ã€ŠHuman Trauma(Book One Stubbed. Book Two Stubbed. Book Three In Progress)ã€‹


 Prologue

    Draun station was a moderately sized relay station built on the agricultural world of Renoural in the Rentix star cluster. The site sported one of the best medical sites, spaceport, and city the Galactic Union had to offer. While it was one of the most far out there locations the Galactic Union had, it is considered one of the prime examples of what the Union should be, with aliens of all sizes, shapes, colors, and compositions living and working side by side towards improving each other''s lives.

    Those who moved out here for the opportunity to see the city and start their lives anew found the location pleasant and inviting. In contrast, the personnel assigned here by the Galactic Union were strong-armed to go to the station. Sent out here as either part of a ¡°wizening experience¡± to help give them a proper perspective on what the universe could be like or as a commitment so they will be allowed to continue to advance their career.

    Harnsis had been sent out as part of the latter, being told by his director at the time that if he did not take the assignment, he could forget about ever being put in charge of a hospital and claiming the coveted position of Director.

    Before Draun, Harnsis had spent four standard years working on a cushy assignment on his home world of Thur¡¯atak. Where he was a middle manager for a Trauma Unit at a minor collective high in the mountains, calling where he worked a trauma unit seemed like a joke in retrospect. The most trauma he would see was a young fledgling who needed their broken wing splinted or a panicked first-time mother whose hatchling was having trouble during their first molt.

    In comparison, Draun was a rude awakening to what a trauma unit could genuinely be. Each day was a new challenge and experience. He had confronted millions of injuries in the last three standard years, ranging from superficial lacerations that take little more than some hemostatic or glue. On other days, he would tackle far more complex radiation burns that would have him performing surgeries for almost an entire local cycle.

    The difficulty of always thinking on your feet was only complicated further by having to constantly refer to deep lexicons of medical journals regarding each species that ended up in the ward''s beds.

    Before his arrival, Harnsis never knew he could learn on the fly how to remove a necrosed flight bladder from a Rulian¡¯s gut while his triage nurse held a datapad with instructions on how to do so, but he knows that he can now. The challenges he had confronted and overcame had changed him considerably. He was far wiser and far more experienced than he ever thought possible¡ªthere was nothing he and the team underneath him could not conquer if given enough time and resources.

    Today began like many others since he arrived at Draun. Harnsis woke up, stretched, and ate a simple breakfast of fruit syrup and water. Afterward, he hustled over to the nearby sporting complex to fly laps to push any remnants of sleep away. Luckily, only a few other early morning risers were taking up airspace around the track today. There were no jostling or crass words about him needing to speed up by far faster and younger flyers. He could simply meditate on his morning and coast through the warm summer air. It was wonderful!

    Shortly after that, he fluttered his way down the busy streets of Draun City proper, weaving around the other residents as they started their day. The bright twin suns gradually rose over the Horizon, interlocked in their eternal cosmic dance. Their radiance illuminated the thin fog coating the city, giving the streets a brilliant orange glow.

    Once Harnsis had made it to the office, he settled into his usual duties of overseeing simple procedures and making diagnosis calls based on the triage nurse''s information. He had almost reached the end of the work shift, with little else other than day-in, day-out treatments. A broken bone here, a laceration there¡ªnothing he had to think too much about.

    He sank into his plush leather chair and stared at the clock, watching the hands tick ever closer to when he could hand the ward over to his nocturnal counterpart, Dr. Faru¡¯os. The lingering ticking almost hypnotized him, and his mind wandered to imagining the lovely dinner date he and his wife would be out on shortly.

    Harnsis nearly fell out of his chair in shock when alert alarms screamed at him, ripping him from his daydreaming. The sudden sirens sent a wave of anxiety through him, causing the bone-like hackles on his shoulders to rise briefly, readying themselves to fight or flee from a non-existent predator.

    Alert alert trauma black to treatment room five, ETA now. Alert alert trauma black to treatment room five, ETA now.

    A black code was something he had never experienced in his medical career¡ªfew ever did. That was simply because a code with black as its precursor meant that the species was unknown to the Galactic Union or was so new to being brought into the fold that it might as well be a complete mystery.

    ¡°Well, so much for my dinner plans,¡± Harnsis chittered to himself as he slammed open his office door and rushed toward the trauma ward.

    Ahead of him in the glistening white hall, his triage nurse and the Xenohematologist hurried toward the emergency location. He fluttered his wings faster and quickly closed the gap between them. Harnsis landed next to Nurse Putrik and Varil, taking to running with the two of them. His skittering landing grabbed Nurse Putrik''s attention.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Doctor. Are you going to tell your wife you will be late? or shall I?¡± The short, fuzzy alien said jokingly.

    Harnsis groaned, thinking about how upset his wife would be about him running late, but he knew she would understand why. After all, she used to work in the medical field, and you never know when an emergency will be tossed into your lap.

    ¡°I will deal with that whenever we are done with this code. Thank you for the offer,¡± Harnsis replied. ¡°On that subject, do you know what has come in?¡±

    Putrik shook her head. ¡°Not yet, Doctor. All we have heard from the on-site nurse is that the subject has a massive hemorrhage.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Varil, as soon as we arrive, start synthesizing as much proxy blood as you can. We still don''t know how much the subject can lose,¡± Harnsis said.

    Varil, an extremely old but still level-headed insectoid man, gave him a nod and huff of understanding. Harnsis did not work with the Xenohemotoogist much since arriving at the ward; they could synthesize proxy blood for any known species, but with this being a trauma, black Varil was required to attend. Something that the patient would likely need.

    They rounded the corner into the ward and toward trauma room five. Seeing the room''s contents made all four of Harnsis¡¯ stomachs churn in his carapace. Three of the nursing staff were sprawled on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Inside the sterile white room between the passed-out staff and the bed, another creature loomed over them.

    To Harnsis, its appearance was disgusting. He always had difficulty with aliens that did not have a carapace like he did. He always thought they looked like they had just molted, which was unsettling.

    This creature was no different. It had a soft brownish exterior and some form of loose gray covering over its lower appendages. Wrapped around its feet were polished black boots; they looked well-worn but cared for. Two brown forward-facing eyes were nested underneath a small patch of thick black fur atop its head.

    In one hand, it gripped a large piece of metal that looked nearly a meter long. The jagged scrap went straight through its torso, and the side bursting out of its back was coated in thick, drying red blood. With its other hand, it gestured frantically at the three staff members on the ground. The sputtering noise it was making reminded Harnsis of some kind of barking.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Both Nurse Putrik and Varil fainted on seeing the creature and its horrific injuries. Harnsis also nearly fainted, but Nurse Putrik collapsed halfway onto Harnsis, and the jostling prevented him from losing consciousness with them.

    Harnsis took a sharp breath to steel his nerves and straightened out his lab coat before sputtering, ¡°What in the great brood''s name happened?¡±

    The creature''s head snapped up, and its gaze narrowed on his ID badge. The burning intensity of those predatory eyes cut into Harnsis like daggers digging into his very soul. Every fiber of Harnsis¡¯ being screamed out at him to run away from this thing, especially when its lips parted, and it bared its teeth at him. While it did not have prominent fangs, it still appeared rather aggressive.

    Harnsis was about to listen to that little voice of his ancestors roaring at him to escape until the creature spoke. Its voice was soft, calm, and collected.

    ¡°Oh, thank god you made it, Doc. I came in and had this thing covered up,¡± it said, gesturing at the metal impaling it. ¡°Then, when the nurses took my blouse off to see my injury, they fainted.¡±

    Harnsis could sympathize with why the nurses fainted. Nearly every other creature in the galaxy would have died or fallen to shock the moment they had been impaled by something so massive, yet this thing was still awake, talking and making sense. It defied all logic and reason Harnsis had learned in all his years as a medical professional.

    A small part of Harnsis that he had long since thought died stirred back to life. That little hatchling deep inside his soul that wanted to learn, that wanted to know every how and why the universe had to offer.

    Harnsis held up a shaky hand nervously and spoke to whatever this creature was. ¡°H¨Ch¨Ch¨Ch¡ªhow are you alive? Much more, how are you up and speaking?¡±

    It canted its head at him as if he had just asked a silly question. ¡°Oh, never seen impalement before? I won''t die for a while if this stays in place. Still hurts like all hell to have it in my gut, though,¡± the creature said, followed by a small bark that Harnsis assumed to be a sign of amusement. Not that Harnsis saw any reason to be amused by the situation at hand.

    ¡°Uh¡ªum I¨CI¨CI don''t even know where to start with this situation,¡± Harnsis sputtered in shock.

    The creature made that low barking sound again, rested its hand on Harnsis¡¯ shoulder, and bared its teeth at him again. ¡°Don''t worry, Doc. Henry Martinez Corpsman Human Navy at your service.¡±

    Human? Harnsis had never heard of that species before, but he would have to deal with that later. For now, the issue of his unconscious staff and helping this Human took priority over feeding his curiosity.

    ¡°Human Martinez, you said you will not die if that is left alone for now, correct?¡± Harnsis clicked

    ¡°That''s right, Doc, I have a while, maybe an hour, before I start running any large infection risk,¡± Martinez said proudly.

    ¡°Ok, will you sit on the bed while I get the other''s help?¡± Harnsis asked while gesturing to the collapsed staff.

    Martinez gave a short salute. ¡°Can do, Doc.¡±

    The Human sat down on the bed without issue, and Harnsis closed the curtain around Martinez, hoping to prevent any more of his staff from collapsing. He then called other workers to remove the collapsed nurses and aid them. After other nurses retrieved their fallen co-workers, Harnsis returned to Martinez.

    He sat in a chair beside the Human and looked at the metal protruding from his gut. ¡°OK, with that done, do you have any documents regarding your species'' physiology? Or know anyone on your ship''s staff who might?¡±

    Martinez rubbed the back of his head and glanced away from Harnsis, making a much lighter version of his earlier sound.

    ¡°Well, I kinda am my ship''s medical. So I do have the documents for you,¡± Martinez said, producing a datapad from his garment pocket.

    Taking it in his hands, Harnsis began to flip through the pages upon never-ending pages of medical diagrams and drug dosages. He was shocked that half of what the documents outlined would spell certain death for any creature, yet these Humans seemed confident they could survive these treatments.

    ¡°Human Martinez, are you certain these are accurate? I''m not trying to insult your species, but it says here you can survive having your legs amputated,¡± Harnsis clicked nervously.

    ¡°Oh yeah, we can. Sergeant Johnson lost his leg a few months back, but we got it stitched back on fast enough. While he isn¡¯t as good as new, he still runs circles around me,¡± Martinez smiled.

    This is astounding, a creature that can survive losing a limb and having it reattached with little loss in usage, Harnsis thought.

    These Humans are a medical marvel. Flipping through more pages, Harnsis found the information on their blood and placed an order for synthetic blood on his datapad. He then found the information on how to treat the injury he was looking at.

    If what he had read so far was true, he had no reason not to believe what he was reading, even if it seemed barbaric. This treatment seemed more akin to torture than any medicine he had ever practiced. He pushed that thought aside and decided to trust the Human''s words about his survivability and placed the orders for the other tools he needed.

    ¡°Well, Martinez, give it a few minutes, and the equipment and your blood transfusions should be ready. Then we can begin,¡± Harnsis clicked.

    ¡°Perfect, I want this thing out. I bet the guys back on the ship are worried,¡± Martinez said, pondering something while scratching his chin.

    They sat there for a few minutes until the items arrived, shoved hastily through the doors by one of the other staff members. While Harnsis did not see who it was, the light fluttering of wings told him it was likely Therin. Once Harnsis had placed all the needed items on a table next to Harnsis, he sterilized himself and Martinez with a quick UV treatment.

    His first surgery on a Human was the most invigorating and disgusting thing Harnsis had ever done. He simply had to wrench the item out of Martinez, apply far less hemostatic than he thought he would need, and sew the Human up. The ordeal was done rather quickly, only taking him half the local cycle. It was so short he would likely still have time to take his mate out on their date.

    The most astounding part was Human Martinez. He sat and happily chatted while Harnsis was stitching up his numbed torso. The two cheerily discussed what happened to lead to the injury, and apparently, it was just an accident that led to Martinez falling a whole story onto this jagged scrap. The fact the Human fell multiple meters yet had no broken bones was another question Harnsis would have to ask Martinez about later.

    The experience was surreal from Harnsis¡¯ point of view. By all logic, Human Martinez should not be alive, but here he was, laughing about how he would get payback on the Human who bumped into him and caused him to fall.

    After the surgery, Martinez had to stay under observation for the next two local cycles to ensure no complications occurred. During that time, Harnsis stopped each cycle, brought food to the Human, and chatted further with him. The Human¡¯s talks had Harnsis hooked. He needed to learn what he could about Humans; they were so different than anything he had ever seen.

    To Harnis¡¯s surprise, none of the nurses who heard about the Humans'' injury would enter his room. They were afraid of him and treated him like some monster. It was a shame; many other species were ostracized for various reasons. Harnsis hoped that Humanity would avoid being added to that ever-growing list. At the same time, Harnsis understood why they would not believe him when he tried to explain how polite and gentle Martinez was. It was still shocking to see who he thought to be some of the most accepting people in the Galactic Union refuse even to approach the door.

    Eventually, Martinez had to leave and return to his ship. Before he left, the Human stopped off at Harnsis¡¯ office and thanked him for the help and the company while recovering. Harnsis was more than happy to have helped. Doing so was his job, after all. He wished the Human the best of luck and asked if Human Martinez had ever considered separating from the Human Navy. To Harnsis¡¯ surprise, Martinez said he had thought about doing so but had no plans to leave but may still do so.

    Following Human Martinez¡¯s departure, Harnsis sent a message to the Galactic Union Hospital Services Director to ensure that the union sent out adequate information about these Humans. He also attached to his memo a request to have Human Martinez transferred from Naval service to the station to help train his staff regarding his species integration and their treatment.

 Section One: Return To Draun

    Martinez was pleased with the treatment he got while at the Draun station. Doctor Harnsis had done an excellent job pulling the piece of slag out of his gut and stitching him back up. Harnsis had done such flawless work that you could hardly spot the lingering scar across his abdominals.

    Harnsis even spent time with him while he was on observation, which was a great boon to him since the nurse''s treatment was downright criminal. They treated Martinez like some kind of leper for his entire stay, unwilling to look at him lest they catch whatever he had. He had felt more welcome at boot camp with drill instructors screaming at him.

    Once Martinez returned to HNS (Human Naval Ship) Jericho, the Marines began to bombard him with questions nonstop. They always found him no matter where on the massive ten-kilometer-long orbital deployment vessel. The squad was relentless enough that he eventually got tired of explaining that he had never met any aliens while on the station and how the aliens, other than the Doctor, either fainted or avoided him like a plague.

    That answer didn¡¯t satisfy the Marines in any way. It was rare for Humans to work with or be around aliens as the species was so young to the galactic stage. A few of them took Martinez¡¯s brush-off attitude, ran with it, decided he must have asked one of the nurses on a date, and swung out.

    Martinez did his best to laugh along with it; it was just playful teasing at the end of the day. It wasn¡¯t as if any of the Marines truly hated their Corpsman. He tolerated the playful jibing until word got passed that Martinez would be transferred out of the unit and be permanently reassigned to Draun station.

    That announcement opened the floodgates for mockery. As far as the Marines were concerned, Christmas had come early.

    Martinez would constantly be inundated by Marines poking fun at him and his nonexistent lady love. How creative they managed to get with their pranks was commendable, but that kind of creativity was the norm when playing Grunts-and-Crafts.

    They uploaded porn onto his datapad and ended the daily briefing by asking him how they could get an alien girlfriend. One of them either crafted or stole an inflatable Roswell gray sex doll, lightly used it, and stuffed it into his rack. The true origin of that abomination is a mystery only the elder gods would ever know.

    But all of that was in the past. It has been nearly an entire Earth year since the announcement of his transfer. Martinez was now sitting in the back of the small shuttle, taking him back to Draun station. Going back felt almost surreal. He had been in the Navy his whole adult life, from when he turned 18 nearly 12 earth years ago. While technically, he was on active duty for three more standard years, with his new assignment, the Human Navy might as well have given him early separation orders.

    Martinez twiddled his thumbs as the shuttle began to break the atmosphere. The momentum lulled as air compressed around the bottom of the shuttle, causing it to vibrate gently and bright fire to flick along the outside of the nearby porthole.

    He looked around at the other passengers and quickly picked out those for whom this was their first time breaking the atmosphere. Whatever appendage they possessed clung tightly to their chair, or they held their eyes closed and tried to retreat into their mind.

    Their nervousness was something Martinez could understand. The vibrations and dull humming of superheated air around the craft were concerning, at least for your first time. Martinez had broken atmosphere more times than he could count over his combat-riddled Naval career, from the lush jungles of Harudeth to the godless deserts of Verilon, landing at a relay station like Draun was no different than heading to the gee-dunk.

    The shuttle and the parent ship they left a few hours ago had been filled with aliens of hundreds of species. Most he did not recognize, but a few he did from the rare times he and the Marines went on shore leave.

    One of the insect-like aliens, likely the same species as Dr. Harnsis, was sitting a few chairs down from him, and they were calm and collected, just like the Doctor. But this one looked slightly different; instead of having a matte green carapace like the Doctor, it was a bright, vibrant blue, nearly as shiny as a well-polished gem.

    Martinez wondered if it was the same species at all because of the color difference or if it could be some form of sexual dimorphism or possibly convergent evolution. But he was not going to just ask the random individual about it, assuming that posing such questions might be perceived as rude.

    Following a short flight after breaching the atmosphere, the shuttle entered the temperate climate of the station¡¯s region. Martinez looked out the nearby porthole and watched as the vast ocean of trees flew by, spattered remnants of intelligent life evident in small clusters of buildings or the occasional homestead tucked far away from their destination city.

    The shuttle lurched to an abrupt stop, the first specks of the city barely visible past the landing pad''s edge. Through the shuttle''s loudspeakers, a dry voice crackled.

    ¡°Thank you all very much for flying with us today. Please make sure you bring all your luggage, appendages, and trash with you. I would not want to make my copilot clean up today.¡±

    There was a small amount of chittering and what sounded like a muffled bellow coming from the cockpit, Martinez assuming that to be the pilot and co-pilot having a brief argument about the joke. Martinez gave a slight chuckle before hefting up his sea bags. He slung one across his chest and another across his back, a nearly universal transport method for all the Human military.

    He and the rest of the passengers shuffled their way out of the rear ramp of the landing craft. The warm air of the late summer happily greeted them for their first steps on the planet of Renoural. Martinez adored being planetside for the first time after nearly a year on the ship¡ªthat, and after an about eight-hour landing craft flight, his legs felt like lead. Finally, having a chance to move was heaven. His legs had gone numb nearly three hours ago, and now they finally had blood flowing freely and started to regain feeling.

    Slipping out of the swarm of disembarking aliens, Martinez took in a deep breath of fresh, non-recycled air and fell into the briefest moment of bliss. He paused and looked over the city from the elevated landing pad, this being the first time he could see Draun city and station in their full glory and not through the small window of a medical room.

    The tall, square white walls of Draun station reflected the spiraling twin suns above; it boldly stood out amongst the city''s buildings that grew out of the station. The urban sprawl was more vibrant and beautiful than a rainbow in spring and had been crafted with care into designs that Martinez had never seen nor could have imagined.

    Each building looked like a work of art. The roads, walls, doors, and parks were each a unique piece of history that helped to tell the story of the city and its inhabitants.

    The Navy had briefed him on Draun station''s purpose in the sector. Unlike many other planetside locales he had visited, it acted more as a relay port for ships as they traveled around this section of space¡ªthe sector''s sprawling central hub allowing for safe resupply, rearmament, and rest. A familiar voice called out as he stood there, basking in the vast expanse of the city below and the lush forestry bordering the horizons.

    ¡°Human Martinez, how was your trip?¡± Doctor Harnsis chittered.

    Twisting around and looking over the drab green sea bag attached to his front, the insectoid doctor stood, tilting his head slightly. A few small antennas moved atop his head and sampled the air.

    The doctor''s appearance looked the same as the last time Martinez had been on the station, reminding him of a giant praying mantis; if that mantis was almost two meters tall and had four small arms on its thorax, in lue of a pair of large grasping claws.

    ¡°Doc, it''s great to see you again,¡± Martinez said with a bright smile drawing up on his lips.

    ¡°It is nice to see you too,¡± Harnsis replied, slightly bowing to Martinez.

    ¡°Doc, you know you don''t have to bow or anything to me, right? I''m just a Corpsman,¡± Martinez replied before twisting his body slightly to look between his sea bags at the doctor.

    ¡°Ah, sorry, based on your look, you seem confused. It is just how my species greet one another, similar to how your species, if my research was correct. Ummm, shake hands,¡± Harnsis said while mimicking the up-and-down motion of a handshake with one of his four short arms.

    ¡°Ah, alright,¡± Martinez nodded.  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°But you are probably tired and want to put your bags down. Follow me, and I will show you to the director''s office; then, we can get you settled into your quarters,¡± Harnsis happily clicked.

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I''m excited to rack out and get some sleep,¡± Martinez replied.

    Harnsis led Martinez down a long zig-zagging set of metal stairs from the landing pads to the ground level. Once on the surface level of the city, it was a short walk to the outer gates of Draun station.

    Seeing the station up close was far more grand than from up high on the landing pads. A tall chain link fence surrounded the grounds, with periodic gates leading to any significant locations. The station consisted of a series of multi-story buildings, with shaded black windows breaking up the white siding. Amidst the towers were several large domes. Each was a uniquely specialized medical ward, one of which Martinez would be starting the following day.

    Security stopped them at the out-of-the-way gate that Harnsis led Martinez to. A stern and to-the-point officer wearing all gray combat fatigues and heavy back armor started to go through the rather long and annoying process of having Martinez dump out all the contents of his bags for search.

    The nearly jet-black-skinned officer was clearly not happy while turning out every item that Martinez had brought along. Apparently, searching through every item someone owned was not part of his day-in and day-out work. He grew more frustrated by the moment as he slowly realized whatever contraband he was looking for was nowhere in Martinez¡¯s extensive collection of scrubs, books, uniforms, and some Human comforts.

    The officer thought he found paydirt when he searched Martinez¡¯s pockets and found his stashed bottle of hot sauce, assuming the fiery red liquid to be some kind of poison. After a quick explanation from Martinez that he had tucked the bottle in his pocket to spice up the generally bland food on the transport ship, the officer''s excitement began to deflate, only for it to be utterly crushed into the deck when Harnsis swung some of his weight as a doctor and assured the downtrodden security guard it was a type of food that Humans enjoy.

    Once the despondent officer had given up on his search for whatever contraband he so eagerly wanted to locate, he defeatedly waved the duo through¡ªwishing them both a lovely day in the hospital.

    The walkthrough of Draun station was comforting for Martinez. He felt at home in hospitals and military bases, and after having been on a civilian transport ship for the last few weeks, his nerves were tighter than the wires of a piano. Every minute on the transport, he had felt exposed, like no one around could be relied upon should something terrible happen. Being back in a hospital felt like he had just managed to grab hold of some hardcover during a horrendous firefight.

    The pristine white halls were immaculately cleaned, without a single hair or speck of dirt anywhere. Martinez¡¯s boots squeaked on the polished linoleum floors as he trailed behind Harnsis, who fluttered just a few centimeters off the deck.

    Few of the nurses they passed paid the two of them any mind. They were just another pair of aliens amidst thousands of species represented on the station. In Martinez¡¯s habitual vigilance, he became painfully aware that some nurses they neared had likely heard the stories of his first visit to the station. The aliens would make eye contact with him before quickly scurrying away or keeping their eyes firmly averted until they slunk past.

    After the two of them made it to the far side of the medical facility, they entered an elevator to take them to the highest level of the station, where Harnsis ceased flying and began to walk.

    ¡°Now, Human Martinez, when you meet the Director, do your best to be polite. You have to make a good impression here. I requested you by name. I would rather not, oh what''s the phrase, be hurled under the vehicle?¡± Harnsis chittered.

    ¡° Doc, it''s thrown under the bus, but I understand. Be polite, be professional,¡± he confirmed.

    ¡°Oh, it is¡ªHmm, I will have to double-check my translations later today,¡± The doctor said, a slight skitter of frustration in his voice.

    Harnsis had been clearly studying Humans and culture, and it was almost embarrassing that Harnsis seemed to know about Humans. While Martinez didn¡¯t even know what his species was called.

    ¡°What is your species, if you don''t mind me asking?¡± Martinez asked.

    Harnsis made a clicking noise with his wigs for a moment. Martinez did not know what the sound meant, but he would ask those questions later or eventually figure it out through enough exposure.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I keep forgetting that Humans are new to the Union and likely aren''t as versed in species types. I am a Thurian, and my species is an arboreal flying species,¡± He clicked.

    Well, at least that question is answered, Martinez thought to himself, just before the elevator doors slid open and revealed a short, well-decorated hallway.

    The floor had an interlocking black and white tile design, a few benches pressed against the walls, and paintings of nature scenes were centered just above them. At the far end of the short hall was a set of doors that looked incredibly out of place on the station.

    All the doors they had passed so far had either been cleanly painted metal or flap doors that could allow carts to be pushed through. These doors were dark, nearly black wood covered in intricately carved designs. They looked like a series of medical symbols. Martinez could make that assumption based on the far newer-looking Caduceus on the lower left corner of the door.

    ¡°Go ahead and drop your bags off on the ground. I will go in and make sure the Director is ready for you,¡± Harnsis said while gesturing to one of the benches just outside the doors.

