A Guide to Humans

Chapter 4: Aging

"Ow! Marx, what the fuck?!" I snapped, looking at him as he stood over me while I sat at my desk. He was holding a single blonde hair that he had pulled from my head.
"Your hair is red, why is this one blonde?"
"Because I am getting older?"
"I thought human hair turns grey." He said, looking at me.
"And I am a redhead. We are very different."
"Because you are pale and can't tan?"
"Well, yeah, but there are plenty of gingers with darker skin. The mutation that causes this happens in every human race." I explained.
"So, instead of turning grey, you turn blonde?"
"Blonde and then a white-silver color." I shrugged.
"Anything else I should know since you are getting old?"
"I am not getting old, I have just had a stressful life and my hair is changing colors prematurely." I said defensively.
"Uh huh..." He gave me a look of both concern and doubt.
"I am fine." I all but growled, turning back to my desk. "Besides, I get free healthcare now, so you should expect me to live a full life."
"Is it common for humans to not live full lives yet?"
"With how violent we are, how messed up most of our healthcare is, and how political officials try to separate us by the most minuscule things for a corporate pay out, does that really surprise you?"
"No."
"Personally my game plan was to make it to 35 and then stop giving a fuck about everything and everyone."
"That sounds nothing like you." Marx noted, leaning against my desk.
"Exactly. I didn't necessarily want to kill myself, but I knew there would come a day where giving a fuck would be to tiring, so I just planned when I would stop." I shrugged.
"And how does 'free healthcare' change that?" Marx asked sarcastically.
"Druka and Dr. Ve'vi won't let me die." I explained.
"Speaking of, did you-"
"Not yet, I want her to have the best chance of seeing the kid if there is one, so we are waiting to scan for a kid."
"Okay..." Marx seemed a bit uncomfortable for a second.
"Spit it out." I said as I replaced a slide.
"In the Purcol system, we have a tradition of appointing a friend to watch over our children."
"Because you die when you procreate?"
"Well, yes."
"Do you think I am gonna die?"
"Garmac is so much bigger than you." Marx started to explain.
"He could raise our kid if that were to happen. I have full faith, as do you if my memory serves right."
"I know but... Nevermind."
"Besides, wouldn't you be doing that anyway since I would want you to be the kid's godfather?"
"What now?" Marx's head snapped up to look at me.
"Godfather. The person who takes a personal interest in a childs development into adulthood and would take legal responsibility if Garmac and I passed, or were away on a mission."
"You would want me to do that?" Marx asked, his eyes widening.
"I mean, if I am pregnant then I will have to talk to Garmac about that with all the other things, but I do feel you would take the role seriously." I squinted into my microscope. "Bacteria I am unfamiliar with." I said as I passed him the scope.

I stood in the HSRCU in a wedding dress, and a look of disgust. Prex, Marix, and a few of the HSR lab members stood around me.
"I hate this." I said, crossing my arms.
"I like it." Marix chittered, fluffing the train carefully. "Especially this part, what makes the fabric ripple like this?"
"Horsehair braid." I said, still frowning.
"We didn't find equestrian hair when we scanned it." One of the HSR lab members pointed out.
"It's just what we call it, most of it is made with synthetic material these days." I explained tiredly.
Prex walked behind me. "It isn't fully laced."
"It's not my size, if I lace it up anymore, I will bust out of it and then we won't be able to see it un-torn." I explained, sighing.
"You really hate this dress."
"With my whole heart." I said glumly. "I am sure the original owner loved it, but I hate it."
"I don't know, it was covered in blood when we found it." Marix noted.
"Get me out of this now." I said in panic, rushing to the nook we made with the crates.
"Why are you freaking out?" Prex asked as she undid the back.
"Wedding dresses don't have blood on them normally, and I don't need a space ghost on my ass."
"What is a ghost?" Marix asked as she scuttled around the crate to look at me, making me jump.
"It's hard to explain, but it scares me. We have horror movies with them being the center focus. We can watch them together eventually."
"Ooo, that sounds fun, I love Earth movies." Prex gushed, smiling.
"We can do a sleep over!" Marix chittered, picking up the dress carefully.
"Sure." I said, sighing.
"There is something else." Prex stated, handing me my uniform.
I looked out and saw that the HSR members had already started to head for the containment unit's doors. I got dressed and when they were gone I looked at them.
"What if Garmac and I aren't compatible?" I asked them.
"You still are a good match for a relationship." Prex pointed out.
"But what if I am not pregnant, he was so excited." I said, pacing.
"You could adopt." Marix pointed out.
"And even if you didn't, Garmac loves you. You two have been together for close to a month. For a Kraxon, this is where we start questioning everything about the relationship. If you make it past the two month mark, you are stuck with him." Prex explained.
"That's concerning." I said, looking at her.
"Why?"
"Human relationships tend to last 3 years before they take the next step and get married. What if we get in a fight and separate while I am pregnant."
"Doubtful, you rarely pick a fight and he is kinda a wuss." Prex stated, making Marix chuckle.
"He is not a Wuss."
"Fabel, he has never been in a fight or gone hunting. He is a homebody who is book smart. He is a wuss." Prex stated, crossing her upper arms.
"He is strong, and he has so much restraint."
"Is he strong by Human or Kraxon standards?"
"Shut up." I huffed, crossing my own arms.
"He is perfect for you." Prex chuckled, patting my shoulder.
"How so?" I asked, frowning.
"You don't take shit and you are more than capable for the job of being the one who comes home every night with food for the family. My family had my mom and my first tertiary dad. My primary father and second tertiary dad stayed home and raised us."
"So you are saying that you need one of both."
"At the very least for the common Kraxon family."
"But only one of us is a Kraxon." I stated.
"True... Plus, there is no guarantee that they will end up on Kraxon. They could end up living on Vex or Purcol 2, or any other planet."
"Or we could get our own ship and travel continuously." I added.
"Eh, that could lead to a situation of a commune ship." Prex pointed out, frowning.
"Elaborate why that is bad."
"They are illegal because to often people abuse the power dynamic and innocent people die." Marix explained.
"Really? Huh, guess humans aren't alone in that." I muttered.
"They are brutal. My little brother works in patrols and he once found an illegal commune ship." Prex sighed. "He was to late."
"What happened?" I asked, looking at her.
"Cult. All of them took their own lives."
"Ah... We had one of those we refer to as Jonestown."
"I read about that one." Marix noted.