Chapter Six
I stare at the blank screen, cursor blinking.
I delete it. Start again. Delete it again.
What am I supposed to write? Negotiations proceeding well, treaty nearly complete, also I've agreed to potentially bond for life with the alien king in what amounts to a telepathic marriage ceremony?
I push back from the desk and pace to the window.
The city lights pulse below, beautiful and alien and increasingly familiar.
I've been here four days and I can already recognize the rhythm of the city's bioluminescence, faster during what I think of as daytime, slower and deeper at night.
It's like a heartbeat. The whole city breathing together.
My datapad buzzes. A message from Emma.
"Hey nerd! How's the fish planet? Did you meet the king yet? Is he as scary as the reports say? Mom says to eat something. Love you."
I stare at the message until the screen blurs.
I call her. The connection takes a minute to establish, we're at the bottom of an alien ocean, after all, but then her face appears, pixelated but real. Brown hair in a messy bun. Our mom's nose. Flour on her cheek because she's always baking.
"Shan!" She grins. "Oh my god, you look tired. Are you sleeping? You're not sleeping, are you."
"Em, I need to talk to you about something."
Her grin fades. She reads me too well; she's been doing it since we were kids. "What's wrong?"
I tell her. Not everything, not the nakedness or the intimate details, but the important parts. The bond. The negotiation protocol. The fact that the final session involves a permanent telepathic connection. The fact that I'm considering it.
She's quiet for a long time when I finish.
"So you'd be staying there," she says finally. "On the water planet."
"Not forever. I'd be the permanent liaison. I could visit. You could visit me." I'm speaking too fast, the way I do when I'm anxious. "It's not like the old days, Em. We have ships, we have communication relays. I could call you every week just like now."
"But you'd live there."
"Yes."
Another long silence. Emma's face does something complicated. She's trying not to cry, which makes me try not to cry, and we're both terrible at it.
"Do you love him?" she asks.
The question catches me off guard, even though it shouldn't. "It's been four days, Em."
"That's not what I asked."
I close my eyes. Think about the weight of his loneliness in my mind. The way he held himself back, waiting for me to be ready. The flash of hope I caught through the bond, fragile and terrified and real.
"Yes," I whisper. "I think I do."
"Then you're an idiot." She wipes her eyes. "But you're my idiot, and I love you, and if this is what you want, then you better make sure I get a guest room in that palace."
I laugh, the sound hitching and wet. "I love you."
"Love you too. Now eat something. Mom's orders."
After we hang up, I sit with the feeling for a while.
The ache of distance, already real even though I haven't made the decision yet.
But also: Emma's blessing. Given freely, despite the tears.
Because she knows me. Knows that I've spent my whole life searching for something I couldn't name, and maybe, maybe, I've found it.
I call my mom next. She cries, then asks practical questions about healthcare and nutrition and whether the palace has adequate temperature regulation, and by the end of the call I'm smiling despite everything, because my mother's response to "I might bond with an alien king" is to worry about whether I'm eating enough vegetables.
I go back to the status report.
Negotiations are proceeding successfully.
King Kael'thar has agreed in principle to provide bioluminescent compounds in exchange for Earth medical technology and ongoing cultural exchange.
Strict environmental protections have been negotiated, including on-site monitoring and immediate cessation protocols.
The final bonding session will occur tomorrow night, which will seal the treaty.
I would like to formally request assignment as permanent Earth liaison to Thalassia. My continued presence here is stipulated in the treaty terms, and I believe my expertise and existing relationship with the Thalassian government make me uniquely qualified for this role.
Will send full report after final session.
- Dr. Shannon Cooper
I hit send. Stare at the screen. My heart pounds.
Then I get up, shower, and stand in front of the mirror. My reflection looks nervous. Excited. Terrified. Determined.
"You can do this," I tell her. "You can have both worlds. You just have to be brave enough to try."
She doesn't look convinced. But she nods.
Good enough.