    Martinez nodded as Harnsis opened and quickly closed the doors behind him. He dropped his seabags on the deck and lowered himself onto the bench. The metal creaked under his weight as he sat down, but Martinez was too focused on other things to notice.

    While waiting, he thought through the basic reporting procedures that his drill instructors made sure he knew by heart.

    Walk in a military manner, snap to attention, and salute. Say Corpsman Martinez reporting as ordered, then drop your salute. Stand there and wait to be addressed. He imagined how reporting would go at least a dozen times before the doors opened, and Harnsis ushered him into the room.

    When Martinez passed through the breach, those plans quickly went out the window when he saw the Director. The alien was gigantic, almost three meters of heavily muscled jet-black scales. Nearly as wide as he was tall, his large body juxtaposed by the relatively small head above its shoulders.

    The director''s head was covered in thick ash-colored plate-like bones and had several rows of sharp needle-like teeth. Above the intimidating maw were four sets of greenish-yellow eyes with slit pupils. The incomprehensibly black slits looked Martinez up and down slowly, like the Director was sizing him up for his next meal rather than meeting someone who would be working under him.

    The Director''s voice fits his intimidating appearance flawlessly. A low growling tone escaped the aliens, slowly parting lips. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Henry Martinez. I am the Director of the station. My name is Grutir¡¯k, but you can just call me Sir; everyone else does.¡±

    Martinez stood there locked up for several seconds. His knees quaked in his trousers, having been knocked into motion by the heavy base of the Director''s voice. Harnsis nudged Martinez¡¯s side and mimicked a gentle cough. The simple action pulled him back to reality. Martinez shook his head clear of whatever amount of that ingrained response he could and did his best not to appear nervous in front of the massive alien.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡ªIt is nice to meet you too, sir,¡± Martinez stuttered as cold beads of sweat poured down his back.

    The Director nodded and pushed a small envelope across the desk with a massive clawed hand. He tapped the top of the envelope with his long black claw and continued to speak.

    ¡°You will find your quarters key and ID inside. They are the same badge, so do your best not to lose it,¡± the Director growled.

    Martinez hesitantly reached forward, his eyes locked on the massive knife-like claws centimeters away from the documents. He snatched the envelope and quickly pulled it tight to his chest like a hungry scavenger stealing from a predator. The Director narrowed his eyes at Martinez and shook his head.

    ¡°Look, kid, I know you Humans aren''t used to other species just yet, but so long as you do not cause any trouble on my station, you will find everyone here very amicable¡ª Despite how they may appear,¡± the Director slowly said while staring daggers into Martinez.

    ¡°Uh¨Cuh¨C yes, sir, I will do my best not to cause trouble,¡± Martinez said while nervously nodding along.

    The Director let out a low growl that almost sounded like a sigh. Then looked over toward Harnsis. ¡°Harn, see to it that he gets to his quarters and settled in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir, that won''t be a problem. Human Martinez won''t cause any issues. I''m excited to see how his species will adapt to working with us,¡± Harnsis eagerly said while holding a thumbs-up with one of his three-digit hands.

    ¡°Good, you see to that,¡± the Director grumbled while slowly nodding. His eyes shifted back to Martinez, and he quickly extended his massive clawed hand toward him. Martinez nearly leaped out of his skin to retreat from the encroaching daggers.

    The Director paused for a moment but left his hand in the open. ¡°Look, Harn tells me your species shake appendages when you meet.¡±

    Martinez swallowed nervously and looked at the man''s hand. It was as large as his chest and was covered in skin that looked as tough as Kevlar. Martinez took a short steeling breath before shakily reaching out, grabbing one of the Director''s scaled fingers, and returning the handshake.

    ¡°Good, I''m glad Harn wasn¡¯t lying to me. Welcome aboard, Henry Martinez. Now I have a lot of work left to do today; you are dismissed,¡± the Director said as he shooed them away with his fingers, their sheer size causing a small wind in the office.

    ¡°We will do that right away, sir,¡± Harnsis replied, guiding Martinez toward the door.

    Once Harnsis and Martinez escaped the office and left the massive lizardman behind, Harnsis pat Martinez on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Don''t worry. Everyone has that reaction when they first meet the Director. He is used to it. On the bright side, I think he likes you,¡± Harnsis said.

    If that is what the director is like to who he likes, Martinez was terrified to see how someone he hates gets treated. During that short meeting, he felt like he was one wrong word from an elephant-sized alligator ripping his arms off.

    ¡°That''s¡ª concerning,¡± Martinez sighed as his body tried to calm down from what, as far as his primal brain was concerned, was a life-or-death encounter.

    ¡°You will get used to it and likely won''t see him much anyway. For now, let''s get you to your quarters. I took the liberty of getting Human furniture and other articles of memorabilia for you,¡± Harnsis happily chittered.

    happily chittered.

 Section Two: New Home, New City, New Planet

    Harnsis and Martinez left Draun proper and funneled out into the city. Martinez had learned from Harnsis at that point that the city and the base did share the same name, but most people, when they said ¡°Draun,¡± were referring to the station, the surrounding urban sprawls becoming an afterthought, as the city was the product of hundreds of standard cycles of aliens settling in around the station.

    The city was abuzz with life as they weaved through its streets. They passed by hundreds of shops, apartment buildings, boutiques, and other specialty locations. Each made it easy to understand what they sold, even if you could not understand the myriad of languages on the signage. Martinez scanned each building they passed with childlike wonder, absorbing every detail of the sublime city streets.

    Martinez had grown up in the remnants of Southern California and had been raised hearing the stories of his grandfather, one of the first Humans to leave the Sol system. His tales of stepping onto distant planets and meeting some of the first representatives of the Galactic Union had inspired a young Martinez quite literally to reach for the stars. Now that he was living on those distant worlds, and with those aliens his grandfather set out to prove were real, he could not imagine what his grandfather would think if he could see him now.

    Harnsis noted Martinez gawking at almost everything they passed and gave a small chuckle at his Human companion. ¡°Don''t worry, Human Martinez. You will get used to being here, and I''m certain you will also find many fun things to do.¡±

    Martinez looked away from a display stand that showed off sunglasses made for different species and gave a brimming smile to Harnsis, ¡°Yeah, I certainly hope so.¡±

    Harnsis, while understanding what Martinez meant with the gesture, still felt slightly unnerved by the toothy smile. Exceptionally, few species performed any similar gesture to display joy, but he did not want to stomp on the feelings of his latest staff member, so he did not bring it up for now.

    Turning off the main street, Harnsis gestured at a short, unimposing building, a simple box red brick building with rows of windows extending up its four floors, with the occasional potted plant on small shelves hanging from the windows. If not for the steady flow of aliens currently entering the wider-than-normal double doors, Martinez could easily imagine the building on the streets of New York City.

    ¡°Here we are, Human Martinez. I tried to find an apartment similar to the buildings back on Earth. Did I do well?¡± the doctor asked.

    Martinez nodded, ¡°Yeah, Doc, you did.¡±

    Chittering in satisfaction, Harnsis led Martinez into the building. Inside, the hallways were wider and slightly taller than average Human construction, about half a meter wider in all directions than those back on Earth. The reason was evident when he saw a lumbering hairy alien enter his apartment on the second floor, both of the shoulders of the creature scraping the walls.

    The air was heavy with a potpourri of pungent odors, flowers, citrus, and burning fats, and what Martinez hoped was just the smell of sweat coated the air like a thick soup. These smells danced around and accosted Martinez¡¯s nose, causing his hair to curl. He could not imagine what half of them were and frankly did not really care.

    Reaching the top floor, the door to Martinez¡¯s new apartment was at the end of the hall, perched above the main doors. Martinez swiped his ID in front of the lock just off the side of the door. With a satisfying hiss, the door slid open, and Martinez stood with bated breath and watched as the room was slowly revealed.

    Martinez was not quite sure what he was expecting the apartment to look like, but what he found was definitely not amongst his expectations. The room looked like a thrift shop selling knick-knacks and furniture from all over the Earth had exploded inside, slapping every surface in a different part of Humanity¡¯s decor.

    There were intricately woven wool curtains of dark tans and bright, interchanging colors draped over the windows. Half a dozen bean bag chairs surround a short, clean white table with some kind of curtain around its edges. Glistening atop it was a bowl filled with wax fruit placed neatly atop the table. Martinez knew they were wax on sight because they were all fruits native to Earth, and there was no way Earth''s produce had made it this far out in the galaxy yet.

    In the corner was a tall bookcase next to a television. Its shelves were overflowing with what looked like old DVDs. Each DVD had a white covering, with something written in a language Martinez could not recognize. Undoubtedly, whatever movies on the disks were pirated or were so old that the original package had fallen apart.

    Looking towards the small kitchenette, several knives of varying sizes that looked like ax handles lay on a large countertop. Above them, there were several cabinets, and next to that was one of the modern refrigeration units Martinez had become familiar with since joining the Navy. Atop the cabinets and refrigerator were dozens of the little trinkets, notably several dolls and carved statues that stared down at Martinez, their beady eyes judging their new owner.

    A pair of currently closed doors was on the far wall between the living room and kitchenette. They were simple and cheap plastic swinging doors. They were the most jarring out of everything in the room because they were so mundane in comparison.

    In absolute glee, Harnsis fluttered inside and landed dead center in the open space between the kitchenette and the living room. He turned around and gestured wide with all four short arms while his wings slowly swayed back and forth behind him. ¡°So, Human Martinez, what do you think?¡±

    Martinez looked around the room and struggled to take in the scene. Harnsis certainly had been doing his homework on Humans. What books and websites the passionate alien had used for studying was beyond him, but it was clearly something that at least directed him to an insane amount of Human artifacts.

    ¡°Uhhh Doc¨C where did you get all of this?¡± Martinez asked while trying not to laugh at the mishmashed gaudiness of the room''s decor.

    ¡°I scoured the data net for anything I could get my hands on. It was so much fun to read about the items and their history as I was shopping,¡± Harnsis chittered as he fluttered towards the cabinets to grab hold of one of the dozens of little statues.

    Martinez walked into the room and dumped his seabags next to the beanbags. The weight falling away relieved small amounts of pain in his long-time battered lower back.

    ¡°Doc, how did you pay for all this?¡± Martinez asked.

    Harnsis picked up one of the statues and delicately handed it to Martinez. ¡°Don''t worry about the cost; the Director signed off on everything. Especially once I assured him it was all to help with your integration into the station,¡± he said proudly.

    Oh god, was that why the director looked at me like some kind of Freeloader? Had I already cost him a lot of money? Martinez bemoaned.

    ¡°If you say so, Doc,¡± Martinez said as he looked down at the small nesting doll.

    Its craftsmanship''s tender care and attention to detail were evident at a glance; its smooth porcelain surface glistened in the room''s dim light. The hand-painted Matryoshka judgingly stared back at Martinez; it was so painstakingly detailed it was almost photo-realistic.  A lump grew in Martinez¡¯s throat as he inspected the doll. Something this detailed just screamed money to Martinez, especially for a lowly enlisted man like him.

    ¡°What else did you get?¡± Martinez asked, slightly worried about the answer.

    ¡°Oh, not much else. A bed and a few other things. Come, let me show you,¡± Harnsis preened before he flew toward the room''s far-end doors.

    Martinez took another look at what was around him. That answer and the doctor''s excitement did not reassure him that this would be just a few things.

    They went into the bedroom at the back of the apartment. Martinez¡¯s heart shuddered nervously as the doctor¡¯s green chitinous hands took hold of the dull metal knob and began to twist it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I chose everything in here as well. I have no doubt you will enjoy my selection,¡± Harnsis said as the door parted. The scent of orange and cloves poured out of the room and rolled over Martinez like a wave.

    Oh dear god, Martinez thought as his new bedroom came into full view.

    Front and center in the room was a massive king-sized bed that took up most of the room¡ªleaving only about 15 centimeters between its sides and the wall. Atop the bed was what Martinez prayed wasn¡¯t a silk blanket. There was a single window in the room and a large black stained dresser barely fitting between the wall and the foot of the bed. Its doors were open, with pieces of paper proudly displayed on each shelf.

    ¡°Human Martinez, I was very surprised your species had something similar to my people''s traditional clothing. The bedding was made on Earth in a country called Japan. The seller was lovely to work with, and they even sent a letter along with the order.¡± Hansis said as he grabbed a letter out of the dresser.

    Taking hold of the letter, Martinez could not read anything on it, as the seller did not make it in English or Galactic standard, so he assumed it must have been Japanese. The card was made of heavy eggshell color cardstock, and the letters were inlaid in shimmering gold.

    Martinez¡¯s heart sank fully into his gut, disappearing into an ocean of worry. Martinez could not fathom how much money this must have cost the hospital. He made a frantic mental note to try and speak to the Director about the cost later.

    ¡°Thanks, Doc, I love the room,¡± Martinez said through slightly gritted teeth.

    Simultaneously, his mind was screaming in fear. Each thought running through his imagination was running through an inferno of burning stacks of cash. He could barely afford a weekend of heavy drinking in port, much less Silken bedding.

    Thankfully, the rest of the tour was reasonably uneventful. As far as Martinez could tell, the bathroom was untouched by Harnsis¡¯ expensive attempt at interior decorating. The doctor also told Martinez he ordered copies of many of these items for himself, thankfully not on the same bill. Before Harnsis left, he wished Martinez a lovely night and looked forward to seeing him at work tomorrow.

    After the doctor left, Martinez unpacked his gear and stuffed it all into their proper places. He then intently walked about the apartment, taking his time to learn his new abode in peace, wanting to ensure he knew all the entrances and exits, not that there were many. As Martinez did, he constantly found more of the little trinkets Harnsis had purchased around the apartment, placed inside the cupboards, or tucked behind other baubles.

    Once Martinez felt he relatively knew his new home, he sunk into one of the plush bean bag chairs. He sighed and tried to relax despite the situation he found himself in. While the doctor insisted the station had already paid for everything. Martinez had dealt with the government, military, and hospitals enough to understand that he would somehow be fronting this bill, whether in blood, sweat, tears, or some combination of the three.

    ¡°Problems for another time,¡± Martinez groaned as he stretched his tired body. While he straightened out, his stomach grumbled loudly, breaking the silence of his lonely apartment. Glancing down at his watch, Martinez realized that he had not eaten in almost fourteen hours.

    ¡°Yeah, stomach, some food would be good, maybe some beer too,¡± he mumbled as he got up to find something to satisfy his hunger.

    The city streets were nowhere near as packed as a few hours ago. A decent amount of folk were still out and about, but most seemed to have gone home by now.

    Martinez almost aimlessly wandered the streets for a while, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city in the dim light of the setting twin suns. After a few more pangs of hunger, Martinez found his way back to the street of food stalls and shops he and the doctor had passed by earlier.

    Martinez took his time perusing the stalls and restaurants. He was practically drooling as he went along; each piece of food looked more succulent than the last, but he wanted something that reminded him of home, something similar to what his grandmother used to cook up after school. Martinez doubted he would find tacos or anything similar but was hopeful he might stumble upon something with the same eye-watering kick.

    One stall was tucked just off the main road. Martinez would have passed it by if not for its eye-catching sign. The sign on it was vibrant and hinted at what the food might be like. A volcano erupted with twinkling red lights that mimicked heat rising past what looked like kebabs.

    Martinez walked closer to the humble shop, and rows of those kebabs appeared in his vision. They sizzled atop an open coal flame, a few drops of their fat dropping into the coals and catching fire. Martinez licked his lips as the rich smell of rendering fat clawed into his gut.

    Martinez looked around for whoever was supposed to be manning the stall but did not see anyone. He was about to walk away, assuming the tender decided to take a smoke break or something along those lines, until there was a shifting noise behind the cart.

    A short, lithe alien popped up across the grill from Martinez, a red apron slung over their neck with old grease stains covering its surface. Their appearance was somewhat like a pangolin, a scale-covered body with short, rather sharp-looking scales running down their back. Their two beady eyes stared at Martinez.

    ¡°Are you going to order or just gawk?¡± The creature said, pointing at Martinez with a grease-covered pair of tongs

    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry, I will take one. Sorry, I am new here and was surprised by, well, everything,¡± Martinez replied nervously.

    ¡°Oh great, another new one; well, fair warning, my Kerintian skewers are the spiciest bit of food sold around here. You sure you want one?¡± the creature said as its scales clattered together.

    Glad my guess was right. It is spicy food, Martinez thought.

    He nodded and said, ¡°Definitely, it can''t be that hot.¡±

    The Alien nodded before he wrapped one of the kebabs on a piece of waxed paper and handed it over to Martinez. The warm meat dripped steaming golden oil out of its wrapping. Opening the food and looking at the morsel up close, there were spackles of color on its surface, light grays and blacks spread evenly on it like the tender morsel had been dunked in whatever the spice was.

    ¡°All right, buddy, eat up. Let''s see if you still think it''s not that hot,¡± the alien boasted, his tail patting loudly on the concrete behind them.

    Martinez took a bite of the meal, and it was delicious. The meat was tender and melted in his mouth. Initially, the taste was similar to black pepper but had a slight citrus twang. After swallowing, Martinez eagerly waited to feel the heat of the meal really kick in, but after almost half a minute of waiting with bated breath, the burning sensation never came.

    Confused, Martinez looked up to ask the alien if he might have given him the wrong skewer but paused when he noticed the alien''s stare of mixed shock and horror.

    ¡°What gives? This is normally when someone should be crying for their mother,¡± the alien complained.

    Martinez shrugged and said, ¡°I was just about to ask if you gave me the wrong food. This isn¡¯t spicy at all.¡±

    The alien paused and looked Martinez up and down with a pondering twinkle in his eye. After a few seconds, he cleared a few spots on the grill, having decided what he wanted to do.

    ¡°Ok, hot shot, I can give you one more thing. Let''s see if you like this one,¡± the alien scoffed while crossing its arms.

    ¡°Is it hotter than this? If it is, yeah, I will take it,¡± Martinez said as he tossed the paper of the first skewer into a trash can.

    The alien pulled out a small plastic box from underneath the cart. When he opened it, more cuts of meat were inside, floating in some thick yellowish sauce. The alien wickedly chuckled as it placed two pieces on a skewer and tossed them on the grill, sounding like a vile supervillain who had captured the hero.

    Martinez watched in curiosity as the Alien hap haphazardly poured other spices from bottles onto the charring meat. He wondered if the flavor would be like mustard since the food was a bright yellow.

    ¡°These were going to be part of my lunch, but I would pay to see you try them,¡± he snickered after tucking the bottles back into his apron. The alien rubbed his hands together like a hag basking in their latest concoction.

    Once the meat had been thoroughly cooked, the alien tossed the two slightly charred morsels onto a new piece of paper for Martinez. Grabbing hold of the skewer, Martinez hesitated for a moment, wondering if the alien was actually going to give him something spicy or if this would be another flop.

    ¡°What are you backing out now, big guy?¡± The alien mocked.

    ¡°No, I''m not,¡± Martinez retorted before ripping the first piece of meat off the stick.

    The sweet and spicy taste of this piece exploded in Martinez¡¯s mouth. Its warm juices coated his mouth with its succulent flavor. Martinez thought about the flavor and sadly concluded the food was not spicy at all. It would be about as hot as a pepperoncini if he had to compare it to some pepper. As soon as Martinez swallowed the first piece, he ravenously devoured the second, and this one was prepared just as flawlessly as the first.

    The alien behind the stand looked mortified as if he was standing only a few centimeters away from a corpse.

    ¡°How by the firstborn''s blood are you still standing? I have never seen anyone eat Kichu leaf sauce without puking,¡± he exclaimed, gesturing wildly at Martinez.

    ¡°Sorry, buddy, that wasn¡¯t that hot. My normal hot sauce is way spicier than that. The food did taste good, if it means anything,¡± Martinez said while licking the sauce remnants off his lips.

    ¡°Yeah, I suppose it does. I am impressed. What are you anyways, uh?¡± the alien sighed, gesturing up and down at Martinez.

    ¡°Martinez, I''m a Human. And you?¡± he replied.

    ¡°Ezol, I''m a Valmin. I''ve never met a Human before, and you were certainly an interesting one to meet,¡± Ezol said.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal, Ezol. What do I owe you for eating your lunch?¡± Martinez questioned.

    Ezols snout wiggled for a moment before waving his hand dismissively and saying, ¡°It¡¯s on the house. The entertainment was worth it. But if you want to do me a favor, could you bring me some of that hot sauce you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can do that for you,¡± Martinez said, smiling.

 Section Three: Same old job, all new faces?

    After chatting with Ezol for a few more minutes and learning more about the city, the night was calm but flew by. Martinez learned of good places to eat and where he could buy groceries. Martinez left Ezol to close up his store, and after a short stop by what was essentially a bodega for some staple foods, he had returned to his new home.

    The following morning, Martinez loathed the shrill buzzing of his alarm clock. Regardless of his belief that he would pay for them, he did not want to worm his way out of the warm silk blankets he had nested deep inside. After wrestling with the siren call of sleep, he managed to drag himself out of bed and start the day.

    The crisp morning air of the city did little to help Martinez wake up since, while on his grocery run the previous night, he failed to find one essential item. An item anyone working in the military or medical field needed to start the day; Coffee. The lifeblood of his mornings for the last five long years, one cup at a time. Ever since Martinez joined the Navy, he had seldom, if ever not, started his days with a soothing hot cup of joe.

    In a dreary caffeine-absent haze, he stumbled to the Trauma Center on base, dreaming of when that black gold was steaming in his mug. The interior of the Trauma Center was exactly as he could vaguely remember it looking like, at least from what little of it he saw nearly an entire Earth year ago.

    A pristine white twenty-meter-high dome, bright lights evenly spaced along its arch. Lined evenly along the walls were the trauma rooms. All their sliding glass doors were wide open, revealing the well-made beds and cabinets filled with medical equipment. Centered inside the Trauma Centers'' dome was a circle of gray desks. Placed atop them were the shining blue projected screens the nurses and doctors use to fill out treatment logs and patient records.

    Seated behind those screens and idly tapping away on them were two aliens. One looked as if someone had grafted the skin of a naked mole rat onto a gorilla and then slapped some blue scrubs onto it.

    While the other looked like a child-sized bird, it had vibrant feathers that shifted from bright greens near its beak into flaring yellow at the tip of its four wings. It chirped a happy tune from atop the chair it used as a perch.

    ¡°Ah, Human Martinez, good morning,¡± Martinez heard from across the room. He looked up and saw Doctor Harnsis fluttering from his office towards him; the alien doctor''s vibrant green chiton shimmered beneath his lab coat.

    ¡°Good morning, Doc,¡± Martinez yawned.

    Landing in front of Martinez, the doctor''s eyes locked in on his. If not for his sluggish state, Martinez would have likely felt a bit more awkward about the intense stare, but he just figured it was the doctor being slightly odd again.

    ¡°Human Martinez, are you alright? You have periorbital edema and are oscitating,¡± Harnsis chittered as he leaned closer toward Martinez. The doctor''s mandibles shifted and snapped in curiosity as he examined the sluggish Human.

    The gears in Martinez¡¯s brain struggled to think and ground together, desperately trying to figure out what the doctor had just said. His fogged brain failed to extract any meaning behind the technical terms.

    ¡°Doc, it''s too early for technical terms. Can you say that again?¡± Martinez groaned.

    ¡°You look tired. Did you not sleep?¡± He chittered.

    ¡° I didn''t get any coffee this morning and couldn''t find any last night. I''m just not fully awake yet," Martinez said while attempting to wipe sleep from his eyes.

    The doctor leaned back and rubbed two hands on his mandibles, ¡°Coffee? If I remember, that is a stimulant drink, and you Humans use it often as some kind of morning ritual,¡± he said enthusiastically.

    A morning ritual? That is one way to put it, Martinez thought as he nodded at the doctor''s explanation.

    The doctor''s odd mannerisms and descriptions of Human culture were things Martinez was starting to expect. Especially after listening to the doctor gush for what felt like hours the previous night, going on and on about each and every item that he acquired to make Martinez feel welcome. With how much the doctor knew about the history of each item, Martinez would not be surprised if the doctor told him he would write a book about them.

    ¡°Don''t worry about it. I just need a little while to wake up,¡± Martinez said with a half-hearted chuckle.

    ¡°Very well then, Human Martinez. I am looking forward to getting to work with you. Go ahead and find a seat, and get to know your new coworkers. Oh, before I forget, I have selected a mentor to help you adjust to your new environment. I''m certain you and her will get along well,¡± Harnsis chittered happily.

    ¡°You got it, Doc. I will see you later,¡± Martinez replied before turning and slumping into an unoccupied seat.

    Just as Martinez was starting to log into the workstation in front of him, he heard loudly announced from the direction of the two aliens, ¡°So you are Harnsis¡¯ new mate.''''

    Martinez swiveled in the chair to face the sound. The two aliens on the other side of the workstations scooted their chairs closer to him and looked him up and down for some reaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m his. what now?¡± Martinez questioned, hoping he had misheard the last statement.

    ¡°His mate,¡± the bird-like alien chirped. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Ivorn?¡± it said while poking the bulky alien next to it with one of its wing claws.

    ¡°Yeah, Harnsis has not shut up about you and Humans for months,¡± Ivorn boomed. The alien''s deep, gravelly voice filled the entire room.

    He leaned back on his chair, the plastic frame creaking under the strain. ¡°I don''t see what is so special about you. You look downright punny,¡± Ivor continued with a smirk. He crossed his arms, his loose skin stretching tight around his forearms, revealing layers of dense muscle.

