Chapter 2
Timber
The trip up into Earth's orbit was quick, but my nerves were on edge waiting to know what Remy's reaction would be when she woke up on the ship in space.
We were supposed to be doing this together, and my heart hammered in my chest with anxiety from not having her by my side.
My escort from earlier was pacing by my side as we exited the shuttle.
He was wearing human clothes, jeans and a simple v-neck shirt until he grabbed a robe from the wall and tossed it over his head.
Our implants were easily guiding us to where we were supposed to go with an overlay arrow marking the ground with our contacts, yet he continued to pace me.
He'd already made it clear he planned on ruining my chances of winning these bride games, and I glared at him.
"Are you following me?" I grumbled under my breath.
"You'd like that," he teased, and then dismissed the thought by addressing the group, "Welcome to the remodeled cargo ship, designed to replicate different planets to simulate the mating customs of each species in the program.
In fact, the vessel we are on now, is actually several ships combined and attached to the star-base docking station specially designed as the core.
It has access to the larger ships from each planet. "
"Wait," I interrupted. Remy would be proud of me to question things, even if I was just doing it to annoy our guide. "That's trusting each host ship to not undock while we're on their ship."
Another girl laughed at my remark. "That's the whole point of a peace treaty is trust."
He nodded at the girl with a placating smile before he said, "There is nothing stopping any of the ships from undocking at any time, except perhaps damaging their haul, and being wanted by the galactic authority.
The necia warriors are a fierce warrior race that would enjoy the hunt of trying to retrieve you.
Keep in mind, whether they can enforce the galactic law, will be determined by if you bond with your captor.
It isn't a flawless system, and once you're mate bonded with a species you are contractually under their species law more than Earth's.
Diplomatically, the necia can try to still reclaim you by issuing a duel, but if they fail, their only other recourse is to submit a claim to that species' authority. "
"Aren't you supposed to be reassuring us, not telling us that we could be abducted?" I questioned.
"Well, you could," he agreed. "But you won't be.
You're welcome to return to Earth at any time.
I cannot speak for all of the planets, but AsunGor wouldn't dishonor itself by taking unwilling humans.
If you were not aware, a human is the Delegate of AsunGor, mated to the Commissioner of all AsunGor.
It's also common knowledge that a human is also mated with the King of Necias Prime.
The ship I would be most wary of is the Krelis ship.
Very little information is provided on their honor, other than a few rumors that a human at some point mated with their queen many cycles ago. "
"It seems Axelun includes speculation in his welcome tours." A large alien with horns clucked his tongue and I took a step back as wings seemed to appear out of nowhere behind him.
"Speaking of the devils themselves," Axelun, seemed to be the name of my annoying tour-guide, replied with a flourish. "This is one of the krelins of Krelis."
"Honored by Queen Mabel as her esteemed commander.
I helped protect the galaxy from the outlaw Sylve and gained the right to help future krelin hybrids with my mating a human.
It will be my spawn that will have first nectar honors with the spawn of King Gho-ran's hive, brother to Queen Mabel's mate King Trent.
" The large krelin knelt before us, spreading out his leathery wings that the hall barely contained.
How were those hidden before? As he stood, they folded back then disappeared.
I squinted and saw a slight reflection of where the wings might be, but it could have just been a trick of the eye.
"Don't be fooled," Axelun said like we were on a school field trip and this wasn't terrifying and thrilling at the same time.
"The krelin's wings are still there, and it's best you always have your companion with you when in the presence of a krelin.
They have a powerful musk, capable of knocking out elephants with just a whiff. "
"What is an elephant?" the krelin asked.
"It is a human animal that they try to protect from extinction, but there are only a few left. Very large animals that do not fall easily. Commander, if you'll excuse us, I should get the humans to the first screening room. You'll get to sniff them there, if that's what you're into."
"Sniff us?" one guy asked behind me.
