“The emperor himself has tasked us with the creation of a genetic matching program,” the lean B’Kaar explained. “One that will search for and isolate the best genetic match among the human population for each of our warriors.”
Keris had flitted a few steps forward before she realized. “That would be a massive undertaking, though. The computing power alone would be immense. Not to mention the differences between the two species’ genomes… how would you work out what would be a match or not?”
Berr half turned in his seat, his dark gaze latching on to her with interest. “Easier than expected since humanity are a form of Lathar. Admittedly, they evolved from an adapted variant, which has necessitated some… inventive recoding of the discovery algorithms, but it’s possible. As you can see,” he indicated the DNA on screen, “almost identical.”
To the layman’s eyes they were, but Keris wasn’t a layman, and she quickly spotted the differences between the two. The Latharian helix was crammed full of information with the human one looking like a stepladder in comparison. But simple had its advantages. Even she could see the human genome was more elegant and uncluttered with unnecessary information. Less information meant less chance for errors, or for information spurs to cancel each other out. The worst-case scenario had already occurred. Scientists had removed a seeming redundancy; the effects only discovered when the plague had ripped through the Lathar and killed all its women.
Playing along like a dumb human who didn’t know any better, she nodded. “They do look kind of similar, yes. Does that mean parts match up or something, like a puzzle?”
Berr grinned. “Somethin’ like that, yeah. Bit more complicated, but that’s the basics of it. What we’ve been doing is analyzing the genetic information from the human databases. Some ark or somethin’.”
“Wait… what?” Gracie exclaimed. “You have the Terran DNA ark? How the ever-loving fuck did you get that?”
Berr twisted in his seat to look over his shoulder. It looked like he’d trimmed his beard a little, his dimples showing through the short hair as he grinned at Gracie. “Your president gave it to us, wrapped up in a neat little bow and everything.”
“Halland gave you the ark?” Jay sounded surprised, making Keris turn and look at him, suddenly concerned she’d misstepped by not sounding worried about it. Perhaps this ark was something culturally or religiously important to humans? If so, she’d just given herself away. “I’d be surprised if he even knew what it was. The man’s an utter idiot.”
Her relief tried to exit her body with the air in her lungs. She hadn’t draanthed up after all.
“Uh-uh,” Gracie shook her head. “Murphy’s president now.”
“Murphy?” Jay blinked. “With the…” he made a slashing motion up the side of his face with his hand. “Well, fuck me sideways.”
Berr slid him a glance. “I do not wish to know about human sexual practices. What I do need is some live samples for the testing subroutines. I need to see how each candidate’s genetic code reacts in a multitude of tests. Since we do not have a live version of the ark here, I need samples from all of you humans aboard.”
Oh lady, no. She couldn’t allow that. Keris froze in fear for a moment, and then she backed up, shaking her head. If they got a sample of her genetic material, they’d quickly work out she wasn’t human, but a few iterations before… an adapted Lathar. From there it was an easy step to figuring out what she was.
She managed two steps backward before Jay’s hands closed over her shoulders.
“You are welcome to my DNA,” he said, “but not my wife’s. Her religious beliefs forbid it.”
Time stood still for Keris as she waited for the B’Kaar to reply. To argue that wasn’t possible. To threaten or posture to get her to give a sample. Neither of them did. Instead, Risyn simply gave a small bow. “Of course, Lady Kelly. We would not want to offend your gods.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, turning to tuck herself in against Jay’s side. He lifted his arm to wrap it around her, holding the other out for Risyn to collect a sample. The needlegun hissed as it punched his skin, the vial filling with the scarlet of his blood.
“Lady Grace?” Risyn asked, unloading Jay’s sample and handing it to Berr before loading a new vial. “May I?”
She shook her head. “I’m in the gods camp with Kelly. No can do, babycakes.”
Risyn looked like he’d swallowed an overaan slug, his brows snapping together. “We require live samples. I am prepared to allow one of you to play the religious card, but not all of you.”
“Have mine instead,” Indra shoved her arm in front of the annoyed B’Kaar. “My granddad was a right player. Figure I’ve got loads of family to track down.”
“And don’t forget,” Seren broke in, his voice as calm and restrained as Nyek’s had been, with an edge of draanth you for good measure. “All human females are under the protection of the emperor. They cannot be forced or coerced in any way. Especially not after what these females have been through. Unless you’d like to explain to his imperial highness why you bullied females who had already been brutalized by our kind?”
“And…” Jay added. “Human females are unique. If they are not comfortable, any attempted breeding with them will not result in offspring.”
Risyn blinked. “They can reject conception?”
Jay chuckled. “Some females on earth will not only reject conception but will eat their males if they are annoyed or stressed.”
“They can?” Seren’s voice rang with shock.
“Oh yeah,” Jay nodded. “There was a case not long ago where a male kept bumping into a female when he swam past her every morning. She got pissed off and boom, ate him.”
“Draanth…” Seren breathed, eyeing a smiling Gracie with new respect. She grinned and snapped her teeth at him.
“Then, thank you, Lady Indra. This is much appreciated.”
Indra nodded as Risyn took her sample. Silence fell as he loaded the two human samples into the machine and Berr set the search routines off.
“Well, well, well… we have a match already.”
“Oh?” Indra pushed forward, her face alight with interest. “Did you find me any family?”
Berr shook his head, his expression preoccupied as he opened the results. “I’m not looking for that at the moment. I was cross-referencing your samples for possible genetic matches with known Lathar.”
“Oh?” Jay rubbed Keris’s arm. “Why?”
Berr shrugged. “Out of interest to see if the algorithm works. And it does. I’ve come up with three matches for you, Lady Indra—”
“She doesn’t need to see those,” Nyek growled possessively. “She’s already mated.”
“Noted.” Berr flashed a grin. The screen in front of him flashed again and he frowned. “Well, draanth me with a pevaaris…”
“I don’t need to know about Lathar sexual kinks, mate.”
Berr snorted. “It appears we are a genetic match.”
Jay gave a hard bark of laughter. “Sorry, bud, wrong equipment.”