    Martinez could hardly imagine what the doctor told them about him and Humanity, especially with the doctor''s tendency to be borderline obsessed with Humans.

    Martinez eyed the two of them and was not sure if these two were serious or not. From his time dealing with Human Marines, he was all too familiar with a culture of messing with the new guy, having been on both ends of messing with or being messed with multiple times. Martinez¡¯s somewhat sluggish and caffeine-desperate brain almost instinctively decided to roll with it and treat his new co-workers like any of the Marines by calling them on their bluff. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Uhh, sorry,¡± Martinez said, feigning embarrassment. ¡°The Doc did seem to be a bit excited to be around me, but I swear I am not the Doctor¡¯s, mate.¡±

    The two aliens glanced at each other and then back at Martinez, an awkward tension built between the two groups as they looked each other over for some kind of reaction. That tension snapped like a rubber band when the bird-like alien started to make a sound halfway between laughter and a tin can being forced through a trash disposal.

    ¡°I like you, new guy. At least you can take a joke. I¡¯m Therin, by the way,'''' the creature said after catching its breath. Shortly after, it seemed to have realized something. ¡°Oh yeah, you are Male, right? I have a bet with old Ivorn here,¡± Therin said while leaning forward on the chair.

    ¡°Yeah, I am a Male,¡± Martinez confirmed.

    ¡°Score, I told you so, Ivorn. Pay up,¡± the bird-like alien chirped happily and proudly puffed up the bright feathers on their chest.

    ¡°Fine, I owe you lunch.¡± Ivorn groaned as he looked over at Therin.

    Ivorn then looked back towards Martinez. ¡°Hopefully, you turn out better than the last guy. Shiksie sent him packing, with his tail between his legs only after a few days on the job,¡± he said with a smile.

    Therin¡¯s head snapped back to Martinez, a much less pronounced laugh coming from the tiny bird. ¡°Oh yeah, she is going to be so pissed. She will still be the only female on the shift,¡± he said.

    ¡°Who is Shiksie? And she did what?¡± Martinez questioned.

    Both Ivorn and Therin started to laugh without missing a beat. Martinez could quickly tell this type of laughter. He had seen it several times since he became a non-commissioned officer. It wasn¡¯t a laugh when someone told a funny joke, nor was it the laughter you would see from a group enjoying something together. This was the same type of laughter he and the other NCOs would share when they were about to send a new guy into a situation he could not win, where that poor fool was the only one out of the joke.

    That knowledge let a slight twinge of worry run freely in his chest. Martinez could not imagine what they had planned for him. When he was around Humans, he could relatively guess, here amidst these aliens, the possibilities were as vast as the universe.

    ¡°She is who Harnsis has assigned to be your mentor,¡± Ivorn said with a snide grin.

    ¡°Oh, come on, can you at least tell me something about what she did?¡± Martinez pleaded.

    ¡°Not a chance. It will be funny to see how you react to her. We had to go through it, and so do you. You are her fresh meat, after all,¡±  Therin squawked.

    Just great, Martinez thought.

    He now fully understood how this wouldn¡¯t be some special advisory position like command had initially sold him. He was being placed firmly back on the bottom of the totem pole with someone who, by the sounds of it, was going to act like some hard-charging sergeant.

    Martinez could not help but wonder if this might be a punishment from the Navy. Ever since Verilon, he had been distant and short with the newer Marines, not wanting to be close to others who likely would die on their next deployment. He could not help but think Command had gotten tired of hearing complaints about him yelling at privates for doing something stupid.

    ¡°Oh, would you look who it is? Best of luck, buddy,¡± Ivorn said while gesturing behind Martinez.

    Spinning around in the chair, Martinez nearly jumped out of his skin. Standing within arms reach was a feline-like alien. She stood about three meters tall. Any part of her body that wasn¡¯t covered by scrubs had thin, bluish-grey fur, with a few darker spots running up her arms. Her long tail hung down and lightly swayed against the ground behind her. She had a lithe build that reminded Martinez somewhat of a gymnast.

    She stared down at Martinez. Two bright emerald eyes narrowed and focused on him. Their slitted irises were as sharp as razors and cut into Martinez¡¯s soul. The edges of her thin lips slightly curled into what looked like an uncomfortable attempt at a smile, revealing her sharp fangs. Her predatory grin and the fact that she had gotten so close to him without making any sound unsettled Martinez.

    ¡°Uhh, hi, I''m Martinez. I assume you are Shiksie?¡± He said as he nervously shifted and extended his hand toward her.

    Her large cat-like ears twitched and focused in front of her, and her eyes slowly shifted to look at his extended hand. Then her focus darted back up and over Martinez at Ivorn and Therin.

    ¡°Don''t you two have anything better to do right now?¡± She said in a soft, flowing voice.

    ¡°Yeah, we were just meeting the new guy,¡± Ivorn and Therin said in near-perfect unison. Martinez focused on the woman before him, not wanting to willingly give his back to anything that moved as silently as she did.

    Therin and Ivorn shuffled away and spoke to one another in hushed tones once the sound of them faded. Shiksie¡¯s eyes snapped back down to him, and a jolt of fear shot through him like a gun from the intensity she looked at him.

    ¡°You can put your hand away,¡± Shiksie said while tilting her head.

    ¡°I was just trying to be polite,¡± Martinez said awkwardly before he retracted his hand.

    ¡°Don''t bother. Even if Harnsis recommends you, I have yet to see any reason to believe that you will thrive here,¡± she said coldly as she lowered herself into another chair.

    Shiksie pulled out a datapad and started to flick through it with her clawed fingers. After she found whatever she was looking for, she handed it over to Martinez¡ªthen turned to the workstation in front of her.

    ¡°That is a listing and details of the major species of this station. Start studying them,¡± Shiksie said flatly. Her attention stayed firmly on the workstation. Martinez noted she shifted slightly as she sat as if she was full of energy despite her glacial demeanor.

    Martinez looked down at the datapad and started to scroll through the list. Thousands of species were outlined and separated by classification of general physiology or their rarity class within the GU. Martinez was overwhelmed by the amount of information presented and had no idea where to start.

    ¡°Uh, what do you want me to study about them?¡± Martinez questioned.

    Shiksie let out a long sigh and kept flicking through pages on her workstation as she spoke, ¡°What are you some kit? Those were simple instructions. Study them, learn them. I''m not going to hold your hand,¡± she said in an annoyed tone.

    ¡°Can you give me more guidance than that?¡± he asked.

    She stood up and gestured for him to follow. ¡°Fine, if that''s what you need,¡± Shiksie said as she started to walk towards one of the doors of the open trauma rooms.

    Martinez got up and started to follow her. Once they reached the open door, she turned back and leaned over until her face was centimeters away from his. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Stand right here and start reading over each of them. I will be quizzing you on them later. That is all you will do until I say you are good enough. Do you understand?¡± She whispered in an icy, hushed tone.

    ¡°What that can''t¡ª¡± Martinez started to say but was cut off when her long claws dug slightly into his shoulder.

    ¡°Do you understand, little Human?¡± She hissed into his ear, her warm breath flowing across his neck. His heart began to race as she pushed her claws slightly harder into his skin.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Martinez said in a panicked stutter, not wanting to anger the large feline further, especially with her claws centimeters from his neck.

    She stood up, releasing him from her grasp. She gave him a gentle smile before turning around and sauntered back towards her terminal.

    What the fuck was that? Martinez thought as his racing heart tried to calm itself down. Her claws and cold, predatory tone sent his body into a primal fear almost as bad as when he met the Director.

    ¡°Don''t worry, new guy. Shiksie did the same thing to me,¡± Therin said as he walked past him carrying what looked like some fresh bed sheets.

    Martinez gave him a short nod and felt thankful that at least two of his new co-workers seemed to understand that working with other species was entirely new to him. He also felt relieved that this was some kind of initiation or hazing. It wasn¡¯t specific to him.

    This can''t last forever. I just have to prove myself, Martinez thought.

 Human Trauma Sales announcement.

    Hello everyone, your friend Pirate here. Over the last year, I have been writing human trauma and appreciate you all for being along for the ride.  Human Trauma Book One is officially available for purchase digitally and on paperback. It has been a fun ride to get here, and I have no intention of stopping this as my primary project, along with writing others, such as "Iced Hearts," as secondary side stories. However, I will take a short break for the next few months. I am not happy about it, but I have to go to training for the next few months due to my job. When I return, I hope to hit the ground running and will continue to work on this, pushing "Iced Hearts" out for purchase and publication.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Any of my works that are entirely available here have yet to be cleaned up and corrected for grammar etc. The stub sections reflect the final quality, while the inpro works are just my concepts waiting to be completed.

    I hope you check out my full work on my amazon page.

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0CRPVG219

    -pirate

 Human Trauma II--Section One: Little Huntress(BOOK TWO START)

    Lysa Veringal was slumped in a chair behind the counter of the Specialty shop she had worked at for the last few years, waiting for the final few minutes of her shift to end. The shop was filled with rows upon rows of merchandise; it had been that way for as long as she could remember. Hell, most products filling those shelves were the same; each was made by and for a specific species, so they could enjoy some pleasure of vice their unique anatomy allowed.

    However, some of the chemicals contained within them could be consumed by many different species. But those cases were few and far between.

    Her own species, Aviex, was one of the species in the Galactic Union that was capable of that and was considered quite hardy by many. Though that regrettably was not her species'' claim to fame¡ªor, more accurately put, infamy.

    The Aviex species had evolved on an incredibly barren planet called Aveion, many hundreds of lightyears from here. It had sparse flora, fauna, and sunlight. This led to her species having a few traits that others found unsettling.

    Her skin was pale as a ghost, and she had four blood-red eyes that gave her incredibly keen sight, along with her species having what was by Galactic Union standards an extremely dense muscle mass and high endurance. Few amidst the galaxy could match an Aveix in pound-for-pound strength. So far, the only ones she was aware of were Humans.

    Yet the feature that unsettled other aliens the most was her teeth. Her mouth was filled with incredibly sharp needle-shaped teeth. Though not incredibly large, they were strong and just as white as her skin. They were a physical representation of the cultural tendencies her species performed that led to them being mockingly called Vein Slicers.

    The Aviex species had developed to drink blood as one of their primary forms of sustenance; there was so little to go around. What else would they have done? Wasted it. This need led to them treating blood as something somewhat sacred, even developing an analogy to Human kissing, mordain. A pair of either Ruh¡¯ah, or Gra¡¯hu would bite from the other and drink a small amount of blood as a symbolic gesture of trust and care, symbolizing giving a bit of themselves to the other.

    Most species found the idea of them drinking each other''s blood or the blood of other species as abhorrent and detestable. This brought about rumors that the Aveix will slice them open and drink from their veins, hence the unfortunate moniker. They were little more than hypocrites in the eyes of most Aviex. They were perfectly willing to call them monsters, vampires, or whatever analogy their species had to blood-consuming ghouls, all while stuffing their mouths with the meat of some lesser non-sentient.

    Lysa yawned and shifted in the chair, pushing the stiffness out of her athletic figure. She stretched high to the sky, her black shirt pulling up ever so slightly, letting the cool breeze of a fan roll over her lean abs. Thankfully, no one was around to hear her groaning as she did.

    It had been well over an hour since the last customer had graced her with something to do. Too bad, ringing up a shaking, somewhat fearful customer only took moments, immediately followed by them rushing out the door. She usually would message her Ruh''ah, Henry Martinez, during extended downtime at work. But she had recently changed to working a day shift like him, so her dear Human was busy working at the trauma center and could not be her source of entertainment while she waited.

    Instead, Lysa was stuck here, pecking away at a little story she had decided to jot down on her datapad. She was in no way an incredibly talented writer like her mother and had just started this one. It was at least something to do, and it wasn¡¯t like anyone would ever read it.

    Who would want to read what might as well be the ramblings of someone trying to recreate the magic of old Human fantasies? She barely knew the Human Fantasy Genre herself, but Martinez enjoyed them. So, through exposure, the fantastical dragons, epic quests, and dirty diminutive goblins grew on her. At least it was something to occupy her mind.

    At least no one else arrived before the night shift clocked in and relieved her from working the register. She had managed to make at least several paragraphs that read somewhat cleanly. If only Galactic Standard was not such a complex language. With the amount of context and descriptors needed to have sentences make even a bit of sense, she had taken a few¡ªcreative liberties when describing fantastical elements.

    Sythen was a young reptilian alien working the night shift. Lysa had never bothered to learn his species. He was clearly afraid of her anyway, always keeping at least a few meters between them if he could.

    After handing off the shop and signing out for the day, Lysa grabbed the jacket she borrowed from Martinez a few weeks ago and tossed it on. She did have her own jacket but preferred his because it smelled like he did¡ªluscious and fresh pine. That and the dark, near-black leather complemented her ensemble of blacks, dark blues, and whites.

    She stepped out into the streets of Draun and shielded her eyes from the bright twin suns still high in the blue Renoural sky. Getting off work when it was this bright felt odd after having lived nearly constantly in the evening and night for the last few local years. At least with this, she could spend more time with Martinez or train more in martial arts at Teachers dojo. Though she only planned on doing one of those tonight. Seeing her Ruh''ah.

    Lysa started on her way through the bustling city streets. Though for her, they were seldom, if ever, too crowded. The moment any alien spotted her and realized what species she was, they would avert their course and make way for her.

    Years ago, that treatment bothered her, but not anymore. At the time, she was young, angry and spiteful. Not at anyone in particular, but at the entire universe for the hand it had dealt her. Through Teacher''s training and Martinez¡¯s comfort, all of that was behind her. Who cares if they don¡¯t want to be around her? They aren¡¯t worth her time or effort if that''s how they feel. She had plenty of friends at the dojo, a man who wanted her. What else could she want?

    She diverted from her usual direct route of weaving in and out of shops and highrises; instead, she wished to meander through the several-kilometer-wide park in the city''s center. The many colors, building designs, and cultures that coexist in Draun were wondrous. It was something she adored that she was a part of, even if it was a diminutive one. The city was considered an example of what the Galactic Union aims for its society to be like, though few ever reached this level of harmony. She wished to visit the city''s park for some fresh air.

    Traversing the rolling meadows of green grass and the lush autumn colors of the trees was far more enjoyable than the stuffy business district she worked within. Though not the same as where she had grown up, seeing this much flora was a comforting reminder about where she grew up on the far side of the planet. A little reminder of the town called Cellna, while she could keep a comfortable difference from there.

    Lysa glanced across the small lake in the park''s center, the waves rolling and glistening in the sunlight. Other aliens were lounging about, watching the trees sway in the breeze. She breathed the crisp autumn air, letting the sharp scent infect her lungs, filling her with subtle warmth. Without a doubt, autumn was the best time to live in this city. The summers were too hot and humid. The winters were nonstop heavy snow, while the spring was an unrelenting assault from insects and rain. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    She slowed her pace to linger in the park a little longer and pulled out her datapad, sending a quick message to Martinez.

    Lysa: Ruh¡¯ah will you arrive at your abode soon? I will be there in a little over ten minutes.

    Martinez took a few minutes to reply, but that happened occasionally when he was at work. He usually was caught up with reports or was wrist-deep helping his coworkers with another patient. So, the delay did not bother her.

    Martinez: I will be a little late, sorry. Give me IDK thirty minutes?

    Lysa: Very well, I shall await you outside.

    Martinez: Alright. :)

    Little else happened until she arrived at Martinez''s apartment complex. She had been told that the reddish brick building looked similar to what you could find on his home planet of Earth. Not that she had been there¡ªyet. But would not mind seeing where her dear Ruh''ah had grown up.

    His apartment was on the far side of the city from her home and had a very different vibe than the suburbs she lived in. It was not bad; it was just packed full of aliens on each floor. Their potpourri of sharp scents was jarring the first time she arrived. Now, she was used to it.

    She happily waved at a few of his neighbors while ascending the stairs, a gesture they returned. They had gotten used to seeing her over the last few months and neither seemed bothered by her, much to her preference. If only all aliens could be like them or Martinez, so open-minded and accepting, treating her just like everybody else.

    She settled onto the windowsill just outside his door at the end of the hallway on the third floor. She shifted her muscular legs as she settled in, trying to find a position where she was not in some amount of pain. Her butt and thighs had been sore over the last week. The result of  Teacher¡¯s training and her nightly romps with Martinez. Not that either was wrong; she just had to live with it.

    While Lysa waited, she remembered she needed to call her Mother and inform her that she and Martinez were willing to come over and visit them soon, having agreed on a date. She had meant to tell her mother several weeks ago, when she and Martinez had made up after their spat about Martinez not reaching out and being open with her. But life had gotten busy, and doing so slipped her mind.

    She quickly dialed her mother, Nelya. She truly adored having the opportunity to speak to her; if only she was not so busy, otherwise they would talk more often. Unlike Lysa and her father, they had gotten along swimmingly throughout her life, a model mother and daughter.

    Lysa and her father had difficulty getting along for as long as she could remember. His treatment and views ultimately drove Lysa away from Cellna almost six local years ago.

    After a few quick rings sounded out from her datapad, her mother''s smooth, ethereal voice came through. Lysa had to admit her mother¡¯s voice was something she found soothing throughout her life. After she comforted Lysa countless times, telling her that her father did not mean it or was only trying to protect her, hearing her smooth, somewhat resonant tones was like a warm hug.

    ¡°Hello, my little huntress. How are you doing today?¡± Nelya said in Galactic Standard, something that surprised Lysa because her mother usually spoke Aviex to her.

    Little huntress, a pet name her mother almost always called her. Although it was strange hearing Mother say it in Galactic Standard. The translation was not clean in any way, but that was not her mother¡¯s fault. It was because the term was from the Aviex language, where it was used to refer to one''s daughter, while hunter would be used for boys.

    The Aveix language was strange like that. It placed a lot of emphasis on titles that quickly described one''s relationship to others. From Ruh''ah for an intimate partner, Gra''hu for someone you had children with, and countless others to explain family members and those who were not. Even with those technicalities, the Aviex language was far easier to speak than Galactic Standard. If it was not, Lysa might not talk in such a formal manner and with her atrocious accent.

    Lysa could already picture her mother''s soft heartwarming features. Her mother had four pink eyes, a full figure ready for a hug, and hair similar to Lysa''s¡ªraven black hair that she tended to tie back.

    It had been a long time since she had seen them; she truly did miss her mother.

    ¡°I am well, mother,¡± Lysa replied, casting her gaze out the window and watching the street below for Martinez¡¯s arrival.

    They shared some small talk, going over the most recent events in their life. Nelya spoke of her current book and bemoaned her readers for incessantly writing to her about their desires to be loved by her main character. Lysa simply updated her on the new shift at work and the training endeavors. They continued this way for a while, laughing and sharing each other''s recent strifes and triumphs¡ªuntil Mother brought up the reason Lysa called her in the first place.

    ¡°So tell me, how was your conversation with your Ruh''ah? I was expecting to hear from you a few weeks ago,¡± Nelya questioned with a sly tone.

    ¡°It did go quite well. Though it was rather uncomfortable to force Martinez through my berating,¡± Lysa sighed, thinking about the horrible pained scowl on his face when she laid his sins to bare.

    ¡°Hmm, well, as I said, ensuring he knows your boundaries and limitations is important and will be good for you two in the long run. If I had not done the same in the past, Kyroll and I would have separated long ago,¡± Nelya said.

    Kyroll, Lysa¡¯s father. She had heard the story of when he abandoned her and her mother for several weeks just after she was born, then came back, and her mother gave him a cold shoulder for months.

    A part of Lysa wished he would have stayed gone; he had caused her enough pain growing up. Chasing off her few friends, yelling at her for dreaming of traveling the galaxy, and threatening the only man she had ever been attracted to, at least until she moved. Kyroll was abhorrent. A true example of how to be the worst father someone could be.

    At this point, Lysa would tell others she hated him, but that wasn¡¯t right. She felt utter indifference. If he was burning alive and she had the only water in dozens of kilometers, she would sooner drink it than save that horrible man.

    ¡°Very well then,¡± Lysa said, trying to dismiss the mention of her father. ¡°I wish to inform you that Henry and I arranged some time off to visit you. He has a break from college in a month, so that is when we plan on arriving.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. I will have your old room ready for you two.¡± Nelya said chipperly. ¡°I cannot wait to meet your Ruh''ah.¡±

    ¡°I cannot wait for you to meet him as well; I''m certain you will adore him,¡± Lysa beamed.

    She was proud that Martinez was her Ruh''ah. The Human was strong, intelligent, and protective enough of her to melt her heart. Mainly because their first date involved them getting attacked by a pair of particularly Zeletous aliens, and he gladly came to her aid. Thinking about it even now made her heart flutter.

    ¡°Oh, make sure you do tell him about your father. I will make sure your father stays well-behaved, but just make sure he is aware of your¡­ relationship,¡± Nelya insisted.

    ¡°I had no intention of not informing him of that horrible man. If I am lucky, that monster will choose to stay at work for the duration of our stay,¡± Lysa grumbled.

    ¡°Now, my little huntress. Your father loves you. He is just¡ªdifficult. Not unlike what you have told me about Martinez,¡± Nelya said.

    Martinez was nothing like Kyrol, as far as Lysa saw it. The only linking factors were they both were in the military and had combat experience. Other than that, they could be nothing alike; Martinez was giving and considerate and wanted to see her happy¡ªunlike that bastard.

    Just before Lysa expressed this to her mother, she spotted Martinez amidst the crowd. He glanced up, spotted her waiting on the windowsill, and waved with a brimming smile. Lysa waved and decided to put that subject to rest for now. He undoubtedly had a strenuous work day; her being in a foul mood from complaining about her father would not help.

    ¡°If that is what you wish to believe, mother. I shall not argue about it. However, Ruh''ah has returned, and we are going to make dinner. I shall speak to you later,¡± Lysa said.

    Nelya sighed loudly. For years, she had attempted to convince Lysa of what her father thought about her, but to no effect. As far as Lysa considered it, if Kyroll loved her and wanted forgiveness, he could reach out and attempt to explain, not use her mother as a broker.

    ¡°I hope you have a nice night, my little huntress. I love you,¡± Nelya replied.

    ¡°I love you too, Mother,¡± Lysa replied before she ended the call.

 Human Trauma II--Section Two: Vampiric Visitant.

    Martinez had a long day at work. The entire day was filled with a nonstop influx of patients who did not need to be at a trauma center. Most of them had sat on a minor complaint for days until they randomly decided it needed to be treated right that moment. Too bad the patients were wasting their time. Each required an extensive work-up; it could take weeks to diagnose their unprovable pain, and that was before treatment was ever considered.

    Martinez, Shiksie, Ivorn, Harnsis, and Therin did believe the patient felt the pain they were at the shop for, but they were workers at a trauma center; if the patient''s life was not in immediate danger or suffered some other grievous injury, they should not be bogging down the system¡ªgeneral medical practices were for that.

    Martinez never would have guessed that malingerers, crazed hypochondriacs, and unnecessary patients would be problems on the far end of the galaxy. According to Shiksie and Dr. Harnsis, they were an issue no matter where you went in the Galactic Union.

    Never in his life did Martinez think he would want to be treating Human Marines again. Those animals never wanted to see the doctor. Mainly because others would see them as a pussy and never stop berating them, but at least they generally did not malinger.

    The patients who did not understand the trauma center''s role in the GU''s extensive medical systems were annoying for the shop. But they were not today''s primary issue; That horrible glory was given to a Suulintal tweaking off their mind on some new drug sweeping across the planets and moons of the Rentix system.

    This was Martinez¡¯s first time dealing with someone losing their mind on a drug called Visage. Not that their violent and paranoid outbursts were the patient''s fault, at least for this specific drug.

    Visage was a powerful broad-spectrum hallucinogen that, according to the police that escorted the poor patient in, was favored heavily by traffickers and other criminals. It was given the street name of Visage because of the nasty effects it initially showed and the side effects the victim would suffer for weeks.

    Once it enters your system through inhalation, blood, or glandular contact, you will forget all faces that your mind has not committed to long-term memory and won''t be able to recall any you do see for several days. It''s a genuinely horrible drug, used for even worse practices.

    However, the worst part was how it functions similarly to nerve agents and other chemical-based weapons. Mear skin contact is often enough to have someone be affected by them. Similar to ancient VX compounds used in the trenches hundreds of years ago in World War One.

    Today''s victim was tough on everyone mentally, especially Shiksie.

    Apparently, from what the police were able to piece together, the woman recently had a clutch of eggs hatch, and her mate left the system for a week on work. She was the prime candidate for whatever ghouls decided to target her.

    She was found in a panic, wandering the streets, clutching an empty swaddle in her wings, screaming that she could not find her young. She could not relax until the Draun Police sedated her.

    By the time she was in the Trauma Center, the doctors had already decided she would be moved to the ICU(Intensive Care Unit) and kept under sedation until regular brain activity resumed¡ªhowever many weeks that might be. The shop could not even reach her poor husband. The poor thing must have been horrified when she awoke from Visage''s initial effects to an empty nest.

    Martinez could not imagine the pain and suffering that family would go through once she was stable. Fuck¡ªtheir kids were stolen from under their noses.

    It was a shame that her story was not original; according to the GU, the police, and the hospital services recently, a massive spike in child trafficking occurred in the system and showed no signs of slowing down.

    But none of that was his concern right now; Martinez was already on the way home. Spotting Lysa¡¯s bright, fanged smile next to his apartment and her happily waving at him was enough to push any of those looming dark thoughts away.

    ¡°Hey, Ruh''ah, how was your day?¡± Martinez smiled as he rounded the corner to the third floor, and she walked toward him.