"Rest assured human, it is the necia that get excitable by human arousal, not krelis warriors like myself. We prefer touch. If I'm not mistaken, so do the unGor. It is your heat and voice that I would find appealing. Your tone is too weak for a warrior."
"I thought being a warrior was your job," I snapped back. "If you have that covered, why do you need a warrior for a mate?"
His yellow eyes gleamed at me, and I flinched.
"You're right human, I don't need a warrior, but I also don't need a mate that is too weak to face me.
All of us here are well aware of how defenseless humans are, but I've been assured that it doesn't make all of them weak in spirit.
I'm pleased to see that is the case. I look forward to having you touch my kan horns.
If you're brave enough, I'll allow it." The krelin clucked his tongue and it echoed against the metal walls before he smiled at me, showing off a pair of fangs.
The commander walked off down the opposite hall we were headed towards, but that was probably because the docking station was circular and we'd probably end up in the same place for the screening no matter which direction we headed in.
Axelun leaned over and whispered, "A nice choice. I hope he's okay with hearing my name in your mind when he fucks you."
"What?" I sputtered.
He addressed the group, "Krelins are said to telepathically bond with their mates.
They are a hive-mind type species that can communicate with their clans over vast distances on their ship and across their planet.
But as I've said before, it is customary for them to steal their mates and take them back to their nest to bond with them.
Abduction is not an abnormal custom for their species, so please heed my warning to keep your companion with you in their presence. "
"Do the unGor kidnap too?" I pressed.
"Of course not," he denied with a grin like he expected me to ask.
"We display our talents to a mate to convince them to keep touching us.
The more contact we have, the more we bond until the mate goes into heat and they beg us to take them.
Once a bond takes hold, denying an unGor can be painful for a female.
Between an unGor and another species, we are the most addicting of mates across the galaxy. "
"And we're expected to touch an unGor during the screening?" I turned to see my favorite plug channel idol right next to me, Delphey Dairies. Her silver hair was tied back into a low messy bun, and her blue eyes were striking in person. "At least the krelins aren't manipulating our body chemistry."
"Ah, yes. The musk I was speaking of before, for a compatible mate, it won't knock them out. It will induce infatuation and a weakness of muscles that allow them to take their mate back to their nest. It only knocks out those the krelin isn't attracted to. No unGor will force you to touch them."
"Then how will they know they want to get to know us better?" she asked and I wondered the same thing.
"Our ormete will glow in reaction to being in close proximity. You'll know."
Did he glow when he was near me? The whole center was lit up at night, and his grey skin sparkled, but did he glow, was it just the reflection of the lights?
Was this all some kind of sick joke of his to make me be uncomfortable because of his obsession with tricking my best friend to join me for her own good?
She would forgive me and possibly come to thank me for giving us both alien healthcare that wouldn't have been available otherwise, and a free implant upgrade without selling her data to the government.
Remy would say technically we were selling out data to the aliens, but they pay better than the humans, and the contract was clear she could say 'no' at any time.
Axelun wasn't glowing now.
He was such an ass.
"The screening will be in groups. Your retina display will blind you like a second eyelid as the mates enter the room.
You won't hear anyone but them when they are within proximity.
The viewers on your plug will see everything, but they have no access to message you while on the ship.
This is a mass reality immersion where viewers are able to choose whose retina display to plug into or hop from human to human.
They do not have access to any of the potential mate's displays, only the humans are plugged to experience the selection as if they were you. "
"We aren't allowed to see them?"
"Your retina will reveal the mate if you accept their profile as a match.
You must say yes, based on instinct only first. That is the process of the screening.
And these," Axelun said while pressing a button on the wall revealing rows of bracelets.
"These will monitor your vitals for the plug viewers to see your responses.
They will be allowed to pay credits to place votes on who they think would make a good mate match for you.
" He leaned in and whispered, "Lie to yourself all you want, but they'll see your blood pump for me. "
"The hell it will," I snapped.
