“You have not slept.” Ger Baru-Nok looked barely older than Zade himself. Despite being retired for some time from the high-pressure position Zade now held, Baylans aged slowly and with minimal decline until shortly before their passing. Both males looked similar, both with light hair and bright blue eyes. Ger was also tall, with a sprinkle of white at his temples and a generous laugh. The older male was not laughing now, however, as he met his son at the shuttle hangar. “Come.” He ran a handdown the front of his loose, white jumpsuit and turned to the central corridor. “You look like you are about to fall over.”
Zadefeltabout to fall over. He walked beside his father as the corridor opened to a massive atrium, all glass and lights in hundreds of different spectrums. One could be forgiven for forgetting that this was a ship and not the surface of a planet. Plants grew in forests, and fields, and along streams. Insects and creatures vital to the survival of certain species buzzed, and flew, and stalked among the plants in different habitats. A lake housed an enormous underwater laboratory. Everything in this place was documented and analyzed. And this was just one section of the ship. It went on and on like this, into laboratories that developed cures and treatments and vaccines. The Baylans encountered many, many worlds with their own potentials for pathogens and illness.
Usually, Zade loved walking through the Poli-4. The sights were a marvel to the senses, but today, he kept his gaze on the path before him and stuck to his father’s side in silence.
They arrived at the Baru-Nok residences. Ger ordered them food through the interface and within moments, meals slid up through an opening in the table and onto the white surface before them. The sunken, cushioned seating area, designed by Zade’s mother, was a riot of bright colors that did not match Zade’s mood. He took a few bites, but couldn’t eat.
“You are here for a reason,” said Ger. “Speak.”
Zade sighed. “What I tell you is between you and me. No one else.”
“Very well,” Ger replied, brows raised.
Instead of getting the words out, Zade leaned forward. He braced his head in his hands, elbows on knees and shook his head. “It appears I have a mate.”
He did not need to see his father to know his reaction. The elder Baylan clapped his hands together with a bark of joy. “Thisis most welcome news. Your mother will be overjoyed to hear she will be gaining a daughter. Who is the female? One of your colleagues?” Ger asked, then dropped his brow into a frown. “Are you not pleased about this development? I recall you saying that you desired a mate, a family. Yet, you do not appear happy.”
“I do not know what I am,” muttered Zade. “The female is a human who was sent to me for specialized treatment. You may have heard of the incident? Earth has an unidentified creature at large.”
“I did hear of this.” Ger stroked his chin. “It attacked a group of females.”
“33-H—I mean, Ashley—required a leg reconstruction. I was chosen because I have experience with human patients and we have the technology to heal her. But when I touched her…” He pulled open his suit to reveal the markings on his ribcage. “These appeared.”
His father smiled broadly. “The circumstances that brought you and your mate together are irrelevant. Your bonding is destined, and a cause for celebration.”
Zade took a deep breath and questioned his wisdom in coming here. Ger was thinking as a father, rather than an advisor, and Zade needed the latter.
“The female is an unconscious human,” he said slowly. “And I…” he paused, unsure how to word the next part. His pride was rearing up at this inopportune time. “I am unsure how to address the demands of the bonding on the body. I cannot mate with her, and the urge to do so is overwhelming when I am in her presence.”
“It is not so bad,” his father began. “It is simply—”
“I have been consumed by my work,” Zade cut in. He closed his eyes, uncomfortable about the next part, which was the cause of his acute problem with Ashley. “I have not seen to the base needs of my body in quite some time.”
“Ah.” Ger sat back and rubbed his chin. “I feared your ambition and rise to the head of all these research teams would come at a cost. You have not visited aStritta, then?”
“No. Not in…” Zade shrugged, unable to recall the last time he visited aStritta, those honored, pampered Baylans who enjoy the pleasures of the flesh with many partners and have no desire for a mate. “I do not remember. I work. I train with the Saar-king. I take induced restorative sleep when time permits. I eat while I am answering correspondences or doing research. There is nothing else.” Saying it aloud sounded terrible. When had that happened? Bit by bit, he had cut out everything from his life that was not related to his profession. It had happened gradually, with each new soul marking and advancement.
“You will need to make changes,” said his father, gently. “I see your problem.”
Zade could not keep the desperate edge from his voice. “Do you see a solution?”
“There are several. First, you could send the female to a different physician, possibly on another ship, where she can be treated until she is healthy enough to be returned to you.”
Everything in Zade revolted at the suggestion. “No,” he said without hesitation. The thought of his mate on a colleague’s reju-table, being tended by a staff he did not know, did not trust, was simply unthinkable. “Just being away from her now is uncomfortable.”
Ger nodded. “The other solution is more uncomfortable.”
“What is it?”
His father eyed Zade with a mixture of sympathy and calculation. “If you cannot be sure of your impulses around her, you can wear anenibandand set it to dispense a hormone suppressant. You would have to experiment with the dosage, but I expect a healthy Baylan in the throes of the bonding would need quite a high dose.” Ger frowned. “It goes against the body’snatural process, but if you have not been seeing to your needs, you would need to take precautions, for her safety.”
Zade made a sound of disgust and abruptly rose. “I am sworn to help my patients, not terrorize them.”
“You can send your female here,” Ger suggested. “Your mother would abort her mission and return for something as important as this. We can look after her.”
“No, she is mine.” Zade shook his head. “I mean, she is my responsibility.”
Ger smiled knowingly. “You will get through this. It is something all bonding partners experience. She will feel it too, once she is well. Being human, she may not understand what is happening to her.”