    Lysa, the woman he loved. Though it took him a few months to understand how genuinely he cared for her down to every last detail. Her cute accent when she spoke standard, her curvaceous but equally sporty figure, and her gothic way of dressing. Nothing was wrong as far as he was concerned.

    She thought similarly to him despite them being different species.

    Lysa did not fault him for his PTSD dreams caused by his time as a Corpsman in the Human Navy. She was always forward with him about her desires, something he needed because he was as dense as tungsten. She even found the extensive scarring covering his body attractive¡ªsomething he doubted anyone would ever do.

    Lysa draped her arms over Martinez¡¯s shoulders and gently brought her lips to his while he pulled her waist close, their warmth spreading to the other. After holding the kiss for several longing moments, they rested their foreheads together and briefly got lost in the eyes of the other. She had four beautiful red jewels, whereas he sported eyes as dark as tree bark, fitting for his deep pine cologne.

    ¡°My day was quite long. I am not yet used to being out and about during daylight hours,¡± Lysa giggled while crawling her hand beneath his jacket to move it to the side.

    It was time for the second half of their daily cross-species ritual. Something Martinez and Lysa adored beyond anything in the universe.

    Mordain.

    Martinez had initially thought the idea of letting her bite and drink his blood was insane, but after it happened once, he understood why Aveix did this. It was intimate and something unique to their species. Well, now it was also a tiny part of Humanity.

    They both gently kissed the other''s shoulder before biting down. While for Martinez, electric arcs of pleasure coursed through his chest while Lysa¡¯s sharp teeth sunk in, he could only leave a hickey and a few teeth marks on her shoulder, not that she minded. It was all he could do to reciprocate the gesture for his lady love.

    After several months of doing this daily, both had scars left on their right shoulders. According to Lysa, that is essentially one of the reasons it was done daily. The scar was a quirky status symbol they both could show off. Lysa tended to wear clothes that left her pale shoulders open to view, while Martinez generally wore more conservative garb. Thankfully Lyusa understood he was not rejecting the idea, he just preferred long sleeves.

    After wiping blood and saliva off their Ruh''ah¡¯s tender shoulder, they quickly entered Martinez¡¯s humble apartment.

    The inside of the apartment was something that Martinez had grown to love. Doctor Harnsis, his direct boss, was a Humanphile and decorated it before Martinez arrived at his current assignment to Draun. His obsession with Human culture but a general lack of understanding of it led him to decorate the apartment in a way that could be called eccentric in the politest terms. Still, Martinez described it as a knick-knack shop that had exploded inside and painted the walls with items from all over Earth, spanning thousands of years of Human history.

    Martinez appreciated the insectoid doctor''s effort. He did manage to get some things that Martinez adored: a massive collection of movies that were likely bootleg, a couple of plush bean bag chairs that Martinez and the few Aliens who swung by liked to lounge in, and a silk bedspread from Japan. He and Lysa definitely appreciated how soft, warm, and inviting the green silken sheets were.

    Lysa tended to describe the small single-bedroom apartment as garish but quaint. That was not surprising for her, she was the daughter of an author and had a far more expansive lexicon of words in Galactic Standard. She also tended to speak formally compared to most aliens and definitely when compared to Martinez.

    ¡°Would you care to tell me about your day while I prepare dinner?¡± Lysa questioned while she tossed her jacket onto the back of one of the dining room chairs.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Martinez replied after tossing his bag down and going to pull out the basics to set the table.

    The two of them nearly always had this routine: One cooked while the other set the table, be it here or at Lysa¡¯s house across town. They really had no preference for whose home they stayed at; it usually came down to whether one of them had to go to work in the morning, with them splitting the difference if they both did.

    The only days they did not sleep together was when Martinez had to study late and crashed at his mentor Shiksie''s house, but that had not happened in nearly a month. Ever since Marinez got used to the routine of going to college while also having a full-time job.

    Martinez was glad that was the case. Shiksie confessed her affection to him several weeks ago, and he utterly failed to let her down easily. Ever since then, the air between them was slightly awkward; she still seemed to be waiting for him to leave Lysa and run to her, confessing his undying love.

    But that was not going to happen.

    So Martinez still had to broach his denial of her feelings with the tall, athletic feline. Much to Lysa¡¯s chagrin, at least his Ruh''ah understood why he was trying to be tactful and that Shiksie seemed to be maintaining a comfortable and professional relationship¡ªfor now.

    Lysa made Martinez well aware she would kill Shiksie if she tried to overstep with him. When he explained what happened between them, Martinez nearly had to hold her back from rushing to the trauma center and killing Shiksie. Thankfully, she was letting him handle the issue for the time being. Shiksie would not survive that encounter if Lysa had her way.

    ¡°So, where to begin,¡± Martinez grumbled as he began to explain the day and its events.

    They were both very used to recounting everything that happened to each other. They did so at least every day or two, especially when something eventful happened to either. By the time Martinez had walked Lysa through what went on at work, they were already settling down next to one another to eat dinner.

    ¡°Well, that sounds atrocious. I do hope the police manage to find that Suulintal woman''s children. I honestly cannot understand what kind of monster would whisk away someone''s young,¡± Lysa growled while she lowered into her chair.

    Martinez wished he did not understand why Aliens might do that. While Slavery was illegal in the entire GU, plenty of smaller conglomerates and independent systems out in the universe refused to abolish the concept. Along with the general areas within the GU, the government could not entirely keep them under their thumb.

    Wherever there is a demand for some product, there will be a market. And with thousands of species in the Universe, each with unique traits and conditions they were adapted to, undoubtedly, some unsavory individuals would be perfectly willing to commit horrible crimes to snatch them up into trafficking.

    Lord knew Martinez had seen enough examples of that type of thought while working with the Human Marines. It seemed wherever war went, child soldiers, slaves, drug runners, and merchants of war followed or led; he was never sure which came first after his dozens of combat deployments and thousands of battles and preferred not knowing what led people to such horrible acts. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Yeah, hopefully they do find those kids,¡± Martinez replied. ¡°What is this meal anyway? Another Aviex dish?¡±

    The meal was something Lysa had never made for him before. Usually, her meals were chock full of Iron and meat. This one was similar and looked like a large slab of red meat, slathered in one of the blood sauces she usually had with it. But unlike usual, there was what reminded Matinez of beans, but they were the size of Brussels sprouts spattering their plates, soaking up the sauce.

    ¡°It is. My mother made it regularly around this time of year. The tubers are called Irt¡¯lin. They last an extremely long time when dried. We may use them in stews or anything else that could use starch,¡± Lysa smiled, poking his side playfully. ¡°Did you not witness me placing them in our shopping cart the other day?¡±

    ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t,¡± Martinez shrugged. ¡°Any particular reason why you wanted this?¡±

    ¡°I assumed eating more traditional Aveix food might be beneficial before we travel to my parent''s abode. I would not wish for you to detest what my mother would likely prepare,¡± Lysa replied.

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Martinez replied.¡±But if her cooking is anything like yours, I will like it.¡±

    ¡°If my cooking is what you wish to compare my mother¡¯s against, I''m certain you will adore her meals. Although I fear you won¡¯t enjoy mine once you spend a few weeks with mother plumping you up with extravagant dining,¡± Lysa jokingly said.

    ¡°Oh come on it can¡¯t be that good,¡± Martinez replied as he started to dig into the meal.

    ¡°Believe me, my abilities cannot compare to her prowess as a chef,¡± Lysa assured.

    Martinez shrugged his mouth already full of the succulent fatty food. If that was true or not it did not matter. He loved Lysa¡¯s cooking as is.

    ¡ª

    ¡°There we go,¡± Martinez said after cleaning the kitchen after dinner.

    ¡°Do you wish to join me, Ruh''ah?¡± Lysa purred, gesturing to the black bean bag chair she had settled into, before sipping some Lorian wine they had picked up the other day.

    ¡°In a second, I have something I want to open with you,¡± Martinez replied, wiping his wet hand with a dishrag and tossing it onto the table.

    ¡°Should I be excited?¡± Lysa questioned.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Martinez whispered into her ear, eliciting the cutest shudder as his warm breath caressed her neck. ¡°Let me go get the care package the Marines sent us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it arrived?¡± Lysa excitedly replied.

    ¡°It did,¡± Martinez said, heading toward the bedroom.

    Lysa felt her heart pounding as excitement filled her. She could recall when they were cuddled up in bed and watched the video Martinez¡¯s old unit had sent explaining they mailed a care package filled with gifts for Martinez and his ¡°Hot goth.¡±

    Ruh''ah and her decided to send one in response that same day.

    That was an enjoyable project for them. Martinez selected specific items for individuals and regaled her with tales explaining why the item was either a joke or something they would genuinely enjoy. She had been charged with selecting treats and other items she might want or could eat. Humans'' and Aveix''s tastes were generally very similar, which was perfect for her, mainly because she was not intimately familiar with his old friends.

    The standout tales Martinez told involved Dee, Johnson, and Raleigh. His genuine smile when telling her of their misadventures together was heartwarming and the most childlike she had ever seen her Ruh''ah.

    A part of her wondered if he still could be that way after all he had been through. But seeing Martinez settle into the seat next to her with a large box in hand and a brimming smile assured her that Martinez definitely still had a bit of his inner child in his heart.

    ¡°Hopefully, they sent two specific items and not too many dick pictures,¡± Martinez said, clicking open his pocket knife, slicing the package open, and digging through the items.

    ¡°Oh, come now, would they genuinely send pictures of their cocks?¡± Lysa genuinely questioned.

    ¡°They would, so be careful opening any letters,¡± Martinez laughed deeply.

    Martinez rummaged through the package further while Lysa scooted closer to peek inside. The Marines indeed went no holds bar when filling Martinez¡¯s gift. The box was overflowing with candies, treats, and various knickknacks. Spattered amidst them were several closed envelopes.

    Lysa was surprised that Humans still sent letters at all. Most Aliens relied on video messaging or Email because they did not have to wait weeks or months for a response. But who was she to judge? Lysa still preferred to write using pen and paper instead of a datapad; too bad she could not lug around the supplies effectively.

    ¡°May I?¡± Lysa questioned, leaning against his shoulder.

    ¡°Of course, they did say it was for both of us,¡± Martinez assured, shifting the box onto both of their laps.

    Martinez was not worried about Lysa eating anything the Marines could have sent him. After Ezol had an adverse reaction to the hot sauce Martinez had negligently gifted him, Martinez screened her species thoroughly and ensured every bit of food he bought could not hurt her. These treats could only hurt his beloved if Lysa had some unknown allergy that neither knew about.

    That doesn¡¯t mean he didn''t have a twinge of fear. If Lysa was hurt by something he gave or did to her, he would never be able to forgive himself. The mere thought of hurting Lysa caused him heartache.

    Lysa joined him and pulled out a smaller candy and one of the letters. Lysa opened the candy and popped it into her mouth without asking questions. It looked like crystalized green-dyed sugar covered in more sugar crystals.

    When the round ball hit her tongue, Lysa knew it was nothing like the sweet treats she usually had at work and instantly regretted her decision.

    ¡°Baahh!¡± Lysa groaned, nearly coughing out the incredibly sour candy, but her mouth clenched, locking the ball in her maw.

    Martinez dropped his search instantly and turned his full attention to her, fearing the worst. He grabbed her hand tightly, worry clear as day in his bark-colored eyes.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He questioned frantically.

    ¡°By the stars, it is incredibly sour,¡± Lysa squeaked through her grimace.

    Martinez paused momentarily before laughing so hard he was nearly crying. Seeing Lysa¡¯s scrunched-up face was adorable. He wrapped his arm around her and playfully jostled her. At least he thought it was funny, but that was not what she expected. Her entire body tensed up moments later as the taste overwhelmed her. It was foul.

    ¡°I''m sorry. I should have warned you,¡± Martinez said, grabbing the wrapper from her lap. Oh, you had a Neutron drop. Don¡¯t worry, Ruh''ah. It¡¯s only sour for a few moments, then tastes like fruit.¡±

    She tried to reply, but her face refused to move from a tight clench. So only a light squeak escaped her while she nodded, trusting his judgment.

    Why would Humans make this?

    Candy should be enjoyable for whoever is eating it, not for someone watching. Then she remembered who sent them the package and their relationship with Martinez¡ªMarines.

    Fucking Human Marines.

    Of course, the Humans he considered his brothers would have no issue sending off items that would momentarily be cruel to the other. They thought of each other as family, after all. Small, offensive jokes should have been expected.

    ¡°Here, watch,¡± Martines said softly before he popped a similar candy between his lips.

    It took a few moments, but Lysa started to chuckle, watching his face squeeze into contorted pain. Too bad she could not laugh as hard as her body was trying. The effects of the Neutron drop were still making it difficult to breathe, much less emote.

    Lysa knew if she looked half as messed up as he did. She could somewhat understand why they would pass out these joke candy. Martinez¡¯s eyes were watering, and cheeks looked like he was trying to swallow them. He looked like a goof. Her goof, but a goof nonetheless.

    ¡°You look ridiculous,¡± Lysa painfully squeaked through pursed lips.

    Martinez chuckled and rubbed his head against hers, fully understanding the feeling. She looked ridiculous, too.

    After a few minutes of sour candy hell, they both relaxed as the now unbelievably sweet flavors of the fruity candy overtook them, pressing away the tart taste. Although neither candy was as marvelous as fruit, it tasted like it was meant to resemble fruit¡ªvaguely.

    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Martinez asked, placing a small kiss on her cheek.

    ¡°Indeed, however, I would much rather not be surprised like that again this evening,¡± Lysa replied, sticking her now green-stained tongue at him.

    ¡°I will warn you next time,¡± Martinez assured.

    Following that surprise, the next bit of their exploration of the gifts did not have any more shocking revelations, other than Martinez quickly tucked away some pictures before Lysa had seen them. Most she saw, and they were expected. But Martinez assured her it was just the Marines sending him pictures of their cocks, or bare asses.

    He had told her they would likely do that, but that they actually did was still unbelievable. But the slight blush on his face when she tried to steal them was cute. Not that she was too curious about them. She was well acquainted with Human anatomy, to put it lightly. Lysa just wanted to mess with her Ruh''ah after he failed to warn her.

    ¡°So, what did you wish for me to try?¡± Lysa asked, leaning against his shoulder and snaking her arm around his back playfully.

    ¡°This,¡± Martinez said, pulling some of the final items out.

    One was a small bar wrapped in foil, not much larger than Martinez¡¯s rough hands; the other was a bag filled with tiny green tubes about the size of her pinky finger.

    ¡°Coffee and chocolate,¡± Martinez smiled while tossing the bag of tubes to the side. ¡°We can have the coffee in the morning.¡±

    He opened the chocolate and smelled it deeply. His anticipation was palpable.

    ¡°Close your eyes and open wide,¡± Martinez requested.

    ¡°Is this another trick?¡± Lysa asked, raising a brow.

    ¡°No trick, I just want to see what you think,¡± Martinez smiled. ¡°I can take a bite first if you really want.¡±

    The reassuring, soft look in his gorgeous dark brown eyes always got to her and rested her woes. Lysa swears Martinez, without a doubt, knew how weak she was to puppy dog eyes.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Lysa said, doing as Martinez requested.

    Lysa waited with bated breath, holding her tongue out. While Martinez was usually very close and more than willing to share, he never fed her. Hell, no one had fed her since she was a toddler. She knew this was going to be interesting.

    Martinez placed a small chunk of chocolate on her waiting tongue. She involuntarily moaned when her taste buds registered the delightful, full-bodied, and rich morsel. It was surprisingly loud, so loud she would think it was only possible in their bedroom.

    The delicious taste melted in her mouth and filled it with velvety sugar. Every muscle in her body melted with the chocolate while Martinez pulled her relaxing body close.

    Human candy was terrific. The flavor was as complex as Martinez, nutty, bitter, sweet; all these flavors washed over Lysa¡¯s palette, gently bidding for dominance of the overall profile. She had never had anything this good, save for Martinez¡¯s Ichor-like blood.

    ¡°Oh, by the stars,¡± Lysa moaned, her eyes fluttering open and peaking up at him. ¡°Please inform me there is more?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have more, but I wanted to savor it. There are only three bars, and that taste was a solid bit of one,¡± Martinez replied, holding up two more sealed bars with the one he opened.

    ¡°May I have a bit more now?¡± Lysa pleaded, fluttering her eyes.

    He gently smiled and took a small piece between his lips. He leaned in close and kissed Lysa, letting the piece slide from his lips. Lysa reached up and pulled his head tight, savoring him and the chocolate at once.

    Now, this is how you kiss.

    Lysa adored Marrtinez¡¯s usual salty, savory lips, but this set Lysa¡¯s body alight. Her panties soaked nearly instantly. There was no way Chocolate was just a candy. Lysa pressed her tongue into his maw, twisting it against his own. Both moaned as the succulent chocolate finished melting between their writhing appendages.

    Once the kiss broke, the flavors of each other gripping their minds, Lysa sucked in a needed breath.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lysa whispered, scratching the back of his head with her long nails.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed the chocolate,¡± he replied

    ¡°The chocolate was marvelous, however,¡± Lysa smirked with a bestial hunger in her eyes. She dragged her hand down his abs and gripped his belt, claiming it and what lies beneath as hers. ¡°I think I wish for another bit of desert tonight.¡±

    Martinez smiled, her favorite look overtaking his vision. It was a primal desire, the same one a hunter would use seeing their prized game caught in a trap.

    ¡°I think we can do that,¡± Martinez whispered, tempting Lysa to rip his shirt off.

    Before Lysa realized it, she yelped in surprise while his hand slipped beneath her muscular rump, pulled her out of the chair, and tightly cradled her in his arms. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders while she nuzzled into his neck. Taking in his deep pine scent, mixed with the lingering scent of his blood from his shoulder. Lysa¡¯s mouth watered, ready to bite into her dear Human.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go do that then,¡± Martinez replied, carrying her toward the bedroom, leaving the remnants of the care package in the living room.

    Lysa was ready for another beautiful night with Martinez. They did carnally enjoy each other every day they could. Each time was a blissful dance; their hearts intertwined as their bodies and minds were lost in bliss. She knew tonight would be no different¡ª and Lysa could not wait for him to press her into the lush silken sheets.

    ¡°I love you, Ruh''ah,¡± Lysa breathily moaned.

    ¡°I love you too¡ªmy Ruh''ah,¡± Martinez replied as he pressed the bedroom door open, eager to spend more intimate time with the only woman he had ever loved.

 Human Trauma II--Section Three: Visage Victim

    ¡°I shall see you at my abode this evening, Ruh''ah,¡± Lysa purred as she pressed her soft chest against Martinez, holding him against the wall.

    Martinez smiled and gently caressed her cheek, leaning in and kissing her goodbye for the day. He liked that Lysa was forward like this; it was amazing to be wanted, and none of his previous lovers had ever been open and honest with him. While he would never tell the Marines or anyone at work how this made him feel, the way Lysa gently scooted in and guided him against the wall scratched an itch he never knew he had before.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait. I will get us something to eat on the way home, alright?¡± Martinez said

    ¡°Very well, just make sure it¡¯s not as spicy as you usually have your food. I still cannot bear that heat,¡± Lysa said.

    ¡°I got you,¡± Martinez nodded. ¡°Lysa, please be careful out in town¡­ with all the people going missing and this new drug¡­¡± Martinez started, but Lysa hushed him.

    ¡°Ruh¡¯ah, worry not; I shall be aware of my surroundings,¡± Lysa insisted.

    Lysa stepped back, letting them both go their separate ways for the day. Maybe he was paranoid. Lysa could defend herself well, and it wasn¡¯t like he or Teacher would not notice her absence. Still, he was worried; this new drug and the disdain others felt for her species likely made her a prime target for whoever was orchestrating these abductions.

    Martinez stopped at the door just before the streets began and watched Lysa as the early morning crowd parted for her. He knew they were afraid of her because she was an Aviex, but he did like that their parting gave him an excellent view of her swaying hips and long legs, barely visible in the morning fog.

    Martinez held her in his sight as long as he could, but eventually, the crowd of listless drifting aliens returned and concealed her from sight. He smiled and turned toward the distance, ready to go to the trauma center. The last thing he should do is keep Shiksie waiting. The tall feline woman was stressed out enough and did not need to think he tried to hurt himself again.

    Martinez ran his hand through his hair and stretched, spreading out any tender feelings from the multitude of fresh cuts and bites Lysa had given him last night.

    ¡ª

    ¡°Henry, hurry up and finish that report. Another patient is arriving, and I need you to do the initial assessment on your own,¡± Shiksie said.

    Martinez looked at her from the data terminal he was working on like she was crazy. Shiksie never let him do an initial assessment alone. She always coached him because he was still not certified as a cross-species nurse. He had his Human EMT(emergency medical technician) certifications and a menagerie of different Human Naval schools. But he had only been working here at Draun for a few months and was forced to enroll in school by the director only three earlier.

    Shiksie was hunched over at her own data terminal, tapping away at her report of their last patient. She was wearing the same scrubs Martinez did but built for her gymnast-like body. Her long legs were crossed, and her meter-long tail was tightly coiled in her lap, gently swaying as she focused on the information.

    She reached up, scratched behind her radar-like ears, and scrunched her nose, squinting at the report she was going over. Her emerald cat-like eyes were barely visible in the dome-shaped trauma center''s bright overhead lights.

    ¡°What do you mean do it myself?¡± Martinez questioned.

    ¡°I mean, you are on your own for this one. We have five more patients outside, and the rest of the rooms are all full. I need to handle these others. So, I am handing you this jail clearance. It should be simple enough that you don''t need me, but call me if you do,¡± Shiksie said in her flat, professional monotone.

    Shiksie almost always had that cold professionalism since she confessed her feelings that had lessened around him from time to time, but that was not assured. In a way, she let her hair down when they were alone. But her emotions froze back over when it was busy at work, and the facade went back up.

    Today was hectic; the shop was constantly bustling with life. The sound of heart rate monitors and various intravenous pumps chimed all day, but the grating sound had become background noise hours ago.

    Because of how busy they were, Martinez had yet to take his lunch break, which was supposed to be hours ago. There was no chance to file all their reports for the first patients of the day.

    But Shiksie was correct; a jail clearance was generally straightforward. All he needed to do was assess the patient, take vitals, and sign a paper saying the soon-to-be prisoner would not die if left alone in a cell. The process mainly existed for liability reasons but also ensured that any injuries the Draun police might have inflicted during the arrest were spotted and tended to.

    ¡°Alright, I will do my best,¡± Martinez said, slightly nervous about being left alone to treat anyone.

    ¡°You will do well. I trained you, after all,¡± Shiksie said with a slight smirk. ¡°I¡¯m forwarding you the file for their species; brush up on them, then head over to room fifteen, alright?¡±

    Martinez nodded and twisted in his chair to look at the file.

    Well, this was a shock. Martinez¡¯s first solo patient was another Suulintal woman. Hopefully, this one was not like yesterday. Martinez did not know if he could stand seeing another broken mother begging him to tell her where her children were.

    Martinez quickly reviewed the Suulintal information on his terminal. Because he had treated one yesterday and reviewed all their species information, this was more of a refresh than Shiksie had likely assumed it would be.

    Suulintal were an avian, semi-humanoid species classified as yellow. They were common but not seen every day. Most of their vitals were similar to Humans'', though they had a slightly higher metabolism and an average temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

    Beyond that, their appearance was nearly Human, besides their reflective eyes, feathers, large talon-covered feet, and a pair of wings that spanned several meters on average. Nothing too surprising, Martinez was well used to aliens of all shapes and sizes at this point; few truly shocked him by appearance alone anymore.

    After a few minutes of confirming any specific cultural needs the Suulintal had, he was ready to go. Luckily, there were none, unlike many patients who showed up where he had to dance around religious or other needs.

    The Suulintal were well integrated into the GU, and most of their old cultural tendencies were well forgotten or waylaid to ease interaction. The only exceptions were those on their homeworld of Insyun, where they held deep issues with being seen by non-arboreal species and, god forbid, touched by those not of their kind.

    Martinez got up and went toward the patient room. As he went along, Ivorn and Therin rushed into other rooms, checking on the patients who had been waiting a while. Meanwhile, Harnsis fluttered by going to discharge one of the patients whose treatment had been completed.

    They all worked exceptionally hard today, and there was no sign of slowing down. Hopefully, a workload like this will remain an anomaly. Having this many people arrive for medical aid was concerning and pushed them all to their limits. If this keeps up, they might need to hire another nurse.

    Martinez paused and stifled a gag when he entered the room with his first-ever solo patient.

    The woman was at most only fifty kilos, her skin clung tightly to her body, and her skeletal structure easily visible even though her entire body was covered and caked in matted blood, shit, and other excrement. Martinez thinks her feathers are meant to be orange, similar to her vapid expressionless stare, but he could not tell.

    Both were concerning; the data Martinez had indicated the Suulintal should be close to a Human in weight; seventy to eighty kilos would be more reasonable for someone living in the safety of Draun.

    The more horrifying thing was that one of her wings was halfway gone; loose, filthy bandaging covered the nub sticking from her back as it oozed pus and plasma. She had the tattered remnants of the other wing clutched between her arms while swaying uncomfortably back and forth on the bed.

    What the fuck happened to her?

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± the police officer snarled after glaring at Martinez for the last few moments.

    Martinez looked over at the man he was regrettably acquainted with. Officer Surail.

    Officer Surail and Martinez have a bit of history, namely that the man was adamant about arresting both Lysa and him after they were attacked several months ago. After that failed arrest, they periodically ran into one another when Surail needed a jail clearance.

