TO had spent the last few days watching out for Pearla, and making sure she got back to GiDi safely. Perhaps that was why their mind bypassed all the other implications of what Snout said and went right to her.
“Will she be ok?” TO asked as they stood up, “I mean, if this is going to make GiDi aggressive-”
“Sit down.” Snout sighed, “Yes, she’ll be fine. The only people who might be in trouble are people who might try to hurt her. Honestly, she’s safest with GiDi at this time.” They frowned at TO, “Pearla’s a friend, you realize. Do you think we’d let her go to GiDi if there was any concern for her safety? Besides, they’ve been through this before. Just…” They shrugged, “Not enough to get the timing down, I suppose. Otherwise they would have given us warning that this might happen now.”
“What about leaving the planet?” DH asked. Their ears were still low and blue, but at least this concern distracted them. “Will they be able to leave the planet with us?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Snout said, “Look, GiDi’s going to be fine. Pearla’s going to be fine. We’re still going to get off the planet just fine, but there are some things that will have to change.” They leaned back in their chair, “For the next few days, GiDi and Pearla will be out of commission.”
“It should be fine.” Flit said, their ears pinning back, their eyes narrowing, “We’re short-handed, but plans are all made. So long as we keep up the work everything should be ok in the end. Though, there is a lot Pearla was going to take care of that we have to figure out now.” They got up from their chair, “I should take care of that, actually. I should find people to take over her-”
Snout grabbed Flit’s sleeve and pulled them back down without a word. Defeated, Flit allowed their mate to pull them back into their seat.
“Now, that’s what’s happening with GiDi.” Snout said, “They’ll be fine, and Pearla will be fine. It’s lucky though; From my research here a Chilacian’s mating period lasts about half a period. That time seems to change with different species, so it’s shorter for them.”
Half a period. Five Galactic days. 200 hours. “That… that's not all spent…” their ears dipped and burned as they trailed off.
“Eating, sleeping, and copulating.” Snout said. “And honestly not much outside those three things. Given your surprise at this… I think it’s safe to assume that you and DH have not yet cycled and entered Enkavma yet.”
“Hey, look, you gave us the information.” DH said as they stood up, “We’re prepared now, so-”
“Sit.” Snout said, their voice sharp. In that moment they looked so much like a superior officer that DH shuddered and obeyed.
“... Is there more we need to know?” TO asked. They hated how meek their voice sounded at that moment, but they couldn’t help it. At that moment they felt like a trainee, and Flit was an officer that was irritated with them.
“Yes.” Snout said. “Now, as you pointed out earlier, some of the vital reproductive organs have been removed from you.” Their ears dipped slightly, their eyes cast to the table, “... I couldn’t prevent that. Apologies. But that means that neither of you can impregnate, or carry a fetus. With unaltered Chilacians, both partners in a coupling can do both.”
TO was very silent for a moment, considering this, and trying to make sense of things. “... Are you certain that uh… other things haven’t been removed?” They asked. “I mean… I don’t think-” Their ears burned, their stomach clenched. “I mean… I’ve observed nothing in other synths, any kind of anatomy that might seem useful for… those things.”
“You are correct.” Snout said. “But, like with many flying species, Chilacians are aerodynamic.” They lifted their hand and activated their chip.
“Really?” Flit sighed, a hand over their face, “You’re bringing up pictures?”
“Illustrations from the documents I received.” Snout said, their voice deadpan and their ears once more going parallel to the ground, “Unless you’d rather describe the specifics-”
Another groan from Flit, “Go ahead.” They muttered.
The picture that illuminated before them differed from what TO had expected. It was clearly a synth, yes, and they were clearly nude but casual nudity had never been a concern. No, what was surprising to TO were the tattoos; This synth had tattoos on their arm and leg; a strange, twisting script that TO had never seen before.
Was this an average Chilacian?
“What’s that?” TO asked, entirely forgetting the reason they were there.
