Chapter Six
She scooted over inbed, and Birun slid in next to her, wrapping her in his arms and tucking her head against his chest.
She felt warm and secure, and he was right, the jewellery didn’t get in the way.
“Now, what do you know about getting stubborn species to mate?”
She chuckled.“Well, from a personal aspect, the Terrans that I knew were wedged together, and usually that results in a lot of babies but about two percent of normal population growth.Stress and malnutrition kept us from cycling.No cycles, no babies.”
“How often do you have a cycle?”
“Can’t you just yank that out of my head?”
“I could, but unless I need a visual, I would rather not.”
“Oh.Well, when my body fat is at a good level, it is about every twenty-eight to thirty-five days, depending on stress levels.”
He paused.“That is...unusual.”
“We were told that we are planet fillers.”She looked up at him.
“Ah.So, you have heard that phrase.”
“Yup.Anyway, I went looking into what makes a transplanted species successful, and I talked to some experts on Bellen as an intellectual exercise, and they pointed out that the end days for species cause different reactions.Some fight, some give in, and some turn to a higher power and are then appalled when it takes an unexpected shape.”
“So, what do you recommend?”
“Get an expert.There are a few.Send them in and introduce them to the Pericoff.See what they can tell you and find out if the species even wants to save itself.If not, give it a quiet place to fade, but if even ten percent want to fight to have the next generation, give them a chance.There must be a compatible species out there for them.”
“I have not looked since I obtained them.”
“Well, I guess we will start looking at the options when we get up.”
He laughed.“Do what you like, but we will not leave this room for a week.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to be completely familiar with me, and I with you, so that there is no embarrassment or hesitation.We need our consorts to come to us without hesitation.When we are hungry, we are hungry.”
“And it is my duty to fulfill that hunger as soon as possible.”
