Chapter 6 #2
Ok, it’s me, not you, but I stand by my point and why I keep stuttering over my words.
Lora gives me a rueful smile, and my stupid little crush gets a rush of excitement that I’m asking the right questions. “No, I believe I am the only one in my generation who chose to go into peacekeeping. Most breeders choose more power lucrative positions.”
It takes me a second to think that one through. “Your government is run by breeders?”
He rattles noncommittally. “It may be a difficult concept for a human to grasp because of our biological and cultural disparities. We don’t have a government for ourselves like the government we use to take custody of planets.
Most breeders become custodians of the planets we take responsibility for.
” He rattles softly, thoughtfully. “When you are moved into your new housing assignment, the person who will look after your pod will likely be a breeder. You will go to them if there is an issue with your unit or if you and your neighbor need mediation. Anything that you would need outside assistance with, you will turn to your custodian for. They will provide for you as much as you require provision for.”
I stare at him for a long moment. I won’t say it aloud, but it sounds like the breeders choose more parental avenues for their careers.
I’ve been out of college for seven years and out of the dorms for nine, and I’m about to be sent back to a dorm with an RA looking after me.
Actually, you know what, I think Lora’s big enough to handle this.
“Your breeders usually become nannies, then?”
Lora rattles thoughtfully and pats my ass since his hand is right there and apparently needs something to occupy it. “That sounds accurate enough.”
Fantastic.
“You know what? I’ve been saying humans need a nanny to make us behave for a while now. So why did you choose peacekeeping and how much of a scandal was it that a breeder didn’t go into custodian service?”
Lora laughs, shifting my world again with the sound of it. If I wasn’t sure before, I definitely am now—I have a massive crush on this ScaryDarkAlienVampire. Something is wrong with me. FYI, I have no interest in finding out what it is or fixing it.
“You are more intuitive than I expected for a human, considering the state of your planet.
I make my fellow peacekeepers nervous because I am generally smaller than most people who join the peacekeepers, and they do not want to see me injured or killed, and I am snubbed by the breeders for not pursuing the same instinctive need to guide others and participating in the subtle power struggles between them.
“I was expected to take on a planetary custodial position considering the low number of my spawn that failed. I only know of two other breeders still living that had fewer spawn fail than I did. They are both planetary custodians of other planets. Other breeders expected me to campaign for the custodial governance of Earth, and most do not trust that I will not make a grab for the position. My word that I only want to be a peacekeeper will never be enough because of how successful I was at bringing my littlings to maturity. They do not believe that a breeder can have low motivation for guiding others and a high success rate for spawning.”
I shake my head, because this is familiar.
“We have a similar thing with moms who work versus moms who stay at home. It’s getting better, I think, but for a while there was a lot of contention between the two types of mothers.
It’s not like there’s one right way to parent, you know?
Every child requires a different interaction with their parent, and saying there’s only one way to do it right is like telling people they have to use forks for every meal and then serving porridge once a day.
It’s stupid. Ugh, people are the worst. You do you, Lora.
Be the peacekeeper you know you are, and ignore the rest of the idiots who can’t seem to figure out they need a spoon to eat the porridge. ”
Lora considers my random analogy with an affectionate smile on his thin lips. “Yes, I believe that is an accurate description of what I do. Tell me, Ollie, are you rested enough to pack now, or shall I return after my rest period?”
I sigh, glancing around my house, and shrug. “I can get started, but until I know how big the next place will be, I’m not really sure how much to pack and what to start selling.”
Lora rattles negatively. “The unit you will be assigned will consist of a receiving room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. It will be rectangular, approximately seven meters wide and thirty meters deep. You should pack what you need first, then what you want, and everything else you may leave here for redistribution or recycling.”
Beyonce’s song, Irreplaceable, starts rolling through my head as I look around my place.
I mean, all of my stuff will definitely require more than a box, but as I look around and start cataloging what I want and what I need, I discover that I can live without more than a few things currently in my eyeline.
“That’s reasonable. The thing is, I lost my job when you guys invaded, so I need to sell some of this stuff to afford groceries, you know? ”
Lora rattles negatively again. “The human propensity toward greed requires the eradication of currency. Once we have built the infrastructure, we will ensure no human ever lacks resources for their survival, and we will reorganize the way you trade for nonessential items so that they are available through contribution credit.”
The finance bros are not going to enjoy this little change in the economy, but it turns out, I don’t actually care about the finance bros. “Nice. If I get a choice, can I not be in customer service? I don’t mind being in service, but I just really hate interacting with people.”
Lora’s smile turns indulgent, I swear, even if the fangs are still a little terrifying. “I believe that can be arranged.”
I let out a breath, brace myself, and sit up, moving to stand. “Alright, let’s start packing.”
Lora helps me stabilize as I get my feet under me, and then a swarm of little flying drones appear right in front of me.
“These are for the items that you need. Attach them to the item you need and they will move it when you receive your housing assignment. I will assign different… drones—there is that word again.” This time he’s more amused than disgusted.
“I will assign different drones for items you want but do not need, and then other drones for items that you will leave.”
Well, that’s convenient. No boxes. I think I would have surrendered the planet to anyone who promised no boxes for moving. This is the pinnacle of technology. I can’t even conceive of needing anything beyond this one thing. “I can work with this.”
Happily.