all the rest.
She stopped just inside the energy field. “Oh. My. God.”
Females from over fifty species were encased in amber and lined up in an organised display.
Acuar tugged her forward. “This is Loari, the most recent bride before you. She was active for three hundred years before her host exhausted himself on a mission and they died.”
He moved to the next woman, “Tabrelo was caught in a radiation blast on the station. With her host unable to survive, they died together on the way home.”
He continued and she listened, but each woman was wearing the crop top and skirt that she had worn her first day. A different flower was depicted on their skin, and Honour recognised each one as symbolizing the parent race of the bride.
In the seventh bride, she noticed something. She stopped Acuar. “What is that?”
“What?”
“The pod off the main stem of the Gelu flower. The plant only does that when it is reproducing and none of the other women here are displaying offshoots in their flowers.”
“Pheela. She became pregnant twice and the children were removed to be incubated in a Freyalki host. The children survived but were sterile and did not continue her line.”
“Removed?” Honour was alarmed. “Why were they removed?”
Acuar put his arm around her waist. “Look at them. Really look. On average, these women lived hundreds of years beyond their species lifespans. They did not age. Their bodies could not make the necessary changes to keep and assist life to flourish. It was found with the twentieth bride that an incubator could be used, but it had to be a living, thinking being.”
Honour pressed her hands to her belly. No changes to her rose yet, but she was suddenly nervous. She needed to distract herself.
“How were they encased in amber?”
“Part of the hosts turned to amber and they preserved the bride for eternity.”
Honour reached out to touch the amber, and she felt the familiar presence. “It wasn’t just the host locking her in place. It was also the forest as you well know.”
“I know. All three together for eternity.”
“Did the brides know what would happen to them in death?”
“Most took no for an answer. Some had traditions to be buried, so this vault was created. They are buried, they are preserved, dressed in their formal clothing; we adhered to as many practices as we could.” He sighed and looked at her. “Are you all right with this?”
She smiled and caressed the amber. “Why not? You can feel the love here. Protection and love all around her. My people dress you up and put you in the ground. There is mourning for those above, and then, it is quiet.”
“The Freyalki mourn for five years when a bride and host die. No aliens are allowed on any world, no transit with any of our space stations. Everything goes quiet while the forest and the people mourn. Do you wish to see where the host seeds are?”
She smiled and nodded. “Please.”
They walked through the secure screen again and down another hall that was unguarded. Seedpods the size of her head were sitting on a table.
“So, the brides are secured, but the host seeds are out here for anyone to take?”
He laughed. “There is no danger. Only the forest can grow a host. The genes of past brides are spliced into every new round of seeds, becoming more complex as time goes on. The hosts began as ordinary Freyalki, and now, look at me.”
“Yes, you are very pretty.” She patted his shoulder.
He sighed. “Can’t I impress you at all?”
She laughed and put her arm around his waist. “You impress me simply by breathing. Now, where do the pods come from?”
“Ah, the most ancient tree grows the pods when it has completed its mourning cycle.”
She nodded. She had met the current ancient tree. They lived for thousands of years, but they eventually died. They measured time differently.
Honour looked around and nodded. “I have seen what I needed to. We can go now.”
He blinked and grinned.
She stopped just inside the energy field. “Oh. My. God.”
Females from over fifty species were encased in amber and lined up in an organised display.
Acuar tugged her forward. “This is Loari, the most recent bride before you. She was active for three hundred years before her host exhausted himself on a mission and they died.”
He moved to the next woman, “Tabrelo was caught in a radiation blast on the station. With her host unable to survive, they died together on the way home.”
He continued and she listened, but each woman was wearing the crop top and skirt that she had worn her first day. A different flower was depicted on their skin, and Honour recognised each one as symbolizing the parent race of the bride.
In the seventh bride, she noticed something. She stopped Acuar. “What is that?”
“What?”
“The pod off the main stem of the Gelu flower. The plant only does that when it is reproducing and none of the other women here are displaying offshoots in their flowers.”
“Pheela. She became pregnant twice and the children were removed to be incubated in a Freyalki host. The children survived but were sterile and did not continue her line.”
“Removed?” Honour was alarmed. “Why were they removed?”
Acuar put his arm around her waist. “Look at them. Really look. On average, these women lived hundreds of years beyond their species lifespans. They did not age. Their bodies could not make the necessary changes to keep and assist life to flourish. It was found with the twentieth bride that an incubator could be used, but it had to be a living, thinking being.”
Honour pressed her hands to her belly. No changes to her rose yet, but she was suddenly nervous. She needed to distract herself.
“How were they encased in amber?”
“Part of the hosts turned to amber and they preserved the bride for eternity.”
Honour reached out to touch the amber, and she felt the familiar presence. “It wasn’t just the host locking her in place. It was also the forest as you well know.”
“I know. All three together for eternity.”
“Did the brides know what would happen to them in death?”
“Most took no for an answer. Some had traditions to be buried, so this vault was created. They are buried, they are preserved, dressed in their formal clothing; we adhered to as many practices as we could.” He sighed and looked at her. “Are you all right with this?”
She smiled and caressed the amber. “Why not? You can feel the love here. Protection and love all around her. My people dress you up and put you in the ground. There is mourning for those above, and then, it is quiet.”
“The Freyalki mourn for five years when a bride and host die. No aliens are allowed on any world, no transit with any of our space stations. Everything goes quiet while the forest and the people mourn. Do you wish to see where the host seeds are?”
She smiled and nodded. “Please.”
They walked through the secure screen again and down another hall that was unguarded. Seedpods the size of her head were sitting on a table.
“So, the brides are secured, but the host seeds are out here for anyone to take?”
He laughed. “There is no danger. Only the forest can grow a host. The genes of past brides are spliced into every new round of seeds, becoming more complex as time goes on. The hosts began as ordinary Freyalki, and now, look at me.”
“Yes, you are very pretty.” She patted his shoulder.
He sighed. “Can’t I impress you at all?”
She laughed and put her arm around his waist. “You impress me simply by breathing. Now, where do the pods come from?”
“Ah, the most ancient tree grows the pods when it has completed its mourning cycle.”
She nodded. She had met the current ancient tree. They lived for thousands of years, but they eventually died. They measured time differently.
Honour looked around and nodded. “I have seen what I needed to. We can go now.”
He blinked and grinned.
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