Chapter 8 #2
“All your planets have individual names?”
“Sure. Everything permanent in the solar system has a name. Does yours not?”
He shrugged. “Technically, yes. But as I said, my people didn't really care so much about exploring and understanding when we advanced. We named things as we found them, but the names are usually rather dry and academic. Yours all sound like proper names.”
“They're all named after ancient gods,” she smiled. “Almost everything in our solar system is named after the ancient Greek gods. There’s more than one. You know, because they each do different things.”
“Indeed. Which god was Earth?”
She laughed. “I said, almost everything. Earth is the exception. I mean, there was a Greek goddess of the Earth, but Earth just means... It just means dirt.”
Romival started laughing. “Of course, it does.”
“Not that creative, I'll grant you.”
“But actually, one of the most common things in the universe. Every home planet is named some variety of the word 'dirt'.”
“Really?” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Even Turv?”
“Ancient Domtri for 'steady beneath my feet' or, more directly, ‘dirt’. He spoke simply, making her laugh. “Home planets are often named before a species' even understands the concept of a planet, and so they name it what it is. Dirt.”
She laughed again, and it was a beautiful sound. He wanted more from her. People didn't usually laugh at his dry tone and academic explanations. It was a nice change.
“Tell me of your planet,” he continued, moving onto the next question. “Do you have any moons?”
“Just one. One moon.”
“Did you name it Moon?”
She stuck her tongue out at him and he wondered if that was an invitation to suck on it. But she pulled it back in before he had the chance and laughed. He realized she was mocking him. Because their moon was indeed called Moon. Another common thing for species with only one moon.
“What of your planet?”
“Our big blue marble?” She asked, beaming. “Big and blue and green.”
“Blue and green?” He smiled. “Your water is green like ours?”
She shook her head. The no gesture. “Our plants are green. Our water is blue.”
“Really? Your forests are green, not purple?”
She nodded. “It's really pretty. We have seven continents and two giant oceans.”
“It's size?”
“Er... I know it's smaller than Jupiter and bigger than Pluto.”
“So, somewhere between your biggest planet and your newly designated dwarf planet. Helpful.”
She laughed at his dry sarcasm. “Sorry. I think the moon is about a fourth the size of Earth. If that helps?”
“It does, actually. Every little detail helps. Describe the continents for me.”
She did so, though she struggled a bit. It was hard explaining something she knew instinctively to someone who had no idea what she was talking about.
The best described continent wasn't even her own, but the frozen one called Antarctica at the southern pole.
It was the most easily detailed to someone without any prior knowledge of the continents.
It didn't take much prompting to get her to describe the various, larger countries that ruled over the different continents.
From what she described, the humans were still not unified under a singular, central power over the entire planet.
Though, that wasn't uncommon. Usually, such a power restructuring didn't occur until a species was invited into the Coalition and they required a singular entity to represent them.
They did have something called the United Nations that he could imagine being repurposed for just that very thing, however.
Even the domini did not centralize until they were brought into the Coalition.
The First Council used to rule the planet alone in a more democratic fashion.
However, after joining the Coalition and being informed they needed a singular representative, they revived the concept of the Dominani – First Domini was made their ruler and representative.
The council had changed a bit in that time as well.
First Voice now spent most of his time in space, speaking to other species, for example.
However, largely, their government hadn't changed much.
He imagined that Earth would undergo similar changes when they were invited into the Coalition and if they decided to accept.
They would almost assuredly accept. Most species did because the benefits of trade, travel, and free exchange of information were well worth the changes necessary.
Not to mention that war was forbidden between Coalition species and if one of the non-Coalition species attempted to attack the Coalition, they were at war with all of the Coalition.
The benefit of being part of the Coalition far outweighed the cost it demanded in changes to planetary governance and adherence to the rules of being a member.
Though Earth was technically behind them in terms of technology, there was still a lot they could learn from a new planet.
The laws of nature meant that most species evolved in similar ways – both from a biology and technology standpoint – but there were almost always small variations that brought new understanding or more efficiency.
Not to mention the culture of Earth that could be added – music, vids, art, stories. So many new stories to hear.
The human females though, would no doubt be the best thing to come from Earth.
Holly was describing to him the four major seasons of her planet – though they varied by region, they had broken down their year into four equal segments to represent each season – and he was enraptured by her.
The way her lips moved as they shaped her words, half of them unfamiliar to him.
The sparkle in her eyes as she reminisced about the familiar.
The music of her voice as it danced through his ears. All of her was perfect.
Each species tended to become known for a singular aspect of themselves. For the domini, it was their camouflage. For the ratchi, it was their boneless grace that made them near impossible to imprison for any length of time.
