Page 11 of Redondo (Mates of the Mylos #7)
CHAPTER 11
REDONDO
“Hey,” Yllip said, walking into the clinic.
I craned my neck to look around him. “Your parents didn’t come?”
“No,” he replied breezily, waving a hand dismissively. “They knew this was just a routine language acquisition, so they decided to settle in the rooms and freshen up before lunch.”
I nodded. “Papa’s already gone in. Father is with him and is due to go next.”
“Okay, well, I best go check in so they know I’ve shown up.”
He left me to walk up to the desk to speak with the assistant medic manning the station. He returned several moments later.
“Looks like I’m right after you,” he grinned. “And it also appears they’ve noted my pending request to join your Clutch.”
I stared at him in surprise. “You talked it over with them already?”
He shook his head. “I don’t need their permission. I’m joining a family unit, not abandoning one. They are still my parents, and my siblings are my siblings.”
“But you are going to talk to them about it, so they understand it, right?’
“I will, but even if they don’t like it, it’s done. I’ve applied, and all it needs is your approval.”
“Mine? I thought they needed my father’s!”
“Apparently not. Your fathers applied for the designation of the family unit to be recognized as a Clutch, but as you are the only Dragonii by blood…”
“I’m head of the household,” I finished, closing my eyes as it sank in. I reopened them, gusting out a sigh. “It makes sense.”
“You just need to reply to the message they sent you and it’s complete,” he said.
I checked my kunnarskyn. It had vibrated a few times while I sat here waiting for Papa to come out, but after seeing the requests from the press to set up an interview to tell everyone how it felt to be the first Dragonii to graduate from the Fleet Academy, I’d ignored it, thinking they were more of the same. They were, except one from Fleet Legal and another from the Academy’s Office of Events, reminding us all of what time our ceremony was, as if we could possibly forget. I opened the one from Fleet Legal, and it was just as Yllip had said, a request for me to verify via reply that Yllip was being accepted into my Clutch as a brother. I took a deep breath and quickly tapped out a confirmation, pressed my thumb against the screen, and hit send. I hoped I hadn’t just made a terrible mistake that would cost my best friend in all the universe his family.
“It will be okay,” Yllip reassured me.
“But what if they are opposed to the idea?”
He shrugged. “Then they’ll get mad and get over it.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then they don’t. Listen, I’m fond of them all, but this is my life and I get to choose how I want to live it. Not my parents. Not my siblings. Me.”
“Well, now, also me,” I said, pointing at my face. “Head of the Clutch,” I deadpanned.
He laughed. “Tell that to your fathers.”
I shook my head side to side vigorously. “No way. I’ll just make sure they think everything is their own idea.”
“Yeah, that probably would be the smart thing to do.”
The door leading to the treatment rooms opened, and both Papa and Father came out.
“Ugh, the headache as they integrated was the worst,” Papa complained.
“But you’re okay, right?” I asked him.
“Well, yeah. It didn’t last long. Only enough time that you sit there thinking how much it hurts, and then BAM! All gone. Then they make you drink some electrolytes and test your language acquisition.”
“While they were jabbering away in English, I had my nanites injected,” Father said. “It felt like I’d been stabbed in the head, but passed after several breaths. You’ll be fine.”
“Redondo?” The assistant medic called out, looking around.
I stood up and went to the desk. “I’m Redondo.”
She smiled and pointed. “If you’ll go back through there, they are waiting for you in the room whose door is second on the right.”
I gave her a nod, then turned to make my way to the door. I’d had language nanites before, back when I was five. Usually, children weren’t given them as they soaked up new information like a sponge, new languages included. But my terror and their need to communicate with me saw the decision made to give them to me. I’d been asleep when it happened, though, so I hadn’t felt any of the side effects. I simply woke up fluent in both Mylos and Galactic Standard. I did remember what came after, though - the language test where they held up objects and pictures and asked me what they were, and I had to answer first in Mylos, then in Galactic Standard. An extended version of the test followed, as a linguist came to record my answers in Dragonii. They used the results to extrapolate a working translator, and with that, they approached the Dragonii. The rest is history.
