Species XD-63

Sleepless Night

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Once Egris had left Lola alone in the room, he left no. 35 and set his destination to the office of his superior. 

The actions of Mik was one he had never witnessed before, only heard about. There had been a lack of women on the Xyon planet for more than 20 years, most men wouldn't remember their mothers or sisters. 

Egris did.

Living on a remote island a few miles off the shore of the mainland, his home life had been dominated by the presence of his mother and grandmother working side by side. His father was a warrior like him and was often away on training or occasional action, leaving young Egris to study the women in his life.

His mother, Emil, was a woman of strong morales and family spirit. Everything had to be done as a family - flesh and bone bound together in life and work. He didn't mind.

Early mornings and Egris, Emil and Grandma could be seen picking small shelled sea creatures off the rocky shore to cook for dinner. Lunchtime and the small row of veg would be tended and picked on the land outside of their home. Dinner and the three of them would settle for a large meal of seafood and roasted vegetables.

Just thinking about his life before caused a small glimmer of nostalgia flicker in the dormant chamber of Egris' heart.

He was just a young boy when the first reports of the disease reached the shore of their island. At first, his mother and grandmother pushed it aside. They were so far away from any largely populated area that the chance of contact infection was slim. 

But when an elderly man in the south side of the island needed medical care and a nurse was called in, the feeling of safety quickly vanished. The nurse turned out to be a carrier and a silent killer. 

She gave his mother a new set of clothes to wear in the summertime and a baked pie as a birthday present. At the time, there was nothing unusual or dangerous about it. The nurse was just being friendly and it lifted his mother's spirits. 

As Emil placed her hands on the fabric of the dress and ate the pie, millions of bacteria invaded her system from the most innocent of places. 

She fell sick with a fever and coughed with such ferocity Egris fought her lungs would come up. His nan soon followed suit and before he could comprehend his situation, both mother and grandmother were dead in their beds. 

Their sickly pale skin glistened with sweat and the house reeked of death. It clung to every fibre of every fabric and seeped into the wood boards; it wouldn't leave.

His father returned to retrieve Egris and sweep him off to the mainland, away from his home and the graves. He hadn't looked back. He refused.

In less than a year, the entire population of females had died, leaving the remaining 1000 Xyon to look elsewhere to breed.

Earth had been the answer.

"Warrior Egris, please stop loitering outside and come in." Captain Nixs' monotone drone called out from inside the superior office.

Egris hovered his palm over the scanner and the door lifted up, revealing the crisp white boardroom with the large main control panel. Captain Nix sat behind a hologram of the head engineer of the ship. Both men drilled their gazes into Egris' forehead with matching expressions of irritation.

"What do you want?" Nix pressed.

"I've come to report two issues which happened tonight, sir." He replied quickly, keeping the tone he was taught during training.

"Well, what issues?"

"The first happened during the dance. An Olphiet targetted my mate, sir. Used physical violence and tore her dress leaving her exposed."

"The second?" 

"An engineer under 4th division attempted to assault my mate on the way to our rooms. I managed to stop him before it was too late but it did affect her, sir."

There was a moment of silence and Egris could feel his face heat slightly into a deeper shade of blue. The two most intimidating figures aboard the ship watched him with calculating eyes. At last, Nix spoke.

"What would you like us to do, Warrior?" 

"To report the incident to Olphiet higher command and for the head engineer to take appropriate action on the man from 4th division, sir."

"Is that so?" Nix enunciated.

"Yes, that's what seems right, sir."

The captain slapped his thighs loudly and shot up from his chair before standing beside the hologram.

"If that's what you believe should be done - so be it," his eyes shifted from Egris to the eyes of the chief engineer, "Find this man who assaulted the lady and bring him forward to Xyon court. I will contact the Olphiet higher command to report the incident during the dance."

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank you for reporting. If you have nothing else to say, I would prefer to continue my conversation with the head engineer alone."

"Of course, sir. Goodnight."

Egris offered a small courtesy and backed out of the room silently. The door shut behind him and he let out an exasperated sigh. Now that he had reported the incidents, he reminded himself to notify the doctor of Lola's ankle.

When he was carrying her to the bed, he could see how it had inflamed and turned a raging red in colour. Xyon bodies healed at a rapid rate compared to humans and something like a broken ankle would take less than an hour to set and repair. Sometimes he shook his head at the lackadaisical pace of the human healing process. How they had crawled to the top of the food chain, Egris didn't know.

He pressed his finger on the smooth surface of his wristwatch and waited for a small service menu to be projected. Egris scrolled through and selected the tab labelled 'Health care." and waited impatiently for the automated voice.

"This is your personal healthcare service. What can we do for you today?"

"Contact Doctor Gyre." Egris deadpanned.

"Contacting Doctor Gyre. Please hold on."

His large black boot thumped rhythmically on the floor and his fingers danced on his skin like a piano while he waited for the doctor's metallic voice.

"This is Doctor Gyre. How can I help you Egris?"

"Yes, doctor. My mate has hurt her ankle and I would like you to visit room no.35 to take a look. Can you do that?"

"Of course. I'll be leaving my office shortly. Anything else?"

"No, no that'll be all."

"Okay then. It's a good thing you're looking after your mate, Egris. I know a good few who don't."