“I believe so. However, it doesn’t matter. We are going to proceed as if she isn’t trustworthy,” L’Forn states. He picks up his tablet and checks his meeting agenda. “Physician L’Vect, have you been able to determine if our people are susceptible to the Regina pheromone?”
Physician L’Vect had been assigned to one of our healing centers on Earth, but returned to the ship when a human pharmaceutical company kidnapped his mate Serena. She is now the doctor for the humans onboard the ship.
“I can’t determine with complete accuracy, but I believe we may be susceptible.”
“What about humans and Hisk?”
“Neither appears to be as susceptible as we are.”
“Do you know why that is?” L’Forn asks, his brow wrinkled in concern.
“For Cerasteans, we become attuned to our mate’s pheromones through physical and mental attraction, repeated contact, and sexual release. When we orgasm with our desired mate, our bodies release a chemical in our brain, which bonds us to our mate’s pheromones. The Regina pheromone creates a similar chemical reaction in the Cerastean brain. Thankfully, it is to a much lesser degree compared to an Ostium. We would never become mindlessly devoted to the queen, like an Ostium male, even with prolonged exposure. It’s possible that she could affect our mood or make us question ourselves, but we would never become unthinking slaves. However, I have begun testing the Reprimo antidote as a solution to the potential problem.”
“Do you think we can inoculate all our people against Regina? I would like to make sure we cannot fall victim to either Queen Diamalla or her daughter.”
“Would inoculating our people with Reprimo affect the mate bond? If the Regina pheromone works in a similar way as a mate bond, would a vaccine change the relationship to our mate?” General D’Annon asks from next to me.
He recently mated to a tiny woman named Sara, so I understand his concern. To risk losing a mate bond would be inconceivable to any of our people. The bond is sacrosanct.
“Initial tests suggest Reprimo does not change an existing mate bond or prevent a new bond from forming. For obvious reasons, I plan to test this thoroughly before any inoculations are given.”
“Keep me posted on your progress,” L’Forn states. “Do you recommend inoculating the Hisk and humans as well? Even though neither species has pheromone-dependent biology?”
“If Reprimo does not have any adverse effects on humans or Hisk, I would like to include them in the inoculations,” L’Vect states.
“How is the training of the human fighter pilots coming along? Will they be ready to deploy with our people, or should we keep them here as part of the defense force guarding Earth?” L’Forn asks, turning his attention to General D’Annon.
“The training is coming along well. Most just needed practice. Our fighter darts maneuver differently than their planes. The majority have adjusted well. I would still recommend having each human partner with an experienced Cerastean pilot. I need to meet with the trainers later today, and based on their feedback, I will give you a list of pilots I would recommend taking with us. Some of the ones who aren’t ready to be on the frontlines yet might still be talented enough to stay behind as the protection contingent.”
“Excellent,” L’Forn says. “L’Corte, once we make the announcement to the bride volunteers, I need you to be prepared to start transferring the women back to the planet. We need to delay the transfers until after the worldwide news announcement. Once we have the communication jamming system networked around the planet, we can return the women to their homes. We have to make sure no messages can be sent to Osti in case the queen has any other spies on Earth.”
“The odds are low since the captured ships manifest only listed two passengers, and we’ve accounted for both Ostiums,” Scientist L’Arc states.
“I agree, but I’d rather exercise caution for now,” L’Forn explains. “L’Corte, we will need to return the women to Earth in groups of thirty. I want you to personally debrief each group before they leave. Please make sure you stress to the women not to tell anyone where they’ve been. We must ensure the Earth First terrorist group doesn’t target them. What happened to Sara must not happen to any of our other volunteers.”
“One of the bride volunteers, Trinh Le, suggested to me this morning that she believes many of the unmated bride volunteers will stay on the ship rather than return to Earth,” I tell the command council.
“My Sara said the same thing,” General D’Annon says, nodding his head.
“That would be a great boon to our people. Knowing the bride volunteers are here waiting for their return would give the males on the frontline an incentive to stay in one piece,” L’Forn says with a smile. “I believe that concludes our agenda. I need to meet with our Bride Liaison Rosie and our Public Relations advisor Tabitha before the ship-wide announcement. Director L’Corte, would you please stay for this meeting?”
“Of course,” I respond as the rest of the council gets up and exits the room.
Once the room empties, both women enter and take seats across from us with placid, calm faces. However, my enhanced Cerastean senses allow me to detect the faint hints of nervousness in their scents.
I watch the chancellor take a slow, even breath. I understand his reticence. Both these women have become important members of our team. I know that L’Forn values not only their opinion, but their friendship as well. If they decide to leave the ship and return to Earth, it will be a terrible blow to my people. Smoothing my damp palms on my thighs, I try to project a sense of calm and confidence. Without their continued support, I can’t imagine many of the bride volunteers staying in the program.
“Thank you for joining us. We have a big news announcement I am about to make to all the bride volunteers. Trying times are ahead of us and I am hoping for both of your support in the coming days…” L’Forn begins to explain.
Chapter 6
Trinh
The halls on the way to the hangar are starting to fill as people head to the meeting. It is interesting to see such a mix of human and alien in the crowd. I even spot the swaying shaggy form of the mammoth-looking Hisk up ahead.
As I lengthen my stride, hoping to get to the hangar early and find Rosie, someone bumps against my shoulder and almost knocks me off my feet. As I stumble, someone grabs my elbow to help me get my balance.
“Sorry I didn’t see you there. You okay?” a masculine voice says. Looking over, I see a clump of the human military men who have recently joined the ship. They’ve been training to fly the Cerastean fighter darts. I’ve not seen much of the fighter pilots since they arrived a few weeks ago. They were assigned quarters on a different floor from the bride volunteers.
