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Nirrn

Nirrn’s long tail coiled beneath him as he made another note in his datapad. The examination room’s sterile white walls seemed to close around him, matching his somber mood. His patient, a young human female, fidgeted on the biobed while he reviewed her test results.

“Everything appears to be in order, Ms. Smith. Your hormone levels are optimal for the procedure.”

“Thank you, Healer Nirrn.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Will it… will it hurt?”

“The implantation is painless. We use targeted nanites to ensure proper placement.” His golden eyes softened at her obvious nervousness. “The Karthian couple you’re matched with has an excellent genetic compatibility rating.”

The woman’s shoulders relaxed. “They seemed nice. Very… blue.”

Nirrn’s orange scales rippled with subtle amusement. “Indeed. The Karthians are known for their coloring.” He transferred the approved paperwork to the central database. “Please schedule your follow-up with reception on your way out.”

After she left, Nirrn allowed his professional mask to slip. His tail twitched restlessly as he stared at the growing list of successful matches on his screen. Three hundred and twenty-seven. That’s how many families he’d helped create since arriving on Jorvla.

“Computer, end shift report.”

The ambient lighting in the examination room dimmed as he gathered his belongings and left.

The corridors of Jorvla’s central surrogacy clinic buzzed with activity—other healers, nurses, human female surrogates, and prospective parents of dozens of species all seeking the same thing: creating a family.

His orange scales glinted from the fading sunlight streaming through the hallway windows as he made his way to the front of the clinic. The shimmering golden light reminded him of his home planet. Of Nirum, where he’d trained as a master healer, and where he’d expected to find his own mate.

“Healer Nirrn?” his assistant’s voice crackled through his comm device. “Another patient is requesting to be seen today.”

“Send her in tomorrow morning. I’m done for today.”

His massive frame filled the doorway as he exited the surrogacy clinic, ducking slightly despite the raised ceiling designed for various alien species.

The ache in his chest deepened. There he was, surrounded by new beginnings every day, yet his own life felt stagnant.

His quarters would be empty again tonight, no mate to share his achievements with, no little ones to nurture.

Just another evening of reviewing medical journals and convincing himself that was enough for him.

His powerful tail propelled him through the crowded streets of Jorvla’s underground sector as he headed for the market. His towering frame caused smaller species to dart out of his path. Five years. Five long years since he had left the pristine medical facilities of Nirum for this… this chaos.

The sector’s dilapidated buildings pressed in around him, their worn facades a stark contrast to the sleek government district where his clinic resided.

As he approached the market, a Jorvlen merchant’s filaments waved frantically as she haggled with a human female over nutrient supplements at the front entrance.

Two Niri warriors slithered past, their mates perched contentedly in their arms.

His scales bristled with suppressed emotion. Yet another reminder of his loneliness.

“Fresh produce!” a vendor’s cry pierced through his brooding.

The market sprawled before him, a maze of stalls and shops crammed between crumbling structures. His datapad blinked with his shopping list, but his heart wasn’t in it. A young Niri couple passed by, their scales gleaming as they examined baby supplies at a nearby stall.

“What about this one, love?” The female held up a tiny sleeping pod.

“Perfect for our little one,” her mate replied, nuzzling her neck.

Nirrn’s tail twitched, and he turned away. The market’s pungent mix of alien spices and unwashed bodies couldn’t mask the bitter taste in his mouth. Here he was, a master healer, helping others start their families while his own dreams of finding a mate slipped further away with each passing day.

“Healer Nirrn!” A passing human nodded respectfully. She was one of his current patients, though he couldn’t recall her name. Her rounded belly showed her surrogacy was progressing well.

He tilted his head slightly, maintaining his professional demeanor despite the hollowness he felt in his chest. As he continued on, his golden eyes swept over the market stalls, barely registering the items he needed.

Food didn’t matter. Nothing really mattered anymore except going through the motions, maintaining the facade of the successful and composed healer everyone expected him to be.

His massive frame cast shadows over the smaller beings as he wound between the stalls, his orange scales catching the dying light of Jorvla’s sun.

The gold undertones in his scales seemed duller today, he thought, as if somehow mirroring his darkened mood.

Maybe he was just tired of pretending he was fine.

A flash of movement suddenly caught Nirrn’s attention—a small figure darting between market stalls with peculiar urgency.

His golden eyes narrowed as he tracked the human female’s progress through the shadows.

