TimeLabs Inc (Romantic Sci-fi - LGBTQ)

Alien Love Story - Part 3

Kel looked eagerly around the passenger hall of the Space Port, searching the crowd for for Ziva but she wasn't there. She hadn't come to meet him. Fighting back disappointment he made his way through the throng to the row of hovercars waiting out the front to carry their human passengers to the Alien Sector.  

Kel had done as much research on Arae as possible before this trip. He knew humans were restricted to a portion of the city - any excursion outside, to the Araean part of the city, required a visa and an escort. He stepped out of the Space Port and took a deep breath of the rich air. The oxygen component was slightly higher than that of Earth, but quite safe for humans. He looked around, eager to see this new city, despite his disappointment that Ziva was not there to welcome him. 

Tall towers in shades of blue and green lined the streets, hovercars zipped through the air, but there was no sign of any footpaths, or pedestrians for that matter.  

Kel took a hovercar to his hotel and found an invitation waiting for him. He'd been invited to a Welcome Reception for all new arrivals - perhaps Ziva would be there. 

~~~ 

He scanned the hall, searching for that familiar face. There she was - on the other side of the room, dressed in an embroidered midnight-blue robe. Her hair was different, it was now a shining cap cut close to her head, but he would recognise that face anywhere. He made his way across the room as fast as he could.  

"Ziva!" he said eagerly. As soon as the person turned, Kel realised that he had made a mistake. It wasn't Ziva - it was a young man. He was staring at Kel. 

"I'm so sorry," Kel apologised hastily. "I thought you were someone I knew." They looked so alike - surely this man must be her brother, her twin even.  

"Can I ask ... do you know Ziva Juul?" 

The young man studied Kel for a long moment with storm-grey eyes beneath arched brows, before replying. "Yes ... I know Ziva."  

Kel found the resemblance really disconcerting. His heart was beating faster, even though he knew this wasn't his lover. He thought maybe this man's jaw was firmer, his lips thinner... He made an effort to gather his scattered thoughts. 

"Is she here tonight?" 

"No. She is busy elsewhere. You must be Kel?" 

"She told you about me?" 

The young man looked serious. "I must apologise on her behalf. She was too young to be sent on such a mission. Normally only full Citizens - those over thirty-five of your Earth years - are allowed to represent Arae, but an exception was made in her case. A mistake as it turned out." 

Kel felt apprehensive. Had their relation broken a taboo of some sort?  

"Is Ziva in trouble because of me?" he asked anxiously. "It was my fault. I was responsible." 

A flash of something unidentifiable appeared on the young man's face for an instant. 

"You misunderstand. It's you who are owed the apology." 

Kel looked confused. 

The young man hesitated for a moment then came to a decision. "We can't talk here. Come and see me tomorrow." He passed Kel a small holocard with the name Zivon Juul displayed. "Put this in the hovercar slot and it will bring you to me." 

"You're her brother?" 

That odd pause again. "I'll explain tomorrow."  

~~~ 

Kel spent the night worrying. He and Ziva had both been consenting adults. Why was he owed an apology?  

And more importantly, would Ziva be there tomorrow? 

The next day, Kel followed Zivon's directions. The hovercar took him to a sparkling blue building that bore a strong resemblance to an Earth coffee shop. Kel was welcomed by an older Araean man who led him towards the back, where small booths provided privacy. Zivon was there already, with two beakers of juice in front of him. He looked nervous. 

"I ordered you a lemjuice, it's the local specialty." 

Kel sat down but left the drink where it was. 

"So what's the story?" asked Kel a trifle aggressively. He felt so weird, sitting next to a man who looked exactly like the woman who'd been his lover. The woman who would be his lover again, if he had any say in it. 

"It's true our species look alike," began Zivon cautiously. "In fact I've heard theories that we might have evolved from the same stock, thousands of years ago. But Araeans are different from humans." He paused and took a sip of his drink.  

Kel waited, suddenly afraid of what he was going to hear next. 

"We have a long period of what you would call 'growing up', maturing. Although we become adult - sexually active - at twenty of your Earth years, we don't become fully mature until much later, at thirty - that's thirty-five in your terms." 

"That's when you become Citizens?" 

Zivon nodded. 

"I'm sorry but I still don't understand what that has to do with me and Ziva," said Kel. "Are you telling me I had relations with a minor? Committed a crime?" 

"No, no," Zivon hastened to assure him. "Ziva is as adult as you and me." He looked down for a second then up into Kel's eyes. "This is hard to explain. I suppose it's not a secret but it's ... private." 

Kel found he was holding his breath. He had absolutely no idea where this was heading. 

"You humans are generally born one sex or the other," continued Zivon, "male or female, and you stay that way all your lives. But Araeans are different. We don't settle into our final sex until we are fully mature." 

Despite everything, Zivon had to smile at the look of total bewilderment on Kel's face. 

"What do you mean?" 

"We change - from one sex to the other - roughly every two years until eventually we settle into one or the other at around thirty." 

Kel looked back into Zivon's storm-grey eyes and all of a sudden, he understood. He swallowed. His stomach felt as if he had ingested a ball of ice. 

"You're Ziva, aren't you?" 

Zivon continued to hold his gaze. "Yes. When I am female, I'm Ziva." 

Kel couldn't help it. His eyes dropped to the flat masculine chest of the man opposite. He would have looked even lower but was thwarted by table between them.  

Zivon bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Kel. I shouldn't have had sex with you without telling you the truth about me."  

Kel was still struggling. "But you had breasts, you had-" he flushed red. 

"I did. I still do, for that matter, but now I also have-" Kel put up a protesting hand. He didn't want to hear.  

"I'm sorry, Kel," Zivon said again. He leant forward to touch Kel's arm, but Kel flinched and Zivon drew back immediately, his hands falling to his lap. " I know I was wrong but ... I fell in love with you. I thought one night wouldn't hurt, that you'd never have to know..." 

"But you knew I was coming - why did you let me come all this way?" Kel was so mixed up, he didn't know whether to hit Zivon or burst into tears. 

Zivon didn't answer for a moment. He dropped his eyes, looked sideways, then back at Kel again and sighed. "I guess I was hoping ... I hoped there was a chance - that maybe you'd still love me. That this wouldn't make a difference. Stupid, huh?" 

There was a long silence. 

"Kel?"