of course. My integration with human emotional expression has advanced considerably, largely due to Owen's influence and our bond. Where I once viewed emotions primarily as biochemical reactions to be controlled and contained, I now recognize their value in creating meaningful connections.
"I've had an effective teacher," I acknowledge, allowing my hands to rest on his waist—a casual intimacy that still sometimes surprises me with how natural it feels.
Through our bond, I feel a complex mixture of emotions from Owen—satisfaction, affection, and something deeper that continues to develop between us. The bond itself has strengthened significantly since its initial formation, allowingfor more nuanced emotional transfer and even occasional thought impressions when we're in close proximity.
"We should prepare to leave if we intend to meet their ship," I say, though I make no move to step away from him. "The Central Transport Hub is eleven minutes from our location on foot."
"Always so precise," Owen murmurs, leaning in to press his lips briefly against mine. The contact sends a cascade of bioluminescence across my skin, a reaction I've stopped trying to suppress around him. "One of these days I'll get you to just say 'about ten minutes' like a normal person."
"I am not a normal person," I remind him. "I am not a person at all by Earth standards."
"Technicality," he dismisses with a grin, finally stepping back to allow me to gather my things. "You're a person to me, blue skin, crazy math brain, and all."
I feel a surge of warmth at his words, my bioluminescence pulsing in patterns that I know he's learned to read as clearly as spoken language. The bond transmits his response—a bright flare of affection that makes me momentarily pause in collecting my data tablet.
As we prepare to leave our workspace, I take a moment to observe Owen moving comfortably through what was once solely my domain. His presence here still seems improbable—a human who chose to leave his world to join me on mine, adapting to our gravity, our atmosphere, our social structures with remarkable resilience.
The integration program has been functioning for only a few months, with Jake Morrison being the first permanent human resident. As both the initial liaison and a trained psychologist, Jake established the psychological support framework that has proven crucial for human adaptation. Derek followed, bringing his nutritional expertise, and Owenjoined most recently with his medical background. The Council still views the program as experimental, despite its initial success. The combination of psychological, nutritional, and medical support creates a comprehensive system for future human arrivals—though Owen tends to minimize his significant contributions to this framework, despite joining last.
"Thinking deep thoughts again?" Owen asks as we exit our research station, the door sealing automatically behind us.
"I was considering the improbability of our current situation," I admit, falling into step beside him as we make our way through the science district toward the transport hub.
"You mean how we went from 'alien abduction for compatibility assessment' to 'living together on your planet while I run medical evaluations for other humans'?" His hand finds mine as we walk, a public display of our bond that still occasionally draws curious glances from other Nereidans.
"Precisely," I agree, allowing my fingers to intertwine with his. "The statistical likelihood of such an outcome was vanishingly small."
"And yet here we are," Owen says, his tone carrying that mixture of amusement and affection I've come to treasure. "Defying your statistics."
The walkway opens onto a broader thoroughfare, revealing the sweeping architecture of the Central City. Crystalline structures rise in mathematical precision, their surfaces reflecting and refracting light in patterns that serve both aesthetic and communicative functions. Owen still sometimes stops to admire the view, though less frequently than during his first month here.
Today he keeps walking, his stride purposeful. Through our bond, I sense his genuine excitement about seeing Kav'eth and Derek again after their diplomatic mission to the southern continent. The small community of humans on Nereidahas formed close connections, with Jake, Derek, and Owen supporting each other through the challenges of adaptation to a new world.
As we approach the transport hub, I find myself reflecting on how much has changed since Owen first arrived on my research vessel. The nervous environmental researcher who abducted a human for compatibility assessment has been transformed—not just by the bond, but by the experience of allowing someone else to truly know me.
The most unexpected outcome has been how the bond has changed my relationship with my own emotions. Where I once saw them as distractions to be managed, I now understand them as essential connective threads—not just to Owen, but to my work, my world, and myself.
"You're glowing like crazy," Owen observes as we enter the transport hub. "Everything okay?"
I nod, knowing he can feel the truth of it through our bond. "Yes. I was simply reflecting on changes."
"Good changes?" he asks, though his smile suggests he already knows the answer.
"Optimal ones," I reply, using the precise language he often teases me about.
