“That might have worked if you had come to us a year or even a few solar months before,” Rarev told her. “But you see, it’s not just the blossoms themselves that are dying—it’s their roots. They’re rotting away so rapidly I’m afraid nothing can save them.”
Dra’vik made a noise that sounded like a concerned growl.
“That’s some bad fucking news, Chief Commander!”
“Why?” Iyanna asked. “Because you use them for, er, release?”
“No.” Dra’vik glared at her. “The pleasure blooms are integral to the ecosystem of the Mother Ship.”
“I’m afraid Dra’vik is right,” Rarev said. “You see, the pleasure blooms’ root system is one of the strongest in our entire ecosystem. Especially the male pleasure blooms, whose root system reaches much deeper than the females’. There are parts of the Monstrum Mother Ship that are literally being held together by those roots and when they all rot away, the structural integrity of our inner hull is going to be greatly compromised.”
“That’s terrible! I had no idea that pleasure blooms were so important to you.” Forgetting her discomfort and the fact that she was sure the male beside her was the mysterious Monstrum of last night, Iyanna leaned forward eagerly. “Please, Chief Commander Rarev—you said there was something I could do to help. Does it have anything to do with me being a, uh, Viridi Femma?”
“You seem awfully damn proud of being a Viridi Femma.” Dra’vik shot her a narrow-eyed glance. “Would you be the reason all the damn upright glows went on a mating flight last night, leaving us completely in the dark?”
Iyanna frowned at him.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Though both my guide, Stor’kumm, and Chief Commander Rarev have assured me that’s a good thing, since now the upright glows can spread throughout the Dark Side again.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Do you disagree?”
He scowled.
“Of course not. But the fact remains, they were our only source of light on the Dark Side and now they’re going to take a good solar week at least to bury themselves in the moss and bud and begin to shed light again.”
“If you miss the light, why live on the Dark Side?” Iyanna inquired sweetly. She knew why of course—he’d told her last night. He was afraid he would scare the humans off. But though he was big—enormous, in fact—he didn’t scare her. She just wanted him to admit that they’d met before.
However, the big Monstrum didn’t seem willing to do that.
“That’s where my domicile is,” he muttered, looking away. “I like a little light now and then—that’s all.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about the conditions of the Dark Side for a while—not if you’ll agree to go on the mission I have planned,” Commander Rarev told him—which made both of them look at him sharply.
“What mission?” Iyanna asked again. “Please explain.”
“Well…” Rarev looked at them earnestly. “The pleasure blooms are dying out—they are badly adapted to this ‘verse, as Dra’vik already said. However, I believe our scouts have found this universe’s version of the pleasure blooms—and we have reason to suppose that they’ll be completely compatible with our Mother Ship.”
“That’s wonderful!” Iyanna clasped her hands together. “Can your scout bring some back and plant them here on the Monstrum Mother Ship?”
“Well…that’s where we’ve run into a bit of a problem.” Rarev frowned. “You see, the plants are very delicate—especially the male pods. Every time a scout tries to transport them, the male pods die and without them, the female pods can’t flourish or thrive. And of course, it’s the male pods we especially need due to their long root systems. We need someone who has a special touch with plants—a Viridi Femma—to keep them alive and bring them back to the Mother Ship.”
“Why are you asking me to go, then?” Dra’vik growled. “I’m no Viridi Femma. It sounds like this little female is all you need.”
“Not so fast, Commander Dra’vik,” Rarev said coolly. “I need you because Dr. Washington is going to need protection if she’s going to successfully complete this mission. You see, the planet where this ‘verse’s version of the pleasure blooms grow is Lix’dor Prime. And I’m afraid they have some rather backwards views of female rights there.”
“Backwards views?” Iyanna asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are we talking simple misogyny, like women deal with on a daily basis, or is it more extreme—like being forced to wear a burka so that only your eyes are showing?”
“A bit of both, I’m afraid,” Rarev said. “You see, the misogyny on Lix’dor Prime is regrettably real but as for wearing a garment that covers everything but your eyes, well…” He hesitated for a moment, as though thinking how to put it. “It’s more likely you might be forced to wear a garment that covers considerably less than you might hope. But that’s only if you were identified as a pleasure slave,” he added quickly.