"And you know this from experience, do you?" Oleave snapped.
"No. This is from my studies," Khalzin said.
Oleave leaned back and crossed his arms. "Then you should have to test it. Personally."
"What?" Khalzin asked.
Speaker glanced at Oleave then back at him. "Do you not have faith in your findings, Khalzin?"
"Of course, I do. My science is provable."
"So, prove it," the Speaker said. "You find these potential humanoids, and you mate with one. Then we shall know that your science is correct and accurate."
"I must object," Xaul said. "One Kantenan, mating with a humanoid is not enough to call anything true science. It takes many tests to prove the concept before it can be agreed upon to be factual and provable.”
"So, get some friends," Oleave said. "There are many of your generation who have not chosen mates. Get a sampling from them. Then prove your theory.”
Khalzin blinked. "I cannot--"
"If you cannot prove your theory, then what is the point?" Speaker Fowles asked.
"My theory is sound."
He glanced at his father.
And the man's expression told him everything he needed to know.
His father did not believe he was right. While the man agreed that the genome was shifting and would connect all their people soon, he did not agree in opening their people to mating with off-word humanoids. He had other ideas for preserving genomes.
"Until he can prove it will work, it should not be considered by this Coalition," Oleave declared.
"Unlike my son's impetuous theory, my proposal is still open. The idea of preserving our genomes now, and requiring our people to contribute to a massive database to reproduce--"
"It still sounds like cloning," Hawn said.
"It is not cloning. It is a very carefully created process--"
"It would be simpler to attempt to join the Galactic Alliance's mating program," his mother said. Her gaze darted to Khalzin's for a moment, then back to the Speaker. "For testing purposes, at this juncture.”
The Speaker nodded. He rested his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together.
No one spoke as he did so.
Khalzin's mother had told him this was his thinking pose. He did it whenever considering all the angles, and no one spoke when he did.
It could take minutes.
It could take hours.
Sometimes, even days.
The rest of the members of the Coalition keyed in their opinions on the matter on a panel in front of them and sent the data to the Speaker.
Fowles remained in his state of thinking, and whether he looked at the Coalition's opinions or not, Khalzin didn't know.
While he waited, he took the next few moments imagining what he would likely hear when he left the chamber from his father.
His father looked ready to murder him.
