“They have to tell us what is expected in a natural mating within their culture, so we can prepare you.”
“What do you mean?” Adryel asked. “Are they, like, super ritualistic?” Was there more to mating than just, well, sex? What else could there be? Dancing and moonlight prayer?
Graecey grinned.
At least Adryel amused her.
“For example,” Graecey began, her entire persona taking that of a teacher. “In some cultures, the female will choose the suitor. In others, the male claims the female immediately. Some have a marriage ceremony, and, in others, it is merely speaking of certain words that bind the two.”
“And what about the Kantenans? Do they have such rules?”
“Some,” she said. “They declare their intentions, and, if you accept, then you are bound.”
“So, there's no courtship with them?”
“They claim they know their mates immediately upon meeting.”
“What if none of us are claimed?” Janae asked.
“Then we move on.”
“What do we do? Go down and line up or something?”
“We will take you down in small groupings, so as not to overwhelm the Kantenans. It will be organized and civilized, have no fear,” Graecey said and grinned. “Now, I have to go prepare.”
“Sure, you go ahead,” Adryel said to Graecey. “It's getting exciting.”
As Graecey walked away, Janae glanced at her. “Don't sound too excited.”
Adryel shrugged. “I’m just glad we made it here.”
“Me too. Look at those trees,” Janae said, gesturing out the window to the foliage outside. As the ship maneuvered down, it flew past all sorts of clusters of green life.
The ship shifted, and the landing process began, slowing it down, and the green became more defined as they lowered through the sky toward the landing pad below.
“Pretty,” she replied, though her mind still raced about how this was going to go down. “You know, I still have tons of questions. Like how do they determine which groups go down and when? What about their male parts? Are they the same fittings?”
Janae snorted. “I thought you read everything?”
“I sort of did.” The details she paid attention to was the information about the world and their culture, and that was just enough so that if she did have to abandon the Galactic Alliance, she’d at least know something about where she wound up.
She didn’t pay much attention to the anatomy. That was something that always bored her, anyway. It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t getting picked anyway.
“There was plenty of information about the physical stuff. The information talked about the size differences and what to expect as far as physical intimacy.”
“So you read that part?” Adryel asked, raising her eyebrow.
“I was curious,” Janae said, her cheeks turning pink.
“It’s fine. I think we all were,” Adryel said. Another topic she only glanced at. Kantenans were larger than standard humanoids, and that they were proportional to their size. Generally speaking.
“As long as they're not going to punch me, I should be okay.”
Janae sighed. “Great, now I have another scenario to imagine. Getting punched by an alien with body armor and ridges on his back.”
“Well, when you put it like that...”
“Now, everyone will be taken down in groups,” Graecey said, her voice echoing in the cargo bay just off the main exit ramp. They had all been brought down to this part of the ship as the ship landed. “I have the selections here. You all will be receiving your group placement through your chips any moment.” She pressed on her data pad. They all were given small chips, chronometers mostly, but they also provided a tag so the Galactic Alliance could get medical records, and assuming the project moved to conclusion, for easier monitoring of any babies made.
