Chapter 26 #2
Char Tsok looked at them, at Scarlet specifically, and said slowly and clearly, “You do not belong here. You came here by mistake and now you cannot return from whence you came. It is unfortunate, but if we bend the rules for you, we must then bend them for everyone. Your people do not deserve to be here, and your request is a selfish one.”
A sniffing sound from Peony was immediately followed by a terrible growl from Atem as he reacted to his mate’s distress. The cold words had hit hard, and all three of the females’ gazes turned cold as Char Tsok thanked the rotunda for their attention and returned to his box.
“Easy, Healer,” Havali said, stroking her back.
“I’m fine,” she said through clenched teeth as Atem huddled Peony back into their box where she had left her nest blanket. She didn't enjoy bringing it with her around people, she said it was childish for some reason, but she still had to have it with her.
The High Imperium called down the next representative to speak on their behalf. Havali was not at all surprised to see it was Superior Crav. His two mates were in his box – the one with the pinched face glaring at Scarlet, the other reading on her combot.
“Thank you for allowing me to speak on your behalf,” he said to Atem after he returned. Peony remained in their box, nestled on one of the sofas, curled up with her blanket.
Crav’s leathery wings roused, revealing the colorful inner membrane – pink with darker pink speckling. The sight made Havali snarl.
Certainly, Superior Crav’s excitement was the only reason his wings spread, but Havali knew that the colorful inner wings were how males impressed females and that they displayed their wings when they were courting, and the sight angered him beyond reason.
He needed to mate his female. His emotions were getting more mercurial the longer he went without her. Things were getting bad if his female even looking at another male was enough to make him this angry.
Knowing that did nothing to soothe the jealous possessiveness.
“Fellow representatives,” Crav continued, turning to look around the chamber.
“Char Tsok is a dedicated and fair representative, and none can deny that he will always follow the law to the letter.
But I think we all know that following the law so closely is only detrimental.
And rigid adherence to what has always been done prevents us from adjusting to new problems as they arise.
This is a new problem and one I believe we can all benefit from.
“Culture and art are not so useless that they deserve to be completely disregarded by the harsh Char. None of us would appreciate our culture or art mocked so. To treat the humans this way simply because they are not here to claim offense if reprehensible.
“Furthermore, he says that they can offer no knowledge that we have not already learned. I find this statement arrogant and presumptuous. We have only the words of three randomly selected human females to tell us what humans do or do not know. And while I’m certain they are intelligent, they cannot possibly know everything their species has learned.
Let us not forget that we learn something new every time a new species is introduced.
Every time. Including the ones that started as protectorates.
“And to say that they don’t belong here?
Forgive me, Tsok, for saying so, but that was mean on the very face of it.
Unnecessarily cruel. The Coalition was formed to be a bridge between all species.
True, not every species we meet desires a seat on this council, but they are all welcomed here.
And even if their request is partially selfish, can any of us claim to be so self-sacrificing that we would give up ever seeing our families again just to maintain a law?
They were made citizens of domini as a reward for their actions in rescuing the First Domini.
Why then should they be punished for that action by never being allowed to see their home again?
“The burden of cost would be on the two sponsor species.
The Coalition would pay nothing and gain everything by this deal.
A new species to share culture and knowledge – things that can have no price applied to them.
A greater reach of Coalition power and influence – which we can all agree is only beneficial to us as a whole.
And precious females who are so fertile, they can be impregnated by other species.
And if their females, the gatekeepers of fertility, are able to be bred, just imagine what their males could do!
“And even if, as they say, they do not want to breed with other races, we can still learn from them. We can study how they are so fertile and hope to make treatments for our own females. According to the reports sent by Atem, their gender ratio is perfectly 50:50. There are some here who could only dream of such a thing, my race included. Studying them could even our birth ratios, increase our birth rates. They might even hold the secret for preventing, or even reversing, womb rot – that debilitating disease that has hurt so many.”
The room filled with tension at the sudden mention.
Havali had to resist the urge to look around to the boxes that held the species that he knew suffered the most from that disease.
A disease that was carefully monitored so that no outbreaks would lead to the same destruction that had harmed some of those here.
“What’s womb rot?” Scarlet asked him softly out of the corner of her mouth, looking around with a frown on her face. She hadn’t missed the tension either.
“It is a disease that affects the wombs of those who catch it,” he whispered back.
“It is usually spread by males who are unaware they have it and who suffer nothing from carrying it, and it lays dormant for many years, only becoming a problem when the female in question begins to carry a youngling. It rots the pregnancy and her body and, if it does not kill her slowly, will render her sterile. There is no cure once it begins, and the damage done is irreversible, and it is one of the few diseases that is capable of crossing species.”
She looked at him, shocked. “I’ve heard nothing of this disease.”
“It’s not particularly common. And it is not a problem on Turv.
Males are only tested for it after returning from being off planet, as it’s treatable in them before symptoms start.
Females who display symptoms are quarantined until they are no longer contagious, as it’s highly transmissible through droplet once it becomes active in a female.
Preventing the spread of the disease is a high priority as it is devastating if it gets out of control. ”
“But… it’s not a problem on Turv?”
Havali smiled at her. “All representatives here are checked for it before the start of the Coalition, and there are no cases recorded on Turv, and only very rarely on Holotulle. It’s a disease that is cured or neutralized if and when we find it. You are safe, Healer.”
“So, why the sudden tension? Is talking about it taboo?”
“It is just a very heavy subject. No one was prepared for it to come up. And there are those here whose population has been devastated by it. Superior Crav making this argument is at once hopeful and cruel to them.”
She made a face. “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t complain if it gets us what we want, but I don’t want to hurt feelings doing this.”
“He does raise a good point though. The search for womb rot’s cure is of high priority and who is to say that it doesn’t lie with your people?”
“I guess,” she conceded looking back to Superior Crav, who had once again continued speaking – this time detailing how important mates were and how the highly populated planet Earth would likely contain many.
A subject Scarlet and Alanna apparently did not like hearing now any more than they had the first time. Though, they kept silent. As Scarlet said, they couldn’t really complain if this was the argument that changed minds in their favor.
Crav kept talking for an inordinately long time, becoming more enthusiastic with each word spoken until not only were his hands moving, but his wings kept rousing with excitement.
Havali was content to let him argue their case, but Scarlet and Alanna got stiffer and colder the longer he kept going on.
Havali took hold of the back of his female’s neck, stroking it gently as he tried to calm her. Her eyes darted towards him but quickly returned to glare at the older male. However, gradually, her body, at least, began to relax against him and he couldn’t stop himself from grinning.
The human females were so sweet and soft and sensual. Most of the time.
He had seen both Peony and Holly’s anger rise, and it was an impressive thing from such little, delicate bodies.
Peony had released an impressive war cry and killed a male three times her size in defense of a youngling.
Holly became vibrant red, and she turned from a meek little thing to an unconquerable warrior in defense of her friends.
For a domini female, dealing with her anger and aggression was easy. You simply fought. Someone would win, but regardless of who did, both parties would be calmed. But the humans were too delicate and peacefully minded to do such a thing.
Which meant he needed to be able to sooth Scarlet by other methods instead. Feeling her relax into his touch even as she continued to glare daggers at Superior Crav made pride rear up in his belly as he continued to massage the skin of her neck.