Chapter Six
Roan
At first glance, when landing, I’d not noticed the buildings among the landscape, but everything had been seamlessly integrated into nature around them.
Roads were present, but they were untended, gravel with moss and small plants poking between stones.
I assumed things were delivered via air, judging by available lots being cleared out for landings.
Even so, the landing was pretty rough. Their atmosphere was not something Leticia could navigate as easily as she could some other planets we’d been to, but I didn’t chastise her for it.
Despite everything that I had wanted, I was commanded to be the first off, as their de-facto leader, a male named Zurok, wanted to see me first.
With magenta and a rather staunch build, he approached me, bright eyes narrowing as white hair fell in a braid over his shoulder.
“Welcome, Roan. Forgive me if our welcome party is small. You have arrived during the peak of mating season, and those who can find partners are engaged. Those who cannot are here to greet you or have otherwise fulfilled their needs.”
It was nice to know I was meeting a group of sexually frustrated and or well-seeded males. I supposed. “Understandable. I—Is Noel available?”
“You impress me, first. You pass our tests. Then you get access to our special one.” He gave me a flat smile.
Such a drab thing, Noel was, a ghost of a male that didn’t stand out to me at all. I’d thought him lovely before my change, but after, seeing him on camera, he seemed less somehow. “Special one?”
“Yes. He birthed the first child we’ve seen in hundreds of rotations. He is also genetically unique.” Zurok tilted his head and flared his nostrils. “As are you. Interesting.”
“Noel did this to me, somehow. I’m—”
“Noel is a genetically diverse specimen who has prolific cellular activity and white blood cells that can genetically alter your own makeup. If someone is born with or permeated efficiently with genetic material, they can be seeded with enough of his raw cells and, as you’ve discovered…
” Zurok gestured toward me and went on about his role as a lifeseed.
“So, Terrans used him incorrectly… They didn’t follow the directives left behind or the instructions… Which is why the initial specimens worked but subsequent ones couldn’t be as pure.” I smacked my head and flicked my tail. “Brilliant!”
“Now, I assume since you’re the leader of this operation, that your betas and alphas aren’t afflicted with nasty opinions against omegas?” He raised a brow.
“The only omega we’ve ever seen until you was Noel.” I gestured ambiently behind him, assuming the domed building at his back was where I could find him.
Zurok leaned his head to the side, his tail doing something quizzical. His brow, creasing, made his pretty face twist. “And how would you identify yourself?”
“Male.” I raised a brow. “My initial stock was Raziel, so I am of alpha blood.”
He glanced me up and down. “And you identify as alpha?”
“I don’t identify as anything. I’m hybreed! Designation doesn’t matter for us.” I crossed my arms.
“But you are genetically Naleucian, now.” He waited for me to say something, and when I didn’t respond, he flicked his tail in what felt like frustration.
From a device integrated into what looked like an earring, a faint beeping emanated, and he blinked as a small window opened before his eyes. “Can you send Noel and Vil out? I’m not understanding something and I don’t wish to be rude.”
The screen flickered and went out before he glanced at me, his tail doing some strange motion that must have been annoyance? No, my tail flickered when I was annoyed… Apology?
I crossed my arms and waited as Noel and Vil exited the building, strolling at their own pace.
And against all odds, Vil had gotten bigger.
The gravity on the planet was slightly more than Mater Terra standard, but his muscles strained at his scales, his jaw more defined and by some measure, he seemed taller, as if his posture had straightened.
I sneered and waited for mockery, frozen in place as they approached, clothed in the native standard. Noel too appeared to have changed, his legs leaner, posture less rigid. Scent was sweeter, too, not like Vil’s leathery, sweaty scent that made my spine prickle.
“Roan?” Vil tilted his head and glanced me up and down. “I have to say, it’s an improvement.”
“And?” I snapped, my upper lip curling as my tail tip flickered.
“And what? You’re an attractive omega. Soft colors. Bicolored. Darker hair. All the signs of fertility. You’re an ideal specimen, really.” Noel glanced at Zurok who slapped his tail against the ground with growing frustration.
“Noel…” Zurok sighed, tail flicking in frustration.
