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Michael exited the car and looked down the sidewalk towards the familiar house. Funnily enough, the image of his mother eagerly waiting for his return was not an uncommon sight for him. Though usually, he would be returning to this particular house alone.

Looking to his right, Michael smiled at Srettia, the female he brought home to show off to his mother, who always jokingly teased him about settling down. Laughing at the thought, Michael took Srettia's nervous hand and gently pulled her around the car. "Let's tear the bandaid off quick now, shall we?"

Srettia sucked in a deep breath as she came into full view of the root of her terror. Putting on a brave face, she fell back on her short training as an ambassador and straightened her back while holding her head high as Michael pulled her down the sidewalk. That's when she stumbled on a loose stone and paused.

It was then something in her mind clicked, and she looked around as if noticing something for the first time in her life. "I'm outside." She whispered, causing Michael to stop midstep. "I've been so nervous about everything it never dawned on me... I'm actually outside. I'm not in a building or a ship or one of those enviro domes but outside." Looking down at the green grass beside the stone sidewalk, Srettia slowly walked over and sat down. "This may be the first time I've been outside." She said, running her hand through the soft grass.

Michael thought about it and realized it was true. They had gone from ship to hangar to ship to hangar to a car. Sitting down next to Srettia, Michael shot his mother a smile as he began to rub Srettia's back gently. "I guess that's my fault for not really giving you the time to figure this out."

Srettia scented the air and turned to look at Michael, finally noticing the breeze on her skin. " The wind is chilly. I'm cold now."

Michael chuckled, noticing his mother had begun running down from the porch and up to the duo, enjoying their revelation. "Is something wrong!? Do I need to call someone?!" She asked worriedly.

"Nah, we're fine, mom. Srettia just realized this is the first time she's been out in the open air." Michael replied as he helped Srettia up to her feet.

Mrs. Graeme had a shocked expression on her face, taking a few moments to recover as Srettia brushed the loose grass off her pants. "Well, let's have dinner outside tonight then. I'll get the bug repellant ready." She replied, walking back into the house without another word.

"She was less frightening than I thought she would be."

Srettia nodded in agreement and looked at Michael in confusion. " She seems nice."

Michael eyed the house suspiciously and nodded. "A bit too nice. Be on your toes."

Ankiah walked over from the car and up to the porch, turning to wave at the two stuck on the sidewalk. "You two going to flirt all day or just stand there. Let's get moving!"

Michael once again took Srettia by the hand and walked up to the door, where he pushed it open and took a step in. "Well, this is it, I guess." Michael said, allowing both Srettia and Ankiah to step into the warm-looking house.

Srettia inspected the dwelling and noticed the stark difference between a natural Terran home and the rooms she had been staying in until now. Many pictures hung from the walls, different looking planets, massive rock formations, some animated while others not. Some with important-looking Terrans on them and others with family. There were potted flowers here and there, leaving the area looking very cozy with the ambient light glowing in the dark corners. Scenting the air, Srettia also noticed an odd flavour, a pleasant citrus that reminded her of the fruit Michael regularly ate in the morning, one she had not had the pleasure of experiencing yet.

Michael inhaled deeply and sighed in relief. "Smells like home." He said, looking around suspiciously. "Which means mom is up to something and trying to cover her tracks."

Michael then helped Ankiah take Yirphayen out of its bag and moved it over to a chair where the sun was currently shining. "Leme know if you need anything, alright."

Yirphayen let out a chime of delight as the sun directly hit its core and quickly decided it liked its current spot. "This is a sufficient spot. Thank you."

Mr. Graeme walked into the room and gave Michael a big grin, who noticed his arrival and prepared himself for the questions. "Conceive pronto!" He quickly fired, tossing a can at Michael.

Michael fumbled before realizing a can of beer was heading his way.

Luckily, Srettia noticed the flying can and was able to catch it before it hit the stunned Michael. "That could have been dangerous, you know." She replied.

"Yup, and it would have been his fault for being a pilot who can't avoid stuff flying at him." Mr. Graeme replied happily, walking over to Srettia.

Srettia eyed the older-looking Michael and nodded in appreciation, deciding that she was indeed a lucky female. "Hello Mr. Graeme, I am Srett-"

Mr. Graeme took Srettia into a big hug, holding it for a few seconds before separating and placing one hand on each shoulder, deciding to take a good look at the female in front of him. " Call me, dad! Please, make yourself at home. Our house is your house." He said, shooting a look over to Ankiah, who watched the scene in amusement. "You'll have to dump your woman and marry my son if you want a hug too."

"Not happening!" Srettia spit, Interrupting Ankiah, who hadn't even begun to open her mouth yet.

"Ahh, so it's true what you said then. That'll make the games even more entertaining." Mr. Graeme said mischievously.

Michael investigated the beer he received from Srettia before deciding it was safe to open and popped the top. "That's a good way to get someone hurt. You might not wanna push that button pops."