She moved with purpose, checking over her shoulder every few steps, her worn medical bag clutched close to her chest.

His healer’s instincts prickled. Something about her furtive movements set off warning signals in his mind. His sturdy tail pushed him forward quickly, keeping to the deeper shadows as he followed her path through the market’s maze-like passages.

The woman disappeared down a concealed stairwell between two abandoned buildings. Nirrn’s scales rippled with interest as he slithered closer. The passage reeked of mold and decay, but underneath lay the sharp tang of antiseptic.

His towering frame barely fit through the narrow opening. The stairs led to a dimly lit underground chamber that branched off into several makeshift rooms. Medical equipment hummed softly in the background.

“Just breathe slowly,” the woman’s voice drifted from one of the rooms. “The contractions will ease in a moment.”

Nirrn coiled his tail beneath him, pressing against the wall as he observed the scene before him.

The human female moved between three beds, each holding a pregnant woman in various stages of distress.

Used medical supplies littered every surface.

More humans huddled in the shadows, some sporting injuries, others clearly malnourished.

His professional eye cataloged multiple violations of medical safety protocols. The equipment was outdated, and the conditions were unsanitary. Yet the human healer worked with steady hands and quiet confidence, her movements precise despite the primitive conditions.

“There we go,” she murmured to another patient. “The infection is responding to treatment. Keep taking the antibiotics exactly as I showed you.”

Nirrn’s chest tightened uncomfortably as he watched her work. Such defiance of Jorvlen law could result in severe punishment, yet she showed no fear. Her determination to help these people, regardless of the personal dangers, stirred something deep within him—an instinct he’d thought long dormant.

His scales tingled with awareness as she passed near his hiding spot.

Up close, he could see the exhaustion etched on her face and the way her hands trembled slightly as she prepared another injection.

She was pushing herself too hard and taking too many unnecessary risks.

The thought of Jorvlen authorities discovering this place made his protective instincts flare unexpectedly.

A patient’s groan drew her attention back to the beds. “I’m coming,” she called softly. “Just hold on.”

Nirrn’s fingers flexed against the handle of his medical bag as he watched her work.

His medical training screamed at him to step in—to correct the angle of that needle, to adjust the dosage calculations scratched on that worn datapad, and to properly sterilize those instruments.

The orange scales along his shoulders bristled with tension as another patient moaned.

“Easy now,” the human healer murmured, wiping sweat from the patient’s fevered brow. “The pain medication will kick in soon.”

His golden eyes tracked her movements as she steadily worked, noting how she maximized every step and every gesture—no wasted motion and no hesitation.

Despite the crude conditions, her technique showed years of experience.

The way she positioned herself between patients, always keeping the most critical cases in her line of sight, spoke of someone who’d learned to manage multiple emergencies simultaneously.

A young woman clutched her swollen belly, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t… I can’t afford the surrogacy clinic fees,” she whispered. “The baby is going to die…”

“Not while I’m here,” the healer promised, her voice fierce with conviction. “We’ll figure something out.”

Something stirred within Nirrn—an echo of that same passion he’d felt when he’d first taken his healer’s oath.

His tail coiled tighter under him as memories surfaced: his graduation ceremony in Nirum’s grand medical building, and the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders as he swore to use his skills to protect and heal.

The human female’s dedication to these desperate patients, her willingness to sacrifice herself to help them in secret… it resonated with something deep inside him. His hands tingled with the need to join her, to share his expertise, and to ease some of her burden.

She moved to check another patient’s vitals, her movements growing more sluggish with fatigue. The dark circles under her eyes spoke of too many sleepless nights. Without proper rest, she’d make mistakes. Without assistance, she’d burn herself out.

A patient’s monitor beeped erratically. The healer turned, stumbling slightly as exhaustion caught up with her. Nirrn’s powerful frame tensed, ready to surge forward and catch her if needed. He set his medical bag down carefully on the ground, trying not to make a sound.

She steadied herself against a makeshift exam table and then froze.

Her head snapped up. He thought she sensed his presence, and he would be discovered watching her in the shadows.

He held his breath, waiting for her to approach him and demand answers.

But instead, she moved toward the patient’s bed and pressed a button on the patient’s monitor to silence the alarm.

He slowly let out his breath, relieved that she hadn’t spotted him quite yet.

He needed more time to formulate an explanation of why he was down here in the first place.