Page 73 of Technically Abducted
"I'm Jake," the human continues. "And I've been living here with Zeph for over a year now, ever since my assessment period. Just like Derek here—" he gestures to the muscular human "—has been with Kav'eth, and Owen's been with Ry'eth."
The words are hard to hear, and harder yet to understand. Living here. Over a year. Assessment period leading to permanent residence.
"I'm sorry," I interrupt, my voice sounding strange and distant. "Did you say living here? Permanently?"
The three humans exchange glances, and I see something like sympathy in their expressions.
"That's the whole point of the integration program," Derek says gently. "Successful assessments result in the option for permanent relocation. We all chose to stay."
"Chose to stay," I repeat, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.
"Standard procedure for all confirmed compatible partnerships," Councilor Lyr'tha explains. "Upon completion of assessment periods, humans who have formed successful bondswith Nereidan researchers are offered full integration into our society."
My legs feel unstable. "Standard procedure?"
"Tev'ra," Elder Va'ril's voice is surprisingly gentle. "Are you telling us you were unaware that integration options existed for your assessment subject?"
"I..." I struggle to form coherent thoughts. "I followed protocols. Seventy-two hour assessment, return subject to point of origin with compensation, submit evaluation report."
"But you formed an empathic bond," Owen observes, his tone matter-of-fact. "We can all see it. Your bioluminescence has been dim since we arrived, you look like you haven't been functioning properly for weeks, and the way you're reacting to seeing us here... you're bonded to Finn, aren't you?"
The direct question from a human—a human who somehow understands Nereidan empathic responses well enough to read my condition accurately—leaves me speechless.
"The bond is irrelevant," I say finally. "Finn was required to return to his life on Earth."
"Required by whom?" Zeph'hai asks, and there's something sharp in his tone.
"By... by protocol. By assessment procedures."
"Tev'ra," Councilor Eth'nor leans forward, their expression serious. "Did you request an integration assessment for your human subject?"
"Request what?"
The silence that follows is deafening. I can see understanding dawning in the faces around me—Council members exchanging glances, the three humans looking at me with expressions of growing horror.
"Oh no," Jake breathes. "Oh, Tev'ra, no. You didn't know."
"Know what?" My voice comes out sharper than intended.
"That you could ask for him to stay," Derek says quietly. "That bonded pairs don't get separated unless the human chooses to leave."
"That the whole point of this program is finding humans who want to build lives here with us," Owen adds.
I stare at them, my bioluminescence stuttering with system overload as the implications crash over me. "Are you telling me that Finn could have remained here? That I could have requested..."
"Standard Integration Protocol Seven," Elder Va'ril says formally. "Any researcher who forms an empathic bond during assessment procedures may request evaluation for permanent subject integration. The success rate for such requests is ninety-seven percent."
"Ninety-seven percent," I repeat numbly.
"The only reason it's not one hundred percent is because sometimes the humans choose to return to Earth anyway," Jake explains. "But if they want to stay, and the bond is genuine..." He shrugs. "Of course they're allowed to stay. Why wouldn't they be?"
The chamber seems to tilt around me. I reach out blindly for the nearest support surface, my legs no longer reliable as the full magnitude of my error becomes clear.
"I sent him away," I whisper. "I sent him away for nothing."
"You sent him away because you didn't know you had a choice," Kav'eth says, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "The fault lies with inadequate briefing protocols, not with your actions."
"Does he know?" Owen asks suddenly. "Does Finn know that other humans have stayed?"