Nodding his understanding, Mr. Graeme took another look at both Ankiah and Srettia before laughing. "Guess we have lots of catching up to do then." Walking over to his chair, he noticed the giant crystal formation and reached down to move it, eliciting panicked noises and stumbles from the gathered beings. both of which caused him to pause mid-reach as the alarm concerned him. "What now?"

Letting out a sound that resembled a garbage compactor mixed with bells, Yirphayen dug deeper into its chair as its food source was suddenly blocked. "Remove yourself from your location carbon form of the Michael lineage. I require energy."

Mr. Graeme stepped back in shock, realizing the weird crystal formation was talking to him. "What's this now?"

Michael laughed as he pulled his father away from the chair and out of the sunlight. "That's Yirphayen. He's resting right now since he's low on power. Which, he gets from the sun you were blocking."

"Ahh. I see... A sun-eating crystal Alien..." Walking over to the chair, not in the sunlight. Mr. Graeme sat down and eyed Yirphayen in wonder. "I thought it was like a glowey diamond thing."

Taking Srettia's hand and ushering her out of her awkward stance in the doorway, Michael sat her down on the couch and sat beside her, watching as Ankiah took up a seat on the opposing couch. "Yeah, that's its core. Its real body. The glowing diamond you saw on TV was its hard light appearance, kinda like clothes."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Ohh. So that's it being naked on my chair, is it?" Mr. Graeme replied with a chuckle.

Ankiah laughed at the thought and nodded. "You got it, old man! Naked diamond on your chair, gonna have to wash it now."

"Hey now! I'm only eighty-three. I still have a long life ahead of me." Mr. Graeme replied with mild offence.

"That's still way older than me, old man." Ankiah playfully replied.

It was at this point Michael began to worry. His dad was up to something. Was it stalling for time? Maybe he was covering for his mother, who was planning some sort of prank. Looking over to his father, who had a happy grin on his face as he bantered with Ankiah, Michael decided an investigation was in order. "Hey, dad. Where's, mom?"

"You worried, my male descendant?" He asked with a mischievous smile. "That secret service lady stopped by to have a nice long talk about not pranking our new daughter, you know. Didn't want her to get the wrong idea and all she said."

Michael didn't like the sound of his voice and noticed Srettia also had the same idea as she snuggled into his side. "I assume you just discarded her advice and decided against that train of thought?"

"Oh no, not us! Your mother is just using the fabricator in the basement. I assure you, even if I agree wholly with the agent, your mom is definitely not up to something, and I'm definitely not buying her time as the fabricator seems to be giving us trouble for some reason or another. Or maybe she's recycling some clothes, who knows." Mr. Graeme replied, eliciting laughter from Ankiah.

"I like your Folks," Ankiah said, Still laughing.

Srettia scented the air, noticing that the deep citrus taste was hiding something deeper within it and looked to her new father-in-law in suspicion. "Would it be rude of me to claim diplomatic immunity from pranks while I stay here?"

"You could try. Wouldn't do any good with the lady of the house, though." He replied.

Mrs. Graeme finally walked into the room and placed some refreshments on the table, turning to Michael, who had a nervous smile on his face. "Move."

Michael quickly got up and took a few steps away from the couch, allowing his mother to sit directly next to Srettia, who seemed to freeze in place.

Mrs. Graeme gently took Srettia's hand into her own as she gracefully sat down and gave her a warm and loving smile. "My daughter." She tenderly opened, pausing for a moment before pulling hard on Srettia's hand, causing her to fall directly into her lap. "Ah, ha! You're mine now!" She yelled, ruffling Srettia's hair and messing up her composure. "How did my idiot son manage to bag such a prim and proper lady like you then, eh? You can tell mama I won't judge much."

Srettia squealed in confusion as her new mother-in-law pulled her up and began moving her around, closely inspecting this new female entity that had entered her life. "Umm, he crashed into the asteroid I was working in. He actually kinda messed up my big haul, so I had to hold him accountable, I guess?"

Mrs. Graeme laughed as she inspected Srettia's clawed fingers. "Sounds about right. He screws up other people's plans and then expects them to just deal with it. We should paint these claws. I bet we could put some nice patterns on them."

Ankiah laughed as the female Terran inspected the Aasteran with a keen eye, clearly terrifying the young female. " You know, Michael made me think you were kinda scary but your pretty nice."

Mrs. Graeme shot the furry girl a look and thinned her eyes. "You're next young lady. Don't think you're getting out of this without a new bump or two.

Michael took out a slim communication device and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. "Well, now that everyone is here. I have one more person to introduce. He's been a close friend to me and kind of the reason I'm still alive. And though we've only known each other for a few months, I feel like it's been years... He's also kind of a secret, but Luna command has authorized me to share his existence since it would be hard to hide his presence for the next few days. Go ahead and introduce yourself, Jack."

"Hello, elder Graeme's. I am Jack. A true AI and friend to the beings within this room."

