The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]“The Baeliwik religion believes that... unless souls are born naturally, they cannot get into heaven. That was the reason for their experiments...” Charlie explained, shocking his apprentice by delving into the details of what would have been known as a cult on Earth. This after Ryan had disclosed his encounter with the archaeologists whom they had just delivered to the twelfth moon of Hei'a. “But their scientific facilities were all shut down by the current administration over twelve years ago. It was deemed immoral to experiment on one humanoid race for the benefit of another. But, the conversation you heard sounds very suspicious to me... I hope I am wrong but I must alert my order-master when we return. He will know how to proceed.”

Ryan just nodded. He had heard of sexual experimentation on Terran abductees but had always considered these people slightly left of center; in more need of psychiatric help than an audience. Now Charlie was telling him that they indeed may have been truthful in their accounts, for a very powerful minority of Dalcachenes had, in an attempt to reverse the reproductive damage to their bodies, conducted experimental mating with Terrans in the past.

“This practice is currently outlawed on all worlds, but was expressly forbidden on the mother world, Earth, before that... maybe five years or so before the widespread ban was enforced. And the practice never produced any tangible success anyway... We Dalcachenes must accept the fact that we are as we are...”

Ryan finally had to ask... it was just too much. “So... no sex...?”

Charlie cast his eyes to the morose look of empathy on the face of his apprentice then replied with a short laugh: “You assume that there was complete eradication of all sensory receptors in the area in question. That would be an error... No, never fear, we do enjoy each other's bodies... some would say even more than before... but that is hard to verify... Rather it is just the reproduction process that is impaired, but I do appreciate...” and here he fell into another short spate of laughter. “Sorry, it is just the absolute sadness that came over your face... I do appreciate your concern for us... Perhaps one day I will introduce you to a sweet Dalq'chette and you will discover the truth first hand.”

Ryan had a shiver run across his spine at that, for there was absolutely nothing attractive about the Dalcachenes in his mind. Truth be known anyway he had lost all interest in sex since his wife passed. Didn't think he'd ever regain it... which was okay with him. Yet, some of his fondest memories of his time with Shell had included that very important component of intimacy. He would hate to know that the Dalcachenes had lost that ability. But now Charlie was droning on about the sexual prowess of their women which Ryan determined to curtail at once...

“Hey... take me through the weapons suite on this bird again, will you?” Anything to get him off that topic...