One Terran Bride for House Revarat

Chapter One

Terran food was more popular than ever, Soval thought. There were two more restaurants offering Terran cuisine than he remembered from the last time he was in the capital city. They both had good locations. And the Terran Embassy and attached hospital were advertising both of them. Not that Soval could find fault with that. He distinctly remembered the confusion caused when the first Terran Ambassadors had visited. The Ambassador had lost fifteen pounds during his stay, seeming to eat less and less with every passing day. Finally, he stormed into the kitchen himself, unable to handle another day without Terran Cuisine. As the story went, he meticulously tasted nearly every ingredient in storage before cobbling together a monstrosity called a 'panini sandwich.' The smell was said to have made every mouth in the Embassy salivate uncontrollably.

Soval took a long pull from his cup. Since he had business at the Embassy Hospital, he'd indulged. Although many of his brothers enjoyed the hot and bitter "coffee," Soval was partial to the drink called "Chai Latte." He was never fond of bitter flavors--and even milk couldn't fix coffee enough for the tall Dravran. But, the Chai was hot, spicy, and could be sweetened into quite the treat. Of course, he'd also purchased a small loose leaf tea assortment for his brothers. They'd smell the Chai on his breath when he returned home, and complain of being left out if he didn't bring them a souvenir.

When the Dravran Ambassador returned from Terra, she brought two-dozen Terran chefs with her--unwilling to go back to the Dravran way of things. In the Dravran Empire, food was little more than a science of nutrition intake for health. There was no word in Dravran for 'delicious.' On Terra, food was an art form. The Terran way of thinking was that food should delight all the senses. For many, it was even a form of entertainment. And for once, the Empire couldn't deny that someone else's culture was innately superior than theirs. It took time for 'delicious' to trickle down from the upper echelons of the Empire to the common people. But, the Imperial's upper crust had to show off their superiority to those around them. Terran food was just a new way of doing that. Luckily for the Dravrans, they didn't need to seek out many new ingredients. After a year of testing Dravran ingredients, Terran 'food scientists' were able to convert many of their 'recipes' to suit what the planet already had.

Of course, importing off-world ingredients became the new status symbol for many. Terrans seemed incapable of keeping their 'recipes' secret, and instead enjoyed sharing them with whoever would listen. Of course, having a Terran-trained chef in one's employ still merited bragging rights.

Soval's family status had fallen in recent generations. But, they were not immune to the social pressure. It didn't take long for Revarat-Kly to develop an affinity for Terran fare. They could afford the occasional luxury like imported drinks, especially since Fen had been accepted into a Terran culinary program on the Dravran home planet. That gave him--and the family as a whole--plenty of merit. There was also the matter of being seen enjoying such status symbols. Having preferences among them was a sign of education, culture, and discernment.

The growing variety probably made things easier on the Terran women coming to the empire. Soval was told familiar food could give emotional comfort, especially for someone far from their own home planet.

Soval's name was called just as he was finishing the drink. He collapsed the cup, wiping it dry with a handkerchief, and then stowed it in a pocket. This was his last health exam before the lottery. The second and third eldest brothers of Revarat-Kly already passed theirs. Soval, the oldest, was the most active outside the house. Thus, his schedule was the busiest.

He followed the nurse back to the examination rooms. At this point, the testing battery was routine. Urine sample, blood sample, and then the semen sample. There was no point in sending a Terran woman to a family that was already infertile. If any of the first three brothers couldn't keep past the minimal numbers, they'd lose their place.