Sarai, стр. 36
“Well,” theAdan considered for a moment, “it’s true that we can find our saraiat any stage of our lives, but — ”
“Does thattie — the Sarat-sarai bond — does that override otherrelationships?”
“Well, yes —it’s the way we produce offspring. Without the bond, there is nochance of pardlings.”
Damn. So notwhat he wanted to hear. “What if you’re really old when you findyour sarai? I mean, like too old to have children.”
The looksnow turned on him were uncomprehending. “Jamie,” said Alekyn aftera few seconds. “Our scientists learned how to stop the ageingprocess hundreds of years ago.”
Jamie feltfaint. “Seriously?” he whispered. “Stopped it? You don’t get old?Ever?”
Alekynnodded. “That’s right, sweetheart. “
“Soyou don’t die?” Jamie couldn’t believe what hewas hearing, he was ticking off fingers as he spoke. “You don’t getcancer, you don’t get other diseases and you don’t get old and youdon’t die…”
The Adanshook his head, “Of course we die — there are accidents, there arewars with enemy species like the Zill. And sometimes we simplychoose to move to the next plane of existence, particularly ifsomeone we loved has died or because we want anotheradventure.”
Jamie puthis head in his hands for a moment, then looked up at Alekyn, hisface white. “The next planeof existence,” he echoed.“Anotheradventure…I don’t think that you realisehow different that makes you to humans, to my people.”
“That yourlifetimes are short, not much more than about eighty of your sun’syearly rotations? Yes, we understand,” said the Adan softly. “Wecan extend the lives of your people, even those who do not becomesarai.”
Jamie shookhis head slowly. “Did you tell them about that? And about curingdisease? You can fix the environment too, can’t you? And help themmake better choices?”
“I’mnot sure about that,” said the Adan. “Yourpeople seem to like making strange and weird-headed choices, butperhaps we could help them in other ways?”
“No diseasesand staying young forever,” Jamie heaved a sigh. “Tell them allthat and you’ll be inundated by people queuing up to be sarai. Butyou’ll need to convince them that what you’ve said is the truth —that it’s not some sort of trick — ”
“Trick?” theAdan frowned, “but that would not be honorable.”
Jamie suckedin a deep breath and leaned back on the couch. He’d forgotten thatthe Naferi tendency for literal-mindedness.
“Ifsomething seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he parrotedfrom memory, before adding hurriedly, “But that’s an argument foranother day. What we have to concentrate on is ensuring my peoplebelieve you can help them against the Zill. This is what I thinkyou should do…”
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THE OVALOFFICE actually seemed a little larger than Jamie thought itwould, but he kinda thought that wasbecause he was, you know, in the White House - well, not the WhiteHouse, as such, but in a bunker, which looked like the White House- to speak with one of the most powerful people on Earth. The tallgrey-haired woman now staring at them from her seat behind thelarge desk.
The President slowly put her pen down on thedesk and stood up.
“Gentlemen,”she said politely, “generally, on this world we knock before weenter a room.”
Her darkeyes assessed them. They rested for a slightly longer moment onJamie and his swollen baby belly.
Jamieflushed and nudged Alekyn, who nodded at him and blushed. “Er, wecome in peace and felicitations on the seasons.”
Jamie staredat his mate in amazement. “No, you idiot,” he snarked. “That is sonot what we need to say. Madam President — ” The President’s lipswere twitching slightly as if she was trying not to laugh. “Pleaseignore my Sarat. He has never met a president before. Nor have I,”he added conscientiously, “but I think I can do better thansounding as if I’m an extra from a B-grade movie. And I’m sorry wedidn’t knock. That was pretty rude of us.”
Alekynhuffed and ran his hand through his hair. Behind them they couldhear the sound of feet pounding along the corridors and alarmswailing. Someone somewhere was yelling something, but the composedwoman before them gestured gracefully to one of the large sofas inthe room.
“Never mind.Gentlemen, please take a seat.”
They sat. Sodid the President, her large brown eyes steady on their faces. “Youmust be James Munroe, who disappeared in late summer.”
“Yes, ma’am.That’s me, except I’ve always been called Jamie,” he groanedinternally - god, he sounded so lame. “Alekyn here,” he gestured athis Sarat, “rescued me from the Zill, oh, and a couple of Keinyn-
“Three.”Jamie stared at Alekyn incredulously, who muttered, “There werethree Keinyn, majesty, but one escaped.”
ThePresident smiled. “Not “majesty,” Alekyn, not in this country; wehave a different system of government.”
“Apologies,”Alekyn shook his head. “Earth’s system of governing is hard tounderstand.”
“Indeed,many of us spend decades trying to work it out to no avail,” browneyes twinkled at him. “Now, Jamie, suppose you tell me why apregnant human male with his…Naferi husband —”
“Sarat,”supplied Alekyn. “Jamie is my sarai.”
“Ah, yes. Asarai. The current sticking point for us. That and the notion of aprotectorate.”
The twinklehad disappeared. Jamie sucked in a breath. “Well, ma’am, that’s whywe’re here. To persuade people that it’s not quite so awful being asarai…it’s not, you know,” he glanced up at Alekyn. “I mean, Ithought it was at first, but it’s actually rather…special. And,” hesaid proudly, “I’m having a baby.”
Alekynsmiled and lifted his sarai’s hand to his lips. The Presidentquirked her eyebrows.
“So I see. Congratulations,” shepaused, picking her words carefully. “I never thought to see apregnant male. It’s a bit confronting, but less confronting thanknowing an alien species is destroying millions of lives as wespeak.”
“The Zill,”Jamie leaned forward. “They will win, Madam President, if you don’tpersuade the people of the world to ally themselves with PanGal.I’ve seen what the Zill can do, what they’ve done. They will keepcoming until there’s nothing left, not one damn thing.”
“And youthink surrendering our world to a confederation of aliens ispreferable to fighting for our own freedom, let alone handing overthousands upon thousands of young men and women to be indenturedsex slaves on distant worlds?”
“No!” Jamieresponded sharply. “I don’t.