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The current plan takes twenty to ensure that all the human females are fully matured before sending them to other planets where they might be useful and letting those who aren’t useful die right here in this stadium when we’ve finished what we were sent to do.

I’ve changed the plan, though, and I’ve altered it for the better. I just hope he can see that and be willing to advocate for my plan to help save as many humans as I can.

“I have reason to believe that the inhabitants of planet 87.39.49 are preparing their tribe to accommodate even more females.” I pause to see how the elder reacts. When his energy pauses and begins to ripple quicker, I know he’s interested.

Amarithlumonarion isn’t a male who enjoys needless killing, and if I can prove to him that fewer lives end this way, there’s a good chance I can continue with my plan.

Right now, I only need his approval to continue since he’s the elder assigned to Unit A.

As soon as we start allowing more females through, it will need approval from the collective as a whole.

I can’t see many of them caring if one primitive species is sent to live with another in greater quantities.

“What reasons are they?”

“Personal communications with the inhabitants of one of the tribes,” I say. I stand tall so as not to let him know that inside, I know he could call for my execution for communicating with a species without prior authorization.

We were already reprimanded pretty harshly for using female hormones on the inhabitants of planet 87.

39.49 when they were asleep to aid in the mating process.

That was when they didn’t know of us. Now I’ve told an elder that I’ve spoken with this primitive species and didn’t even try to hide that I was other.

“Show me,” Amarithlumonarion says, reaching out an extension of his energy to me.

It’s a way of communicating our thoughts, memories, and experiences with one another without offering them up to the entirety of the collective.

I hesitate for only a moment before allowing myself to reach out to him and show him my conversations with Ralleth and his mate, Olivia.

The memories flash by like a whirlwind of information that will seem to Amarithlumonarion as though they’re his own memories.

The first time I stepped foot on the planet and let them all see me for who I am.

How I told them, I had a plan to bring more women if they were able to make enough homes and find enough food.

The few other conversations I’ve had with Ralleth before the storms came and stopped me from returning to the planet because of electrical interference.

In less than fifty days, the tribe will be ready for fifty new humans to join them, and there will be room for more after that.

“Fifty humans every hundred days?” Amarithlumonarion asks.

“Currently, that’s the estimation of a healthy trickle for them. We may have to adjust when the electrical storms come because they do cause a danger to the humans and the inhabitants of the planet.”

“How many humans would that leave in the stadiums after they’re all sent?”

“Far too many. With how they’ve been reacting to the females being sent to the planet, I don’t predict more than the estimation of two thousand wanting to be sent anyway,”

It’s not that I want the majority of these women to perish.

In fact, I’d love it if all of them wanted to come to planet 87.

39.49 with the others. They could live long, healthy lives there if they could get over the part where the males look different and learn to live without the same amenities they might be used to.

My estimation of two thousand wanting to leave is on the high end, though, and that’s with sending all of the orphaned children.

“Do you have any data to back up your numbers?”

I cycle through my memories for a recent survey I sent out to all of the subunits of Unit A to get a feel for how many women would be willing to leave if it meant being on a new planet with the possibility of mating with a different species.

I was even able to get a visual sketch of what the inhabitants look like so the respondents had all the information they could need.

Out of the thirteen thousand females currently being housed who are of the human age of adulthood, only fifteen hundred said they’d be willing to leave.

“And the remainder?” Amarithlumonarion asks.

“I’d recommend offering them sanctuary until their lives end or transferring them to one of the other units.

There’s one just to the south of this continent where they’re having more success in sending larger quantities of females.

Maybe we could work out a deal where the remainders are held in one unit until they die, and then we can leave this planet? ”

I can hope and want for the collective to agree to house these creatures until they perish from natural causes. It’s more likely the collective will vote on eliminating the remaining humans from this unit as soon as I complete the transfer of females to planet 87.39.49.

Amarithlumonarion doesn’t respond with any negatives or positives to what I’ve said. It leads me to believe he thinks I’m being too optimistic with how I want the plan to go on the Earth side of things.

“If my plan goes through, I’d request to be the correspondent of planet 87.39.49,” I add when the silence has grown to an uncomfortable level.

Amarithlumonarion says nothing for a long moment, and I think he’s going to ask more about why I’d want to take over the care of a primitive planet.

They’re considered jobs for those who lack the capability of having more depend on them.

It’s not a job that many ask to take, especially not ones who are also offering species-saving plans to help other primitive species.

If my plan works and saves the collective ten years of having to waste their time in this unit, I’ll be offered a promotion.

Staying on as the planet’s babysitter will be frowned upon by many.

“I’ll recommend you for the position since the Hand who was sent there two Creators ago has been silent for some time now.

So long as you’re taking the position for the correct reasons, there should be no issues.

” Amarithlumonarion’s body begins to hum as he prepares to transport back to the ship he’s staying.

He begins to disappear as he’s transported back to his ship. I don’t know what causes me to ask, but I can’t help but blurt out, “What’s the correct reason?”

I’m not surprised when I don’t get a response from him. In fact, as soon as his body has fully disappeared from my lab, I’m back to going over the results of the females of Unit A12.

A few minutes pass when the elder calls out in my mind again. “A fated is a blessing. None would keep you from them.”

I grimace at the words because I know none of the others would keep me from Simone. No, they’d do the opposite. They’d force us onto one of the ships out in the planet’s atmosphere, where we’d spend most of our time in a single bedroom, attempting to create another mind for the collective.

When a fated is found, their sole purpose is to create more Hands.

It’s why I’ve kept my relationship with Simone a secret, why I allowed her to go through the transport to planet 87.

39.49. I hate every moment of being away from her.

If I’d told the others I found my fated, I wouldn’t be able to help anyone else.

Simone’s friends would be separated, the other women who want a chance at a new life wouldn’t get it, and planet 87.

39.49 wouldn’t have a chance of creating a whole new species.

It’s why I’ve kept Simone a secret and why I’ll keep her a secret until I can find a way to sever the tie between the collective’s mind and mine.