Understanding crosses her face. "Come with me."
She leads me to a private examination room and gestures for me to remove my lower garments. "Is everything okay?"
“I’m supposed to be meeting the trainers with the Sovereigns right now.”
“This won't take long." She produces a machine that looks like something from a nightmare, made of chrome and glass with tubes and a collection chamber. "The extractor will remove the menstrual tissue and blood. We preserve it for the stem cells."
"I'm already late," I say as she positions the device.
"This is more important than punctuality." She activates the machine. "Your genetic material is valuable. I will make a note of it for the Sovereigns, and they will understand.”
The doctor hooks me up to the machine. The sensation is strange, uncomfortable but not painful. Like a reverse pressure, pulling rather than pushing. I watch the collection chamber fill with dark red blood; my body's monthly cycle contained and catalogued.
"There," Dr. Veil says after a few minutes. "All done. You'll be comfortable for the rest of the evening."
"Thank you."
She watches me dress, then pauses at a cabinet. "While you're here..." She opens it and removes a small vial of clear oil. "Take this."
"What is it?"
"Something that might help." Her expression is neutral. "If the trainers expect you to...interactwith their humans. One drop on your fingers before contact with another human will ease their suffering and yours."
“You don’t mean… kill them, do you?”
“No,” she looks at me shocked. “I mean, it will bring them down from the edge of orgasm where their trainers like to keep them. I think you’re familiar with the sensation.”
“Why didn’t you give this to me weeks ago?”
“The Sovereigns forbid it.”
“Why give it to me now?”
“Because they’re so focused on the Grand Championships, they aren’t going to monitor us like they usually do. Now I think you’re already late.”
I stare at the vial. Huck from Terra Ka had mentioned something similar in his message when he contacted me a few hours ago. An agent that would dissipate arousal. But I assumedhewould give it to me.
Is it only a coincidence that the doctor is giving it to me now? Is she also helping Terra Ka? Regardless of whether she is formerly aligned with them or not, it doesn’t matter; she’s still helping, and if Terra Ka has a formal secret handshake, they certainly haven’t shared it with me.
"Thank you," I say, putting the vial in my pocket and then running towards the Starlit Atrium.
The gathering is in full swing by the time I arrive. The space glows with bioluminescent fixtures that respond to movement, creating pools of light and shadow. Trainers cluster in groups, andtheir human competitors are displayed like obedient pets beside them.
I spot Rafe first, his short black hair catching the light as he converses with a trainer whose scales shimmer jade green. Lorian stands nearby, watching something with great interest.
As I approach, I see what has captured their attention.
The trainer from Callix Prime, Marath, has two humans at her feet. Both are nude except for decorative chains that connect their collars to their ankles, forcing them to remain on all fours. The male has been modified with scales along his spine that match his owner's coloring, and the female's hair has been replaced with flexible tendrils that move independently so that she looks something like Medusa.
"Ah, Eve," Rafe says. "You're late."
"My apologies, Sovereigns. There was a medical matter that required my immediate attention."
Lorian's eyes shift to me. "Nothing serious, I trust?"
"No, Sovereign. Simply female concerns."
Marath's tongue flicks out, tasting the air. "Is this the human you've elevated to liaison? Howprogressiveof the Spire."