The Mylos medic in the room I was sent to looked startled when I came in. He quickly schooled his features, however. I was used to that reaction. Many Mylos were not used to being so much shorter, and indeed, even among the rest of the Galactic citizenry, we Dragonii easily loomed over nearly all of them. This Mylos smiled ruefully as he gestured for me to climb onto the medi-bed.
“If you’ll lie down for me, I’ll make this quick. I’m afraid your feet are probably going to hang off a bit, most likely, but I promise to have a word with Supply so they get us some larger beds. I’m sure you won’t be the last Dragonii we get through here.”
I smile at him, careful to not flash too much fang. “Probably not. I heard that the recruiting posters featuring me in the lab and piloting a shuttle have gathered the interest of at least five more who will start at one of the campuses next term.”
His smile grew. “How exciting! I was thrilled when we opened our Fleet Academies to other species within the Council. It’s an easy way to expand our cultural reach and gain a better understanding of that of others.”
I nodded, climbing up onto the bed. He hummed to himself as he read my vital signs on the monitor above the bed.
“Your heart rate is slightly elevated, but that’s to be expected. It’s been a very exciting few days for you, which I’m sure you’re very happy about. That and the fact that your fathers no doubt told you about the terrible headaches they experienced for several moments.” He grimaced. “Unavoidable, I’m afraid, but thankfully extremely brief.”
“I have to admit I’m not looking forward to that part,” I admitted as he lifted the hypo towards my neck.
“If you’ll turn your head, please, so I may inject them at the base of your skull.”
I complied and felt the cool press of the metal against my skin, followed by the cold feeling of the nanites entering my body after a small sting from the injector spray.
Headache was too small a word to describe the agony that followed a few heartbeats later. My vision seared white, and I closed my eyes as the light became too much to bear. Every small sound I could discern was suddenly far too loud. My brain felt as if someone was trying to turn it into mush. All this as I panted for several breaths as I tried to survive it. Then, the bliss of nothing as the pain suddenly ceased, and the world went back to normal around me.
I blinked. “That’s it?” I croaked.
He chuckled. “Yes.”
“Thank the stars,” I replied fervently. “I was beginning to wish I could scoop my brains out just so I could make it stop.”
“That’s a common reaction, I’m afraid. Unfortunately, no one has yet figured out a way to have the patient not feel the pain, at least not while conscious.”
“I’m glad I was asleep when they gave me my first lot as a youngling,” I admitted. “So, now we do the test to see if it took?”
“No need,” the medic chuckled once more. “We’ve both been speaking English this entire time.”
I barked out a laugh as I sat up, realizing he was right. “Well, that worked, then,” I said, this time in Mylos.
He handed me an electrolyte drink from a small tray. “Drink this, and then as long as you feel steady on your feet, you may go. Some require a short recovery time, others find they are good to go immediately.”
I swigged down the liquid, ignoring the slightly oily, too sweet taste. I handed him the empty container, which he put into the recycler. Then I counted to ten, decided I felt like I normally did, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. So far, so good. I stood up. I was steady on my feet as expected.
“Thanks.”
He grinned up at me.
“Always good to have another happy customer,” he quipped. “Please let them know out front to send in the next one.”
I took a step and came to the conclusion that going a bit slower than usual was a good idea. I was out the door and down the short stretch of hall before my brain caught up with quite where the floor was for my feet while moving. I opened the door and made my way to the desk.
The assistant medic there looked up with a smile. “He asked for the next one, huh?”
“He did,” I smiled back.
I returned to my seat beside Papa.
“Was it as bad as they said?” Yllip asked, his turquoise scales flaring along his jaw as he psyched himself up to face what was coming next.
“Worse, but over in a flash,” I admitted.
“Yllip,” the assistant medic called, and he stood up, a look of resignation on his face.
Papa laughed as he walked past.
“You look like a male on his way to his doom,” he teased him, causing Yllip to square his shoulders.
‘I’ve got this,” he muttered, stalking towards first the desk, then the door.
I didn’t envy him one bit. If I never had another set of language nanites again, it would be too soon.