Sarai

— we won’t — take kindly tolosing our independence, no matter what your representatives oryour king or your fucking Galactic Planetary — ”
“PanGalacticFederation —
“Whatever-the-fuck-it-is says will happen won’t happen,because that’s not how were made. You think we’ll let any of youjust walk in and take over?” He shook his head. “No way — we’llresist you as well as the Zill.”
Somethingelse occurred to him. “What cost? You said “cost,” whatcost?”
Alekynleaned back in his seat. “It is very reasonable,” he observed.“Simply that others of your kind will become sarai.”
“I don’tknow what that means,” Jamie snapped. “You keep calling me that,but I don’t know what you mean!”
Alekyn stoodup, towering over Jamie. “You are a sarai, Jamie — mysarai.”
“Nope, stillnot registering. I’m guessing some kind of servant. I heard thedoctor — the healer — say I’d carry your luggage.”
“Luggage?”Alekyn repeated, confused himself. “Why would you carry my luggage?We have perfectly good personal transporters for that.”
“Huh?” Jamiestared him. “But that doctor, healer, whatever — he said I’d carryyour kits …”
Alekyninclined his head. “Yes, you will carry my kits — my pardlings, mysarai.”
“Pardlings?”Jamie repeated blankly. “What the hell are pardlings?”
____________________________
THECONVERSATION WITH HIS SARAI was not goingwell. Alekyn surveyed Jamie, admiring the rosy flush blooming onhis pale cheeks. “My offspring — and yours, of course.”
He wasn’texpecting the sudden explosion of mirth from his sarai. Once hestarted, it seemed Jamie couldn’t stop laughing.
“God,” hespluttered eventually, holding his ribs, “for an instant I thoughtyou really meant that I’d have your children…"Mars needs ourwomen"!” He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “Anal probes andbabies.”
“Well, yes,”Alekyn responded seriously, “although I’m sorry about the analprobe — it is a standard test the healers give whenever theyexamine a new species, or so Healer Tiff told me.”
“Done now,”said Jamie, with the air of forgiving all sins. “I guess I can livewith it. But pardlings!”
He chortledagain, “Dude, you picked the wrong variety of human forthat.”
Alekyncleared his throat nervously. He had briefly surveyed some of theinternet material Bram had uploaded — it was voluminous and mostlyrubbish, as far as he could see, but it did tell the Naferiresearchers some interesting facts about their Foretimercousins.
“Jamie,” hesaid carefully, “we know that your species is closely related toours.”
“Yeah, sure,man,” Jamie was still chuckling. “Except for the cat-thing you’vegot going with the ears and the tabby stripes.”
“Cosmeticdifferences only, mere adaptations to dominant prevailing planetaryconditions.” Alekyn tried not to be offended by Jamie’s levity,knowing his sarai had no idea of the diversity of life beyond hissmall blue home planet.
“Sure, whatever, dude,” Jamienodded. “Evolution, right across it, man, stands to reason similarbiological imperatives would apply across the universe…”
Alekyn wasrelieved. At least his sarai understood the basics. “I’m glad youunderstand.”
He paused.The next bit was going to be a tad more awkward to explain.“Jamie,” he began cautiously, “I know from your internet—”
“You havethe internet?” Jamie asked excitedly. “Great! My brothers, Theo andMatt, have Gmail accounts…let me email them to let them know I’mokay.”
Alekyn shookhis head. “That will not be possible, my sarai.
“Oh.”
The singlesyllable contained a wealth of disappointment. Alekyn felt awful,as if he’d stolen candy from a pardling.
“No,” heresponded carefully, “but we will be able to contact your brotherslater.”
“When?”Jamie insisted. “I mean, you’ve already sent representatives fromyour GalPan-whatever thingy …
“PanGalacticFederation,” Alekyn corrected patiently. “PanGal forshort.”
“Whatever.But why can’t you let me contact my brothers?”
“Later,”Alekyn insisted firmly. “Jamie, listen to me, please. There is muchto explain and you keep diverting me —”
He sucked ina big breath and let it out slowly. “We know your species —humankind — has three sexes — male, female and transgender, andthat there is an enormous variability in the expression of thosegenders.”
“Yeah, allof that. So what?”
“My species— the Naferi …er…has only one gender.”
Jamie felthis jaw drop. He tilted his head to one side, examining Alekyn’stall form with great interest. Were the Naferi hermaphrodites? No,wait, there were some species on earth that bred by splitting inhalf…was that what Alekyn meant? Did the Naferi split top tobottom, right down the middle? Or did they become amorphous blobsthat divided like cells?
Urgh, justimagining it was revolting. He shivered and studied Alekyndiscreetly. Neither of those options seemed likely and right atthis moment nothing disgusting looked like it was going tohappen.
“Onegender,” he sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”
He wasn’tsure what to say next, but agreeing generally with what Alekyn wassaying seemed the best way to go. “What does that have to do withme or with humans?”
“The Naferiare much more advanced than your kind — technologically, Imean.”
Well, thatwas pretty unarguable.
“We’re a bitbehind you,” Jamie conceded, “but we already have interplanetarytravel to our moon and Mars, and soon maybe the planets aroundSaturn and Neptune. And we’ve made great advances in genetics andphysics and —”
“Yes,genetics,” Alekyn interrupted, “just what I was getting to — I’mnot a scientist, mind, just a soldier, but it’s possible — well,more than possible, because it’s been done for a long time, justnot with your species, but with other species that have given ussarai —”
“Sarai…that’s what you called me, when you said that I wasyour mate.”
“Yes, mymate — you are my sarai, my life partner.”
Jamie staredat him, eyes huge and suspicious.
“Go on,” hesaid hoarsely.
“Jamie,”Alekyn reached over to grasp Jamie’s hands, “from the moment Itouched you, smelled your scent, you became my life— my everything,my reason for being…”
Jamie wasshaking his head slowly, disbelievingly. Alekyn hauled him out ofhis chair, cradling him against his chest. “I knew, Jamie, thatfrom that moment onwards and forever you are mine.”
“No!” Jamiestruggled to pull free. “That’s not how it works for me, forhumans,” he said desperately. “We mate, but often not for life andit has…it has to be mutual — you can’t just decide that I belong toyou and keep me.”
“Jamie, I’mafraid that’s just what it does mean…you are my sarai and withoutyou I will not properly live. I can never let you go.”
“No, that’snot true!” Jamie pulled a hand free and bunched it into a fist. Hehit Alekyn as hard as he could and then whimpered, shaking hishand. What was the alien made of — rock? “Dammit! You’re goingto let me go home, and you’re going to do it now.”
Alekyn stoodup,