Dreamed This Up (Dreams, Book 1)

Chapter 4: Results

Pushing open the door, Rofin was relieved to find the shop empty. "Loklin? Are you back there?" Another Rifa came out of the door behind the counter, "Ah! my colleague! Here for more medicine for your patients?" This one was unusually short, about Sophie's height, and had dull eyes of a pale purple. They brightened at Rofin's approach. "Not today, my friend. I have samples I need you to test if the female is pregnant, and them some advice is needed as well."

"Excellent! Hand them over, and come to the laboratory. I thought you'd begun doing these yourself?" Rofin handed over the vials. "I have. But I wanted a second opinion. It's ... personal. And I don't trust myself to not misread the results"

Loklin chuckled. "Has the lonely Doctor Rofin found a Rifan lady for himself? Pray tell the exalted one's name. If the tests are clear I'll prepare some ...." He paused. The apothecary had been working busily while chatting, and now stopped to study the vials he had poured out. "Rofin, " he said slowly, "These are harac samples. Please tell me they are not from your lady friend." Rofin shrugged and gestured for him to make the tests. Shaking his head, he did. After a few moments he showed him the results. "Positive. The female is pregnant. Now I think you'd better explain and I'll see if I can give the advice you wanted. Let me just close the shop."

After that was done, the older Rifan led the younger to the back room. "Now, as those young pups you are fond of taking care of like to say, spill." Rofin closed his eyes a moment and began, from the moment the bedraggled Sophia had leapt the barrier and crashed into him, up until her sickness and the realization of its cause.

"And now you want to know what to do," asked Loklin quietly. He had been silent through most of the tale, only asked once if it was sure that the other harac had not fathered the child. "No." answered Rofin. "The blood was from her other wounds, not him. When I bound her to myself, I realized that I drew the first blood, not him. She swears the same." Loklin nodded. "But you know it will be asked"

"I do. I can bring her here, but wanted to be sure first. For all I know, she IS the first, and I have no idea what to do. I mean, I know our protocols, but I was born here myself, and haven't heard of any arrangements for hybrids being started."

"I don't think she's the first though," said Loklin.

"Why? Isn't this one of our goals?"

"Ye-es, but ... Rofin, I have had other scared Rifans come in here, with similar samples, and ask for the same test. But they then asked for certain herbs and mixture that will procure ... the removal of the 'problem' as they put it."

Rofin stiffened, "You gave it to them? Assisted in the death of a possible hybrid? Are you suggesting the same for my child?" Agitated, the ridges on his arms began to rise, the hidden spines becoming faintly visible, and his eyes flashed, oddly, not their natural gold but silver, and that thin hidden tail began to whip back and forth. "No, no!" Loklin raised his hands in a placating gesture, and his own tail swished softly, a sign of submission. Older Loklin might be, but Rofin far out ranked him, and could make things hard for him. "I told them they needed to report the pregnancy, and the Council would make preparations, but when the messenger with the vials came from a high official, higher even then you, my younger ruler, there is only so much I can say. In the end he took the results and left, and I heard later that he had gone to one of my competitors to obtain the necessary pills."

"Why would he do that? We want the harac to be able to join with us."

"In theory. But as it is ... the harac were not receptive to the initial testing, and were to be used as slave labor until and unless we or they changed enough to admit of a merge. Do you see anyone making a move to dismiss the slave force? If hybrids were viable, the slaves would disappear in a generation, since the new offspring would begin to have rights as a new type of Rifan"

Rofin was still agitated, pacing. "What should I do, then?"

"Bring her in. Let me examine her. I have another test to verify the paternity, but I need both of you here for it. You'll have to wait another few weeks for that one, though. And then we will see what we can do."

"What is done in other places? How are the natives raised to citizenship? I don't want her at risk." Rofin stopped suddenly and asked.

"It's a long process. Are you - are you really intending to go through with this for this cliro?"

Rofin whirled on him, fire alight again, "She is my wife, and were we not such old friends I would kill you for that insult. She is no seductress or opportunist, but came to me a frightened girl and ... and I love her, and she in turn loves me. We will find a way"

Now Loklin looked truly stunned. "What jilap married you? There's no precedent for it, even on the other worlds, the mothers of the new subspecies, while they are praised and lauded for their children, do not marry the fathers. They remain as they were"

"It is not recognized outside of ourselves," answered Rofin slowly. "We made each other a pledge, and that is all we could do. You are saying there is no recognition for it?"

"Well, of course, once this gets rolling she will be higher than the other harac, but still a slave. Just a privileged one. And any other females that can be proven fertile to Rifan blood will be in a similar position. You may have to get a larger place for any others sent to you."

"NO. I will not ... no. I'll bring her to you later today. Do not speak of this to anyone"

"Obviously"

With that Rofin left the shop, mind reeling with what he had learned. So much for the exalted plan of raising these natives to join the mighty RIfans. In practice it was far messier, and if Loklin was right, not being put into practice at all.

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jilap: kind of church or temple

cliro: gold-digger