    Martinez was confident Surail was still salty about the night he and Lysa were released, especially because he was not shy about acting with the same courtesy as a live grenade around the Human.

    Surail stood from the chair and to his full height. The man''s imposing frame easily reached two and a half meters high. Something about the man always unsettled Maritnez, be it the reddish eyes, the jet-black fur, or the fact that he was always wearing the usual green and black uniforms of the Draun Police. He could not tell what combination of them set him off. But he did know that he did not enjoy that Surail was, in general, an ass.

    ¡°What, no one else available other than a vein slicer today?¡± Surail growled.

    ¡°Now is not the time for your petty shit; what happened to her? And what''s her name?¡± Martinez rebuffed, stepping past him and tossing on gloves.

    Surail always seemed to have the issue of speaking down to everyone. It especially bothered Martinez that he always referred to Lysa and him as vein slicers. Neither of them ever did anything to the man, but he still insisted they were no better than murderers waiting to happen.

    ¡°Found her rolling around in some gutter while on patrol. She never said anything or did anything. Other than being stupid and trying to get away, I had to toss her to the ground a few times,¡± Surail replied with a sadistic grin. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t imagine why anyone would want to avoid you,¡± Martinez said, rolling his eyes.

    Surail did not comment on that beyond a low growl.

    Martinez carefully approached the shaking woman, paying close attention to where her long talons were. For all Martinez knew, she was whacking out on drugs and would lash out at him; she might as well have four kitchen knives on her feet.

    ¡°Hey, my name is Martinez. I am here to help you out. Is it alright if I see your injuries?¡± Martinez gently said while sitting and leaning close to her.

    ¡°You are wasting your time, vein slicer. Stupid thing won''t talk,¡± Surail grumbled, leaning against the doorframe.

    Clearly, she didn¡¯t want to talk to Surail, a feeling he understood. But that was limited to the officer. A few moments after asking the question, the woman''s dull, tired-looking orange eyes landed on Martinez, and she gently nodded.

    So she was communicating; the dense police officer behind Martinez could not notice something subtle. Why the fuck is a shithead like him a cop? Does he have no empathy?

    ¡°Ok, just hold still and let me get a look at you,¡± Martinez said, slowly moving to her missing wing. That was, without a doubt, what he had to look at first.

    Martinez spent the next few minutes unwrapping the disgusting matted bandaging from where Jane Doe¡¯s wing used to be. With each wrap he removed, the scent of rotting flesh grew more robust; it got bad enough that he heard Surail gag and nearly vomit. Even Martinez had to admit this was a horrendous odor, and he already knew what was happening. She had to have an infection, a bad one at that. She wasn¡¯t even making noises as he touched the injury. Jane Doe was likely septic already.

    Pulling off the last blood-soaked covering confirmed what he had feared. The woman''s wing stump was halfway rotted. All the muscle and skin were red, damp, and covered in throbbing pustules. Not even the worst case of trench foot he had ever seen could prepare him for the swirling discolorations.

    However, the worst part was the jagged piece of greenish-white bone that poked out from the center. Jane Doe clearly had befallen some amount of osteomyelitis. Just how much of the infection had entered the bone, he could not tell; she was so filthy that seeing her skin to look for discoloration was impossible. He could not even make out the fur beneath the thick muck.

    Something was not right about this. Getting an infection this bad would take weeks of neglect, and plenty of people were afflicted by drugs around the city and would come in between their fixes. No one ever had anything this bad.

    That, along with what broke her bone? It looked half smashed; little bits of shattered fragments clung to the surrounding flesh.

    Someone did this to her.

    It was not like she had been run over or slammed against a hard surface by a larger species. Her wing would still be there, likely mangled and in need of surgery, but still there.

    Martinez put a thermometer into her mouth and almost dropped the reader. She was burning up with a temperature of forty-five degrees Celsius. There is no way this could be a jail clearance. Martinez would never sign off that she would be alright; she would die without being rushed to surgery to remove her infected skin and be put into a treatment room for several weeks.

    ¡°Go out there and get Shiksie. I need her to be washed, and cannot do that alone,¡± Martinez told Surail.

    ¡°What do I look like, your servant?¡± the officer complained, lifting his nose at the Human.

    ¡°Do you want her to die? I need to check her infections and treat them. If she is filthy, nothing will change them,¡± Martinez barked.

    Martinez could order around the toughest Marines in the GU to do anything he wanted. That was the only real benefit of bearing the coveted moniker of Doc. When Doc told you to do something in his serious medical tone, you did it, no questions asked.

    This cop would not give him any guff if the situation called for it. This scenario certainly did.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Surail grumbled before lazily moving out of the door.

    Martinez went over and closed the door. He did not want to deal with Surail any further. The officer¡¯s lack of care was not helping and was obviously making the woman uncomfortable. Her eyes kept shifting to the officer every few seconds while removing her bandages. After that, Martinez settled into one of the chairs and scooted next to Jane Doe.

    ¡°Hey there, can you talk? I have a few questions,¡± Martinez asked calmly.

    There was no response for several seconds, but eventually, she muttered a few words. It was so quiet that Martinez could not understand them. He had been blown up too many times; it was always like this. People had to speak up around him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t hear you. Are you able to speak a little louder?¡± Martinez asked.

    ¡°I can,¡± the woman said just above a whisper while nodding.

    ¡°Perfect. Can you tell me what happened?¡± Martinez asked.

    The woman shifted uncomfortably for several seconds. She grumbled and groaned, clearly frustrated. Then, she clung tighter to her only remaining wing, holding it like a kid would a blanket.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just trying to help you be safe; I can¡¯t do that without some idea of what happened,¡± Martinez assured.

    She snaked her clawed foot out from under her body and grabbed Martinez¡¯s hand with her talons. Not much of a shock there; Martinez knew her species used their feet as a second pair of hands. She gripped it tightly, a pressure he returned, wanting to show her he was with her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember¡ª I was at home with my family¡ªthen everything is a blur like I was in a fog. The first thing I saw clearly after coming to was that cop yelling at me in some warehouse, then dragging me to his car. Where are we?¡± The woman mumbled between long pauses to take breaths.

    Well, that sounds like a story similar to yesterday''s woman, so she likely was drugged with visage. But how long ago was that? Visage lasts a day or two; With her infection, she must have been afflicted weeks ago.

    ¡°We are at Draun City, on Renoural, in the Rentix system. Specifically the Trauma Center,¡± Martinez said.

    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. I was on Minorun,¡± the woman whined, pulling his hand closer. ¡°How did I get here?¡±

    Minorun¡ªthat planet was halfway across the galaxy from here. It was a relay stop for long-distance travel. The only reason Martinez knew about it was because while on the way from Verillon to here, the Jericho stopped there for a day or two.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know. We will figure it out, though,¡± Martinez reassured, even though he had no idea where to start doing that. Likely, that would have to be done after the massive undertaking of tending her wounds.

    Martinez did not want to freak her out any more than she already was, so he decided to end that conversation there, moving on to possibly getting more information about her and seeing what else she could remember would be better.

    The woman could only remember her name and a few details about her family, so that was something. Her name was Ruhinley, and her family was a mate, Stuhlin. Together, they had four little ones: Manei, Ruhlet, Sarumit, and Caritlen.

    When that was done, Shiksie arrived and asked him what was wrong, clearly worried he had messed up somehow.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Shiksie gasped, seeing the shivering woman clinging to his hand.

    After a quick explanation, they got Ruhinley to agree to be cleaned up and washed so they could treat her.

    It took Martinez a few harsh words to get Surail to stay out of the room. Surail was so persistent that it took Martinez threatening to tell Sergeant Feinel about Surail going against medical professionals to back off. The look on the man¡¯s face was flawless, a solid mixture of fear and frustration.

    Serves the fucker right. Surail treats everyone like dirt. But Feinel was quickly able to put the officer right and get him to back off, even if it took some threatening. Although, the fact that Surail was alone was odd. He and Feinel usually worked together.

    Cleaning Ruhinley took Shiksie and Martinez almost a half hour; it was horrible. Every bit of dirt and grime they cleared revealed more open wounds, bruises, and fractured bones. As they went along, Martinez felt sick and sinking.

    This was not the result of some random violence; these injuries were calculated and planned. Every injury was terrible, but it would not kill Ruhinley outright. It was like she had been tortured. She reminded him too much of the Marines they found kidnapped by Farq¡¯s on Verrilon.

    Every detail of what he saw was horribly familiar to what he had seen on Varilon of captured Marines. She was dehydrated, infected,  and covered in more injuries than he could calculate. They even found a tourniquet buried under the dried bloody feathers around the stump that was her wing.

    Someone tried to keep her alive. But why? The Marines on Varilon Martinez could understand. That was torture to extract information or stress the Human military''s medical systems. This just seemed pointlessly violent.

    Each time they revealed a new oozing wound, Shiksie shuddered and looked horrified. Her ears were tucked, and she kept looking between Martinez and Ruhinley, seeking some kind of stability here.

    Ruhinley was no help. She was still delirious and barely able to talk. Martinez was focused and spoke to his patient constantly. Even if the topics were random, keeping her going was vital to her shaky situation.

    Shiksie was always sensitive regarding kids and women in the shop. This was such a horrible situation that even Martinez was uncomfortable. He had to be their rock for the moment.

    By the time Ruhinley was dressing in some extra scrubs and had the highest-strength antibiotics they could give her flowing inside her, she had nearly passed out from sheer exhaustion.

    Ruhinley looked better, but not much. She lay down on her side, where she had the fewest injuries. The freshly bandaged stump jutted off her back, and the rest of her was somewhat relaxed now that it was an option.

    ¡°Thank you for getting me away from him,¡± Ruhinley sniffled.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®him,¡¯ Surail? Or someone else?¡± Shiksie questioned while taking the woman''s vitals.

    ¡°The officer, I don¡¯t like him. He unsettles me, and I don¡¯t know why,¡± Ruhinley said, looking pleadingly at Shiksie.

    ¡°Well, he brought you in for a jail clearance, but that''s not happening,¡± Martinez commented. We have you scheduled for surgery to treat your wing and follow up. Do you know what he brought you in for anyway?¡±

    She shook her head and grumbled.

    ¡°Ok, hold on,¡± Martinez said, stepping outside to speak to Surail. ¡°Shiksie, keep her talking and watch her vitals.¡±

    This whole situation reeked; there was no way this sweet woman did something to get arrested. Even then, Surail said he had just found her. Martinez may not be a cop, but if what his buddy Feinel¡¯s word was anything to go by, the DPD(Draun Police Department) was short-staffed and had no real-time just to wander around.

    How did he find time? And where the hell was Feinel?

    Martinez found Surail just outside the room, lazing about and messaging someone on his datapad. Upon seeing Martinez, he tucked the datapad into his armor and looked over at him. ¡°So, is that thing ready to go to jail?¡±

    ¡°Is that really your only concern? Did you not see the state she was in? Martinez said, crossing his arms.

    ¡°Yeah, it is. So can we go?¡± Surail questioned as casually as one would order a drink.

    ¡°Fuck no, I need to know what happened, and we have to get her to surgery,¡± Martinez replied.

    ¡°Well shit, I guess that''s it then. Call me whenever she can leave,¡± Surail said, turning to leave.

    ¡°Where are you going? I still need answers,¡± Martinez said, grabbing Surail''s shoulder.

    Surail whipped around and tossed Martinez¡¯s hand off him. ¡°Don''t touch me, you filthy vein slicer.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck is your deal bud? I¡¯m trying to help the person you arrested. I want to know why?¡± Martinez growled.

    ¡°That¡¯s police business, not yours.¡± Surail rebuffed.

    ¡°It is mine; she is my patient,¡± Martinez replied, pointing a thumb at his chest.

    ¡°Go figure it out then; she''s just some stupid junkie,¡± Surail growled, stepping closer to Martinez.

    ¡°Martinez, get back in here! She is going into shock,¡± Shiksie yelled.

    ¡°See, go save your precious patient,¡± Surail snorted. ¡°Now move along, you filthy animal.¡±

    Martinez wanted to throttle him; he clutched his fists tightly, knuckles going white. Surail was always a lazy fuck, but this was something different. He was always more than happy to arrest anyone he could get his paws on.

    This was not right.

    ¡°Fuck you, Surail. You are lucky I have to help her. If not, I would deal with you,¡± Martinez said as he turned around.

    ¡°I would watch it, vein slicer. I could arrest you for insinuating threats,¡± Surail boasted.

    Martinez paused as he grabbed hold of the door. He took a deep breath to let his fury settle a bit. Surail was not worth getting arrested over. He could always message Feinel or file a complaint with the DPD later.

    Surail¡¯s actions were flat-out criminal, but he was the cop and could get away with it¡ªfor now.

    ¡°Oh, is that so? I''m sorry for making you think I was threatening you,¡± Martinez hissed through gritted teeth, each word venomous in his mouth.

    ¡°Good, make sure you remember it,¡± Surail smugly said before walking off.

    Martinez sighed and opened the door. He had to help the patient he had now, and dealing with issues of DPD would have to wait.

 Human Trauma II---Section Four: Feline Frustrations

    Shiksie was on her way to Martinez''s apartment so they could study tonight. The evening temperature was just above freezing. Her breath steamed out of her lips with each step through the frosted streets of Draun. This was the first frost of the upcoming winter, which was a shame. If the first was this early in the autumn, it would likely be a particularly frigid winter.

    Hopefully, it was more pleasant than last year, when there was a meter of snow on the ground only a few weeks after the equinox.

    Shiksie shifted the heavy backpack on her shoulders, not used to bearing this much weight. The slick ground made her usual jovial traversal of the bustling streets slow and arduous.

    Shiksie had spent an exceptionally long time the previous night collecting all her notes for Martinez, ensuring she had the ones he would need on hand. He was doing well in the Interspecies Nursing Program, but he was staring down the barrel of his midterms in a few weeks, and those were a whole other animal than any test he had so far.

    However, in this case, calling them midterms was a bit of a misnomer because Martinez¡¯s midterm was covering half a year''s worth of lessons that Shiksie had taken. So, essentially double what she had while within the Nursing Program.

    The Director, in his infinite wisdom, had decided to truly put Martinez through a trial by fire with the modified version of the course the Human was strong-armed into enrolling in. It varied greatly in every way from what she had; it was self-study, with no classes and just weekly tests. Oh, and if all of that was not enough, instead of the average two or three-standard year-long course of study, Martinez¡¯s course was only a year long.

    That he was keeping up with the study tempo was mind-boggling. Shiksie doubted she could have done it without going insane. Mainly because, on top of the Nursing Program, Martinez has a full-time job.

    He had been doing well, having made it almost a quarter of the way through the program the Director had cruelly devised just for him. Shiksie still did not trust the Director, saying that he was giving Martinez this opportunity to make the Human into an asset. Shiksie had known the Director long enough and had worked in the GU Medical Services for too long to be that naive.

    The Director had to be playing from some angle or have some long con planned. He likely wanted to use Martinez as some political tool to propel his career forward. Shiksie just could not understand how he planned on using Martinez because she lacked the Director''s perspective on the matter.

    The fact that Shiksie could not find a reason had weighed heavily on her mind. She was worried about Martinez because of that. If she did not understand the Director¡¯s goals, how was she to keep him safe from any fallout? Or if the Director tried to screw him over? She was his mentor; Her job was to keep her mentees safe and guide them to prosperity.

    However, that was not the only reason Shiksie was worried about Martinez. Shiksie also felt concerned about Martinez because she finally admitted that she liked him as more than just a casual friend or a coworker.

    Too bad he shot her down¡ªsomewhat.

    When Shiksie finally admitted to Martinez, she had taken the only approach she understood, that relationships were mutually beneficial in some way. She had not had any form of a relationship that was unconditional since her parents died when she was a kit. It was always that way, be it in Draun public orphanage and college¡ª someone always wanted something.

    Despite her trying to be honest and explain how she would not leave him in his time of need as Lysa did, he rebuked her, saying she did not understand that relationships were complicated. She did not see what was so complex about it. If you like someone, and they like you, you spend time together, giving effort to one another.

    What could she possibly be missing?

    She considered herself attractive, with an athletic figure and a healthy gray coat of fur. She knew Martinez at least thought she was somewhat appealing, having caught him glancing at her bust or rump while on their morning jogs or during their post-workout stretches.

    Martinez had even complimented her clothing several times whenever she purchased something for the encroaching winter. She needed an opinion, and who better to ask than the male she only recently realized she wanted to court.

    Ever since he told her to wait and see what happened with Lysa, Shiksie had been patiently waiting for Martinez to give her an answer to her feelings. She waited, hoped, and stewed in anxiety every day.

    Then that damn Aveix started lingering around him again.

    When it first resumed, Shiksie hoped she was mistaken about the smell on him, but after a few days of her bloody-lemony scent on him at all times, she knew they were back together. The thought of it put her hackles on end.

    Why could Henry not see that she cared about him? She supported him by exercising together, helping him at work, and coaching him through schoolwork¨Cnot Lysa.

    Shiksie grumbled, shifted her bag on her shoulders, and sidestepped some of the aliens lingering outside Martinez¡¯s apartment. Not wanting them to spot the scrunch on her brow or hear her grumbling about that foul woman under her breath.

    Being back here brought back some memories. Shiksie and Dr. Harnsis had spent several days moving all of Martinez¡¯s furniture and other decorations into his apartment before he arrived. She had not seen it in several months.

    The idea of seeing what changes Martinez had made to his apartment itched at the part of her brain that wanted answers. Perhaps getting to see how he lived might help her piece together some amount of an answer to what he meant by that relationships were complicated. After all, people¡¯s homes were them expressing their most honest selves, at least so long as they were not putting up a front.

    Martinez was not like that at all. As long as Shiksie has known him, he has been generally honest. At least the Human had always been open in ways her keen Farun¡¯se senses could easily perceive. Twitches in his gorgeous brown eyes, the slight pheromones within his intoxicating pine scent, or the subtle shifts in his body language. He was easy enough for her to generally read¡ªsave for a few odd quirks she had yet to decipher.

    Shiksie nervously approached Martinez¡¯s door, her heart stammering faster with each elegant feline footfall. Ever since she admitted her feelings to him, she kept hoping the next time they saw each other would be when he told her the same. The anticipation was killing her. Maybe he just needed to spend more time with Lysa to see how she herself was more capable, reliable, and better¡ªshe hoped that much, at least. What else could it be?

    She slammed her fist against his door and waited and waited. Seconds turned to agonizing minutes while she periodically hammered the door yet again. She shuffled nervously and checked her datapads time, wondering for a moment if she had arrived too early. It was the correct time for her to be here.

    Where in the stars was he?

    As Shiksie was about to message him asking where he was, as if guided by the universe itself, her datapad chimed a happy tune she had set for him. She smiled; he had beat her to the punch.

    Martinez :): Hey Shiksie, sorry I ran a little late with other plans. I will beat my place in a few minutes. I am sorry about being late.

    Shiksie sighed. That was unlike Martinez, he was usually diligent. But with how work had been dragging everyone down lately, she could understand letting time get a little bit away from you.

    Shiskie: It''s alright. I had just arrived. How long will you be?

    Martinez :): No more than five minutes.

    Shiksie: See you shortly.

    Shiksie did not have to wait long for Martinez to arrive at his door. Seeing him drew a smile to her lips and had her tail immediately happily swaying. Being around Martinez outside of work sent butterflies loose in her stomach and gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest.

    Shiksie wished she entirely understood what these feelings were, but no one had ever given her this experience before. He was the only being she had ever let her guard down around. Well, that¡¯s a bit of a misnomer; he simply had a strange calming effect emanating from him. She had never known why, but even with violent patients, they just did as he asked. It was odd.

    When at work, Shiksie tried to ignore and suppress her feelings about him, along with most of her emotions, just to keep herself safe. Martinez was the only exception among her coworkers with whom she expressed genuine opinions while inside Draun''s walls. For everyone else, it was strictly business.

    Especially when it came to Therin, that stupid fucking bird. After what he did to Martinez she had to work especially hard to keep her composure around him; just thinking about that bird cowering below her still made her nearly smile cruelly and get a twisted predatory enjoyment. Something about seeing Therin cowering felt right. She still owed him for making Martinez cry. But Martinez asked her to let it go, so she complied; it was what he wanted after all.

    Even if, as she saw it, that feathered monster deserved more than just being so afraid he shit his pants. She almost regrets that Harnsis stopped her that day. Shiksie had no doubt she would have gutted him then and there. How dare he do that to Martinez!

    ¡°Hey Shiksie, sorry about being late,¡± Martinez said, awkwardly rubbing behind his head with a slight blush.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t mind,¡± Shiksie shrugged. She would have waited hours if needed.

    ¡°Right, let''s get started,¡± he said, walking up and opening the door.

    The heavy scent of Martinez¡¯s pine cologne poured out of the apartment like a tidal wave and made Shiksie''s body ache and bathe in blissful comfort. How could anyone smell so heavenly? By the stars, the urge to grab him and hold him close was so tempting.

    Stepping into the lush forest that might as well grow out of Martinez¡¯s apartment, Shiksie carefully analyzed every detail within, wanting to carefully compare what was there now to when she and Dr. Harnsis had set it up before.

    To her pleasant surprise, the vast majority of what they had used to decorate the apartment was still there. The odd stacking dolls she picked out and the little wooden cutout birds were still perched atop the cupboards.

    There were some minor additions he had made. The once-empty shelves over his sink and stove were now filled with dried foods, cans, and bottles of what she could only assume to be alcohol. But she was not sure about that.

    Shiksie could not consume almost any ethanol, so she was not a connoisseur by anyone''s imagination¡ªshe would stick to studying medical journals. She regrettably could not even partake in the drinks Martinez, Sursee, Ivorn¡ªor Lysa enjoyed. Even Jurtoi would hospitalize her. Because of her lack of knowledge, the bottles were just a mix of colorful poisons, even if the blue twisting bottles were stunning.

    Scanning the rest of the entry room and living area, Shiksie also spotted a collection of books on a shelf. Both she and Harnsis had not collected them for him.

    Shiksie walked over to peruse the old-looking books. She had never known that Martinez was much of a reader, having always assumed that he enjoyed movies more than any other entertainment.

    When she was a few meters away from the books, Shiksie shuddered as a horrible bloody scent accosted her senses, making her ears defensively fold. It was not just the bookshelf; now that she was further into the apartment, she realized every surface of the room had the subtle scent of blood. She instantly knew they had been marked by what was lurking inside the lush pine grove. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    A life-sucking shade that reeked of blood and lemons.

    Shiskie was well aware of the appalling scents Lysa gave off. Regrettably, she was also well aware of the scent of Martinez and Lysa¡¯s more erotic concoctions, with Martinez often having their infuriating mixture clinging tightly to him. To her dismay, the scent of that was also chokingly thick in the air.

    Her claws begged to be released, to fight off who she knew was not currently here. But the mere reality that the woman¡¯s scent was within a territory Shiksie¡¯s confused brain, for some reason, claimed as hers set fire to her instincts to defend Martinez.

    ¡°Hey Shiksie, are you ready to get started?¡± Martinez questioned while he sat down at the table.

    His sudden speaking ripped her attention from the collection of tomes written in Aviex and drew her mind from the beast lurking somewhere in the woods of scents.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shiksie said, stifling a defensive hiss. ¡°Just let me get some scent blocker on.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry about the scent. When I¡¯m not at work, I don¡¯t use that blocking soap. It feels horrible on my skin,¡± Martinez apologized, his soft eyes genuinely concerned.

    If only it was his scent, then there would be no problem. But that vile woman who was trying to steal away her apprentice was the issue.

    What gave Lysa the right to weasel into her territory?

    The fact Lysa had been here upset her, but the worst part was that Martinez was complying. He had to be. It¡¯s not like Lysa could just enter his home uninvited. That bugged her; she was always right there, eager and waiting. Why would Martinez go for another woman? Why? Why did he let her over? Martinez even allowed Lysa to move her books and undoubtedly countless other things into his house.

    Did they become more intimate since she had confessed? Had Lysa moved in with him or something?

    A grim thought crossed her mind as she watched Martinez pull out his books. Had he completely forgotten she had even requested an answer?

    Shiksie settled next to Martinez for the worst few hours she had experienced in years. Nothing could have prepared her for what tonight would reveal.

    No matter how much they studied or how warmly he smiled while succeeding in practice tests, she could not settle. It was odd, she loved to study and research, but this felt like torture. She was shifting, and fidgeting constantly under the table, trying to ensure he did not catch onto how upset she was.

    Every second, she lingers in the heavy odors, even though her heavy-duty scent blockers do their best to suppress them. The odor of blood and lemon is always at the forefront of her mind. Each breath causes her to shiver from the haunting feeling of being hunted by that Aviex.

    Like she was deep and lost inside that monster''s territory.

    Shiksie could swear that Lysa¡¯s four dagger-like eyes were looming over her shoulder and that she was one moment away from having her neck ripped open. After about an hour of her heart slamming against her chest, feeling like she was moments from dying, Shiksie needed a break; she craved a short respite.

    ¡°I will be right back. I need some air,¡± Shiksie stammered, pushing back from the table and going toward the door.

    ¡°Alright, I will be working on this test. See you in a minute,¡± Martinez casually replied, not even looking up at her.

    Shiksie was in such a tizzy that she had not even been bothered by his short response. Before Shiksie even made it to the door, it parted, and her heart sank, claws extended, and eyes narrowed.

