Page 25 of Accidentally Abducted (Nereidan Compatibility Program #1)
"I am willing," I say, making my decision. "Though I must warn that the experiences are... intense."
"I have lived through the Great Cataclysm and three species wars, Researcher," the Elder says with the faintest hint of amusement. "I believe I can manage your three days with a human."
I bow my head in acknowledgment, then extend my hands, palms upward in the traditional position for empathic sharing. Elder Va'ril places her weathered hands over mine, her bioluminescence shifting to the receptive pattern needed for connection.
I close my eyes, focusing on the memories I wish to share. Not the intimate moments, those remain private, but the ones that reveal Jake's true nature, his adaptability, his insight, his capacity for connection.
As the empathic link forms between us, I feel the Elder's ancient consciousness merge partially with mine, a presence both weightless and immensely powerful. The sensation is like floating in the deepest waters, surrounded by currents of thought and emotion that have flowed for centuries.
I guide her first to the kitchen area of my quarters, the memory of the first pancakes, gray and inedible.
Jake laughing not at me but with me, turning failure into a shared experience rather than a judgment.
"Heaven forbid alien children just learn to make cookies.
" Through the link, I share not just the visual memory but the warmth it carried, the absence of judgment, the immediate comfort in his presence.
The Elder's consciousness absorbs this, curious, probing deeper than I anticipated into the emotional texture of the moment.
I shift to the cleansing pools, Jake's wonder at the bioluminescent water, his immediate adaptation to an environment that many species find threatening.
The memory ripples with his delight, his complete lack of fear as he immersed himself in an alien element.
His questions about my world, genuine curiosity rather than mere politeness.
"Tell me about your world. Something I don't know yet.
Something I'll never see." The poignancy of that moment flows through the link, carrying the bittersweetness of our shared knowledge that our time was limited.
The Elder's presence stills, absorbing the depth of connection in that moment.
Next comes Jake's observation about food as love, as care.
"When someone's sick, we make them soup.
When we're celebrating, we bake cakes. When we want to show someone we care about them, we cook their favorite meal.
" The simple insight that transformed my understanding of human culture, revealing layers of meaning in what our research had dismissed as inefficient nutrient delivery.
Finally, I share his perception about our ship's design flaws, insights that our research team had missed despite cycles of analysis.
His ability to see beauty in physiological differences that many would find alienating, his immediate acceptance of my bioluminescence, his wonder at the empathic connection that formed between us.
Throughout it all, the emotional texture of these moments flows between us, the warmth, the connection, the sense of being truly seen and understood for the first time.
I feel the Elder's consciousness absorbing these experiences, her ancient awareness analyzing and integrating them with a depth I cannot fathom.
Her presence in my mind is careful, respectful, but thorough, examining the memories from angles I had not considered, finding layers of meaning I had not fully processed.
When I finally withdraw from the connection, Elder Va'ril's eyes remain closed, her bioluminescence pulsing with patterns I have never seen before, complex whorls of light that speak of deep emotional processing.
The chamber is utterly silent, the other Council members watching with varying degrees of concern and curiosity.
After what feels like an eternity, Elder Va'ril opens her eyes. Her gaze meets mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.
"This is... not what we expected," she says, her voice carrying a weight that silences even the whispers among the Council. "There is more here than our research indicated."
She turns to address the full Council, her bioluminescence gradually returning to its formal pattern.
"I have experienced the human Jake Morrison through Researcher Zeph'hai's empathic connection.
The depth of adaptive capacity, emotional intelligence, and connection potential exceeds our theoretical models. "
"With respect, Elder," Kav'eth interjects, his voice tight with concern, "a single subject, incorrectly acquired, at that, cannot provide sufficient data for species-wide conclusions."
"Agreed," Elder Va'ril says with a nod. "Which is why the assessment of the intended subject, Derek Cross, must proceed as planned."
My heart sinks at this confirmation. The program continues. Derek will be brought to a Nereidan vessel, subjected to the same protocols, perhaps forming his own connection with another researcher.
"However," the Elder continues, "this preliminary experience suggests significant potential that merits further exploration.
" She turns her gaze back to me. "Researcher Zeph'hai, your unique connection with this human represents a valuable opportunity.
I propose that you be assigned as official emissary to return to Earth and approach Jake Morrison regarding a formal role as cultural liaison for the integration program. "
I stare at her, struggling to process her words. Return to Earth. Return to Jake. With official sanction.
"This is unprecedented," Councilor Eth'nor protests. "We have no protocols for such an assignment."
"We have no protocols for strong empathic bonds with other species, yet here we are," Elder Va'ril counters. "Our survival requires adaptation. This program was established to find compatible partners for our people. We appear to have found one, however accidentally."
"The population projections grow more concerning each cycle," adds Councilor Myr'esh, whose specialization in demographics has made her one of the program's strongest advocates.
"At current rates, our sustainable population threshold will be breached within three generations.
We cannot afford to dismiss viable compatibility indicators due to procedural irregularities. "
"A cultural liaison," Elder Va'ril continues, "would provide invaluable guidance as we prepare for wider human contact. If this Jake Morrison has already formed an empathic bond and demonstrated such remarkable adaptability, he represents an ideal candidate for facilitating integration."
"And the Derek Cross assessment?" Kav'eth asks, his voice carefully neutral despite the tension visible in his posture.
Elder Va'ril turns to him, and I detect something in her expression that might almost be amusement. "That shall be your responsibility, Councilor Kav'eth."
A shocked murmur runs through the chamber. Kav'eth's bioluminescence flares with surprise and dismay.
