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But for someone like Naomi, who struggled again and again to conceive at the clinics, it could mean an unjust life of terrible loneliness.
When a friend from the fertility feeds let her know about the top-secret Alien Fertility Agency and the option to act as an unconventional surrogate for a man from another world in exchange for the restoration of her own fertility, she hadn’t been able to sign up fast enough.
Now that she was here, her mind and heart were constantly tugged between two extremes - fear about what was happening at her job back on Terra-58, and a wild, desperate hope that she might get to be a mother one day. Not even a long run on the beach was enough to calm her.
When Oberon suggested she enjoy a daily meditation, she almost laughed. If there was one thing Naomi had never been interested in, it was sitting still and thinking about nothing.
Though her friends described her as calm and elegant, it always made her feel like an imposter. Her professional demeanor was a carefully constructed facade for her active mind and restless spirit.
But there hadn’t been anything else to take up her time and prevent her from trying something new. And after so many tense and endless days, she was beginning to think that Oberon might have a point.
She might need to take advantage of a chance to relax.
So, she’d agreed to try one of his meditation programs. On the first morning, she had barely been able to clear her mind for two minutes.
Oberon began suggesting that she picture various natural settings. From her long walks and explorations, he had rightly gleaned that she loved nature.
But it wasn’t until he suggested picturing animals that Naomi turned a corner and was able to sink deep, deep into her inner peace.
It was probably unusual to picture herself as the animal. But the whole idea of meditation was a little silly to her anyway. Did it really matter how far out of her usual comfort zone she went?
And besides, who was going to judge her for it?
She had been alone at the Center for weeks without a match.
And now she was distracted, as usual.
In her mind, she returned to her fox form and followed the sweet scent trail all the way to its origin.
Light was filtering through the trees, warming her soft fur, and showing her the glittering, glassy surface of the burbling creek whose scent had drawn her here.
An expanse of smooth stone jutted out over the water, and she trotted out onto it, enjoying the feel of the sun warmed surface under her paws. When she reached the end of the stone, she leaned forward to peer into the water.
At first, she saw her human reflection gazing back at her through a curtain of long, dark hair.
Before her eyes, it faded and sharpened into the adorable furry face of a Terran fox - large, dark eyes in a pale orange face, framed by even larger ears with black pointed tips.
Naomi had seen one in a holo-film once, and fallen in love with the oddly serious-yet-silly beasts. When Oberon asked her to picture an animal, this little creature had pounced into her mind.
She lowered herself onto her belly, getting just close enough to the water to dip her snout in and take a long, satisfying pull.
The water cascaded down her throat, cool and sweet.
“Time to ease out of your meditation, Naomi,” Oberon murmured to her. “A guest is arriving at the Center for you.”
Normally, winding down her meditation session was slow and relaxing, and Naomi managed to carry her sense of calm into the next few hours of her day.
But the news of a visitor sent a chill down her spine, and she felt her stomach tighten so much she regretted eating breakfast. Panic sent ice water through her veins and it felt suddenly as if she had never meditated at all.
“Do you know anything about this guest?” she asked Oberon as calmly as she could.
“It is your prospective parent, Naomi,” Oberon said. “Apologies for not being clear. The Center discourages visitors who are not part of the program.”
Discourages…
That was relieving, though prohibits would have been better, safer.
Oddly though, she was still feeling panicky. Meeting the prospective parent suddenly seemed even more nerve-racking than facing the firm.