    Standing in the doorway, a bag draping off her bare gothic shoulder, was Lysa. She was wearing her usual revealing dress, and his fucking jacket tied around her waist. Her four red eyes narrowed in a silent fury upon seeing Shiksie. The look perfectly matched what Shiksie had been feeling already. She hated that Shiksie was here; her four blood-red eyes looked her up slowly, pausing on Shiksie¡¯s claws for a moment. She locked eyes for a second and silently conveyed, ¡®Why are you here?¡¯

    A crawling fear shot up Shiksie¡¯s spine, knowing it was not a glare of questioning but of vengeful accusation. After a moment of agonizing silence, Lysa smirked.

    ¡°Good evening, Shiksie. I was not expecting you here tonight,¡± Lysa smiled somewhat cruelly, her rows of dagger-like fangs on full display.

    ¡°Hi Lysa, yeah, Martinez and I are studying for his upcoming test,¡± Shiksie replied, slightly nervous.

    ¡°Marvelous, it is so joyous that he has such dedicated friends,¡± Lysa growled, clearly emphasizing friends.

    ¡°Yeah, excuse me for a moment. I''m just stepping out for some air.¡± Shiksie retorted, trying to not sound as if she was afraid of the Aviex woman.

    Shiksie had dealt with Aviex before at the hospital and held no ill will to the species as many did. But something was so freaky about that smile Lysa kept and the fact that Lysa had paused to look at her claws. Shiksie prayed Lysa did not think this was a fight. Shiksie knew damn well that if Lysa really wanted to thrash her, she would stand no chance.

    Much like Humans, the Aviex were physically dense and, by weight, far more powerful and faster than most species. While in a test of raw agility, Shiksie might be able to best her, but in a brawl, there would be no contest. Shiksie might as well be fighting a Machine designed to kill.

    ¡°Well, before you step out, shall you be joining Ruh''ah and myself for dinner?¡± Lysa challenged, crossing her arms under her bust.

    ¡°Oh, uh, I am not too sure about¡ª¡± Shiksie started, but Martinez had to join in. For once, Shiksie would have rather not heard him speak.

    ¡°Yeah Ruh''ah, you might as well make three plates. Shiksie and I have a lot to study today,¡± Martinez interjected, clearly having been attentive to the tension between the two.

    ¡°I guess I am,¡± Shiksie said, both glad and mortified that she had just been pulled into spending time around Lysa.

    ¡°Very well, I hope you enjoy kyulon. Ruh¡¯ah and I have been trying to eat more Aveix cuisine to prepare for visiting my family soon,¡± Lysa calmly boasted to Shiksie.

    ¡°Ah, I see. I have never had it, but I''m certain I will,¡± Shiksie replied, going past Lysa and into the hallway, leaving the awkward tension behind¡ªat least for a minute.

    ¡ª

    The entire time Shiksie was downstairs in the frosty air of Draun¡¯s streets, she was pacing. Passersby obviously picked up on her frustration; they shot her glances and muttered under their breaths, thinking she could not hear them. But she easily could.

    They thought she was either on some kind of drug and was freaking out or that she was just some freak. She did not do drugs, other than that one time when they were celebrating Martinez''s first test. While it was nice and filled her with a bliss she had not experienced before, that did not make her a junky. Right?

    Additionally, Shiksie was no freak. Yeah, she had some issues and knew it. But this was the only way she could rip tension from herself. It¡¯s not like she could talk to Martinez right now, Lysa was right there and would undoubtedly challenge any claim, or statement she made.

    As she paced back and forth near the apartment''s entrance, questions circled her mind. Trying to figure out what was going on. Why did she feel like she was being hunted by Lysa? Why was Martinez not being forthright with her? Why did Lysa have a key to his apartment? And what in all the stars was the horrible hollow feeling in her chest?

    Shiksie felt hollow the moment Lysa entered the apartment; before that, she felt troubled and odd. But now, this was different. It took her some time to recall when she felt this before. It was an old feeling and plucked at a heartstring she had cut long ago.

    Loss.

    This was the same thing as when her parents died, and she was in the orphanage. Yet Martinez was not gone. He was just a few floors up right now, likely diligently studying. But that Aviex was there.

    Shiksie did not understand it; Martinez was her apprentice, her friend. Why could Lysa be so close to him, and she could not?

    After nearly a half hour of mulling over the front and digging a deeper hole of whys and what ifs inside her own mind, Shiksie gave up. Her sulking was obviously not getting her anywhere, and Martinez needed her help to study. So she took a deep breath to steady herself and prepare to finish helping Martinez with his exams.

    Too bad his preparations were not the issue at this point; it was hers. And no matter what preparations Shiksie had made in her mind, the sight she found upon returning to Martinez¡¯s apartment was unexpected. It was shocking enough that Shiksie froze like a statue and drew in a sharp breath.

    Lysa was standing behind Martinez, and she bit into his bare shoulder. Simultaneously, Martinez closed his eyes, smiled, and ran his hand through her raven hair, gently caressing her cheek.

    What the fuck? She drinks his blood. Shiksie might as well have screamed in her mind.

    Lysa clearly heard Shiksie gasp in surprise. She peeked up from Martinez''s shoulder and bit down harder, causing him to groan in enjoyment, rubbing Shiksie''s face in the intimate display.

    ¡°Fuck, Lysa, a bit enthusiastic today,¡± Martinez muttered softly to her.

    Shiksie watched in stunned silence. Lysa moaned and wrapped her arms around Martinez¡¯s, holding him tightly to her. Her eyes never left Shiksie, staking her claim as clear as day. Time dragged to a crawl. Shiksie had no idea how much time had passed watching the display. Her mind screamed and begged for this to stop, for her to intervene, but her body would not listen to her command.

    Before she knew it, Lysa slowly and salaciously licked the blood off his shoulder and moaned one more time before pulling Martinez''s shirt back over his shoulder. Without missing a beat, she turned to Shiksie and feigned surprise.

    ¡°Shiksie, I am terribly sorry you had to see that! I know most species find that Aviex drink blood revolting,¡± she exclaimed before whipping his blood off her black coal lips.

    Shiksie fully understood the vile smirk Lysa gave. That was more than a claim or a warning. Lysa was marking her territory out in the open for Shiksie to see.

    That was too much. Shiksie could not stay here and look at either of them. She felt like she was on the verge of tears. That hollow feeling twisted and grew into an all-consuming black hole inside her. It was not sadness, anger, confusion, spite. She felt empty, But why did seeing that make her want to cry?

    Martinez shot up and looked over at Shiksie. ¡°Shiksie, I did not know you were back. Uhh¡ªsorry, you saw that.¡±

    ¡°No, no, it''s alright,¡± Shiksie lied through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the broken feeling in her chest.

    ¡°Oh, Ruh''ah it¡¯s alright. I doubt your friend minded seeing us do that; it¡¯s only natural, right?¡± Lysa purred, walking her fingers along Martinez''s shoulder before sauntering toward the stove where some pot boiled. Her gait was as graceful as a dancer but as assured as any true predator.

    Shiskie paused and tried to steady herself momentarily, biting her inner lip and clawing at her pants, but that did not work. Seeing that broke her and any hope that tonight would be the night Martinez confessed was crushed to bits. She could not do this. Lysa made it clear enough that Martinez was hers and that Shiksie was the awkward outsider in their apartment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Henry. I have to go,¡± Shiksie squeaked.

    ¡°Oh, is something wrong?¡± Martinez asked, his worry evident as he stood and walked closer.

    ¡°I am feeling ill from the heavy odor,¡± Shiksie lied. She just could not bear to see this anymore.

    ¡°Oh, that is a shame. Are you sure you don¡¯t wish to stay? Dinner is almost ready,¡± Lysa said calmly, never turning to face them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Do you want to study at your place later this week? We haven¡¯t even started for my main test this weekend,¡± Martinez asked, now right up to her.

    Being this close to him felt wrong, almost dangerous. Shiksie peeked up and spotted Lysa watching them intently from the corner of her eyes. Waiting for Shiksie to slip up. To step on her claim.

    Martinez was correct that they had only focused on his recap of the previous lessons today and had yet to get anywhere with the newest topics. If he had any chance of getting high marks, they would have to move the practice anywhere but here. Not with Lysa rubbing reality in her face.

    ¡°Could we please,¡± Shiksie nearly begged.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s no issue,¡± Martinez said. I will see you at work tomorrow,¡± he finished with a bright, heart-warming smile that almost made her forget Lysa''s glare.

    Shiksie nodded before quickly exiting the apartment, scoping her bag up and practically sprinting for icy air.

    By the time Shiksie made it home, she was beside herself. No longer having to suffer that looming odor or feeling like she was being hunted was good, but that hollow feeling was still there. If anything, it had only gotten worse.

    Shiksie understood she would have to think of a new plan to get Martinez on her side and out of Lysa¡¯s arms.

    Was it wrong for her to try and press the issue further? She did not know, but it felt just as painful to let things be.

    Shiksie plopped face-first into bed and called upon what little she knew about relationships, romance, and seduction. Desperate to think of some answer to her now far more developed issues, she realized she knew virtually nothing about them.

    Shiksie racked her brain, searching for answers to many obnoxious questions. What was different? Why her? What did Lysa bring to the table that Shiksie did not?

    Shiksie was not so dense that she did comprehend that Lysa and Martinez were physical, something she was not with the Human. She also understood they performed caring and romantic gestures, having seen several delectable lunches Lysa had prepared for Martinez, along with them kissing, hugging, and now Lysa feeding on Martinez.

    ¡°Stars, dammit! What does she have that I don''t?¡± Shiksie groaned to her pillow, starting to sniffle. It was all so overwhelming.

    Shiksie gave into the hollow infection spreading from her chest, bawled, screamed, and thrashed. Each sob gave her some subtle catharsis. What else was she to do other than cry like a pathetic kit? The only person she ever opened up to was being guarded by the reason she felt alone. Why was the universe so cruel?

    As Shiksie began to relax for the night, she continued to think about how to solve this issue. She had never liked anyone and had no real idea how to initiate anything beyond a hug, not that Martinez would even want that when Lysa was around.

    Shiksie decided she would have to do some research on the matter. That was one thing she did know how to do. She prayed taking a more analyzed approach to the matter might help her bring some order to the chaos swirling in her chest. Shiksie also considered asking Miss Luan for some advice. However, it had been a while since they had spoken. Would Miss Luan even remember her at this point?

    Shiksie relaxed fully, her wet, tear-filled eyes finally closed; one last thought ran by her again before darkness took her.

    Why does her thinking about Martinez with Lysa hurt?

 Human Trauma III----Section One: Stop Loss

    ¡°That should be all you need, Mrs. Zorik,¡± Martinez smiled while handing the Buolmeric woman her medicine.

    ¡°Are you sure? That seems a little simple,¡± the gold-furred Chiropteran asked, looking hesitantly at the pill bottle clasped in her chest-sized wing hand.

    Mrs. Zorik was one of the Bulmeric, a bat-like species with a good history with Humanity. The Bulmeric were humanity''s closest allies in the GU, their nearest galactic neighbors, and constant military allies.

    She specifically was not a part of the species'' short-furred warrior cast, white-furred religious sect, or soft-faced and plush bodies trader class.

    No, Mrs Zorik was just a run-of-the-mill citizen of the GU and, according to her, had never even set foot on any of the Bulmeric planets. That was one of the things that aided Martinez with his treatment of her; it narrowed down a few dozen possible diseases.

    ¡°It will work, but I still recommend you eat more food nutritionally similar to what is on Bulmeric planets. You should also drink more water and exercise more. The medication is not a miracle drug,¡± Martinez explained, pushing the body scanner toward the ceiling.

    Martinez leaned over and looked at his datapad, reviewing the long-term effect simulation he had created based on her medical information, history, and genetics. After quickly confirming his initial diagnosis, he set it back down and looked back toward her.

    ¡°So long as you do those things, your risk of hypertension should fade, and you won''t need to take the meds every morning,¡± Martinez assured.

    ¡°I suppose this is the cost of eating all that Ovelin,¡± Mrs. Zorik sighed while pushing the pill bottle into a pouch attached to the belt holding up her loose-fitting trousers.

    Ovelin was a snack common throughout the GU and trendy among carnivorous species. It made sense that it was. The snack came in little cubes of fat, meat, and salt; it would be difficult to construct something a predatory species was more wired to want to eat. It might as well be as addictive as sugar is to humans.

    ¡°I suppose some extra flights around the park would be nice. I could even drag Monul along,¡± Mrs Zorik giggled while standing and grabbing her bag.

    It had been one month since Shiksie had entirely vanished from their lives. Her absence changed the entire dynamic of the shop, their workload, and the overall vibe. Gone was all jovialness; it was now all business all the time.

    Martinez had not noticed while Shiksie was here. Her stoic, by-the-books nature, in a way, permitted for the others to joke around. She struck the balance in the shop, reigned them in when things were getting out of hand, and poked fun at them occasionally for little things.

    The sparse moments when she did join in were some of the best moments at work. Martinez could actively recall when the tall Farun¡¯se had decided Martinez had been overeating cake from the chow hall and swapped out his slice for an odd alien purple fruit, a Weekur if he remembered correctly.

    Was it directly funny? Not really, but the cheeky grin on her face and the way she halfway folded her ears in almost guilt were adorable.

    Now, all Martinez could do was regret that he had not appreciated it as much while she was here. At least he was not alone in that.

    The entire shop had been worried about her for almost half that time. Ivorn could hardly stay on task and was distant with Martinez, snappy at him whenever he had to interact with the Human.

    Doctor Harnsis had not kept his scales up for several weeks, and they had lost all luster. Martinez had to admit that this was odd for the usually extremely well-to-do Doctor. He hated seeing the insectoid man overworked and unable to groom himself.

    Even Therin seemed shocked the Farun''se woman had not returned. Despite the avian aliens'' usual laid-back and flippant attitude, he seemed concerned about his former co-worker and teacher.

    The other big difference was the shop''s workload. Shiksie had been doing the mainstay of labor. Without her to take patients, teach them what to do, and double-check Martinez¡¯s work daily, it was a fresh hell every time a patient arrived.

    Their work performance had lulled so severely that the Director had signed off on giving Martinez a circumstantial license until he finished his cross-species licensing in a few months.

    Was that legal? Martinez had no idea, and even Harnsis had never heard about it before. But the Director assured them that it would be alright as long as Martinez was working with class green species.

    Still, he missed having Shiksie around. Had he known Shiksie would have abandoned everything after he violently rejected her, trying to force herself on him, he would have thought of anything else.

    Now Martinez was just stuck with his guilt eating at him like a pack of dogs.

    He had seen Shiksie more than once in his nightmares over the last month; she gracefully joined his usual repertoire of haunting failures with little issue. While the others were from combat, filled with dying Marines and the aliens, GU allies or not, hers was the image of her crying on her floor when he had split her head open fridge.

    She would wail and cry about how alone she was, how she wanted to be there for him. But he crushed her and left her abandoned. Her voice would grow more quiet with each utterance until she bled out on the floor.

    He wanted to assure her it would be alright, save her, hold her, and say he would make it up to her somehow. But that was just a dream. When they met again, the Human had no idea what he would do once they were in front of one another.

    Martinez slumped into his chair once Mrs. Zorik was gone, and he had completed the last of the reports on her. Languidly, he scrolled to the waiting patient''s tab on the data terminal and felt relief for the first time in seven hours.

    There was not a single patient on the list. At long last, Martinez could stay seated and relax¡ªhopefully for another three hours, and his shift ended.

    Moments later, Ivorn ambled past him, his hulking Gorila-like frame barely fitting through the entrance to the nurses'' station. Martinez glanced up as his friend passed, but the alien did not spare a glance. Instead, he wiped the sweat from the loose skin on his brow and sat in his chair to start filling out reports.

    Where Harnsis and Therin were at the moment was a mystery. They likely were down at radiology or one of the other countless specialty centers within the hospital. Lord knew they all had been pushing patients from one test room to another and back daily for the last few weeks.

    Looking back to the data terminal and opening the file on Bulmeric biology to study, Martinez gave his back to Ivorn. He had done this for several reasons. The first was that he still needed to study for class and his job, and Shiksie had instilled in him a work ethic the Human Navy had failed to do for years; it was also because Ivorn and Martinez were hardly on speaking terms at the moment.

    After Ivorn blew up on Martinez after he returned from Celna, they only spoke once or twice, and that was just for work. Other than that, there was an awkward, not quite hatred or anger, but an air of mistrust between the two.

    Both were too stubborn to be willing to admit their fault and reach out. Without third-party intervention or one swallowing their pride, they had a difficult journey going forward.

    Martinez knew Ivorn was right. Once Shiksies'' attempts at a relationship reached inappropriate points, he should have asked for help or told someone, but he did not.

    Ivorn, on the other hand, had drastically gone overboard. He screamed and looked like he was about to wallop Martinez when he returned. Martinez was aware that his feeling was not just his paranoia again because Sursee, Ivorn''s petite feline-like alien girlfriend, had messaged the Human explaining how torn up Ivorn was about the ordeal.

    Thankfully, their awkward silence did not last long, not because of them, but because the Director of all sentients arrived and drew their full attention.

    Martinez shuddered, seeing the Director. Something about the Alien''s build sent off every aspect of his survival instincts. Despite Martinez knowing the Director was a reasonable and polite man to have as a boss, his instincts still did not like the man''s presence on arrival.

    The Director stood three meters tall, weighed as much as a small car, and shook the ground with each step. None of that got to the Human; what did was his rows of dagger-like teeth, thick ash-grey armored plating, and, of course, the four sets of yellow-green viper-like eyes.

    Martinez had yet to find out what species the Director was and had no plans to ask anytime soon. After all, lessening interaction with someone that high up was the goal of any good low-level enlisted man.

    ¡°Good afternoon, day crew,¡± the Director sneered, his teeth glistening and eyes scanning the pair.

    ¡°Good afternoon, sir,¡± Ivorn replied, undeterred by the Director''s appearance. They had been working together for nearly a decade at this point, so they were used to one another.

    ¡°For you nothing,¡± the Director replied, pointing at Ivorn and then shifting his long claw toward Martinez. ¡°You, however¡ªwe have business to discuss,¡± he finished with a deep, pressure-filled hiss.

    ¡°Oh, uhhh¡ªwhat for, sir?¡± Martinez swallowed his spit, horrified that the Director wanted him.

    Having anyone high-profile looking for you by name was never a good thing in the Human Military and likely was the same throughout the GU. The Director looking for him might as well be the equivalent of an admiral knocking on your barracks room door.

    ¡°We will discuss that in my office. Just follow me.¡± The Director replied firmly.

    While the Director''s voice usually bounced between gargling gravel and a man who had smoked three packs a day since they were two, something was off about that tone. Martinez had only ever heard the alien be that direct when he had Chloe breathing down his neck.

    If that was the case, this meeting could only be bad news. Chloe was the Human governmental representative here in Draun. She was for the entire system, but the effect was the same. That and she was not a representative like on earth.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Chloe was, in reality, some kind of vile spook sent out here by the Human government for some reason. While Martinez had never gotten her to admit it, he could tell. She kept tabs on his every move, knew his schedule by heart, was able to pull strings to keep Martinez out of trouble, and scared the Director shitless.

    If there was one word that could summarize the short, brunette bombshell, it was dangerous.

    ¡°All alright, sir,¡± Martinez stood to follow.

    As they were about to round the corner to the hallway, Martinez glanced over his shoulder at Ivorn. The man looked back with almost a regretful note on his brow, but it faded to a scowl once they locked eyes.

    They would have to work on that as time went on. Maybe they could recover their relationship someday.

    Turning back, Martinez followed the director down the pristine white hallway, trying not to compare the man''s booming footsteps to the sound and feel of what seemed like grenades going off in adjacent rooms.

    While Matinez was able to keep those thoughts at bay, others crawled to the forefront of his mind.

    What did the Director want him for?

    Was it for what happened with Shiksie? Martinez had not been reprimanded for beating up his mentor. The Director had mentioned he would not get in trouble while the investigation was ongoing.

    Could Chloe be in the Alien''s office and want to meet to strong-arm them into something? Lord knew she was not shy about that she could get the Director to do what she wanted.

    Or had something else come up? What if a patient had complained and they filed litigation against him and the hospital? With how sketchy Martinez¡¯s role was, that could spell disaster.

    Either way, Martinez felt like a man being led to the gallows as they went through the hospital, a looming feeling of doom flowing off him. It was funny; Martinez had been shot, stabbed, blown up, and faced the horrors of the GU¡¯s enemies and did not blink. But reprimand from his allies and friends¡ªhorrified him.

    It was not like that was something tangible he could draw a blade on, beat with a fist, or shoot.

    If the Director noticed how nervous Maritnez was, he did not comment on it. The man simply did his duty and greeted each staff member they passed, asking them about their day and ensuring all seemed well. Martinez trailed behind him and stewed in endless possibilities drumming at his heart; was the Director just putting on an act until they reached his office, where he would lay into Martinez?

    The Human certainly hoped that was not the case.

    At least Martinez did not have to dwell on paranoia long. Before, it felt like he blinked, but they were already entering the Director''s immaculate office. Lining the walls were shelves of books four meters tall. Spaced between the shelves, paintings of the station''s directors dating back hundreds of years looked stalwart down at the protein of their collective work, the Director.

    Martinez did not envy the man''s station in the slightest. It was all politics all the time. The Director was either putting out fires around the hospital, meeting with local delegates, or members of the galactic union and its militaries to arrange mutual support.

    Yes, there was a standing order on all GU medical facilities to aid military vessels when needed. However, the rule of politics dictated that it was still polite to ask and try not to overload the local facilities.

    So far, Martinez had not had to deal with any military craft strong-arming the station for aid, other than when the Human military used that rule to get him into surgery almost two years earlier.

    ¡°Please have a seat,¡± the Director said while settling into his massive chain on the other side of the desk. The evening light of the Draun winter poured in behind him through the enormous window overlooking the city, making the director look like a demonic beast surrounded by a halo.

    If Martinez could not feel his bones shivering with nervousness, he might have joked about it but now was not the time.

    Without saying a word, Martinez settled into one of the chairs between the desk and the doors, escaping what felt like a cage.

    The director sighed and pulled out several dossiers. Neither was incredibly large; one seemed to be only a few pages deep, while the one the Director unsealed was far more extensive but still likely did not exceed fifty pages.

    ¡°I would like to start by saying that I am very proud of the work you have been doing on the accelerated training program the GU Medical Director and the Human Government worked out to enroll you in,¡± the director praised several moments after reviewing the papers in front of him, then switched to another.

    Martinez was not aware that many people had signed off on the Director''s plan to turn Martinez into an asset for the GU medical service and an example of what Humans were capable of. Sure, he assumed the approval had to roll across the desk of someone from the Human Navy, but that was just because he was still technically on contract for another year.

    ¡°You have received top marks on each test and milestone so far. You have even pushed ahead of all my expectations and could likely finish the program within the next five months,¡± The Director continued, placing a set of transcripts in front of Martinez.

    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± Martinez picked them up and looked them over.

    Scrawled across it was every class he had taken over the last four months. Despite that length of time, he had covered almost an entire year''s worth of class time.

    ¡°Save for the last few tests, you never scored below ninety,¡± The Director continued after nodding acknowledgment to Martinez¡¯s comment, but did not mention anything about a reason behind the drop in scores.

    Both Martinez and him were well aware of how much Shiksie had aided him in studying. The director did not need to mention it, and he did not refer to that incident. He told Martinez that this meeting had nothing to do with her.

    Martinez had to admit getting some vindication for all the effort he had put into studying and weekly tests felt warm and comforting. Something he never thought would be possible when interacting with the Director.

    Praise from this alien made Martinez feel almost as much pride as the moment he passed the training school to become qualified to work with Marines.

    But that did not last long.

    The director closed the dossier and held the other one. He looked at the closed folder and sighed, appraising it like a vile poison. ¡°Because of your capabilities, I hate that this has happened.¡±

    Holding the dossier out, Martinez grabbed it, but the Director held it tightly, not letting him take it just yet. ¡°Henry, I just want to be clear¡ªthis was not my idea; my hands are tied, and you will still have full credit for all your work,¡± He finished his frustration evident in how one of his long claws dug into the paper stack they both held.

    Martinez swallowed his spit. Few things could order the Director around Chloe, the Human Navy when Martinez was involved, the GU medical service director, or possibly the police. But otherwise, the man was infallible and unopposed in his power over the station''s occupancy.

    Martinez had seen him stand stalwart against an angry Kurlatra father who had been abusing his daughter. The father envenomed him, struck at his hide, and even tried to harm staff. But the Director and security used their bodies to keep the little girl safe from him, while Martinez and Ivorn used the slight legal grey area they had to subdue the man for the time being.

    That he had no options was never a good sign.

    When he opened the documents, Martinez knew exactly what he was looking at based on the symbol at the top of each page and the subject delineated beneath it.

    The Human Navies crest of the Solar system and the galaxy core were stamped on the top in filigree-like gold. Below the simple words, three words, stop loss orders, told Martinez what these were.

    The Navy was ending his exiting the military in nine months, extending his contract by a full four years, recalling him from his current orders to Draun, and were going to shove him out to fight on another distant world.

    Martinez quickly scanned the document for the rest of the information relevant to them. He skipped all the prose that was not highlighted. The Human Navy Correspondence Order assured that all nonclassified orders had the most relevant details highlighted for quick reading by commanders.

    Martinez had five months until he was to report back to the HNS Jericho and rejoin his old unit before deploying to the Kushar system and repealing a fresh enemy threatening the Humans'' closest allies, the Bulmeric.

    Without even realizing it, Martinez¡¯s hands started to tremble. This was unprecedented. Why did they have to stop-gap him? That was reserved for only when the Human government or the GU brought their full might down on someone.

