Kur’tok growled. He scooped me up securely with his tentacles, then dropped to all fours and bolted ahead. The wind whipped past my face as Kur’tok raced towards Assistant 23, reaching in him no time at all.
“What are you doing?” Kur’tok snapped.
“Eek!” Assistant 23 cried. He toppled over into the grass like a spooked bug.
“Lemme talk to him,” I said, sliding out of Kur’tok’s grasp. “Hey, buddy. What’s going on? Why’d you run off like that?”
“Y-y-you were all talking about being pregnant!” Assistant 23 blurted in a terrified wail.
I withheld a groan. Beside me, Kur’tok curled his lip in an exasperated frown. We were both so familiar with that knowledge that hearing somebody freak out over it was tiresome. But I reminded myself that Assistant 23 barely knew anything about this world or its possibilities.
I sat cross-legged in the grass next to Assistant 23, who was practically curled into the fetal position.
“Trust me, I was pretty shocked when I found out, too,” I began. “But it’s notthatwacky.”
“Yes, it is! Men getting pregnant—it can’t be real!”
“Okay, well, it is,” I said, trying not to lose my patience. “Let me explain how it works. So, Maeleons have this DNA-altering semen—”
Assistant 23 shrieked like he’d been stabbed.
“Can we leave him herenow?” Kur’tok grumbled to me.
Admittedly, I entertained that idea. But if I could get through to Kur’tok, I was positive I could get through to Assistant 23.
“Me and my friends had kids because wewantedto,” I told him. “Pregnancy freaks you out? No problem! You don’t have to do it. Simple as that.”
He turned his face shield towards me. “Aliens aren’t going to get me pregnant?”
I shrugged. “Not unless you want to, no. Maeleons aren’t like that.”
His shoulders slumped in relief. “Oh... okay.”
“Now, here are your options,” I offered. “One: you stay with us, learn about Maeleon culture, chill out, and have a good time.”
“W-what’s option two?”
“You stay out here by yourself and survive alone, like you’ve been doing for eight cycles.”
He whimpered. It was obvious he didn’t enjoy that thought.
I smiled sympathetically at him. “Just spend a couple days in the village and see how it feels. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it.”
Assistant 23 took a few deep breaths. He glanced at Kur’tok. “You’re sure they won’t use me as a sacrifice and turn me into fertilizer?” he asked meekly.
“Hm, I dunno about that,” Kur’tok mused, his tail flicking.
“Kur’tok,” I admonished.
He flashed a toothy grin. “Sorry.”
“He’s joking,” I promised Assistant 23. “He has a, uh, dark sense of humor. Come on, I’ll help you up.”
“O-okay...”
I helped lift Assistant 23 to his feet. It wasn’t difficult since he weighed so little. He definitely needed to pack on a few pounds.
“Hey, you hungry?” I asked. “Maeleons love throwing celebratory feasts, so if I told them I’m pregnant, they’d jump at the opportunity.”