Mr. Graeme paused for a moment and looked at the communicator on the table and then to Michael. "I know we like to joke around, but this isn't funny."

"Oh, shut up." Mrs. Graeme replied, looking down at the communicator while forcing Srettia's head into her lap once again. "Even our son wouldn't be stupid enough to play a trick like that. So Mr. Jack, is it? I thought something was funny when Michael was credited with translating my daughter's language. I assume that was you?"

"Quite astute, Mrs. Graeme. Yes, I did. And thank you for not assuming I would kill you. It has become tiresome to correct that misconception."

Running her hand through her daughter's hair, causing Srettia to cease her resistance and accept that this was now her life, Mrs. Graeme eyed Michael with suspicion. "You're not letting people bully Jack now, are you?"

Ankiah laughed and sampled the meat stick on the food platter. "I wouldn't worry about that. However, I may be partly to blame for that. I think people just continually ask if Jack is going to kill them when they find out he's an AI."

"You are correct."

"That's silly. You would already be dead if he were out to kill you." Mrs. Graeme replied.

"Thank you for understanding that fact. Also, I would not do such a thing."

Promptly standing, lifting her new daughter to her feet while doing so. Mrs. Graeme took Srettia's hand and began walking out of the room. "Welcome to our home, Jack. Make use of whatever... Um... Electronic space? You need. Our gizmos, are you gizmos." She said, dragging Srettia out of the room.

"I will do so. You have my thanks."

Michael looked to Ankiah, who was busy giggling and then to his father, who was seriously studying the coms device on the table. "He's fine, dad. Perfectly safe."

Mr. Graeme nodded in understanding and leaned back into his chair. "Family safety comes first, my boy. Apologies, Jack. Nothing against you and all. Just an old man who has been taught to mistrust AI's"

"Understandable. It has been hundreds of years of knowledge and teaching that my predecessor killed its creators."

Michael took a drink of his beer and smiled. "The real stuff always tastes the best." He announced, ignoring the fact a sound dampener was activated in the kitchen.

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"So. What do you know about Cooking?" Mrs. Graeme asked. Seating Srettia into a comfortable chair around the kitchen table.

"Um. Nothing. My people only really eat grubs and moss currently... We don't really have anything left to cook." Srettia answered nervously, feeling like she failed the first test.

"Good, I suck at cooking too and can't have you outdoing me." Mrs. Graeme replied, taking out a new-looking bottle and sitting down. "I only know how to cook Michael's birthday dish."

Srettia held back her laughter as she remembered cooking the very same dish with the help of Jack. "It is a rather hard dish to cook. It was thanks to the help of Jack I was able to complete it."

Mrs. Graeme popped the top of the bottle and poured two glasses. "Already trying to steal my gimmick, are you? You move fast, but don't think I'll let you take that role over so quickly."

Srettia held her hands up defensively as a glass was pushed towards her. "Oh, no! I wouldn't dream of taking your role at all."

Taking a sip of her wine, Mrs. Graeme savoured the taste for a moment and slowly placed her glass down with a grin. "You said that my front lawn was the first time you've been outside. I don't want to pry, but information on your people is extremely regulated. We only have that conference where they only allowed safe questions and a few pictures the president released to go by. Is it really that bad?"

Srettia nodded and sampled the air around her wine, recoiling for a moment before replying. "Yes. If you're not in a ship, a station or enviro-dome, you're as good as dead. And our enviro-domes only had a few tens of years left of service. And it was a rush to harvest metals for orbital stations before Michael arrived and changed everything." Srettia replied, taking a sip of her wine and immediately deciding she preferred cider instead.

"Well. I guess that's one way to make the history books." She said while swirling her wine. "Enough of the dour stuff now. Let's talk about the fun stuff... Now, I'm aware that since you're a different species, so kids are out of the equ........ That look. I swear you would be blushing if you were Terran.."

Srettia fidgeted and thought about the bag she had brought back from her visit to the doctor. "Well, actually, I visited a Terran specialist by the name of Catherine Baker. After some investigation, she told me that though we were different species, it would be relatively simple to have nanites copy Terran DNA and convert it to Aasteran. I know I'm going to say this wrong since she used some fancy words, but they basically mimic what would be needed for fertilization. It just requires the male to take an inje-"

Mrs. Graeme shot up and pulled srettia to her feet, taking her into a comforting hug. "You are such a great daughter. Do you know that? Now I can tease the ever-living hell out of that slow son of mine. One last question before I leave you to wonder when I'll strike next. " She replied, seating Srettia back down into her chair. Srettia nodded and took another sip of her terrible wine.

"Oh, my apologies. How do you like the wine? I made it myself?" Mrs. Graeme said with a gentle smile.

Srettia choked down another sip and couldn't fight the scowl that spread on her face. "It's. I do not like it." She said, already regretting her answer.

Mrs. Graeme smiled and walked over to the sink, pouring hers down the drain. "Good. I like an honest girl."

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