"Elder, I am a Council member, not a field researcher," he protests. "I have no interest in direct contact with humans."
"That is precisely why you must do this," Elder Va'ril says firmly. "You remain skeptical. Experience this for yourself, bring your perspective back to the Council. If two such different brothers find value in humans, perhaps there truly is compatibility."
"I must concur with the Elder's wisdom," says Councilor Lyr'tha, though her bioluminescence betrays her surprise at this unconventional assignment. "A Council perspective on direct human interaction would provide valuable balance to our assessment."
Kav'eth opens his mouth to object further, then closes it, recognizing the futility of arguing with an Elder's decision. His gaze shifts to me, and I see the complex mixture of emotions behind his carefully controlled expression.
"The Council will recess to prepare the necessary protocols for both assignments," Elder Va'ril announces.
"Researcher Zeph'hai, you are to depart for Earth in seven days.
This will allow sufficient time for preparation and for initial notification to our people regarding the potential integration of the first human into our society.
Councilor Kav'eth, remain for briefing on your temporary assignment to the Research Collective. "
The formal dismissal tone sounds, and I bow deeply before turning to leave the chamber. As I walk toward the exit, I feel the weight of multiple gazes on my back, particularly my brother's.
The doors slide closed behind me, and I stand motionless in the antechamber, struggling to process what has just occurred. I am returning to Earth. To Jake. With the Council's blessing.
I am still standing there when the doors open again and Kav'eth emerges, his bioluminescence pulsing with barely contained agitation.
"What did you do?" he demands without preamble. "What did you share with the Elder?"
"The truth," I reply simply. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"You have manipulated this situation from the beginning," Kav'eth says, his voice low to avoid being overheard by the chamber attendants.
"First by continuing the assessment with the wrong human, then by forming an inappropriate attachment, and now by influencing the Elder with emotionally charged memories. "
"I shared what happened," I counter. "The Elder drew her own conclusions."
"And now I am to be sent to Earth like some novice researcher, to conduct an assessment that should have been completed days ago."
"Perhaps you will find the experience educational," I suggest, unable to resist.
Kav'eth steps closer, his voice dropping further. "This is not a game, Zeph'hai. Our people's future hangs in the balance. Whatever connection you believe you have formed with this human—"
"Jake," I interrupt. "His name is Jake."
"—with Jake Morrison," Kav'eth continues, the human name sounding strange in his formal cadence, "it cannot take precedence over the greater purpose of this program. You are being sent back to Earth as an emissary, not a mate-seeker."
"I understand my assignment."
"Do you?" Kav'eth studies me with the penetrating gaze that intimidated me as a juvenile.
"Because from what I observed in that chamber, you have lost all perspective.
You challenged the Council. You engaged in unauthorized empathic sharing.
You exhibited emotional responses that would disqualify a junior researcher from field work. "
"And yet I am being sent back to Earth," I point out.
Kav'eth's bioluminescence dims slightly. "Yes. Against my recommendation."
We stand in silence for a moment, the gulf between us wider than it has ever been. Finally, Kav'eth speaks again, his tone shifting to something that reminds me of our childhood.
"Be careful, brother," he says quietly. "Humans are an unproven quantity. Whatever connection you believe you have formed, remember that three days is nothing in the span of a lifetime."
"Some connections transcend time," I reply, thinking of Jake's words about food and care and love. About the empathic bond that persists even across interstellar distances.
Kav'eth shakes his head slightly. "I hope, for your sake and for our people's, that you are right." He straightens, his formal demeanor returning. "I depart for Earth in two cycles. The Derek Cross assessment will proceed according to original protocols."
"I understand." I hesitate, then add, "Try the pancakes. They're quite illuminating."
Kav'eth gives me a look of utter incomprehension before turning and walking away, his posture rigid with the burden of an assignment he never wanted.
I remain in the antechamber for several minutes after he leaves, processing the implications of the Council's decision. I am returning to Earth with official sanction. But so is my brother, to assess Derek, the human who was always supposed to be part of this program.
A week. Seven days until I can return to Jake.
The time frame is both frustratingly long and surprisingly brief for such a momentous shift in policy.
Already, notifications will be spreading through our communication networks, the first human will potentially be joining our society. Jake Morrison, cultural liaison.
How will he react to this offer? To being asked to leave his world behind, to become not just my partner but a representative of his entire species? It is an enormous responsibility, one he never signed up for.
I consider whether I should attempt to contact Jake through the emergency communicator, to warn him about Kav'eth's imminent arrival, about Derek's involvement, about the position being prepared for him.
But the communicators are meant for true emergencies only, and any unauthorized usage would be detected immediately, potentially jeopardizing my newly granted permission.
No, I will tell him everything in person. I will explain the program fully, offer him the role of cultural liaison, and... what? Ask him to leave his world for mine? Offer to stay on Earth with him? The logistics are overwhelming when examined in detail.
What if he refuses? What if three days was enough for me to develop lifelong attachment, but insufficient for a human? What if his feelings have already begun to fade with distance and time?
The doubts circle like predators in deep water, but beneath them runs a current of certainty that I cannot explain rationally. I know what we shared. I felt it through the empathic bond. Whatever his answer may be, I owe him the chance to make that choice with full information and agency.
As I make my way toward the preparation chambers, where I will be briefed on my official emissary duties, I find that the details matter less than the simple fact that I am returning to Jake.
For the first time since the blue light took him away, my bioluminescence begins to brighten, pulsing with a rhythm that feels right again.
I am going back to Earth.
I am going back to Jake.
And this time, I do not have to say goodbye.