4 Vitus

Rhynin will survive whether I participate or not, but the pressure from my uncle and Darsus has grown to intolerable levels. They push the matter of my deceased father's last wish until it is maddening.

My wristband signals another message from Darsus with a reminder to actually try. An additional vibration leads to a warning from my uncle that I will be representing Nytheralians on an intergalactic stage. Then, another message comes through.

Uncle General Abisi: Don't make your father's mistake. Show our kind that war is not the only way to survive.

I sit in the Abr office, tablet on the table in front of me, staring at the screen. I don't have to do this. But I can't see through the guilt to an alternative solution that will make my soldiers shut up about it.

The paperwork to list my information, the living arrangements for the human, what I'm looking for and the work to do back on our homeworld sits completed but unsigned before me.

Rhynin paid for this slot. I tried to pay him back. But my best friend refused any compensation except that I return with a female and a smile on my face.

Both have nearly impossible odds.

But to deny a sacrifice of its purpose in battle is a crime.

Rhynin's request digs into me.

I'm starting to feel like this was a ploy to get me away from my planet and my duties. I don't know what the purpose of my absence could do for the ranks unless they believe I am failing as a leader and they want me gone.

I would hope they would simply say it to my face. Darsus might. But he hasn't. Yet I feel like they're all thinking it.

If they do want to get rid of me, it's likely because I overworked my army and had defense plans that rendered more casualties and injuries than they expected.

My preference is none.

I will have to move to Denesan, our family's moon. My moon now. I can still run the ore mines. A mate would have a decent life.

I adjust my answers to account for the minimal offering so she's not disappointed if we return with little fanfare.

And for some reason, considering the idea of no longer being in control of an army makes me feel empty. I think of the vacant home on our moon, save for the security detail, two of which have followed me to Earth's moon. The quiet house might be too much.

As alone as I feel in my responsibilities to my soldiers without family around, I still long for camaraderie. If I lose that, I fear I will lose myself.

Wanting to stop thinking about it all, and just get it over with, I sign the tablet and tap submit.

The screen clears, and videos begin to play with instructions for the race. "You cannot force bonding. Each room has automated systems in place to prevent such from happening to keep the human females safe. You don't want to start an intergalactic war with another species, do you?"

Another one? Definitely not.

I assess the band chart not because I want to but because I need to.

"The females will have different colors based on their capabilities, personality, and affinity for mating."

Pinks are listed at the top, good mates, eager to please and be pleasured, but not a challenge in the least. Red looks interesting, feisty and bossy. Purple, blue, green, and yellow all have interesting traits. But I am most interested in returning to my responsibilities, assuming my kind haven't replaced me.

If I return without a mate, maybe the others will shut up about it. Mynerva, Rhynin's cousin, will likely continue to harass me, but that is a familiar annoyance. She is not what I want, no matter how easy she would make it.

If ever there was a female for me, she would have to be soldier-tough, strong, and yet humble enough to recognize that sometimes the needs of many outweigh the few, no matter how personal or special my mate must be. But such a woman is a fairytale.