This week I had to get back to the Ice Era Chronicles, but I did find some time to play around with a few ideas for Octnavin next. I might try giving all the aliens a story... We will see.
In the meantime, thanks for reading.
Be Well,
~M from C.M. Moore
***
*Chapter 18*
True. That could've been handled better.
Murry awoke to a soft bed of Nebos. He opened his eyes and glanced around the room. He was on Kel's bed on the ship. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. He scrubbed a hand over his face. The alien baby had been a nightmare.
Rolling over, Murry tossed his feet over the bed. As he stood, his stomach rumbled. He glanced down. He looked thin. His belly wasn't overly fat. Yes. It had all been a dream.
Walking to the bathroom, Murry showered and then studied the Nebos and the furniture. The room hummed with discord. Something about all this didn't feel right. He ran a hand over his belly button and then lower. The skin was smooth. The Nebos dried his body and then dressed him in blue pants and a matching robe shirt.
After he was dressed, Murry strolled around the room. He headed to the coffee table. Everything looked like the ship, but the room didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on what was off.
Murry set his hand on the corner of the eating table. The surface offered a huge spread of food and three large glasses of water. Suddenly, Murry was parched. He drank and drank and then called for Petey.
The green silk band that was been around his arm didn't come. Murry called again in his head. Petey didn't respond.
"Petey?" Murry looked around the room.
The door to the quarters opened and Kel walked inside. Immediately, Murry felt the change in Kel. The alien didn't greet him like normal. Keltrix stayed next to the exit. His mind was closed to Murry.
"Have you eaten?" Kel motioned to the table.
Murry shook his head.
"After you eat, JP and Rhylent will be taking you back to Earth. As you travel, remember to eat and care for yourself." Keltrix opened the drapes. The view wasn't space or even the hanger. The window showed a vast city of different sized buildings. Murry guessed he was easily thirty-feet up.
"Where am I?" Murry stared out at the city. "This is your home planet isn't it?"
"This is my home." Kel nodded. "You are in a wing in the palace."
Murry ran a hand over his hair. He'd noticed his hair's length in the shower. How long had he been sleeping? He thought about what Kel just said. He had to go back to Earth. Murry tipped his head to sideways glance at Kel. The alien looked haggard and thinner. He didn't look this bad since he'd had the run-in with the spider creature.
"Why am I going back to Earth?" Murry stepped closer to Kel, but the alien scooted away like touching Murry would light him on fire. He stepped to the other side of the coffee table.
"You know why. It is for the best. You are human and I am Dagerstanteen. It was silly to continue what we were doing. I have thought about it, and it is wrong."
Murry had never been dumped before and this rejection might be the worst thing he'd ever felt in the world. He straightened his spine. Nothing about this was correct. He placed a hand on his belly.
"That wasn't a dream was it?" Murry whispered. To know the answer to that question was almost too much, but Murry didn't want the situation sugar-coated "I can handle it. Tell me."
"You incubated my offspring." Kel refused to meet Murry's eyes.
"Where is Petey?" Murry had duel emotions. One, he was happy the thing was out of him, and two, Murry also hoped Petey didn't die. He thought about Kel's offspring trying to save his life. He argued and fought with passion on Murry's behalf to save him. An unborn baby went head to head with a king all for Murry. Petey wanted them to live.
"My offspring is with JP," Kel said quietly.
"How did you get him out of me? Men don't give birth."
"I am sorry, Murry. I did not actively implant you. I swear I never purposely fed you a fertilized egg. I would never put you in that kind of danger."
Kel dodged the question, but Murry wasn't going to let it go this time.
"Did you pull him out of my ass?" Murry bit his lip and had the urge to pull off his pants and check. He had to know what they did to him while he was sleeping. If he didn't know, the question would haunt him forever. "I don't have a womb or a vagina. I think I have a new appreciation for my mom."
"While you slept, JP cut your abdomen open and removed my offspring from your stomach. We used advanced technology to put you back together. Humans are easy to heal. You are fine. No scar."
"Like a cesarean birth?"
"Yes. Like that." Kel wouldn't look at him but stared at the food. "We have never left an offspring inside of another species that long. He was big. Normally, our offspring only grow to the size of a human child's fist. Petey, as you call him, was almost the size of an adult male's fist." Kel ran a tentacle over his face. "I did not hear him. He was so scared that he was silent when I was around. I did not know." Kel shook his head. "He is strong and he was able to block me at will."
"He is blocking me too now." Murry didn't know how he felt about that. He was Petey's father, kind of, and the baby should not ignore his dad.
"He is scared of you. You pictured him ripping your body apart. We both saw the images."
Murry nodded. That made sense, but he'd been frightened. Could Keltrix blame Murry for the images? He didn't even give him a heads up on the situation or that Murry could incubate. No one told him. If he did it again, the next time would be better.
Next time.
Murry frowned and wrapped his arms about his body. There wouldn't be the next time. Kel wanted Murry to leave. JP and Rhylent were taking him home.
Turning to the window, Murry studied the buildings, roads, walkways, and the peach sky. The clouds misted around mountains in the distance. Kel's home planet was beautiful and he was leaving it. He was leaving Keltrix. It was over.
"Now that I provided you with an offspring you are done with me." Murry swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He'd been a fool. He'd been used. Their love had been an illusion. Murry never thought that Kel only wanted him to create his next generation, but what did he know about relationships, alien or human? "That was all it was about? You wanted to use me."
"You will go home, but I will not have you thinking that about me." Kel crossed the room and grabbed Murry by the biceps. He spun him around. They were face to face. Kel glared. "I cared for you deeply, Murry-cat. I still care for you. Maybe now more than ever. It is why I am sending you home. I will not risk you incubating my offspring again. For some reason, you seemed to have control of my cycle. Since I am not able to protect you, the best thing is to send you away from me."
"I bet Octnavin is happy about your decision," Murry grumbled. He certainly wasn't, but he didn't know how to fight for what he wanted.
"On the contrary, Octnavin asked to keep you here so we can reproduce more, but I will never put you through that again. I will not risk your sanity. Two Dagerstanteen's in your brain was too much for you. You could have lost yourself."
Murry tipped his head and stared into Kel's eyes. The alien looked troubled by the mere idea that Murry could go insane. If Murry had just known it was Kel's baby, he would've been fine. He was fine when he thought it was his Nebos talking.
"So now Octnavin wants me here." Murry smirked. How the tables had turned. "One kid and the king is all about me."
"My offspring is the first in ten thousand human years." Kel retracted his tentacles off Murry's arm but didn't step away. "Yes. Our leader is all about you. I do not know how you stayed sane with both my thoughts and his in your head. It has never been done before. My species made peace with the idea that we could no longer reproduce a long time ago. You actually gave Octnavin hope."
"What about you? You want more offspring?"