    He had finally found a life, something other than fighting, killing, and war. Yet they were going to force him back. His nightmares were controlled here. He had no wants, a bright future, and good friends, and he did not want to go back.

    Most of all, a knot formed in his stomach, writhing like an untamed Hutel worm, spikes lacerating his insides.

    What was he going to tell Lysa?

    He loved her. Seeing her smile, with four ruby-red eyes, made his heart flutter. Hearing her husky yet oh-so-womanly voice yanked any worries he had out of him.

    Martinex had met plenty of Marines who had been married or in relationships while in service, but those never ended well. Marines had a nearly 100% divorce and separation rate. Their orders were just too fluid, and deployments were too frequent to keep anyone waiting.

    While Martinez wanted to believe he and Lysa were different¡ªhe knew better. She knew exactly how violent the Marines were. She had heard all of his war stories and would know exactly how likely his death would be.

    Even leaving the prospect of death out of it, the Navy did not have to return him here. They only assured him they would return him to the port at which he enlisted¡ªin his case, Earth¡ªhalf the galaxy from her.

    The Navy might drop him off at a port on the way, but that was never guaranteed. Hell, his friend Dee planned on doing that and getting off the Jericho here.

    Oh god, Dee. He likely faced the same issue as Martinez and would not be able to get off the ship. He would be retained as well.

    ¡°Sir¡ª¡± Martinez started, trying to be cordial as he had been taught to be with others. But right now, emotionality got the better of him.

    ¡°What in all the stars is this bullshit!¡± Martinez barked, slamming the dossier on the desk. ¡°What the fuck happened to keeping bullshit off us? Keeping your people safe?¡±

    The Director sighed and looked down at the desk. His four eyes softened to near vulnerability. But he did not chastise Martinez for the outburst, understanding that something like this scenario would, of course, raise emotions.

    ¡°Henry, I¡¯m sorry. It is out of my hands. I want to keep you here,¡± The director started, but Martinez continued.

    ¡°I want to keep learning, getting my certifications, practicing with patients, becoming a nurse. Why can''t you keep me?¡± Martinez said, his rage broiling to near begging.

    ¡°They still have a contract with you. I even asked Chloe, and she told me she would only talk to you about it,¡± the director groaned, looking up at Martinez with near anguish in his eyes. I just can¡¯t help you.¡±

    Martinez deflated in the chair and looked at the dossier on the table. His mind pulled up the haunting images of dying Marines and other aliens'' orders just like that had caused him.

    Going back to war was off the table. Martinez would sooner suck start the pistol Kyroll gave him than go back to a fresh hot zone. The two would almost assuredly have the same fate. But he could not do that to Lysa or anyone he knew here.

    They did not need to bury him, even if it felt like his life was falling apart in an instant.

    ¡°Sir, I don''t want to go back,¡± Martinez whimpered, the entirety of the weight of his past drowning any semblance of manhood he had. He did not care if the Director saw him cry.

    To his shock, the Director reached across the table and rested his massive hand on the Humans shoulder. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Sir, can I go home?¡± Martinez asked, looking back up from of the deck at the massive alien.

    ¡°Of course. I know you likely have a lot to process. I will talk to Harn and give you the next few days off to settle,¡± the director sighed, pulling back his hand. ¡°Just please don''t do anything rash.¡±

    The director did not rush Martinez out of the room. He let the Human sit in silence, read and reread his orders, each time watching as Martinez rolled back through the idea of bargaining and desperation, not able to accept reality.

    Once Martinez had settled enough to no longer argue with himself about the Navy¡¯s demands, he slinked out of the room. He was limping, and a hollow void filled his gut. It was like his heart had just been ripped open.

    But Martinez knew this was just the start of his agony. He still had to tell Lysa¡ªand her reaction would either make this a tolerable fate or something that would grind his will to dust.

 Human Trauma III----Section Two: Section two: Expectant Aviex

    Lysa Veringal¡¯s heart pounded like a drum in her chest, threatening to burst at any moment. As her breathing rate shot into orbit, she began to feel somewhat lightheaded. The situation unfolding in her life cannot be happening; it should be entirely impossible.

    Lysa had been feeling sick for almost the last month and a half, but it was just on and off, so she assumed it likely just had something to do with her being stressed about meeting her father for the first time in years or that she had been having a few awful days out in town.

    But now, after having finally done a test that she thought would have been just an irrelevant attempt at assuring herself she was not going crazy, Lysa finally understood what was happening to her.

    The small word pregnant on a little display of the device attached to her arm, sampling her blood for hormone changes and signs of fetal development, made her heart both sink and sing in jubilation.

    That she is pregnant should not be possible, but after having been on the toilet for three hours and having taken multiple blood tests, urine, and even a saliva sample, she knew it was reality. Even if the odds of it being so was one in billions if not trillions.

    Lysa ripped the test kit off her arm, the sticky substance pulling her ski and the small needles leaving a tiny series of marks that began to trickle blood. She tossed it to the ground to join the dozens of positive tests littering her bathroom floor''s white tiles.

    Lysa was at a loss for words; her mind was pulled in every direction possible as she attempted to justify what was happening and conjure a way to explain this to her Ruh¡¯ah¡ªwell, now Gra-hu, Martinez.

    Martinez was a Human, and they were both very sexually active with one another, but still, only a handful of species in the galaxy could naturally crossbreed to the point that the GU put no effort into learning what species could.

    Doing so was seen as a waste of uncountable credits and man-hours for some of the finest universes¡¯ geneticists.

    Most interspecies couples would have to visit a clinic to conceive, and even then, it would always be the mother species with some of the father traits imposed: eye and fur color or anything else the two species shared in common that could safely be imposed on the prospective newborn.

    She leaned forward and rubbed her fingers along the edges of her four solid red eyes, relieving the slightest amount of tension in her mind. Feeling her panicking heart somewhat settle as she breathed deeply, Lysa followed her Teacher¡¯s training.

    Always remain calm, and keep breathing. Teacher had taught Lysa how to fight against other species who might wish her harm. So, the lesson of always needing to remain calm was vital to her survival. Now was no different; she just had to face reality and take things one step at a time.

    She opened her eyes and peered down at her open pale thighs that were hugged tightly by black shorts. While it is winter in the region, Draun is in; she dresses in a way that reminds Martinez of a Human style called goth. She was not planning on leaving the house today, so her shorts and tank top would do. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Lysa stood slowly, gathered the tests, and tossed them into the garbage, save for the latest blood test kit. She would need it to show Martinez to convince him of what most people would call impossible.

    It was an odd feeling swirling in her chest. She wanted to jump for joy and cry in panicked sorrow; she and Martinez would be parents¡ªshe would be a mother, a dream she always had but doubted would ever happen.

    That doubt was the case until she met Martinez. They had spoken about going to a clinic and having the groundwork started. But that still did not mean anything would be conceived for months or years. They were both class red species, so it would likely be the latter.

    Lysa pulled out her datapad and started to dial her mother, but just before pressing the call button, she stopped. While not being the most traditional Aviex, Lysa knew her mother had some respect for the old ways of her near-dead species.

    Because of her species'' history of coming from a world of ash, darkness, and scarce resources, it was traditional for the new Gra-hu to be the first to hear the news. As such, she would tell her mother later; for now, she had another part of the tradition to prepare for Martinez and get him to come over for dinner tonight.

    After messaging Martinez and asking him to come over tonight, Lysa sauntered into the kitchen in her humble home and opened the fridge to see if she had enough food to make something lavish for Martinez.

    Her home, overall, was nothing most would bat an eye at. It was a mundane one-story house with two bedrooms, a bathroom with a lovely tub, and a living room with an attached kitchen.

    Most houses in Draun were similar to hers. Some in the more suburban districts were more posh, but there were few in this heavily built-up city. Her friend Lira had inherited such a house. Lysa had visited the white Jurintik''s home hundreds of times over the last decade and knew it well.

    On the other hand, her mother''s house in Celna was an actual compound. Lysa¡¯s parents owned more land than all of Draun. You could walk for an entire day through the woods and still be on their property.

    The guest house that she and Martinez stayed at while visiting there was twice the size of her current home. She would love to live somewhere like that one day, but affording that on her and Martinez¡¯s salaries was impossible.

    Finding somewhere larger to live would have to wait; they likely only had three months until she was due because Aviex pregnancies last at most five months, and she must be at least a month in.

    Lysa sighed as she looked at the extensive assortments of meats and hemo-packs in the fridge. The Aviex were omnivores, but unlike Humans, they had developed a tendency toward meats and the ability to gain almost all nutrients from liquids such as blood.

    That tendency is why, unlike Martinez, she had rows of dagger-like teeth. A trait that is in common with the myth of vampires from Humans.

    Because Martinez had not been over in a week, Lysa lapsed on stocking vegetables and starches. So she will have to run to the store after all, but such is life. Martinez deserved to have the good news given to him properly, and it would only take her an hour at most to pick up supplies for food they both enjoyed.

    After getting bundled up for the cold and Martinez¡¯s jacket, which she borrowed several months ago, Lysa stepped out onto the streets of Draun and headed off.

    Unlike when she typically is out and about in the vast city, the looks of distrust and revulsion her species fell victim to did not bother her. Lysa¡¯s mind was far too occupied with daydreaming about what the little Aviex growing inside her would be like to notice or care about what strangers viewed her like.

    She could also see their kid being more Human-like, with traits like Martinez¡¯s brown skin, dark-colored eyes, and flat teeth. Either way, she would love them, and undoubtedly so would Henry.

    This situation was so out of the ordinary that anything could be possible. Their child could be a unique hybrid pulling from them both, be near indistinguishable from one or the other. Either way, the jubilation she felt was beyond anything she had ever known.

 Human Trauma III----Section Three: Rip Off The Bandage

    Martinez slowly walked through the evening streets of Draun, fresh frost dancing in the orange twilight; each snowflake glowed like burning embers. Due to the snow, the usually bustling streets of the massive city were nearly vacant. The coming of winter had driven many aliens to seek warmer climates towards Renoural¡¯s equator¡ªthat or to tuck in and out of the buildings like they were dodging gunfire.

    The few Aliens freely moving about the city were the more hearty types or those who, due to life circumstances, had no choice but to remain active. Jurintik, Farun¡¯se, and other mammalian aliens remained out; their fur, hair, and high metabolisms kept them warm in the low average temperature, reaching only four Celsius for the last two days, with no signs of warming up anytime soon.

    Martinez could not help but remember one of the warzones from the far side of the Galaxy. Notably, it reminded Martinez of Kollar, specifically the city of Tenyalu.

    The loneliness and isolation of working at the hospital, coupled with the nearly empty streets, was far too close of a feeling to how he and all the Marines felt at the time. But what forced him to reflect on what the GU deemed an acceptable sacrifice was the flittering snow, morbidly reflecting the embers and ashes that stifled through the city streets for months.

    Tenyalu was not a warzone in which he and the Marines had been deployed to fight. That news initially did not go over well with the Marines, Dee, and Johnson, especially; those two had kill in their souls, and being told there should be no fighting was antithetical to their very existence.

    They thought the entire deployment was a waste of time until Daniels, their platoon¡¯s lieutenant before Raleigh came along, told them why.

    Delta Company, First Marines were going to Tenyalu as a relief and assistance force¡ªnamely, humanitarian aid for the city¡¯s people¡ªnot that any were left when they arrived.

    The GU Army had just finished a long, drawn-out battle against the COS(concord of systems) Army and mercenary forces within the city and the entire system, but Tenyalu was the primary urban center the COS and wormed their way into.

    Tenyalu offered the COS and their military forces many strategic benefits they would not give up. There, they could produce food, water, and ammunition with the megacity¡¯s uncountable resources¡ªand sentients to put to work.

    The battle lasted nearly four standard years, about eight solar years. It cost both sides greatly, littering the cityscape with festering bodies and the carcasses of more war machines than Humanity had ever produced.

    Over the few months before the point of no return, the local wildlife were more than happy to gnaw meat from the putrid flesh of dead and dying soldiers. They also had acquired a taste for the living sentients and had begun to hunt civilians and troops from both sides alike.

    Neither side dared to attempt to retrieve their dead and wounded, knowing it was an almost assured death sentence to remain out of cover for more than a few seconds. Snipers, machine guns, and preplaced bombs were ready to end the life of anyone caught in the open too long.

    The GU ultimately won the battle, but at a cost that even the Marines thought was too high¡ªthe GU command in charge of the Marines¡¯ relief and recovery operation thought otherwise.

    The GU onsite commander, a Keslati, a type of amorphous blob-like alien given shape through fluid dynamics and the armor they wore, had grown tired of seeing his troops be ripped to shreds by a near-peer enemy in a fortified and well-defended urban sprawl had authorized an air campaign that lasted only a matter of minutes.

    He had ordered the GU Navy to drop an orbital strike, specifically an ADM-T, also known as an area denial munition, type thermal. The bomb was a combination munition that was deployed in two phases.

    The first phase dropped hundreds of trillions of kilograms of Acetylene gas bonded to other chemicals to make it linger in the air; the other part of the first phase drop was a full-bore dusting of Thermate dust. Thermate, being thermite on steroids that had been juicing since the day it was born and had a set of parents who would only feed a champion.

    That was just the primer of the munition. It laid the foundation for burning the area to the ground. The acetylene compound exploded with enough force to make the old Human MOAB look like a firecracker. While the Thermate would burn hot and ensure everything would become ashes within hours of the second strike.

    The second phase came only a few minutes after the first had been deployed and ignited the hellfire cocktail in the air. The time gap was just long enough for the sentients on the ground to realize what was happening and know there was no escape.

    Martinez had lingered on what it must have been like when the black dust and white gas covered the city streets as he moved hundreds of scorched corpses of women, children, soldiers, and uncountable, unidentifiable pieces of char for months.

    How would the soldiers of the COS feel knowing that they were going to die? What would it have been like realizing the enemy had deemed their own citizens as acceptable casualties just to see you dead?

    But he was especially haunted by the millions of civilians remaining in the city. They had done their best to scrape by and survive as two factions fought for dominance over them. The worst part was that Tenyalu was a GU city that the COS had attacked.

    Martinez could not imagine what it would be like having to hold your loved ones and tell them it was all over. That they could not escape the sudden death falling down onto your home like ash.

    The thoughts of desperation and despair came especially hard when he and a few Marines had found a family of Farun¡¯se clinging to one another in a basement. The only ones that could be identified at all were the kids. The Mother and Father had shielded their kits just enough that an examiner could figure that much out.

    It was something Martinez could not fully understand. The two parents gave it all to try to protect their kids. Did they know it was pointless? Or were they clinging to the desperate hope that one of the six kits they clutched would have survived?  He was no father, hell other than his grandfather, who had died a few years before he joined the Human Navy; he had no family.

    While Martinez was haunted by the sights and sounds of that city for a long time, having filed out more death certificates than he could count. Dee was affected worse. After that day, the former hull cracker could not even look at a kid, no matter the species. Even hearing a child¡¯s laughter made him nearly shut down.

    The last time Martinez saw Dee, he was better, but not much. Any interactions with kids still made him uncomfortable, and he did everything to avoid them.

    He always claimed it was because he could not stop imagining his kid sister being on the receiving end, with him having failed. But that was his ghost to battle.

    Martinez felt terrible for his friend and brother-in-arms, but the exact feeling was lost. He could not understand where Dee was coming from¡ªany reassurance offered would have seemed fake, as if Martinez were pitying him.  Dee was the type who buried his problems in humor and distractions anyway; he would not have talked to Martinez, Raliegh, or anyone, even though everyone saw how that mission affected him.

    Martinez knew he was reaching and allowing the dark memories of his past to haunt him more than they already did; even in these near-empty streets, he was still checking every corner he passed.

    Ignoring them ultimately was not an option for Martinez. Doing so would have felt like he was casting the tragedies of the operations into the void and denying that those sentients ever existed.

    Martinez hoped he could escape his stop-loss calling so it would remain in his past. Lord knew he did not want to have to leave Lysa, nor did he wish to leave things with Shiksie like they were¡ªcalling their relationship in tatters after he beat her up and she tried to force herself on him an understatement.

    Martinez wanted to find her, apologize, and see if there was any chance that they could salvage a semblance of cordiality. It¡¯s too bad that Martinez had no idea how to find her; he was a corpsman, not an investigator, spy, LOST, or deep recon. Any of those spooks would know how to get started and likely would find her within days if his forlorn mentor was anywhere on the planet.

    Martinez doubted the bridge could be rebuilt even if he could find her. Their relationship had likely gone the way of the dodo when he thrashed and abandoned her.

    Some of Raleigh¡¯s advice to the Marines after they had broken up with their girlfriends was something the Human had pondered many times over the last few weeks, understanding the gravity of those words now that it was likely tragically too late.

    ¡°Not everyone can be your friend; not everyone is your enemy. But you, as warfighters, have to be able to tell when something is a lost cause,¡± Martinez muttered as he rounded the corner to Lysa¡¯s street.

    When Martinez said that golden nugget of wisdom, it felt oddly hollow. The line was felt lacking without the man, myth, and legend delivering it.

    Raleigh could speak and hold the entire room''s attention with no effort. Something about that man was different; as far as Martinez and the Marines were concerned, he was the best officer they had.

    He was the picture-perfect example of what all young officers should strive to be: patient, calm, collected, fit, wise well beyond his years, and above all, could lay the hate with the best of them.

    Martinez could not deny that he yearned to fight alongside the Marines once again. But he knew that desire was another specter of his past. He was familiar with the Marines, combat, bloodshed, and gunpowder. As disturbing as it sounds, that was his life for nearly a decade, and the expectations and structure were comforting.

    He thought of rejoining them whenever the world was too silent and let the call of the void ring loudly to him. The voice beckoned him to return, promising him more good times and the ability to save more of his brothers.

    Once at Lysa¡¯s door, Martinez turned the handle and opened it, knowing Lysa had left the front door unlocked when she was at home. Entering one another¡¯s homes without knocking was typical for them. Lysa even had a keycard to enter Martinez¡¯s apartment and was happy to come over and wait for his arrival home, as he was hers.

    When Martinez opened the door, a wave of scents washed over him; his heart fluttered while his mouth watered, and all desire to return to the Marines faded away, having been left at the door like some kind of emotional vampire.

    It would be there waiting for him to be alone again, but that was something Martinez was used to after so many years.

    The invigorating smell of rendering fat and seared meat danced around the room, keeping time with a boiling pot of noodles.

    The subtle yet rich odor of blood and cheese sauce rolled in as he stepped into the oh-so-inviting entryway and tosed his shoes next to Lysa¡¯s black thigh-high boots.

    Martinez had adapted quite well to Aivex food. If anything, he preferred it to what he made, especially after Nelya had spent several weeks working with Lysa and teaching her how to make food that the older Aivex declared suitable for her daughter to serve.

    Lysa had improved in the variety and general quality of her cooking and had started cooking either dinner or breakfast for Martinez nearly daily, with him doing the same for her on the days she did not. Martinez just made sure to borrow Nelya¡¯s recipes on Lysa¡¯s datapad to make something more extravagant than spaghetti or tacos¡ªnot that Lysa hated his more Neanderthal-like cooking.

    As Martinez rounded the corner, he spotted Lysa, the love of his life and the woman who had coaxed him out of more PTSD nightmares than he would have liked.

    She stood before the stove and tended to a pan of steaming sauce. Unlike her usual black attire, Lysa wore a tight-fitting dress that was as yellow as the morning sun. The light orange pattern on it accentuated her hourglass figure well.

    The dress reminded Martinez of something Nelya, Lysa¡¯s mother, would wear. Martinez was weak to Lysa''s usual gothic attire, but he could get used to her adding a bit more color to her repertoire.

    Behind her was a table filled to the brim with a spread of food fit for a king. Martinez wondered if a platoon of hungry Marines could eat it all; even if they had several days and were working off a bender, it certainly would be a challenge.

    The serving ware overflowed with cakes, pastries, meats, and cheeses. Surrounding all the food were carafes filled to the brim with what looked like beers, wines, juices, and blood¡ªsomething Lysa loved, and Martinez tolerated drinking for her sake.

    Something about the idea of drinking blood still skeeved him out a little bit. When it was cooked or in something, he did not care in the slightest, but having a mug of steaming O-positive was not something that he craved. Martinez had chalked it up to the texture. It was like a long, oily slick sliding down his throat, reminding him of an oyster that would not end.

    The thing that made the Human raise an eyebrow was the centerpiece of this grand banquet. Atop an elevated stand with two glistening knives next to it was some kind of small mammal.

    It was no larger than a raccoon, but it looked odd; it looked like it had two sets of rabbit hind legs and only traveled around via hopping. The rest of the beast looked like a robust combination of a possum face and a pig¡¯s rotund physique, all wrapped in fur as white as virgin snow.

    The animal writhed in bindings of soft satin and looked around frantically as though the world was about to end. To be fair to the little beast, it likely was going to; any layman could tell that much.

    While the table was decadent and something Martinez had not expected, it was not what held his eye. Ever since their trip to the other side of the planet to visit Lysa¡¯s parents, the Human has been unable to keep his eyes off his Ruh¡¯ah.

    It was as if gravity drew his eyes straight to Lysa.

    Just seeing Lysa nearby, her heavenly smile, four ruby red eyes, and listening to the angelic sounds of her humming a song to herself infected his mind with feelings of comfort and care.

    Martinez could not get enough of her and had even started noticing little details about her he had not. Her perfume seemed more potent, and even the little way she blushed around him, everything about Lysa seemed more prominent and impossible to ignore.

    Despite all the strife life had thrown at him over the last year, Martinez knew he was where he belonged. No amount of bribery or promise could drag him away from his current station in life. That certainly included the call of the Marines he felt when life was too quiet.

    ¡°Hello, Ruh¡¯ah,¡± Martinez smiled, walking up behind Lysa, gently grabbing her hips and resting his head on her shoulder. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°I am glad you are home,¡± Lysa purred, leaning her head against his but not stopping her attentive care of the food. ¡°I hope you are hungry.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I have to be considering the spread you made,¡± Martinez chuckled. ¡°What is all of the food for? Neither of us eat that much.¡±

    Lysa removed the food from the stove before twisting around in Martinez¡¯s arms and holding him close, her plush bust pressing into him along with her muscular abs, giving her a unique feeling as a lover.

    She looked into Martinez¡¯s brown eyes and smiled brightly, taking the moment to enjoy his presence. Having Martinez nearby seemed to have been setting her mind alight lately; now that she knew why, it was all the more vibrant.

    Lysa had read that they both had been incredibly clingy with one another because their hormones and bodies detected the changes they could not consciously understand.

    It was something Lysa could not wait for more of. If Martinez was always nearby, she knew no aliens could harass her. It also meant she could have a human-shaped snack whenever she felt peckish.

    This night was essential to Lysa; it was when she would announce to Martinez the reality of their situation, that as if by the grace of a god, they beat trillions to one odds and managed to conceive a child naturally¡ªsomething that she did not expect to happen. Martinez likely would be just as shocked as she was once Pandora¡¯s box was open.

    However, they could discuss the future and how their life would go after dinner and the ceremony of hunting prey together and carving it as a pair. Lysa understood that if Martinez were an Aivex, he would fully understand what the michula on the plate with two knives meant. He would appreciate the significance of the event soon enough.

    ¡°I wished for us to enjoy the evening, and since we are so close, I wanted us to have one of the more traditional Aivex meals.¡± Lysa smiled, turning Martinez toward the michula bound on the table.

    Martinez looked at the animal and paused for a moment. He had figured they would eat it. But was not expecting to have to kill and butcher the beast. It was not that he was squeamish about the idea of killing something; he had killed dozens, if not hundreds, of sapients at this point and was more than willing to go hunting with Kyroll. Martinez just never expected to have to kill something at his girlfriend¡¯s home.

    ¡°Can I go get cleaned up first?¡± Martinez asked, still wearing his scrubs and having not showered after a hectic day at the hospital.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lysa smiled. ¡°I still have some last-minute setup anyway.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will be right back,¡± Martinez replied, leaning in and kissing Lysa¡¯s plush lips.

    Without any hesitation in her soul, Lysa returned the gesture, grabbing Maritnez¡¯s head and deepening the kiss, letting her tongue writhe with his, both being careful not to cut themselves on her razor-sharp teeth. Their heart rates increased, and they held the kiss as long as their burning lungs would allow.

    As the kiss broke, Martinez lingered there, holding Lysa close, reveling in her existence.  He had remained long enough that Lysa had to remind him to shower and change, or the food would get cold. And in this case, tease him that the michula would run away.

    The playful threat of missing out on whatever Lysa had planned for the beast was enough to light a fire under his ass and have Martinez practically stripping before entering the bathroom.

    It did not take Martinez long to return from showering and changing into a simple set of grey sweatpants and a tank top. Lysa particularly enjoyed it when Martinez wore revealing clothing; When he did, she could drink blood from his shoulder unhindered.

    It also put his extensive scars on display, something she found attractive, despite over half of his body being scar tissue from wounds: gunshots, knives, teeth, and burns were the majority, but a few were from nightmarish rashes and accidents.

    He and Lysa lived half-time at one another¡¯s houses and had ensured both were prepared for several days at the other''s home.

    As such, he had any toiletries he needed and several sets of clothes for any occasion. But they were primarily clothes for lounging around the house and making a lazy run to the side shop for some Hemo-packs or candy.

    Once Martinez rejoined Lysa near the table, she was practically glowing while handing Martinez the knife to butcher and kill the michula. ¡°I hope you are ready,¡± Lysa purred, closing Martinez¡¯s hand around the handle.

