I lean forward so I can talk as quietly as possible. "What can you tell me about the genali?"
He growls, the rumble of his displeasure passing up my spine. "I wish I knew less about their methods. We've tried to keep ourselves isolated, hoping they'd simply find us unappealing, but it hasn't worked."
"Have they attacked your home world?"
"No. They pick at the edges like scavengers. Mostly they attack vessels, but sometimes they make it through planetary defenses to make a raid."
"I'm sorry to hear that. For slaves?"
"Not exactly. They've been killing us for sport for many years, but generally they come to steal our technology. We don't make good slaves. Which is why we weren't prepared for the recent uptick in abductions. There are now two males to each female."
"That's terrible."
He hums in response. I suppose there isn't much you can say about losing a quarter of your population.
"It feels rude to ask, but why don't you make good slaves? You're strong and I assume your females are beautiful if they look anything like you."
My face burns once I realize how my mouth got ahead of my mind.
He chuffs. "Thank you. Our females are definitely attractive. It has to do with how we respond to captivity. Males enrage to the point of destroying everything around us, including ourselves, rather than allow ourselves to be caged. Females are also difficult to capture, but rarely enrage. They simply waste away until they die."
A pain stabs my heart and dread spiders up my spine. "So your cousins . . ."
I can't finish the thought. It's too horrible to contemplate.
"Yes, they are likely dead. Unless they've been stored in cryochambers. But either way, they are irretrievable once they leave our system so we mourn as soon as we find out."
"If you are advanced enough that they steal from you, why don't you strike back?"
"The short answer is politics, but that doesn't tell you much. My ancestors were once bloodthirsty. Expanding out into nearby star systems. Picking fights with other species over resources. Fighting amongst themselves. We're a species particularly suited to dominating others. We gave it up, painfully, and now we fear it returning."
"That makes sense, I guess. Was it really that bad?"
"Well, we never stooped to the level of the despotic races like the genali and braceaaer. There was a code we followed, however barbaric it might seem now, and we didn't torture, rape, or sell anyone into slavery. That said, many people died. Some planetswere destroyed. It was such a difficult cultural transition for us that no one wants to lose what we gained."
"I see your point, actually. Humans don't have claws or venom and I know we couldn't be trusted if given the opportunity to take over the universe."
"Exactly. It left us vulnerable, though."
My forehead wrinkles. "But it sounds like you have some sort of defenses, so it isn't complete pacifism. The line seems drawn in a weird place. What's the harm in being more proactive?"
He chuffs. "I agree. They were still debating it last I heard, but I think this will bring us out of slumber. But not without fear and a lot of restrictions, especially ones on non-Abstainer males."
I wait, but he doesn't elaborate.
"And they are . . .?"
"Sorry. It's usually not a topic you discuss when you first meet someone. Being vague is a habit. It all comes down to our venom. And how using it can be addictive."
"Oh . . . Oh! It can lead to wars just for the opportunity to use it more."
"Excellent deduction. Abstainers remove the temptation along with the tip of the tail."
I grimace at the brutality, even as I understand the thought process. "At the risk of being culturally insensitive . . . I thinkif you're missing that many women, addiction is the lesser evil compared to extinction."
"Indeed. I hope our government realizes that before all the women we love are gone. You would think even one would have been enough, but no."
He falls silent after that. I loosen my grip with one hand and stroke along his neck.
