Both Adam and Allen exchanged looks of surprise at the Juirean’s blatant condescension but Adam knew that was just how the aliens spoke; they usually said exactly what was on their minds.
“Probably not,” Adam agreed, half-convincingly. Mankind had been known to do some barbaric and childish things themselves, and more often than not, against their own kind. What they would have ultimately done to Juir would now remain a mystery.
“So why have you requested to speak with me? I am not a diplomat or in charge of our military.”
“It is because during our previously brief encounter, you displayed a good sense of perspective for the events that had already taken place — as well as accurate insight into those still remaining. You also gained the favor of my very close friend and mentor Elder Hydon Ra Elys. In addition, prior to the Kracori asteroid attack upon Juir, I had been in contact with the personnel within the survival bunker under Malor Tower. I am aware that Lord Hydon was taken and that your particular group of Humans was not involved in that action. However, I do know that the other group of Humans was responsible. Do you have any news of Lord Hydon?”
Adam shook his head. “All I know is that he was placed aboard a Kracori ship and sent to their homeworld. I don’t know if they’ve kept him as a prisoner or if they’ve killed him. Sorry.”
“No apologies necessary, Mr. Cain. I suspect that by now he has been dispatched in a most undesirable manner, especially considering what the Kracori did to Juir just as a means of inflicting more pain and suffering on any surviving Juireans.”
“I’m sure your concern for Hydon is genuine, Lord Wydor, but I ask again, why have you called me?”
Wydor stretched a small smile across his thin lips. It seemed strained and out of place. “I wish to give you a briefing as to the intentions of the Juireans in the wake of recent events.”
Both Adam and Allen tensed. They knew that were still several billion Juireans spread throughout the galaxy and that they had vast resources to draw upon. Adam was positive they could field a fleet large enough to rival the Human’s. The question had been on the minds of all the top brass: What would the Juireans do next?
“The honesty I will provide you with is sincere, Mr. Cain. I believe now that you and your people never sought war with the Expansion, and you do not wish to prolong it any longer than is necessary. That is why I have sought you out personally. I believe you will relay this information to your superiors in as passionate a form as you did when describing your insights to me and Hydon.”
The new Elder of the Juirean race paused and looked away for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. When he looked back at Adam, his eyes carried an even sadder shade of blue.
“I will not try to delude you, Mr. Cain; the attack on the Cluster has had a devastating effect on the Juireans as a race, more so than you can even imagine, and in an area you may not be familiar with. For nearly three thousand years, almost all of our females have been located either on Salin or Crilis here in the Cluster. Our females are extremely important to us and serve the most vital function in our society, that of procreation and the raising of our young. There had been over a billion Juirean females on these two worlds. Now, after the Kracori attack, we estimate that we have fewer than one million left.
“This information may not seem very important to you Humans. You — like the vast majority of the other races in the Expansion — mate within your communities and in bonding units. We Juireans did so as well until the demands for more administrators for the Expansion became so great. We could no longer leave the production and training of these administrators to chance, and instead transitioned to a more predictable and streamlined process.”
“Lord Wydor, I am aware of how the Juireans reproduce. This is not news to us.”
“I realize that, but I wish to explain what an impact the loss of so many females has had on my race. Not only were so many females killed on our two reproduction worlds, but nearly all of our young were as well, including the current pre-release brood. Currently, we estimate that there are over three billion Juireans left in the galaxy, however, approximately nine-nine percent of them are male. As time passes, there simply will not be enough new Juireans to replace those who expire.”
Wydor took a deep breath and the sadness in his eyes grew even more pronounced. “So, Mr. Cain, the only priority of the Juirean people at this time — as well for generations to come — will be to rebuild our species, and to achieve this, we have even resorted back to the old methods of impregnation, namely that of actual physical contact.”
Both Allen and Adam looked at each other and shared wry smiles. So the aliens are back to doing the nasty?
Wydor was continuing: “Although this practice will produce new offspring — and through genetic manipulation, nearly all newborns will be female — it will still take many years to rebuild just the female gender of our race. In the meantime, many millions of Juirean males will simply die off, not to be replaced. Parity in genders will not come for several generations. “
Wydor looked intensely at Adam with eyes that had now grown moist. “The Juirean people do not wish any further conflict with the Humans and we also are not interested in resuming any leadership position within the Expansion — if in the event the Humans decide to keep it in its present form. We have placed ourselves on a small group of planets in another region of the galaxy. I’m sure that with some effort, you will be able find this location, since it is hard to hide a population such as ours from prying eyes.
“At this time I just wish to express our sincere desire to be left alone. We are not a threat to anyone. Now the greatest fear for the Juirean people is that of extinction. If we are not allowed to follow our reproductive goals, then the Juirean race will die off in great numbers, destined to become only a small, single-planet colony lost to the pages of galactic history. We are too proud of a race to let that happen. We wish to rediscover our heritage and to learn once more what it means to be Juirean. One day in the distant future we will seek to rejoin the community of worlds within the galaxy, although definitely not in a leadership position.
“The past six months have been a great time of reflection for the Juirean people. We have looked back at how we became what we have become, and we have not been happy with what we saw. Although our empire was great, and we ruled the galaxy for thousands of years, we have paid a heavy toll for our success. We Juireans never intended to give away our more traditional mating bonds and what you call the family unit; that just evolved over time as a consequence of the growth of the Expansion. The chemical desires that are within our genders still remain; three thousand years is not enough time to alter evolution and instinct. Even though this transition has been difficult for us, we are beginning to see what we have lost, and what so many other races within the galaxy still enjoy.”
The Juirean suddenly frowned and leaned in closer to the screen. “May I ask a question of you Mr. Cain, since your race is so much more intimate with this subject?”
“Sure, go ahead?” Adam said, surprised by the question.
“Now that we are having more intimate and continuous interactions with our females, we are having some difficulty in adapting. We males are confused — almost to the point of believing that our females are of a different species than us. We have such diametrically opposed ways at viewing similar events. It is very hard to understand the thinking of our females. Is it the same among Humans?”