    ¡°As ready as I can be,¡± Martinez replied, turning toward the table and gripping the knife.

    The next ten minutes were surreal for Martinez. Lysa gently guided Martinez through how one humanely dispatches the small animal and then the process of skinning and removing organs. She would hold his hand and show him how to draw the blade a few times before letting him try it independently.

    Overall, Martinez did a decent job; he would have given himself a solid seven out of ten. Lysa, on the other hand, was in her element. She regularly butchered and processed meat for them; this was just the first time she had killed the animal since they started dating.

    Martinez was not disturbed during Lysa''s odd ritual. With his experience regularly being wrist-deep in the guts of aliens, none of the blood or viscera bothered him. It was just another day at the office for the experienced Corpsman.

    The only part of it that somewhat bothered him was the initial kill of the creature. Lysa was an alien, but with how she acted and looked nearly human at times, Martinez regularly overlooked that aspect of her.

    When Lysa bit into the creature''s neck, Martinez was firmly reminded of her alien-vampire nature.

    She bit into the back of the animal¡¯s neck, crushing its spine in one swift action While moaning the same way she did when sneaking some of Martinez''s chocolate stash.

    The little creature screamed and flailed for several seconds as it entirely passed, blood pouring onto Lysa''s cleavage.

    The cries were absolutely bone-chilling, sounding like a nightmarish combination of a baby crying for its mother and a rat hiding from a cat playing with its food.

    "Here, let me get that," Martinez chuckled, wiping the blood off Lysa''s cheek and chest.

    Lysa chuckled. Martinez''s heart rate skyrocketed as she teased him by wiggling her chest as he cleaned her. She was beyond glad Martinez was her Ruh''ah; many sentients would be disgusted by the blood and her nonchalant attitude about gore, but he accepted it as part of her.

    The rest of the meal was about as regular as it could be despite both Lysa and Martinez eating the warm raw meat of the animal and gorging themselves on as much food as possible.

    While eating more food than they believed possible, Lysa and Martinez chatted about their day like any other night.

    Martinez recapped the classes he covered the last week and the tests he had coming up. Martinez avoided the topic of his stop loss for the time being. Enjoying dinner with Lysa was more important for now.

    That uncomfortable conversation could be broached before dinner. Undoubtedly, Lysa would cry if he was too blunt with the delivery and did not assure her that he would ask Chloe about getting out of his orders.

    Lysa surprised Martinez with the topic she wished to discuss while stuffing their faces with food. Moving in together. She was curious about what he thought about the layout of her house and what he would change.

    The Human could not deny that the thought of possibly moving in had occurred to him, but with the news of him being recalled via stoploss, he had no idea where his life would go. Martinez was about to be ripped away from her and all the friends he had made here on Draun, with no guarantee that he would ever return.

    Martinez told her what changes he would like to make: using his silk bedsheets and getting a coffee table near the davenport.

    Lysa gleefully agreed to all his suggestions and added that they would need to make space for all the Human knick-knacks Dr. Harnsis purchased for him; she was especially keen on putting the beanbag chairs in the living room. That last request should have been expected, as Lysa and he regularly snuggled for hours on them.

    At this point in life, and with all his interactions with aliens, Martinez had learned his lesson about not being forthright about himself and what was happening. Lysa, of all people, especially, needed to know that he would be leaving and might not return.

    With Lysa giddily planning how blissful moving in together would be, Martinez could no longer hold his tongue. Lysa had to know the reality of his situation.

    ¡°Hey, Lysa¡ª I need to talk with you about something,¡± Martinez muttered. The words felt like acid in his mouth, as if just starting such a horrible conversation was scaring him.

    ¡°What a coincidence. I also have something I must inform you of,¡± Lysa gushed, leaning against Martinez and coiling her arm against his.

    Martinez already felt a weight bearing down on him when he thought about breaking the horrible news to Lysa. Now, with her warm smile and earnest look of anticipation for what he had to say bearing down on him, the Human felt as if a trillion tons of soft feathers were crushing him.

    ¡°So, I am unable to think of any other way to tell you this other than to just plainly say it,¡± Lysa replied before she paused, took a steadying breath, and smashed Martinez¡¯s entire sense of how the universe and his life would go.

    ¡°I am pregnant,¡± Lysa breemed, the words flowing off her tongue as smoothly as slick butter, having practiced the line multiple times over the last few hours.

    At the same time, she produced the pregnancy test she had saved and placed it in Martinez¡¯s palm. As the small piece of plastic left his hand, Lysa blushed like a kid caught in a lie, having not been able to keep the joyous news from her love.

    ¡°What?¡± Martinez breathed, looking down at the test.

    The words did register with Martinez, but their inconceivability made understanding them impossible.  Lysa might as well have spoken Aviex or any of the million alien languages Martinez could not comprehend.

    ¡°Henry, I''m pregnant,¡± Lysa purred, hugging Martinez closer.

    Martinez looked at the test, then back to Lysa several times as his hands began to tremble like he was ambushed on a distant battlefield. His body reacted, readying to fight the unknown, the unconceivable, and what threatened him. Despite no threat or wish for harm, his body chose the most base reaction possible.

    This was impossible; they were different species and should not be able to crossbreed naturally. Only a few dozen species could do that out of thousands documented by the GU and COS.

    Each shallow breath He took lasted a million years. Each speedy draw-in ripped through the Human''s innards like a beast burrowing through the ground, shoving everything away with reckless abandon.

    Lysa watched as Martinez stared at the test and clenched it in his hand, the plastic casing cracking slightly.

    ¡°I planned this meal, hoping to celebrate the good news,¡± Lysa said awkwardly, unsure what Martinez was thinking.

    She had an idyllic picture in her head of how this would go; Martinez would have swept her up in his arms, kissed her, and rejoiced by her side before dragging her to the bedroom for another night of fiery passion between them.

    ¡°How?¡± Martinez muttered, his mind struggling to grasp the situation.

    The news of Lysa being pregnant pulled his heart and sull into the most potent bliss of heaven and dragged him down to the fiery depths of hell at the same time¡ªstretching his consciousness and ability to process reality to their absolute limits.

    ¡°What do you mean how?¡± Lysa asked, confused.

    It should be evident to Martinez how this happened. They both were under the impression it could not happen, so they took no steps to ensure it would not: condoms, birth control, etc. It was something they never saw as necessary.

    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t understand. How can we¡ªhow could it be mine?¡± Martinez asked, looking at Lysa in a near panic.

    Lysa, usually a pragmatic individual, has had massive mood swings lately. Now that she understands that it is due to her pregnancy did not matter.

    Lysa grabbed the how could it be mine, part of Martinez''s statement and ran with it.

    ¡°What the hell do you mean!¡± Lysa growled, shooting up to a standing position and looming over Martinez, her fangs fully bared. ¡°Are you asking if I cheated on you? Why would I ever do anything like that to you!?¡±

    Martinez slid his chair back, trying to separate himself slightly from Lysa. It was not that he thought she would lash out; for him, creating space from anyone angry at him was just an automatic response.

    Doing so assured that he could retaliate and fight back with all he had. In this case, his weapons were words because hitting Lysa or doing anything along those lines was something he would never think of doing.

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Martinez said frantically, understanding how that statement was him opening his mouth and inserting his foot. ¡°I did not mean it like that,¡±

    ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± Lysa sniffled, pointing her black nail at Martinez¡¯s throat like a knife waiting to rend flesh from bone.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI just don''t understand how it could happen,¡± Martinez admitted. "I thought this could not happen."

    ¡°This is supposed to be happy¨Cbut you¡ªyou are acting like I am lying,¡± Lysa nearly bawled, pointing at the food with both hands. "I made all of this to celebrate, and you say I''m---"

    Martinez stood and grabbed Lysa, pulling her tight. She initially tried to push away, yelling at him, calling Maritnez an ass, and saying he thinks she is a lying whore. He, however, showed no sign of letting up.

    Martinez cradled her tightly in his arms, holding his faith in her and himself. They had trumped her father''s beliefs and now had defied the odds of the universe, having given life to something.

    Martinez knew Lysa would not betray him by cheating. He had such an impossible combination of emotions racking him that he could not process the conversation as quickly as Lysa could. But as he held her, Lysa cried, releasing all of her own pent-up emotions, and laid her soul to bear for Martinez to see.

    ¡°I¡ªI wanted this to be special,¡± She sobbed into his shoulder. ¡°But you¡ªI¡ªruined it. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Lysa soaked his shoulder as she cried out for forgiveness for not telling him right away and admitting she wanted to make the meal for them like Aviex traditionally does.

    ¡°You did not ruin anything,¡± Martinez assured, wiping a tear from her eyes.

    His words did not help the situation at all. It only made Lysa begin a diatribe about the nature of the meal and how it was meant to signify that they had enough resources to conceive and that they hunted something together.

    From what Martinez could piece together through sniffles, Lysa had held this information all day, having told no one yet. Namely, because she thought he should know first.

    ¡°I just was not expecting this¡ª¡± Martinez admitted, kissing Lysa''s head.

    Lysa nodded, clutching to Martinez while he rubbed her back gently. As they held one another, excitement, horror, jubilation, and shock filled the room and overflowed from them.

    Martinez laid his head on her shoulder, reverting to a theme he had built into himself, accepting reality and moving on.

    He could not change the reality before him; all Martinez could do was approach it by striving to be a rock for Lysa. His feelings be damned, and the news he would break to her likewise could go to hell.

    Martinez would break the news to her once he spoke to Chloe and had a plan of attack for himself. With this news, he had to avoid stop loss, no matter the cost to himself.

    Martinez was fully ready to crawl through kilometers of shattered glass if it meant that Lysa was supported at the end. Martinez would take absolute ownership of the situation. Self-sacrifice would be his modus Operandi to a fault for her.

    ¡°Would you be okay with going to a clinic? Not to say I¡¯m the father¡ªbut to make sure you will be alright?¡± Martinez questioned.

    With this situation unprecedented for Human and Aviex relationships, Martinez wanted to take no chances, so getting Lysa in to see one of the GU geneticists was the only way to ensure both their child and she could be happy and safe.

    Lysa nodded, still not happy with Martinez¡¯s reaction to the news. ¡°I want to tell Mom,¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Martinez replied.  "Do you want to call her while I clean up?"

    "I will," Lysa agreed. "what did you wish to tell me about?"

    "Don''t worry about it," Martinez replied, "We can talk about it another time. I don''t want to spoil the night any more than I have."

    "Very well," Lysa replied, turning around and walking toward the door to call Nelya privately.

    Martinez did not mind that Lysa was doing that. This scenario was so out of the weeds that even Neyla would likely be surprised. It would not be unwelcome news with how ferocious Lysa''s mother was about them having children.

    Before she departed, Lysa looked over he shoulder. "Ruh''ah, I''m sorry I yelled at you. I just--"

    "Don''t worry about it," Martinez waived while gathering the leftovers. "I should have said something different, especially with everything going on."

    Lysa elegantly nodded and closed the door as she stepped onto the porch, leaving Martinez to pick up his emotions and try to formulate a path forward. The rest of the night was a blur for Martinez. His mind still struggling to accept everything.

    The last thought Martinez had that night before he put on a solid front for Lysa and they went to bed was a deep fear of what Chloe would ask of him---knowing he would be desperate beyond what she knew already.

 Human Trauma 2 publishing update

    Good day, all; it is your bread baker Pirate here with an update on the publishing of Human Trauma''s second book. We are currently within 72 hours of the release of the Human Trauma two on Amazon. Overall, I have been having a blast writing this series, and I have no plans on stopping until the trilogy is completed, but sadly, I will be stubbing the second book once it is fully released on Amazon.  So, to those who are in the process of reading book two, you will either have to purchase the e-book or read at a far faster rate than I am capable of.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I am sorry if this pushes anyone away from reading the book. But that is what I do with all my stories once they are completed.

    The pricing of the books are the same as my other ones.

    Paperback will be 16.99(USD) while the Ebook will run you 3.99(USD)

    I hope you all purchase a copy to either support me, or just because you have enjoyed the story so far.

    I will update this posting to include a link to the second book once it is available.

    For now, I hope you all have a wonderful day.

    -Pirate

 Section Four: Clinical Treatment

    The cold air crawled through the doors of Draun¡¯s fertility clinic as Maritnez and Lysa entered from the fluttering snow. That feeling of frost being washed away from the Human did little to ease his shivering nerves.

    If anything, the steady 18-degree Celsius air of the medical center rolling over him put his lack of control over his emotions into perspective. It was too comfortable, too perfect for the war veteran.

    To call the last week tumultuous for the young man would be an understatement. The announcement that Lysa was pregnant had turned everything Martinez knew about how the universe worked upside down. That they had crossbred naturally could not have happened.

    Martinez had spent most of his downtime the last week being a ball of nervous energy, doing little other than researching what he could about natural crossbreeding, an act that he gradually believed he should not have done.

    It did no good to calm his nerves; in fact, all his meticulous combing through GU medical documentation only made him more horrified about the possibilities of what would come.

    Every detail he uncovered about interspecies mixing ranged from horrific to downright Shakespearean tragedy.

    Of the thousands of combinations of species Martinez had researched, next to none ever worked out cleanly. Most resulted in birth defects, cancers, or were stillborn more often than not.

    The only area of interspecies propagation he did not research was maternal mortality rates. Martinez could not open the documents about the dangers presented to the mother. He was self-aware enough that if he started down that rabbit hole, he would break down.

    He was already a rubber band stretched to the point of snapping. Adding examples of others dying at birth, combined with picturing Lysa suffering the same fate, had only added to his unneeded stress.

    ¡°Henry, are you alright?¡± Lysa asked, patting his shoulder and leaning over.

    Martinez nearly jumped from her touch. He looked up from the floor, having run through all he had learned since they entered the clinician¡¯s office. To the outside observer, it would look like Martinez had a deeply ingrained hatred of the air vent against the far baseboard based on the scowl plastered on his face.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Martinez replied, squeezing Lysa¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s just a lot.¡±

    He could not think of anything else to describe the churning venom in his body. He was happy that this was happening; Martinez had always wanted to be a father, but it was something that should be planned, not thrust upon you like an enemy ambush. At the same time, he was horrified that his stupid choice to not be cautious could cause Lysa pain---or worse, death.

    Lysa inwardly sighed, unable to say anything that would ease her paramour. She had seen what Martinez had been researching. She could see in his eyes that grim reality weighed heavily on him. For good reasons, she was just as horrified by the possibilities as he was.

    Lysa was not so stupid to believe her pregnancy would go well. It was all a gamble.

    Because of that understanding, Lysa was doing her best to look on the bright side of things. It was all she could do. If she broke down, her emotions would cascade onto him. So, keeping her head held high and thinking about the positive results was her plan.

    She just hoped that after today and with the clinician''s assistance, Henry would be put at ease and that they could move forward.

    It did not take long for the clinician, a young Catchetek woman named Aruchi, to arrive. She looked slightly flustered. Her amber hair was in a loose bun with dozens of sprouting loose ends. Deep bags were beneath her eyes, hinting at the stress her job placed upon her. The spots on her somewhat feline features looked dull. Even her ears were not standing tall like her species usually did; instead, they were lying nearly flat. She was clad in a loose-fitting, stulk-stained lab coat, with her name stitched in faded standard across the chest.

    ¡°I am sorry about being late,¡± Aruchi bowed, her datapad falling out of her labcoat and clattering to the ground.

    Aruchi scrambled to retrieve her datapad, but instead of scooping it up with feline dexterity, she ended up having kicked it across the room, right at Martinez¡¯s feet.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Martinez replied, picking up the datapad and handing it to the doctor.

    He stole a glance at what was on the screen, and a smile crawled onto the edges of his lips. The doctor had been studying Aivex anatomy and gestation periods, which was a sign that they were in good hands.

    Martinez had been doing the same since learning of Lysa¡¯s pregnancy, but information about the Aivex species was locked away under strict regulations. He knew it had to be some GU mandate because of the regulations placed on the Aivex species by the GU. There was no other explanation that made any relative sense.

    All species'' medical files were laid out in the exact same way and had meticulous formatting and footnoting to facilitate medical personnel''s use. But that entire section of the Aivex files was blank, treated as if the Aivex species could not breed.

    Even Humanity¡¯s limited medical records still contained the basics: a nine-month gestation period, a copy of DNA maps, and other bits of information that would be vital to a fertility clinician ¡ªjust not the Aivex.

    ¡°Thank you for the understanding,¡± Aruchi nearly bowed.

    She had spent the last week and a half since Martinez and Lysa had made their appointment battling GU red tape and regulations.

    She had understood that the Aivex were a rare species and knew from stories her grandfather had shared that they had been at war long ago, but their secrecy seemed odd. She had been confronted by dozens of regulators from the GU about why she needed the information on the Aviex species.

    They had treated her as if she was some supervillain looking to create the next great weapon. How dare they. She was just attempting to fulfill her role as a genetic clinician. She needed this information to care for her patients, no matter the species.

    She understood how many species hated the Aviex because of that long-ago war, but that did not influence her duty. She wished all couples who want children to have them as safely and as controlled as possible.

    Despite the GU representative''s appalling accusations, she was dutiful. She calmly explained that she had an Aviex who made an appointment about her pregnancy, and she required this information to treat the woman properly. The GU had initially denied her the needed data, but after confirming that, indeed, an Aivex woman was claiming pregnancy, they relented and sent her the data.

    It had taken her canceling a week¡¯s worth of appointments and reassigning them to her colleagues, along with explaining she had an odd patient she needed to focus on, to get her fellow clinicians to allow her to solely treat two of the rarest species in the galaxy with the care they deserved.

    Aruchi, being a true professional, would not burden her patients by ranting about her endless hours studying or how she had to battle bureaucracy to obtain all she needed to care for Lysa. In fact, she had only slept at most a handful of hours over the last week. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    She even had to offload all of her other patients over the last week to other clinicians. Luckily for her, the other doctors understood her reason for asking for their aid. It was not every day that you got the opportunity to work with a red-class species, such as the Aviex; it was virtually unheard of to work with a black-class species, such as the Human, Martinez.

    Her mouth watered at the thought of getting the chance to see how the pregnancy progressed. She knew that it would be more akin to an Aviex pregnancy: rapid fetal development, weight gain for the mother, and, of course, only lasting four months. Those things were given, and she was prepared to address them with the young couple to assure them they were prepared for what was to come.

    It was nearly impossible for her to resist the urge to jump up and down like a giddy cub. Her struggle to maintain composure was only made more arduous by her near-primal desire to peek at the charts crafted by whoever designed the genetic code. The thought beckoned her younger self like a siren, demanding she learn what was contained within the script.

    The genetic code for an Aviex with human-imposed traits undoubtedly would be a work of molecular art; it would be the Gukkinus steeple of gene engineering. And she would get the chance to scour their cold white and black texts, unraveling the mystery of their creation, learning so much about the geneticist by breathing in their thought process through their explanations and deviations in procedure.

    God bless his soul; that craftsman would likely write papers on the event. He had the privilege of crafting gene sequences that the GU controlled like there were bombs. No one ever got that chance. There was no way the geneticist would not become a household name among her colleagues.

    It was a shame she did not get to splice the genetic coding for their child. She would vow never to work with another patient again just to be added to a lottery for the chance. That would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for someone who was lucky.

    Because there were millions of species in the galaxy, most combinations had been done. Aruchi had the shoulders of giants to stand on to look for inspiration, whereas this was unsoiled ground. She would be a true genetic engineer, crafting the unknowable and forging something truly new to the universe.

    Then again, since they were here, Aruchi would be picking up on that living great''s work. Perhaps she could connect with her unknown colleague and co-author some papers detailing the experience from start to finish. Thoughts like that would have to wait for the time being.She first and foremost had to learn about the remarkable individual who had orchestrated their conception.

    ¡°Now,¡± Aruchi coughed into her fist, relieving a bit of the tension from nearly making a fool of herself in front of two sapients who trusted her to see them through this tumultuous time. ¡°May I start off by saying congratulations. It is not often species as rare as yours come to the clinic, much less two who have chosen to have a child together.¡±

    Their reactions were reasonably typical. Lysa practically glowed with pride about her future baby, even rubbing her non-showing belly. Henry, on the other hand, was stoic, simply nodding while seeming to assess her competence.. He was remaining as calm as possible, but she could see the flickers of worry in his eyes. But that was no worry; most couples had one individual who had to be the emotional base and behave as such. She was here to ease any concerns and assure them that they were in good hands and that they knew what to expect.

    By the end of this appointment, this scar-covered Human would be smiling, leaning back against his jubilant Aviex companion, both eager for the mysteries parenthood held for them. Aruchi had seen that song and dance a thousand times, so his standoff nature was no concern for her.

    ¡°Now then, according to what I have read so far from the questionnaire you sent in earlier, Lysa has confirmed her pregnancy, and the two of you need a health checkup for her and the baby?¡± Aruchi asked, referring to another tab on her datapad.

    ¡°That is all true,¡± Lysa confirmed.

    ¡°Perfect, perfect. That is no issue. I will just need to see the documentation the geneticist who doctored the embryo''s gene code should have provided you with,¡± Aruchi smiled, holding out her hand for the requested documentation.

    There was an awkward pause for a moment. Lysa and Matinez shared a glance that hinted at not having the documents; at least, that is what Aruchi perceived.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have them right now, it''s not a real issue. We can still do a basic checkup. I just can¡ª¡±

    ¡°We never went to a clinic until today,¡± Martinez said flatly.

    Aruchi paused and shook her head. There was no way she had just heard that correctly. What in all the universe did they mean they had never been to a clinic?

    Of course, she had read up on their species and knew that Humanity recently learned it could safely crossbreed with the Bulmeric, but that was one in millions of odds. There was no way in hell she had just stumbled upon Humanity, having not one but two crossbreedable species.

    ¡°I''m sorry, can you say that again. I must be losing my mind from lack of sleep.¡± Aruchi asked after pulling back her hand and clutching at the datapad, pretending her short tail was not wagging at the possibility that she had heard correctly.

    ¡°We never went to a clinic,¡± Martinez repeated.

    This time around, Aruchi knew she had heard them correctly. There was no mistaking what the Human had said with such bold confidence. They had never been to a clinic, and no one had ever seen them until right now.

    Any thoughts of collaboration with a colleague vanished from Aruchi¡¯s mind. The dreams of working alongside someone documenting the miraculous union of two species faded. This did not mean Aruchi fell into sorrow or anything of the sort; in fact, she understood the rare aligning of stars sitting across from her and what they meant.

    This opportunity was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Forget being someone who gets to work with two rare species during a typical fertilization therapy treatment. Oh no, no, no.

    Sitting before her was a medical miracle. Martinez and Lysa had naturally conceived. This had changed everything. All her plans for treating an Aivex pregnancy had gone out the window; none of it had any bearing on what their child would be like. All she had to do now was not fuck it up or especially freak out in front of her patients.

    ¡°You what!!?¡± Aruchi yelled, standing from the chair, looking at the patients in front of her like they were prized gems, completely ignoring her desire to be a professional.

    ¡ª--

    Aruchi tapped a pencil on the newest piece of blank paper from the pad, having tossed away several dozen already. She had been planning for hours how to properly treat Lysa. Yet she had no idea where to begin. Sure, she had a rough idea of how Human and Aivex gestation should work, but a natural combination of the two was a wildcard.

    Determining factors like development rate, potential complications, and risks to mother and child felt like an impossible task. You had better chances of winning the lottery ten times in a row than making an accurate assessment.

    Aruchi sighed, leaned back in her chair, and sipped stulk from her mug, the warm liquid resonating with her soul. She let out an exasperated breath while analyzing the dot patterns on the ceiling tiles. They were absolute chaos, not the chaos most people assumed that state of being to be.

    Most people would assume chaos meant all outcomes were equal, but that was wrong; for all outcomes to be equal, there had to be some semblance of order. True chaos was unpredictable; it bowed to no one''s will, much like the challenge she was now facing.

    She had tackled plenty of unknowns in her line of work, but the chaos of something that could not be fathomed was one thing she had never prepared for.

    Aruchi had done her best to explain the reality of the situation to Martinez and Lysa. Thank God, because of Martinez¡¯s background in the medical field, he was nonplussed by the revelation that their doctor had no idea what to do.

    They took it in stride as she scrambled to form a rough plan of treatment for them. Weekly checkups for the next nine months, along with her being on call for them; all of that was before you considered the gamut of tests Lysa agreed to undergo.

    All were needed, and Lysa must be kept safe and cherished during these uncertain times. They were her only patients at this point; they would need her wholehearted support to get through the pregnancy unscathed.

    Did she believe they would need nine months? No, it was likely that if other natural crossbreeds were anything to go by, the gestation period would match that of the mother. In this case, it was Lysa, so it would be roughly four months.

    Either way, she could not be too cautious with treatment. She would have to bring more than her A-game to them. She would have to rise to become one of the greatest clinicians ever to exist in the GU. But she was up to the task.

    Still, facing the reality of what was to come, Aruchi was not so self-absorbed as to believe she would be able to do it all. So, in the interest of Lysa and Martinez¡¯s future child, she had called for help.

    Aruchi had communicated with every doctor in the sector who had experience in natural crossbreeds and explained the situation. Most had yet to respond, but those who did confirmed they were en route to Draun.

    Thank God they were coming. She was in over her head, and their past experience with patients in this scenario would be invaluable for her. Now, all that was left was to keep planning her treatment routine for them.

    Sighing, after having only rested for a few minutes, Aruchi set her cup down and began planning yet again. This task would be hers all day, every day for the next week until her next appointment with Lysa and Martinez.