“The tattoos?” Snout asked. TO nodded. “It’s a thing Chilacians do. I don’t understand it well, but I can say that the symbols themselves are Chilacian script. If you look closely, you can see some similarities to our own writing. Ours is just a lot more angular.”
Seeing a synth, no, a Chilacian with tattoos was so strange to TO. Their scars on their own wings, and DH’s scars on their face were different enough, but these tattoos were stark marks on the skin in multiple colors! A purposeful alteration to King Decon’s Design.
No. Not design. He didn’t design them.
“Anyway, this is a Chilacian in a neutral state.” Snout said, “And as with many species, the reproductive organ is here-” They made a gesture, and a circle formed between the subjects legs. Like with every other synth that TO had known the area looked almost entirely blank. The only thing there was a small, flat spiral at the very bottom of the otherwise smooth area of their lower torso. It was easily overlooked and often ignored by other synths. TO had ignored it as well… until they started feeling things for their mate, and the pressure they often experienced around their mate got difficult to deal with and that particular spot demanded their attention.
“In an active state, the organs expand out from that.” Snout said, “Dual reciprocal organs that allow the simultaneous transfer of genetic material.” They leaned forward, “I’ll be entirely honest. The reason I’m so adamant on explaining this is because the first time it happened to me, I thought I was seriously sick. I was a grown, trained synth freaking out because I didn’t know what was happening, and thought something was broken in me. The days leading up to that were exhausting, and I was hungrier than I ever been. I panicked. I considered performing on-the-spot surgery to ‘fix’ the issue.” They glanced at the blue-eared Flit, “Thankfully, Flit saw me before it came to that, but if they hadn’t…” They glanced back to TO and DH, “Or if I had tried to hide away from them because I was embarrassed, I could have caused a lot of problems for myself.”
“... That is fair.” Flit finally grumbled, “Those two don’t have the best track record for communication.”
“And-” Snout said, leaning back in their chair now, “What happens if we plan something important, and they enter Enkavma? What if that had happened over the last few days?” They shook their head, “No. You need to be fully informed, so you know when this may happen. That way, we can plan for it. We’re lucky that GiDi was here when this happened.”
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TO took a deep breath and nodded, though their eyes stayed focused on the table. “Alright.” They said, “Go on.”
“Right.” Snout said, frowning as they recollected the ends of their lecture. “Right. You’ll be hungrier leading up to it, and you’ll sleep more. When it happens, contact with your mate will trigger the hormones to activate the mating period. If you keep your distance when you feel this beginning, you will avoid going into the mating period- the Enkavma.
TO frowned, their ears perked. “Wait…” They said, “so… that’s how you and Flit-”
“How we avoided getting caught and repurposed, yes. Though, Flit’s position as a Retiree helped a lot.” Snout said, Ignoring how Flit groaned and leaned forward, their face in their hands.
“Wait, the Commander knew.” TO remembered that ride in the elevator, the way the commander treated Flit, and the not-so-subtle warnings that they gave.
“Well, yes.” Snout said, “It wasn’t impossible to fully hide but so long as we could keep it to something that was just assumed, instead of something someone had proof of, we were fine. Mostly. Of course, we didn’t know all this at the time.” they sighed, “We figured it out over a lot of trial and error.” They glanced at Flit, “We figured out the timing first, and we’d work around that as best as we could. One day Flit had to go to a…” They paused, “What was it?”
“A combat ship needed some advice on field training.” Flit said, not looking up from the table. “They flew me out to assist.”
“Right.” Snout said as they turned their attention back to TO and DH. “It just happened that the Enkavma was timed for that, but because we were apart, nothing happened.”
This time, Flit looked at Snout, their ear rising slightly, “Nothing?” They asked, “Didn’t feel like nothing.”
“Well. true.” Snout said, “There’s absolutely side-effects to the avoidance method. Physical discomfort and pain, constant headache, exhaustion, anxiety, and as you saw with GiDi, a quickness to anger and excessive rage.” They shook their head, “While it was a method that kept us safe it’s not something I recommend if you have any other option.”