"Are you okay?" someone asked from behind me.
I didn't even look, because I was too flustered at how I was still feeling my skin tingle where his breath tickled my neck.
"It's nothing," I dismissed. "I'm just on edge because my best friend is supposed to be in my group with me, but she's with the medical bay group instead."
"Contestants recovering from recent inoculations for space travel will have a separate screening but will rejoin any companions they came within a few days," Axelun explained and offered me a bracelet from the wall. I refused to take something he had touched.
I glared at him and snatched an untouched one from the wall.
He merely grinned like I'd confirmed that he was having an effect on me.
Fuck, could I do nothing to phase him? Why was he getting under my skin so much.
I was a grown ass adult woman, and he was making me feel like a teenager. Was I really this immature?
The wall then opened up into a large mingling space.
"Feel free to chat and relax with one another until the mates make their way to this room.
There are food packets and drinks. The packets are disgusting, but they are meant to help your bodies to acclimate to potential universal foods available in the food processor.
You'll be on a steady diet of food packets for a while, so the sooner you eat them the sooner you can have food that tastes better than dirt. "
"Dirt," I laughed. "You're just full of motivation. I'm sure everyone will dig into the food packets right away now."
"Maybe if you're good, I'll make sure you get the one that tastes like honey instead."
"Is there one?" I asked with suspicion.
"No, but I do have a better way of training your stomach to handle alien foods," he said with a wink.
I wasn't sure what it was about him, but everything he said sounded like seduction and I kept imagining that the food he was offering was his dick.
My mouth grew dry, and I wasn't normally the kind of girl that fantasized about devouring an alien cock.
I didn't even have any idea what any of these aliens were packing in their pants, let alone if their mating organs were even between their legs like a human.
I assumed since I was assured humans were compatible that it was, but I wasn't sure and never asked.
My legs squeezed together and I felt my imagination make my pulse quicken. I hesitated to put on the bracelet, knowing I would be advertising to all my plug viewers how I was feeling once I did. Riled up.
My stomach twisted, and I cleared my throat to try to control my thoughts with a distraction.
Think of anything else, I repeated to myself.
Pickles were too tangy for me. I disliked pickles and never understood the appeal of relating cocks to pickles.
Pickles are gross. Pickles were gross. Pickles are not the. .. Fuck.
Did I just glance at Axelun's pants? Am I looking for his cock now? What is wrong with me?
"Don't worry, the bracelet will only monitor your physical state when the mates enter the room. It will turn off when the screening ends and you will keep your monitor for the future meetings."
"Will it come off?" I asked more breathlessly than I had anticipated. I sounded like a sex doll asking if he would take off my panties for me.
"It will connect with your implant and won't function without wearing it.
And yes," he was staring directly at me, and I stilled like I was ensnared, "it will come off.
" Come was definitely not the right word, but I didn't think either of us was talking about the bracelet anymore.
He demonstrated on his own wrist to everyone.
"There are no clamps. Just slip your finger under to disrupt the contact.
It adheres through the heat of your skin. "
Okay, so I was the only one with my mind in the gutter. He was fucking torturing me. Was this the effect of touching his arm once? That's ridiculous. This was some psychological manipulation, that's all.
"There are many mates on this ship, but not every mate searching for a bride will approach you tonight.
The HET has no intention of overwhelming you all in one screening.
Screenings will progress for several days, for only short time blocks at a time until every mate has had a chance to see every candidate. "
"I'm not a bride," a male said, and he wasn't the only man among us that agreed, echoing his sentiment.
"That is why the program is called Intergalactic Delegate Program, but it means the same thing.
Male or female, you are a bride or groom to your mate.
Most planets don't have a gender specific word for a mate like humans do.
Feel free to review your welcome packets or ask the ship's AI for assistance with further questions.
I must go fetch the next group from the shuttle. "
Then he just left. I watched as he didn't even give me a second glance. What the fuck?