“I’ve said something socially incorrect once again?” Noel’s tail did a sort of inquisitive curl.
“I don’t think he identifies as an omega, and I was trying to broach that with tact that you seem to lack!” Zurok swore under his breath with something involving feet that my chip couldn’t translate for me.
“What do you mean, omega? I was made from Raziel.” A pit of unease twisted my stomach.
“That means little other than he was your blood contributor. Did Terrans not have three gene donors, too?”
“Two, with their bearer functioning as both bana and ota.” The terminology translated out to beta and omega parents, for me as Noel spoke.
“Oh. So, you do not identify as alpha?” Zurok did the question thing with his tail again.
“I don’t identify as anything. How the fuck am I omega? Progenitors’ sake! Our sake…” The drawn-out trip over, with me wanting to bottom made sense. At least it felt good. Still, my face twisted. “Well, what does this mean?”
“It means that you should avoid any threesomes unless you want to lay an egg if you go into season. And fair warning, the hormones in the air are nuts.” Vil laughed and pulled Noel into his side.
“How are you avoiding it, then?” I glanced at Noel, who shrugged.
“He didn’t.” Vil grinned wide, his bright teeth sharp and predatory.
“We didn’t.” Noel glanced at Vil, who reached over to rub a hand over Noel’s chest and stomach.
I glanced down and didn’t notice anything different, but then again, I’d not seen him pregnant the first time, only been the cause of his early delivery. I rested a hand over my chest as that painful realization hit me.
Vil’s face darkened as the same emotion flickered in his gaze. “We did what we had to do.”
“Honestly, as long as the shell is formed, it’s safe. I mean, even then, there’re other steps Naleucians used to take when using artificial wombs.” Zurok’s gaze focused on me as if able to read my mind. The momentary shock wore off as my tail spasmed, reminding me that the appendage betrayed me.
“I’m going to go speak to your men,” Noel said, circumnavigating me with a flat expression. “I’ll decide if they’re fit.”
I turned to watch him march toward my vessel and tensed.
“Do you not trust your crew?” Zurok watched as Noel loped off aimlessly, not a single indication of fear in his posture.
“No, I’m surprised you trust them enough to let Noel—” I flinched as Vil interrupted me.
“Roan. You’re eighty years younger than me. You were shown the videos.”
Of course, I had been shown videos of the first Progenitor soldier. The one the Naleucians left. We all had. He’d been the equivalent of throwing a helicopter made of razor blades into a battlefield. “Of the soldier, N0—”
A disconnect had formed in my brain between the Noel I’d seen treasuring his egg and the little one that came to be.
The weak creature after surgery, who stared at me with empty eyes.
The Progenitor we had been searching for, dreading to find him again for fear of his anger at what we’d done to him. “You.”
Vil nodded once, and my gaze slid off toward where Noel had gone to. He could handle himself, I was certain. Vil puffed up, chest taut with pride.
“And you willingly stuck your dick in him? I’d be afraid to draw back a nub.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I cede to you, Vil. You are a braver man than I.”
“Just don’t fuck with me anymore, okay? This is a new world for all of us.” Vil leaned in, his nostrils flaring. “But it’s not me you’ll be fucking with.”
I sneered. “If I truly wanted to, I could.”
That line made Zurok snort in laughter. “No, you could not. They are mated. An intruder on the bond they’ve formed would be deleterious to the interloper. Though, I would be amused if you tried.”
Zurok hesitated for a moment, his tail doing something complex and limp. Sheepish? “I would highly recommend you do not, though. We have few enough Naleucians as is.”
“How many?” Roan hesitated.
“In our city, less than a thousand. Around the world? Eight, nine thousand, maybe? All omega. Though, that may soon change. With many prayers to our ancestors.”
“Right, while you do that, Zurok… I think Roan needs the talk. Colthraxian style.” He gave the omega a hard look, and they exchanged a polite and perfunctory flick of tails with one another.
“Excuse me?” I hesitated and followed them in tow as they headed down the verdant streets. “At least tell me there’s real food here.”
“Lucky you, I finished hunting earlier. It’s still bloody… The blood is yellow, though… Still good!” Vil’s reassurance brought me no comfort, but food was food, so I followed to my doom.