Surviving Against the Odds

8

Director Thomas looks to the door behind me and takes a deep breath before answering. "Let's start from the beginning of what we know", he says still looking at the door. "Around this time of year, every year for the last 23 years. I say 23 years because thats when we started noticing the pattern of women like Holly being taken, never returning. 5 Years ago our technology finally reached a point we could detect visitors coming to the planet and their locations. It was the following year when the pattern all clicked into place, these women weren't being taken by a human, they where taken off our planet. The ones doing this are fast, within an hour of entering our space they are gone again", he says grimly to me.

"Yes the Oids have gotten quite good at acquiring prey for the Maintoids hunts. It is quite amazing humans has developed from what you call horses to space flight in approximately 60 years and within a 100 years being able to detect and communicate with interstellar travelers within your space" I say with some respect towards the end. The humans really have developed quite quickly, from ground apes to their current advancement in under 6 million years on a world that is quite volatile and really should have killed them off thousands of years ago, several times over.

"We have come further than just communicating , we have finalized FTL as well. Unfortunately these final achievements only came in the last few days. We have had the ability to monitor council communication for years and before you entered our space we where hours away from dispatching a diplomatic convoy" Thomas says as he turns back to Thane.

"When we confirmed who was taken we immediately started to investigate her background and family line. We have done the same for the last 23 women taken, trying to see if it random or if they are looking for specific genes, or if there is a connection. We know from our monitoring about the hunts. There isn't, they are all from different parts of the world and with diffrent history's. We took a blood sample from Holly's son to see if there is a genetic component to it. What we found was her son and her carry differential genetic markers, we know it is from her and not the child's father because we tested him. We tracked her genetic makeup as far as we could". Thomas says evenly. "About 62 years ago we found a ship in scandinavia, about 173 years ago cave paintings where found, odd ones showing something coming from the sky, of a huge cat with two tails beside a human figure, archaeologists always assumed it was mistake. Seeing the cats with you now, we know it wasn't. That cave was dated at about 50,000 years ago and one of the last pure Neanderthal and human units. I sent a team back to the ship site and told them to expand the area, I wanted to know if we missed something and we did. About 500 feet away from where the ship was found we found a burial site unlike anything we have ever found before. Carbon dating puts it at about 45,000 years ago and the first set of remains are not a human female, the second set found where half human and the third was of an animal, huge and with 2 tails. We dug deep into her family line and I haveto admit its amazing she is even here at all. Her and the child are the last of her family line as far as we can see, we compared there DNA to millions of collected samples in both current population and historical ones. What we found is a disgusting tragedy, it seems many of Holly's ancestors where tried as witches and killed, it seems all of the historical documents found indicated a strong bond with animals and an unwillingness to submit. It also seems a number of historical women known for leading, unsubmsivness and where also killed for it are also related to her". Thomas finishes looking me straight in the eye.

I am shocked, even though I already knew it was very likely, having it confirmed is another story completely. I stand there letting it sink in that Holly and her son are the last of the Original Royal line, humans and Thrains are breeding compatible, but coming back to She is the true ruler of my people mixed with human or mostly human it dosen't matter.

He takes a deep breath before continuing, I get a feeling I won't like what he says next at all.

"We do not think the hunt stress is what activated her dormant genes, if it was they would have woken years ago. Her family was extremely abusive towards her growing up and she has also been through several traumas as an adult" Thomas says quietly. I take several deep breaths, they hurt her as a cub, "who hurt her" I demand with a growl. "Her mother was the main source of abuse, followed by several men in her mother's life, the abuse was.... extensive.

Her mother died 17 years ago, days after Holly turned 18. From police investigation she was killed by an ex boyfriend" Thomas says with anger and pain in his voice.

"It was the Bonding that triggered her, she killed 3 Maintoids hatchlings as a human, nearly killed the Commander as well, her bonded finished the job. The scars the Dr found aren't just from the hunt are they?" I asked Not really knowing if I wanted that confirmation or not.

He looks me in the eye before saying "you already know that answer" he says in a even voice.

"When we registered she was on your ship, the decision was made that we want her to be Earth's Representative, Hybrid or not. She survived what no other has, she is also owed for what she and her family line have been through. I do not know now if she will accept given what happened in the bay. Also on that point and to finish what you asked. The soldier panicked, he believed she was only human, the speed she was moving and her eyes above what a humans is. He is currently in holding and will be facing a court martial" he says grimly rubbing his temples. "One other thing when questioned he swears she had fangs as well. Is that a trait of your kind? He asks with what I swear is slight panic to his voice.