DH’s ears dropped, and though they had been relatively silent they now spoke up, “Are you certain?” They asked, “I mean, wouldn’t it be easier to just avoid it altogether?”
Somehow, those words hit TO’s stomach. This was all a lot, and it sounded inconvenient, and they really didn’t want to be talking about this… but at the same they had to wonder; if the things they and DH did in private felt as good as it already did when they weren’t in that Enkavma state, then would it feel even better when they were? And to be given so long to just be with one another, uninterrupted by others sounded exactly like what TO wanted! All they wanted was to be alone with their mate. That had been the one good thing about being trapped in that room during their early days with the insurgency. Of course, the anxiety of everything that happened ruined it quite a lot.
This would be different, and the part of TO not dying from the embarrassment of the entire conversation though it’d be fun. Did DH not think so?
“It would not.” Snout said, “First, you’d have to stay away from TO the entire time. You couldn’t even see them. During that time, it’s torture It’s like…” they paused, trying to think of a way to describe it.
“It’s like a piece of your insides was torn out.” Flit said. Though their hands were still covering their face their voice was sharp and cold. “It hurts all the time. The only thing you can think about is your mate, and how they’re not with you. You want to scream, and rip things apart. You feel sick, and you can’t sleep. It’s torture. And the worst part is knowing you could be with them. Knowing that they’re near, and there’s nothing keeping you apart.” they shook their head. “Sometimes, getting caught and being repurposed wasn’t enough of a deterrent.”
“Right.” Snout said after gazing at Flit in silence for a moment once they were done. “... It’s not recommended.”
“...So, when this happens.” DH asked, “If it happens-”
“If you’ve been intimate at all, it will.” Snout said, “That starts the production of the needed hormones.” They shook their head and gestured with their chip. The picture above them changed, showing the same synth as before, but this time there was no smooth skin between the legs. Where the small spiral had been, now there was a sleek, smooth tendril with five smaller ones around it. The illustration showed an opening at the base of the main tendril.
“Here.” Snout said, as a circle formed around the main tendril, “Phallus.” An arrow pointed to the opening, “Five different openings around it, leading to a uterus.” A circle encased one of the smaller prongs. “These prongs have a semi-permeable membrane, and allow for the exchange of hormones. They also link to hold the two individuals in place.”
“You mean an exchange of DNA, right?” TO asked, “Not hormones.”
“No, I mean Hormones.” Snout said. “It assists in the body syncing to a single partner. While Chilacians can have different partners at different times, they’ll only have one mate. The body adapts to best work with that individual and thus becomes more effective.”
TO wondered if despite how at ease they seemed, they were a little nervous about this talk. As soon as they went back to the scientific aspect of it they once more had that cold, synth-like tone.
“For the most part, you have no worries about other reproductive functions; those parts were removed.” Snout said, “However, if you don’t look more or less like this when the time comes, then I don’t care how embarrassing it is for you, you need to see me and tell me that something is wrong. Understood?”
TO and DH both gave silent, quick nods.
“Once things start, everything is going to be sensitive.” Snout said as they finally deactivated their chip, and the image flickered out of existence. “You’ll be fine so long as you’re with one another.” They gave both TO and DH a hard look, their ears pinning once more, “I cannot stress this enough; when it happens, don’t hide away from one another. Also, send a message to me that your Enkavma has started so we can track it for next time. Understood?”
Another quick nod from both TO and DH.
“Good. Other information isn’t, in my mind, as vital, so I’m sending the document to your chips. I recommend you read it but as far as I’m concerned you have everything you need to at least keep you from hurting yourselves.”
“... So we can go?” DH asked.
“Yes, unless you have questions.” Snout said, but even if they had, it was clear that they wouldn’t be asking them there; they were gone from the room before Snout’s sentence was finished.