For the humans, he knew already, it would be for their females. Their sensuality. Their blatant and beautiful sexuality. For the fact that they could be impregnated by another species.
Was it just his species? Could it happen with others?
He didn't know. Unless they ran some rather expensive and in-depth tests, it would be impossible to tell without physically putting human females together with males of other species.
But the fact that it could happen even once was remarkable and amazing.
Could human males do the same?
“Can you tell me of your males?” Romival asked when Holly had taken a break to drink from the fruit enhanced water.
“Like what?” She set down her glass, surprised by the change in conversation.
“Anything. Is your species dimorphic?”
“Er...?”
“Is it visually possible to distinguish males from females?”
“Oh! Yeah. Men don't really have boobs or hips. I mean, generally speaking. They're shaped... Well, not like you, but they're definitely not females.” Her face was pink again.
“They don't look like me?”
“You know. So... big,” she gestured at his body, adorably nervous for some reason.
Romival was rather lean compared to other males of his species.
However, he was still much larger than Holly.
He didn't neglect physical activity. Fighting styles were a large part of domini history and history was one of the eight core academic disciplines that had to be mastered before one could take the exam to be one of the six top scholars.
And though he wasn't as beholden to his more primal instincts as others, he was still a domini male and, occasionally, he had to release his aggression.
Romival didn't like failing, so he trained to make sure that he didn't lose when he did get into fights.
He trained to appreciate the various styles of combat that his ancestors had developed.
And, for the first time, he was glad that he had trained for the sake of a female.
The undisguised desire in Holly's eyes as she looked over his body pleased him.
Comparing him in her mind to males of her own species, no doubt.
Whatever she was thinking though, she clearly approved of his strength and physique.
Not that he needed to be the strongest domini to claim Holly. She would yield to him so easily. He would conquer her and claim her as his adassi with barely any effort. She could be his right now. He could bring her back to his home and...
Displeasure tightened in his belly at the thought.
His den was not ready for an adassi. His bed was plain and spartan. He needed to buy more cushions and blankets for her to nest on properly. A quick glance at her bed against the wall told him that Holly enjoyed a fluffy, comfortable nest.
What was he even thinking? He had never craved an adassi before.
In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised, if ever he did find his mate, if he was the adassi of the relationship.
His disinterest in combat or fighting seemed to indicate that it was far more likely that his mate would be the dominant one and do the claiming.
And that was if he ever lifted his nose from his studies long enough to be interested in mating at all. It never tempted him before. He always assumed that, if he felt he had to, he would have to force himself to stop studying and put effort into searching for his mate.
Instead, he had to force his attention away from Holly and back onto his studies. Even now, he was distracted from asking about her planet, disobeying his Dominani's orders about searching for her home planet, and was asking how he compared to her own males.
And he was fiercely pleased that, apparently, he was as enticing to her as she was to him.
“Your males must be quite strong and fierce,” he said, looking her over. He might be larger, but strength didn't necessarily translate into size, or the other way around.
“Huh? Why do you assume that?”
“It only makes sense, considering you.” He stared hungrily at her soft body. “Your males would have to be impressive warriors to protect you.”
“Well, I mean, yeah, I guess. Men... er, males, are stronger than females on average.”
“On average?” He cocked his head.
“Yeah. Pound for pound, guys are stronger. I think they have, like, thicker bones and muscles than us or something.”
“You think?”
“Look, I'm no more an expert about biology than I am about astronomy.” She shifted nervously. “Like, on the whole, men and women aren't that different.”
“Wait,” he stopped her stammering words. “Compare your males to me.”
“Smaller. Way smaller.” She said immediately.
“Weaker?”
“Well, I don't know exactly how much you can lift. So-Eep!”
Holly didn't get to finish her statement as, to help her with the comparison, he stood and swept her up into his arms in a single, smooth motion.
And he was surprised by just how lightweight she was. He expected the density of one of his own females, were who already larger, more muscular, than the humans, so he knew she would be less, but he was startled by just how easy it was to lift her.
But more than that, he was shocked by just how right she felt in his grasp.
His arms slipped around her perfectly. She curled around him like she had been designed to fit there. One arm went around his neck, the other caught on his chest. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, her mouth slightly apart. Her pretty pink lips tempting him forward.
“You're so strong,” she gasped in amazement. “You made that look easy.”
“It was easy,” he murmured, still distracted by her. “You weigh so little.”
“I mean,” her legs shifted a bit in his grasp, “that's not... Romi...”
He growled with pleasure. Just from hearing her say that name. The one that she gave him that sounded so beautiful rolling off her pretty, pink tongue.